Today we are very quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Marvel set 76263 Iron Man Hulkbuster vs. Thanos, a small box of 66 pieces stamped 4+ which is available at the public price of €26.99 since August 1, 2023. You read correctly, you have to pay €26.99 to afford this set whose inventory is assembled in less than 2 minutes and which only contains two minifigs.

As this is a product intended for the youngest LEGO fans, the construction effort here also boils down to assembling a few elements including a handful of meta-parts which form what is presented to us as a Hulkbuster of a side and Thanos' "plane" on the other. Everything is aimed at children aged 4 and over who are Marvel fans, a whole program.

Taking into account the inventory provided, the Hulkbuster with the red hands of the Hulk does not stand out or very little: it is the right color, it has several points of articulation even if it remains rigid at the knees and legs. elbows and it benefits from two nicely pad-printed pieces, this type of set targeting young audiences being delivered without stickers.

The two padprints are new and for the moment exclusive to this box. The thing that serves as Thanos' vessel and is of no aesthetic interest, it is only there to have a little fun by destroying the Hulkbuster using the two flick fire missiles and disc shooter integrated into the construction.

I don't know if children will really have fun with this product, but I know that adults will find what they're looking for with a completely new minifig and for the moment exclusive to this box, that of Iron Man. Difficult to know which version of the armor this figurine is inspired by, it seems to me that it is very close to one of those in version Classic marketed by the manufacturer Hot Toys under the label The Origins Collection. The pad printing is very clean and the use of the one-piece helmet without a movable visor contributes to the vintage look of the armor even if the part was undoubtedly chosen because of the very young target audience for this product.

The Thanos figurine with the slightly sad legs is not new, however, the torso is also delivered in the set 76242 Thanos Mech Armor (€14.99) since the start of the year.

In short, this box is neither a good deal nor a product that offers a memorable construction experience but it has less merit in being able to enjoy it with the family: while the youngest has fun with his red robot with slightly articulated joints. stiff, you discreetly steal the new Iron Man minifigure and replace it with a more common version. Everyone benefits, no one is harmed. It's actually not worth paying €27 for this little box, it is already available cheaper elsewhere, for example at Amazon:

Discount -28%

LEGO 76263 Marvel Iron Man's Hulkbuster Against Thanos, Toy for Children Ages 4 and Up, Superhero Action Based on Avengers: Infinity War, with

26.99 € 19.49 €

BUY

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 27, 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 take a very quick look at the contents of the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set. 75367 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, a large box of 5374 pieces which will be available on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores as an Insiders preview from October 1, 2023 at the public price of €649.99.

I'm not making a drawing for you, this is a stamped product Ultimate Collector Series and this novelty therefore takes up all the usual attributes of the label in question: a high price, a pretty box, a substantial inventory, a rather long assembly process with here around ten hours on the clock, a result with measurements which will require making space on your shelves and obvious exhibition potential. We all already know the exterior appearance of the ship offered here via the official visuals available since the product was put online on the Shop, so we still have to discover what lies beneath the gray and red surface of this Venator.

Unsurprisingly, the designer uses the usual recipe which consists of creating a solid internal structure based on Technic beams and various pines (there are nearly 400 pins in this box) and we can wonder at certain stages of the assembly if LEGO doesn't overdo it with a structure of almost surprising density. We will see later that the whole thing is extremely rigid and that the solution used was perfectly justified.

As is often the case, the internal structure is colored, failing to offer some more accomplished arrangements than the inevitable tangles of beams. It is practical to have some visual cues during assembly and these shimmering colors will fortunately no longer be visible when the vessel is fully assembled.

As you can see in the photos, the set also uses around sixty orange-colored pines. Those who hoped that LEGO would include at least one internal space, even symbolic, will be disappointed because this is not the case. The manufacturer also did not deem it useful to offer us a mechanism for opening the long central red strip to access an internal hangar, as on the ship seen on the screen.

