It's no longer a secret, the LEGO Ideas set 40487 Sailboat Adventure will be available in August at the official online store and in the LEGO Stores. This is the US Store Calendar of the month of August 2021 which unveils the first "official" visual of this promotional product inspired by the winning participation of the organized competition on the LEGO platform in July 2020.

Across the Atlantic, you will have to spend at least $ 200 on LEGO products to be offered this small box with a VIP preview from August 1 to 3, followed by global availability of the offer from August 4 to 29, 2021. Chez us, the minimum amount to spend to take advantage of the offer will be € 200.

In addition to this very high minimum amount offer, the LEGO Marvel polybag 30454 Shang-Chi and The Great Protector will be offered from August 1 to 15, 2021 from $ 40 / € 40 purchase in products from the LEGO Marvel range.

In the USA, the LEGO set 5006978 Masters Book of Secrets will be offered from August 1 to 31, 2021 from $ 60 purchase of products from the LEGO Classic range, it is a priori a book gathering examples of construction techniques. This offer surfing on the broadcast of the new season of the American version of the LEGO Masters show, it is unlikely that it will be offered in Europe.

Finally, we will remember the return of the LEGO Super Mario promotional polybag 30389 Fuzzy & Mushroom Platform already offered in 2020 and which will be offered again from August 16 to September 5, 2021 from $ 40 / € 40 purchase in products from the Super Mario range. As a bonus, members of the VIP program will be able to hope to be able to obtain some rewards imagined in partnership with Nintendo from August 1 to 12, 2021.

Update : the offer, which should in principle make it possible to obtain VIP rewards on the My Nintendo platform, is slipped away, LEGO and Nintendo having demanded in the process the withdrawal of any promotion of this operation.

Lego uploaded on the official store the visuals of the 12 characters that will be available in the next series of minifig in a bag LEGO Marvel Studios (ref. 71031). Three characters will be from the series Wandavision (Scarlet Witch, Vision and Monica Rambeau), two characters are based on the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes), two characters are inspired by the series Loki (Loki and Sylvie) and five characters will be in the series What If ...? (Captain Carter, Zombie Captain America, T'Challa Star-Lord, Zombie Hunter Spidey and Gamora)

Availability announced on the official website for September 1, 2021. € 3.99 per bag.

After a day of rumors announcing the more or less definitive end of the LEGO VIDIYO range, the manufacturer is going there this evening of a press release which confirms that the range launched last January has not found its audience.

According to LEGO, the concept had yet been successfully tested with an audience of children and families, but the enthusiasm of "real" consumers will not have exceeded the launch of the range. LEGO concludes that the flop of the range is only linked to the complexity of the "experience" without making any reference to the pricing policy practiced on this range or to the many bugs that are still present in the range today. augmented reality application essential to take advantage of these products.

As a result, LEGO says it wants to review its copy with Universal Music to better return in 2023 with an improved "experience" and new ideas. We believe in.

Pending this heralded rebirth of the concept, products already available will continue to be sold through the usual channels and the manufacturer says it will not let down customers who have already invested in these products and who hope to enjoy some more. the existing application.
Below, the press release provided by LEGO:

We've already talked a lot about the vehicle from the LEGO Technic set 42126 Ford Raptor F-150, a box of 1379 pieces which is currently on pre-order on the official online store at the public price of 139.99 € with availability announced for September 1st, and the orange color chosen by LEGO is not unanimous.

If you want to see what a blue body would look like, know thata russian sign has posted a slew of illustrative visuals of the product, including the two featured here which feature what appears to be a very preliminary version of the 2017-2020 version of the vehicle. And he's blue. Other details of this prototype are not on the final version of the product or were significantly changed before going into production, with the version released by LEGO being based on the 2021 model of the Raptor.

We will talk soon about this Ford Raptor F-150 on the occasion of a "Review ", but I already regret that LEGO did not choose to decline the vehicle in blue ...

Today we quickly make the rounds of the other novelty of the LEGO Technic range expected from August 1: the set 42128 Heavy-duty Tow Truck which, as the title of the product indicates, allows to assemble a big tow truck of 2017 parts and which should please fans of shows like "The road to hell"broadcast on RMC Découverte or Discovery Channel.

