The Best-looking Lego-type Technic Ferrari Ever Review

What's not to love a Ferrari, a hugely popular car, an incredible car to actually drive? And now we also have this magnificent Lego-type Technic model of it. The details are as good as what Lego could make and actually some of them are even better. 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to our blog. It's Victor from the Nifeliz team here. Nifeliz's sets are not Lego but compatible.

So what we have here today is this amazing Nifeliz Technic Supercar! First things first, we're going to learn about its details.

— Set details —

This set is called the Nifeliz 487 Sports Car Building Toy Set for Adults. This is a modified version of the Ferrari 488 Pista. It consists of 3,608 pieces and came out in 2022. There is no doubt this will take quite a few days to actually build. It is not something you just make overnight. And this is a large 1:8 scale Technic vehicle. It's nearly 22.44 in long by 11.29 in wide by 5.98 in high (22.44''L x 11.29''W x 5.98''H). On the box, this says it's recommended for ages 16 and up and as you can see, it looks gorgeous. So let's not wait around. I'm just going to open it up and show you guys what's inside.

Here's everything that came inside the box. It is a huge package, which includes not only the pieces, but also an instruction manual, a sticker sheet, and 4 wheels. Next up, I'm going to count the bags. One, two, three... thirty-six. In total, we have got 36 bags.

— About the Ferrari 488 Pista —

On 6 March 2018, Ferrari unveiled the 488 Pista (track in Italian) at the Geneva Motor Show. The Pista’s design was influenced by the 488 GTE and 488 Challenge race variants. The car has received many mechanical and exterior modifications to make it more capable than the 488 GTB. The 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine now generates a power output of 720 PS (530 kW; 710 hp) at 8,000 rpm and 770 N⋅m (568 lb⋅ft) of torque at 3,000 rpm due to the use of new camshafts, a larger intercooler, strengthened pistons, titanium connecting rods and Inconel exhaust manifolds in the engine borrowed from the 488 Challenge. Revisions to the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission also allow for shifts in 30 milliseconds when drivers enter race mode. 

The most noticeable exterior changes for the Pista are at the front end. Air passes through the ducts in the front bumper and which directs it through a large vent in the hood, which creates more downforce over the nose at high-speeds. Helping boost performance further, the air intake tunnels have been moved from the flanks to the rear spoiler to optimize clean airflow. Other exterior changes include underbody diffusers and the rear diffuser shared with the 488 GTE. In total, the car generates 20% more downforce than the 488 GTB.

— Assembly —

As for the building experience, I enjoyed building the set for the most part. The instructions had a couple minor issues though. I started off by building the motor and the rest of the drivetrain. That means I had to start bag number 13 and bag number 14, but instructions were vague on these parts. They don't indicate exactly where they go. And then, at step 265, they don't show where it actually goes on two of the eleven connectors. Generally, Nifeliz highlight where a part goes, so you can see where it connects. It is not the case on these connectors.

So I had to look at the pictures a step ahead and a step back to confirm the proper part was referenced. That being said, things were usually pretty easy to deduce. If you've built some other Technic sets in the past, you can understand how things tend to go together. Anyway, there were a few minor errors in the instructions, but there was nothing that couldn't be fixed easily.

HELPFUL TIP: When you are at step 48, it might be best to insert those two axles into the opposite side making it simple to fit them into the structure at step 89 for this will prevent the parts from slipping off.

— Features —

Just like other Nifeliz model cars, the Nifeliz 487 Sports Car Building Toy Set for Adults also captures the design of the Ferrari 488 Pista really well. In fact, this Technic vehicle looks fantastic. Also, there are a number of fun functions to play around with. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that this set is truly a masterpiece!  

Now let's dive into all of the features of this thing.

Here we go then. First, looking at the front side, all of these different shapes and contours come together quite well to give it an authentic shape. 

So one of the main features I really like is the headlights. I really like the way they've been shaped. You can see that curvature of the headlights was actually built using some red flex tubing very similar to the ones that you'll see on the front end as well. 

And the way the red teeth are integrated into those headlights is something I really like, which makes the headlights look more appealing. 

Also, the daytime running lights seem real. They're composed of 1 x 1 transparent tiles, 1 x 1 transparent plates, 1 x 4 plates and all that jazz. 

