Today we take a quick look at the small LEGO Star Wars set 75225 Elite Praetorian Guard Battle Pack (109 pieces - 14.99 €).

As much to admit it right away, I believe that we can consider that this Battle Pack is in fact only an addon for the set 75216 Snoke's Throne Room (74.99 €) which was a bit stingy in Praetorian Elite Guards.

This new set allows us to add three guards to our collections and they are now equipped with real legs and no longer with tunics symbolized by a curved pad-printed piece. It's always taken for the gameplay even though I tend to find the tunic versions more respectful of the film's outfit.

In the box, there are therefore four minifigs and some parts that will be used to assemble what appears to be a training space with a weapon rack and a droid armed with a blaster and a lightsaber.

While the two gray platforms can be rotated to stage a clash between two guards, this set of pieces looks more like a vague display than anything else. The more DIYers will try to connect this platform to Snoke's throne room to give their diorama a little more scale. Here.

On the minifig side, we therefore obtain a new type of helmet in two copies, torsos identical to those seen in set 75216, neutral red heads ... and a First Order Stormtrooper. This minifig seems to have got lost in this box and LEGO would have done better to offer us the third variant of the helmet seen in The Last Jedi instead of that generic soldier who has nothing to do here.

The weapons provided in this box are only simple assemblies of existing elements but they rather faithfully reproduce the versions seen on the screen. Voulge vibrator, Bilari Electro-Chain Whip, Electro Bisento et Twin Vibro Arbir Blades are almost instantly recognizable and the included assortment gives you the choice for your workout. Too bad the shoulder pads limit the possibilities of movement for the three guards a bit.

Regarding the First Order Stormtrooper, we find the usual outfit of the minifigs sold for a few years already associated here with the new version of the helmet already seen in other Battle Packs with a slightly modified pad printing.

Hopefully, one day LEGO decides to offer us the third variant of the helmet that equips the Praetorian Elite Guards. Even if the final bill to be paid to faithfully reproduce the scene from the film may then be even more expensive, it would be a shame to ignore the possibility for LEGO to close a file that has already cost us nearly € 90. We are no longer close to a few dozen euros.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 10, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.

Now it's the turn of the LEGO Spider-Man set 76133 Spider-Man Car Chase (52 pieces - 9.99 €) to be the subject of a very quick test on the blog.

There is nothing in this little box to talk about during the long hours. As usual with the sets from the Juniors / 4 + range, this set is designed for the youngest who are gradually discovering the world of "classic" bricks after a few years of having to be content with products from the DUPLO range.

We assemble a vehicle for Spider-Man who obviously needs a buggy to move through the streets of the city and pursue the evil Green Goblin (Green Goblin) who has his usual jet glider.

I've put together an exploded view of Spider-Man's buggy for anyone wondering what level of build simplification the 4+ line sets reach. We will just retain the pretty pad-printed piece which serves as a hood and which also served as the fuselage for the aircraft in the set. 76134 Spider-Man: Doc Ock Diamond Heist.

The Spider-Man minifigure is identical to that of the other stamped set 4+ released at the end of the year, the reference 76134 Spider-Man: Doc Ock Diamond Heist and must therefore be satisfied with single legs without pad printing or bi-injection in two colors.

Green Goblin, on the other hand, is exclusive to this small set and has been the subject of a good pad printing effort. Even the green of the legs pad printed on the purple background matches the character's arms and head. No significant color difference to note. Too bad, however, that the usual printing defect at LEGO at the junction between the thigh and the lower leg is once again present here.

For the rest it is flawless on this minifig, front and back and in my eyes it is the best version of the character offered by LEGO so far.

In short, if you are a collector of Marvel minifigs, you pay this exclusive Green Goblin 9.99 € and you put the rest in the back of a drawer.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 3 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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 LEGO Movie 2 set 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg, a large playset of 3178 pieces relatively compact which is full of details and which, with the 12 characters included, offers a priori maximum playability. The public price of 299.99 € charged by LEGO on this box does not leave many people indifferent and the debate is lively. I will come back to this point a little later.

I'm not going to repeat the pitch of the set and its different spaces, the official description of the product and the photo gallery that accompanies it are made for that. As usual, I am content to give you some very personal thoughts here.

No doubt about it, this set is a concentrate of fan service that takes advantage of all the know-how acquired by LEGO since the first part of the The LEGO Movie saga and the wave of derivative products released in 2014. There is something for you everyone with the added bonus here of a post-apocalyptic vibe that obviously pleases many fans.

The nod to the film Planet of the Apes is obvious here: in the middle of Apocalypseburg we find the Statue of Liberty lying on its side and half buried seen in the 1968 film which then revealed to Charlton Heston that he had come back to Earth (too bad for the spoiler, the film is 50 years old).

