Whenever I mention my newfound love for LEGO to my grandmother, she immediately remembers how, barely able to walk, I would sit on my bed assembling my early sets. She likes to recall how I asked for specific figures, how she had to hunt for special shops that sold them, and how I would then play with them. Not much has changed, apart from the playing part. Now I simply assemble Formula 1 cars. “Simply”.
I can’t pinpoint when the F2004 set first caught my eye. I’d be tempted to say it was when it came out, but I’m not entirely sure when that was. Anyway. I am a Michael Schumacher fan. My first exposure to Formula 1 was in the early 2000s, when Michael was dominating the sport. So being able to add something of Michael’s to my small but growing Formula 1 LEGO collection is a blessing. Let me remind you that I already have a Ferrari SF-24 set and a few LEGO Speed Champions sets, in case you want to see how they look under a macro lens.
I’ll just come right out and say it: I thoroughly enjoyed assembling this set. I tried to savour every minute. I’m not sure exactly how long it took – perhaps two hours, maybe a little more – because I lost track of time while assembling one of the most iconic Formula 1 cars ever built. I sat at my desk, lamp on, instructions in front of me, and just went at it.
For this post, I’ll do something different: it will be my first with a video. I didn’t film it, but it explains why this car is so special better than I ever could. For one thing, it has a V10 engine. Enough said?
Great video, right? Full credit goes to Autosport.
But now, let’s see the F2004 LEGO set up close.
I’ll try not to bore you with too many photos: just the set itself, the engine compartment, the front, the back, the top, and the sides. Before I bought this LEGO set, I scrolled through Reddit and Google looking for good photos of the assembled car, and there was nothing. Of course, there are plenty of YouTube videos, as these days there seem to be as many LEGO influencers as there are watch and Formula 1 content creators, but hardly any photo galleries. So with this post, I’d like to give something back to the Formula 1 and LEGO community. I hope you enjoy it.
I almost forgot: I took a couple of photos during the assembly, so I’ll start with those.
Let’s continue with Michael Schumacher’s F2004, fully assembled.
Gosh, I’d love to see the 3.0-litre V10 in person. Until that happens, I’ll have to make do with the LEGO version.
The F2004 looks stunning from the front.
Its back is also quite impressive. For those wondering about the white spots and the lack of logos: back in the early 2000s, tobacco companies were allowed to sponsor events and teams. Marlboro was one of Ferrari’s main sponsors, and its logo featured on the rear wing as well as the engine cover. Tobacco advertising has since been banned, which is why LEGO left those areas blank rather than printing the logos.
Let’s look at this stunning lady from the top.
And let’s look at the floor as well.
Lastly, we have to see her curves from the sides.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed assembling the set, writing about it and taking the photos. This is my small contribution to the LEGO and Formula 1 community, and a tribute to this wonderful F2004 model. It makes you want to build the next set and head to the next Formula 1 Grand Prix.
If this post has encouraged you to buy this or any other LEGO set, or to look up how the F2004 performed on track, then I’ve achieved my goal.
See you around!
Kindly,
Olaaf