The Venator rests on two relatively simple feet which allow them to be discreet when the model is on display. Difficult to do more sober than these two black constructions which are installed at the end of the assembly of the internal structure to then be able to work comfortably on the rest of the construction, possibly moving it in complete safety between two sessions. On arrival, the Venator is perfectly stable on its supports, there is no risk of it tipping over, and no time is wasted trying to figure out how to attach it to its support after handling it. If you ever want to remove the two legs of the model to, for example, stage it in a space diorama, all you need to do is remove the four upper panels to access the pins that hold them.

The construction process includes some slightly repetitive phases and it is the subject matter that requires that. I still note an effort on certain sequences whose result will be identical or at least mirrored but whose progression is slightly different so as not to create too much weariness.

For the rest, those who are used to assembling ships bearing the label Ultimate Collector Series will be on familiar ground with large panels made up of two layers of plates which clip onto the construction frame. The adjustments are, as is often the case, a little rough in places but we will observe this Venator from a certain distance and the whole thing still looks great.

We will also salute LEGO's effort concerning the finishing of the lower surface of the ship, the manufacturer does not hesitate to highlight this detail on the official visuals as if to show that it has taken into account past criticism, although this Venator deserves better than the third top shelf in your display space. The satisfaction of knowing that this area has not been neglected will be enough to keep most fans happy and that is already very appreciable.

We could also debate the presence of numerous studs visible on the exterior surface of the ship: some will consider that it is a LEGO product and that the studs are the signature of the brand while others will regret that the surfaces are not more smooth. This debate is endless, I am one of those who prefer fewer tenons for a model appearance but tastes and colors are not up for debate.

The weak point of the product is in my opinion on the side of the Venator reactors. The latter use rims and giant wheels which are usually the delight of ranges like Legends of Chima, Ninjago or Monkie Kid connected together by a few pins and the whole thing lacks a little rigidity. Nothing serious for a pure exhibition product, but some of these reactors seem to bend under their own weight and you will have to ensure that you have secured the elements that compose them as best as possible to limit the effect. We will salute the nice contrast between the engines in Pearl Dark Gray and the cabin is always better than tone on tone or shades that are too close. No noticeable difference in color on the different parts in Dark Red, that's always what it takes.

The set does not escape a few stickers and it is frankly disappointing. They are imposing, their background color does not perfectly match that of the pieces on which they are placed and I still cannot understand how in 2023 we can offer this type of aesthetic shortcut on a high-end product at €650.

This model deserved the effort of at least pad printing the two symbols of the fleet Open Circle Present on the sides of the ship at the front, these two stickers are directly exposed to light and dust and their lifespan will be affected.

LEGO had in 2020 in the set 75275 A-Wing Starfighter tried to provide two sheets of stickers for those of these stickers which require a certain dexterity during installation, thus offering the right to make a mistake, for lack of anything better, it would be time to think about also offering the right to extend the lifespan of a product aesthetically.

The support which allows you to display the two figurines provided, the usual plate decorated with a few facts and the pad-printed brick which pays homage to 20 years of the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars is not attached to the feet of the model and it is without frills: we make do with two plates black ones on which we install all this. We have seen LEGO more inspired on this point.

The pad printing of the plate which presents some information about the vessel is well done but as usual it reveals the large injection point placed right in the middle of the element concerned. It will be difficult for LEGO to find a solution to this technical detail, the injection of this type of large part must allow uniform distribution of the material in the mold and the positioning of the injection point is strategic. The solution proposed here is nevertheless still more interesting than the large sticker that is difficult to position correctly and which has been supplied until now and which ages very poorly under the effect of light and heat.

The two new figurines, and undoubtedly exclusive to this box, are well executed, with Captain Rex on one side and Admiral Wullf Yularen in his younger years on the other. The pad prints are correctly applied, I do not note any major technical faults on these figurines. At the risk of getting booed, I would have preferred LEGO to develop a plastic shoulder pad for Rex rather than the usual piece of dust-collecting cloth. The manufacturer knew how to do this for the Batman and Doctor Strange capes, there must be a way to create an element adapted to these Clones.

