Installing a LEGO DeLorean Briksmax Lighting Kit – Part Two

In our previous blog, we challenged our newest staff member to try and install a Briksmax lighting kit we had for our LEGO DeLorean Back to the Future Time Machine.

So far, they had managed to install the front and the internal lights on the rear engine. In this blog, they race against the clock to finish the rear lights, numberplate, wheels, and final touches…

Lighting Up the Number Plate

One of my favourite parts of the Back to the Future vehicle LEGO set is the rear number plate, with the city of California and OUTATIME emblazoned across it, a pun on the Huey Lewis song playing over the original film’s credits.

This proved to be one of the most satisfying parts of the build, with the thread wire easily disguised beneath the rear exhausts.

Always Test Your Rear Brakes…

This was another fiddly part of the process, not helped by a few more confusing images in the guide. Once again, I wished there was some accompanying text to help.

Completing the rear lights involved fitting four micro-sized bulbs on each side – I couldn’t wait to see them light up!

More Threading and Hiding Wires

Back to my new favourite pastime – twisting the tiny threads together and feeding them through the underside of the vehicle. The hardest part here was getting all of them through the small circular cut-outs in the red technic suspension elements.

This looked easy in the guide, but in reality, you have to feed each plug through one at a time, which is a tricky process.

I was starting to get excited now. So close to finishing! Just the remaining side parts to attach. I had way too much fun holding them up and saying, “This is heavy, Doc”, in the immortal words of Marty McFly.

Is that a lightsaber on my desk? Why, yes, we all have one to hand at iDisplayit. You never know when you are going to be attacked by Sith lords. But I digress. Back to the saga at hand…

Connecting Everything Together

With the end in sight, I ploughed on, eyes slightly delirious. Finally, all the circuit boards came together beneath the car, where I hooked up all the threads and plugs left dangling beneath the model after each build stage.

By this point, I had given up on following the instructions to the letter. Naturally, the guide showed a neat selection of wires compared to my slightly chaotic mess. But as long as it all worked, right?

I did consider adding a plate to hide the wires in the middle but couldn’t find one long enough to attach to the two 1x8 plates hugging the wheel axel sections on either side. This would have been a nice addition to the pack for Briksmax to include.

Annoyingly, one of the wires was also broken, meaning I had to go without one of the bulbs.

Last but not least, I removed the wheels and attached the unique tire lights. I was finally finished… but would it turn on?

Success! Everything seemed to work, and it all looked just as good as I had hoped when showcased in our display case with printed clocktower background. I especially enjoyed seeing the inside of the car lit up.

Final Thoughts

After a stressful start, I really enjoyed this lighting kit, mainly for the challenge it gave me and the sense of achievement when I finally completed it. I spent just over 5 hours applying the kit, so it is not something kids or clumsy collectors can pick up on a whim!

As mentioned before, it would be ideal if the instructions included some text guidance. Also, a few spare wires would not go amiss as they are quite flimsy.

That said, the final look of the lighting kit was well worth the effort put in and will thrill any LEGO enthusiast looking to enhance their display.