LEGO says Speed Champions ‘isn’t becoming the Fast & Furious series’
LEGO Speed Champions’ new subtheme initially appears anchored around one particular franchise – but the design team says it won’t always be that way.
Earlier this year, LEGO Speed Champions expanded beyond traditional supercar territory into vehicles iconic for their silver screen status, revving up first with 76911 007 Aston Martin DB5 and 76912 Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. Those two cars will now be immediately followed by another pulled from the world of all things quick and angry in 2023, in 76917 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34).
That means two-thirds of the sets in this new subtheme – which sits distinct from the regular LEGO Speed Champions line-up, at least in the eyes of the design team – are now based on the same franchise, even while the possibilities for vehicles inspired by movies and TV shows are pretty much endless. But LEGO Speed Champions Design Manager Chris Stamp says it’s basically just a coincidence.
“I want to stress that the movie and television Speed Champions series is not becoming the Fast & Furious series,” Stamp told Brickset. “We want to choose the most iconic subjects and there probably could be three or four from Fast and Furious, but it was just incidental that two of our first three movie cars are from the same franchise. Universal was brilliant to work with and it is also the 20th anniversary of 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2023, so the Nissan Skyline was the perfect choice.”
The LEGO Group famously loves an anniversary – just look at all the celebrations around its own 90th birthday – so it’s not especially surprising to learn that was the catalyst for turning to the Fast & Furious franchise again already. But with the doors now open to Hollywood’s most memorable cars, across screens big and small, here’s hoping the Speed Champions subtheme gets a little more diverse further into 2023 and beyond.
Based on Brian O’Conner’s car from the franchise’s first sequel (and with a subsequent Paul Walker-inspired minifigure in tow), 76917 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34) is the only LEGO Speed Champions 2023 set revealed so far. We don’t yet have confirmation of when it will arrive on shelves, or how much it will cost, but January 1 feels like a safe bet. Keep an eye on Brick Fanatics for more as we get it.
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Okay… I’m gonna say it – and I am sure that a lot of people would agree and pay the up charge. Speed Champions should go big/ at least 1 time with Knight Rider. I’m talking about Kit and the Semi trailer it drives into!
Yeah- I said it. Bring Knight Rider to LEGO in a complete version. The price understandably will be somewhere around $90 US – but for the LEGO collectors and the 80’s babies, it wouldn’t matter.
I’ll soon have my website up and be bringing up topics such as this. Thanks for letting me spread some ideas.