All those who despaired of being able to add to their collection one day a LEGO model of the Snowspeeder or T-47 AirSpeeder in UCS version (Ultimate Collector Series) must feel relieved since the announcement of the set 75144 Snowspeeder (219.99 € in the LEGO Shop starting April 29 for members of the VIP program).

The and 10129 Rebel Snowspeeder (1457 pieces), marketed from 2003 to 2005, has long since become inaccessible except to resolve to spend more than 1500 € to afford this box which has become rather rare in new condition. Needless to say, the 2017 version is also vastly superior to that of 2003 in terms of design.

In any case, the LEGO and Star Wars fan who wishes to add this machine to his collection will therefore not have much choice: The set LEGO Star Wars 75144 Snowspeeder, with its 1703 parts, its two minifigs and its public price of 219.99 €, is essential.

LEGO sent me a copy of this set and I take this opportunity to give you my impressions of this new version of the Snowspeeder.

Rest assured, I am ultimately very enthusiastic about this model, even if as usual I point the finger at certain details and shortcuts that seem questionable to me.

Some will rightly wonder about the color of the LEGO version. The manufacturer once again delivers a reproduction where white predominates while the models used on the filming of the film were obviously gray:

It will undoubtedly be possible to find at the bottom of an obscure encyclopedia on the saga an article indicating that the Snowspeeders were immaculate white before going to wallow in the snows of the planet Hoth and being damaged by the shootings. Empire AT-ATs. But the fact remains that the Snowspeeders present on the screen are not white.

By turning over this Snowspeeder, we also notice that LEGO has largely dressed the machine with gray parts. It is sketchy, but sufficient. Once placed on its base, the Snowspeeder does not reveal much of this dressing anyway.

It's hard to know why LEGO chose white for the Snowspeeder. In 1999, LEGO nevertheless marketed a gray version of the machine in the set System 7130. We can bet that a marketing study will have concluded that the color gray was not sufficiently attractive and that white was essential.

It took me an evening to overcome this model. Nothing very complicated. Until the installation of the thirty stickers that dress this set including those that define more precisely the lines of the cockpit. We can never say it enough, the words Ultimate, Collector et Stickers definitely don't go together.

Regarding white stickers or on a white background, their color does not match that of the parts. It's "too white" or "whiter than white" and visually it's average.

You can oppose me all the reasons in the world to justify the presence of so many stickers in a box of this type, they are in my eyes inadmissible. We're talking about an exhibition product intended to collect dust and endure the ravages of time, sold for more than € 200 by a toy manufacturer that is making crazy margins. Find me a valid excuse, I'm listening to you.

LEGO seems aware of the difficulty of putting some of these stickers correctly and gives some tips to facilitate their application:

Want to play LEGO Worlds? Here is an opportunity to win a copy of the PS4 version with a contest that will allow three of you to not have to spend € 30.

The PS4 version allows you to get the LEGO Agents expansion pack exclusive to this platform.

It's not the game of the year, far from it, but if we offer it to you it's always a catch.

To participate, you must identify yourself via the interface below. No participation via comments. Three winners will be drawn.

Losers can console themselves by buying the game on the platform of their choice (PC, PS4 or XBOX One) at amazon or in Micromania.

Thanks to Warner Bros. UK who agreed to provide me with three copies of the game for the occasion.

Useful details:

The data collected via the interface below is only used in the context of the competition. You will not be spammed by anyone and your email address will not be resold to insurance comparators or furniture dealers. There is no point in trying to cheat, the system is smart enough to detect fraudulent entries.

Notice to all Modulars fans, a contest organized on Rebrick You may be able to expand (or start) your collection with an exceptional endowment (see below).

To participate, you must create a Mini-Modular in the spirit of those of the exclusive set 10230 LEGO Mini Modulars offered to members of the VIP program in 2012 (below) by scrupulously respecting the rules below:

This competition is only accessible via a direct link, but it is open to everyone, members of RLUG / RLFM or not, as specified in the rules. Quebecers cannot participate, they know why.

