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LEGO Launches 'Icons' Land Rover Classic Defender 90 With a Heartwarming Video

LEGO just introduced a new vehicle in its Icons lineup, which truly deserves its spot due to its raw capability and sheer importance in the car enthusiast community. The car immortalized in bricky goodness is the classic Land Rover Defender 90, coming right in time for Land Rover's 75th anniversary. 
LEGO Icons Classic Land Rover Defender 90 12 photos
Photo: LEGO
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The Defender will sit among worthy peers like the Ghostbusters 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel called Ecto-1 or the Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12. Considering it is part of the Icons branch, fans should not be surprised to find plenty of cool features, as past releases showed just how much attention to detail goes into these sets.

That probably makes it clear to everyone that the Icons sets are a tad bit more special than most of their Technic counterparts, where the new Defender has also found a spot. That’s not to say the Technic sets are anything to be looked down upon, as their complexity is unrivaled, but they do come around more often.

And the classic Defender has definitely earned a spot in this rather exclusive lineup, as it is an off-roading legend. It is even praised in comparison to a few modern cars, which can’t deliver the raw feeling of total driver control that the Defender, with its lack of tech and body-on-frame construction, does.

The car is also old-school, hailing from a time when things were tougher and built to last, which many off-road enthusiasts love. The Defender just seems to work no matter what gets thrown at it. And even when something does fail, the simple construction allows experienced adventurers to fix it on the trail.

In order to pay homage to this off-roading Hall of Famer, the toy company went as far as to put together an equally special promotional event. Two experienced adventurers were tasked by LEGO to race up the Scottish Highlands, with the aim of getting to a Land Rover Defender, dressed in classic LEGO yellow and converted into the hardest-to-reach store.

LEGO Icons Classic Land Rover Defender 90
Photo: LEGO
The pair in question was made up of Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest, and Aldo Kane, a native Scottish extreme locations expert. The race, however, does not end upon reaching the LEGO store, as the two also had to compete in building the toy car, in a heart-warming video. Fans also find out that the two adventures became friends and bonded over the experience, showcasing what makes LEGO so special, bringing people together over a common interest.

When it comes to the number of pieces, the Defender has plenty, totaling 2,336, just 16 less than the Ecto-1’s 2,352, giving enthusiasts plenty of time to enjoy the building process. Consequently, that means this particular set will also be rather large, at 12.5 in. (32cm) in length and 6 in. (15 cm) in both width and height, making the Defender an amazing display piece.

And it does deserve to be displayed, as it features many cool touches in its two different configurations. The interior is spot on, truly reminiscent of the real deal, while the exterior is even more spectacular. Even in the road-going configuration, it gets doors that can open, a working suspension, two engines to choose from, and three different hoods.

In the fully off-road configuration, everything is pushed even further. From the roof rack with extra work lights to a working winch, engine snorkel, off-road bumper with working winch, and jerry cans, everything screams ready for adventure.

A jack and toolbox are even present, allowing LEGO Minifigures to be displayed alongside the Defender, seemingly working on it. Traction plates for mud and sand complete the set, introducing yet another scenario for this cool set to be showcased.

There is though, a price to pay for all this bricky goodness. Although it is not among the most expensive sets, it won’t come cheap either, as it costs $239.99 (€239.99 / £209.99). But considering just how many details are present in this set and the history of the Defender, that is definitely a price worth paying

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About the author: Bogdan Bebeselea
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As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited.
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