Review: 10321 Corvette
Posted by Huw,10321 Corvette is the third classic 1960s American car that LEGO has produced as a large scale 18+ model since 2019. The vehicle's distinctive sleek and streamlined bodywork makes it the most ambitious and challenging one it has tackled to date.
Is it a car you'll want to go cruising in, or consign to the scrapyard?
Summary
10321 Corvette, 1,210 pieces.
£129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99 | 10.7p/12.4c/12.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An attractive model of a curvaceous and iconic American vehicle
- Sleek and studless
- Many clever design flourishes
- Some stickers
- No metallic parts
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Packaging and stickers
It's disappointing that despite pledges to transition to paper bags during 2022 very little progress has been made so far. Parts in this set, just like in every other 2023 set I've opened to date, are still packed in plastic bags, except for the two windscreen elements. They are individually packed inside paper bags so as a result they arrive in pristine condition, which is just as well given their prominence on the model.
The new piece is 14 studs wide by 4 deep and designed specifically for this vehicle.
A modest sticker sheet is included which of course is disappointing in a premium set such as this, but there are also many printed elements which I will point out below.
Note here that a choice of three number plates is provided.
New parts
Other than the windscreen, I believe this pair of matching curves are the only new parts in the set.
I thought the part used for the headlights was new as well, but CapnRex101 pointed out that it's a transparent version of the saucer that came in 71022 Professor Sybill Trelawney from 2018.
The prototype
The model is based on the 1961 Chevrolet Corvette C1 which was powered by a 283 cubic inch, 230 horsepower V8 engine. It's a vehicle that will probably be unfamiliar to most people outside the USA, myself included. Most cars seen on British roads in the early 1960s were somewhat boring in comparison!
(image Wikipedia)
(image corvsport)
The completed model
The curvaceous prototype no doubt caused the designer Rok Zgalin Kobe a few headaches, but I think he's done an excellent job of modelling it given the limitations of the medium.
There is nice parts usage (NPU) abound, including bananas on the bumpers and sausages around the holes at the front. The former have a tendency to come out of alignment a bit when the model is handled, though, as may be apparent in some of these photos.
The chromed bumpers and wheels are a distinctive feature of the real car, so it's unfortunate that the corresponding pieces on the model are not at least drum lacquered silver.
The inlaid white panel and the details within it look excellent, if not exactly like that on the real car, and it is here that the new pieces shown above have been used. It's set in from its surroundings by half a stud and 2x2 corner tiles have been used to form the air deflector (or whatever it is) at the front. Overall it's very effective and adds considerable interest to the look of the car.
The headlight surrounds are printed silver, as is the Corvette logo on the bonnet.
The silver stripes running from the headlights to the windscreen are printed as well, and thankfully there are no alignment problems with the line on adjacent pieces.
The bonnet, boot and doors open and some clever building techniques have been used on all the openings to get them to do so and to align with the surrounding bodywork seamlessly when closed.
The engine has been nicely modelled, and includes some drum lacquered silver pieces.
The boot lid fits so flush with the bodywork that it's not possible to open it from above, so a small mechanism has been built in to allow it to be opened by pushing a Technic half-beam up from underneath the car.
I understand that the real car came with a removable hardtop that had to be taken off and stored in the garage before you left home and that is replicated on the model.
With the roof off there are just five exposed studs on the bodywork and to the casual observer it will not look like LEGO at all.
There are plenty of interior details to admire when the roof's been removed, including accelerator, brake and clutch pedals, gear stick, rear mirror and of course a steering wheel with Corvette logo. There's even a bar in front of the right-hand seat, so the passenger can hang on for dear life!
The silver trim on the arches surrounding the seat backs and the tiles on the edges of the door is printed, but that on the curved slopes between the seats are stickers.
The inside of the doors are full of details, too.
The car has steering operated by the steering wheel that has been implemented using a very compact and efficient mechanism which is added right at the end of construction underneath the main framework.
Construction
Parts are divided between bags numbered one to nine with each section of the build taking 20 minutes or so to complete, so it's ideally suited to building in small stages over a period of time.
