Today we quickly take a look at the contents of the LEGO Star Wars Starship Collection set 75376 Tantive IV, a box of 654 pieces currently available at the public price of €79.99 via the official online store as well as in the LEGO Stores and a little cheaper elsewhere.

This is the third set of the wave of products branded Starship Collection marketed this year with the references 75375 Millennium Falcon et 75377 Invisible Hand, and the Tantive IV is obviously also an emblematic ship from the Star Wars saga. It was therefore predictable to see him integrate this new series of models in the format Midi Scale from its launch, just to set the tone and attract potential collectors. LEGO has already explored the subject in all the usual formats from micro-things to classic sets including large models of the range Ultimate Collector Series, the Tantive IV is a chestnut from the LEGO Star Wars range.

It therefore remained to be verified whether this ship supports adaptation to a scale which allows less detail, no playability and which does not allow all the usual fantasies in terms of angles and finishing. I think this is the case with this version which is instantly recognizable and which retains all the significant attributes of the ship. There are necessarily some shortcuts and some approximations, but the overall line of the ship is there and this little model does not stand out compared to the other two models on the market.

As is often the case, the model suffers from the problem of difference in color between the stickers on a white background which adorn several elements and the rest of the parts in the inventory which display a rather "off-white" color. We can console ourselves by noting that the designer has integrated a few winks intended for fans with the symbolic presence of Princess Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO in the bowels of the ship or the absence of the capsule. evacuation en route to Tatooine under the right side of the ship. It's always a good idea to spark conversations between fans.

For the rest, we could talk for a long time about the aesthetic choices at work here but this format imposes some compromises and I think that the designer is doing quite well given the constraints. The format Midi Scale is back at LEGO and in my opinion we can conclude that it is coming back through the front door with the three pretty models on offer.

The ship is perched on a black support in the usual format, it is suitable for the exhibition model aspect, it is a little less convincing if we hope to make the Tantive IV "float" on the shelf. Here too, LEGO favors the collection side of exhibition models over the staging potential, it is a choice that I do not discuss even if the support may seem in this specific case a little too bulky for what it supports . The Tantive IV is a little flat, not very long, in my opinion it has a little difficulty existing on its big black base but this is a very personal observation.

The product allows you to obtain a new pad-printed brick celebrating the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars range, it is identical in the three boxes of this Starship Collection. We could have imagined three variants to collect rather than the same brick three times but we will have to be content with accumulating identical elements.

Even with its few aesthetic approximations, this Tantive IV with a very correct finish on all its surfaces benefits greatly from the format Midi Scale and all those who do not want the somewhat crude existing playsets will, in my opinion, find here enough to add this ship to their collection without leaving too much space and money.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 9th 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 overview the contents of the LEGO Harry Potter set 76432 Forbidden Forest: Magical Creatures, a small box of 172 pieces available at the public price of €29.99. You read correctly, this box is sold for €30 despite its reduced inventory, being a fan of the Harry Potter universe in a LEGO way is very expensive.

As you can imagine, this small set is very quickly assembled, there is nothing here to satisfy your thirst for construction techniques or to relax for more than a few minutes. The forbidden forest is symbolic here and you have to make do with a few vaguely detailed modules which can be clipped together and rearranged as you wish.

We will salute the relative modularity of the product so as not to seem to systematically denigrate it too much. We will also note the presence of a few phosphorescent pieces which save the furniture a little within this forest which is not really one.

What remains on arrival are two minifigs, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and three creatures if we don't count the phosphorescent spider or the bat: Buck the Hippogriff, a baby Thestral and a Cornish elf exclusive to this box . It's almost correct for a set of this size but the public price of the product remains in my opinion much too high despite the presence of these three creatures from the bestiary of the franchise.

It will perhaps be possible to combine this somewhat bare forest edge with other future products on the same theme, the principle already being at work thanks to the polybag 30677 Draco in the Forbidden Forest which allows you to add an additional module to the diorama. It's then up to you to possibly expand on things by building a few trees.

There was undoubtedly room for improvement regarding the decor which serves to stage the two characters provided and the three associated creatures, as it stands, everything really remains too basic to offer any assembly experience and guarantee a satisfactory exposure potential.

This is minimum service at LEGO this time, we are in the spin of the Harry Potter license accompanied by an intensive recycling of existing elements more than in the desire to offer something really convincing.

