Today we are talking about the set 17101 LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox, the new LEGO kit which intends to reconcile plastic bricks and multimedia functions and which will incidentally prepare your children to enter the Mindstorms universe.

The alibi of learning to program is often put forward as soon as we talk about this product, as if the educational guarantee had become essential to sell a toy of this type. Rest assured, it is indeed a toy.

If you want to give yourself a good conscience by offering your offspring a kit at 159.99 € that will allow them to get a job as an engineer at NASA, go your way. Here, we have fun above all and the programming side is in fact a few icons that we move in the interface of the application so that the robot performs a few simple actions. Those who discovered the concept Scratch at school will be on familiar ground, others will quickly adapt to this simplified programming interface.

As with the kit LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, you just need to know how to recognize the pictograms on the different icons to bring the different robots to life and have a good time. Nothing very complicated.

Those who already know the Mindstorms concept will not be disoriented here, with a kit from the same barrel which is aimed at a younger audience and which highlights the new connectors Power Functions already present in the new boxes of the LEGO Education range.

While waiting for a new version of the Mindstorms Kit integrating sensors equipped with these more compact connectors, the younger generation will therefore be able to get their hands on this LEGO Boost kit delivered with a main brick (Move hub) which manages the Bluetooth connection and has two motors, an interactive motor and a motion, distance and color sensor.

In the box, 840 pieces that will be used to assemble the five models offered. Impossible to assemble them all at the same time with the supplied inventory, it is necessary to disassemble at least partially one of them to build another one.

I (re) specify in passing that you must have a tablet under iOS 10.3 and above or Android 5.0 and above to take advantage of all the interactivity promised by LEGO. Bluetooth essential.

No Windows version, so exit the use of Surface tablets and other clones. Lego ad upcoming compatibility with Fire 7 and HD8 tablets sold by amazon and that's good news: these tablets are affordable.

The use of the application provided for programming the various elements is essential here. All interactivity is also deported to the tablet on which the application is installed. For example, the sound comes out only through the speakers of the tablet. Ditto for the acquisition of sound orders which will go through the microphone of the tablet. The magic of the concept is a little attenuated.

The application will have to be quickly updated, its ergonomics can be improved. Navigating the menus and sub-menus is a bit laborious due to many slowdowns even with a latest generation iPad. The instructions are sometimes difficult to read in low light and the app drains the tablet battery really quickly.

No paper documentation in this set, everything goes through the tablet too. It's a shame, LEGO could have at least been able to print the assembly instructions for the different robots even if the choice of mixing assembly phases and discovery sequences of the interaction possibilities offered by each model justifies this choice.

The learning phase is highly scripted, you will have to get to the end of the giant tutorial to then be able to give free rein to your imagination if you have not given up by then. For each "robot", you will have to go through different stages that detail the functions one by one before getting down to business and accessing an even larger inventory of creative programming. What seemed like a good idea quickly turns into a painstaking process that will strain the patience of the youngest. The child will at least discover the notion of perseverance ...

The assembly steps presented on the tablet are identical to those usually present in the paper format booklets. No 3D rotation of the assembly in progress, which would however have been useful to allow the youngest to better understand the placement of parts from different perspectives.

The "smart" brick, the Move hub, is powered by six AAA batteries which will also quickly run out. Fortunately, these batteries can be replaced without taking everything apart. A rechargeable battery with a micro-USB port would have been welcome, we are in 2017 ...

Please note, this is not a radio-controlled toy to be controlled as you see fit via a virtual remote control. You have to assign specific actions and then launch the sequence that allows them to be carried out. Vernie the robot, often put forward in communication around the LEGO Boost concept, is not an autonomous and intelligent robot either. It will only do what you ask it to do through the app.

I have only built two models out of the five offered and I am far from having toured all the possibilities offered by this set, but this forced coupling between LEGO bricks and multimedia device looks in my opinion for the moment more like an attempt not yet completely convincing to divert the attention of all those children who prefer to play or watch videos on their iPad than to a really successful concept. The promise is enticing, the realization is a bit disappointing. Hopefully, by Christmas, LEGO will have fixed the few flaws in the app that are spoiling the experience a bit.

