Today we quickly go around another set "for stressed adult clients"of the moment: the LEGO Ideas reference 21323 Grand Piano with its 3662 pieces and its public price of 349.99 €.

I believe that we must immediately evacuate the main problem of the set to be comfortable thereafter and not to give the impression of drowning a troublesome detail in the rest of the test: Contrary to what is indicated at the whole start of official product description (... Beautiful ... and you can really play it ...), you can't play the piano with this piano. In defense for LEGO, one finds elsewhere the mention "... Pretend to play by selecting a melody already recorded ..."which helps calm the most optimistic.

I know many overwhelmingly enthusiastic fans reacted a bit quickly to the product announcement by shouting at the creative genius about this box, only to realize that the instrument isn't really functional. The presence of an engine and a few moving parts does not make it a piano on which you can play your own compositions. This is a simple music box, which does not emit any sound without the presence of a smartphone.

If I take the trouble to tell you all this at the beginning of the article, it's because I know that others will only make one line at the end of their "review", after having praised a product who certainly has qualities but who is not what many imagined he would be.

Now that we agree that this piano is just a beautiful decorative item with an overlay that allows it to become a vaguely interactive luxury toy, we can talk about this box knowing what we get after spending ten hours assembling the 3662 parts in the inventory.

I chose to put on gloves to assemble this set in order to offer you some photos without the inevitable fingerprints on the entire black body of the piano. I do not regret having done it and I can only advise you to do the same, the construction loses enough of its cachet with the multiple stripes, the differences in color between the different more or less black parts, the dots of injection which remain visible and some parts which tend to "curl" a little without adding a complete collection of fingerprints.

Those who have never approached a piano in their life will have the opportunity here to discover a simplified but credible version of the mechanism of the instrument with its hammers at the end of the keys, its strings, its soundboard and its strong pedal. which lifts the choke block. The buildable piano in this box is also an instrument with the features available on the real versions with a two-part hinged cover, a movable sheet music stand and a cover to cover the keyboard.

From the start we install the three elements of the ecosystem PoweredUp, le Smart Hub, the motor and the sensor, which will give life to this piano by setting in particular the camshaft which will move the keys during the automatic playback of a musical track. Access to Smart Hub is done through a door placed on the side of the piano body which allows the element to be turned on or off and removed to change the batteries without having to disassemble anything.

At this stage of the assembly, we are not really bored despite the few sub-assemblies that must already be reproduced in several copies. It is when it comes to mounting the piano keyboard that the repetitiveness of the sequences quickly becomes boring. It's hard to blame the designer, you have to assemble the 25-key keyboard at one point or another. It might have been interesting to distribute the assembly sequences of the three keyboard modules over the entire assembly phase to dilute the repetitive side a little instead of having to string them together after having already spent half a dozen days. 'hours on the record.

The level of finish of the model is sawtooth. The keyboard cover is adorned with a pretty pad-printed piece of a vintage version of the brand's logo that fits perfectly with the technique used by different manufacturers to identify their instruments. The large cover of the instrument is for its part the sub-assembly which really reveals the most annoying aesthetic defects which I mentioned to you above. Under the light, this large black surface gives pride of place to stripes and color variations.

With the last of the 21 bags in the set, we also assemble a pretty little stool whose seat is adjustable in height via a mechanism using an endless screw, just to have a successful exhibition product. The final touch is a pad printed score of a piece composed by Donny Chen, the piano teacher who proposed the LEGO project from which this box is inspired. It takes place on the support provided for this purpose which will also accommodate the essential smartphone used to take advantage of the various functions integrated into the product.

Visually, nothing to say, it is very successful and we get a nice grand piano a little more compact and with the body a little higher than on a "real" version of the instrument, but everything is there with the possibility to present it open or closed and to leave the keyboard visible or not. We just regret the few red pins that remain visible at the level of the pedals and feet, LEGO obviously having difficulty in standardizing the appearance of certain products without insisting on the "construction toy" side.

