A few weeks before the availability of the first sets benefiting from the LEGO Technic concept controller +, I take this opportunity to quickly introduce you to a product that most LEGO train enthusiasts and fans of the LEGO Technic range are already familiar with, but those who only occasionally buy motorized products may discover for the first time. I say this because it's important: the product and the associated application have largely reached their maturity since their initial launch and you will not be acting as beta testers.

LEGO has invented almost nothing with the sets Powered Up ou controller + : the smart SBrick Plus brick has been making it possible for several years to take control of your various elements Power Functions using a dedicated application on a smartphone or tablet.

This brick communicates with your motors and other sensors via Bluetooth with a range of up to 50 meters under optimal conditions. The Plus version of the SBrick, which succeeds the basic model, can also control the sensors of the LEGO Education WeDo 1.0 range. If it is the educational aspect that interests you, know that this product is compatible with different programming languages: Scratch, Apple Swift Playground or even Javascript.

To put it simply, this product therefore allows you to take advantage of all your elements Power Functions under conditions similar to those proposed by the new system Powered Up and free yourself from the limitations of the concept Power Functions, especially related to the use of infrared with the problems of range and connection that we have all already encountered at least once.

The Sbrick also adopts a similar format (4x4 studs) to the official LEGO infrared receiver and it will therefore easily replace it on motorized models via different elements of the range. Power Functions.

It can also be placed inside the model, the use of the Bluetooth protocol does not require leaving any sensor visible by the remote control. The possibilities of integration are therefore almost limitless, the SBrick being 100% compatible with official LEGO studs and pins.

Vengit offers for sale a set of four empty boxes in various colors that will allow you to fine-tune the integration of the SBrick in your different models. All you have to do is carefully open the starter box, remove the printed circuit, being careful not to damage the different sets of pins (and not to lose the small transparent plastic element that returns the light from the LED) and to reassemble everything in the case of the color of your choice.

The basic installation is very simple and takes a few seconds: just connect the SBrick to a power source, here a Battery Box official rechargeable battery, and then connect the various elements, motors, LEDs and sensors that you wish to use to the four connectors provided. At this stage, you thus obtain a complete circuit which allows you to motorize and animate your construction.

Please note, you must have an extension cable Power Functions (ref. LEGO 8886 or 8871) to connect the SBrick to the battery box or to the rechargeable battery. It is indicated on the product box and this cable is not supplied.

To put everything in motion, you then need a control interface. By installing the official application (iOS or Android) on your smartphone which then turns into a virtual remote control, you can communicate with your SBrick via Bluetooth. For owners of Apple products who have already invested in an MFI (Made for Phone) certified gamepad, you can also use the latter to control your SBrick. With a BLED112 Bluetooth dongle, the programming possibilities are open to the vast majority of current platforms, including Linux, Windows, MacOS, Raspberry PI, etc ...

The smartphone application is very well designed, it offers in particular a test tool to confirm which port a particular element is connected to. This tool will come in handy if you use all of the four available ports. The application is intuitive, its handling does not require any particular diploma.

You then need to create and activate a control profile that will allow you to activate the various connected elements. Vengit provides a rather well thought out tool that allows you to create and customize the interface of your virtual remote in a few minutes. The customization possibilities are endless and you can choose to use the various visual elements already provided or import your own buttons and illustrations.

With a few clicks, you can add the different buttons and sliders that will later have to be associated with the different ports of the SBrick. Nothing very complicated, you don't need to be an engineer or an astronaut to set up the virtual remote control. You can then choose to keep your valuable profile to yourself or you can decide to share it with the rest of the SBrick community.

The possibilities are numerous, from the addition of a simple two-channel joystick to the creation of chained sequences that can be launched and repeated by pressing a button, including the setting of the tilt detection of the smartphone associated with particular functions.

The smartphone app also offers a library of profiles already created by other fans for different existing LEGO models. These interfaces are already designed to use all the motorization elements of the models concerned, just associate the corresponding ports with each button or slider and you can take action in a few minutes.

