Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO DC Super Heroes set 76095 Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (235 pieces - 39.99 €) which will probably remain the only derivative of the film expected in theaters on December 19.

It's hard to give an opinion on the contents of the box without having seen the film, even if it is obvious that LEGO is not taking reckless risks here by contenting itself with providing three of the main characters and a small device.

Black Manta's submarine, obviously in the shape of a ray, is quite nice. It is quickly assembled but we have two spring shooters on the sides and a rotating coin launcher at the front. What a little fun with the bonus of a large cockpit in which the minifigure is not cramped.

Whether it was absolutely necessary to put a steering wheel in the cockpit of the machine, I am not sure. There are also some stickers to stick to refine the general look of the thing a bit, but the submarine can easily do without them without being disfigured.

We know from the director of the film, James Wan, that the depiction of the Black Manta submarine in the LEGO set is directly based on the model from the film. It remains to be seen now what is the level of fidelity of the thing to be certain to obtain a product really derived from the film ...

Anyway, the youngest will find here a compact vehicle, easy to handle without destroying everything and sufficiently armed to knock out sharks or minifig at all times. Note that the two round pieces placed at the front of the engines are pad printed.

As a bonus, LEGO includes an aquatic decorative element on which the supplied shark is plugged. It is a good idea which allows to stage the shark with a suspension effect. However, it is a bit stingy in terms of the situation of the content of the set but we will do with it and it's always better than putting the shark on the ground.

The minifigs seem at first glance rather successful but there are still some annoying details that are worth highlighting. It's hard to fault LEGO for taking a few shortcuts when it comes to reproducing different characters, but Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman on the screen in my opinion deserved a darker head.

The Aquaman minifigure delivered here is different from the one seen in the set 76085 Battle of Atlantis. The content of this set released in 2017 and still available in the LEGO catalog can also be combined with that of this new box, to reinforce the aquatic context. The pad printing is very correct with a nice effect of continuity of the green part on the lower torso without big difference in shade.

Black Manta uses the same piece that combines helmet and aquatic gear seen in the set. 76027 Black Manta Deep Sea Strike (2015), but in black. I think this piece doesn't pay homage to the character's costume from the movie. It's too squashed and the eyes are too squinted. A new piece would have been welcome as would a little pad printing on the character's arms and legs to reproduce the details of his equipment.

No head under the character's mask which is plugged directly into the torso of the minifigure. It's a shame, LEGO could have made the effort to produce a new part to allow the head of actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who plays David Kane / Black Manta to slide under the mask.

Mera (Amber Heard) is quite successful, I would have preferred really red hair, but I'll do with it. The flesh-colored neckline is perfect, it is perfectly coordinated with the head of the minifigure.

LEGO chose the color Teal for the body of the minifigure. Mera's costume oscillating between green and blue on the screen, this choice seems to me to be a good compromise.

Three characters for 40 €, it's not much and I really regret the absence in this box of Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), the other villain of the film seen in the trailer. I doubt that LEGO will ever release other sets based on the film, so we'll have to be content with what we get here.

In short, this is a pure derivative product like LEGO in fact regularly for one license or another and if the original concept of the brand around creativity and imagination is once again a little overused, this there are always a few more pretty new minifigs to add to our collections.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 24 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.

Still in the LEGO Star Wars range and its sets that can eventually end up under the Christmas tree, we are now quickly interested in the reference 75216 Snoke's Throne Room (492 pieces - 74.99 €).

No need to beat around the bush, LEGO is breaking the mood with this set: If you remember the scene from the movie Star Wars The Last Jedi during which Rey and Kylo Ren confront Snoke and his small army of guards, you most certainly kept in mind an atmosphere in red tones, accentuated by the outfit of the eight Praetorian guards who take part in the confrontation in front of large swathes of walls covered with red hangings. Evil tongues will say that LEGO was inspired by the end of the scene in question ...

At 74.99 € a box, it's already expensive without having opened it. Once the assembly is finished, the size of the playset in question only accentuates the feeling of having paid dearly for a very ... compact product: the whole in fact only measures a small thirty centimeter in wingspan. .

Forget the illustrative visual on the packaging, which is obviously presented on a slightly misleading red background. In this regard, LEGO could offer to give a second life to the cardboard box by integrating a visual that could serve as a background for the playset, a bit like it is already the case for Advent calendars.

This is therefore a playset for which LEGO promises us a certain playability extensively praised on the back of the box and in the official description: "... Snoke's Star Destroyer throne room with rotating throne, button-activated door and moving floor functions, hidden compartments for storing Snoke's weapons and treasures. .."

