Today we are making a quick foray into the world of LEGO BrickHeadz minifigures with the Harry Potter set 40412 Hagrid & Buckbeak which will be offered from 1 to 15 September next from 100 € of purchase in products from the Harry Potter range on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores.

The BrickHeadz concept rarely leaves fans indifferent: we like it or we hate it. The versions of the two characters delivered in this new box of 270 pieces should therefore fuel a little more the endless debate about these cubic figurines which seem more or less successful depending on the starting subject.

You probably already know, I'm not a big fan of these often very approximate interpretations of the reference characters and this box is not going to change my mind. Rubeus Hagrid is a little off topic here with too dark hair and a too open face. It looks like a Demis Roussos of the great era. The coat is nicely done with clever lapels and the two accessories provided, a lamp and the pink umbrella, save the furniture a bit by allowing the character to be identified.

The Hippogriff Buck benefits in my opinion a little more from the switch to the BrickHeadz ropper with an assortment of grays that pretty much sticks to the version seen on the screen and an overall look that remains acceptable given the limitations of the format. This is often the case when it comes to characters who do not have human form. We can choose to see an artistic reinterpretation of the creature or a massacre to try to stay in the nails of the concept, it's really up to everyone to decide.

As for the assembly, no big surprise, here we find the techniques usually used for these figurines with the colored parts used to symbolize the guts and brains of the characters, the Tiles fixed on the numerous bricks with tenons on one side which confirms the "frame" of the figurine, the stacks which give a little volume to certain details, the hands a little ridiculous because summarized in their simplest expression, etc ... Regulars know that all of these figures, with a few exceptions, use similar techniques. A note in passing about the light gray colored parts that are used for the Buck figurine: The differences in color are really visible and it is very ugly.

Knowing that this box of two characters will be offered, it is difficult to complain about the price of the thing and it is always the modest sum of 19.99 € saved to agree to spend 100 € on the official store by paying a few sets of the LEGO Harry Potter range at a high price.

Those who will acquire the set 75978 Diagon Alley, which we will talk about shortly on the occasion of a Review , from its launch would undoubtedly have preferred a product offered containing at least one new minifigure, but it will be necessary to be satisfied with this Duo Pack of square minifigures that will join the other references already marketed in the LEGO Harry Potter range: Ron Weasley and Albus Dumbledore in the set 41621 (2018), Hermione Granger in the set 41616 (2018) and Harry Potter and Hedwig in the set 41615 (2018)

In short, there is no need to overdo it on this little box: it will be offered and fortunately it will be the case because in my opinion it probably does not deserve better, except perhaps for those who enjoy collecting exhaustively everything that comes out in the LEGO Harry Potter line and those who like to line up several dozen BrickHeadz figures on their shelves. I don't count those who find this range cool just because there is a LEGO logo on the box and who would find it out of date if it was offered by another brand ...

We often compare this range with that of figurines Pop! marketed by Funko, but I remain convinced that even if Funko's products are not all successful, there is still a real aesthetic bias that I do not find here. Rather, with the LEGO BrickHeadz lineup, I feel like LEGO has enthusiastically locked itself into its own format since 2016 and has struggled to come to terms with whatever the outcome ever since. Sometimes it goes, often it doesn't.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at September 5, 2020 next at 23pm.

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.

Today we are very quickly around the small LEGO DC Comics set 76158 Batboat: The Penguin Pursuit. This box sold for 9.99 € is stamped "4+", we quickly understand why with a very small inventory of 54 pieces which allows to assemble in a few minutes a Batboat and a floating duck for the Penguin.

Despite the constraints of this classification which intends these sets for the youngest fans, I think the designer is doing quite well here with two machines that can easily integrate a collection made up of more detailed vehicles.

