Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75342 Republic Fighter Tank, a box of 262 pieces which will be available at the retail price of €39.99 from April 26, 2022.

In the packaging, a new interpretation of the machine already seen at LEGO in 2008 in the set 7679 Republic Fighter Tank then in 2017 in the set 75182 Republic Fighter Tank, accompanied here by Mace Windu with a nice pad print on his arms, a Clone Commander, two Clone Troopers from the 187th Legion and two Battle Droids.

We are not going to lie to each other for too long, it is the Clone Troopers and Mace Windu who are featured here, the tank only serving as a pretext to sell us a construction toy which is in my opinion much too expensive for what it actually has to offer.

The machine is assembled in a few minutes, you have to stick a large handful of stickers to give it its final appearance and the result is ultimately just a simple children's toy without any particular pretension or ambition.

The youngest will probably be satisfied with it, the vehicle being equipped with a few features that will keep them busy for five minutes: two spring shooters sides, three hatches that can be opened to slide the Clones in and four wheels that allow this tank seen in the video games of the franchise Star Wars: Battlefront and in some comics to move without scratching the floorboards.

The presence of wheels under the tank also allows it to move with a relatively credible floating effect, they know how to be very discreet under the machine and we believe in it. The finish of the tank is very average with a front hatch that does not close completely, a central corridor too low for the minifigs and a somewhat empty internal space. The tank also seems to me a little undersized for the minifigs provided, they have a little trouble finding their place in the different positions.

There is no escaping the eternal difference in color between the background color of the stickers and that of the parts on which they must be stuck. It's really blatant here, whether it's when it comes to sticking white on white or red on red.

The real stars of the product are obviously the minifigs provided: we get an unpublished version of Mace Windu and three Clone Troopers of the famous 187th Legion delivered here in a color matching that of the blade of Windu's saber. Those who have experienced theBattle Pack" marketed by Hasbro in 2007 will appreciate to see that LEGO is going there this year of its adaptation of this squad, the others will probably find these colorful minifigs with very accomplished pad printing too cool to ignore.

Mace Windu's minifig is very successful even if it shows us the technical limits of the pad printing process used by LEGO. The white ink on a beige background struggles a bit to exist and it smudges in some places, especially on the underarms. The minifigure remains very convincing, however, and the slightly opaque blade of the saber goes a long way to making this detailed version of Mace Windu desirable.

The Clone squad here is made up of a commander equipped with a helmet usually reserved for members of so-called "Airborne" sections and two generic Troopers. Here too the pad prints are frankly successful and only a few patterns are missing on the arms for the LEGO version of these Clones to be perfect.

Let's not be too choosy, the purple accents are convincing, the level of detail on the torsos and legs is very satisfying and a few Clone variants are always good to pick up these days.

We could however regret the absence of antennas on the helmets, of patterns on the hips of the generic Clones and the very symbolic interpretation of the beige kama (the skirt) of the commander which comes down here to two pad-printed areas on the legs, but LEGO is doing pretty well in my opinion. Under the three helmets, we logically find the head available since 2020 and launched in the sets 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers et 75283 Armored Assault Tank (AAT).

I mention for all intents and purposes the presence of the two battle droids of which everyone already has a large handful in the drawers following the purchase of the various LEGO Star Wars Advent calendars, the two minifigures are equipped with metallic gray blasters and it's still better than the usual black color accessories.

LEGO can only market Battle Packs of minifigs and must defend its reputation as a manufacturer of construction toys. We will therefore have to bother with the tank provided here to be able to add the three Clones and the definitive version of Mace Windu to our collections.

It's not very serious, there will always be a child around to play with the machine which still offers some features if not ultra-detailed. Those planning to build a small Clone army of the 187th Legion can always try to recoup their investment by reselling their extra copies of the tank and Mace Windu.