In fact, even if we understand by viewing the various trailers of the film that Apocalypseburg will have only a limited presence on the screen, the risk-taking is minimal for LEGO as the set is full of winks supported by the first part and references to many other universes and themes popular with LEGO fans.

Apocalypseburg is obviously located in the suburbs of Bricksburg, the megalopolis devastated by the events of Taco Tuesday. The refugees from Bricksburg therefore settled in a makeshift camp cobbled together with containers, car wrecks, a train car and salvage materials while waiting for something better. The concept finally allows the designers of the set not to worry too much about the final rendering, the main thing being that the post-apocalyptic souk atmosphere is present.

The large 450-page instruction booklet provides some interesting information on the genesis of the set: interviews with the designers and biographies of the different characters are shared a few pages. This content is only available in English, you will need to download the instruction booklet in digital format to obtain the French version. I repeat it every time, but it's a real shame that we can't take advantage of the extra content in our native language right out of the box.

Note that the assembly is facilitated by a visual detail which significantly improves the readability of the instructions, especially during the final stages: The parts to be added are surrounded by a thin red line which allows them to be quickly located on the concerned diagram .

On the side of the stickers, 55 stickers must be applied in total. No big stickers that are difficult to put on and it seems to me that the designer really made the effort to distribute these sometimes tedious steps in a balanced way. This appreciable effort does not however excuse in my eyes the presence of all these stickers in a very high-end product, especially since some of the patterns here are really poorly centered on their support.

This big playset is really very pleasant to assemble and here too it seems to me that a great effort has been made to avoid boring repetitions and to alternate between the different modules to build. For each finished bag, its reward in the form of an additional element that takes place on the starting support.

The progression is very coherent and rhythmic and I really had the impression to be able to benefit from each graphic wink and each more or less obvious reference to the first part of the saga. Many of these small details will not be easily accessible or really visible afterwards and being able to enjoy them during the assembly is a real plus.

The assembly of the base which will accommodate the different modules is thought out in such a way as to make this step rather distracting, a priori a little boring with an assortment of many colors and a very varied positioning of the parts, even if most of these will not be more visible later. It's always taken for those who swear by the variety of a set's inventory and these colored elements allow you to better find your way in the middle of everything. Tan or this Sand green.

We build the two halves of the support separately, we bring everything together and then we go up to the torch held by Lady Liberty. As this playset is designed as a 360 ° set, you have to constantly turn the base support to build the various modules leaning against the statue. In the center, a simple structure based on Technic parts ensures the rigidity of the construction which quickly gains height.
The surface occupied by the playset remains relatively reasonable: 49 x 33 cm for about fifty centimeters high, you will find a corner of the shelf capable of accommodating this pretty exhibition product.

Visually, it's Lady Liberty's head that catches the eye of the fan who still hesitates to spend € 299.99 in this big box. When the time has come to put the head together, the set finally takes on its almost final form. The face of the statue is really compelling, even up close. The only slightly annoying detail here, the glaring difference in color between the rigid and flexible parts of the branches of the crown (see photo below).

One might think that the set is weakened by the integration of this leaning structure which extends its arm diagonally. This is not the case and even if, in the instruction booklet, the designer does not recommend carrying the playset by grabbing it by the arm of the statue. The whole is quite surprisingly solid and moving around is not a chore if you take care to grab the construction from below its base.

As I said above, the post-apocalyptic theme allows here some fantasies. The somewhat coarse appearance of the back of the statue is therefore a ready-made excuse and remains in the theme. The same goes for some of the different living spaces stacked at the foot of the statue. We could discuss these amalgamations of pieces and colors that don't really match, but it's in the theme, so it's okay.

Each space is filled with various and varied accessories up to the overdose. Going around the playset, we see that no side has been overlooked and four young fans can easily gather around the thing to enjoy it together by replaying the scenes from the film or by giving free rein to their imaginations. Being able to have a product that allows everyone to participate and share their adventures with others is really the big advantage offered by this box.

As usual with LEGO, you have to have small hands and be very careful not to destroy something by accessing something else. The playable spaces are cramped and filled with mini-constructions that easily come off as soon as you play them in a slightly "energetic" way.

The guardrails of the various ladders which are only fixed via a few droid arms are for example very fragile. The same goes for the roofs of the various "modular" spaces which can be removed to access the interior space, the barriers and other accessories placed on them tend to come off if you are not careful.