This is obviously not a matter of trying to convince you or dissuade you from investing €650 in this plastic vessel weighing around ten kilos, this type of high-end product cannot be described as "good deal” or “must-have product”. It is aimed at a clientele of fans who can afford this category of sets and in my opinion they will get their money's worth if the subject fascinates them.

This Venator is indeed a pretty model with an accomplished aesthetic, and with a little patience it will be possible to find it for much less expensive than at LEGO as is the case every year for references of the same type. Think about it, check whether you really need a 109 cm long Venator in your home and take your time.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 25, 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 talking about the LEGO set again 40655 Play with Braille - French Alphabet, a box of 287 pieces available since September 1 on the official online store at the public price of €89.99.

I am not going to claim to have "tested" this product sent by LEGO, I am not blind or visually impaired and it would be inappropriate to claim to know what this set is really worth which only pretends to offer the possibility of have fun with the family through activities based on the six-point tactile writing system that we all know as Braille.

Many people were offended by the public price of this box when it was announced and I think we need to put this product in context: the kit has already been available free of charge since 2020 for associative or educational structures which have a real project around braille and who make a reasoned request from the VOIR association mandated to ensure its distribution in France. LEGO is therefore today only making a product available to the general public that is already widely distributed free of charge elsewhere.

We must also not see this set through the usual prism of LEGO fans, who often seek to establish a ratio of content/price, pieces/price or weight/price, and keep in mind that this initiative is not based solely on on a handful of bricks and two base plates. LEGO offers many educational or fun activities associated with the use of the product on a dedicated site and the VOIR association does the same for its part with content in French which brings together 45 activity sheets.

For €90, it is therefore above all a matter of having access to a whole fun and educational ecosystem using the few bricks provided. That being said, if an individual wants to obtain this box to share with their children at home, they can now do so and exploit the inventory in more detail thanks to the associated content accessible free of charge.

For the rest, the bricks provided are simple 2x4s obviously compatible with classic LEGO bricks, with however one technical restriction: the Clutch Power (brick interlocking capacity) logically varies depending on the number of tenons present on the Braille brick concerned. I am not qualified to judge the relevance of the use of very large and equally spaced tenons to create a Braille alphabet which therefore requires a significant movement of the finger, those who practice the subject on a daily basis will certainly have an opinion on this point accurate.

The attached cardboard inventory sheet lists all the bricks supplied with an alphabet with raised tenons as on the "real" bricks and the quantity of each of these bricks is indicated in Braille just above.

I remind you for all intents and purposes that in all cases this is only a fun product which does not claim to allow advanced learning of Braille and to replace traditional teaching. LEGO describes its toy as “designed to develop the motor skills of visually impaired children and introduce braille into daily family games". The set was therefore designed to allow each user to participate in fun activities using braille on one side and colors associated with letters, numbers and available punctuation on the other.

If you think that this product could be really useful to you on a daily basis, do not go straight to the checkout complaining about the price and get closer first of the association VOIR to check if you can obtain the kit distributed free of charge, for example through the contact person of an association or school with which you are in contact. If you simply want to learn braille, this box will obviously allow you to do so at your own expense.

This box is for once not put into play, I gave the two sets that I received (French alphabet and English version) to a family where one of the young members is the direct target of the product. His smile was enough to convince me that this was the best possible use of these sets provided by LEGO.

Today we take a very quick tour of the content of the LEGO Marvel set 76232 The Hoopty, a box of 420 pieces currently for pre-order on the official online store at the public price of €94.99 with effective availability announced for October 1st.

The announcement of the set by the manufacturer last July did not unleash passions, most of those who then discovered this product derived from the film the marvels expected in theaters next November were mainly content to note the incredible price of this little box.