Let's not get carried away, most of these features are irrelevant and there is even a small problem. The designer undoubtedly thought he was doing the right thing by adding the two structures placed on the sides of the room but they prove to be more annoying than anything else in use. It becomes difficult to handle the different protagonists who already have to be content with a very small space.

The rotary elevator can only accommodate one minifig at a time, it will take two trips to take Rey and Kylo Ren, and even a third for the lightsabers. Rey can be sucked in by Snoke via a pull tab placed on the throne and the imposing Oculus seen in the film is summed up here in a modest round 2x2 room dressed in a sticker. With LEGO, you often have to lower your ambitions, we are used to it.

Nothing rocket science on the side of the building experience, the contents of the set are assembled in about twenty minutes and do not even deserve a smile of satisfaction of the task accomplished after having wisely stacked the 450 necessary pieces.

As you can imagine, there are also some stickers in this set. The installation of these stickers becomes here a real challenge for some of them that must be placed inside curved surfaces at the level of the walls of the elevator and the two adjoining walls or on the meta-rooms. of the plinth hosting Snoke's throne. They are visually essential and contribute to the general atmosphere but their implementation is really laborious.

On the minifig side, if you have skipped the set 75189 First Order Heavy Assault Walker (149.99 €) released in 2017, you will find the same Rey minifigure here for a more reasonable budget. No major alignment problem in the pad printing between the torso and the legs, but the neckline Flesh (flesh-colored) of Rey's not really successful or matched with the face of the minifigure.

Regarding Kylo Ren, this box is not the cheapest to add this minifigure to your collection. The minifig is already delivered in the Microfighter set 75196 A-Wing vs. Tie silencer (19.99 €) released this year. The pad printing is sober but faithful to the outfit worn by Adam Driver in the film. Nothing to rave about but it's okay.

Snoke's minifig is on the side identical to the one seen in the set 75190 First Order Star Destroyer (159.99 €) released in 2017. Small shift in alignment between the impression of the torso and that of the legs. It's annoying, but it doesn't show as soon as Snoke is in his final configuration ... The pad printing of the character's neck is here in the right color and continuity with the face is assured. When we want we can.

The two Praetorian Guards are the only minifigs exclusive to this box, and I really would have liked to get a few more copies. Beautiful interpretation of their outfit by LEGO, it is sober but faithful with shoulder pads that leave enough space to be able to orient the arms in all positions and a very successful draping effect on the bottom of the outfit.

The helmets are also very successful. There may be a few patterns missing on the arms to ensure the continuity of the tortoiseshell effect initiated by the shoulder pads. As you have noticed, LEGO is content to supply us with a single type of helmet in duplicate among the three different models that equip the guards seen in the film. It's a shame, it was off to a good start. No faces for these guards, a red head will do.

In short, I pass because it is far from being the set of the year, there is not really enough to reproduce in a convincing way the scene from which it is vaguely inspired and it is much too expensive for one exclusive minifigure, even supplied in duplicate. Fortunately, there is Amazon where this box is currently sold for less than 60 €.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 22 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.

Back to business with a quick glance at the LEGO Star Wars set 75215 Cloud Rider Swoop Bikes (355 pieces - 29.99 €), based on the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story.

In this small box, we find something to assemble two machines and three characters: An Arrogantus-X Skyblade-221 ridden by Weazel, a Caelli-Merced Skyblade-330 piloted by Enfys Nest and Tobias Beckett who for the occasion is in the process of 'trying to steal a container of Coaxium.

Regarding the two speeders, nothing to say. It is really very detailed and pleasant to assemble with in particular a nice work on the reactors of the Arrogantus-X Skyblade-221. The two speeders are also easily manipulated without risking scattering parts everywhere. No passenger for the Weazel sidecar, but it is possible to store the small Coaxium container provided there.

Lovers of specific pieces will also find their happiness there with some new pieces including 13 copies of the Plate with 2 open pins and rounded edges delivered here in Dark Gray (6221607), 6 bars with Stop Ring en Dark Tan (6236697) and 6 flags in Dark Tan (6231385 & 6231387).

The assembly experience is accessible to all, including the youngest if they are meticulous. You have to integrate many small parts in each of the machines and stick 13 stickers that dress the front fins of the two speeders and the tail of the Enfys Nest vehicle. Good news for those who like to share their moments dedicated to construction: LEGO has intelligently divided the two speeders into three bags and two instruction booklets that allow assembly as a family.

