(Written by William)
When LEGO offered theBrickBlogger the opportunity to check out some upcoming LEGO Technic sets, I jumped at the chance to review them. I haven’t built too much in the LEGO Technic line, but I always find it an interesting experience. I was curious if a random car would feel just as interesting as the LEGO Technic sets I personally picked out over the years. Today, we will discuss the #42224 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 R REXY AO Racing in detail.
Upon opening the box and seeing the model for the first time, I was not at all prepared for the amount of color this car had. Normally, when I think of LEGO Technic models, they aren’t necessarily known for having the best aesthetics. However, with its dinosaur-themed livery, this car was definitely trying to break the mold. So, if you are completely new to racing, like me, or want to see what this car can do, read on, and let’s explore the Porsche.
LEGO TECHNIC PORSCHE 911 REXY – ABOUT THE CAR
I’m going to be honest, I get a little tired halfway through the name of this model. However, everything in the name tells us the history and style of the car. So, let’s break down the name. The easiest is “Porsche 911.” This is the type of vehicle it is built off of. The Porsche 911 is a high-performance sports car. However, when it comes to racing, cars like the Porsche 911 are built a bit differently. The builders no longer compromise on anything, which takes us to the next part of the name.
The ”GT3 R” represents the classification of car this vehicle can race under. This particular classification is for cars that are more or less a bridge between street-legal cars and full-on race cars, like those found in Formula 1. For this reason, the GT series cards aren’t as fast as F1 cars, but you still probably wouldn’t take them onto the streets. As for the rest of the name, this represents a particular car from a specific race team.
Rexy is the affectionate name given to one of three cars raced by Autumn Oaks Racing (AO Racing). There is Rexy, a male T. rex design, which is this car, and the first of the mascot-style livery cars. Next came Roxy, a pink version of Rexy and referred to as Rexy’s sister. And AO’s final car, Spike, which is a dragon design and considered the cousin of Rexy and Roxy.
The livery designs were a distinct choice by AO Racing to set themselves apart from other cars on the track. Instead of going with corporate branding to determine the design of the car’s livery, they wanted larger-than-life characters for fans of all ages to connect over. This is in part what makes Rexy a fan favorite.
It also helps that after being debuted in 2023, Rexy won the 2024 GTD Pro Championship. Rexy has been driven by veteran racers Laurin Heinrich and Sebastian Priaulx in 2024. The rotation of drivers is ever-changing, as is the car itself. However, this particular LEGO Technic model is based on its original debut, since that was the Porsche 911 GT3 R version. Newer versions of Rexy use a different model of Porsche, which will explain why it does not look like the 2026 entry from AO Racing.
LEGO TECHNIC PORSCHE 911 REXY – MODEL FUNCTIONS
My past experience with LEGO Technic vehicles did include the #42111 LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger from the Fast and Furious line, so I was prepared for some of the functions in this model. Working steering is something that is almost a given in a LEGO Technic vehicle. This includes redundant controls. Not only can you turn the steering wheel in the model, but there is a larger control at the back for easy access to the control.
Another common feature is the gear differential for the rear tires. This is a collection of gears that allow the car’s tires to turn at different rates while still sharing a common axle. Given the speeds these vehicles reach, the last thing you want is tires slipping or axles breaking on turns. Speaking of rear tires, these are connected to the motor with working pistons.
An interesting feature of this particular motor is that the six pistons are moving horizontally within the engine, and they are firing in a particular sequence. In order to accomplish this, the set utilizes a new type of cam I haven’t seen before. This cam has a circular ring around an axle hole that is ever so slightly offset. These are much smaller than the teardrop-shaped cams I’ve grown used to over the years. You have to be very careful to inspect these cams since there is only a slight indent to indicate which part of the ring is farther from its central axis. Connected to the ring are pins that are also new to me. They have a stud on one end, but they are slim like a standard bar. At the end of the bar is a forked opening. This opening clips onto the cam’s ring, letting it slide along as the cam rotates. The end result is pistons that move closer or farther away based on the position of the cam’s ring.
Moving on to the tires again, I wasn’t expecting each tire to be mounted into its own frame. The frames allow for the tires to move vertically. This is to allow a spring to attach to each frame, giving every tire working suspension.
But what if you want to work on the tires some more? Perhaps you pull into the pitstop and need your tires changed? Well, the lever inside the car will activate four quick jacks to immediately raise the car off the ground. This, like the steering, has a redundant control hidden inside the car. Just open the right door, and you have access to a knob that controls the same feature. The four jacks are an ingenious use of cranks and levers made to work in tandem with one another. The mechanism of how it works is simple: you turn two things in opposite directions, in this case, the front versus the back, and they will have actions that mirror one another. However, given how widely spaced apart all the jacks are, the end experience feels less like simple engineering and more like magic.
The final functions of the vehicle are opening doors and front hood. The doors are built with an extra arm for security, but they are kind of low, so the doors might feel a bit wobbly at the top, even though they are secure. The front hood is an odd thing. It opens up to reveal a mass of LEGO Technic connections. The simulated engine is in the back, and there is no trunk space to speak of. However, I guess when you are building out a race car from a traditional street car, some aspects get left behind.
LEGO TECHNIC PORSCHE 911 REXY – FINAL THOUGHTS
It may be the issue that I’m not used to building LEGO Technic sets, but I found the build process to be extremely dense. I checked on the age rating of this model a couple of times, and I’m not sure I’d agree with LEGO’s 11+ age rating recommendation. Although if you have an eleven-year-old who builds lots of LEGO Technic, they might be in their element. However, as an experienced builder, I did find this one to be a challenge.
There are plenty of times you have to make blind connections when assembling the model. Additionally, you should prepare for a lot of stickers. The set came with two large sticker-sheets, which ran the gamut of large and small. I can only recall one panel that was printed, located in the back. You will be stickering panels, sides of liftarm beams, and tiles, if you want the final look to be correct.
Speaking of looks, I don’t think this model takes very good pictures. Perhaps if you soften the focus, the various seams and pin holes won’t stand out as much. With that said, this model does look a whole lot better in person. Hopefully, if you watch the accompanying video, you might see what I mean since the video camera won’t necessarily be in the sharpest focus.
This set will retail for $149.99 USD. Given the intense building experience I had with it, I can easily say you get your money’s worth. Needless to say, this is a great choice for fans of the International Motor Sports Association and those looking for a complex building experience. If you want to check it out, it’s already listed at the LEGO Technic section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? Do you build LEGO Technic sets? And what do you think of this new LEGO Technic Porsche racecar? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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It looks fantastic! And yes, modern Technic cars are surprisingly dense!