It is indeed difficult to criticize the product on its merits, it features a ship whose scale is necessarily reduced and proposes to obtain the main cast of the upcoming film, namely the three expected heroines.

The (or the) Hoopty seems to have a rather original look in the few shots of the trailer where we see it briefly, the children's toy offered by LEGO is a summary respecting the general appearance of the ship in a slightly more crude way but it This is already the lot of many other ships in all ranges.

No creative bias specific to this box, the usual LEGO mechanics are simply applied to the letter. The thing is also assembled and furnished in ten minutes and there is obviously nothing here to live an extraordinary experience in terms of construction.

The interior of the ship is properly furnished taking into account the space available with three locations to pile up the minifigs, a mini-laboratory which can also accommodate the three cats provided and a bed at the end of the corridor. It's basic, but we can salute the effort of not offering a simple empty shell and of offering relative playability in the absence of enemies to shoot with both Stud Shooters integrated at the front under the hull.

Access to the ship is from the front by lifting the entire upper section of the hull and its attached canopy, it's practical and little hands can easily enjoy the place. We feel that the two rear fins and the reactors have not benefited from all the creative genius of the designer, it is overall very summary at this level even if the symbolism is there.

Not a single metallic piece in sight, the official product visuals, very contrasting, almost seemed to promise the most distracted something other than the somewhat sad gray delivered here. However, we must be honest, the "lifestyle" photos of the product confirmed the real color of the product, so there is no deception on the merchandise if we go a little further than the first images present in the set sheet on the official online store.

There are, however, a bunch of stickers to stick on this little ship, with 13 stickers in total, or one sticking phase for approximately every 30 pieces installed. These stickers are all on a transparent background with a glue which will leave some clearly visible traces and repositioning is almost impossible without leaving a mark under the sticker concerned. Some of these stickers seem almost superfluous, it will be up to you to decide whether or not to install them when assembling the set.

For €95, LEGO simply includes three minifigs in the box: Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Photon (Monica Rambeau) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan). It's frankly meager if we take into account the announced price knowing that two of these figurines use neutral legs which no longer cost LEGO much. Someone at LEGO must have imagined that the film will be a hit and that fans will in any case jump on this derivative product which for the moment is the only set officially announced around the film.

These three figurines are, however, new and rather convincing: each of these three characters has already been released at least once as a figurine by LEGO but the trio benefits here from an update of the appearance and outfit of each of the heroines to stick as best as possible to the costumes of the film. The pad prints are well executed, the faces are very appropriate both in terms of color and facial expressions, and the haircuts seem well chosen to me.

Minimum service for Captain Marvel and Photon: nothing on the arms or legs. I will only buy this box anyway because Ms. Marvel is a character that I like and I am really satisfied to see that the figurine is very accomplished here with a superb outfit whose pattern runs on the torso and legs without a false note.

I forgot, LEGO includes three cats including Goose the Flerken and his two little kittens without much interest, in any case not enough to justify the public price of the product.

Everyone will agree to conclude that this box is much too expensive for what it really has to offer despite content which could have seemed rather correct with a more contained price, but even the possible addition of a character such as Nick Fury would not have changed much of this observation. In my opinion, we will therefore have to wisely wait until this box is available at a much lower price elsewhere than at LEGO, which in any case will end up happening one day, or at least take advantage of a future operation to double Insiders points before to crack.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 21, 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 take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship, a box of 1083 pieces available on the official online store since September 1, 2023 at the retail price of €149.99.

To put this derived product in its context, it should be noted that it is indeed a LAAT type ship (for Low Altitude Assault Transport) as LEGO likes to regularly decline it in the form of playsets and even in an Ultimate Collector Series version on occasion, but this version has nothing to do with those seen so far in the manufacturer's catalog.

This Coruscant Guard Gunship is indeed inspired by the very brief appearance of the ship on screen in the 7th episode the 6th season of the animated series The Clone Wars, the capture below being arguably the best view of this gunboat available (0:52 in the relevant episode).