LEGO mentions that this set is intended for children between the ages of 7 and 12. It's a bit pretentious. I think a 12-year-old kid today expects a little more from an interactive toy than what LEGO Boost has to offer. With a little help navigating the different menus, the youngest will get by. The application contains almost no text outside of the initial configuration phase. Everything else is based on illustrations and pictograms.

In short, if you already have a (very) recent tablet and you are ready to let your children monopolize it for long hours, go for it, you will make people happy. Stick around, they'll probably need your help moving forward without dropping everything along the way.

Special thanks RobotAdvance, official distributor of the LEGO Education range in France, who provided me with this kit. Do not hesitate to contact the brand via his website or his facebook page if you have any questions regarding the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 ranges, LEGO Boost or LEGO Education.

Note: We do as usual, you have until September 30, 2017 at 23:59 p.m. to manifest yourself in the comments.

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.

Continuation and end of the set test 75192 Millennium Falcon Ultimate Collector Series which has definitely caused a lot of ink to flow, probably more about what is going on around the marketing of this box than about the set itself.
After a little more than twenty hours of editing, I finally came to the end. I took all my time, I had to go back a bit to fix some errors and add greebs forgotten here and there. And that's without taking into account the fragility of certain assemblies which complicate travel.

After the construction of the structure, a little laborious passage with the installation of the internal details of the mandibles of the vessel before covering them with perforated panels which will reveal these modules. The horizontal fixing on a few tenons is not able to ensure a perfect rigidity to one of these modules which does not fail to unhook during the installation of the top panel. It's annoying.

After having assembled the internal structure and posed the panels of the mandibles, one begins to build the various elements which come to dress the lower part of the vessel. Here, it's minimum service. The designer will have considered that if it does not show, it is therefore not worth doing tons of details. The result is a little sad but we will be satisfied with it.

The central disc that holds the lower barrel has received a little more care. It contributes to the rigidity of the structure and will also have the function of making it possible to catch the vessel from below without breaking everything. The canopy is pad printed. It's always good to know this even if the dome is facing the inside of the ship and no one will see it. The same goes for the ramp to the ship, which opens and closes manually. You can leave it open to expose the ship, but it leads nowhere.

A note: There are still a lot of empty areas under the ship and the fit of the different cover pieces is approximate. We will console ourselves by saying that this Millennium Falcon is an exhibition model intended to rest on its landing gears and that after all it is only LEGO with its aesthetic imperfections which make it the choice of the charm or the main fault.

At this stage of construction, don't expect to be able to overturn this nearly 8kg ship. Some of the upper panels are simply placed on the structure, which is logical since several of them are intended to be removable to reveal the various interior spaces furnished. But several of these elements of the hull which reveal nothing are vaguely wedged between two other panels.
It is at this precise moment that this set becomes a model and ceases to be a big toy. We no longer fit firmly, we place delicately. We no longer fix, we stall. It's a little strange feeling.

It really lacks a central handle that would allow the model to be moved more easily. LEGO recommends grabbing it from below and it makes sense. But a movable handle concealed at the level of the central axis would have made it possible to simplify the handling, even by compensating with the other hand for the imbalance of the vessel during transport.

The various interior spaces are not really "playable" areas. There is nothing to do there except to remove the pieces the panels of the hull and to pose some of the minifigs provided there for a rendering of type "cross section"as we find in the many books devoted to the machines and vessels of the saga. It is an alternative presentation option of this model more than anything else just like the interchangeable radars.

The hallway leading to the cockpit does not have the same level of finish as the rest of the upper face of the ship and that's a shame. The angle of this circular corridor is really very rough and reminds us that this ship is above all a LEGO model with the technical and aesthetic limitations that go with it.

