Best Lego Speed Champions Sets of 2019

Speed Champions Nissan GT-R Nismo

The GT-R Nismo Speed Champions set is the latest addition to the range and while at the time of writing it wasn’t on sale, Lego announced on the 25th of November, 2019. So, why does it matter? Well, because it marks two important milestones. One of them, as you’ve probably guessed by now, is the GT-R’s 50th anniversary, while the other has to do with a change Lego is about to make to its Speed Champions lineup.

As of this release, Lego’s Speed Champions sets will be 25 percent bigger than what we’ve been getting in previous years. So while your average set packed around 200-250 pieces, the GT-R Nismo is made of almost 300 - 298, to be more precise. It also packs a fair share of stickers, which is not something we can greet with a round of applause, but we have to give due credit to Lego’s team of designers for neatly recreating the R35 GT-R’s iconic round taillights. Heck, after the 12-month development period Lego needed for the set, the final approval came from Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s chief product specialist for the GT-R. He’s also known as Mr. GT-R, so if that’s not a solid proof of the set’s quality, we don’t know what is really.

The set will arrive in the first half of 2020, so keep an eye out for it.

Check out full details on the Nissan GT-R Nismo Speed Champions.

Speed Champions Ferrari F40 Competizione

In case you didn’t manage to get your hands on the beautifully-crafted Lego Creator Ferrari F40, now’s your chance to make up with the smaller yet equally appealing F40 Competizione Speed Champions set. It comes with a Ferrari racing driver mini-figure just like every other Speed Champions set but more importantly, you can change the hood and the rear spoiler to turn the car into the road-going F40. The set is made of 198 pieces and when built, the car measures is one inch (four centimeters) tall, five inches (13 centimeters) long, and one inch (five centimeters) wide. Get it on Amazon from $19.

Speed Champions McLaren Senna

Lego’s partnership with McLaren has given us a P1 Speed Champions set launched back in 2016 but also the deftly-executed Senna Speed Champions. The supercar inspired by the legendary Ayrton Senna was rendered quite nicely using Lego’s plastic bits and bobs. The car is made of 219 pieces and is complemented by a buildable wind tunnel with a rotating fan - you’ll have to set it in motion with your finger, though, but it’s still cool to keep on your desk next to the actual car.

Once fully built, the McLaren Senna Speed Champions car is one inch (four centimeters) tall, five inches (15 centimeters) long, and one inch (five centimeters) wide. Get it on Amazon from $23.50.

Speed Champions Dodge Challenger SRT Demon & 1970 Dodge Charger R/T

This set is, in fact, a double treat. It packs not one, but two cars and they are, in my book, one of the best recreations in Speed Champions history. Sure, the real cars’ boxy shape made their Lego integration a lot easier, but that doesn’t put a dent in the level of awesomeness brought to the table by these two muscle cars. It’s not the first time Lego works with an American carmaker on a two-car Speed Champions set, after it has done so in previous years with Chevrolet, on a set that brought together a ’69 Camaro and its present-day peer, the sixth-generation Camaro.

For this one, however, you’ll be getting a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T and the famed Dodge Demon, albeit in desk-ready form. Naturally, the set packs more pieces - 478, if we are to be precise - as well as three mini-figures, and a lever-operated Christmas tree-style start light. The 2018 Dodge Demon comes with two sets of wheels, while the Charger R/T packs a removable Vin Diesel-style supercharger and an alternate engine cover. Get it on Amazon from $35.75.

Speed Champions Mini Cooper S Rally & Mini John Cooper Works Buggy

Another cool two-car Lego Speed Champions set to add to your collection is all about Mini. The British brand’s motorsport pedigree is celebrated through a Mini Cooper S Rally car, a nod back to the brand’s three victories at the Monte Carlo Rally, and a John Cooper Works Buggy that tries to replicate Mini’s Dakar-prep racer with a working suspension setup.

The set is made of 481 pieces and includes four mini-figures: two rally drivers, a race marshal, and a mechanic. There’s also a buildable jack that lets you tweak stuff for the Mini JCW Buggy and a pit stop station populated with the following:

• tool racks
• two mobile opening tool cabinets
• mechanic’s creeper with wheels
• two TV screens
• a Mini sign
• a trophy
• a gas can
• a flag
• various tools

Get it on Amazon from $49.95.

Speed Champions Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0

Lego has previously launched a plastic-brick, pocket-size version of the 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 as part of a two-car set that also included the modern-day 911 RSR. But a short wile after, it decided to offer the Turbo 3.0 as a separate set. The truth is, we can’t tell what made Lego come up with the decision to offer the Turbo 3.0 as a standalone, one-car set (albeit painted in white rather than green), but out guess is that it had something to do with customer requests.

Needless to say, the 911 Turbo 3.0 Speed Champions car is deftly executed and by far one of the most sought-after sets of 2019. Once built, the car displays the iconic whale tail rear spoiler as well as iconic details such as the round headlights and the dramatically sloped roofline. The set has 179 pieces and to our (pleasant) surprise, the number of stickers it contains is minimal. Get it on Amazon from $39.00.