I took the time to tour the site Lego ideas, which therefore takes up the concept set up via Cuusoo (see this article).

Beyond the cosmetic remodeling that we will appreciate or not, the real changes are elsewhere with for example the disappearance of the home page showing the most supported projects and the inability for a project leader to edit it over time. time to develop or complete it. It will now be necessary to go through updates which are displayed in another tab.

The possibility of submitting a project has been opened to young people aged at least 13 years old, which guarantees us an invasion of more or less successful initiatives but which above all allows LEGO to make interact with customers who undoubtedly have different aspirations. those of AFOLs.

When we go to the menu Discover and that we sort the results by Most Supported, you get a full page of projects that have reached 10.000 supporters, and you have to scroll through this page to finally reach the projects that are on the way to achieving the goal set by the concept.

It would have been enough to add a sorting option Achieved to separate the projects under review from those that need all the visibility available to reach 10.000 supporters ...

The team in charge of the management of the concept also takes back control by integrating the "Staff Picks", projects chosen to be showcased, and LEGO Ideas gives way to call-to-action fashion"Commitment"compensated by badges and other points, all packaged under the name"Clutch PowerThe more you interact with the site, the more your Clutch Power increases.

Section Popular this week brings together, as its name suggests, the most popular projects, basing this popularity on the number of new supporters.

An unnecessary section titled Products for Sale has been added at the bottom of the page, it sends everyone to the LEGO Shop US regardless of the location of the visitor and promotes sets that are out of stock ...

I used to take a tour of Cuusoo regularly, but my visit rarely went beyond the home page of the site which summarized all the trends of the moment. I don't think I will even bother to go to LEGO ideas anymore.

Do not hesitate to give your opinion on the new skin and the new rules of this platform in the comments.

The title is deliberately provocative and does not necessarily reflect the reality of things, I know ... But the more time passes and the less my direct entourage, namely my children, their friends and some friends who know my infatuation for bricks and minifigs, do not seem to be of interest to the LEGO Star Wars range, finding it a little outdated without being "vintage" in the noble sense of the term.

It must be said that they are all more and more solicited by LEGO through many other licenses or other themes. For its part, the LEGO Star Wars universe undoubtedly suffers a little from the current lack of cinematographic topicality even if LEGO is making efforts to maintain a certain dynamic by producing its own content with its mini-series such as The Yoda Chronicles or special episodes like The Padawan Threat et The Empire Strikes Out... The animated series The Clone Wars has also helped keep the franchise afloat in recent years.

All those with whom I broach the subject have a (legitimate?) Impression of déjà vu by discovering the few new products in the range and the world of superheroes seems to them much more dynamic than the endless minifigs of Luke, of c- 3PO or R2-D2. My oldest son, 10 and a half, has shown a temporary interest in The Clone Wars, but he quickly refocused his attention on the super heroes who make the news thanks to the many films and very successful animated series (Young Justice, Batman Beyond, Avengers Earth Mightiest Heroes, Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, etc ...) which punctuate his young years.

Will the Star Wars Rebels animated series wake up those potential fans whose attention is diverted by other universes but who are just waiting for the opportunity to dive back into a world populated by charismatic characters and epic adventures? I'm not so sure.

LEGO will obviously benefit from this series, which takes over from The Clone Wars with young audiences and which will ensure a certain media visibility for the franchise until the release of theEpisode VII, by declining everything that can be, as is the case with the two boxes already confirmed for this summer (75048 Phantom et 75053 The Ghost).

But apart from the main characters and a few recurring ships (Dave Filoni has confirmed that the series will be centered around the main characters and their adventures), there will probably not be enough to fill dozens of boxes around the series.

LEGO will furnish with a few remakes that will allow early fans to complete their inventory of machines and ships from the cinematographic saga. But the B-Wing, the AT-AT or the Imperial Star Destroyer are far from being at the heart of the current trend among young LEGO fans that I know ... And I'm not even talking about the Microfighters that my son finds it really ridiculous ...

As far as I'm concerned, I can't imagine my passion for LEGO without Star Wars, and I will continue to spend without (too much) counting to acquire these multiple reinterpretations of scenes or machines that have become essential in my eyes.

My children want something else. They want real heroes who save their world and real villains who try to stop them: Captain America who rides a motorbike and throws his shield down to smash stuff, Thor who throws his hammer to smash stuff, The Hulk who also breaks stuff, the Joker who crushes poor Robin with his tractor, the Spider-Man as a chopper pilot (Because a chopper is still cool), the Batman who rolls, flies, floats, etc ... Even Emmet and Wyldstyle (aka Cool-Tag here), the two heroes of The LEGO Movie, find favor in their eyes. In any case more than Anakin Skywalker, than poor Ahsoka or yet another colorful Clone Trooper who dies at the end anyway ...

This question of the relative obsolescence of the Star Wars franchise will certainly be resolved in 2015 with the release of Episode VII.

In the meantime, I wonder what is happening with you, in your entourage, among your friends. How is the LEGO Star Wars range perceived? Like a timeless and attractive range of toys or a series of derivative products that goes around in circles? I await your comments on this subject, knowing that what is interesting is especially the perception of the range by those around you and who know your passion for this universe.

For the rest, I already know that if you are there, it is because you like Star Wars and the LEGOs ...

* Linguistic precision: Has-been = outdated, old-fashioned.