40 € for this box, it's probably a little too expensive even if it allows us to obtain a large handful of new and technically accomplished minifigs. As often, patience will be rewarded by counting on Amazon's ability to treat us to a more reasonable price within a few weeks.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 21th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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

Today we take a quick tour of the contents of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions set 76906 1970 Ferrari 512M, a box of 291 pieces sold at the retail price of €19.99 since March 1st.

With the Countach of the set 76908 Lamborghini Countach, this reference is one of my two favorites of the 2022 wave: the two vehicles seem to me to make the most of the LEGO inventory and the relatively limited possibilities of the current format of the vehicles in the range.

We assemble here the vehicle bearing the number 4 which won in 1970 the 9 hours of Kyalami in South Africa with at the wheel the Belgian Jacky Ickx and the Italian Ignazio Giunti. LEGO is doing quite well with a fairly faithful reproduction of the reference vehicle and the designer, well helped by the use of the canopy usually used on many ships in the Star Wars universe, did not have to struggle too much with curves of this Ferrari. It can be concluded that the subject is well covered, the result is convincing and the thing will stand out on a shelf.

If the choice of this canopy seemed obvious to the designer of the product, the fact remains that its use causes a major problem: The Ferrari 512 M is a two-seater car and there is only enough to slide here. a minifig in the center of the vehicle. The canopy is also too round and tapered to stick perfectly to that of the real Ferrari 512 M, but it is only by comparing the LEGO version with the real vehicle that this defect really manifests itself and we can easily be satisfied with this Overall very decent interpretation.

The products of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range are above all toys for children and the possibility of installing a minifig at the wheel of the different vehicles is essential. Suggesting the presence of two seats in the cockpit would no doubt have been possible by reducing the space available for each seat, but it would then no longer have been possible to put a minifig at the controls.

The assembly is as usual quickly dispatched and it is obviously necessary to apply a large handful of stickers to dress this Ferrari 512 M and recreate some aesthetic details. The canopy and both Tiles used on the side of the front headlights are stamped, as is the Ferrari logo present on the 1x1 pieces placed on the sides of the vehicle. The canopy and the sides of the headlights are of Dark Red mismatched, it's a bit of a shame knowing that the stickers are perfectly matched. LEGO provides half a dozen of these 1x1 pieces flanked by the Ferrari logo, but four of them are installed in unexposed areas.

Too bad for the headlights which are summarized here in their simplest form, the transparency effect falls a little in the water. Two optical units in the form of stickers to be placed under non-tinted transparent parts would have been welcome. As often, lovers of original and sometimes surprising techniques will be served, I won't say more and I advise you to skim the photos above only quickly if you don't want to spoil the pleasure.

The overall look of this Ferrari 512 M benefits from the very limited number of studs visible on the surface: there are only six left and that's enough to mark the LEGO spirit without disfiguring the model. The rest of the body is perfectly smooth, it's successful. LEGO rims in Pearl Gold also available since this year in two sets from the LEGO CITY range are a vague illusion: they are the right color but the real Ferrari 512 M was fitted with five-spoke rims. No central mirror on the roof, it will be necessary to do without, and the two white fins at the rear are integrated a little roughly into the bodywork via a few transparent parts.

I said it above, I'm still really a fan of this model which pays a nice tribute to the reference vehicle despite the few flaws and aesthetic shortcuts that stand out if you take the time to compare the model with photos of the real one version. I gladly forgive these discrepancies because the result has cachet and personality, which is not always the case with products from the Speed ​​Champions range with supercars that all end up looking more or less alike. Even if the twenty euros requested by LEGO seems a bit exaggerated to me, I make the effort without waiting for a price drop elsewhere, it's not every day that the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range really manages to seduce me.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 14th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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

We end this cycle of reviews of the three references of the new LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection with a quick overview of the content of the set 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training, a box of 1000 pieces which will be available from April 26, 2022 at the retail price of €79.99.