Verdict
This is the one of the sleekest and most curvaceous cars LEGO has attempted to model and thanks to the palette of curved pieces, plus a couple of new ones, it has been pulled off. It's extremely well-designed, a pleasure to build, and a joy to behold. From a distance it does not look like LEGO at all, which is either a good or a bad thing, depending on your point of view.
Pedants will point out that the line from the lights to the windscreen is too flat, that the white on the tyres is not wide enough, and that the shape of the white inlays on the sides is not quite right, but I don't think any of that matters. The model is unmistakably a Corvette C1 and those that are familiar with it with recognise it as such.
The 1,210-piece set will cost $149.99, £129.99, €149.99 when released on 1st August which is on a par with last year's 10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 1969 but more expensive per piece than 10317 Land Rover Classic Defender 90 released earlier this year.
I was going to complain about it being based on yet another North American car that most of the world (including me) won't be familiar with, but we've had our fair share of European cars in the vehicles lineup over the years, so I won't mention it :-)
It's a beautiful model of an attractive car and perhaps my favourite of the Icons/Creator Expert vehicles to date.
148 likes
70 comments on this article
Thanks for the review of this beautiful set.
Now while I can't say I've ever seen the car in person before, I've been aware of it since it featured in the 1989 game, 'Street Rod', which I did spend a fair amount of time playing. Although by the same token, I would have preferred the 1963 (Edit: Or 1968/1969) Corvette ;-)
This is by far my favorite of the Creator Expert/Icons vehicle lineup. Looks practically flawless in my eyes. Will definitely be picking it up.
Nice review.
Wow, what a gorgeous set! I've always been a Corvette fan, but favor the Stingray a bit more.
See, https://www.reddit.com/r/carporn/comments/6z5cci/1965_corvette_stingray_hawt_2048x1536/
Or, later,
https://greychoices.blogspot.com/2018/01/classic-corvette-stingray-grey.html?m=1
But, this is soooo good. I can't expand my already bloated collection to car themes beyond SC, can I?
@StyleCounselor said:
"can I?"
Yes, you can!
Or... you have a wife? That may change things.
It's wonderful. You're right. too bad they didn't "silver" the chrome parts, but. It's a corvette. I would buy any corvette lego might throw At us
I've still not got a single paper bag in a set to this day. Perhaps Marvel cmf 2 will be my first?
@ThisAndThat said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"can I?"
Yes, you can!
Or... you have a wife? That may change things.
"
No doubt. Although if Mrs. StyleCounselor was going to quit me over Lego, that would have happened long ago. ;)
I was surprised that this version was choosed. For me '56 single headlights version will always be the iconic "old" Corvette.
“Little Red Corvette” - you can’t help but sing it ;)
Although I've been thinking 'yet another car!?' a lot lately.
I have to admit it's a nice rendition of the car at least! And with this classic red color we won't have as many color discrepancies as say, dark blue or dark red.
First, I absolutely love this. I won't be able to get it right away, but it's in my sights.
Second, I strongly believe exposed studded surfaces are a worthwhile, medium-defining feature of building with LEGO. Official designs like this should be treated as exceptions; a testament of what CAN be achieved with LEGO as a medium, especially under the company's in-house constraints, rather than what NEEDS to be achieved.
In short, studs should be expected, even accepted. Studlessness should be appreciated as an impressive outlier.
And, uh... my apologies for such unprompted preaching.
Oh man, I disagree. As a longtime fan of this car and having seen one up close, it doesn't do it for me. It's a valiant effort, and I couldn't do better, but so much is off. Definitely catches the essence and it is recognizable, but not close enough for me.
Never been into LEGO cars myself, but this one looks pretty nice.
I miss the studs. This is to less LEGO-look for me. If I wanted a die cast model, I'd find it better (possibly cheaper) somewhere else. Yes, the building experience. But for my display models, I like that people can see it's actually LEGO.
@lippidp : same here. It's recognizable, it's a great effort, but to me it's off somehow. Can't really describe what it is in particular, just the end result doesn't convince me enough to make me want to buy it.