The Batboat is based on the gray meta-piece already used for the Snowspeeder from the aptly named set 75268 Snowspeeder marketed at the beginning of the year in the LEGO Star Wars range, for the A-Wing of the set 75247 Rebel A-Wing Starfighter (2019) and even for Benny's starship in The LEGO Movie 2 set 70821 Emmet and Benny's "Buil and Fix" Workshop! (2019)

The element fits here perfectly and gives its almost final shape to the Batboat which then receives a few additional parts for a relatively simplistic but very convincing result.

The Penguin Duck is less ambitious than the Batboat but it is credible enough to offer opposition to Batman. Diorama enthusiasts will eventually be able to reuse several of these machines to install henchmen of the villain who would use a more opulent amphibious Duckmobile like the one seen for example in the sets. 76010 Batman: The Penguin Face-off (2014) or 70909 Batcave Break-in (2017).

As usual in the sets stamped "4+", LEGO does not include any device for launching parts or missiles here to prevent the youngest from injuring themselves while handling the vehicles provided. There are no stickers in this box and the gray piece that forms the nose of the Batboat is therefore pad printed. It could possibly be reused by the most inspired MOCeurs for a more robust creation.

The Penguin minifigure is completely new with a torso and a head that we will certainly see again one day in another set even if this box sold for € 9.99 should undoubtedly remain the best opportunity to add this variant of the character to a collection without breaking the bank. .

The figurine is very successful, we just regret the slight difference in color between the purple tinted in the mass of the legs and the pad-printed lapel of the character's jacket. The "paunchy" effect of the belly is nicely achieved and the face is superb with its transparent effect on the moncole.

No surprise on the side of the vigilante of Gotham City, the torso and the head of Batman are the elements available in many sets and polybags since 2012. LEGO only provides here one cape, the variant with central hole already seen in d 'other sets this year where LEGO sometimes provides an assortment of three different capes. Since the superb minifigure of the set 76139 1989 Batmobile with its rigid cape, I now have a really hard time being satisfied with these bits of rag.

In short, I think that there is no valid reason to ignore this small box for very young fans which for once offers quite acceptable constructions given the simplification linked to the classification of the product and allows you to obtain a pretty new version of the Penguin at a lower cost.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at September 2, 2020 next at 23pm.

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.

Today we make a hook by the LEGO Star Wars range and we quickly tour the set 75286 General Grievous's Starfighter (487 pieces - 84.99 €), a box of which we wondered if the advertised public price was not an error before finally realizing that it is sold for 85 €.

It is already the third variation of Soulless One General Grievous at LEGO with a first version marketed in 2007 which has really aged badly (7656 General Grievous Starfighter) followed in 2010 by a new, more modern interpretation in the set 8095 General Grievous' Starfighter. Each new version brings its share of modifications which in principle improves the overall design of this vessel and this 2020 vintage seems to me to be an acceptable compromise of what can be obtained with 450 pieces, knowing that the vessel is about thirty centimeters long. for 17 cm wide.

Even if the final result does not seem to reflect the budget requested to afford the contents of this box, there are some great assembly techniques here, especially at the level of the side fins which house the auxiliary reactors and the essential storage spaces. for the owner's lightsabers.

Each of the two hatches is closed by a clip which prevents unwanted openings, it is well seen. In my opinion, the designer could have done without using flowers on the side of the ship, I always have a bit of trouble with using parts out of context, a bit like the barrels that serve as reactors. It's very personal.

The internal structure of the vessel houses the two alignments of alternating colored pieces of the Dark orange and Dark Tan which create the visible effect between the reactors and the central trunk of the machine. One might think that the two colors chosen are a little bright, but the effect is sufficiently blurred by the pieces which subsequently come to cover this colored solid color.

The cockpit canopy is here based on the same part as in the set marketed in 2010 but it benefits from a new pad printing which visually rounds the angles a little more, even if the result is still not completely faithful to the design of the version seen on screen. The canopy opening mechanism is a classic on slides with two lugs in abutment at the front.

The "keel" of the vessel placed just behind the cockpit can be deployed in flight or stowed in the extension of the cabin when the vessel is posed but the blue pins which serve as axis remain visible in all cases. We will also regret the absence of landing gear on this vessel, two skids at the front would have been welcome.

