LEGO having taken the trouble to send a copy to the entire blogosphere, we are now quickly touring the LEGO Marvel polybag 30454 Shang-Chi and The Great Protector which is currently automatically added to the basket from € 40 of purchase in products from the LEGO Marvel range. The offer should in principle last until August 15, but it has already been stopped across the Atlantic ...

In the bag of 55 pieces valued by LEGO at 3.99 €, enough to assemble the Great Protector with its base which gives it foolproof stability and the Shang-Chi minifigure available since today in the sets 76176 Escape From The Ten Rings (29.99 €) and 76177 Battle at the Ancient Village (39.99 €). The character's outfit is relatively minimalist with neutral legs and a red torso with a single color pad printed to represent the tunic's designs, but the ensemble is very faithful to the outfit featured on the movie posters.

For those wondering, the dragon stand is a relatively common piece available since the start of the year in multiple sets. The element also available in orange and pink is very practical for displaying minifigs while ensuring maximum stability. Here, it allows to put the dragon in scene without letting it rest on its legs.

This promotional polybag does not therefore provide an exclusive figurine but it is a nice derivative product that still offers a few minutes of construction with a very well articulated water dragon thanks to several Ball Seals and rather convincing on this scale. Only the creature's head cannot be oriented laterally, the clip used only authorizing vertical movements.

Finding out how to spend 40 € on products from the LEGO Marvel range will not be very complicated when you know the prices charged by LEGO. It's up to you to see if you have to pay for one or two sets at full price on the official store or in the LEGO Store to get this bag or if it is better to wait until these boxes are at a knockdown price elsewhere than at LEGO and buy the bag. separately on the secondary market.

Note: The polybag shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 15, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

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 content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75319 The Armorer's Mandalorian Forge (258 pieces), a derivative of the series The Mandalorian broadcast on Disney + which will be available from September 1st at the public price of € 29.99.

As often in the LEGO Star Wars range, this small playset is a very simplified interpretation of what it reproduces but this forge of a few pieces is doing quite well given the extremely small inventory. To put the set in context, you still have to remember that the places and the character of the gunsmith only appear for little more than three minutes in the series.

We find the elements seen on the screen with the central focus, the anvil that allows you to work the Beskar and two pieces of walls that try to recreate the atmosphere of the forge. It's minimalist but it was anyway illusory to imagine a completely closed space. Too bad for the three ingots that embody the Beskar blocks, a pad-printed element or even a simple sticker to stick on a Tile would have been appreciated, especially in a set whose action only revolves around the casting and working of this precious metal.

The forge hearth has a feature that allows the upper part to be moved, the price to pay for the absence of a ceiling on the LEGO version of the premises being the presence of a beam and a few blue Technic pines which remain clearly visible. The most demanding will quickly find a solution to modify the thing and possibly replace the beam and the pins with a few better integrated parts.

The layout of the premises is sufficient to stage the characters provided and display everything on a shelf. We note the presence of a neutral helmet and the sticker to stick in the cabinet which reproduces the tools of the Mandalorian blacksmith. As usual, the box with its beautiful graphic design which reinforces the staging oversells the product a bit but we will do with it.

As for the three minifigs provided, The Armorer, Paz Vizsla and The Mandalorian, the Din Djarin figurine is the one already seen in the set 75299 Trouble on Tatooine, she loses her cape but here finally inherits a jetpack.

Paz Vizsla is pretty convincing with his heavy armor but the parts-based jetpack in my opinion is a failure. I understand the desire to add volume to the character's back gear, but the combination of parts used is a bit too coarse for my liking.

The blacksmith figurine does well with a very detailed helmet whose mold is identical to that of the Gar Saxon figurine delivered in the set 75316 Mandalorian Fighter and a pretty torso that even suggests the presence of the fur collar worn by the character. LEGO could have possibly added the fur collar seen on the shoulders of Huntsman (Monkie Kid), Joker, Kraven or Severus Snape. We could also discuss the length and color of the horns on the helmet but the adaptation remains in my opinion sufficiently convincing.

Under the different helmets, it's black and neutral for everyone. The weapons provided could have been more elaborate, the Technic pin placed at the end of that of Paz Vizsla is not really convincing.

The merchandise of the series in my opinion deserved better than those DIY weapons made from pins, adjustable wrenches and saber handles. LEGO knows how to make brooms and hammers, it is time to offer us weapons a little more faithful. Same remark for the tools of the gunsmith which are here simply symbolized by a sticker to stick in the cupboard, an effort would have been appreciated.

Upon arrival, this derivative is a nice nod to the few scenes that take place in the Mandalorian Forge. The features are there, some visual details are missing to give the product a little more cachet, but the pretty minifigs provided more than make up for it. Add a few Stormtroopers and you can reproduce the scene which confirms that the gunsmith also knows how to fight.

Fans who do not have an unlimited budget allowing them to buy the big boxes sold for several hundred euros will no doubt be delighted to be able to afford a nice souvenir of the more affordable series and that is a very good news.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 15, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

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.