If you don't know what to give at the end of the year to a LEGO fan who already has everything or almost everything and who will look good out of politeness in front of the LEGO Ideas table football that you had planned to put under the tree, know that the publisher Dunod is publishing this year a French version of Jens Andersen's work already published in English in 2022 under the title The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination.

The work, titled in French The LEGO saga - The little brick that conquered the world, has since its publication become a reference in terms of the history of the LEGO group, its author having had full access to the group's archives as well as to Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, director of the company from 1979 to 2004 and incidentally grandson of the founder of the brand, Ole Kirk Christiansen.

The 380 pages of this French version are therefore filled with photos and visuals, some of which are completely new, and statements from Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen covering the historical course of the LEGO adventure from its creation to the present day.

Make no mistake, this is not a book to glorify LEGO products, even if they are obviously at the center of the group's history, the book is above all a detailed chronology of the development of the brand with its successes, its failures, the methods of its managers to maintain pressure on its customers and its strategies to stay afloat even during the most disrupted periods by bad choices or unfavorable economic conditions.

We could regret that the author lingers almost a little too much on the first years of what would become the LEGO company and then moves a little too quickly to the current period, but this richly documented and illustrated return to the sources remains coherent and punctuated. of first-hand statements that give the impression of having at hand a book that is not a simple fictionalized version of the history of the LEGO Group.

The common thread of the book is obviously the family saga of the group initiated by the founder Ole Kirk Christiansen, extended by his son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen then perpetuated by his grandson Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, and one will have to feel a certain interest in this story which has led to the brand's current success so as not to abandon reading along the way. This is the price to pay to immerse yourself in this saga at the origin of our passion and even if the book only evokes LEGO products through their impact on the evolution of the brand, the effort will in my opinion be amply rewarded.

This work is not a marketing manual, even if it largely discusses the group's strategy, such as the partnership with McDonald's in the 80s to conquer the USA, nor is it a biography. discount idealizing a story too often told by omitting certain details, it is simply a richly documented and abundantly commented analysis by someone who knows more than anyone about the history of his own family and his society.

The book is available at the public price of €26.90 on FNAC.com, at Cultura or at Amazon:

The Lego saga: The little brick that conquered the world

26.90 €

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Note: The copy presented here, provided by the publisher, is as usual put into play. Deadline set for November 19, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

Today we are very quickly interested in the content of the LEGO DREAMZzz set 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse, a box of 482 pieces sold at the public price of €52.99 on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores. This set is in the soft underbelly of a range whose public prices range from €29.99 to €139.99 but it deserves the attention of all those who have found an affinity with the universe concerned: it is the least expensive of the two products which currently make it possible to obtain the main villain of the LEGO house license, the King of Nightmares, in minifig format.

We therefore assemble here a black horse with rather successful curves and reduced but sufficient mobility, the animal becoming a cousin of Pegasus when the throne of the King of Nightmares is installed on its back. The whole then works visually very well but we can only regret the fragility of the association between the two constructions, it only holds in place on two tenons, it has an unfortunate tendency to come off without warning and the two pairs of white ribs which can be folded over the horse's abdomen provide no support. For the rest, it will be possible to orient the head and tail of the animal and take advantage of articulated hips which allow the four legs to be shifted a little.

The two large wings supplied are nicely made, another pair is also available in the set 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship (€139.99) to embody the sails of the boat. I note that one element was missing in the copy of the set that I received: a large pad-printed eye in principle supplied in two copies and present both on the throne of the King of Nightmares and on the top of the cage in which finds itself locked up Nova. This last sub-assembly also brings a little playability to the product, it will involve Zoey perched on her bird to go and free the young girl held by the super villain and his henchman.

The bird with its articulated wings and movable head, ridden by Zoey, is also rather successful even if the construction can seem basic and a little undersized to really compete with the horse, more than 20 cm high. A few stickers are to be applied to the different constructions to refine their level of detail a little, the horse can do without them but the bird needs its eyes.

The supply of minifigs here goes to the essential with two members of the main cast, Zoey and the King of Nightmares and two second knives, Nova and the micro-minion Susan. All the figurines are delivered in at least one other box in the range but this remains the cheapest option to obtain Nova in pajamas and the Nightmare King with his magnificent pad printing and his very successful accessories.

This toy for children who are fans of the universe developed in the animated series currently broadcast on all major platforms as well as on television seems to me to be rather successful with its neat and colorful constructions, it offers, like the other references in the range an assembly variant at the end of the booklet with the possibility of transforming Zoey into a giant butterfly. Nothing crazy, the modification is not as spectacular as some of the much more creative variants imagined in other sets.