I'm not drawing you a picture, this is about assembling a reproduction of the meeting between Luke Skywalker and Yoda on the planet Dagobah during Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back), which begins with a crash of the X-wing in a swamp and ends with some sequences of physical training and highly philosophical reflections.

The assembly of the product oscillates between weariness, with nearly 180 Tiles greens to place to form the surface of the swamp, and more entertaining sequences with the construction of Yoda's hut and the surrounding vegetation. The contrast between the vegetation and the hut is well managed, the staging of 29 cm long by 17 cm wide and 16 cm high seems to me graphically very successful with easily identifiable and well positioned elements which avoid us some confusion visual.

The transparency effect of Tiles swamp works rather well to embody a liquid surface even if we are not yet in a trompe-l'oeil rendering. The organic aspect of the hut is convincing, the "wall" of vegetation that delimits the bottom of the diorama is appropriate, difficult to find fault with. The wing of the X-Wing which suggests the presence of the submerged vessel in the marshy waters is well executed, this detail made up of a few parts really gives cachet to the scene with the added bonus of the presence of "bubbles" around the wing to symbolize the sinking of the vessel.

The designer has not only worked on the front of the diorama and also leaves access to the interior of Yoda's hut from the rear, with just enough room inside the premises to install it. Yoda and Luke. It is also on the back of the product that the lightsaber handle is located, it is hung on the ceiling of the hut. At the front, Luke can optionally be staged balancing on one arm, LEGO provides the transparent parts that allow the minifig to be presented in the correct position.

Like the other two products in the same collection, the construction here displays a quote from the film and the text in English, "...Do. Or do not. There is no trying...", is once again self-sufficient as the formula has become cult and used in all sauces for many years. Almost no one uses the French version of Yoda's statement anyway: "...Do it or don't do it, but there is no try...".

To populate this mini diorama, three figurines: Yoda, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. The three miniatures can be considered as evolutions of those of the set 75208 Yoda's Hut marketed in 2018, because they benefit from subtle aesthetic modifications by taking up patterns already seen. Luke Skywalker, for example, comes in the same outfit, but the t-shirt and the characters' legs are a little more detailed on this new interpretation. The head of the character is identical to that of 2018, it nevertheless carries a new reference.

The cylinder of R2-D2 takes up the 2018 pattern on its front face, stains included, and LEGO adds this year a pad printing on the back with there also traces of sludge. The result is frankly convincing and is only a little spoiled by the eternal problem of alignment and more or less pronounced deformation of the pad printing of the dome of the droid.

Yoda's minifig is also content to reuse in detail but under a new reference the torso with the design already seen on the figurine marketed in 2018 and the head which dates from 2013.

LEGO finally assumes the idea that no one will really "play" Luke's training sequences on Dagobah and offers us a truly accomplished pure exhibition product. This is in my opinion the most successful interpretation of Yoda's hut at LEGO to date and the sequence seen on screen finds a beautiful tribute here. More generally, this new collection of exhibition dioramas which targets an audience of adult fans will inevitably find its audience despite high prices. It offers the possibility of displaying your passion for the Star Wars universe in a subtle way without filling your living room with ships and more or less detailed playsets.

With a little patience, we can save a few euros or get something offered by waiting at least a few days from the launch of these three new products scheduled for April 26: The offers around the May the 4th operation will follow and it is to be hoped that these three boxes are not already out of stock during the event. Nothing is less sure.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 12th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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 Diorama Collection set 75329 Death Star Trench Run, a box of 665 pieces which will be available at the public price of €59.99 from April 26, 2022. This derivative product is the least expensive of the three new references in the LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection launched this year, whose public prices reach up to €89.99. No minifigs in this box, we build here a reproduction in the format microscale surface pursuit of the Death Star with Luke Skywalker's X-wing, Darth Vader's TIE Advanced and two TIE Fighters.

