LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C – An iconic build

“These cars were meant to be driven,” said Carrol Shelby about his iconic roadster, the Cobra 427. This high-performance roadster’s blend of sleek design with fierce horsepower, achieving legendary status among car enthusiasts. LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C makes this iconic and coveted classic car much more accessible. But does the timeless beauty and ambition of the real car carry over to the LEGO version? Find out in our review from guest writer Firas Abu-Jaber. And stay till the end to see how Firas’ earlier MOC versions of this iconic car compare the official set.

LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C contains 1,241 pieces and will be available July 1, 2025 to LEGO Insiders (July 4 to all). You can pre-order now for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99. After release it may also be available from third-party retailers like eBay or Amazon.

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.

The box

Like other LEGO Icons sets, the 427 box has a premium look and feel, with the model showcased on a black background, joined by Shelby Cobra logos on the front. Flip the box around, and there are detailed shots and dimensions of the model. Inside are  8 numbered paper bags, a small sheet of stickers, and two plastic bags – one for the tires and a sprue with silver tools, and another for the clear transparent windshield, kept separate to prevent any scratches on the glass.

The car

The 427 S/C is arguably the most desirable and iconic of the Cobra variants, and due to their rarity and performance, these cars can sell for millions of dollars for road-going version (if you can find them at all). Introduced in 1962, the Shelby Cobra 427 S/C is a high-performance sports car, a variant of the AC Cobra, known for its powerful 427 cubic inch (7.0 liter) Ford V8 engine. “S/C” stands for “Semi-Competition,” indicating its intended use for both racing and street driving. LEGO made a great decision to produce a set based on this iconic car as it’s one of the most desirable classic cars for enthusiasts all over the world.

The build

I won’t bury the lede. Assembling the Shelby Cobra was one of most enjoyable and unique experiences I’ve ever had with an Icons set. The designer of this model worked on overdrive to make the shape of this beast as good and close to the original car as possible, and they not only succeeded, they excelled. The design incorporates so many interesting and sometimes surprising techniques to get the shape and details of the model just right. I’ll focus on those special moments as I walk you through the build.

As is typical with Icons sets, we start in the first bag with building the chassis using some Technic bricks to ensure a sturdy model.

Excitement for me started so early in the build, the designer used a very creative and convenient method to make one of the smallest and most interesting details of the interior on this model, the 3 pedals under the stem wheel, they used a minifig scale fork and 2 spoons, which were so convenient for such a tiny place! I also liked the color of the steering wheel, I think it suits well the style of this car .

A few steps in and the steering mechanism is ready. It’s a little bit similar to the working steering technologies used on the 10295 LEGO Porsche, but not entirely identical.

Bag 1 is done, but if you’re a builder like me, and you like to build your project on a level surface, I’d recommend that you place two 1×1 plates of any kind on the 1×6 Technic brick from the underside as it will make the model more stable overall while you’re placing the pieces, specially on the front section. Conveniently you’ll find some extra 1×1 pieces left over from bag 1.

Going through bag 2, I don’t think there’s much worth mentioning here, everything going just straight forward, but I liked that Carroll Shelby signature sticker and the 100 Dollars on the dash. I think LEGO should’ve gone with a printed tile for the Carroll Shelby signature for more premium feel, but it’s not a deal breaker. If you struggle with placing stickers, as I often do, I recommend that you use the help of the brick separator to align your stickers perfectly. It makes life much easier for me.

A few steps later and we’re almost done with the engine. It isn’t that complicated or busy, but it represents the spirit of the V8 engine so well, and the flat silver pieces adds a nice touch there.

Now we hit bags 3 and 4 and this is where the excitement kicks in again as we’re going to build, what I think is the most interesting part of this model:  the side area between the front and back fenders.

Even though I didn’t notice at the first sight, the designer took extra pains to see that the sides of the car tilted all the way from the front to the rear wheel wells. The way they achieved this was so creative and inspiring, using some concealed Technic elements to offset the angle ever so subtly. The way the sides incline towards the back is subtle but captures the lines of the Cobra so well.

The attention to detail shines in the doors, from the famous cornered edges down to the  the technique used to make the doors stop at a specific angle. The silver exhaust pipes along the sides are a huge part of the car’s iconic look and they here they are executed extremely well.

The thrilling build continues with bag number 5, where we’re going to build the front windshield and the engine cover. Here is where I have my first nitpick with the official set. Personally, I wasn’t so satisfied with the windshield’s frame. Even at just one tile thick, I find it a bit too clunky compared to the real car.  I’m not sure how the windshield would look with stickers on the sides instead of the brick-built frame, or perhaps a 0.3 mm bar instead of plates, but in the end it’s a small complaint that doesn’t meaningfully detract from the overall design.