And then, the hood does open, so you can see we do have some storage space in the front. I also like it to be one large curved panel hinged from the back over here, so when you do lift the hood, it's not flimsy at all. 

Not only that, but also these wings sort of clip together on either side to cover that sort of area where you have part of your headlights and front wheels so that we have a nice angle there. 

In addition, the S-Duct is really well done. Ferrari calls the air channel created by the plunging hood the “S-Duct”, because air is routed through the bodywork in an S-shape, increasing downforce on the front axle. And if you look very closely, you can literally see the floor straight through that hole in the hood. This shows a cutaway view of the trunk. How interesting! That's because on the real Pista, the air is rolled in, taken up and that gives it more push-down at the front end, more downforce, ultimately more grip, more ability to go through corners and speed it wouldn't have otherwise. 

And that's not the only thing, because if we look down towards the bottom here, we've got the bi-color stripe on the front bumper and it looks lovely. So you've got the white stripes on the outside and you have a black stripe through the middle. The stripes outline how the air flows over the car. Starting off on the bottom of the front bumper, it comes straight through this S-Duct here on the hood. And it goes over onto the roof and then ends up on the rear spoiler. And the stripes are hugely important on this Technic Ferrari because it comes right through the actual Pista. Besides, without a stripe, it can look a bit boring just like the Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3. 

When you really start to just see the central section between the nose and the bumper very closely, you can see absolutely all the way through to the steering components that are going inside there. There's a better look at the front of the vehicle there if we just lift it up off the table. How open it is! 

On either side of the front bumper, you can also see the large intakes, which are represented by those 1 x 4 x 2 fences. I think that's authentic. On the actual car, a giant grille opening feeds air to a heat extractor in the hood so that as much air as possible enters through the car and helps it stick to the ground. 

In front of the intakes, you can see that the splitter represented by two black panels extends forward from there. They must be sort of downforce side of things. How detailed that is! 

Taking a look at the sides, everything is just so smooth.

The doors are built from different panels and wing elements. I really like the lines on this thing. It's clean, but that's not the coolest part of the door. The coolest part is the door handle that Lego don't do and I actually really like this feature. Now if you pull the door handle open, that actually unlocks the door. And you can shut it by pressing it. When I'm pulling it, it will not open. It is secure. That's probably one of my favorite bits.

In addition to that, there are adjustable side mirrors. They both rotate, raise and lower. Each of them is actually made out of two teeth with axle holes.

One interesting thing you'll notice is the wheels wearing low profile tires are real similar to those on the Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron. They're quite brilliant on their own. 

This Technic Ferrari has got a rear-wheel drive. Also, when I spin this wheel forward, the other one goes forward. 

I just popped off the front right tire there, so you can get a better look at  the shock absorbers there as well. So we have the double shock absorbers on each wheel. Obviously its independent suspension is pretty good. They actually do move up and down. 

I also quite like the fact the red flex tubing is bent around the wheels and attached into the holders. And there is no contact between the fender and wheel.

What you will notice as well is that there are the intercoolers in front of the rear wheels for the cooling. They are, in fact, made of two black panels and a Technic axle and pin connector that have stickers on them. Apparently they're authentic to the ones on the real car. 

So for the back of the Nifeliz Pista, the detail is absolutely exquisite.

What's really remarkable back here is that they give you the really nice engine bay where you can just see all of the intricate design work that's done.

I especially love how they've designed the engine here for you can see those moving pistons and also some engine covering. Again we have some system building right here. So different tiles, plates, slopes and wedges were used to create this gorgeous-looking cover.

And the whole frame is essentially built using some Technic pins and axles which are twisted into sort of a hexagon, but it is strong and sturdy.

You can also see the engine tucked away in there. As you can see, we've got the cool V-8 engine, which is almost the same as that of a normal Lego Technic vehicle. It has the normal pistons. And when you move it, the pistons will move. 

Something else worth noting from a technical perspective is there is a shifter knob right there. It is connected to the four-speed gearbox. So we got first speed, second, third and fourth. So I believe they work in conjunction to determine how much resistance is on that engine and determine how quickly those engine pistons move. So it's very very cool. 

Also, we've got our tail lights that I'm actually very pleased with. They used some system elements as well. They are really nicely done with a combination of one 2×2 red round brick, one 1×2 red plate, one 1×1 black round plate and two 1×1 red round plates. Most of these pieces are clear ones representing the LED lights on the actual car and that looks correct.

