Back to the Future has a long history when it comes to LEGO® sets. It was one of the last to feature the LEGO Cuusoo branding before the platform became LEGO Ideas. The time-travelling adventures of Doc and Marty also inspired LEGO Dimensions packs and, most recently, a larger-scale LEGO Icons set. But the set, which is the subject of this review, is most similar to the 2013 Cuusoo set. This transforms the iconic DeLorean Time Machine into a LEGO Speed Champions set, complete with two minifigures and the option to build it in two different configurations. Let’s go back to the future with the first of my 2026 set reviews and a closer look at the Speed Champions Time Machine.
Product Details
Set Name: Time Machine from Back to the Future | Set Number: 77256 | Pieces: 357 | Theme: Speed Champions
Number of Bags: Bags x 5 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: sheet x 1 | Minifigures: Marty McFly & Doctor Emmet Brown
RRP: £22.99/27.99€/$27.99/39.99AUD/34.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers from January 1st 2026
Despite there being three films, the most iconic part of the Back to the Future trilogy is the Time Machine. This was built around the futuristic DeLorean sports car, built by DMC in the early 80s. With its sloping angles and gull-wing doors, at the time, the DeLorean certainly fit with the fantastical nature of the film. To become a Time Machine, the car was kitted out with various gadgets, and with each additional film in the series, different elements and functions were added.
img
The biggest change with this version of the Time Machine is its lack of gull-wing doors. They are a big part of the car, but the decision to omit them was the right one. It’s allowed the set to better capture the unique shape of the car and some of its other features. Trying to include them certainly would have been nice, but I can see why they were not featured in the set. Even without them, the set still offers the ability to build different versions of the Time Machine.
You can remove a couple of elements from the rear section of the car, along with the wheels and replace them with a Mr Fusion unit, an orange 2015 license plate and different brackets for the wheels so they are mounted in flying mode. If you want to build both versions, you’ll need two sets to build them at the same time.
Some of the details found on the DeLorean are achieved with both printed pieces and stickers. Both versions of the number plates, the time & date reader and the Flux Capacitor are among the printed pieces. Stickers are used on the bumper, front DMC badge and side panels. For the elements that are used, they should have also been printed. The canopy used for the windscreen is thankfully printed. On the subject of elements, the set features a few interesting pieces, including longer ‘roof tiles’. Commonly known as cheese slopes, these elements come in 1×1 and 1×2 lengths. This set includes 1×3 and 1x,4 which looks way better than combining the smaller pieces.
The focus of the Speed Champions set has always been the vehicles, but when they are inspired by films, it makes sense to also include the characters associated with them. Back to the Future is centred around the eccentric scientist Emmet ‘Doc’ Brown and his impressionable assistant Marty McFly. Both have previously been featured in minifigure form. Here they are featured in their 1950s outfits. Both minifigures offer something unique, with a new torso for both, and Doc Brown has a different face. But the biggest difference is with Marty, who now sports a gilet accessory. The puffer-style sleeveless jacket is perfectly suited to the characters and offers the best version of Marty McFly yet. A basic plinth to display them on would have been nice.
This new take on the Time Machine is best compared to the very first Back to the Future set. They are similar in scale and both feature the same characters, but as you can see below, they are vastly different. Seeing both sets side-by-side shows how much better the Speed Champions version looks and why the choice to omit the gull-wing doors.
The Speed Champions sets are known for how they include the unique details of vehicles. Although this is based on a movie car, it still leans into that and manages to include the things which make the DeLorean so well known. That’s both in terms of the base car and the unique versions featured in the films. Speed Champions is a great way to deliver vehicles which may not need their own theme or fit in with any of the current ones. Plus, Speed Champions sets have a lower price point compared to, say, an Icons vehicle. The awkwardly named LEGO Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to the Future arrives on January 1st and can be pre-ordered now.
Available from January 1st 2026: 77256 TIME MACHINE FROM BACK TO THE FUTURE
