Get ready to rock with Lego’s 665-piece Technic Jeep Wrangler kit
If you’ve felt alienated by the rash of Lego-designed supercar and endurance racer kits, today’s news will be a treat for you: The JL Jeep Rubicon Technic set will launch on New Year’s Day, both online and at Lego stores.
The 665-piece Technic kit brings all the off-roading tricks too. The miniature version boasts the Wrangler’s flexible live-axles and all the other accoutrements you’d expect: removable doors and roof, a working winch, folding seats, and more. Really, given how modular and buildable Wranglers are with full-size bolt-on components, this seems like a long-overdue partnership.
“With an 80-year legacy that reaches around the world, our owners, fans and followers have quite literally grown up with us,” said Christian Meunier, Jeep’s global president. “Our partnership with the Lego Group gives our enthusiasts another inclusive opportunity to share the passion they have for the Jeep Wrangler, a global automotive icon that represents fun, freedom and unbridled adventure.”
Since the kit belongs to Lego’s more involved Technic line, the live suspension carries over from the real-world version. A simple feature for playing, sure, but one that also gives kids a chance to learn hands-on how a suspension works.
“The Jeep Wrangler is an icon in the off-road world,” said Lars Thygesen, a designer for Lego Technic. “The Rubicon has a lot of the iconic details loved by 4×4 fans the world over, so it was important to me to pack as many of the authentic, powerful features of the real vehicle into the Lego Technic replica. I hope Lego fans and vehicle lovers enjoy all aspects, including the suspension, winch, and open-air design that we developed alongside the talented Jeep design team.”
The kit will retail for $49.99 when it hits stores New Year’s Day. We might expect that, given the number of Lego stores inside shopping malls, we’ll see plenty of Jeeps crawling to malls first thing in the morning—maybe even camped out in the back lots with a roof-top tent. They’re a dedicated bunch, y’know?