We will have fun for a few moments watching the hammers bang on the golden rods that embody the strings of the piano and I must admit that the internal mechanism has its small effect, even without using the application. Powered Up. The set remains a toy made from LEGO bricks and it is not uncommon to see a key jam. Nothing serious, but it is not a model adjusted to the millimeter.

I see some who will not fail to note that the retail price of the product could have been more reasonable if LEGO had chosen to make the "interactive" overlay of the product optional. Why not, but I remain convinced that LEGO wants to modernize the image of its products a little to find its place in a market that gives pride of place to digital and / or interactive products and an instrument that does not make music right out of the box. and without going back to the cash register, it's still a toy from another era.

Here, the piano plays music, but it plays by itself and it is not able to reproduce a single note without the presence of the speaker of a smartphone or tablet. You have two options: listen to the piano play a few notes while watching the keys move on their own or pretend to be the one playing the audio track selected in the application by pressing the keys. The selection offered is not top-notch and I don't know if LEGO has plans to flesh it out with other pieces. As it stands, you have to be content with a dozen audio tracks to listen to, including "Happy Birthday to You"And"We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Okay.

When you pretend to play, you can actually press any key on the keyboard, the application will play the next note of the chosen score in any case. You therefore only influence the speed of execution of the sequence. The level of interactivity is very relative on arrival and you quickly get tired of pretending to take yourself for a pianist by "playing" one of the five tracks on offer including the two popular themes mentioned above with the great classic "as a bonus"Jingle Bells ":

More annoying: The mechanism of the instrument is really noisy, and you have to turn up the sound of the smartphone to try to cover the click of the keys which itself barely covers the sound of the motor. One would expect with a toy made from plastic bricks, but the hubbub generated by the keyboard really contrasts with the model's refined look.

All that for that and I am tempted to conclude that for 350 €, it is really poor. But this luxury fan music box who has the means and the desire to exhibit a beautiful instrument in his living room or his office still has some assets that will allow him to find his audience, even if it is a niche product that targets a specific clientele.

The set offers a good dozen hours of assembly with certainly repetitive steps but also some very interesting techniques to obtain the smooth and curved surfaces of the piano body and a very successful internal mechanism despite the presence of a little play in the keyboard and keys that sometimes get stuck.

As for the console of the set 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System, this set is a product that is not intended to appeal to all LEGO fans and so it's up to you to see if you really need a brick piano on your shelves, depending on your affinities with the instrument or your conservatory memories.

We may regret that such a high-end product suffers from the same faults as more affordable LEGO sets in terms of finish and quality of the parts, it is time for the manufacturer to seriously look into the standardization of the colors of certain categories of products. parts and on the packaging of its products which favors the appearance of scratches on many elements.

The overlay of interactivity could almost have been convincing if it were not satisfied with some uninteresting music, as if LEGO were betting on the fact that the buyers of this set will only use it to wish a happy birthday or a merry Christmas. to someone...

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 22, 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.

It's time to do a little promotion for the LEGO Stores which are currently offering the small LEGO Super Mario promotional set until August 16. 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom Expansion Set for any purchase of the starter pack 71360 Adventures with Mario sold for € 59.99.

This little set does not offer anything exceptional or exclusive, but when we see the prices charged for the other expansions of this board game, we are not going to complain about getting a free product that adds some fun possibilities to the game. starter pack.

This 163-piece box also offers a little more interactivity than some of the paid expansions currently sold with a progression that allows you to rock the Stone-Eye seen in the New Super Mario Bros. game. U Deluxe to a mobile platform that ejects the Topi Taupe from its burrow. As usual, you have to hit hard to achieve the desired effect and make the mole fly away.

As with the other extensions of the LEGO Super Mario concept, the instructions for this set are only available through the dedicated application and this level is only an extension delivered without the start and finish stickers necessary to fully enjoy the product .

This small box will eventually allow some of those who want to keep only the different characters and accessories of the range to save some money: The Topi Taupe (or Monty Mole for purists) is also delivered in the set 71363 Desert Pokey sold for 19.99 €, the Super Mushroom is in the set 71366 Boomer Bill Dam sold for € 29.99 and the POW action brick is in the set 71362 Guarded Fortress sold for € 49.99.