To remain visually accessible, the diorama does not really reproduce the entire trench on the surface of the Death Star seen on the screen and we are satisfied with two nicely textured planes on which we fix the different ships which are at the work in this scene from Episode IV (To New Hope). The work of "greebling", the technique of creating surface details using various and varied elements, is perfectly executed and it almost feels like it. You also have to see the good side of things and despite the somewhat abstract side of the assembly, you will have the right to make a mistake, no one will notice your negligence.It may lack a little contrast on arrival on the gray surfaces but the lighting of the exhibition room will take care of compensating to create relief.

Gossips will only see a paid promotional product here, barely more opulent than when LEGO offers mini-dioramas during certain events around the Star Wars license. The assembly of this 22 cm long by 15 cm wide and 10 cm high diorama is also quickly dispatched and it is difficult to imagine the presence of more than 600 parts in this construction. They are however there, they are mostly small elements used to texture the surface of the Death Star. The set is relatively fragile on arrival, the four vessels are only maintained by a simple tenon and you will have to be careful when moving.

The TIE fighters provided in this box are really token renditions of barely the level of what you get every year in the LEGO Star Wars Advent calendars, but Luke's X-wing on the other hand looks particularly neat to me. No stickers in this box, the three TIE canopies already seen in the set 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser marketed since 2021 are therefore stamped just like the R2-D2 micro-dome visible on the back of the X-wing, a part that we will certainly see again in future polybags or Advent calendars.

There is no functionality or moving parts in this diorama, although you can place the different ships as you see fit provided you find an available stud elsewhere than in the locations provided. No surprise on the back of the construction, it would have been interesting to place a minfig of Darth Vader or Luke in pilot's outfit to fuel the conversations. We will do without.

La Tile pad-printed with a line of dialogue that becomes the gimmick of this new collection of derivative products displays here a sentence pronounced by Darth Vader during the pursuit in the trench of the Death Star: "...The Force is strong with this one...". I'm much less adamant than the quote displayed on the front of the set. 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor regarding the need to localize the text into other languages, the phrase posted here has become popular enough to stand on its own, no one refers to it by saying "...it's like he's protected by the Force..."as in the French version of the film.

This product is perhaps not the sexiest of the three sets proposed to launch this new collection of dioramas for adult fans, but the scene is in my opinion generally rather well interpreted with a very acceptable level of finish. The format microscale deprives this product of staged minifigs but that's not so bad because it's also the least expensive of the three advertised references.

If you take two and place them face to face, you get a real trench and an extra X-wing for the late Biggs Darklighter. If you place them back to back, you get nice bookends, perhaps a little light, to frame your collection of comics or beautiful books on the Star Wars universe.

This set is the cheapest of the three but it is not a product that I consider affordable. 60 € for that is much too expensive in absolute terms even if we all know here that fans of the Star Wars license will be more vindictive of the increase in the price of a liter of diesel by a few cents than about of a few grams of plastic sold at exorbitant prices. Everyone has their own priorities.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 9th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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 Star Wars Diorama Collection set 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor, a box of 802 pieces which will be available at the public price of €89.99 from April 26, 2022. With this new collection of mini-dioramas, LEGO is frankly targeting adult fans who do not have the space or the desire to fill their living room with imposing vessels or other devices from the Star Wars universe but who still wish to display their passion for the saga via a few discreet decorative elements. It was already the possibility offered by the helmets marketed since 2021 and these new stagings will bring a little diversity on the shelves of the fans.

To launch this new collection, LEGO has therefore selected three "cult" scenes from the saga. The selection was not very difficult: in the Star Wars universe everything is more or less cult for many fans and the product in question here refers to the scene of Episode IV (To New Hope) in which Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca become stuck in the 3263827 trash compactor. The place is inhabited by a dianoga, a creature that attacks Luke Skywalker before C3-PO and R2-D2 prevent everyone from ending up in an imperial pancake.