Add to that the fact that LEGO didn't bother to give us proper silver pieces, at least drum lacquered if not chrome. At that price point using simple lbg is an insult to the design of this vehicle.
My favorite vehicle in this series is still the Mini, followed by the Ferrari F40 and the Beetle.
I don't even like cars, but this thing is exceptional.
On the one hand though, it doesn't even look like Lego. On the other hand though, it doesn't even look like Lego.
Such a shame Lego doesn't make chrome parts anymore.
Also this one looks really off to me! Most of the Icons/ Expert vehicles look better, shape wise!
Even after having seen it a few times, I have some mixed feelings. I think this is one case where it couldn't have been done much better, but it basically was an impossible task for the designer. The real thing is just all compound curves, and that's one thing nearly impossible to replicate with Lego. As a result I wouldn't say this is bad, but it doesn't look great either. Probably the best the designer could have done, but maybe they should have picked another generation of Corvette? I think a C2 would have worked better.
Apart from that, I do think it is generally a good set. Some nice parts usage, and finally mostly prints for the essential decoration. A printed part for the logo on the trunk would have been nice, but otherwise I can live with it. Also think they might as well have loft out the hardtop, as it is absolutely hideous, and I doubt *anyone* will leave it on. And those wheels....those just aren't right, and considering the number of sports cars Lego makes you'd think it would make sense to design some better alternatives. Chrome would have been great, but that's just not gonna happen. And obviously overpriced, but that's basically a given nowadays.
The back looks perfect. The front is off. The curves across the width of the vehicle are great but the straight lines from the windscreen to the headlights don’t look right.
Best of the creator expert/icons vehicles? That’s high praise. For me, nothing has topped the Mustang yet.
@raven_za said:
"Thanks for the review of this beautiful set.
Now while I can't say I've ever seen the car in person before, I've been aware of it since it featured in the 1989 game, 'Street Rod', which I did spend a fair amount of time playing. Although by the same token, I would have preferred the 1963 (Edit: Or 1968/1969) Corvette ;-)"
Street Rod was a classic game. Loved it. I had it on the Commodore 64 then got the PC version later as well.
It looks really good.
The milky windscreens look bad
That’s one sleeeek car.
I really want to like this, but I think I finally understand why some people didn’t like the DB5…the whole front end of this car is uncanny valley weird.
Not to say it could’ve been done better in the medium of Lego, but knowing what the car *should* look like, this just doesn’t capture the look of the car in a way that makes me want to buy the model.
…Which is extra disappointing, because this was one of those bedroom-wall cars for me as a kid.
This looks generally great. Excellent from the back, very good from the side, a bit weird from the front, specifically the headlights, which give the appearance of the surrounds having fallen off!
On my wishlist, but got the Land Rover to get first.
@Huw said:
"Most cars seen on British roads in the early 1960s were somewhat boring in comparison!"
E-Type, MGB, Cooper S?
Austin 1100....
ok you have a point!
I can’t wrap my mind around the idea of being aware that automobiles exist and _not_ recognizing the car this is based on.
@PurpleDave said:
"I can’t wrap my mind around the idea of being aware that automobiles exist and _not_ recognizing the car this is based on."
While probably every car enthousiast in the world will (and should) recognize it, I'd say for the average non-American this will easily be the least iconic of all the "Creator Expert" style cars Lego ever made, except for the Camaro. Not even sure if they were ever sold here, and while there will certainly been a few imported, they are extremely rare over here.
As for Corvettes in general, I'd say the C2 is much more iconic and well known over here, the C3 is just considered obscene, C4 only for Face-wannabees, and only from the C5 on it started to be seen as a something resembling a proper sports car (that still no one bought).
I will definitely be getting this at some point but I am not keen on the rather flat front view and also the rear wheel arch where the inverted slopes look really blocky, exacerbated by the steps in the pieces interrupting the flow. Having said that, for a curvy car, it is far better than the Bond DB5 a few years ago. On the subject of the lack of chrome, I seem to remember on BrickLink there used to be a couple of sellers (in Germany I think) who could chrome pieces to order (at a significant cost obviously) but they don't seem to be around any more...
