As a design icon in its own right, it’s always an extra treat when LEGO teams up with other companies holding that title. Take, for example, the classic lines of a 1960s-era Vespa 125. The plastic brick (and joy) purveyor partnered with Piaggio to create a most elegant-looking Vespa 125 kit, number 10298. Please note that it has an 18+ age rating, which in this case doesn’t mean parental discretion is advised—only that it’s probably meant more for display than for play as a rolling vehicle.
The kit is comprised of 1,106 pieces in total and includes several nice details that really put this design over the top. For a start, the iconic sky-blue color that echoes that classic vintage Vespa hue is particularly nice. As LEGO enthusiasts like the one in this video have pointed out, it’s also the same shade that LEGO used for a Fiat 500 kit it released last year. Vintage Italian vehicles did seem to be fond of this color, it’s true—but it would also work well for a vintage Triumph Tigress if LEGO ever gets ideas about that particular kit.
What kinds of hidden details are there? For a start, there’s a Technic steering stem included, which reaches down from the handlebars and lets you turn the front wheel from side to side. Additionally, on the right side of the underseat area, you can pull that “engine cover” off and actually see a little LEGO engine inside. If you’re the one building this kit, of course, you’ll obviously see it when you’re putting the kit together. It even has a working center stand, which you’ll need for the same reasons you need on your real Vespa.
Gallery: LEGO Vespa 125
There’s also a movable kickstarter that attaches under the engine cover, and which you can see tucked neatly away in some of the photos, as well as a spare tire cover mounted up front. However, the coolest thing of all might just be the license plate, which is a nod to the April 23, 1946, date registered on Piaggio’s first-ever Vespa patent.
A small rear cargo box holds a nice, bright little bouquet of tulips, and there’s also a nicely-shaped little white helmet with a brown chin strap and goggles, too. The split saddle looks perfect, and while the completed model is much too large for any LEGO Minifigs you may have around, the model may apparently fit some action figures if you’re a collector.
As you’ll see if you watch LEGO YouTuber MandRproductions’ review of this set, the coloration on some of the stickers appears to not quite match the blue of the LEGO bricks themselves. This makes the completed project not look quite as good as it could, which is a shame. It’s not clear if the kit he received was a pre-production version, and perhaps the version scheduled to go on sale on March 1, 2022 will have better color-matching on its stickers. Here’s hoping—or maybe this thing brings such a smile to your face, you won’t mind.
MSRP is $99.99, and your finished LEGO Vespa 125 will measure 13.5 inches in length by 8.5 inches in height. If your desk could use a little brightening, it could be time to pick one of these up.