In practice, the conversion of an existing set initially equipped with the system Power Functions will only take a few minutes before you can play with it again and the simplicity of the whole concept from the installation phase of the brick itself to the setting of the virtual remote control makes this product truly accessible to all.

If you have a problem or difficulty setting up your SBrick, be aware that there is also a very active community around this product. Help is bound to be found on the manufacturer's official forums where most of the problems that users encounter are documented and resolved.

You will thus be able to exploit the full potential of the product without frustration and enjoy all the elements for a long time to come. Power Functions accumulated through your purchases of LEGO sets. And in my opinion, this is the whole point of this product: to prolong the life of your elements Power Functions while benefiting from the few technical and aesthetic refinements reserved for owners of products equipped with elements of the new system Powered Up.

There is in fact for the moment no certainty as to the capacity (and the will) of LEGO to one day provide an adapter allowing the use of the different elements of the range. Power Functions with the new system's Samrt Hub Bluetooth Powered Up.

For its part, the manufacturer of the SBrick should offer by summer 2019 an adapter still under development that will support the new motors and sensors from the ranges. Boost / WeDo 2.0 / Powered Up, just to contribute a little more to the amortization of the 74.90 € to be invested in this product.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by Robot Advance, is used as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the June 18, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

SBRICK PLUS AT ROBOT AVDANCE (74.90 €) >>

PACK OF 4 BOXES FOR SBRICK PLUS AT ROBOT ADVANCE (10.90 €) >>

Today is the turn of the LEGO Marvel Spider-Man set 76129 Hydro-Man Attack (471 pieces - 39.99 €) to be the subject of a quick test. This is a real playset with a set of characters that can be staged in a rather complete setting and which even has some interesting features.

It's in the movie trailer: the clash between Mysterio and Hydro-Man takes place in the streets (or canals) of Venice where Peter Parker and MJ have come to have a good time. We are therefore entitled here to a construction more or less inspired by Venetian architecture with a bridge, a campanile, a gondola and .... a coffee machine. It's caricature to perfection even if one may wonder what the Japanese-style white portico is doing there, but it is a beautiful play space to build.

Two ejection functions are built into the construction: the first under the top of the bridge and the second under the bar terrace table. It suffices to push on the mechanism provided to cause the tilting or ejection of the parts. Nothing very sophisticated here, the two mechanisms are not equipped with springs, but it is enough to add a little interactivity to this playset.

As for the construction experience, aside from the stacking of pieces which leads to the final result, I note some very interesting techniques at the campanile level (see photo above) which deserve to be mentioned.

For the rest, the simplicity of construction has at least one advantage: it allows the surface of the playset to be extended simply by basing itself on what LEGO offers, namely a few gray foundations laid on blue pieces and then covered with elements. gray and Dark Tan. Even the youngest can easily add a few streets to the basic playset. Although the build can be moved without breaking everything, an additional blue baseplate (ref. 10714) can possibly help give a little more rigidity and context to the scene.

Venice obliges, LEGO provides us with a gondola but forgets to put in the box a gondolier in typical clothes. Left to do in the cliché, it was necessary to go to the end.

Not everyone's LEGO-style interpretation of Hydro-Man. The solution used by LEGO is based on a minifig plugged into a "modular" pyramidal base which allows the effect of the downpours moved by the character to be reproduced. The three levels of the base can be easily separated to place the minifig higher or lower. Why not, even if I imagined Hydro-Man more imposing.

This choice has at least the merit of allowing us to obtain an additional unseen minifigure even if this Hydro-Man like LEGO does not have much to do with the one seen in the trailers of the film. The designer has tried to create an interesting visual effect on the plinth with the help of a few stickers, but the end result lacks ambition.

The minifig endowment is very correct, even if we find the now usual Mysterio minifigure which is delivered identically in the three sets based on the film. None of the sets get the Jake Gyllenhall header and that's a shame.

