Back in December, 2021, we first told you about the LEGO Technic BMW M 1000 RR kit. While it’s not the first time that the Danish toymaker beloved by children of all ages around the world has teamed up with an OEM, it’s the largest (and arguably most involved) kit they’ve assembled yet.
Coming in hot with nearly 2,000 individual pieces (only a few of which were bespoke for this project), there’s a certain degree of functionality to this model, as well. If you’re already conversant in LEGO, the fact that it’s a Technic kit probably gave that part away. Still, if you’ve wondered what it’s like to actually build this kit, then YouTube channel Chaos Causes created this time-lapse video of the build just for you. (After all, it’s all about perspective--$240 may seem expensive for a toy, or downright cheap for a motorcycle.)
The kit, as you may imagine, comes with a hefty manual to guide you through every part of the build process. First up, you’ll put the transmission and engine together—and of course, both things are actually functional. You can see how the gear shifting happens, as well as watch the tiny little pistons go up and down in their clear cylinders.
Honestly, it might be tempting to just pause the build here for a little bit and play with these two systems after you’ve put them together. Incidentally, this LEGO build took Chaos Causes around 11 hours to complete, so you’ll have plenty of time to spend on the process if that’s what you’re into.
After you complete those important powertrain bits, it’s on to a cool display stand that also shows off key statistics about the bike. Conveniently, it supports the engine and lets you more easily assemble the rest of the bike around it, which is why the instructions have you build it in this order. From there, it’s a matter of building up all the other systems of the bike—rear suspension (including swingarm), front suspension, mounting tires on wheels, and so on.
One thing worth noting is that there are a ton of stickers involved in this build. If you’re the kind of person who loves small, detailed, precise application of tiny decals onto plastic, then you’ll enjoy this part. If not, it may be your least favorite thing about the kit—but there’s no denying at the end that the result looks fantastic. LEGO even included your choice of different stickers to use for your dash display on your M 1000 RR.
If you’d prefer to use a paddock stand to display your completed build, LEGO included that in the kit, as well—so you have a choice. As Chaos Causes notes, though, the hefty nature of the completed bike makes it not want to stand as tall on the paddock stand as you might want. If you’d prefer a sturdier display base, you may want to stick to the more centrally-mounted stand that goes under the belly pan, that the kit has you build right after the engine.
