Review:21103 The DeLorean time machine/Latenightguy

Latenightguy
Country: United States of America     Gender: Male
Joined: February 2010   № of Reviews: 6   № of Featured reviews: 0
Building Experience: 7 years

---

Welcome to my review of 21103 The DeLorean time machine. Although this particular set has been released for over 2 years, I believe that I should give my thoughts on it. I was gifted the set in 2013, only enjoying it for the titular vehicle's design. Reading review upon review brought me into a mutually negative state against the Delorean, trusting their presumed knowledge. But, after finally watching the entire trilogy, new enjoyment for the films and the set have arisen. Let us see if this set has value for BTTF aficionados or anyone at all! NOTE: Spoilers may be mentioned throughout the review!

• Theme: LEGO Ideas
• Pieces: 401
• Minifigures: 2
• Price: $34.99 USD
• Brickipedia / Brickset

Box/Contents

As far as the packaging of LEGO products go, I have enjoyed those used for the CUUSOO and Ideas sets. On the front and back of the box, images of the Delorean are prominent, including the three models, exclusively printed pieces (pardon the tear), and the two minifigures. Similar in size to 21109 Exo Suit, the box is easily opened by tucked flaps that provide a 'collector-quality' feel to the set. Once inside, there are numerous unlabeled bags and the eloquently-bound instruction booklet.

The Building Process

From my previous experiences with many other vehicle-oriented sets, the main focus of seeing the final product is on the mind. To piece together some of the more iconic aspects is nice, considering their accuracy, but the rest is somewhat bland. The Delorean's interior is very well done with the inclusion of the Flux Capacitor brick and Time Circuits, albeit lacking proper seating and space. With the notable pull-up doors and windshield, I was originally pleased, but the design is rather poor and weak in time. Though, the extension following the initial build are mostly wonderful, drawing one's attention from the set's flaws.

Minifigures

Iconic men in 1980-90s cinema, Marty McFly and Doc Brown are two whom are peculiarly designed characters. In their transition to LEGO form, some of these peculiarities are flawlessly evident, yet others are completely lost.

Marty McFly: Outfitted in a several, intricate layers, Marty's minifigure design cannot be topped. Appearing rather simple in the film, any noted details are exemplified in the figure. The exclusive head captures the self-assured and disheveled expressions made by McFly throughout the films. Contrary to the plain blue arms and legs, the torso is anything but dull. The four layers of clothing depicted begin with the prominent red vest, gloriously creased and buttoned, that extends from the front to the back in a similar fashion. Following suit, a blue jacket, a white striped shirt, suspenders, and a maroon t-shirt under that are all depicted, displaying why such a figure could not be renovated very much. A purple skateboard is also included, an exclusive variant that further proves my claim.

Dr. Emmet 'Doc' Brown: Unlike their younger companion, Doc Brown is accurate with numerous errors. The finer qualities of the figure are shown in the torso, depicting Brown's white radiation suit with a green floral shirt and timers present in the film. On the back side, a radiation symbol and continuing belt are printed with ruffled fabric shown on every side. Doc's face is also well done, depicting a smiling and notably shocked expressions that are similar to Christopher Lloyd's. But, my main issue with this besides flawless character is the included hairpiece. The swept nature of his hair could have been better represented through that used for Dastan and Severus Snape at the time, but this makes the hair seem polished and cared for. Thankfully, due to the Dimensions line, my critiques shall be resolved with a unique piece for the Doc himself.

The Models

Model 1: BTTF Delorean

I am rather pleased with the overall shape of the Delorean. This car is mainly, if not all, composed of black, white, and grey pieces, which is bland yet accurate. Though, upon further inspection, many of the vehicle's sloped qualities are lost to rigid, brick forms. Notably, the front hood is broken into two levels, unlike the whole slope seen on the actual device. My other issue with this build is that the vertical doors and windshield are attached by very weak connections, allowing for mildly playful actions to displace them from their place in the build. Besides these rigid features, and an unnecessary number of binoculars, the rest of the Delorean is fine. The interior, featuring many exclusive prints, is very nice and accurate to the film. Even the seemingly misplaced black tubes running along the sides are very pleasing for what is possible. The car's backside includes various engines(?), a pair of red-colored lights, and the 'OUTATIME' license plate. The majority of this section is black, unlike the film, though it fits with the general build.

Model 2: BTTF Part II Delorean

My personal favorite of the Delorean's forms is transitioned to a fairly accurate model. Possessing the exact hull of the first, the 2nd incarnation includes several new features/pieces that are an improvement from the original. The first new thing is the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Generator, the white fixture in the back, which adds only a feeling of accuracy to the car. The next small piece is the replacement of the first license plate to a 2015 California bar code variant. Finally, the new feature for this model is the ability to turn the wheels down, and with a few clear bricks, giving the appearance of a flying Delorean.

Model 3: BTTF Part III Delorean

Appearing the least within the film, the Part III Delorean is my least favorite incarnation of the time machine, both within the film and in this design. The third form possesses all of the features added in the previous two, but lacks the flying ability. The additions to the car include red hubcaps on the wheels and an orange box of mysterious levers, metallic studs, and binoculars. This replacement box, used to start the Delorean in 1955, draws away the eye from the lack of the sloped hood to its horrid self. Unlike the enclosed tan box found within the initial CUUSOO submission, these two orange plates are hardly well executed, causing this model to be lacking...

Final Verdict

It appears that watching this set's source material did not have a great impact on me at all. Although the value of this set is quite exceptional, The many issues that plague the Delorean are only in existence because of the designer's urge to maintain scale, not playability or anything like it. The feature of representing the time machine throughout the set of films is an intriguing concept, yet one of these models is not really distinguishable as iconic. I wish some of the smoother qualities of the CUUSOO submission were implemented here, but I have learned to accept what we have. Since this has been out for some time, it is likely that it is near retirement into the LEGO vault. So, if you are to stumble upon this set, I would only suggest this to BTTF fans or those whom enjoy unique cars, like this.

Price/Value	5 / 5
Playability	4 / 5
Minifigures/Pieces	4 / 5
Model	3½ / 5
Overall	4 / 5

Comments (0)

Add your comment

Brickipedia welcomes all comments. If you do not want to be anonymous, register or log in. It is free.

Sort by date Sort by score

Enable comment auto-refresher