Review: LEGO Technic 42202 Ducati Panigale V4 S Motorcycle (2025)

December 22, 2024 | 2

LEGO Star Wars & Automotive Correspondent

VaderFan2187

The Ducati Panigale motorcycle has actually appeared in LEGO form before, as a 646-piece set in 2020. It was therefore interesting to see 42202 Ducati Panigale V4 S Motorcycle reappear in the 2025 Technic lineup, although now sporting more than twice the pieces and with a fittingly heftier price tag of US$199.99 / AU$299.99 / £169.99.

It’s available to pre-order now from LEGO.com.

As the flagship 18+ Technic set of the January 2025 wave, is it worth adding to your collection? Let’s take a closer look!

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set over for review.

Unboxing

The box has the usual all-black 18+ art style with the Panigale V4 S logo on the top left. A matching red border wraps around the bottom.

The back of the box shows off the other side of the model, along with its action features and a comparison with the real bike.

The box is the new lift-off lid style which is fantastic, and inside you’ll find 12 numbered paper bags.

In addition to the paper bags, there’s a plastic bag with some extra large parts, along with the wheels and tyres lying loose in the box. These wheels were first introduced in 2022, but work well on motorcycles at this scale.

The instruction manual now comes in this new brown paper envelope instead of the old cardboard one. I preferred the old cardboard folder, but it’s no big deal and the manual is still protected.

You fold it open to access the instruction manual and sticker sheet.

The sticker sheet is fairly reasonably sized for such a large set; the only tricky one was the 8×16 plaque sticker with the specifications.

As is standard for 18+ sets, the manual comes with some information about the real motorcycle and its history.

Build Process

Bag 1 builds the main transmission and gears, with bag 2 expanding on this assembly.

Bag 3 adds the stand and engine pistons, with bag 4 fleshing out more of the bodywork.

Bag 5 adds the grilles of the Panigale’s radiator cover, while bag 6 adds the suspension connections for the front and rear wheels.

Bag 7 adds the front and rear wheels along with some more bodywork, and bag 8 expands on that further.

Bag 9 adds the seat and rear panels, while bag 10 adds more paneling towards the front.

Bag 11 finishes up the front, while bag 12 adds the fuel tank and display plaque. Overall, the build was very engaging – the starting phases were pretty challenging with the gearbox and transmission that required precision, and the paneling towards the end also featured some ingenious angles.

Do note that the front and rear tyres are actually different sizes – I somehow did not notice this during the build construction, and so accidentally mixed them up! Thankfully, it was not too difficult to correct, and I have corrected it where possible in the following pictures.

Reference Image

Completed Model

The completed Panigale model looks impressive on display, measuring around 43 cm (16″) long and 30cm (11.5″) tall. 1600 pieces have been put to good effect, and the model has some heft and weight when carried.

The right side of the model is the more camera-friendly angle, which is likely why it was used for the front of the box art. The build doesn’t quite capture the distinctive curvature of the real bike and there are some gaps present, but given the limitations of the Technic medium I think it has been done well.

The other side has the gear lever feature, but oddly features a number of exposed gears including in obtrusive blue and green colours. I understand the designers likely wanted to show off the mechanical functions of the model, but this is a strange design choice nonetheless, and detracts from the display value of the set from this angle.

The front is pretty imposing and sleek. White 4L bars are used for the narrow headlights which works well, although perhaps glow-in-the-dark would have been cool like on the Peugeot 9X8.

The back looks good as well, although there’s not as much to see here.

The model sits on a black Technic stand with a stickered 8×16 tile with the bike’s specs. It connects loosely to the bike via four Technic axles – the bike is a little front-heavy but it still balances just fine.

Without the stand, the bike also has its own kickstand that folds out, which works well enough.

Let’s take a look at the motorcycle’s closer details, starting with the fuel tank which is nicely rounded with a mix of Technic panels. A stickered 2×4 tile is used for the digital gauge display, and the brick-built handlebars are nice and rotate with the front wheel.

Further back, the seat is also nicely done, using a mix of Technic connectors and panels mounted at some clever angles.

This set introduces a new molded windscreen that comes in its own packaging, which looks great. Unfortunately, there are some gaps with the surrounding panels, and the 1×1 tile with the Ducati logo mounted behind the windscreen is, annoyingly, a sticker instead of a print.

Lower down, the radiator cover has been nicely replicated with system parts, mostly 1×2 grille elements, flanked by a pair of angled Technic panels.

More detail is visible towards the rear. On the right, a stickered dark tan Ducati round assembly is present (with questionable quality of colour-matching), surrounded by a flexible rubber hose. Further detail continues with the engine and some piping towards the top.

The other side has the aforementioned colourful gears; again, a strange choice. More of the internal structure is visible on this side, along with the gear lever and kickstand.

By pushing this lever up or down, you can shift gears for the bike thanks to the complex transmission build inside featuring rubber bands and specialised parts. Adjusting the gears will make the engine pistons chug away faster or slower as the bike is pushed along, which is quite neat but also a little underwhelming as the model is not motorised. In fact, I feel the construction of the transmission was more interesting than the actual completed feature itself.

The model also has working independent suspension at both the front and rear, which is both springy and robust.

The rear wheel is actually connected to this sub-assembly with a yellow shock absorber in the middle. A chain link with is connected to the internal gear transmission system, moving the engine’s pistons along as the wheel turns.

The front wheel is connected to these two gold shock absorber elements, and has a nice pair of brake disc element pieces. These are not new – having been introduced in earlier Technic motorbike sets at this scale, like the 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP, and 42130 Technic BMW M 1000 RR motorbike – but still work well.

Final Thoughts

I did not have particularly high expectations for this set, but have been generally pleasantly surprised. The build process, while complex, was enjoyable, utilising ingenious build techniques to replicate the shaping of the Panigale. The completed model also feels substantial, looking great on display especially from the right side.

However, it is not without its flaws. The working suspension and gearbox, while engaging to build, are a little lacklustre as play features when completed, and the model is otherwise lacking in functions. The real Ducati also has very aggressive shaping and angles, and – constrained by the medium of Technic building – the model misses out on some of the finer details, having to settle for being a fairly good general representation of the bike.

The value here is debatable: It’s not a huge model but it is quite substantial for US$199.99 / AU$299.99. It is smaller than the similarly-priced 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance, but it has more height and feels like a denser model, especially with the complex gearbox hidden inside. Perhaps a discount would sweeten the deal, although I think the Technic lineup has not seen prices as ridiculous as some other themes lately.

Final Score

4

Build

The Ducati is well-represented here, with the key details and clever build techniques. Nevertheless, restricted by the palette of Technic panels available, some of the proportions or details are a little off.

3

Playability

The working gearbox is impressive but ultimately does not contribute too much to the final model, and the bike is otherwise relatively lacking in functions.

3

Real Value

It’s perhaps not the best deal out there, but the complexity and density of the build helps to justify the price. Great if you can pick it up on sale

4

Innovation

The build process was really fun, packed with lots of clever geometry.

4

Keepability

LEGO seems to be making a lineup of Technic motorcycles at this scale, and this is another worthy entry to the lineup. Still, the presence of a smaller, more affordable version does take away slightly from this set.

Audience rating

How would you rate this set?

1 2 3 4 5

Thanks for reading! 42202 Ducati Panigale V4 S Motorcycle will be available from LEGO.com beginning 1 1 January 2025.

To get the latest LEGO news and LEGO Reviews straight in your inbox, subscribe via email, or you can also follow on Google News, or socials on Facebook, Instagram (@jayong28), Bluesky or subscribe to the Jay’s Brick Blog Youtube channel.