The cockpit is basic and the pad printing of the canopy cleverly masks the absence of interior details. There is no particular mechanism to remove the canopy, it is necessary to remove the disc which holds the two half-cones.

Upon arrival, it was obviously a real pleasure to assemble this ship. This set guarantees long hours of assembly and the end result is still very impressive. You don't get bored thanks to a balanced distribution of the different assembly sequences. The installation of many details (greebs) in the second half of the assembly phase requires more attention than usual.

The next problem is up to the exceptional character of this box: what to do with this huge model? Exhibiting it requires finding the available space and the appropriate furniture. The solution of the coffee table with integrated display case seems to me the best, but it will require spending a few hundred dollars more for a convincing result.

If you're planning on tacking the ship to the wall, good luck. It is not really designed to be exposed vertically, except to take out a tube of glue to permanently fix the various panels which are placed on the structure.

On the minifig side, it's a bit of the icing on the (big) cake with the added bonus of a pretext to strengthen the 2 in 1 side of the set. Two eras, two radars, two crews. It is well seen, the selection is smart and there is something for all generations of fans. I wasn't expecting this set to contain one or two dozen minifigs anyway.

We could discuss for long hours on the absence of such or such a character in this set (Luke, Lando, etc ...), but that would not change much on arrival. There will never be enough for some and if your buying decision is down to that, it is because you are already desperately trying to convince yourself not to take the plunge.

This set is therefore a pure high-end exhibition product for collectors which will obviously appeal to a wider audience than the usual LEGO fans. Many fans of the Star Wars universe will find a Millennium Falcon more original than a simple reproduction, as detailed as it is, molded and already assembled.

As this model is based on LEGO bricks, you are free to remove the colored elements that you think are superfluous or add some details where you think the model would benefit. I'm more of an instructional fundamentalist, so I usually just reproduce what's planned. But you can also give free rein to your imagination and make this model evolve as you wish.

A detail: The second part of the assembly can really be carried out with several people, on condition of having several instruction booklets (the supplied booklet + the PDF file that is still not online). Each can assemble different elements which will then be put in place on the ship. A little friendliness never hurts.

By selling this box at the public price of € 799.99, LEGO is also giving a (small) kick in the aftermarket anthill. The fan disappointed not to be able to afford today at a reasonable price the set 10179 released in 2007 will logically consider the marketing of this new reference as a godsend. Ten years from now, the next generation of fans might have that same feeling of the next LEGO-style Millennium Falcon remake ...

Even if the connection between the two is obvious, the model released in 2007 perhaps assumed a little more its status as a LEGO product by really highlighting its studs. On this new version, the designers have clearly favored the model aspect with tenons a little less present on the hull of the vessel and taking advantage of the availability of new parts to obtain a better finish.

Other times, other trends, whatever the "it was better before" supporters think. The transition from a model toy to a model based on the concept of a toy is discreet but it did take place.

So, at 800 € the experience, does this set live up to my expectations? Yes for the long hours of editing, yes for the overall rendering, yes for the assumed model aspect. No for the fragility of certain parts and the few finishes a little too rough for my taste. With some hindsight, the ship looks pretty good overall. Her look also becomes a little less flattering from certain angles.

For the rest, as I said a few days ago, it's up to everyone to decide if their budget allows them to afford this exceptional set. Don't sacrifice anything vital for a set that will eventually clutter you up or force you to invest even more to find a place for it in your home. If it's the assembly experience that tempts you more than owning 12 pounds of plastic, find a friend who has purchased it and ask them to let you take this Millennium Falcon apart / reassemble. If you are a fan of LEGO and a collector of products derived from the Star Wars universe, go for it.

If you are tempted by investing, remember that "Past performance does not guarantee future performance"and that this set is not a limited edition. Marketing of the set 75192 Millennium Falcon will be spread over several years and you are not the only ones who hope to one day pay for your retirement in the islands with it.

* Note: We do as usual: You have until October 1, 2017 at 23:59 p.m. to manifest yourself in the comments.