I think it is no longer necessary to clarify that the Mario figure is not provided in these expansions, it is only available in the starter pack 71360 Adventures with Mario sold for € 59.99.

The offer that grants this small expansion is only available in the LEGO Stores, but anyone who pre-ordered the Starter Pack when it went live on the Official Store also got it. Too bad for the others.

LEGO having sent two copies of this box to all the blogs of the planet to ensure the promotion of the offer, I put them as usual with a deadline of participation fixed at August 16, 2020 to 23 p.m.

(Special thanks GeekMe3 for the LEGO Store photo)

Update : The winners have been drawn and have been notified by email, their nicknames are indicated below. Without a response from them to my request for contact details within 5 days, new winners will be drawn.

Today we make a detour to the LEGO Star Wars range with the set 75284 Knights of Ren Transport Ship, a box of 595 pieces freely inspired by the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and sold for € 69.99.

I think the ship to be built here can be categorized as dispensable gear because they only make a few very stealthy appearances on screen, with two scenes that I remember: a rear view of the Night Buzzard in it. space and a plan on the side of the ship when the six extras who occupy it go to Pasaana.

The stealth of these appearances undoubtedly partially explains why LEGO did not really bother to offer us anything other than a version. Mega Microfighter of this vessel and it is the presence of minifigs and the resulting scale problem that will make this reproduction a little ridiculous in the eyes of some.

You will not spend long hours building this ship of about thirty centimeters long, the internal structure based on Technic beams, the (empty) shell that is attached to it and the few sub-assemblies that bring a little detail are assembled very quickly. There is no interior layout, but LEGO provides us with three large skids which act as landing gear. These three skis assure us "realistic flight effect"according to the official description of the set. Of which act.

The outer appearance of the ship is in my opinion overall very satisfactory considering the scale of the model and the side Chibi of the thing is not too much noticeable as long as one keeps the three minifigs provided apart. When it comes to trying to combine the ship with the characters, you have to settle for two narrow firing stations and a slightly more spacious compartment for "lock up Rey after his capture"... And so this is where the side microfighter overpriced is fully expressed.

Taken separately, I find the ship to be quite successful and the scale of the model ultimately doesn't bother me that much. It's easily displayed alongside a UCS Star Destroyer and I didn't have an overwhelming desire to know what might have been inside anyway. The angles of the cabin are correct, the level of detail is acceptable and the rear engines do the job. Anyway, quibbling over the aesthetic shortcuts used to design the ship with the scale used here is a waste of time.

The two missile launchers ensuring the playability quota of the product are relatively well integrated under the side panels of the cabin and they could possibly be removed if their presence reminds you a little too much that this is a children's toy.

I readily understand the disappointment of those who hoped to one day obtain a Night Buzzard sufficiently detailed and spacious to be able to accommodate the fine team in full, but I prefer to have to pay only 70 € instead of two or three times more for a vessel which in the end does not deserve as much consideration as other more emblematic machines from the Star Wars saga. Too bad for Cardo's bedroom, Trudgen's closet, Vicrul's bathroom or Kuruk's cockpit.

Three minifigs are provided in this box: Rey Palpatine (she had not yet adopted herself at this point in the film), Cardo and Kuruk. Rey's minifigure is the one already seen in the set 75250 Pasaana Speeder Chase (2019). It's hard to blame LEGO for delivering this version to us again, it's fitting with the film, even if a new variant with some traces of dust on the tunic would have made it possible to fill our Ribba frames a little more.

In the end, we are left with what the majority of fans will invest in this box: the two members of the troop of extras that we missed so far to be able to sleep at night. Cardo and Kuruk finally come to join their four friends distributed by the geniuses of marketing in other sets marketed previously: Trudgen (75272 Sith TIE Fighter), Vicrul (75273 Poe Dameron's X-Wing Fighter), Ap'Lek and Ushar (75256 Kylo Ren's Shuttle).