Le Spring shooter placed under the vessel is sufficiently well concealed not to disfigure the model and it can be removed without compromising the solidity of the construction. It will take a little more tinkering to eventually get rid of both Stud Shooters placed on the wings and replace them with cannons that breathe a little less the children's toy.

Overall, I prefer this version to that of 2010, it offers more smooth surfaces faithful to the aesthetics of the machine seen on the screen and the side motors seem to me better dressed with a storage hatch on a slide that knows how to be done very discreet. The cockpit also takes a little more thickness with the side sub-assemblies which help to give it volume. The lines are fluid, the few visible tenons are not shocking and the whole really looks great.

Note that there are no stickers in this box, the two small side consoles inside the cockpit are pad printed.

As for the minifigs, we must be satisfied with the version of Obi-Wan Kenobi already seen in the set 75269 Duel on Mustafar released earlier this year. The choice is lazy and does not really fit the context of the set, but it will have to be done with.

The Grievous figurine may seem particularly successful at first glance but it is by looking a little closer that we can find some slightly annoying flaws: The two arms which are fixed on those connected directly to the torso seem to me little off topic. The effect is generally there but the realization leaves a little to be desired with two of the arms which do not really come out of the torso of the character.

The pad printing is also very approximate with flat areas of white on a gray background for the torso and the arms which are not dense enough to be really matched with the rest of the white parts of the figurine which are colored in the mass. As often, the official visuals are a little too optimistic on this point and hide these flaws. Speaking of color, I prefer Grievous in Tan (light beige) rather than white, but again it's very personal.

For those who would ask the question, even if it is obviously a new batch of parts, the different elements that make up this figurine are those already seen in 2014 in the set 75040 General Grievous's Wheel Bike and in 2018 in the set 75199 General Grievous' Combat Speeder.

The Clone Trooper minifigure in Airborne version is no surprise and I think everyone would have preferred to have Cody in this box. We will do with this figurine equipped with a variant of the helmet already seen in 2014 on the heads of two of the Airborne Clone Troopers of the Battle Pack 75036 Utapau Troopers. The pad printing of the torso and legs is impeccable, the gray kama in supple fabric is a bit cheap, but the detail is in accordance with the version seen on the screen. The head is the one that equips all the Clones since this year.

As usual when it comes to a reissue or reinterpretation of a ship already seen in the LEGO Star Wars range in the past, there is nothing to rack your brains out here depending on your fan profile: If you are a completeist, you will buy this set to sleep better at night and if you do not have one of the two previous versions in your collection, this new box will largely do the trick with in my opinion the most success to date of the different interpretations of the Soulless One offered by the manufacturer.

In any case, it will be a question of knowing how to show patience to find this set at a reasonable price, the 85 € requested by LEGO being in my eyes really unjustified. The excuse for the presence of the complex Grievous figurine does not hold to justify the prohibitive price of this product, these pieces have been around for many years and were not created especially for this box.

It is right now in Germany that you have to look to find this set at an almost reasonable price: Amazon currently sells it for less than 65 €.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 31, 2020 next at 23pm.

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 the tour of the expansion packs that accompany the starter set 71360 Adventures with Mario (59.99 €) in the LEGO Super Mario range with a quick glance at the references 71363 Desert Pokey (180 pieces - 19.99 €), 71364 Whomp's Lava Trouble (133 pieces - 19.99 €) and 71376 Thwomp Drop (393 pieces - 39.99 €).

The and 71363 Desert Pokey Expansion Set (180 pieces - 19.99 €) offers only one real functionality: this is to knock out the Pokey composed of four stacked modules using a hammer attached to the end of a mobile platform to release the barcode to to scan. The sequence of destroying the cactus is fun, with the possibility of obtaining bonus coins thanks to the barcode placed in the base holding the hammer. Is there any for 19.99 €? Nothing is less certain, knowing that the mechanism used here to demolish the Pokey does not seem to me really inspired by the appearances of the character in the various versions of the game Super Mario Bros.

