It is one of the vehicles that gave me back a taste for LEGOs and that made me dive back into this universe that I had put aside for various reasons, with the set 8018 Armored Assault Tank released in 2009. Since then I obviously ruined myself to assemble the Star Wars range and I was therefore able to appreciate the 2000 version with the set 7155 Trade Federation AAT to which was added in 2011 the mini set 30052 AAT.

This machine, a cross between the tank and the hovercraft used by the Trade Federation during the invasion of Naboo has always fascinated me. I recently fell in love with ten copies of the set 30052 on Bricklink without really knowing why. Maybe I dream of having an AAT army and replaying the Battle of Naboo .... And you can get it new in its bag for less than $ 3 which makes it a steal if you like it. tan ....

The original tan-beige color was replaced by a mixture of blue and gray when the Federation of Commerce joined the Confederation of Independent Systems.

This MOC ofDarkness pushes a little further the level of detail largely obscured by LEGO in its versions System of this AAT, and makes this machine a reproduction much more faithful to the original model.

Everything is there: Colors, overall shape, functionalities, respected minifigure scale. I also really like the choice of parts used to respect the characteristic design of this machine without harming the aesthetics.

A beautiful achievement for which you can admire other views and some close-ups of the cockpit on the flickr gallery d'Darkness.

If you have a Mac (iMac, MacBook) and have been waiting ages to be able to play LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, your ordeal has just ended, or almost.

Indeed, the game has just appeared on the Mac App Store with a price of 23.99 € and a download of 6.42 GB.
Unfortunately, it seems that Feral Interactive Ltd, a studio specializing in porting many games to Mac, has not fully optimized this conversion and some complaints are already emerging about the heaviness of the whole and the lag present in the phases. of game.

The fact remains that this game is exceptional, that it will appeal to the little ones who will love lightsaber battles and to the adults who will salivate in front of so many machines in LEGO pieces that we would all like to be able to discover in the form of a good set. real ....

You can buy this game directly online at the Mac App Store or on the site of Feral Interactive for the modest sum of 25 €. Note that a mini site rather well done dedicated to this game has been put together by the publisher.

I had already told you about this MOCeur which has invented and above all baptized its own scale for its MOCs, the "Moodland Scale", a scale similar to that used in the Minilands of LEGOLand parks.

I had particularly appreciated his General Grievous and his Speeder Bike with a Scout Trooper and even if his latest creations (see his flickr gallery) did not thrill me, I am still stunned by the ingenuity deployed to offer these characters based on judiciously used pieces.
The resemblance to their cinematographic models is obvious, despite a certain element of surprise at first glance.

M <0> <0> DSWIM puts the cover back with a teaser of his next creation which this time seems to me on the right track .... The ARF Trooper is simply excellent, and the AT-RT which we see one of the legs should be impressive considering given the work already done and the final scale of the machine .....

If you want to follow the evolution of this creation, add M <0> <0> DSWIM to your contacts on flickr or put his gallery favorite...

It is one of the machines that has been the subject of countless MOCs over the years and its status as a symbol of the Star Wars universe is undoubtedly for something ...

This time it's Rusty, inspired by Marshall Banana's MOC which we had been able to admire the dewback a few months ago, which sticks to it.

His X-Wing is successful, the cockpit is original and Rusty did not choose the easy way by avoiding the classic LEGO part usually devoted to this use. The nose of the machine is a bit thin for my taste (or the cheese slopes do this to me ...) but fits well into the whole. The rear is particularly successful and the engines are of a simplicity which does not affect the final rendering, very coherent.

The presentation support, although bulky, is ingenious, it does not distort the overall presentation of the vessel and is an integral part of the MOC.

Other views, including a close-up of the cockpit, are available at the flickr gallery de Rusty (aka magikstef).

One remark, however, intended for all talented MOCeurs: Don't neglect the staging of your photos. A checkered tablecloth, poor lighting, or a blurry photo can mess up your work and a lot of fans will miss out on your MOC because the shots or presentation don't measure up.
No need to start designing a photo studio if you don't want to or can't afford it: A simple white sheet and daylight will be enough to showcase your work for the enjoyment of the whole community.

This is in light of an interesting article by Kevin Peachey that appeared in the Business section of the BBC website that the observation is obvious: We have not finished seeing series of minifigs and other characters in bags of all kinds.

The basic premise is simple: households are suffering the crisis, children love to collect toys and manufacturers are eager to meet this demand by multiplying products at low cost and with a strong connotation. collection.

In Great Britain and for the first nine months of 2011, LEGO wins the prize for the best-selling toy (In total financial value) with its minifigs (Minifigure Series) to collect in sachets.
This success necessarily whets the appetite of competitors.

Playmobil (Figure Series) et MegaBrands (MegaBloks Marvel Character Building Series) responded quickly to LEGO by also offering series of collectable characters, sold blind and in bags that take all the codes of the LEGO range: Opaque plastic creating curiosity and surprise among the youngest, different color for each series, mention of the series concerned on the bag with a sufficiently explicit visual to make the purchaser understand that he will have to invest his pocket money to complete his collection of figurines ....

A little hypocrisy does not hurt, David Buxbaum, the marketing director of LEGO explains about the opaque and identical bags for the whole series concerned that this choice was made to reduce production costs. Different packaging for each minifigure would have been too expensive.
It is obvious that this is true industrially, but the main reason for this choice probably lies more on the concept of surprise and repetitive purchase to complete a range .... 

Analysts are clear: These cheap toys are selling more and more because they bring, besides the appearance collection, immediate playability and represent an obvious exchange value in schoolyards.

I posted a few days ago an article on Brick Heroes in which I mentioned the possibility that the Superheroes Marvel and DC range is also available in the form of minifigs in sachets.
These statistics and this article confirm this idea and I do not exclude that the Star Wars range may also be affected in the long term.
While no one expected it, it is already taking a turn with the launch in 2012 of the Planet series, about which we already know that two waves of 3 sets are planned.

Georges Lucas will surely see no objection to collecting even more royalties from stormtroopers, rebels, droids and Jedi in sachets ...