@danieltheo said:
"On the subject of the lack of chrome, I seem to remember on BrickLink there used to be a couple of sellers (in Germany I think) who could chrome pieces to order (at a significant cost obviously) but they don't seem to be around any more..."
Still around but no longer allowed to sell on BrickLink, since LEGO took it over.
@PurpleDave said:
"I can’t wrap my mind around the idea of being aware that automobiles exist and _not_ recognizing the car this is based on."
There's a great website "How Many Left" that has details of UK registrations - of ALL years and model variants there are less than 3,000 Corvettes in the UK so they really aren't that common this side of the pond.
Looks very tidy, especially the interior, quite impressive! But Drum lacquered pieces are sorely missed here.
Sometimes a set comes along that's so beautiful or interesting, that you just have to add it to the collection, even if you're not usually interested in the source material or subject. THIS is one of those sets.
I'm not sure if I'm alone on this but, not being American, when I hear Corvette, I only think of Face's car from the A-Team. That's the iconic Corvette for me, having grown up watching the programme. I'd love a Lego version of that.
@WizardOfOss said:
"and only from the C5 on it started to be seen as a something resembling a proper sports car"
Ah yes. When Clive Sinclair took over....
@sjr60 said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"and only from the C5 on it started to be seen as a something resembling a proper sports car"
Ah yes. When Clive Sinclair took over...."
Not quite the same C5, but probably still a better sports car than every Corvette before :-)
I can't wait until people make this into a flying variant, as the car Lola from Agents of SHIELD!
I'm seeing some light gray candle pieces on the rear bumper, it's about time!
Lego should have released this in pink with the Barbie movie coming out... Also, I disagree with comments about the front being off. I think it's actually the back that is bothering people. On the real car the trunk (boot) slopes all the way past the top of the tires coming to a point just above the midline of the body. On the Lego model, that point is way too high which throws off the look of the model.
@Murdoch17 said:
"I can't wait until people make this into a flying variant, as the car Lola from Agents of SHIELD!"
or pop an astronaut in the driver's seat, as the beginning of the movie "Heavy Metal"
If you've seen the first season of the Lucifer TV show, you've seen a LOT of this Corvette. Also Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has one in it. Don't Worry Darling has one. Lola is one from Agents of SHIELD.
I imagine there are appearances of this car in practically every period TV show/film from that era, from a certain background/focus.
That's how I knew it. This looks pretty good, but I'm not that fussed about really old cars, and the compromises are noticeable (if justifiable).
To me, this set is very nice and close enough to represent what it is - I'm looking forward to see the Lola modifications! However this set is not for me; simply because I cannot collect everything unfortunately (limited budget, and space).
About chrome: I believe Lego stopped doing chrome parts because the chrome would peel off the parts and then they might have to do replacements etc (cost time and money). Most kids would have their blocks in some sort of box or bag and all the pieces would rub to each other not doing too well for chrome parts. But this is an 18+ set (mostly display only - hardly ever dismantled); the chrome parts would most likely stay nice forever (not quite but you get the idea).
Lack of chrome is a deal-breaker for me. The Mustang worked alright without it, but the Corvette here just doesn't do it.
The more I see of this, the more I hate it - it's completely missing the soft curve of the front bumpers from the real car and without that, it does not work. So, I guess I'm a pedant, but I have to imagine that if LEGO tried to produce an XKE with the same issue, everyone would be screaming.
@WizardOfOss:
Oh, a minifig-scale, 6-wide, split-window Corvette has been on my back burner for years, now. That and the much more recent split-window version are my two favorite body styles, but this one is so iconic that, even though it would have been at least 15 years old, Red Foreman got one on That 70’s Show.
@danieltheo:
Even though Dan personally cleared both for sale on BL, once TLG got the keys, BL banned 3rd Party accessories and custom chromed parts “because Dan wouldn’t have wanted them”. It’s not so much the fact that they wiped out anything that wasn’t an unadulterated LEGO part that irks me, but the blatant lie about their reasoning.