There will be a Topi Taupe (Monty Mole) to keep for your shelves, it is identical to the one seen in the promotional set 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom Expansion Set offered by LEGO for the launch of the range. The two boxes can also be combined to assemble a more consistent "desert" section of the game board.

The and 71364 Whomp's Lava Trouble Expansion Set (133 pieces - 19.99 €) is not much more ambitious than the previous one but it is sold at the same price. In terms of functionality, we are content with a mobile platform that circulates above the lava, a Whomp with the nicely pad-printed front face to be removed to release a P-Switch which allows you to gain some additional coins and a Koopa Trooper shell placed on a rotary axis which allows you to release the Lava bubble.

Bof, nothing to cry genius, even if this small box can come to expand a portion of level on the theme Lava. It will allow the passage to add a nice Whomp available only in this set to your collection of characters. Too bad for the injection point really visible on the pad printed part.

Finally, the set 71376 Thwomp Drop Expansion Set (393 pieces - 39.99 €) offers a little more construction than the two previous boxes and it allows to assemble a relatively elaborate mechanism with a Thwomp which comes as in the game crashing on the ground and causing its share of damage.

The module is rather compact and it will fit perfectly in the middle of a level without taking up too much space and offering a little volume to the whole, that's already taken. The principle is simple, we place Mario on the white platform, we slide the thing several times towards the mechanism integrated in the mast, the Thwomp falls in two distinct sequences, he actuates the red lever on the left and in the process dismisses the Lava bubble placed on the platform.

The whole thing may seem simplistic, but the designers have gone to great lengths to come up with realistic and rather fun action. The 390 pieces in the set are mainly in the central mast built around a Technic axis and in the body of the Thwomp. The product description praises the two difficulty levels available, with only one of the two white platforms equipped with studs for inserting the interactive Mario figure. It's up to the player to choose if he prefers to take the risk of slipping in the lava or not ...

To keep on your shelves: The Thwomp available only in this box and which is unfortunately only pad printed on the front side and the other sides of which are a little empty, two Lava bubbles and the four pieces pad printed with skulls of Dry bones.

In short, as with the majority of the other expansions currently sold by LEGO, these three small boxes bring more or less their share of features and characters to the initial game board, but it is up to everyone to assess the interest of spending the are requested for these additions which may ultimately seem a bit dispensable.

I remind for all intents and purposes that the interactive Mario figure is not provided in these boxes, it is only three extensions of the main game board which do not contain the starting sticker to be scanned to start a game nor that of arrival allowing to validate the progression within the time limit.

Note: The set of three sets presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 28, 2020 next at 23pm.

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.

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Marvel Avengers set 76153 Helicarrier (1244 pieces - 129.99 €), a box vaguely inspired by the Marvel's Avengers video game (Square Enix) which has been on the market since June 2020.

This is not the first LEGO version of the Helicarrier: in 2015, the manufacturer indeed offered an interpretation of the machine intended for the exhibition with the set. 76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier (2996 pieces - 349.99 €). This new version is much less ambitious, but also less expensive, and this time it is a playset intended for the youngest fans of the Marvel universe.

The idea of ​​offering a playable and affordable version of the Avengers headquarters is not bad, but its execution leaves me a little dubious here. The designers have however tried to integrate different functionalities which reinforce the playability of the product while trying to respect the aesthetic codes which allow to recognize the machine at first glance.

The whole thing could have almost convinced if a major detail had not been sloppy: the four propellers which allow the Helicarrier to fly and stabilize in the air are simply added above the fairings which in principle serve to them. frame and protect them.

However, there is a very rational explanation for this somewhat dubious aesthetic choice: The integration of the various mobile propellers in a frame entailed the risk for the youngest of getting their fingers caught or their hair caught in the mechanism and deporting them. above the side extensions eliminates this risk.