What's interesting is we've actually got two spoilers on the back. The top one is just a little sort of ducktail and that's how it is on a real car, so it makes sense. You will also see the red piping attached into the panels on both sides of it, complete with the brake lights in the middle. I really like that little detail. 

There is actually an additional spoiler underneath the top mounted spoiler where you can see straight through the back of the car. On the actual Pista, it's all working in harmony and sync with other parts of itself and to operate cleanly and bring the air through. 

Underneath the spoiler, you will notice that there's a license plate. It's actually a sticker that says 488GTR. It looks pretty nice.

Below, we've got the a strip of yellow pipe work on either side. It is supposed to be a low beam light. I'm not sure if it's sponsored by IKEA. I'm just kidding. The little yellow touches they added really pop more against the black Technic components. I think that's why they chose this color. 

Under the low beam lights, there are two lovely little gray exhaust pipes protruding out of the back. 

We've got this large diffuser down the bottom as well, which is supposed to guide air through and around the car. This is an amazing part because the choice of elements shows a great deal of ingenuity.

Here's something else I love about this Technic Supercar! You will also see the F1-style reverse light in the centre. 

This Technic set is a replica of a convertible variant of the Pista, so you can also access the cockpit by removing the top. You can put the top on this, but it takes a little bit of time to install the roof and I want a convertible. Therefore, I just left my convertible top open. It does create a very authentic-looking convertible. Furthermore, you can see all of the details within like this.

The interior is pretty detailed in there and as good as that of a normal Lego Technic large vehicle. And I believe it is better-looking than that of the Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3. Obviously the interior of that one looks very Technic-like. And there are some large holes in the base of the vehicle within the cockpit. This is not the case with the Nifeliz Ferrari. 

Now I want to show you a little bit of the interior details of this one.

The first thing that you're probably going to notice is the steering wheel, which is very detailed with the paddle shifters. And the steering wheel, of course, is connected to the front wheels, so we can turn the wheels right and left. That is also another thing that's functional.

Along the bottom, there is the gas pedal and the brake pedal. And there is plenty of legroom as well. They just thought of everything in this set. That's why I love this interior.

On the dashboard of the vehicle, you can see some stickers indicating all of that detail of the tachometer, the speedometer and the fuel gauge. And the stickers are really authentic because you can make out those tiny little individual numbers there on the gauge cluster. 

There is no windscreen, right? It's just built using some Technic components, but we've got the rearview mirror there. That's nice because you don't always get to see that.

Something else worth noting here in the interior is we've got the air vents in this car perfectly positioned to blow air on the driver and passenger.

Right in the middle is a sticker indicating the stereo controls, which both the driver and the passenger have access to. It seems that almost everything in this car is designed solely for the driver.  

Moving further along, I was surprised that it comes with the glove compartment. This is an interesting feature.  Though it consists only of  a few Technic components, it is very effective.

And even the seats are really well shaped and well made. Your seats are identical to each other. Both the seats and the headrests can be pushed forward and back.

— Summary —

All in all, the Nifeliz 487 Sports Car Building Toy Set for Adults is definitely the best-looking Lego-type Technic Ferrari I have ever seen. First of all, I think it captures the overall design of the Ferrari 488 Pista absolutely perfectly. I don't think the designer could have done any better. Second of all, from a visual standpoint, it's definitely a nice thing to look at. For example, the front end is curvy and looks very realistic. The shaping of the headlights is pretty good to me. And with the bi-color stripe, this Nifeliz Technic Ferrari looks even lovelier than the Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3. And what's more, by removing the top, it creates an awesome-looking convertible. And you will also see the interior has it all!

As for the functions, the doors and hood open and close, the pistons in the V-8 engine move, the steering wheel turns, the wheels roll, and it is a rear-wheel drive. There is a shifter knob in the back, which is connected to the four-speed gearbox as well. The other cool thing about this Technic vehicle is the door handle, which you can pull open to unlock the door and actually Lego don't have. Overall, this set is truly a masterpiece!

Here is the link to get this:

Nifeliz 487 Sports Car On Amazon

And for more interesting builds, click the link below: 

Nifeliz Official Amazon Shop

So thank you for reading, guys. I hope this review was a help. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Bye-bye. Adios.