Here we are, the set LEGO Star Wars 75192 Millennium Falcon (Ultimate Collector Series) is now available out of stock for members of the VIP program and it's time to take a look at this box of a dozen kilos which will make many dream, which will leave some unmoved and which will relieve the most motivated from 799.99 €.

As a preamble, I would like to point out that I ordered my copy of this box as soon as it becomes available on the LEGO Shop. Even if I'm not sure I want to assemble a second copy in the coming weeks, I will save this opportunity for later without having to regret not having decided earlier ... *

That being said, the purpose of testing this product is not to convince you to buy it or not. I am just giving you my opinion in my capacity as a fan of the LEGO Star Wars range AND as a consumer who offers himself a high-end product or at least presented as such.

This Millennium Falcon is presented as an exceptional product, it is also a show of force which highlights all the know-how of a brand and which in the process gives a big blow of old to the set 10179 which remained until here a reference model. It is therefore advisable to take a little height for the occasion.

799.99 €, it is indeed a sacred sum and we can find all the valid excuses not to buy this box. We can also list all the arguments in favor of this expense. But the public price of this box places this set in a position where all the arguments in the world will have their chances. The truth is that everyone will especially need to have a very private discussion with their wallet.

Let's tackle the few points that pose a problem to me right away, so that we can then return to the pleasure of construction ...

My first contact with this box sent by LEGO did not come under the best auspices. Smooth delivery, apparently intact packaging, the plan seemed to go off without a hitch.
Until the thing is unpacked. I note in passing that the bags are packaged in four white boxes wisely arranged. It is nicely decorated and each box bears a mention from the dialogues of the saga. Original.

And here is the drama. The cardboard insert that holds the enormous instruction booklet in place is recessed. The 466-page booklet seems too heavy to be properly maintained in transit and it too has suffered some damage. The box of the set has nothing, the outer outer packaging either. I deduce that it is linked to shaking during transport.

My first thought was for the conditioning of the set LEGO Technic 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS which had the same problem in its day, problem corrected later by LEGO to limit the crushing of the internal under-packaging. The LEGO quality department has been notified, I haven't had any feedback yet.

If you buy this set to never open it, that's okay, you'll never know what's going on inside. Otherwise, check immediately that everything has gone well during transport.

Another disappointment, the instruction booklet contains much more than the assembly steps and over fifteen pages it delivers a lot of information on the genesis of this set with several interviews, a summary frieze of the different versions of the Millennium Falcon produced by LEGO , etc ... in English.

If you want French, it's as usual, manage to download the PDF file (when it is online ...) that you will find on the manufacturer's website. If I can understand that this technique is used on some lambdas sets, I am disappointed that this exceptional product does not benefit from preferential treatment on this point. A manufacturer of the stature of LEGO is obviously able to localize its products according to the market in which they are distributed. Even the Porsche had benefited from an instruction booklet in English and German (we can see why).

To finish with the contents of the box, let's not forget the "traditional" sheet of stickers. In 2017, what is the excuse for not pad printing the elements of a high-end model intended for the exhibition? Being able to reuse the parts concerned to build something else? Limit production costs? You can try to convince me, you will not succeed. Finding yourself sticking stickers on a product priced at € 799.99 marked "Ultimate Collector Series"is simply unacceptable.

LEGO didn't go so far as to let you stick a sticker on the canopy of the cockpit. It is therefore pad printed. Anyone who has tried to put the sticker on the canopy of the set correctly 10240 Red Five X-Wing Starfighter will be relieved not to have here to employ improbable techniques to get a correct result. It is always that taken.

As you can see, this first contact with this set is not really up to my expectations. But whatever the setting, it's the content that counts. I am demanding about the condition of the products I buy but I am not a packaging fetishist andunboxing languid tires me. If I open a box, it is to assemble what is inside. So now is the time to get down to the basics, building this Millennium Falcon.