The engine cover, on the other hand, is an unqualified success. My favorite part has to be the air intake, which is brilliantly integrated as an actual intake instead of just a sticker or a black piece that a lesser design would have settled with.

Also, with the help of some Technic pieces, the front hood is attached in such a way that you can open and close the cover easily and without any visible hinges that might ruin the overall flawless shape of the final project.

Now it’s time to build the front nose where we break out the most interesting and important two pieces of the whole set, it’s these new 1×4 curved slopes that I think are very necessary for this particular model and will be very useful for LEGO car MOCers and builders like myself. When working on my own creations, I’ve always craved a piece like this for my cars, especially the old and classic ones. There’s so much potential in those new pieces.

The designer of this model really took advantage of these new elements and use them everywhere they could to capture that iconic shape. You can find them on the front part above the headlights, at the front nose right in front of the engine cover, on the rear fenders above the rear wheels, around the taillights, and around the rear trunk.

Actually when I heard the rumors about an upcoming LEGO Shelby Cobra, I just was wondering how they’re going to shape up so many rounds and angles. Well, these new pieces answered my question, exceeding my expectations. I also appreciate how the nose is attached to the front using a pair of clips in order to capture the perfect angle.

As we wrap up the front section, there is one other part that I feel compelled to critique, and that’s the area above the wheel wells. The 1×2 and 2×2 corner tiles create jarring angles that interfere with the otherwise smooth shaping. If I decided to improve this model, it would only be this detail and the windshield.

Moving on to bag 6 now, we reach the rear section, where things are getting even more interesting. We start with a mix of SNOT techniques and upside-down building, held together with the help of some hinges and joints.

The rear fenders were built in a very creative way to allow them to tilt inwards so that we can get the shape of a real Cobra.

Multiple clips and hinges were used to attach the rear trunk from the inside without any visible hinges on the exterior. Again, the commitment to detail is remarkable.

At this point, the car is basically done now and we’re ready for the final step — the wheels. We’re graced with new wheel wells for this model, a great addition to this already amazing model. They’re similar to the pieces used on the Mini Cooper LEGO set, but more refined.

The new wheels are designed identically to those on the real 427. Repeat four times and we’re done! We now have a flawless and iconic design of the great 427 SC.

LEGO gave us a little surprise at the end with a small toolbox that you can fit in the trunk, as well as a golden trophy. A nice touch for a winning build.

The finished model

The 427 Cobra is one of the most desirable cars of all time and that classic beauty comes through in the LEGO version at 1:10 scale. The model represents the iconic shape of the 427 so well, thanks to all the tilting and angling, sloping and SNOT (Studs Not On Top) work all around the car.

Using some printed pieces, the Shelby’s signature white racing stripes were presented very well and gave the model that bold and aggressive look. The all-new wheels were a great touch to complete the unique look of this iconic car.

The model has many functional elements such opening doors, hood, trunk, working steering, and a toolbox. There’s even a $100 on the dash to flaunt the luxury of driving this beauty.

My MOC versions

As the Shelby Cobra is one of my all-time favorite cars, I, as a MOCer myself, couldn’t resist giving this iconic beast a try previously… twice. I built one dark green version long time ago, used almost 80% of the pieces from the LEGO Mini set. 

The other one I built as an alternative model of the LEGO Fiat set number 10271, using entirely from the pieces found within that set. Everything was going great and smooth while designing the two versions till I reached the front section! In both designs, I found some difficulties in the curves behind the headlights and above both of the front wheels, I had to use some tilting and hinges work to get the desired angles.

So as I mentioned previously, those new 1×4 curved slopes were a must to get the 10357 design right, it’d have saved me lots of time and effort if they’re existing long time ago when I built both of my versions.

Conclusion & recommendation

Thanks to some incredible LEGO designer craftsmanship and all of the new elements used, especially the curved 1×4 slopes, you can easily tell that the car you built is a Shelby Cobra, even from a distace. There is very little to improve on at this scale. Of course, as a MOC builder who can’t resist trying to reinvent the wheel a little more perfectly, I might try to update the front section above the wheels and the windshield.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable build with frequent innovations that kept things interesting till the end. Highly recommended to any car enthusiast.

LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C contains 1,241 pieces and will be available July 1, 2025 to LEGO Insiders (July 4 to all). You can pre-order now for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99. After release it may also be available from third-party retailers like eBay or Amazon.

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

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