We will be a fan or not of the general appearance of the tow truck, but I think it really looks great with its shimmering colors and very original graphics stickers. The vehicle, which finally takes over from the more austere version of the set 8285 Tow Truck dating from 2006 is 58cm long, 22cm high and 14cm wide with the stabilizers stowed. The footprint increases to 27 cm when the two lateral stabilizers are deployed.

We could quibble about the fact that the crane clearly protrudes from the cabin with on arrival an impression of a difference in scale between the two elements, especially in profile. For those who are wondering, the Mack Anthem from set 42078 is practically on the scale of this tow truck: it measures 15 cm wide and 22 cm high.

As you already know, this tow truck offers a set of functions combining mechanical and pneumatic solutions. As for the purely mechanical functions, it is no surprise, we are working hard to deploy the two lateral stabilizers equipped with linear cylinders synchronized with those placed at the rear of the vehicle, to lower the third rear axle, to turn the crane and to reassemble the cables of the two independent winches.

The functionality that is in my opinion the most annoying is the one that puts the crane in rotation, it is long and laborious with the added bonus of a gear fixed on a support which sometimes has an annoying tendency to disengage if you force a little when that the crane platform comes to a stop. Regulars to the LEGO Technic range know that reeling is part of the deal and they shouldn't blame LEGO for having to watch a stabilizer descend very slowly and end up touching the ground after having turned the dedicated wheel for a long time.

If you want to see all of the product's features in action, I've summarized it all for you in the video footage below:

Three pneumatic functions are offered and their use is much more dynamic and exciting: it is possible to raise and lower the crane arm, extend and bring back the boom and lower or raise the rear towing fork. To take advantage of these technical refinements, you have to pump. Many. LEGO did not consider it useful to integrate an air tank into the product and each setting in motion is therefore accompanied by an intensive pumping sequence. It is not very serious, but it would have been appreciable to be able to raise the arm of the crane at first then to follow directly by the extension of the jib without having to go back through the pumping box. Here it is impossible to combine the features hoping to let go of the pump. Before starting the extension of the boom, it will be essential to provide a sufficient length of cable so that the arm is not retained in its movement, the two safety latches of the winches preventing the unwinding of the cable.

The pump is also not new, it is the one already seen in the set 42053 Volvo EW160E marketed in 2016. It is placed just behind the cabin, it knows how to be relatively discreet and nevertheless remains easily accessible. The pneumatic tube circuit is more or less well integrated into the vehicle with a few portions which remain clearly visible and which in my opinion could have been a little better organized.

It will be necessary to measure the tubes provided at the start of the assembly so as not to be mistaken afterwards, LEGO referring to their length when choosing which unit joins the construction. You can always cut some of the tubes before installing them and this aesthetically somewhat hazardous integration in places will be attributed to the educational potential of the product with the possibility of following the progress of the air from the pump to the various cylinders. The different functions are documented via a few rather explicit stickers placed next to the selectors or knobs that even the youngest will understand.

A classic pneumatic cylinder and two thinner cylinders which were previously only available in the set 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 marketed in 2015 are delivered in this box, the latter being inventoried under a new reference (6353188). The supplied pneumatic valves are not new: two copies are in the set 42080 Forest Harvester released in 2018 and a copy can also be found in the LEGO Education set 45400 Briq Motion Premium available since this year.

More anecdotal but still pleasant on a large set from the Technic range: the engine with its six in-line "cylinders" visible by lifting the hood is set in motion by the movement of the vehicle, the cabin doors open and the steering is deported to the roof via a thumbwheel. No alternative model to build with the set inventory or motorization option documented by LEGO, but the product is largely sufficient on its own without these two additional possibilities.

To put it simply, this product sold for 149.99 € offers a wide range of what the LEGO Technic range has to offer in terms of non-motorized functions and makes very good use of the pneumatic ecosystem. The vehicle is in my opinion aesthetically very successful, it intelligently combines many very well integrated mechanical and pneumatic functions and you will certainly get your money's worth.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 5, 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.