LEGO 40409 Hot Rod Gift With Purchase [Review]

The LEGO Store Gift With Purchase (GwP) offer for the month of June revives an old classic from the archives, reissued in a smaller form factor. The Hot Rod was originally released back in 1995 as the 5541 Blue Fury under the Model Team theme and reissued again in 2004 as the 10151 Hot Rod. This unique set of wheels comes free with purchases over US $85 | CAN $85 | GBP £85 and the offer is valid from 1st to 21st June 2020 (or while stocks last). We’re taking a quick look at this miniaturised version of the classic for you to decide if this is one to add to your collection.

The box, instructions and contents

The box art sports the hot rod being driven by a male driver pulling into the garage featuring a female mechanic welcoming him at the front. On the top right of the box the Hot Rod signage is printed in a stylized font. The back of the box shows the hot rod parked in the garage featuring the rear view of the vehicle.

The set comes with two unnumbered bags and an instruction booklet with two loose 2×12 plates and a small sticker sheet.

A closer look at the sticker sheet shows the same stylized font featured on the garage signage, a license plate, and two exhaust outlets.

The build

The build starts off with the undercarriage base construct and axles in place.

The single seat and red interior fit snugly at the rear centre of the vehicle.

The side exhaust and exterior are mounted with the rear sections further built up in black.

The build is completed with the engine block in place, with the front grille, headlights, and wheels affixed.

The tiny build is simple and straightforward, and shouldn’t take more than 10 or so minutes to complete.

A closer look at the stickers

The stickers in this set are a must-have to complete the overall look, making it resemble the original 1995/2004 LEGO hot rod sets. The engine block cylinder stickers are placed on both sides. The Hot Rod labels are also placed on both sides of the car.

The rear plates spell out MT 5541, referring to the original plates on the 1995 set 5541 Blue Fury, and “MT” being the acronym for Model Team.

The minifigures

The set comes with two minifigures. A female mechanic features a smile and face smudged with grease printed on one side, wielding a spanner and a mallet. She wears a red shirt and blue overalls with one shoulder strap unbuttoned, revealing a pocket with a pencil and pen stuffed into it. Her hand elements are in tan, which tells us she’s wearing gloves as she works on tuning up the Hot rod.

The driver is a male minifigure wearing shades and sporting a varsity jacket with the initials NH. His pants show spots of grease, hinting that he’s more than a driver and probably has some hands-on repairing skills.

Both figures feature unprinted legs, and the mechanic has a second face print with a raised eyebrow and a grease-free face. Her hair element is part of her blue cap.

The finished build

The scale of this Hot rod would perfectly fit the size and build of a vehicle for a LEGO-themed city. The build captures as much as it can to the original in its tiny scale and is quite a beauty with its mean and grand look.

It looks good from all angles including the back curvature of the vehicle.

The colour theme of blue, grey, red and black makes it stand out and gives the car a classic look that looked good 25 years ago and stands the test of time to this day.

Summary & conclusion

While it’s perfectly great to own and appreciate this set on its own, there’s a little nostalgia and callback for fans that have owned either of the original Model Team hot rod releases. A quick look at the box art side by side shows the true intent of the design and artwork to mimic the angles and placement of the original designs.

If you have either of the original LEGO hot rod sets in your collection, you really want to have this modern, refreshed version to display together with the figures. If you’re new to collecting LEGO, it’s still a worthy addition just for a quick yet detailed build to add as a companion to any Speed Champions vehicle collection.

The LEGO 40409 Hot Rod is available as a Gift With Promotion on LEGO Stores online with a minimum spend of  US $85 | CAN $85 | GBP £85 from the 1st of June until 21st of June or while stocks last. Consider using our affiliate links to make any purchase as it supports our all-volunteer team and our ongoing efforts in bringing to you more great builds, features, and reviews on The Brothers Brick.


The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.


Check out our full gallery of the Hot Rod below:

9 comments on “LEGO 40409 Hot Rod Gift With Purchase [Review]

  1. Håkan

    @mkjosha

    Indeed. You’d have thought the driver would change pants before jumping into his sweet ride.

  2. Håkan

    @Vademecum

    “Ninjago High”, then, but parts might occasionally appear in other sets before their actual designed usage, though. Don’t know the situation here.

  3. Benjamin von Sück

    I live in New Hampshire, so I’m gonna relocate Newbury High in my canon!

  4. badbob

    I think they should at least find an alternative to the engine block stickers. Maybe a row of 1×1 round tiles?

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