Seen from the outside, one could imagine that this Helicarrier offers many accessible and possibly playable interior spaces. This is not the case, only the cockpit placed at the front allows three characters to be installed in their respective seats and there is a large cell at the rear intended to accommodate the large MODOK figurine. The rest of the fuselage is filled with axles and gears held by Technic elements in the service of the rotation of the four propellers when the Helicarrier rolls on the ground.

The missile launcher placed in the center of the machine is a novelty for 2020 also delivered in the Spider-Man sets 76151 Venomosaurus Ambush and Ninjago 71703 Storm Fighter Battle, just like the arrow with its rubber tip which is a variant of the usual version. The possibilities of integrating this new element are really better than those offered by the gun Technic classic (ref. 6064131) often used until now.

With a Helicarrier version microfighter luxury, you also needed at least a matching Quinjet. And the version delivered here does not have much of a Quinjet as we know it, but the small ship remains playable with its cockpit which can accommodate a minifig and its rotating coin launcher placed in the front. It is also easier to install a character at the controls of this micro ship than to try to fit three miniatures in the very deep helicarrier cockpit accessible only through the very narrow hatch placed at the front. .

For those who were wondering what the 18 yellow parts seen grouped next to the craft on the official product visuals are for, they take place under the fuselage to prevent the Helicarrier from rolling and falling off the shelf on which it is. is stored or displayed.

This 1200-piece Helicarrier therefore vaguely resembles the machine seen on the screen and in the video game, but the size / functionality / playable space ratio is definitely not to its advantage. Note that all the stickers provided in this box are on a transparent background which allows to remain in line with the background color of the parts on which these different stickers are placed at the cost of a few bubbles or white burrs on the largest of them .

The figurine endowment here is rather substantial with a total of 8 characters, some of which are also available in other boxes marketed this year.

We assemble a large MODOK figurine which takes over from the version seen in 2014 in the set 76018 Avengers: Hulk Lab Smash. This new version of the leader of the AIM is in my opinion more interesting than the pseudo-minifig with the big head with its somewhat ridiculous seat proposed in 2014. The construction fits perfectly in the cell placed at the back of the Helicarrier, it is planned for that.

The Black Widow minifigure is not exclusive to this box, it also appears in the set 76166 Avengers Tower Battle and in the minifig pack 40418 Falcon & Black Widow Team-Up. I'm not really convinced by Harry Potter wands plugged into lightsaber handles, but why not.

The versions of Thor and Agent of AIM delivered in this box are identical to those seen earlier this year in the set. 76142 Avengers Speeder Bike Attack. Nick Fury's minifig could have been brand new, but LEGO didn't make the effort and it is simply the one seen in 2019 in the set 76130 Stark Jet and the Drone Attack.

Captain Marvel's minifigure is the one seen this year in the set 76152 Avengers: Wrath of Loki and Tony Stark's minifigure comes in a big handful of new 2020 releases.

We still have War Machine, delivered here in an unprecedented configuration with back-mounted equipment flanked by pad printed parts already seen in 2019 in the set 75893 Speed ​​Champions Dodge Challenger SRT Demon & 1970 Dodge Charger R / T. Well done for the three stacked roller skates that make a very believable missile launcher. The character's head with its red HUD is that of the set 76124 War Machine Buster (2019)

Knowing that the Helicarrier is an iconic machine in the Avengers universe, I think this new version at least has the merit of making it accessible to younger fans. The machine is solid, easy to handle and the narrow cockpit remains easily accessible to small hands.

Everything is not perfect in this set with a very rough aesthetic and few really playable interior spaces but there is plenty of fun with the beautiful assortment of characters provided and we already find this box less than 90 € at amazon in Germany. Collectors wishing to afford a more successful Helicarrier will wait for a hypothetical reissue of the 2015 version, but children will be happy to settle for this more affordable compromise.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 25, 2020 next at 23pm.

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.