It is obvious that LEGO knows that this ship is very popular with fans and that we must try to regularly offer a new version without tiring potential customers and this variant, admittedly anecdotal, was perfect to put the cover back on without having too much seems to insist.

It should also be borne in mind that this is a simple toy for children, developed taking into account the constraints linked to this target clientele, and not an ultra-detailed model. And the result seems quite convincing to me, even if the product takes the usual aesthetic shortcuts and certain details inevitably fall by the wayside.

A toy intended to be manipulated obliges, the internal structure of the vessel consists of a frame based on Technic beams which guarantees the necessary solidity of the construction. It's well designed, fun to put together and the toy looks great. The two cockpits can accommodate minifigs that will have to be slightly lengthened so that the helmets do not come up against the two canopies, the scale of the ship is obviously reduced to make it an easily manipulated product and the designer has also integrated a handful of transport which falls into the bowels of the machine when it is not used and which therefore knows how to be relatively discreet.

No special arrangements in the hold of the aircraft, we will console ourselves by noting that there is still room to install a few minifigs and simulate a landing. The two side doors are well designed with a mechanism simple and strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the youngest fans and the two panels placed at the front just under the two cockpits are movable but they do not really allow access to inside the ship.

Both wings are equipped with Stud Shooters vaguely integrated into an outgrowth which in my opinion lacks a little roundness, it's perfect for having fun even if this simplification does not really pay homage to the reference ship. It was difficult to envisage the presence of transparent or slightly smoked half-bubbles at the end of the wings, the risk of them falling off during slightly agitated phases of play was undoubtedly greater than with the solution used.

We could discuss for a long time the obvious simplification of the ship, especially if we compare it with the other sets that feature the classic Republic Gunship already marketed in the past, but LEGO has changed scale here, as has been the case for two years. in many sets of the Star Wars range, and approach and you will have to deal with it anyway.

You have to stick a few stickers to make the ship conform to the version seen on the screen, but there are only five stickers. As often the background color of these stickers is not perfectly matched with the color of the parts in Dark Red on which they take place and it is a bit of a shame. I note some slight differences in color between the pieces in Dark Red, but nothing catastrophic.

The endowment of minifigs here is both interesting and a little disappointing: even if the figurine is successful, Padmé Amidala is not in the pretty outfit seen in the episode concerned, it lacks the senator from Scipio Rush Clovis who would have easily been able to be part of the cast, Palpatine's pad print doesn't line up perfectly between the torso and the skirt and the white area on Commander Fox's torso frankly turns pink because LEGO still can't print a clear color on a dark colored piece.

The manufacturer has necessarily noticed this defect during the production of the figurines but no one will have deemed it useful to try to invert the colors with red pad-printed on a white torso. The design of the figure provided, with his kama vaguely printed only on the front side of the legs and his arms that lack pad printing, is anyway a bit rough compared to the character's outfit on screen, I would have gladly exchanged some details for a more accomplished finish of this minifig. The official visuals once again promised us a perfect finish, there is reason to be frankly disappointed when unboxing.

The two Clone Shock Troopers of the Coruscant Guard are very successful on their side, that's always a bonus. We. will also welcome the fact that Palpatine's skirt is stamped on both sides, it's always better than having one face that remains neutral as is often the case on miniatures that use this element, and that the character takes advantage of two very appropriate facial expressions.

I think that this toy is on the whole successful, with a ship rather faithful to the reference version if we take into account the chosen scale and the necessary adaptations to make it a solid product. There's plenty to have fun with, this gunboat will be able to end its career on the shelf without having to blush (it's already very red) and the few figurines provided are interesting despite the technical faults noted.

The subject covered is anecdotal, but we know that the most assiduous fans of the animated series The Clone Wars never get tired of getting merchandise. It's not worth spending 150 € right away for this box, it will necessarily be available at a more attractive price in the weeks and months to come.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 18, 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.