The public reference price practiced by LEGO often seems to me a little too high for what the set really has to offer, but this price is only there to set the bar high and serve as a reference for the percentage of reduction available everywhere else and it is obviously already possible to acquire this box for less than €40 at Amazon:

Discount -25%

LEGO 71457 DREAMZzz Pegasus, The Flying Horse, Build a Fantasy Creature in 2 Ways, with Zoey, Nova and Night King Minifigures

52.99 € 39.99 €

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Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at November 12, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

Today we are very quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Ideas set 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei which will be offered from November 1 to 16, 2023 on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores from €130 of purchase without restriction of range.

You know if you follow, this product is based on the creation which in June 2022 won a competition organized on the LEGO Ideas platform with the promise made to the winner to convert their idea into an official set. Today we can say that LEGO has largely respected the initial concept, the manufacturer simply integrating a few aesthetic improvements or regressions into the diorama which retains its initial organization.

As for the promotional set 40579 Eiffel’s Apartment offered in 2022 for the acquisition of the set 10307 Eiffel Tower, here we assemble a base on which we will then install the partitions and furniture for the office of the occupant of the premises, in this case Galileo the famous mathematician, geometer, physicist and astronomer. Unlike Gustave Eiffel's office, LEGO here makes the effort to cover the floor with a few Tiles and the overall rendering is greatly improved.

The product also integrates a functionality based on toothed wheels which allows the very simplistic heliocentric system placed on the desk to rotate. The mechanism is hidden in the thickness of the desk base and remains easily accessible via a few teeth protruding from the back of the construction.

For the rest, it's rather well done with two-tone walls which are therefore a little less dull than those of the reference creation, some pretty furniture even if the central office has been simplified a little and a little vegetation around of the balcony whose railing, however, loses an angle. LEGO also provides a copy of the globe in the form of a pad-printed head already seen in several boxes including the sets 21336 The Office et 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum.

The set also includes a small sheet of stickers with enough to indicate the name of the character on the front of the diorama, a poster of the Tower of Pisa, Pisa being Galileo's birthplace but many fans already see a clue about of a hypothetical future set from the LEGO ICONS range, and a reproduction of the drawing of the Moon made by Galileo.

The figurine provided in this box is nothing exceptional, it simply reuses elements present for several years in the LEGO catalog to form a somewhat simplistic interpretation of the character: the head is that of Gandalf, Cornelius Fudge or even Max Shreck, the torso is that of Ross Geller in the set 10292 F⋅R⋅I⋅E⋅N⋅D⋅S Apartments, the legs are neutral, the beard is Marley's (21330 Home Alone House) and the hairstyle has equipped a slew of characters with graying hair since 2015.

This small promotional product of 307 pieces valued by LEGO at €24.99 does not stand out, it should please all those who appreciate that LEGO pays homage from time to time to personalities who have marked history and the construction will look great on the corner of a desk or shelf.

It's up to everyone to see whether they will really have to spend €130 to obtain it or wisely wait until the product is available in volume on the secondary market to acquire it separately at a reasonable price.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at November 6, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

Today we quickly take a look at the contents of the LEGO Disney set 40659 Mini Steamboat Willie, a box of 424 pieces which will be offered on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores from October 23, 2023 on condition of purchasing at least €100 worth of Disney-licensed products (including Star Wars & Marvel).

It's impossible not to think of the previous interpretation of the subject covered here in the LEGO Ideas set 21317 Steamboat Willie (751 pieces - €89.99), this is the second time that LEGO has made a direct reference to the animated film Steamboat Willie which, in November 1928, featured Mickey, Minnie, Captain Pete (Pat Hibulaire) and some animals.

This promotional product allows us to assemble the boat seen in black and white on the screen and the construction therefore remains in two tones even if the interior of the model is made up of colored parts which will no longer be visible once assembly is completed .

This steamboat, 20 cm long and 13 cm high, goes a little further than the bare minimum by having the luxury of having an integrated mechanism which sets in motion the two paddle wheels and the two chimneys of the boat during its travels.

The functionality may seem relatively anecdotal on a product which will undoubtedly end its career on the corner of a shelf, but its implementation enhances the construction process and gives meaning to this set by taking advantage of a few simple but effective techniques. The pleasure of assembly is there, it is already an important argument in favor of this small promotional product, a priori unpretentious.

On arrival, the boat is convincing given the scale chosen and the finish of the object is sufficiently accomplished to not have to regret having spent the amount requested to obtain it. Don't put the thing in the bathtub, that boat doesn't float.

LEGO only provides one minifig here, that of Mickey, and therefore skips Minnie who was present in the LEGO Ideas set 21317 Steamboat Willie. No legs injected in two colors for the single figurine provided, it is minimum service even if the figurine remains consistent with what we have the right to expect from an interpretation of the reference look of the character.