There is therefore no reason to buy this box at full price, it is already available at Amazon for less than €24 which brings us closer to the acceptable price for an uninspired product located in the soft underbelly of the range :

Discount -20%

LEGO Harry Potter The Forbidden Forest: Magical Creatures, Fantasy Toy for Children, with Animals, Buck Figures and A Thestral, Gift Idea

29.99 € 23.99 €

BUY

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 8th 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 quickly interested in the content of the LEGO DC set 76271 Batman The Animated Series Gotham City, a large box of 4210 pieces which will be available as an Insiders preview from April 1, 2024 at the public price of €299.99.

You know since the announcement of this colorful fresco, this is a strong homage to the animated series Batman: The Animated Series ou BTAS for the most die-hard fans or Batman: The Animated Series in our regions. Broadcast for the first time in 1992, this series has widely found its audience and its 65 episodes are now available on Netflix so that all those who never had the opportunity to watch it during their youth can do so.

LEGO is therefore going with a large fresco representing Gotham City from the series with its original “Art Deco” style architecture and its dark atmosphere. The construction, almost 80 cm long and more than 40 cm high, brings together numerous nods and other references to the series, the fan service is at work here to the hilt and everyone, including me Even those who have had excellent memories of this series will in principle not be disappointed.

The assembly of the product involves in part the junction between plates on which we gradually install all the planned elements, the progression is interesting and we never really get bored unlike certain LEGO mosaics that are more boring over time. I remember the wide variety of facades and techniques used to achieve the promised result, certain ideas are reused here and there but the progression is intelligently balanced so as to never have the impression of working on an assembly line.

There is no need to wait for the final result to benefit from all the good ideas in the set, each section reserves its share of layers integrating a detail or a scene and the object gradually becomes thicker as it progresses. installation of the different structures. It is therefore advisable to savor the assembly of the product and to take your time.

It will also be more difficult to come back to an underlay later without trying to guess whether this or that section is designed to be easily removed. Upon arrival, the fresco offers a beautiful effect of perspective and depth on Gotham City, like the LEGO Ideas set 21333 Vincent Van Gogh - The Starry Night, with the possibility of coming back whenever you want to pick up a section and enjoy what it hides or covers.

Many of the winks proposed involve the installation of stickers with graphics that I find uninspired and that's a bit of a shame. I'm thinking in particular of the twenty or so gray stickers which feature different characters, it's a bit sad as it is and there was undoubtedly room to make these different stickers more visually attractive to better integrate them into the diorama. We inevitably recognize the characters concerned via their minimalist interpretation in the form of a minifig but I am a little disappointed by the very simplistic side of the aesthetic bias.

If certain stickers disappear in the depths of Gotham under removable elements, a large part of them remains visible on the surface and one wonders how these stickers will age on a product intended to sit on a piece of furniture or to be hung on the wall . We must also take into account the difficulty of maintaining and dusting such a product with a complex surface design; a brush will not be enough and it will be necessary to use an air can or a blower regularly to prevent dust from nesting in areas. very difficult to access spaces.

There are two pad-printed elements in this box, not counting the four minifigs provided: the Bat-Signal visible in the sky of Gotham and the micro-representation of Batman on a red background installed at the top of a building. This is a failure for the Bat-Signal, whose yellow color pad-printed on a black background offers a much less attractive rendering than the retouched official visuals and the design of the Tile red which features Batman is once again a little too simplistic to convince me.

For the rest, in my opinion it is flawless with a very successful fresco, a frame with very thin edges which does not cannibalize the work, the possibility of placing the construction on a piece of furniture without it tipping over at the slightest contact thanks to the integration of two retractable supports at the rear and the guarantee for the most dedicated fans to be able to spend time exploring Gotham by removing the different removable sections to discover what is going on behind each facade. I am not listing all these references for you, those who make the effort to spend €300 in this big box must retain the privilege of this discovery.

The fresco is topped with an inscription which reproduces quite well the font used for the title of the animated series, with white letters underlined by an undercoat of black which highlights the text. I am one of those who think that the fresco really benefits from the presence of this visual extension, I would even have appreciated if the designer added the mention "The Animated Series"somewhere at the top of the table and perhaps in the form of a pad-printed plate, just to have the complete reference.

I have scanned the two sticker sheets provided for you (see below), you will find there all the references and characters which will adorn the fresco during assembly.