Exclusive torso and head for Hydro-Man, that's always taken. The pad printing of the minifig is really very original, a pity that the legs were not entitled to the same treatment as the torso, even if they are intended to disappear in the intended base.

Head with two new faces and torso for the character of MJ (Michelle Jones) played by Zendaya, it's simple but sufficient. We even recognize the usual pout of the young girl on the face of the minifigure, it's nice work on the part of the graphic designer. The hair provided is not really faithful to that of the actress but we will do with it.

Unpublished torso and hat for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) whose face is also that of Ant-Man, a Hoth Rebel Trooper or even Lucian Bole. The hair delivered here in Dark Brown suit the character perfectly and it's always a good thing to be able to get some extra hair to have a “full” version of a character without their usual helmet or mask.

In summary, this set sold for € 39.99 offers plenty of fun with a nice construction, two mechanisms that allow you to eject minifigs and four characters. And a rat that eats pizza. Hydro-Man undoubtedly deserved better but the minifigure of the character is sufficiently successful to pass the pill. I say yes.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the June 16, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

THE SET 76129 HYDRO-MAN ATTACK ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we are talking about the concept again Action Battle with the LEGO Star Wars set 75241 Action Battle Echo Base Defense (504 pieces - 64.99 €), a box that pushes the initial idea a little further than the two other sets which offer the same type of content.

We can feel here the effort of the designers to try to encapsulate the promised gameplay in a context detailed enough to be immersive. The action takes place on Hoth and even if this box is sufficient on its own, it only asks to be joined by the contents of the set 75239 Action Battle Hoth Generator Attack (235 pieces - 29.99 €) to be able to at least have the generator which is at the center of the confrontation.

As usual, this is about knocking targets to eject a handful of minifigs, overturn a machine or topple an element of the scenery. The presence of an AT-AT obviously reinforces the playful potential of the set and gives some credibility to the concept. The construction is thought to slide on its front legs, like in the movie, and the mechanism is well thought out. Unfortunately, the machine is not designed to be able to stand upright without the presence of the white block flanked by a red target which slips between the legs and that's a bit of a shame.

The other targets are used to bring down the Probe Droid, open the hangar door, and eject rebel soldiers or Snowtroopers. LEGO also only provides two missiles per team for three targets to be reached and it will therefore be necessary to interrupt the confrontation to recover an additional missile and start the assault again.

The two orientable cannons are perched on mounds of snow here and that changes everything. Exit the simple gray cones placed at the front, the missile launchers are finally more or less correctly placed. An AT-AT with a built-in gun would have been welcome, but you can't have it all.

The assortment in minifigs is very correct with three rebel soldiers equipped with the torso also available in the sets 75259 Snowspeeder et 75241 Action Battle Echo Base Defense and two Snowtroopers whose torso and legs are only available in the two sets Action Battle currently marketed but whose helmet dates from 2014.

In summary, this set defends the concept a little better Action Battle than the other boxes on the same theme and almost succeeds in convincing me of the interest of the thing.

It is in my opinion essential to invest in the set 75239 Action Battle Hoth Generator Attack to get a complete and really fun playset. By the way, the acquisition of this second set allows you to obtain two additional ammunition per team and therefore to have one missile per target, but you have to pay nearly 100 €.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the June 10, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

THE SET 75241 ACTION BATTLE ECHO BASE DEFENSE ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Without transition, we take a quick look at the LEGO Creator Expert set 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander (1087 pieces - 94.99 €), a beautiful box that offers a detailed model of the LEM, already present in a micro version in the LEGO Ideas set 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V. marketed since 2017.

There is no real reason to prolong the suspense, this set is in my opinion rather successful and it will easily find its place among all enthusiasts of space conquest. The attention to detail, despite some approximations, is evident here with the end result an assembled product that could easily become a credible and usable educational tool in addition to being a pretty exhibition model.

The instruction booklet contains a few pages which quickly put the model in context, it is always a plus to discover the history of the Apollo 11 mission before proceeding to the assembly. A few facts are scattered throughout the pages of the booklet, it is a welcome educational distraction.

