StudSon and I sat down with LEGO Speed Champions Lightning McQueen (77255), a 270-piece build LEGO put out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Disney Pixar’s Cars. The plan was a full build video followed by the review. The build footage did not turn out, and I will just say the filming went about as well as Lightning McQueen’s race in the dirt. So the review you see is the “here is what we thought afterward” version. Next time we want to add a quick sped-up build at the front.
LEGO 77255 Lightning McQueen. Official LEGO image, since our own build footage did not survive.
The Build Experience
The build took us a little under an hour. StudSon rated the difficulty as medium, and I agree. A few of the Technic pieces were a pain in the butt to get seated, which is the kind of thing that sounds minor until you are the one squeezing them together. Compared with other Speed Champions sets we have done, some parts felt easier and some felt harder. It is a 9+ set, and that felt about right.
The stickers are the other thing you notice while building. There are a lot of them, including his lightning bolt and the famous headlight stickers LEGO calls out. At the end of the video I joked about it, and StudMom yelled at us that his nickname IS “Stickers.” Sally Carrera calls him that many times in the movie, and the whole family had forgotten until she reminded us. So, fair point: a lot of stickers is kind of the entire idea.
StudDad’s Take
I like the smile, and the finished car does look like McQueen. What bugged me the most is just how many stickers there are. StudMom pointed out that lots of stickers is the whole point of the character, and she is right, but I still wish LEGO had printed more of the pieces instead of making us apply so much of his personality with adhesive.
On price, I think MSRP is not too bad. LEGO prices keep climbing, and $27.99 for 270 pieces of a licensed car is in line with where the rest of the line sits. I gave it a 7 out of 10, mostly because of those stickers. I got ours for $24.99, and that is the price where it feels like a comfortable buy rather than an okay one.
The box and the finished car. It is a 9+ set with 270 pieces. Official LEGO image.
StudSon’s Take
His favorite part is the spoiler. He likes how it looks and how it builds, and it moves up and down. He also likes the little red pieces that cover the wheel rims. He thinks it actually does look like McQueen, though he said the eyes “kind of look like AI.” They are a sticker, so that tracks.
What he did not like: the random brown piece on the bottom, and the backside of the spoiler. He wishes it were flat tiled instead of the open back you get with the standard pieces. “There is nothing there,” he said, and I agreed that LEGO should have flattened it off. Would he buy another Cars set? Only if it is the sheriff, Doc Hudson. I suggested Mater, and we may need to revisit that as a family. His final score: 7 out of 10.
Should You Buy It?
Do we recommend it? Probably. If your kid is a Cars fan, or you are one, it is a fun build that lands as a good display piece. For everyone else, we would wait for a sale. It is a fine set, but $27.99 is a little much for a car with this many stickers and an open, unfinished back on the spoiler. Around $25 or less is where it makes sense to us, and that is what we paid.
One more note for parents: there are small pieces on the bottom, so this is not one for little kids. It is a 9+ set, and LEGO means it.
LEGO 77255 FAQ
What is LEGO set 77255?
LEGO 77255 is the Speed Champions Lightning McQueen set, a 270-piece build for ages 9+ released for the 20th anniversary of Disney Pixar’s Cars. It costs $27.99 at LEGO and includes no minifigures.
Is LEGO 77255 Lightning McQueen worth buying?
We rated it 7 out of 10 and say Wait for a Sale. It is a good looking car with a fun moving spoiler, but it uses a lot of stickers. Around $25 or less is where it makes sense, unless you are a huge Cars fan.
How long does LEGO 77255 take to build?
It took us a little under an hour. StudSon rated the difficulty as medium, and a few Technic pieces were tricky to seat.
How many pieces is LEGO Speed Champions Lightning McQueen 77255?
It has 270 pieces and is recommended for ages 9 and up.
Does LEGO 77255 come with a lot of stickers?
Yes. The lightning bolt, the headlights, and the eyes are all stickers. As StudMom reminded us, Sally Carrera calls him “Stickers” in the movie, but we still wish more of them were printed pieces.
When does LEGO 77255 Lightning McQueen retire?
Our data has it retiring around the end of 2027, but retirement dates can shift.