By reviewing the official visuals of the set 75059 Sandcrawler, I thought it would be wise to talk here again about the significant evolution of the design of Luke Skywalker and Owen Lars minifigs and to have your opinion on the subject.

LEGO has tried to come up with faces that are closer to those of Mark Hamill and Phil Brown, with a result that is clearly not to everyone's liking within the range's fan community. Regarding Uncle Owen, the minifigure seems correct to me if we forget the side a little too cartoonish for my taste of the eyes of the minifigure.

With Luke, things get tough. LEGO tried to draw the features of the actor's face by adding a few lines here and there, but apart from the chin which is symbolized more or less correctly, I find that the manufacturer had a little heavy hand on the lines which pollute the rendering of the face. The minifig from 2011 present in the set 7965 Millennium Falcon seems to me to be a more appropriate version of the character.

We feel the desire to get closer to what is done with other minifigure manufacturers, with more realistic characters with really detailed features while maintaining the LEGO spirit, but the facelift imposed on Luke does not seem very convincing to me. .

On the other hand, the facelift applied to droids like C-3PO seems appropriate to me. This character really deserves a version that gives pride of place to every detail of the costume worn by Anthony Daniels, especially on the legs.

What do you think ? It was better before ? Is this development logical and relevant? I await your opinions in the comments.

15:30 p.m., office of the Dorling Kindersley Publishing Director.

- Gentlemen, what exclusive minifig are we going to put in the new version of the LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary ?
- Let's try to find a character that makes collectors and kids want to buy our book! Lando Calrissian? A pink Clone Trooper? A Boba Fett?
- No, it is too typical "Star Wars" all that, and if we surf on the success of The LEGO Movie?
- How to do Star Wars with The LEGO Movie? It's still the big gap ...
- The film popularized Emmet and brought back the yellow heads of our childhood! Everyone loves Emmet!
- And a version of Emmet with an outfit Tatooine ? Impeccable on cross-over ! Collectors of Star Wars products will see nothing but fire, they will be told it's a Luke Skywalker vintage, and the kids will immediately make the connection with Emmet when they see the book on the shelves!
- Oh yeah, great your idea, after all, Emmet or Luke, who cares, the main thing is that we sell books! I call LEGO to let them know the result of our brainstorming session, they will love the idea: Back to basics, cross-licensing marketing, etc ... It's great! 

(In homage to louisca and his "Chef, chef, ...")

I went to see The LEGO Movie with my 10 year old son, just to share a good time with him and incidentally to verify that the film is too "awesome"that we have been trumpeted on all the sites and blogs of the LEGOsphere for several months.

I also wanted to observe his reactions to the humor we are promised ubiquitous and the references that only LEGO fans are supposed to understand ... He already has his little LEGO culture and is therefore able to pick up certain innuendos.

As much to tell you right away, I am much less enthusiastic on arrival than all the fans, mostly English-speaking, whose reports I have read so far ... The passion for LEGO makes these fans really indulgent fans who cry out for a masterpiece when talking about The LEGO Movie.

The room was full of parents accompanying their offspring, usually around 6 or 7 years old. And even if the film is obviously accessible to young audiences, I think that most of the subtleties of the dialogues and the scenario will escape the younger ones, hence a rather calm atmosphere in the room during the screening, punctuated from time to time by 'an adult sneer at a somewhat easy "valve".

My son liked the movie. He found what he expects from a good LEGO cartoon: Action, a bit of humor, minifigs, super heroes, and LEGO. The only disappointment at its level, the end of the film, useless and boring. He obviously did not understand certain innuendos of this part of the film, not being concerned by the "main"in question. However, he did not twist himself with laughter during the screening, there is nothing.

The film is technically flawless, and if the 3D does not bring much to the whole, we inevitably take pleasure in seeing these minifigs come to life and evolve in an environment entirely based on bricks. It's fluid, colorful, it's filmed like a real action movie and there is hardly any downtime.

The problem, if there is one, in my opinion lies more in the scenario of the film: There is a moment when The LEGO Movie suddenly goes from the stage of quality entertainment to that of giant advertising largely judgmental and even a little mocking. It's a shame, it was off to a good start and the film could have ended as it started.

The AFOLs indirectly take it for their rank, and where some will see a tribute to the adult fans of the brand, I see a second degree too rude to tear me a smile, even if I know in advance that a lot of between you will not agree with me on this point.

In terms of product placement, The LEGO Movie is a spin-off movie from a LEGO line (whose sets were on shelves long before the movie was released) that it also promotes. Nothing shocking. More subtle, throughout the film, LEGO distils, almost like subliminal images, views of its ranges "historical version"which are sure to awaken the nostalgic fiber of adults.

I add that the French voices of the two heroes are mediocre, with Tal (Cool Tag / Wyldstyle) who reads his text without much conviction and Arnaud Ducret (Emmet) who is doing pretty much because he does tons of it. Batman and Vitruvius, on the other hand, are excellent.

In the end, you have to go see The LEGO Movie, and with your family if possible. It is excellent entertainment, with a very predictable and agreed scenario, which will appeal to the youngest with its shimmering colors, its crazy characters and its many action scenes but also to adult LEGO fans who will notice that LEGO has thought of them and their childhood stories with the brand.

This is only my opinion and it is only my opinion. Go see the movie and don't hesitate to come and discuss it here, that's what it is for.