If you have some time to spare, don't miss this opportunity to win some LEGO CITY Police sets: LEGO organizes a contest which will allow the most creative to win seven of the Police boxes from the LEGO CITY 2017 collection:

The Speed ​​Champions range has its fans and there are many of them. Launched in 2015, it already has 21 boxes containing legendary cars and competition vehicles produced by the major players in the automotive sector: Audi, Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Mercedes, Bugatti, Chevrolet and Ford.

The scale of these vehicles to assemble (6 Studs wide) allows them to be accumulated without sacrificing too much space to display them and their design makes them playable to the delight of the youngest.

The and 75881 2016 Ford GT & 1966 Ford GT40 (366 pieces) offers for 34.99 € to assemble two emblematic models of the Ford brand. This gearbox is in fact a tribute to the two vehicles which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with fifty years apart.

In 1966, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon took the wheel of a Ford GT40 MKII in front of two other crews driving the same vehicle.

In 2016, Sébastien Bourdais, Joey Hand and Dirk Müller won in the GTE Pro category at the wheel of a Ford GT.

To mark the occasion, LEGO therefore includes two drivers in this box: The 2016 outfit and one of the two members of the 1966 crew. On the other hand, the car of Bourdais, Hand and Müller (Team Ganassi USA) carried the number 68 during 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016. Here we have that of the Pla, Müke and Johnson crew (n ° 66 - Team Ganassi UK) who finished 4th in the category. It's not a big deal, three Ford GT40s are in the top four places in the standings (1st, 3rd and 4th).

As a bonus, you get a mechanic / race official with his cap, a podium and a trophy. Nice pad printing for coveralls. It's clean and the level of detail is excellent.

Nothing to say about the two vehicles, they are believable LEGO reproductions of the respective versions of these cars. Fans of beautiful cars and motorsport will notice a few flaws in these two models, but for ordinary people (including myself), the result is more than satisfactory.

The finish inevitably involves the installation of the many stickers provided. Without all these stickers, it is less pretty. It is quickly built, the pilots take their places in the cockpit and on the way.

I know there is a debate among LEGO vehicle enthusiasts about the ideal width for a vehicle reproduction on this scale, 6 studs, 8 studs, it seems to me that opinions are divided.

I don't really have an opinion on the subject but I am curious to read the one of those who dug the question. As far as I'm concerned, the more compact the better. The explanation for this very personal opinion can be found further down in the article.

Paradoxically, it is wrong to say that everything is only stickers in this box. There is one pad-printed part in the set: The glass roof of the Ford GT with a large red surface and the FORD inscription. For the rest, you have to center, glue, possibly peel off and start again until you get the perfect alignment.

After trying several techniques, I confirm that the one which consists of placing a corner of the sticker on the handle of the LEGO brick separator rather than on your fingers to better manage the alignment and the installation works rather well. Good point: No sticker overlaps two pieces.

By the way, if you have any new or particularly effective techniques for installing stickers, please share them in the comments.

The compact size of these cars takes me back to the days when I collected what we called "small cars"Majorette or Matchbox brand, offered by my father when he bought his newspaper in his usual tobacconist. Same feeling when I take in hand one of these LEGO vehicles: It's easy enough to handle, it's solid and it makes you want to accumulate even more ...

For "old people" like me, there is a little Proust madeleine effect with these products from the Speed ​​Champions range which can quickly knock you over ...

Until now, I had always looked at this range with suspicion because of my allergy to stickers. But the pleasure of having in my hands these pretty reproductions of mythical vehicles weighs in the balance and I am almost ready to give myself a reason even if LEGO will not be able to convince me that these often unsightly stickers are inevitable, especially on parts 1x1 ...

These two cars are currently on display at the Geneva auto show and in three different forms: The original vehicles, their brick-based reproductions and the set versions 75881 2016 Ford GT & 1966 Ford GT40.

Note: The set presented here is involved. To participate, you must intervene in the comments. You have until 15 March 2017 to 23h59 to contribute to the discussion and a draw will determine the winner. The winner's name / nickname will be posted here within 24/48 hours of the contest closing date. Thanks to Ford for providing the set.

Update : The winner has been drawn, his nickname is indicated below.