If I underline these details, it is because the final vocation of this set is a little difficult to define. On the one hand, we have a real playset designed for a multiplayer experience, with many playable spaces that the youngest should love, but we also see that these spaces are designed like those of a Structure intended for exhibition rather than play. As a bonus, this set does not include any significant moving mechanism or elaborate functionality.

The mention "16+" on the box adds to this confusion. No need to be over 16 years old to assemble this set, the different techniques used are within the reach of any somewhat trained fan. On the other hand, you must be at least 16 years old and have a job or a little pocket money to afford it ...

Regarding the level of the many references to the first part of the saga, they will have the value you give them. If a simple sticker is enough for your happiness, you will be served. Otherwise, even the grille of the Batmobile from the first film embedded in the construction will leave you unmoved ...

In the box, LEGO delivers 12 characters and there are also here for all fan profiles: Important characters from The LEGO Movie saga, secondary characters from the first film in "End of the World" version, DC Comics super heroes and minifigs credits in post-apocalyptic outfit that will find their audience among fans of Mad Max or Steampunk dioramas, everyone is served.

The DC Comics quota is here provided by Batman with his usual half-tires on the shoulders but with a different outfit from that seen in the set 70836 Battle-Ready Batman and MetalBeard. The minifig is beautiful, it uses just about all of LEGO's know-how in this area with two-color molded arms and legs and exemplary pad printing.

Harley Quinn accompanies Batman and Suicide Squad fans will immediately recognize the version played by Margot Robbie shyly adapted as a post Taco Tuesday version. It's fan service power 10, but we will not complain, the film Suicide Squad has not been the subject of any variation in LEGO sauce.

Green Lantern completes the DC Comics trio delivered here, with a rather correct dress for the occasion. I still haven't understood the alternate expression on this character's face (see below), the film will certainly let us know a little more about what makes him hilarious (and a little ridiculous).

For die-hard fans of The LEGO Movie saga, LEGO provides Emmet, Lucy Wyldstyle (Cool-Tag here) and Bad Cop. If Lucy and Bad Cop are also entitled to post zombie invasion outfit, Emmet invariably comes with his orange outfit and it's a shame to have to carry another copy of this minifigure available everywhere. We can estimate that the worn reflective bands directly refer to the post taco Tuesday period, but in my opinion, it is insufficient for this box.

For the most assiduous fans of the saga, LEGO delivers some secondary characters who survived the apocalypse and who were already present in different sets based on the first part: The "Where are my pants"Guy with faded underwear, Larry the Barista who changed his hairstyle and who is now at the counter of Coffee Unchained and Surfer Dave who became Chainsaw Dave for the occasion.

There again, the outfits of these different minifigs are very successful, they really refer to the earlier versions of the characters with now a side "I survived and I'm pissed off" which suits them perfectly. Special mention for Chainsaw Dave with his superb, slightly damaged swim shorts.

Finally, Steampunk diorama enthusiasts will be served with three additional characters: the aptly named Mo-Hawk, Roxxi, a warrior who seems to like gears, and Fuse, the camp pyrotechnist.

In different places in Apocalypseburg, there are also six Skeletron heads that must have had a tough quarter of an hour before finding themselves relegated to the rank of hair mannequins or engine decoration ...

No Sewer Babies in this box and it's a shame. You will have to go back to the cash register and afford the little one Accessory Pack wearing the reference 853865 to get two to stage in the city streets.

In the end, this product is probably not intended for the audience that we think of first when discussing The LEGO Movie saga. The high price, the lack of real features and the references to a film already 4 years old are perhaps not sufficiently convincing arguments to seduce a very young audience in 2014 who have grown well since, who have not. had the right to go see Suicide Squad and a good part of which has probably already moved on.

There are still adult fans, those who are indeed over 16 years old, who have the necessary budget to afford this big box, who will appreciate the assembly experience offered and who will understand the different references piled up in the four corners of the set. And who will be delighted to get Margot Robbie.

Personally, I say yes but I still skip this box, having no particular affinity with the The LEGO Movie saga. But I have just enjoyed this set for a few days and I readily recognize its qualities as a successful construction toy that will satisfy the most demanding builders.

My advice for all those who do not want or cannot spend 300 € in this box: Find a friend who bought this set and offer to help him assemble it. You will enjoy the pleasure of assembling it and you will save 300 €. And if you feel like owning this set afterwards, be patient, sooner or later it will end around € 200. Or buy Margot Robbie on Bricklink.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 3, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.

We continue this series of quick tests of the new LEGO Spider-Man with the set 76134 Spider-Man: Doc Ock Diamond Heist (150 pieces - € 29.99), a box stamped "4+" whose content is therefore suitable for the little hands of the youngest fans of the Marvel universe.

