Review: LEGO Icons 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna
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The McLaren MP4/4 is one of the most dominant F1 cars in history, winning 15 out of 16 races in the 1988 Formula One season and holding the record for the highest win percentage in a season until 2023. Thanks Max.
It’s also effortlessly iconic, with the striking white and red livery being one of the most recognisable among F1 cars. Therefore, it’s no surprise that LEGO chose this car for the first F1-themed Icons set, 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna, pairing a classic car with an equally historic driver. As LEGO expands its partnership with Formula One in 2025, let’s take a look at this year’s entry and see if it holds up to closer scrutiny!
In Australia, the set is currently on sale from Amazon Australia where its 31% off.
Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set over for review.
10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna Set Details
10330
McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna
1 (Ayrton Senna)
693
US$79.99 / AU$99.99 / €79.99 / £69.99 / CAD$99.99
1 March 2024
Unboxing
The box has the standard all-black 18+ design with a fitting red bottom border that matches the McLaren’s livery. The model stands out nicely against the all-black background.
The back of the box shows off an alternate view of the model, along with some up-close details and its dimensions.
Inside the box, you’ll find the instruction manual, a sticker sheet, 6 numbered bags, and the four wheels.
As is common for 18+ Icons sets, the manual has some background information about the real car which makes for an interesting read before you commence building.
Unfortunately the manual and sticker sheet do not come in a protective cardboard sleeve like some other larger sets, so my sticker sheet was slightly damaged in transport.
Build Process
Bag 1 builds the minifigure stand and the base of the main model.
Bag 2 adds the rear linkages and some of the side paneling.
Bag 3 adds the front steering linkages and a fair bit of bodywork.
Bag 4 continues rapidly expanding the model, adding the front and rear wings.
Bag 5 adds the wheels and engine cover, finishing off the MP4/4.
Finally, bag 6 adds the stand, completing the entire model. The build process as a whole was enjoyable; at no point did it get unreasonably complicated or difficult but was still engaging throughout.
Minifigures
Only one minifigure is included, the legendary driver Ayrton Senna. He gets a new double-sided face print along with exclusive torso and leg prints that look excellent and accurate.
His alternate face has a bigger smile, and there are some more sponsor prints around the back of the torso.
The torso and leg prints are suitably similar to the real Ayrton Senna’s racesuit, although I personally would have opted for a slightly longer hairpiece.
A white white stand is included to display the Senna minifigure, and he comes with a trophy and a stand to hold his printed helmet. The helmet has been done fantastically well, with the Brazilian flag’s colours and the Senna logo printed on the top.
A 4×4 stickered tile is included with a quote of Ayrton Senna, although this particular line is not really well-known at all and I’m surprised the designers didn’t go for the famous “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver” quote – perhaps they wanted something more generally inspiring.
The stand looks somewhat unfinished around the back which is an odd choice, although next year’s 10353 Williams Racing FW14B & Nigel Mansell comes with an identically styled minifigure stand so the consistency is commendable.
Completed Model
Let’s now move to the main model, the McLaren MP4/4 itself. It measures around 32cm (12.5″) long so is fairly sizeable, and is mounted on an angle on the included brick-built stand.
The stand is reasonably simplistic, with a grey colour scheme that matches the mechanical nature of Formula One. A large sticker is used on a 6×8 slope for the fact plaque for the model, with a nice chequered flag graphic.
It looks reasonable from all sides as well – no obtrusive colours beyond the blue pins that are hidden when the main model is attached.
The stand connects to the McLaren via two Technic holes on the underside of the car. Consequently, you can have it facing either left or right. I like how it tilts the model at a sideways angle so it shows off more of the details on display.
Of course, the car itself can be displayed without the stand, sitting on its four wheels. It looks and feels great in this mode too, and rolls along nicely on the new wheel elements – which feature both the tyre and wheel hub as one mold.
The front angle is particularly striking, capturing the MP4/4’s key boxy angles. A printed 2×6 tile is used for the nose of the front wing, paired with a pair of printed 1×6 tiles with the Shell sponsor.
While some stickers are present, there are also a number of exclusive printed pieces which is always nice to see in a premium 18+ set like this.
1×4 tiles with the “McLaren” word are used on either side of the front wing, which has nice angular shaping for the endplates. The shaping around the nose itself is a bit more problematic, with the exposed light grey hinge element being unnecessarily obtrusive.
This is complicated by the red 4×8 slope just behind the Honda logo, which has a thick white print that attempts to replicate the change in colours from the livery. While the opacity of the print is relatively satisfactory, the print does not stretch to the edges and the according thin red line at the bottom looks extremely out of place. Perhaps a white slope with red printing would have looked better.
The car’s shaping is excellent elsewhere, including around the rear which has a nice boxy rear wing and a tail light. Stickers are used on 2×4 tiles on either side of the rear wing with the number 12, Senna’s racing number in 1988.
The driver’s cockpit area looks great (apart from the aforementioned questionable red slope piece), with a printed 2×2 curved slope with the Tag-Heuer logo. A pair of red rear-view mirros are also attached.
The driver has a printed 1×2 tile representing some telemetry screens, along with a steering wheel that actually turns the front wheels.
A dark grey sextant element is included to the left of the steering wheel, accurately referencing the anti-roll bar control! Some black curved slopes are used for the driver’s seat, with a headrest up top.
The rear section of the MP4/4 looks great, with a variety of slopes used to capture the car’s shaping. Some stickers are included with the Shell wording and logos, but the colour matching is a bit subpar in contrast to the printed “Powered by Honda” curved slopes.
Most noticeably, the “Marlboro” logo is missing around the engine cover, but that is understandable as LEGO would likely not want to have a cigarette company’s logo in their sets, even though the model is 18+. Nevertheless, it is a slight shame as the “Marlboro McLaren” livery is incredibly iconic.
This section can be detached easily to gain access to the engine.
The engine is brick-built and looks marvellous, with lots of intricate greebling details.
The excellent shaping continues to the rear – I like the new linkage elements for the wheels. The McLaren logo on the rear wing – which actually replaces the Marlboro logo from the real car – is comprised of two separate printed tiles stacked on top of each other, but the resultant effect is satisfactory.
Given the wide range of intricate accurate details interspersed throughout the model, there is one glaring omission – the front and rear wheels are the same size, which is not accurate.
The McLaren MP4/4, like most F1 cars, had noticeably larger rear wheels, and the fact that these are not replicated on the LEGO model represents a frustrating inaccuracy that is noticeable every time you look at the model.
Final Thoughts
On the whole, 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna is excellent, but a couple of small yet noticeable issues are very much present that weigh it down overall – the colour matching on the front nose and the incorrectly sized rear wheels.
Nevertheless, even with these issues, the model still looks good overall, with a lovely colour scheme and shaping that looks incredibly accurate. The included Ayrton Senna minifigure is also well-done, capturing the key details of the race suit and helmet.
Finally, the price is actually surprisingly reasonable, especially in comparison to other sets with increasing prices across the board – particularly in Australia where it costs AU$100 and is often on sale for much much less. So while it’s not without its issues – and there are some noticeable ones – I would say this set has been done very well, and earns its spot in any LEGO F1 fan’s collection.
Final Score
Audience rating
Thanks for reading! LEGO 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna is available from LEGO.com, local LEGO Store or from retailers like Amazon or Amazon Australia.
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