If you were alive in the 80s, then you’re probably a fan of Back to the Future. I definitely am, and I’ve been waiting for a long time for a Back to the Future fix for my toy habit. There’ve been close calls before – Diamond Select Toys has put out both a line of BTTF Minimates and 1:15 scale DeLoreans for the trilogy – very tempting. And Mattel acquired the license a couple years back, but have only managed to put out a somewhat disappointing Hover Board, at least according to many diehard fans who ponied up the big bucks for it.
When I learned about the LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine, which was produced as part of its fan-created CUUSOO, I could resist no longer. I had to have it.
I grew up with LEGOs, and part of the excitement of getting a new set was looking at the packaging to see what you could do with it. I would have been happy with the basic DeLorean from the first movie, but with a few additional LEGO pieces, this set has the makings for all three variations of the iconic car.
It’s been a while since I’ve had LEGOs though. When my mom thought I had outgrown them (c’mon Mom, no one ever outgrows LEGO!) she gave them away to my cousins. As an adult, there was a time I was into Star Wars LEGOs, but that was over a decade ago. Well, let me tell you, as you age and your eyesight deteriorates, working with small pieces like this (there’s over 400 pieces in the set) can be tough. And I’ve got a borderline obsessive compulsion to align the LEGO logos on the bricks so they read in a uniform way – I almost had to get a magnifying glass.
Still, this set was a blast to build, and I’m sure for those of you without the same OCD tendencies that I have, this would be even more fun. I was pretty impressed at the number of unique printed custom bricks were made for this set. There’s the dashboard time / date display. (Here, the date in the past is January 28, 1958 – the day LEGOs were created – instead of the date in 1955 to which Marty travels back in time.) There’s also the flux capacitor, and two license plates. I knew about the OUTATIME plate, but didn’t even remember there was a 2015 license plate. These are all printed bricks, not stickers. That’s very cool.
To make the version from Back to the Future 2, you just swap license plates and add the Mr. Fusion nuclear generator on the back of the DeLorean. LEGO also included a set of red rims to complete the effect, and the wheels fold up under the car for flying action.
For the DeLorean that put steam engines to shame in BTTF 3, you take the BTTF 2 version and swap out one plate in the front for the modified engine.
Some folks have said that Mattel was testing the waters for a DeLorean time machine with their Ghostbusters Ecto-1 pre-sale – since that didn’t go through, I wouldn’t hold out for any vehicles or figures for Back to the Future from them. But now that I’ve got the LEGO version, who needs it? A huge part of the fun was building this baby, and with the ability to make all three versions of the time machine and the play factor that LEGO has instilled in this set, there’s lots of fun to be had.
You can pick up the LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine at the online LEGO shop for $34.99. They’re currently back-ordered, but expect to ship out in the first weeks of September. Heavy.
meh…minimates are better and more expansive a line for characters and playability. not worth $35
I love Minimates – have a bunch of them, but none of the BTTF ones. I’m sure the BTTF ones are just as fun. one of the things I enjoy about the LEGO set that you don’t get with Minimates is that you get to build the DeLorean. but to each his own!