@Huw:
Still allowed to sell on BL, just not custom chromed parts.
@TheOriginalSimonB:
Well, I could see how they might not be super popular in the UK. I mean, a few were probably destroyed when their owners couldn’t figure out that confounded American oil system.
@vizzitor:
C4 is the only body style I loathe. It just looks like something you turn in when you’re about to miss your non-refundable flight for a month-long vacation. C3 is the one I was most familiar with, because there was a guy on the next street over who would trade in and buy a new one every couple years. It’s also the body style associated with NASA, thanks to a publicity stunt that allowed Apollo astronauts to lease them for $1.
@HOBBES:
Attaching stuff to a chromed stud is enough to start damaging the chrome layer. At some point, they basically banned having other parts built onto chrome or drum-lacquered parts. You could still build them on top of other parts, but not vice versa. On the rear bumper, for instance, you’ve got the MK handle held by clips, and a banana and candle inserted into the ends. None of those parts would be allowed to be chromed given that assembly.
I prefer it with the roof off, but I don't think I like it enough to get it. I have a lot of other sets already more expensive on my list that I want more.
I haven't had any paper bags except instructions or base plates, which I prefer. I know its not environmentally friendly, but I like to be able to keep bags and I just worry that the paper ones won't survive, although the plastic ones are fairly fragile too.
I really would like to see Lego produce one of the old Jaguars. The XK120, the Mark 2, the E-Type. I know they did awhile ago, it would be nice to see another.
Yup, definitely going to be a day one purchase for this Corvette fan!
@ra226 said:
"Lack of chrome is a deal-breaker for me. The Mustang worked alright without it, but the Corvette here just doesn't do it."
I'm so glad we have that German alternative manufacturer that must not be named that offers all kinds of chromed pieces. I've tried them out and was very happy both with the quality as well the price.
But LEGO purists will rather accept this cheaped out look than "soil" their collection with awesome looking but non original pieces.
To each their own I guess.
@PurpleDave said:
"Oh, a minifig-scale, 6-wide, split-window Corvette has been on my back burner for years, now. That and the much more recent split-window version are my two favorite body styles, but this one is so iconic that, even though it would have been at least 15 years old, Red Foreman got one on That 70’s Show."
Well, that is very much an American show, and Red is just old school. He wouldn't want such a boring modern car like a C2, let alone a C3! The horror, the horror!
As a youngster I saw a (edit:) pink one driving around regularly, and it certainly was a sight and sound to behold! I had/have the turquoise Bburago.
The lack of silver is a big miss on this model. That would make it much more tempting imho.
Is that saucer in any other sets? I've only seen it in the 71033-9 Waldorf Muppets CMF.
It would be nice if Lego produced optional 'chrome up' kits for selected vehicles that could be hugely enhanced by them. It could even be specified that they were designed exclusively for display and could not be guaranteed to be able to take the rigours of play.
@lomis:
71022-11 had it first, but printed. This is only the third use.
the saucer piece isn't even in the database, since for some reason cmfs aren't inventoried
I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the possibility of molding the "metal" pieces in Silver Metallic, since doing so wouldn't require the creation of any new molds.I know some of the pieces involved have already been molded in that color. I'll admit that molding them in gray is disappointing, but I still very much want this set. I'm also half-expecting the next several CMF series to keep coming in bags, considering how long it's taking Lego to actually roll out the paper bags. Finally, to the people wanting a Lola variant: Just remember, Don't touch Lola.
wow this thing was a massive FAIL . Literally zero attempt to match the curves of the real-life car. The Camaro that Lego made last year absolutely destroys this
@TheOtherMike:
Silver Metallic as in drum-lacquered silver, aka silver ink? That also adds bulk to the surface, and requires a separate mold. It just doesn't flake the way chrome does. Pearl-silver or pearl-light-silver would be the only options if you want a metallic look without needing a special mold for every piece used.