No way to give you a guided tour of the assembly of the set, others will do it better than me and if that's your thing you will quickly find online long real-time assembly videos of the 7541 pieces of this set. No question of racing either, I take my time, I have fun. The dismantling, however, promises to be laborious ...

We therefore start with twenty or so sachets numbered 1 to 6 (in groups of 3 or 4 sachets). In total, there are 17 groups of bags to assemble and 1379 assembly steps ...

It's not a surprise, the structure of the ship is based on Technic parts and it will bring back some memories to the owners of the set. 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon released in 2007.

Here we find a cross design similar to that of the previous model. The result is extremely solid and the structure is easily manipulated at this stage by grabbing it by the center.

You will not escape a few repetitive sequences during which you will have to build the same sub-assemblies several times, such as the landing gear of the ship which also partially take the design of those in set 10179. Thanks to the spiral system used for the instruction booklet which avoids having to block each page with a heavy object to prevent it from turning while putting something together.

However, the designer made sure to vary the assembly sequences so as not to generate too much weariness during the assembly phase of the internal structure. You will quickly have to shift a part or two of a tenon, vigilance is required. The risk: you realize a little late of the mistake made and have to backtrack. Connection points not visible on the perspective of the booklet visuals are often highlighted in separate insets, which is convenient.

Along the way, you also need to assemble the few internal spaces of the ship before attaching them to the structure. The 2007 version only had a cockpit to install the minifigs. This new model offers other "playable" spaces and it is in my opinion a major evolution, in addition to the significant improvement of the aesthetics of the model.

These intermediate sequences are entertaining enough to forget the hundreds of pine Technic to set up. A few stickers to apply to give the illusion of the depth of the corridors of the ship, the effect is successful. Dejarik's table is pad printed.
Be careful to press each part well on the tenons of the adjoining part to avoid having to leaf through the enormous booklet in the opposite direction if a part falls while handling the assembly. It is annoying.

By inserting the different modules that come to dress the interior of the ship, we start to get something substantial. It's pretty rewarding after a few long hours of assembly. We then move on to the outline of the ship and we start to put in place the countless details (greebs) which give this particular look to this model. Lots of small, varied pieces to set up, little symmetry between two elements that are nevertheless similar, you have to be careful and meticulous.

To be continued...

* Note: We do as usual, with a small change in passing: You have until October 1, 2017 at 23:59 p.m. to express yourself in the comments of this first part and the second which will be published in a few days. The comments will then be accumulated for the draw (One comment per article / IP / email will be taken into account, ie two chances of winning).

We finish this series of tests of the sets based on the film The LEGO Ninjago Movie with a very nice little box: The reference 70610 Flying Jelly Sub, with its 341 pieces, its 4 minifigs and its retail price set at € 29.99.
The main machine of the set is a rather faithful reproduction of that of the film which makes several appearances in the various trailers already available.

As on the manta ray of the set 70609 Manta Ray Bomber, we find here the elements (dominant color, numbers on the tentacles) which gives this mechanical jellyfish a military aspect. It's well seen, it makes you want to build a small army.

As in the film, the lower part of the machine can turn on itself. There is no particular mechanism to start the rotation, you just have to use your fingers. A few cannons to sow ammunition everywhere and let's go.

This jellyfish is also both a submarine and a flying machine which can participate in the movement of heavy loads. The craft also moves on its tentacles in the streets of Ninjago City. Versatility is essential on screen and that's good for the playability of this derivative.

I really like the look of this mechanical jellyfish. For the upper part, it looks like one of those miniature submarines with which a few billionaires who love thrills and underwater exploration have fun.

The tentacles are articulated at two points, which at least allows the craft to be placed on the ground even if the orange chains, which cannot be rolled up or retracted, inevitably also end up flat. The thing deserves to be hung somewhere or placed on a suitable support to show it off.

Propulsion system, air tanks (or whatever you want), cockpit with 360 ° view, it's all there. Simple but effective. Hammer Head even has a transparent mug. Using a dome with a diameter sufficient to embody the parasol of the jellyfish allows you to really enjoy the cockpit and place a minifigure there without having to use tweezers. There is room.

