If you can’t buy a new Land Rover Defender, you can build one

Simultaneously with Land Rover Jaguar’s real life introduction of the new 2020 Land Rover Defender at the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show, LEGO’s Technic brand has officially announced kit number 42110, the LEGO Technic Land Rover Defender. Land Rover enthusiasts will be pleased with how accurately the model reproduces the first new Defender in almost 30 years. LEGO maniacs will love how many of the technical features of the new kit are fully operational.

The finished LEGO Defender is over 16 inches long, 8 inches tall, and 7 inches wide and features an olive green body, grey roof, and black trim.

For a model made up mostly from rectangular bricks, the new LEGO Defender is impressively true to the original’s body styling, although considering that the purposeful Defender (and its LR 90 and 110 antecedents) has always had somewhat brick-like aerodynamics, maybe that isn’t such a stretch.

The dashboard and interior are also fairly true to the new Defender, considering the allowances needed for the translation to brick.

As you’d expect from the Technic sub-brand, which features dynamic rather than static models, the doors open (including the back door, by turning the rear-mounted spare tire), the steering works (and can be remotely operated by a roof-mounted knob), as does the fully independent suspension. The Technic system allows for details such as working four-wheel drive, working front, rear, and center differentials, a transfer case with high and low ranges, and an operational four-speed sequential transmission, which LEGO Technic says is its most sophisticated gearbox yet. That may be four speeds fewer than the Defender has in real life, but that’s still a notable accomplishment for a model.

LEGO worked directly with Land Rover to develop the kit and has also included some of LR’s most popular accessories for the Defender, including a removable “Expedition” roof rack with storage box, roof-access ladder, and working winch.

The bonnet (hood) opens so you can see the Defender’s new inline six-cylinder engine and its exposed pistons that go up and down. Flipping the rear seat forward reveals the working four-speed transmission.

Rated for ages 11 and up, the 2573-piece kit has a suggested retail price of $199.99 and will go on sale globally on October 1, 2019.