2013 review: My tops and my flops

What to remember from 2013 except that this past year still cost me too much in LEGO. In the mass of sets that I acquired during the year, some will remain as interesting boxes that I appreciate where others have only joined my storage space to satisfy my collectionnite.

In the Star Wars range, I retain two sets that I particularly liked in 2013. First of all, the 10236 Ewok Village because LEGO is doing well by offering a plush diorama and a slew of cool minifigs.

I experienced the release of this Ewok Village as the arrival of the set which finally allows us to bring together all these somewhat frustrating boxes released over the years with a few Ewoks and other Scout Troopers accompanied by a tree (7956 Ewok Attack, 9489 Endor Rebel Trooper & Imperial Trooper Battle Pack and even the 7139 Ewok Attack of 2002...) by adding of course the excellent set 8038 The Battle of Endor released in 2009. The ultimate Endor diorama of sorts ...

I also really enjoyed the set 75025 Jedi Defender-Class Cruiser, a nice ship from the universe of The Old Republic, which is one of the few Star Wars sets in the 2013 System range to offer anything other than a few cool minifigs accompanied by a large handful of parts serving as an alibi. It also has the merit of refreshing, as was the case with the set 9500 Sith Fury-Class Interceptor in 2012, a line which understandably consists of a lot of remakes of the same ships.

Younger fans or AFOLs returning from Dark Age are delighted to finally be able to afford a Republic Gunship (75021) at a reasonable price where I only see a reissue of sets 7163 (2002) and 7676 (2008). It takes for everyone...

Regarding the disappointments, I remember two things: The scandalous cockpit sticker almost impossible to put on the set 10240 Red Five X-Wing Starfighter, pettiness that no longer exists on boxes sold at high prices and the Jabba's Sail Barge of the set 75020. I was hoping, perhaps a little naively, for something more ambitious than a simple, somewhat failed remake of the 6210 set released in 2006.

On the superhero side, an overall thumbs up to LEGO for the DC Universe / DC Comics branch of the line, even though I'm starting to get a lot of Batman minifigs ...

If the Tumbler of the set 76001 The Bat vs. Bane: Tumbler Chase is an insult to all fans of The Dark Knight saga, the set 10937 Arkham Asylum Breakout released at the end of 2012 / beginning of 2013 raises the level brilliantly: It is a superb playset, aesthetically very successful and if LEGO could take us out the rest of the asylum with the characters that are missing in a second set, it would be paradise. .

The rest of the lineup, including pitiful sets based on the movie Man of Steel, especially for the minifigs of the DC Comics universe that I collect with pleasure.

Regarding the Marvel licensed sets, it's very poor: The sets based on the movie Iron Man 3 and on the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man have only the merit of coming to supply our collections of super heroes with new minifigs, the rest of the contents of these boxes also serving as an alibi to justify the mention " Construction toy".

Regarding the Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit range, I'm generally satisfied with what LEGO was able to offer in 2013: the set 10237 Tower of Orthanc is a success, with a downside concerning the many stickers to stick. In my opinion, this is a great example of a successful combination of exposure potential and playability.

Everything is not in the same barrel and I could have done without the set 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush for example. Other important scenes of the trilogy would have deserved a box instead of this one.

Among the four sets of The Hobbit range, I especially remember the set 79013 Lake Town Chase, but I think LEGO did well with the boxes on offer. The minifigs are superb and although I would have liked to have had higher walls, bigger rocks, etc ... for me, the contract is fulfilled.

Obviously, the sets that I liked the most in 2013 are mostly big boxes which not only contain a few minifigs, but which offer a real playful or visual context and long hours of construction. This is what I expect from LEGO, and I hope 2014 will live up to it ...

And you, what are your favorite sets out of all those released in 2013? Which ones did you hate?