First, the descent stage is assembled onto which the ascent stage will then be clipped, which allows at the end of the mission to join the command module which remained in orbit. Each step of the assembly is an opportunity to learn a little more about the LEM, with for example the installation of the different oxidizer and fuel tanks in the form of two containers for the nitrogen peroxide and two other carboys containing Aérozine 50.

We also install the various compartments which contain the scientific equipment necessary for the mission and we stick in the passage some stickers which symbolize the thermal insulation material which covers the panels of the descent module.

Many golden elements dress the downstairs and the stickers are roughly the same color as these pieces. Visually, it's almost consistent even though the stickers are much more reflective than the gold pieces which have a matte appearance. I'm not a fan of the mix of colors between stickers and tinted parts, it's rarely convincing. In this specific case, the stickers win with their shiny rendering.

The landing gear with their jacks, their shock absorbers and the cups which come into contact with the lunar ground contribute to the high-end model effect of the model. The whole is sufficiently detailed to be convincing without giving in the overbidding of small parts which could possibly weaken the four "legs" of the machine.

Fundamentalists will inevitably find fault with many details that are not completely faithful to the original LEM, but I think the compromise proposed here is acceptable, at least with regard to the machine itself. After all, LEGO does not claim to market a 100% faithful model and we mainly buy here a construction toy simply based on an important event that took place 50 years ago.

When the descent stage is assembled, we then tackle the ascent module which is also designed to be both a detailed element of the overall model and a modular unit whose structure can be disassembled to discover the different spaces. and their function.

Here too, the attention to detail is impressive with several control panels in the form of stickers to stick and even the possibility of placing a minifigure in the main space of the module. Almost nothing has been forgotten: by turning over the descent stage, we find the central nozzle of the descent motor and the ascent stage is also equipped with a nozzle which simply slides into the center of the section. lower part of the model.

The LEM has here a real presentation base to assemble with the mention Apollo 11 Lunar Lander pad printed which gives the whole a little side "Lego space architecture"and which brilliantly stages the model. Once again, the attention to detail is evident with even a few footprints starting from the foot of the LEM ladder and leading to the flag planted on the lunar soil.

This 26x28 stud base is not based on a standard plate and is made up of many elements that add to the final inventory of the set. For once a large-scale LEGO set isn't doomed to be on display without a display stand, I'm not going to complain. The lunar ground in LEGO version with the four mini craters which accommodate the feet of the LEM is an accessory which beyond offering a nice scenario also makes it possible to easily move the machine.

The side compartments of the LEM contain the camera triggered by Armstrong when it came out and the laser reflector which then made it possible to measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon. These elements may seem anecdotal to some, but they also contribute to giving an educational value to the product and will serve above all as a starting point for some more detailed explanations of the unfolding of the Apollo 11 mission.

No one will play with this set and the camera will probably stay hidden in its storage space for a long time. As often with LEGO products, we know it's there and it's enough even if it can't be seen. The laser reflector, on the other hand, can easily find its place on the exhibition base, which is where it should be.

The two minifigs provided are presented as two astronauts, with no additional details on the identity of the characters. There can be no confusion here, it is obviously Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins having remained in orbit in the command module during the mission.

I personally find it unfortunate that a product celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing does not contain the third member of the Apollo 11 crew. He did not set foot on the moon but Collins did his part of the job and greatly contributed to the success of the mission. Even if it means offering a box that pays tribute to the event, an additional minifigure, even generic, would have been welcome.

From a technical point of view, the pad printing of the torso of the two characters is a bit lacking, there is an unpleasant blur effect on the NASA logo and on the various printed areas. The defect appears on both minifigs and even if their torso disappears under the helmet, it's a shame not to have a perfectly finished product.