The Weazel and Enfys Nest minifigs are very successful with a really very successful pad printing and masks really faithful to the versions seen in the film. A little annoying detail: The Clutch Power (nesting capacity) of the two masks seems a little weak to me. These are easily detached from the head on which they are plugged.

The Enfys Nest mask uses the inscriptions in Aurabesh (the language of the Star Wars universe) seen in the film, but here in a slightly simplified version. For the record, it is written "Until we reach the last edge, the last opening, the last star, and can go no higher"on the Enfys Nest mask in the movie and LEGO only kept the end of the sentence,"and can go no higher ", on the mask of the minifig version.

The disappointment obviously comes from the head of these minifigs. Those who have seen the film know that these two characters with the look of aliens are in fact humans (and the good guys in the story) whose faces we discover and the two minifigs are nevertheless equipped with neutral heads. I would have preferred to get the faces of Warwick Davis and Erin Mae Kellyman, the two actors who play the two characters on the screen.

That being said, these two minifigs are very successful with a very successful pad printing and masks really faithful to the versions seen in the film. Enfys Nest inherits as a bonus a two-tone cape with a pretty pattern on the outside.

Regarding Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), the minifigure does the job and it is essential to the action of the scene reproduced here. I'm not convinced by using Mr Incredible's hair in blonde, but I'll do with it. More annoying, we find once again the very unsightly pad printing shift between the torso and the legs which ruins all the efforts of LEGO.

You will understand, this box offers limited playability and it is mainly a complement to sets 75217 Imperial Conveyex Transport (99.99 €) and 75219 Imperial AT-Hauler (109.99 €) which allow, subject to having a significant budget, to reconstruct the scene seen in the film by featuring all the vehicles and characters involved.

It is therefore the ideal extra gift to give to a young fan already well spoiled, provided you find this small box at a reduced price. The set is also currently sold for under 23 at amazon.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 18 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 quickly make the rounds of the pack of minifigs LEGO Marvel Avengers Infinity War bearing the reference 5005256, initially intended to be distributed exclusively by Toys R Us as part of the traditional "Bricktober" operation.

The international fiasco that followed the closure or takeover of the brand's stores in several countries has since called into question this method of distribution in certain geographical areas. In France, Toys R Us will survive and, we have known for a few days, will market two of the four limited edition packs available, the reference of which interests us here.

The four minifigs provided here are exclusive to this pack until proven guilty. We can also consider that these are characters who were probably intended to integrate different sets already marketed in which their presence was justified. More than just variants, these are versions that can be directly associated with certain scenes seen in the films.

If we count Iron Patriot seen in the polybag 30168 (it's up to you), this is the fourth version of War Machine after that of the sets 76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle (2013) et 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle (2016)

Everything is played here on the (numerous) details which dress the armor in Mark IV version worn by James Rhodes with a pad printing extended to the arms of the characters. The double-sided face is very successful with on one side the red HUD generated by the armor and which is therefore not really intended to be present once the helmet is removed. In short, we know it's there, it's well done, I take.

Despite a limited presence on the screen, the minifigure could easily have found its place in the sets 76101 Outrider Dropship Attack (2018) or 76104 The Hulkbuster Smash-Up (2018)

Bucky Barnes, who becomes White Wolf on screen, is delivered here in a version that could also have been included in the set 76104 The Hulkbuster Smash-Up (2018). Nothing crazy, but the outfit is faithful to the one seen in the cinema with the added bonus of a nice pad printing on the left arm and a holster on the right leg.

Collectors will hardly be able to do without this new variant which joins the two other interpretations of the character: the minifig seen in the sets 76047 Black Panther Pursuit (2016) et 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle (2016) and that of polybag 5002943 (2015).

Doctor Strange's staunch companion Wong is a beloved character among fans and his absence from the LEGO lineup has always been a source of frustration for collectors.

This minifigure could in fact have been delivered in sets 76060 Doctor's Strange Sanctum Sanctorum (2016) or 76108 Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown (2018) even if the character's presence on the screen during Infinity War is more than anecdotal due to his hasty departure for New York ...

Wong is here accompanied by a work from the library of the palace of Kamar Taj. The minifig does the job with a pad printing that takes up the different attributes of the character's costume well, even if I find the whole visually a bit messy with a red background that does not really highlight the different printed patterns.

In the box, we also find a version of Tony Stark which would also have had its place in the set 76108 Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown (2018). In my opinion, the pair of Dita Mach One glasses worn by Robert Downey Jr is missing, but this version will do. Pretty pad printing on the chest and arms of the character with hood on the back and shiny effect quite convincing for the whole outfit.