For those who are interested, Mickey's hat is the one already seen in the bag of the 2nd series of Disney collectible minifigs wearing the reference 71024, the head is also delivered in the same bag as well as in the sets 21317 Steamboat Willie et 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera. All that remains is the new gray legs pad-printed with two white buttons to make this figurine a new and for the moment exclusive version, the torso being neutral.

There are no stickers in this box, the set didn't really need stickers anyway, and this is good news for anyone who wants to display the construction without the risk of seeing it deteriorate over time. time.

This small promotional set which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Disney by referring to an animated short film that has become cult seems to me to be up to the occasion with great exhibition potential and an assembly process which will a little further than just stacking bricks and I'll be one of those who makes the effort to buy something from the official online store to get it.

I'm not an unconditional fan of the Disney universe but this product seems to me to be a nice homage, neither too bulky nor too pretentious, which will easily find a place in my collection. The minimum amount required to obtain it seems almost reasonable to me if we take into account the latest promotional offers offered by the manufacturer, knowing that with €100 you get more from LEGO anyway.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 1er November 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

Today we are very quickly interested in the content of the LEGO DREAMZzz set 71461 Fantastic Tree House, a box of 1257 pieces sold since the beginning of August 2023 at the public price of €104.99.

The product clearly rides on the popularity at LEGO of the “tree house” concept, largely confirmed since the marketing in 2019 of the LEGO Ideas set 21318 Treehouse which has since become a bestseller and also included in the Friends range in 2022 with the set 41703 Friendship Tree House.

Here, the tree is therefore adapted to the LEGO DREAMZzz universe: the trunk with its blue foliage becomes the headquarters of the heroes of the range and is found dressed in various constructions and other scales which allow movement between the levels.

It's pretty well executed and the tree doesn't deteriorate even when the additional sections are not yet installed. The structure is solid, the branches benefit from a very acceptable finish for a product intended for a very young audience and all that is missing is a little more foliage to give a little volume to the whole.

There is in reality only half of the bark of the trunk, one side remaining bare to facilitate access to the different playable areas with a tiled kitchen, a living room with its sofa and two bedrooms logically equipped with beds and tables bedside.

So much the better for young fans of the LEGO DREAMZzz universe, even if the interior fittings are not at the level of a Structure, here they have on hand a "real" home with its different spaces easily identifiable and really accessible by the minifigs provided via the series of integrated ladders.

LEGO is also not short of fun little details with a mailbox on legs, a pretty carnivorous plant and a handful of mushrooms which bring a little density to the base of the tree. We feel the care taken in the product even if it is not an ultra-detailed model.

As with the rest of the range, the set offers two variants documented throughout the pages of the instruction booklet but the modifications here are rather modest and discreet and only concern the three housing blocks which must be fixed on the trunk using clips in the three locations provided.

In the basic configuration, the tree is in "peaceful living" mode, it becomes a fortress with weapons on all floors in the proposed variant. Both variants make good use of the set's inventory, with only a few small pieces left on the tile. You know if you follow, it is also possible to integrate the three modules of the set 40657 Dream Village on the branches of the tree, the three constructions, more detailed than those delivered by default in the set in question here, will then give a more opulent and undoubtedly more magical look to the tree.

Upon arrival, the construction still looks great without using the contents of another box and it offers different playable and easy-to-access spaces. But the tree alone would ultimately only be a somewhat sad playset and LEGO provides a little opposition to the young (and not so young) heroes with a very simplified version of the Grimkeeper also available in the form of a more detailed interpretation in the and 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster and two villain figurines in the pay of the King of Nightmares including the Night Hunter.

The supply of figurines is also consistent and sufficient for a set of this size with a large part of the main cast and a few attackers who guarantee real playability to the set.

I won't go into the level of finish of these different figurines, you already know that LEGO has gone all out on this range with a riot of pad printing that will make fans of the Star Wars or Marvel universes jealous. We obviously cannot escape a large sheet of stickers which adorn the signs, furniture, flags and other street signs present on the tree, there remains on arrival a small series of stickers available to personalize the decoration a little. construction.

We could necessarily discuss the public price of this product, set at €104.99 by the manufacturer, which may seem very high given the content offered even if the whole thing seems rather convincing to me, but the debate is already closed with a substantial reduction proposed by various brands including Amazon which currently sells this box for a little less than €80, which immediately makes it much more attractive:

Discount -33%

LEGO 71461 DREAMZzz The Fantasy Treehouse, 2-Way Buildable Toy, Featuring Mrs. Castillo, Izzie, Mateo and the Huntsman Minifigures

104.99 € 70.61 €

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Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 22th October, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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