Speaking of the helmet, it's a shame that LEGO has not made the effort to offer a fairly correct reproduction of the equipment of the two astronauts. The generic piece used here bears little resemblance to Armstrong and Aldrin's outfit. The shape of the golden canopy is also not consistent and I was hoping to get two less generic and flesh-colored heads for the two astronauts. The yellow heads provided are not up to the anniversary this product intends to celebrate. This box is not a simple LEGO CITY or Creator set, it deserved better than that in terms of minifigs.

In summary, I think this box is quite successful despite the few faults highlighted above. This is not a 100% faithful mockup of the LEM, but it is a product sufficiently advanced to make it convincing educationally and make it a perfect companion to the LEGO Ideas set 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V. on your shelves. The minifigs are a bit too generic for my taste, but we'll make do with it.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the June 9, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

THE SET 10266 NASA APOLLO 11 LUNAR LANDER ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we take a quick look at the LEGO Marvel set 76128 Molten Man Battle (294 pieces - 29.99 €), one of the three already available LEGO products from the film Spider-Man Far from Home which is expected in theaters in early July.

We at least know that Molten Man (Mark Raxton) is in the film, the two trailers already released confirm it. We do not know, however, if the creature will have really merged with a parking lot, a traffic light and a lamppost or if it is equipped with a rotating missile launcher as the LEGO version suggests ...

Good news, the figurine is really well articulated: shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, Ball Seals do their job and allow the construction to take many different poses with more or less correct stability depending on the angles.

As with most figures of this type, the joints are very visible. This is the price to pay so that the price of the set remains contained and that the character's mobility is not too hampered by decorative pieces.

The "molten lava" aspect is very well rendered and the three trans-orange antennas perfectly imitate the flows seen in the first trailer of the film. They are clipped and do not interfere with the handling of the figurine. Seen from the back, the figurine does not demerit and the finish is very correct even if this part of the character is logically the subject of a little less care.

A remark concerning Ball Seals and the inserts used for the joints: I find that some of them lack a bit of "bite" and some joints are a bit looser than others.

The face pad printed on the piece which is usually used as a shoulder for the figurines in the range Buildable Figures is technically well done even if I find the graphic design very "cartoon" of this piece a little out of step with the rest of the figurine.

We can also regret that the mixture of stickers, pad printed parts and tinted parts in the mass creates a certain visual inconsistency in the colors that dress the character. Continuity is not assured, for example, neither on the colors nor on the pattern, between the sticker on the chest and the piece placed in front of the right shoulder.

If the part Wedge 4x4 trans-orange is common and made the heyday of the Nexo Knights range, the version with an overlay of Gold on the different facets is for the moment exclusive to this box. I think that many MOCeurs will find it useful in other contexts.

Spider-Man comes here with the SHIELD follows seen in the trailers and the minifigure is rather successful. Too bad that the inversion of the base color between the torso and the legs creates a hue shift: the gray printed on the legs does not match perfectly with the tinted gray in the body of the torso and hips, it is even more visible at the crotch of the figurine.

Mysterio's minifigure is also very successful with an impeccable pad printing even if the central part of the torso should have been in Gold Judging by Jake Gyllenhall's outfit in the film's trailers. The aquarium which is plugged into the neutral head in Flat Silver does the job, but LEGO could have provided a spare head to have a version without a helmet.

The firefighter provided in this set is a generic character delivered with the face of Erik Killmonger, the Shocker or even Taidu Sefla (Rogue One).

In short, this little box sold for € 30 will make everyone happy: Young fans will find a real villain to assemble and stage. Collectors will have on hand a never-before-seen Spider-Man in a highly successful outfit and a copy of Mysterio, which is identical in all three boxes based on the film. The MOCeurs will have a starting inventory to possibly create a Balrog ...

I say yes, the set 76128 Molten Man Battle is a product with balanced and playable content sold at a reasonable price. It's also a product that, judging by the trailers already released, is a bit more derived from the movie it was inspired by than many other LEGO Marvel sets released so far.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the June 6, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

THE MOLTEN MAN BATTLE SET 76128 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>