Review: CaDa Master Series C61042W (Ferrari 488)

Today we review CaDA Bricks Master Series Italian Supercar Set (# C61042W). This is CaDA's second set in the Master series and available on CaDa's website. This set is designed by MoC desginer Bruno Jenson.

To start with, we love the fact that unlike other toy brick makers, CaDA is moving further by working with MoC designers and promoting their designs by licensing.

Before we start the review, let us show you the final product to get you excited:

The set comes in an exquisite box:

The box' rear side has a picture of the completed car & Bruno's autograph.

When you open the box, you see the set packed in 6 smaller boxes that together make a beautiful design:

The Set has 6 manuals to complete the construction of 3187 pieces - including 3 motors (2 main motors and 1 servo motor), a rechargeable battery, 4 LED lights (2 each for front and rear) and a remote control.

Let us show you some pics over the various stages:

This is the set at end of stage A (front of vehicle):

We rectified the gear slippage issue that was there in the original manual, by taking lessons from Brunoj' video. He has moved a smaller piece on each side to make the grill piece lock in stronger.

The next stage is the rear (engine) part of car:

I had also rectified the gear related error from main instructions.

The 2 segments are finally 'mated' to form the chassis and now you get a true sense of the car dimensions:

The next stage is addition of the body work to the main chassis and adding the rechargeable battery pack to the chassis.

After final construction, the beauty is a treat to behold:

The rear segment looks very realistic:

So, do we have to say about the CaDA C61042W? Positives: a) The pieces are generally of very good quality, b) There were no missing pieces (in fact, a lot of extra pieces),

c) The motors and gears are good, and

d) The most important reason: the set comes with a rechargeable battery for the motors (while the RC uses standard batteries).

This adaptability is great since CaDA uses power functions / motors that can be reused in other sets.

Interestingly, the set comes with 3 metal hinges - but there are not used in making this set. There are very few stickers and the stickers are of decent quality. The fact that there are very few stickers is a big positive.

We also have see some negatives for this set: a) The clutch on quite a few pieces (especially some pins) was loose,

b) The Red on a small number of pieces does not match the overall Red - but its not a deal breaker since those pieces are not visible,

c) 2-3 connector pins were broken.

We would have loved the instructions to be a lit bit more clear - especially on the stage after motors are installed - we were at a loss to fit / roll the wires.

Overall, the three of us took close to 15+ hours to complete the set. The car is an 'advanced' level construction and one that cannot be done in a single sitting (unless you do not care about your spine). The completed super car is not meant for young kids to lug around - some pieces may fall out.

The thrill to see the set come together and see gear change is great. In short, we definitely buying this set. So, here are some links to help you: a) CaDA Store to buy this set.

b) CaDA's pdf instructions.

c) BrickBuilder's video for the entire set.

d) BrunoJ's video including corrections.

& before we sign from this 'first review' by the three of us, let us also give you a clue on CaDA's next in the Master series (hint: it is not a super car). So, if you think the 3 of us have got you excited enough and you want some thing for the Christmas vacation, do click on this link.