And it is an understatement to say that the contents of this box are accessible to the youngest: there are some very large basic elements that simplify the assembly such as a boat hull (which floats), a half-cabin, several uprights for the harbor crane and even a yellow Roller Coaster rail and a Porsche 911 RSR headlight which here serves as a canopy for the cockpit of Spider-Man's plane.

The faster it is mounted, the faster we can play. This is the case here, with a set that does not require an engineering degree or extraordinary patience. Everything is assembled in the blink of an eye without the help of parents and we can quickly get down to business.

The harbor dock and the crane are welcome to set the scene for the clash between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. It's Pearl Harbor here, with Spider-Man who can bomb Doc Ock's speedboat from his glider (or supersonic jet, it's up to you).

At least the Octopus boat has the merit of being equipped with two robotic arms that allow you to hang the villain's loot on it. Everything is there, from the colors of the character's costume to the pad-printed symbol placed on the front of the shell.

Use in the bathtub for even more epic adventures thanks to the one-piece shell already seen in several sets of the Junior range (10755 Zane's Ninja Boat Pursuit et 10737 Batman vs. Mr. Freeze).

Everyone knows, Spider-Man is nothing without the armada of custom vehicles that he probably stows away in his Spider-Cave. Here, it's a glider that allows him to track Octopus.

The machine is basic with a few parts to be placed on the meta-cabin provided and everything is embellished with a pretty pad-printed logo to be attached to the nose of the device. The cockpit is protected by the canopy which also serves as a headlight for the Porsche 911.

Two disc launchers can knock out the bad guy and LEGO, who knows the kids will lose those two white discs, provides two more ammunition.

Three characters are delivered in this set with a Spider-Man which takes the torso and the head of the minifigs provided in other boxes but which must here be satisfied with simple legs without pad printing or two-color molding.

On the other hand, Doc Ock's minifigure is really accomplished, with a new design that alone justifies investing in this set to afford this detailed version of the character's costume. The torso is stunning, with plenty of detail for the character's metal belt. Too bad the legs remain neutral, they would have at least deserved some mechanical elements on the front of the feet.

The back of the Octopus minifigure is also very detailed and it is almost a shame that it is masked by the accessory (already seen on the Outriders and on Carnage) which serves as a support for the four mechanical arms here symbolized by simple droid arms.

For even more playability, LEGO adds in the box a generic worker to control the crane and whose torso already appears in a dozen boxes of the LEGO CITY range and even in a set of the Speed ​​Champions range (75883).

To put it simply, I say yes but on sale. No stickers, three characters, two simple machines but which will give ideas to the youngest and a magnificent minifig of Doc Octopus, it is more than enough to convince me but rather around 20 € as is currently the case at Amazon :

[amazon box="B07FNW8PHR"]

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before January 27 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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 take a detour through the film Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice with the small set 853744 Knightmare Batman Accessory Set (46 pieces - € 12.99) that I had forgotten at the bottom of a drawer ...

For less than 13 €, LEGO allows us to obtain an exclusive minifig, two generic evil creatures and a very small construction without much interest which serves as an alibi to be able to promote the LEGO concept.

The Knightmare Batman minifigure is therefore exclusive to this small pack, it is written in large letters on the box. No fabric accessories here, everything is pad printing, skilfully designed to best reproduce the Batman costume seen in the film.

And it's quite successful with a host of details and a multitude of different shades to embody the different layers of the outfit. Too bad the transition between the torso and the hips of the character is a little rough, which annihilates the visual effect of a coat whose sides go down to the knees.

The minifigure really highlights everything LEGO can do in the field of pad printing with an accumulation of colors, numerous details underlined by lines of varying finesse, legs molded in two colors and even pad printed areas on the forearm reproducing the bandages seen on the costume of the film.

The character's mask has also been the subject of a nice graphic work with glasses whose shiny and worn effect is very convincing.

Batman is equipped with an automatic pistol with a Tile bearing the Joker symbol similar to the pattern seen on the butt of the assault rifle worn by the character in the film. LEGO has really taken the attention to detail to its limits here.

In the box, LEGO also provides two Parademons, the service villains, identical to those seen in the sets 76086 Knightcrawler Tunnel Attack (2017) et 76087 Flying Fox: Batmobile Airlift Attack (2017)

These superb minifigs come with their transparent plastic wings which would be perfect if they did not so visibly display the copyright printed on the back which is unfortunately not obscured by the Tile which serves to hold them in place.

Anyway, if you haven't yet bought that little pack that delivers what I consider to be the most successful Batman minifigure yet, there's still time to do so by the way. by the LEGO Shop to be sure to spend only 12.99 €. In a few weeks / months, it will be too late ...

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before January 20 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.