The product is accompanied by four new minifigs perched on a ledge independent of the main construction and flanked by two gargoyles in the manner of the presentation already seen in the sets 76139 1989 Batmobile et 76161 1989 Bat Wing. It's very successful and the four characters provided are graphically rather well executed with their outfits very faithful to those seen on the screen, except perhaps for Batman who struggles a little to convince me with this simplified and busy interpretation which lacks a bit. little visual elegance when comparing it with the outfit seen in the animated series.

I would also have appreciated a larger cast but here we have to make do with Catwoman, Batman, Harley Quinn and the Joker. Once again, certain pad prints are a little less successful in real life than on the official retouched visuals, I am thinking in particular of the white areas on the Harley Quinn figurine which turn pink on the red background of the parts that make up the figurine.

The fresco is sufficient in itself and some would undoubtedly have exchanged the handful of minifigs and the support provided for a lower retail price. That's not the case for me, I've watched this series a lot and being able to get four of the main characters is a real bonus that I appreciate alongside the build which instantly puts me back in the mood. This set is obviously aimed at a specific clientele and is not aimed at the youngest Batman fans who already have many much more fun little boxes on hand.

The homage to a cult animated series for an entire generation seems to me to be very well done, it will still be necessary to accommodate the price requested by LEGO, €300, to be able to display the thing in a comic book library or in an office rather than on the living room dresser. The product obviously falls into fan service but in my opinion it is done with a certain skill and the whole thing is coated in a really very original aesthetic which ensures an obvious link with the animated series from which it is inspired.

I already have a place reserved on my shelves for this beautiful object, I will make the effort as soon as the product is launched. For once, I balance the excessive nature of the public price of this box with a good combination between the pleasure of assembly linked to the discovery of the numerous references scattered throughout the streets of Gotham and the satisfaction of obtaining a visually very successful fresco. At the end, LEGO does not always manage to combine these two recipes with each other and I think that is the case here. I had a lot of fun building Gotham City with Chloe, each working on one of the two instruction booklets provided, and I've had just as much fun admiring the end result ever since.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 4th 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 75387 Boarding the Tantive IV, a box of 502 pieces available at the public price of €54.99 since March 1st.

Those who had already invested in a copy of the set 75324 Dark Trooper Attack are here on familiar ground with an open half-corridor which at least allows you to enjoy the action that takes place there and a few features so that this exhibition diorama is also a playset when you want to replay the scene in question. takes.

We could discuss at length the relevance of the staging via a corridor open on two of its sides, some consider that it is much too minimalist to convince them whereas others appreciate being able to easily install the figurines provided and have a little fun with the different integrated mechanisms. Tastes and colors are not up for debate, it's up to everyone to appreciate LEGO's proposal.

In addition to the few supports connected to levers clearly visible along the floor of the corridor, we also have a more discreet mechanism which allows you to open the door placed to the left of the construction. The functionality is rather well integrated if you view the diorama from the intended angle and it is easily accessible at two points on the back of the construction. We have fun with it for five minutes, it's anecdotal but we're not going to blame LEGO once again for making an effort to offer a little more than a simple model that's too static.

The floor of the corridor alternates between visible studs and smooth surfaces, there are enough possibilities to install the figurines provided and create a dynamic scene. For all those who would like to obtain a more opulent diorama, LEGO mentions the possibility of acquiring a second box and extending the corridor, this is documented at the end of the instruction booklet (see below) and the connection pins between both copies of the set are provided.

You obviously have to go back to the checkout to take advantage of this possibility but the result is a real playset half-open on both sides with which the youngest will be able to have a little fun and which will allow photographers to have a nice effect perspective.

There are a few stickers to stick in this box, nine in total, and those most concerned about protecting their constructions from attacks from the sun, dust and time will be able to easily do without them without disfiguring the product. The white door is pad printed, it is very nicely executed. I think it is simply because a possible sticker might rub against the wall behind which it is stored that LEGO made the effort not to provide a sticker for this room.

