Purchased by me
The 42165 is a low-profile F1 model with pullback so you can race it forward, a spoiler, a cool undercarriage, and great construction that taught me some techniques. The one catch: there are a ton of stickers.
Lego Technic Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance (42165)
The verdict
Buy it if
you’re a Technic racing fan who wants a sleek F1 model with pullback and solid building techniques.
Skip it if
applying a lot of stickers drives you crazy, or you want a big, function-heavy build.
What’s good
- Pullback, so you pull it back and race it forward.
- Really sleek low-profile look, with a spoiler on the back and a cool undercarriage.
- Great construction, and I learned a lot of good building techniques from it.
- The front of the set looks really cool.
The catch
- There are a ton of stickers. Honestly I feel like I spent more time putting stickers on than actually building.
- The 42165 is a pullback racer, so it’s more display-and-roll than a function-heavy Technic build.
What it is
So this is the Lego Technic Mercedes-AMG F1 W14, a pullback model you can pull back and race forward. The 42165 is got a really sleek low-profile look, a spoiler on the back, and a cool undercarriage. The construction is great, and I picked up a lot of building techniques putting it together.
What I found building it
The pullback is fun and the model looks sleek from every angle. I love how the front looks, and the undercarriage is a nice detail. The build itself was rewarding, and I learned some good techniques along the way.
The biggest drawback is the stickers. There are a ton of them, and honestly I feel like I spent more time putting stickers on this set than actually building it. That’s really the one thing to know going in.
Who I’d tell to buy it
Any Lego Technic racing fan is going to love this sleek Mercedes with its pullback. If applying a lot of stickers drives you crazy, brace for that part. But the finished model looks really cool.
How it did in testing
This is a quick hands-on, not a lab test. Nothing below is a score. The 42165 is just what stood out to me building and playing with it.
The sleek look and the pullback are the highlights. The sticker load is the one thing to know going in.
| Test | What happened | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pullback | Pull it back and it races forward. | Fun play value. |
| Look | Sleek low-profile body, spoiler on the back, cool undercarriage. | The front looks great too. |
| Build | Great construction; I learned a lot of building techniques. | Rewarding to put together. |
| Stickers | A ton of them. More time stickering than building. | The main drawback. |
Living with it
So this is a really cool Mercedes model. The pullback works great, the low-profile look is sleek, and the construction taught me some good building techniques. The front and the undercarriage both look great.
The biggest drawback is the stickers. There are a ton of them, and honestly it felt like I spent more time applying stickers than building. If that doesn’t bother you, I think any Technic racing fan will love this one.