The costumes of these two new neutral-headed knights still seem to come out of a broke B-series that aired on SyFy, but they are rather faithful to the versions seen on screen. Cardo has his welder's mask and his grenades stuck under the mention and Kuruk wears his famous pilot's helmet of the Night Buzzard with his blinders which, as everyone knows, are very practical for driving.

The weaponry based on classic parts provided is correct, we will be satisfied with the lack of even more faithful molded accessories. The pad prints are impeccable and faithful to the outfits of the film which did not shine anyway by their originality. The "space rags" aspect is there, it is essential.

In short, it will be necessary to do with this version microfighter Night Buzzard until the renewal cycle of the LEGO Star Wars range may one day allow us to be entitled to a more substantial version of the ship.

The marketing aces at LEGO know that today's kids who have discovered The Rise of Skywalker at the cinema and who only have their pocket money to give are also the adults of tomorrow who will be able to afford a 200 or 250 € version of the ship.

So I think we will one day have a more detailed version of the Night Buzzard with closets, a bedroom and a cockpit. In the meantime, we will be content with this somewhat basic model but more affordable than a luxury playset.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 18, 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.

Let's talk one last time about the LEGO Super Mario set 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System, a box available since August 1st on which almost everything has already been said and which at least had the merit of leaving almost no one indifferent: tribute to a legendary console for some, a simple model too expensive for others, this reproduction of the NES accompanied by its vintage television is a product aimed at a very specific audience and it is logical that many LEGO fans remain unmoved in front of this large box of 2646 pieces sold for 230 €.

We could discuss the interest of spending 230 € on a simple model of a console still available on the secondary market for around sixty euros: The NES is not a product that has permanently disappeared from the surface of the globe since its launch in 1987 and those who want to take a slice of nostalgia can still do so without breaking the bank. In 2016, Nintendo even offered a miniature version of the console with around thirty games. So you have to be both a very nostalgic player and a fan of LEGO to consider buying this set, belonging to only one of these two categories will probably not be enough.

I think that LEGO could have been content to offer us a simple model of the NES with two controllers and a cartridge for 80 or 90 €. Many would have been satisfied with it, just to have on hand an almost affordable object to display which could occasionally be used to try to trap some friends by trying to make them believe that this NES is not just a simple one. pile of bricks.

But LEGO chose to add a vintage television with a functionality a little less anecdotal than the mechanism of the console. Each of the two constructions in the set is presented separately with its own instruction booklet and there is no interaction between the console and the TV, the two elements are not even connected to each other by a false AV or Scart cable.

The TV to build here is also a bit anachronistic, I remember the time when I played on NES and the TV on which I was wearing my eyes was a little less vintage than this one which seems rather dated from the 60s. It's almost a shame, I have trouble finding the two elements to match and really making the connection with my childhood memories.

The reproduction of the console is almost no surprise. The model is very faithful to the reference product and we find all the details that those who have played for long hours in Super Mario Bros., Metroid or Donkey Kong Jr. know well. The result is stunningly realistic with all the buttons and ports present on the reference model. The ability to insert the game cartridge "like the real one" should easily bring a smile to anyone who has known this console. The fun "experience" obviously ends there with this LEGO model. We will also remember the presence of a easter egg aimed at fans who have really been around Super Mario Bros. under the hood of the console with a reproduction of the game world 1-2 and its Warp Zone.

I was, however, waiting a bit for the simple mixture of colored bricks provided for the bowels of the console and I think the designer could have tried to reproduce even summarily the printed circuits that all those who have one day dismantled their NES to try the clean or repair it well. As it stands, we feel that all efforts have been concentrated on the external appearance of the product, the rest being filling in the service of the mechanism, very realistic moreover, intended to insert the game cartridge.

Note that there are only three stickers in this set, those that dress the game cartridge and the one placed on the back of the TV, and that everything else is pad printed. So much the better, especially for a pure exhibition product whose destiny is to collect dust on a shelf. Using two stickers for the cartridge allows you to at least print your own labels if Super Mario Bros. was not your favorite game and you want to customize this item.