As for the seven minifigs delivered in this box, it's mixed for a set celebrating the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars range, I was expecting a little more something new. Darth Vader is supplied in the version whose head is also delivered in the sets 75347 Tie Bomber, 75368 Darth Vader Mech  et 75352 Emperor's Throne Room Diorama. The two Stormtroopers are those from the sets 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor et 75370 Stormtrooper Mech. The two rebel soldiers are the ones in the set 75365 Yavin 4 Rebel Base and so there is only Raymus Antilles completely new here. The latter can also be installed on a transparent brick which allows the figurine to be "suspended" to replay the famous scene seen on the screen during which the rebel passes from life to death.

We will console ourselves with the exclusive and “collector” minifig provided on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars range: that of Fives, the ARC Trooper. The figurine is quite detailed with pad printing for fans of the animated series. Star Wars: The Clone Wars should largely benefit from it.

The figurine is for the occasion accompanied by a pad-printed support which allows it to be staged and combined with other minifigs of the same barrel via a Plate black supplied which allows the connection between the supports. This minifig is off-topic here, I would have preferred a new version of a character associated with the scene.

This display for minifigs which ultimately looks like a cinema set and which offers some fun possibilities seems to me to be rather well done and even if the scene perhaps deserved something a little more ambitious, I find it largely my account with a very convincing decor and a sufficient supply of figurines so that this piece of corridor is not too empty.

We recognize the places, the construction does not take up too much space and we ultimately obtain a beautiful decorative object in the form of a nod to a cult scene from the saga. What more could you ask for except to pay a little less for this box than its public price set at €54.99, which should quickly be possible elsewhere than on the manufacturer's official online store.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 2th 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 quickly interested in the contents of the LEGO Harry Potter set 76430 Hogwarts Castle Owlery, a small box of 364 pieces available since March 1 at the public price of €44.99. The price of the product seems frankly exaggerated given the limited inventory delivered in this box, it remains to be verified whether the subject has been correctly covered to try to determine whether this set can become a must-have in the range or whether it will remain on the shelf. essential products even for the most dedicated fans.

It must be admitted, the Hogwarts aviary is not a chestnut tree in the LEGO Harry Potter range and even less so in the form of an independent building. It has already been seen attached to other walls of the wizarding school in the past but this is the first time that LEGO has dealt with the thing in isolation, as in the films of the saga. The result is necessarily a little surprising, the large tower here becoming a simple playset for children, both not very architecturally inspired but sufficiently accessible.

The model proposed here, however, seems to promise yet another modular Hogwarts playset and we therefore assemble the large tower installed on its rocky peak while waiting for something better. Everything here is symbolic and summarized to its simplest expression, we should not expect an ultra-detailed construction of the premises even if the whole still peaks at 37 cm high.

The assembly does not hold any surprises and does not require any particular talent. We stack, we pile up and in a few minutes the trick is done. For the required budget, you're bound to be a little disappointed, even if the packaging doesn't promise anything more than what it contains.

The rock is minimalist and the half-tower itself obviously does not offer all the numerous niches that accommodate the birds seen on the screen. We will have to make do with this very simplistic interpretation of the place and be satisfied with the few winks proving that the designer and the graphic artist responsible for designing this product have done their homework.

We will note, for example, the presence of a box of owl food from the brand Eeylops Owl Emporium nicely pad printed or the possibility of rotating the base of the aviary basement. There are no stickers in this box, which is a notable detail.

Nothing crazy at the end, there's not really any fun in "replaying" the scenes that take place on site and we'll have to wait to see if this model really finds its place in a more substantial playset for judge its relevance, knowing that it is a building that is isolated from the rest of Hogwarts.

As for minifigs, collectors get here new versions of Harry Potter and Cho Chang, but they will have to make do with the version of Argus Filch already seen in the LEGO Harry Potter set 76402 Hogwarts: Dumbledore's Office sold for €89.99, minus the character's pad-printed legs. It's thin, but it's still a good deal.

This set is also a good provider of owls, with a rather interesting selection. From there to spending 45 € in this box however, you will undoubtedly have to think a little before giving in.

We also obtain one of the 14 collectible portraits, installed for the occasion under the roof of the aviary, this is always a lpus for the most complete collectors with the possibility of possibly subsequently carrying out exchanges between fans to bring together all the existing portraits.

So there is nothing here to talk about for hours, the contents of this box, a little too expensive for my taste, will not revolutionize the genre or the Harry Potter range. Those who have been impatiently waiting for the aviary in the form of an independent construction finally have one on hand, the others can wait to see what the range has in store for us in June before getting started.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 27, 2024 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.