The construction with its base and its three ends of walls is very quickly assembled. The scene is presented on a support designed to give it cachet and allow it to end its career honorably on a shelf. The back wall with its magnetic closing door (in the film) is fixed. The two sections of side walls are mobile and can be manually brought closer to the center of the diorama to simulate the start-up of the compactor. No complex mechanism or gears with a wheel at the end, you push with your fingers.

A very satisfying little detail: the construction of these two side panels seems messy at first glance, but we see that on arrival everything fits together perfectly, provided you have carefully placed the different minifigs in the intended locations beforehand. We can therefore have fun five minutes to put the grinder into action by pushing on the walls and the integrated functionality has at least the merit of offering two possibilities of exposure.

The dianoga certainly deserved better than the frankly symbolic representation proposed here. The critter plays a significant role in this scene, but unfortunately it only has one red eye that protrudes from the center of the diorama. In their time, the sets 10188 Death Star (2008) et 75159 Death Star (2016) which depicted the waste compactor in one of the compartments of the Death Star at least made the effort to offer us an assembly of a few parts to correctly embody the creature and there was no doubt a way to make a little better on an exhibition product entirely to the glory of this scene of a few minutes.

C-3PO and R2-D2 are installed behind the diorama facing the console which allows them in the film to disable "all mechanical grinders that are level 5". On the screen, the two droids are obviously not just behind the wall of the room in question, but their integration into the construction went through this shortcut and it is well executed. One could almost regret the lack of finish on the back of the diorama but the presence of the two droids is more of a wink than anything else.

LEGO has chosen to illustrate each of the products in its Diorama Collection by using a line of dialogue pad-printed on a Tile placed on the front. We are therefore entitled here to the sentence pronounced by Han Solo: "...One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner!...". This line of dialogue in English is not necessarily remembered by French-speaking fans who will best remember the phrase "...there is one thing for sure, it's that we're all going to lose a lot of weight..." and LEGO would have been well advised to propose the Tile in different languages, to give meaning to its presence in non-English-speaking markets. We'll do with the original version.

No stickers in this box, the three patterned elements are stamped. To populate this mini diorama, we get six figurines: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2. The most observant will have noticed that these figurines combine new elements and parts already seen in other sets in the past: C-3PO keeps his head available since 2012 with his eyes more or less well centered depending on the boxes and he enjoys a brand new torso and pair of legs. The pad printing is very successful and LEGO finally makes the effort to properly dress this droid whose arms and feet usually remained neutral.

R2-D2 reuses the dome seen in several boxes since 2020 but it benefits from pad printing on both sides of the white cylinder. The minifigure now lives up to what you would expect from a manufacturer like LEGO and R2-D2 finally has a truly accomplished representation.

The Princess Leia figurine uses the torso available since 2016, the head which dates from 2019 and which is also used for Captain Marvel and the hairstyle which dates from 2011. Chewbacca remains equal to itself, it is the figurine of 2014 which is provided here.

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo inaugurate a new version of the Stormtroopers armor on which Luke receives the head dating from 2015 which has also been used by Gunther from Central Perk and Han Solo the head marketed since 2014. I prefer this version of the armor to the one seen in the set 75159 Death Star (2016) then in the mini-set exclusive to the Star Wars Celebration convention in 2017, the reference Detention Block Rescue, the shadow effects and the mixture of gray and black proposed here seem really relevant to me.

We will also talk about the other two dioramas from the new collection launched by LEGO, but I must admit that I am particularly convinced by this one. The scene concerned is correctly interpreted, the integrated functionality is anecdotal but it makes it possible to propose two variants of exposure and the endowment in figurines is consequent with two droids finally treated as it should be. The presence of C-3PO and R2-D2 on the back of the diorama will surprise your friends who come to visit you and the whole thing will fuel a few conversations during a dinner. We can in passing be offended by the price charged by LEGO for this box or wait wisely for Amazon to get on the file.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 8th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment (something to say what) under the article to participate.

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