Once again, LEGO has thought of incorporating something for fun without having to go back to the checkout right away. Takuma's boat (which does not float) is a rather successful accessory. He might someday sail the canals of Ninjago City if you do well at school or if you can convince your other half that your life is meaningless without the set. 70620 Ninjago City.

With three or four copies of this flying jellyfish, it may be possible to transport the mechanical shark of Garmadon announced for the end of the year in set 70656 as in the film trailer ... Complicated to achieve but it 's is tempting ...

On the minifig side, it's pretty balanced: Two good guys and two bad guys. Jay will have to save Takuma, the frightened fisherman who didn't ask for anything. A few fish would have been welcome, so Takuma doesn't come home empty-handed ...

In the bad guys, Hammer Head will take control of the jellyfish and Jelly will help him rob poor Takuma. Two young fans can have fun here and share their adventures. For 30 €, it's already good.

This set 70610 Flying Jelly Sub is not the box of the century but there is plenty to have fun. Its content is balanced, we get a very original machine, a consistent boat and four characters. At € 29.99, it's probably a bit expensive, but around € 20, I buy.

Note: We do as usual, you have until September 18, 2017 at 23:59 p.m. to manifest yourself in the comments.

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.

We continue to go around the range based on the film The LEGO Ninjago Movie with the two small sets of this first wave: 70607 Ninjago City Chase (19.99 €) and 70606 Spinjitzu Training (9.99 €).

Even if there is no reason to dwell for hours on these two sets, there is no question of considering them as boxes without interest, quite the contrary.

They are first of all good loss leaders to discover the universe of the Ninjago film at a lower cost before possibly embarking on the acquisition of slightly more expensive boxes.

They are also two affordable sets that will make nice gifts to offer on various occasions without having to leave your shirt there. Many of us want to offer a box of LEGO to our children's friends when our offspring is invited to a birthday party, and the budget / size / interest ratio of the gift is not often to our advantage. However, a LEGO box, even a small one, is always a pleasure.

On the side of the set 70607 Ninjago City Chase (233 pieces), it is necessary to assemble the stall of the nice merchant Ham, the tuk-tuk of the Toque officer and two lampposts on which several lanterns are suspended. A few stickers to stick and it's then rather successful and playable, thanks in particular to the five minifigs provided. The police vehicle and the stall will easily find their place in any city diorama.

The endowment in minifigs is rather balanced here: Two young ninjas in "civilian", a policeman in uniform, a bad guy and a nice frightened victim. It does not take more to start having fun while waiting to be offered something to flesh out this beginning of city staging. Some accessories like the banknote, Lloyd's can or Nya's smartphone will delight those who like to accumulate this type of coin.

The and 70606 Spinjitzu Training (109 pieces) is also a loss leader that allows you to afford a set based on the film at a lower cost. The mini dojo corner is convincing with the different training supports which give it a little consistency.

The parchment is pad-printed, just to make you want to buy other boxes from the same range. Failed, there will be stickers in the shovel in the more expensive boxes, but it's a good try from LEGO.

The strong point of this box: For 9.99 €, we obtain here two ninjas in uniform, Kai and Zane, with their respective fetish weapons. It's a good start to set foot in this universe and start to gather the little troop.

These two small boxes therefore have, in my opinion, arguments to make. They may not have the cachet or appeal of the biggest sets in the range, but they allow you to approach the world of the film without breaking the bank and are interesting additions for those who, for example, have managed to offer the set 70620 Ninjago City.

If you have the opportunity to find them at an even more interesting price than that practiced on the LEGO Shop, do not hesitate. You will always have an opportunity to please a young fan of the Ninjago universe who will be delighted to be able to add these different elements to build and these minifigs to their collection.

Note: We do as usual, you have until September 16, 2017 at 23:59 p.m. to manifest yourself in the comments.

Update : The winner was drawn and 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.