Can’t keep up with the Enzo
Posted by
Monty
in United Kingdom
on
29 May 2007
Unlike some of the recent “reviewers” of new Star Wars sets in particular, I actually own this set and have built it. People telling us a set looks great and they want it, or even worse pretending they own it and have built it – what’s the point? To those individuals who do this I say please note there is no longer a “comment on this set” option on this site as the 100th “looks great and I can’t wait to get it “review”, doesn’t really help those of us who may be considering buying a set, so I for one would be much happier if you didn’t bother saying anything. What I want to know is, is it any good and value for money? I know this is a hobby and I shouldn’t take it too seriously, but my point is it can be an expensive one (e.g. New Millennium Falcon) so if you have no experience of a set, how can you possibly review it, rate it and help others decide if it is worth getting?
Now I am more familiar with the Technic genre, my aforementioned state of childlike wonder has passed so I can review this set more objectively. There are 2 instruction booklets, and no numbered bags to help, so spill the whole lot out, and away you go. The first thing to say is that as with all Technic sets is you can’t quite believe from what appears to be a few parts, lots of them small connectors, you can build what ends up as a large vehicle. Again the build was several hours long spread over 3 days - luckily, mine arrived from SAH in time for the English Bank Holiday weekend which was a 3 day washout in most parts of the country, so it was the perfect excuse to stay in and build – who needs the traffic jams anyway!
The set is 1:10 scale as was the previous 8653 Enzo, and my review compares it to that, as that is where I started with Technic sets. It includes standard Technic components e.g. the V - 12 engine and differential as on the Enzo and other similar sets. There is a small attempt at a transmission. Suspension is non-existent on front and rear wheels. Steering is hand of God from the rear window and does not connect to the steering wheel, which is disappointing. I did eventually manage to modify my Enzo to get this to work, but I am not sure there is room here due to the proximity of the engine, as just like the real thing it sits well back behind the front axle almost on the passengers’ laps.
As this is a real car again, I have to say that in overall looks and appearance it does look like a F599 GTB and is proportioned exactly correctly compared to my diecast version, but it doesn’t have the “wow” factor of the Enzo. I think the problem is that the real car it is not such a distinctive shape (some would say the Enzo is ugly, others extreme) so like the real thing it just can’t have the same impact. There are also other things that make the actual model less attractive by comparison. It has an opening bonnet to reveal the engine and air intakes/manifolds, but it is a pity the distinctive crisscross arrangement of the individual manifolds over the centre of the engine of the real car cannot be reproduced. I thought about having an attempt at this, but there is insufficient clearance below the bonnet. It also has an opening boot and normal opening hinged doors, whereas the Enzo has a large opening rear engine compartment, but also hydraulically assisted lift doors were an impressive feature of the model, so again, the Fiorano looses out to the Enzo on working features. I did think the headlights looked particularly good though using a middle ring brick, but I substituted a grey spacer on the cross pin as the yellow provided in the set tended to show through.
Stickers are restricted to what is necessary for Ferrari badges and Logos etc, including under bonnet, but there are 2 for the sides (which include badges) to give the impression of an air outlet. Worst of all in my view a sticker is supplied for the front grille. I was able to produce a better looking grille by positioning 6 ladder bricks side by side over the front beams and then just using the horse from the grille sticker for the centre badge – looks much better in my view.
The overall impression with this set is lack of attention to the odd detail, and penny pinching. Notwithstanding the grille, the exhaust pipe ends provided are now silver corrugated pipe (when did you ever see this on a car?) – whereas they should be silver sleeves like they were on the Enzo. Luckily, I had some in the spares box and they also look much better. Some of the colours are repeated whereas there could have been better use of some black instead of red components – connectors in particular. That said, the tan interior was welcome, but could have been better if other components e.g. seat middles had been in tan too. The wheel covers are good, but rather than solid yellow centres using 1x1 round plates as on the Enzo, we are supposed to use a grey cross axle with a yellow end stop allowing the grey cross to show through the centre – again these were substituted with cross pins capped with full yellow ends – much better. I found the instructions are not always clear, the section for putting on the roof is particularly unclear, but I worked it out in the end. There is another place where they do not tell you to push in a connector put in several stages earlier, but it is obvious you should so I did.
Price was 80 G.B.P., which I thought a little pricey – given that the Enzo was the same price and its extra working features/components. I enjoyed the build, but for lack of attention to detail, e.g. the odd exhaust pipes etc, just like the real thing the Fiorano can’t keep up with the Enzo, so I’ll give it a 4.
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