LEGO SET 71491 - Alternate build | Mateo and the Z-Blob Action Race Car

April 27, 2025

LEGO building really takes off when you set the instruction booklet aside and ask, “What else can these parts become?” With LEGO SET 71491-1 in your hands, you’re holding a toolkit of sleek panels, Technic connectors, and dynamic elements that can be remixed into entirely fresh creations.

One great avenue is reinventing new vehicles. Take the low-profile panels and wheel hubs to design a futuristic hover racer or an agile urban speedster. Swap out accents to build anything from a dune-pummeling rally buggy to a nimble street-legal sidecar rig—each configuration giving the same core chassis a brand-new personality.

If you’re drawn to creatures and characters, break down the frame into segmented limbs and body parts to create mechanical beasts. Imagine a piston-powered canine scout with spring-loaded jaws, or a six-legged “crawler bot” with clawed feet and articulated armor plating. By blending organic curves with angular connectors, you’ll end up with critters that feel part-animal, part-machine.

For hands-on engineering fun, use the set’s gears, liftarms, and axles to build workshop gadgets. A rotating display turntable, a hand-crank crane, or even a tiny conveyor belt all come to life with a few simple mechanisms. It’s a perfect way to explore movement, gearing ratios, and real-world mechanics on a small scale.

You can also craft entire scenes instead of standalone models. Build a modular pit-lane diorama with fuel rigs, tool carts, and pit-crew platforms, then swap in different modules—like a timing tower or grandstand—for endless replay value. Or design a compact research outpost with drone launch pads, sample-collecting arms, and storage crates, weaving storylines into every brick.

Ultimately, 71491-1 becomes more than an action car—it becomes a springboard for imagination. By remixing parts, experimenting with functions, and blending themes—vehicle, creature, mechanical, or architectural—you’ll unlock builds you never thought possible. So grab your bricks, sketch your wildest ideas, and let each piece lead you to your next adventure.

MOC - 71491 Alien Interceptor Spaceship