The other construction of the set is therefore the vintage television with its scrolling level. The assembly phase of the model is a little more interesting than that of the console, especially thanks to the installation of the mechanism which drives the game level board. We will also appreciate the attention to detail on the external appearance of the television set. with several pad-printed elements that identify the different adjustment buttons and even a chain change wheel with a notched rotation effect underlined by the snap of the green rod on the gear placed inside the chassis.

To set the level in motion, you have to reel. As the TV is not ballasted enough to hold in place, you will need to hold it with your other hand to prevent it from moving with each turn of the crank. The effect obtained is very successful with a Mario figure in Pixel Art which moves flat on the different elements of the level according to the obstacles symbolized by a layer of additional pieces. The latter obliges the Dish transparent placed at the end of the arm maintaining the figurine to follow the relief of the level. We are not going to lie to each other, we like to reel for a few minutes.

The product is directly associated with the LEGO Super Mario range: It is possible to use the interactive minifigure from the set 71360 Adventures with Mario to add some sound effects to the scrolling level on the TV screen. Mario identifies the different colored pieces placed at the top of the circuit and produces the associated sound and visual events. Even if the result is more than anecdotal, we cannot blame LEGO for proposing a connection between this product for nostalgic adults and the board game intended for the youngest.

In the end, even the most fundamentalist of LEGO and video game fans will have to admit that this product has little else to offer than a big whiff of nostalgia and a few turns of the crank. The debauchery of the efforts of the designers to come up with an impeccably finished package is however to be applauded and the end result should not disappoint those who can afford a fake console and an old TV equipped with a fun feature. .

Remember, if you can't find this particular product appealing, or think it's way overpriced for what it has to offer, then it's not for you. We have to be honest, LEGO has decided to aggressively flirt with adults who are not necessarily fans of the usual ranges and the manufacturer is trying forays into a wide variety of universes to seduce these potential customers. Video games, music, decoration, everything is currently going on and many early fans will perhaps see only products of little interest even if they use the same principle and the same bricks as their favorite toys.

The fact remains that this set is in my opinion a nice demonstration of the manufacturer's know-how with a real attention to detail, a few nods that will be appreciated by the most nostalgic fans of the first versions of the video game. Super Mario Bros. and a simple but successful integration with the LEGO Super Mario range which tries to appeal to the youngest.

As you know that I am eternally dissatisfied, I think that a second controller and a connection cable between the console and the television would not have been too much, especially at 230 € the luxury paperweight accompanied by its carousel manual.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 16, 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 quickly interested in the LEGO DC Comics set 76160 Batman: Mobile Bat-Base (743 pieces - 89.99 €), a box which went a little unnoticed when it was launched last June and which was quickly eclipsed by the flood of product announcements "Lifestyle"currently marketed by LEGO.

I think we have here one of the best LEGO playsets available in the DC Comics universe, provided we admit that Batman can have a headquarters installed in the trailer of a large truck. The idea is not as crazy as it seems: in 2015 we discovered a Bat-Truck over the pages of number # 42 of the comic All New Batman, even if the LEGO version does not have the organic design of the object in question.

There are no longer Bat-vehicles in the LEGO DC Comics range with many remakes, re-editions and reinterpretations of the great classics. In my opinion, the arrival of a truck gives a fresh blow to this universe invaded by Batmobiles, Batcycles and other Batwings, with a vehicle which also manages to stay in the "bat" spirit thanks to a few details aesthetics well felt.

The big advantage of this playset: All of the content provided fits in the truck with plenty of storage spaces rather well thought out. Taken individually, the secondary vehicles delivered in this box do not seem particularly inspired and would only deserve a priori to end up in a small polybag without much interest.

But their integration into the playset enhances them and allows to add a good layer of playability while offering a storage solution when it comes for example to take the truck to a friend: the motorcycle slips into the rear axle , the jet-ski finds its place under the tractor cabin and the quad is hooked under the Batjet via a clip which allows it to remain fixed until its deployment.

