And giving LEGO a run for its money. I mean just look at that gorgeous Acura NSX set. Here’s a picture of the set’s namesake, the first generation NSX:
No one can deny how close the set replicates the original. Honestly, I kind of doubt LEGO could do anything that looks as good or even comes close. Let’s do some comparisons shall we?
If we go by piece count, this mid-range set includes 876 pieces. My first instinct was to check out something from LEGO Speed Champions theme, but sets with similar pieces counts are geared more for play than display, and you get two cars in one set instead of one large set. So then I checked out the Technic line which foregoes the traditional bricks and System elements for more complex Technic elements. And to try and keep this as fair as possible, let’s compare Japanese import to Japanese import. I present to you, the 810-piece Toyota Supra MK IV from the Fast and the Furious franchise:
Just atrocious. And for reference, this was the real life vehicle the set is based on:
One does not look like the other. Well, maybe if you squint your eyes and stare at the sun for a bit (I’m kidding, don’t stare at the sun).
Okay maybe you’re thinking to yourself this is not a fair comparison. The LEGO set should be a System set, and not a Technic one. Fine. To do that kind of comparison I poked around and the best set I can compare Mattel’s NSX to was the Creator Expert 10271 Fiat 500 from 2020. It’s not a JDM import but close in terms of piece count weighing in at 960 pieces:
And for reference, the source material:
So in this sense, LEGO can hold its own but the Creator Expert line is somewhat dead for car sets. They are released under LEGO Icons now and the cheapest car sets from that theme are a pair of $80 F1 race cars. The majority of the cars that look realistic are priced well above $150.
Did I mention the NSX set is only $50? And that they come with metal parts? There are swappable metal wheel covers, a metal name plate, and a die-cast NSX. There’s also a decal sheet and you can switch between right-hand and left-hand drive configurations. They tout this feature is differentiating between Honda and Acura versions of the car, but it doesn’t seem to include any Honda badges which is a bit of an oversight. There’s also extra parts to turn your NSX into a pace car.
Now the only other point of comparison to make is the quality of the bricks. MEGA, bought by Mattel back in 2014, was an inferior product back in the day. I never bought any but it’s been known to have serious quality control issues with clutch power, element tolerances, and color consistency. Have things improved since then? I honestly don’t know but I’m willing to risk $50 bucks for a display piece of one of my dream cars.
The Mattel Brick Shop Hot Wheels sets come in three price points: $20 for a Maserati MC20 or a Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar, $50 for an Acura NSX or a Corvette Grand Sport, and $120 for a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Unfortunately the entire line is sold out right now at Mattel’s site. You can pre-order the Corvette and the Cadillac over at Amazon. Click through those affiliate links and help me get rich!
These sets look great, and Mattel is honestly giving LEGO some real competition. Even the higher priced set, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, seems on par with LEGO’s higher priced sets in terms of accuracy and features. But with real metal parts, something LEGO has never done, they stand on their own. You can check out the full line over at Mattel.com
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