Dom's Dodge Charger: Lego review

Lego has been on a bit of roll (pun intended) recently with its range of highly-detailed Technic sets based on real-world cars.

However, sets such as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Bugatti Chiron, Land Rover Defender and newly-announced Lamborghini Sian do not come cheap, costing more than $500 in some cases.

It’s a lot of money to commit to a shelf showpiece, but petrol-heads (and/or Fast and Furious die-hards) that are a bit bored during lockdown can now opt for Dom’s Dodge Charger, which is a bit cheaper at around $150.

We’ve unwrapped the plastic and given the set a build to see if its worth your time and money.

According to Lego, the Dom’s Dodge Charger set contains 1077 pieces and is designed for ages 10 and up, and with us about three times over the recommended age, this should mean it will be three times easier for us…. Right?

Rip open the box and Lego has thoughtfully numbered each plastic bag from one to four, indicating the order which you should tackle the build

According to Lego, the Dom’s Dodge Charger set contains 1077 pieces and is designed for ages 10 and up.

Looking at the instruction manual, which has 226 pages, it looks like its going to be a pretty lengthy project!

Luckily the instructions are clear and concise, with coloured pages taking you through each step to get from a single brick to a Toyota Supra-destroying Dodge Charger.

There are even in-scale pictures to make sure you get the right-sized pieces at certain steps along the build.

The instruction manual has 226 pages.

Opening the one-labelled bags, there are some cool pieces from the get go including working suspension and stickers for some of the car’s subtle detailing that can’t be recreated in brick form.

After taking about an hour to put the pieces of the first bags together, only the framework of the Charger is complete, though there are some nice touches like a hidden copyright sticker from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) US and a working rear differential.

Opening the bags labelled with the number two, there are some much cooler items to gawk at, including wheels and pieces to form the engine block.

The instructions get you to piece together the latter first, followed by the pistons, conrods and crankshaft.

There is also an exposed timing chain, which is all connected to the rear wheels and means when you are pushing the car along, everything in the engine pumps along as well. All very cool details!

The V8 engine’s pistons have the ability to move up and down.

With the engine block in place, the final steps for the second bag include mounting the rubber tyres to the plastic wheels and putting them on.

As you can see, each corner features its own suspension strut, while the bottom of the car also sports a deployable bar underneath to simulate the massive wheelies when the Charger launches at the start of a race like in the movies.

The bags labelled three appear to be a bit more of a jumbled mess, but the bodywork is starting to come together now.

Firstly, the front bumper is assembled, complete with headlights, indicators and a sticker grille with ‘Charger’ badging, while the chrome surrounds emulated by grey-coloured plastic blocks.

Next is the front fenders, which simply click into place, followed by the installation of a steering wheel for the left-hand-drive Charger.

While the front axle does feature a steering function, it is not connected to the steering wheel and is instead turned with a knob found on the back of the car.

The intake that pops out of the bonnet is put together next, which also sports nice movie-accurate red detailing for the nostrils.

Once fitted, the next piece of the puzzle is the bonnet itself, which can also be lifted up to show the engine detailing and plumbing.

The next step is the doors, which sport grey handles on the outside and bracing on the inside.

The doors sport grey handles on the outside and bracing on the inside.

Onto the final step and the bags labelled four, and now it’s all about filling in the little details of the car.

First the driver seat is put together, followed by the two NOS cannisters that are found in the boot.

Building around the NOS containers is the rear bumper, with dual exhaust tips and real-life accurate tail-lights, while the bootlid also opens and closes.

Another neat detail is the number plate, which, of course, matches the plates fitted to the movie car.

Just the roof, rear quarter panels and sloping B-pillar detailing to go, as well as the fire extinguisher fitted on the passenger side and rollbars tucked inside the doors.

Overall, the build took us around four and a half hours to put together and forms a formidable recreation of the Dodge Charger seen in the original The Fast and the Furious movie from 2001.

We especially like the small touches such as the NOS cannisters and fire extinguisher that takes the Lego Charger up a few notches.

While sets such as the Porsche GT3 RS and Bugatti Chiron are much larger and offer cooler details, Dom’s Dodge Charger is a perfect entry point into the Lego Technic car world.

Though the car won’t be able to do a 10-second quarter mile, the fact that the V8 engine’s pistons move up and down with the rear wheels is an especially cool touch.

While sets such as the Porsche GT3 RS and Bugatti Chiron are much larger and offer cooler details, such as a functional steering wheel and flappy paddle shifters, Dom’s Dodge Charger is a perfect entry point into the Lego Technic car world and is a great way to pass the time when in lock down.