R18 Race Car Set

Review by JoshB

Apparently, once you start reviewing off-brand construction kits on YouTube, word gets around and all of a sudden you get a bunch of kits sent to you. I had not heard of this company Nifeliz before they reached out, but their builds seemed cool so I said yes and here we are.

The box arrived and I was surprised by how large and heavy it was. This kit contains 1,685 pieces and is recommended for ages 16 and up. Once I got into the kit, I understood the age range - this is a beast of a kit to build, and very complicated. To be fair, I don't often build kits like this so it could be the standard, but for me, it was a mammoth undertaking.

The kit is available at the follwing Amazon Stores:

- Amazon US Store (direct link to this toy)

- Amazon Canada

- Amazon Germany

CollectionDX readers get an extra 5% off when using code 05CDXR18

This kit is based off of an Audi R18 e-tron quattro - a car that won the Le Mans. Other than that all I know it is cool looking.

Inside, along with the parts, stickers and manuals, you get a bunch of unassembed storage boxes which proved invaluable in sorting all the little parts.

The manual was huge and well-done. There was information about the kit and design process, with great photographs and illustrations throughout. Instructions were clear, but you do need to pay attention to when the model is rotated lest you put something in backwards (like I did more than once!).

Unlike regular Lego sets, These baggies are numbered by the range of steps. The type is small and hard to read due to it being stamped in the middle of the bag. Once you've figured it out though, you can sort through the bags easily.

Most of the build I did timelapses for, but here it is mid-build:

And here it is finished, before stickers.

This was a challenging build for me as I don't do a lot of Technic-style builds. There were so many points duing this that I said to myself "what am I even building" but then to watch the pieces come together and go Ooooooh!

The gimmicks came together, but if I knew what mechanism I was building it would have been easier. The car features indepent suspension, a working gear differential, working 4-cylinder engine, working steering, opening rear hatch and opening doors, both controlled by a knob on the side. Near that knob was a switch that changed what thing the knob would open - fantastic enginering here all around.

The kit comes with two sets of decals - one set is your standard peel and stick decals, the other are transfer decals that are more like rub-on transfers. I opted for the latter. The decals went on fine but there was one section - the not-Audi logo on the center fin. This was hollow on one side and the decal was too big. I ended up using the regular decal over it and that seems to fill the gap.

Of course, they can't use sponsor logos, so a lot of the decals are meaningless.

This is the knob and lever section that either opens the rear hatch or the doors.

Inside the cockpit, the steering wheel moves both wheels.

I don't love the door or canopy roof construction. There are many tubes that slip out of precision and feel imprecise.

The exposed section reveals the working 4-cylinder engine and rear suspension. By "working" I mean the pistons move when it rolls around. You can get a good look at the workings underneath.

Overall though, it is a super cool kit, and the price can't be beat for what you get.

Random thoughts:

- Stickers on the rubber tires? Seems odd.
- The clear parts were included in their individual step baggies, but then there was also an additional baggie of the same clear parts.
- No missing parts, but aside from studs, no real extra parts either.

Overall it was a fun and challenging build. Thanks again to Nifeliz for sending this kit over!