The jet ski is even ejected via a rod that goes through the floor of the tractor and you just have to push for the machine to be expelled. For its part, the Batjet has a landing zone at the front of the trailer and once in place it helps to round off the angular shapes of the vehicle a little.

I often criticize designers for the aesthetic shortcuts used for certain sets, here I have the impression that a very great effort has been made to offer a vehicle with a very correct finish while remaining functional.

The least successful machine is perhaps precisely this Batjet which has nothing of Bat and which does not really look like a jet, but a compromise had to be found to have a spaceship that could land on the trailer without disfiguring the truck and adding retractable fins saves the furniture.

The mobile base has an interior space with basic but convincing layout. There is even at the end of the trailer a cell from which the occupant can escape via the mobile panel placed at the rear. The feature will undoubtedly seem anecdotal to many fans but it widens the playful possibilities.

The rest of this compact Batcave on wheels consists of a desk with its control screen and a few accessories, all of which is easily accessible by lifting the mobile part of the body which remains attached to the trailer via a simple hinge based on it. 'Technic elements.

The Batjet canopy and the truck's windshield are currently exclusive parts to this box in this color Trans Yellow and I salute the effort to offer us these elements, moreover rather common in transparent versions, in a color which allows to obtain a vehicle that aesthetically sticks to the universe of the vigilante of Gotham.

The inevitable sheet of stickers is provided here, including a slew of bat-logos to stick everywhere so that the owner of the different vehicles is clearly identifiable. Black on black, it works, there is no risk of color difference.

If we can regret a certain imbalance in the endowment of vehicles in this box which only equips Batman and his acolytes, the assortment of minifigs is relatively balanced with three heroes and three villains. All these characters are not unseen, but the set will seduce collectors with some very original minifigs.

Batman's torso and head are items seen in many sets released in 2019 and in the set. 76159 Joker's Trike Chase marketed this year. The head of this minifig has also become the barometer of the evolution of pad printing techniques at LEGO and we can see here that the character's face is a little less pale than in other older boxes but that the problem is not. is still not resolved ...

Batgirl minifig, delivered here in version Rebirth, is almost perfect. She just needs boots to match the rest of the costume to be completely successful. The effort has been made on all elements, including double-sided cape with blue interior and black exterior surface, to give us a pretty minifigure but the legs remain hopelessly neutral. The character's hair is not new, it is that of Black Widow (Marvel), Lois Lane (Superman) or Mera (Aquaman).

The Nightwing minifigure, also in version Rebirth, also suffers from the lack of detail on the legs. It's a shame, the torso is really very successful. The hair is also that of Harry Potter, Cole (Ninjago) and Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things).

The minifig of Mr. Freeze is not new, it is the one seen in the set 76118 Mr. Freeze Batcycle Battle (2018) and in a bag offered with an issue of the LEGO Batman magazine released in 2020.

This is not the first appearance of Man-Bat at LEGO, the version New 52 was delivered in the set 76011 Man-Bat Attack in 2014 then in the set 70905 The Batmobile based on the animated film The LEGO Batman Movie in 2017.

LEGO offers us here a version Rebirth new with a superb torso and the element to be placed on the head already seen in brown on the previous version of the character is here delivered in white with a nice pad printing in the hollow of the ears.

The legs used for this new minifigure are however not new, they are those used for two of the minifigs of the Hidden Side set. 70423 Paranormal Intercept Bus 3000 (2019) and more recently for the driver of the vehicle in the promotional set 40409 Hot Rod.

This box finally allows us to obtain a version Prime Earth by Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger. The torso and the head of the character are nicely executed but here we can also regret the absence of details, even summary, on the legs delivered in Dark orange.

In short, this box sold for 90 € at LEGO but already available for much cheaper at Amazon In my opinion, deserves the detour with an original vehicle, a nice assortment of minifigs and playful possibilities increased tenfold by the presence of many additional Bat-things, which find here a justification for their design a priori very summary.

Sets as balanced as this one are becoming increasingly rare and it would be a shame to miss out on a product that in my opinion brings a little freshness to a range that often tends to be content to ramble.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 13, 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.