Looks nice to me, but I'm not interested in collecting car models nor Corvette stuff, so I'm going to pass. It looks better than the minifig-sized version with surfboards on the side.
@PurpleDave: Silver Metallic is listed as a different color than Silver Ink.
https://brickset.com/parts/colour-Silver-Ink
https://brickset.com/parts/colour-Silver-Metallic
I assumed that Silver Metallic was just silver-colored plastic that could be used just like any other plastic color, especially given that some of the pieces molded in it would seem prone to scratching if they were an Ink color.
Edit: I just checked, and there are parts molded in both Silver Metallic and other, non-Ink colors. For example: https://brickset.com/parts/design-29340
@TheOtherMike:
Ah, I was thinking with the wrong naming convention. Drum-lacquered silver, aka silver ink, is called Metallic Silver on Bricklink. Your Silver Metallic is known as flat-silver on BL. Very different colors. Flat Silver is about the least metallic of the metallic colors. They did use it for the cow horns on 76911, but it almost looks like a weird shade of dark-bley.
Can y'all say "Don't touch Lola"?!
@PurpleDave said:
"it almost looks like a weird shade of dark-bley."
It still looks more metallic than just plain old light gray. At least in my opinion, anyway.
It would not take much modding to make a very good rendition of Christine.
I think the hard top enhances the problems with the front end--or perhaps makes the excellence of the rear end less evident. At any rate, I wouldn't display this model with the hard top on. Might try to MOC up an after-market rollbar, but that's a very different thing.
I don't usually collect large-scale cars, but the curvy sides and rear view of this one make me sorely tempted. Will have to see what else TLG offers this expensive-looking summer!
Nice review! Also very timely for me, as my wife and I just visited the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Tuesday :)
@stevesheriw said:
"It would not take much modding to make a very good rendition of Christine. "
Not really, she was a Plymouth Fury. Here's a picture of a stunt car from the movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Fury/media/File:Christine.jpg Some superficial similarities, but a lot of differences, too. Side note: I read Christine at my local community college (their library had a copy), which also had a Fury out back for shop students to practice on. I kept a very close eye on that thing...
@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"it almost looks like a weird shade of dark-bley."
It still looks more metallic than just plain old light gray. At least in my opinion, anyway."
I think it really depends on the shape of the part. The cow horns don't have much in the way of flat surfaces to show off the metallic quality. A brick or panel, on the other hand, would have those flat surfaces where you could really see any variation to the color/tone. On the cow horns, especially because of their tiny size, it doesn't really register unless you closely examine them, so even sitting right in front of silver ink parts you might not notice that they are also a metallic color.
@ricecake:
I would assume by now they have fixed the giant hole in the floor, but did they also fix all of the rare Corvettes that the hole tried to eat?
my ex has a 60 Vette he bought used when he turned 16. it has both the rag top and the hard top. we bought a 61 just like this model and kept trading up till we bought a new 80. delightful cars to drive
I'm really stunned by the ugliness of the Lego model. It doesn't capture the curves and flows of the original at all. The banana bumpers, the square grille, the weird rear end, all a miss for me. Maybe a second hand version one day. Purely to have it build for the fun of building. But not for showcasing.
This is about as faithful as any LEGO reproduction of a C1 corvette could be. Just an impossible shape to capture with LEGO parts at this scale. It's a pass for me, but I applaud the effort.
@StyleCounselor said:
"Nice review.
Wow, what a gorgeous set! I've always been a Corvette fan, but favor the Stingray a bit more.
See, https://www.reddit.com/r/carporn/comments/6z5cci/1965_corvette_stingray_hawt_2048x1536/
Or, later,
https://greychoices.blogspot.com/2018/01/classic-corvette-stingray-grey.html?m=1
But, this is soooo good. I can't expand my already bloated collection to car themes beyond SC, can I?"
That is by far my favorite car ever. I love how it looks.
I first "met" this car in form of a toy car (wired remote control) when I was a kid, it is the only car I never dreamed of disablembling and likely the only toy (other than Lego) that is still around.