We are a few days away from the annual event May the 4th and the list of promotional offers planned this year to accompany the launch of the UCS set 75355 Ultimate Collector Series X-wing Starfighter (239.99 €) and a few other sets become more precise every day. Today is the turn of some banners put online by LEGO at Rakuten (as indicated Jay's Brick Blog) to reveal some information to us. These offers will all be valid for the duration of the operation, from May 1 to 7, 2023, or within the limit of available stocks for the two products offered subject to purchase:

MAY THE 4TH 2023 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we are interested in the content of the LEGO Technic set 42140 App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle, a box of 772 parts which will be available at the public price of €129.99 from March 1, 2022. The promise is once again enticing with this new foray from the manufacturer into the world of vehicles equipped with engines and controllable via the application. Control+. The buggy of the set 42124 Off-Road Buggy marketed in 2020 had a very attractive look but it was unfortunately not up to the task in terms of driving experience. Will this new attempt be more convincing?

As usual, do not let yourself be carried away by the illustrations on the product box, this is an indoor toy that it is better to avoid moving around in the mud or in the snow. But LEGO is changing its tune this year and is no longer content to promise us from the product packaging a tracked vehicle with an aggressive look which in the end will roam limply on the floor of the show: the machine is designed to support a reversal and it offers two different skins with a resolutely sporty all-terrain on one side and an exploration vehicle on the other.

Those who already bought this type of product at LEGO in 2017 probably remember the LEGO Technic set 42065 RC Tracked Racer (89.99 €) with a sports machine with a look similar to one of the two skins delivered here but which then benefited from a motorization then based on the defunct ecosystem Power Functions. So we put the cover back, but better.

Under the hood of this new machine, a Smart Hub Powered Up (88012) delivered here in a new version with a battery box cover freed from the usual clips and now equipped with four screws and two L motors (88013). The change of fixing system for the cover of the Smart Hub is welcome, this element no longer risks being unhooked by accident when the hub is used on a product subjected to slightly more violent stresses than those undergone, for example, by a static construction machine. The piloting goes as usual through the dedicated Control+ application.

The assembly of the model is dispatched in a few minutes and it is within the reach of the youngest who will be impatient to see the machine evolve and to check if the promises are kept. The two casings are integrated on the chassis based on Technic beams and colored elements to easily guide the integration of cables.

The two motors are grouped at the rear of the vehicle to facilitate the rocking, we add the tracks, we stick the very large handful of stickers and it's ready. The button of Smart Hub no longer directly accessible, it can be activated via a lever that moves the control to the rear of the vehicle. synchronization with the application only takes a few seconds and it will be necessary to pass an essential firmware update before starting to play.

Two shock absorbers are responsible for deploying the corresponding covering following the overturning of the vehicle, the two cabins are surmounted by small wheels which will protect them from shocks during tipping and the material used for the tracks of the machine has evolved, it was incidentally already the case with the construction machine of the set 42131 App-Controlled Cat D11 Bulldozer : the plastic is less smooth and rigid, it seems to me more suitable for use on slippery ground and the grip here is further reinforced by the presence of small rubber inserts which further improve grip.

In practice, the function of reversal with change of vehicle functions with all the blows as long as your batteries are powerful enough so that the machine raises frankly and begins to hang on the wall. It is this possibility that makes the product so interesting and that compensates for the usual weaknesses of this type of machine piloted via the Control+ application. You will also have to take the time to get used to piloting via the dedicated application which acts as a remote control in which the few challenges offered are of little interest.

This interactivity with a digital remote control with an attractive design and the resulting possibilities will necessarily appeal to the youngest. Those who are insensitive to these digital refinements will therefore simply have fun sending the machine crashing against a wall to see it turn around or make 360° rotations on the living room floor.

I tested two types of rechargeable batteries: classic Panasonic Eneloop Ni-Mh 1.2V 1900 mAh batteries and Ansmann NiZn 1.6V 1600 mAh batteries and the result is clear: the Ansmann batteries offer more power and the machine runs smoothly. moves noticeably faster. If you plan to really play with this type of product, do not hesitate to buy this type of battery and the essential charger compatible with the NiZn standard. The set represents a certain investment but it will save you the usual disappointment of noticing that your vehicle does not move forward and that in this specific case it has a little trouble climbing up the wall to turn around.

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It will be necessary from time to time to check the connections of the various bodywork elements or the presence of all the small rubber inserts placed on the tracks so as not to lose anything, but overall the model is strong enough to withstand intensive indoor use. Smartphone or tablet under iOS or Android essential as for the other sets which use the dedicated Control+ application.

I have often taken a very critical look at LEGO's various attempts to offer drivable motorized vehicles, whether they are based on the old ecosystem Power Functions or on the new Control+ interface. I must admit that the efforts on the part of LEGO to offer a new toy that is more attractive than the previous ones make me a little more indulgent with this new version: the flip function is well integrated, it works every time and it offers playful possibilities certainly limited but really new.

At €130 a box, however, I remain cautious, it's far too expensive for a use that will undoubtedly remain anecdotal beyond the first five minutes of use. I will therefore wisely wait for Amazon to offer this product for less than €100 to pay for it at its fair price.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 12, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

We were missing a reference from the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range among the sets unveiled yesterday by the German brand JB Spielwaren, it is now online on the official store along with the other boxes: The set 76909 Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Mercedes-AMG Project One will also be available from March 1, 2022.

The five planned references are therefore now online on the official store, it's up to you to see which ones will deserve to end up on your shelves:

You can always pretend you haven't seen anything, but you would have to be blind not to understand that the next vehicle in the format CreatorExpert, which becomes from this year the all new Vehicle Collection, will be a Porsche 911.

A visual of the LEGO set 10295 Porsche 911 is currently circulating on the usual networks and we discover the model of 1458 pieces which should be available by March 2021 at a price around 150 €.

If we consider that the visual used to present the product on the packaging is the most flattering, I think that we will once again have to be content with something relatively similar but also rather approximate in places. The curves of the 911 appear to be there, but the flat, straight-edged windshield is nowhere near that of the benchmark vehicle. We could also discuss the techniques used for the wings, but we'll save that for a "Review ".