In short, there is no need to overdo it on these four new minifigs that collectors will in any case have to get to sleep better at night. Diorama enthusiasts can also use them to enhance their diverse and varied staging. They are successful and original enough to justify a purchase of this pack which will be sold by Toys R Us in November, it is just a matter of accepting the idea of ​​spending twenty euros to get them.

Note: The pack presented here is as usual in play. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 9 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.

Because you must always have at least one X-Wing in your collection, today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Star Wars set. 75218 X-Wing Starfighter (730 pieces - 99.99 €) which finally takes over the set 9493 X-Wing Starfighter (2012) after the variants seen in the sets 75102 Poe's X-Wing Fighter (2015) et 75149 Resistance X-Wing Fighter (2016)

Forget the previous versions, they're overpriced on the aftermarket anyway and there's always an X-Wing on the shelf at LEGO. It is a staple of the LEGO Star Wars range as can the police station in the CITY range.

I remember my discussion last June with the two designers of the LEGO Star Wars range, Michael Lee Stockwell and Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, who explained to me this desire to renew with each new version of a recurring model in the range. This X-Wing is a perfect example of this permanent questioning of designers, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality.

Exit the wheel which protruded from the back of the ship and which allowed the wings to be deployed, now places a new, more discreet, a little brutal, but very effective mechanism which puts the X-Wing in combat position instantly. The gameplay is thus maximum, no need to spend your time putting the wheel back in place while your friends are already shooting you with their Tie Fighters.

We find here some interesting techniques for the construction of the front fuselage but, due to symmetry, the assembly quickly becomes repetitive when it comes to building the wings and engines. Not to discourage a fan so far, young or old.

I will not embark on the eternal debate around the fidelity of each new interpretation of the X-Wing to the ship seen in the movies. This model is not a UCS, it is just a toy. Overall I think this new version brings a nice amount of cosmetic updates and makes the 2012 version dispensable.

I note that we can finally place the droids in the right position, in the direction of travel, instead of placing them aside as was the case in set 9493.

We could also discuss the simplification of the cannons placed at the end of the wings, but the solution implemented on this new version is in my opinion more suited to the fights between young fans who will thus avoid losing a few pieces during the confrontation.

The vessel is also thought to be handled by the youngest. Nothing comes off the fuselage, the whole is rather solid. Small annoying detail: in flight position, the front landing gear cannot be completely retracted under the fuselage, it's a shame.

Here we find the usual rubber bands that ensure the return to the closed position of the wings, it's a bit unsightly but we will do with it. LEGO still does not provide replacement rubber bands in the box and it is a shame for a € 100 toy that has to undergo a lot of handling.

We also glue some stickers with once again this very unpleasant difference in color between the white background of the stickers and the cream color of the parts on which they are placed.

I note in passing that these stickers seem strangely thin to me, more than usual. For those who are wondering: the cockpit canopy is pad-printed, it is the one that was already delivered in sets 75102 and 75149.

Collectors who consider LEGOs not for children will eventually be able to get rid of the spring shooters placed on the wings to reinforce the model aspect of the machine. The youngest ones will be delighted to be able to knock things out with these elements rather well integrated and which do not disfigure the ship.

You will also be able without regret to remove the somewhat unsightly Technic axis placed under the vessel and which is used to return the wings to the closed position during landing, the mechanism provided for deploying the wings is sufficient on its own, it works in both ways. Some may regret the somewhat violent side, including the slamming, of the mechanism. I do not care.

On the minifig side, LEGO delivers here Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter both accompanied by the essential droid that comes to stay behind the cockpit. If the two pilots wear the same outfit, their helmets are obviously different with pretty pad prints.

We could debate for a long time this new version of the pilot's helmet with integrated visor that some find too bulky, but in my case it is a significant evolution of this accessory that avoids us the very questionable pad printing of the visor used until now on the face of the minifigure.

A note about droids, LEGO persists in pad printing only one side of the body of these little robots. Some patterns on the back would be welcome, just to make R2-D2 and R2-Q2 more successful.

Sold for 99.99 €, this 730-piece X-Wing is a bit too expensive for my taste even though it comes with two pilots and two droids and offers the possibility to customize it in the colors of Luke Skywalker (Red Five) or Biggs Darklighter (Red Three), which is making a comeback here in the LEGO Star Wars range, with a set of Tiles additional.

Fortunately, we find this box currently less than 80 € at amazon and this new version of a classic from the LEGO Star Wars range deserves in my opinion to be found at the foot of the tree even if I hope that LEGO will one day be able to offer us an X-Wing without these small rubber bands and whose mechanism does not contains only parts ...

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 4 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.