2014 will undoubtedly be a busy year for LEGO.

The announcements follow one another at a frantic pace and in all areas: Toys, books, film, documentaries, TV series, video games and obviously new, diverse and varied ranges.

All the big sites dealing with media or cinema news are daily showered with press releases praising the next productions of the manufacturer or its partners.

LEGO occupies the field in a very aggressive way and does not miss an opportunity to make talk about its products wherever the public is present: social networks, TV, specialized press, etc ...

No wonder that a brand recently climbed to the second step of the toy manufacturers' podium globally communicates all the way, it's even rather normal.

But I sometimes wonder, perhaps wrongly, if the general public, the one who consumes LEGO products on an occasional basis, will not end up getting tired of the omnipresence of the brand on all media.

Let me explain: Difficult today to avoid the red and yellow logo, it is everywhere. Even high-tech blogs are starting to produce more and more content around the brand by invoking the geek side of the product, for their part, comic book fans are currently constantly subject to the brand's penetration into their universe via for example the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game, the Variant covers  of comics adapted to the minifig sauce or the ranges devoted to the universe of super heroes.

The paper press is not left out: Women's magazines talk about the Friends range, the financial press comments on the brand's very good results, video game magazines go there with their previews on the next games (Chima, Minifigure MMO , Marvel Super Heroes, ...), the male press regularly publishes articles on the "craziness" of LEGO, etc ...

LEGO is everywhere, via the media, its fans, its partners and its merchandise. Everything is planned to cover exhaustively all the communication media available with the aim of selling more and more products whose profitability is well established.  

The manufacturer's production capacities have been regularly revised upwards to meet or anticipate growing demand. LEGO has understood that the toy sector, even if it is flourishing and that new markets opening up to mass consumption are to be conquered, remains a sector where seasonality and fashion effects rule the day. The release of three video games on different themes in the space of a few months or the multiplication of licensing agreements with ultra-popular franchises are indicative elements of the desire not to suffer the acceleration observed in recent years in terms of solicitation of young audiences by brands on all media.

Will 2014 be a great year for LEGO or on the contrary that of overdose? The future will tell, and no one can reliably predict how consumers will react. What works today may not work tomorrow or on the contrary succeed in crossing time and forging a legend.  

LEGO has certainly learned from its mistakes, its results prove it, and deserves its status as a "legend" of the toy, but no one is immune to suffering a sudden disaffection from a public too often taken for granted.

Obviously, for unconditional fans of the brand's products that we are, there will be no overdose. Everything that is ahead only amplifies our excitement for the next products that we will hasten to acquire with the same renewed pleasure. 

And you what do you think ? Can the omnipresence of LEGO in many areas have a negative effect on the average consumer in the medium term?

I'll leave you, I'll go back for a walk in the streets of Los Santos, it will change my mind ...

As a preamble, I remind you that I only collect the Star Wars, Super Heroes and Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit ranges.

So I am only giving my opinion here on these ranges, but you are of course free to mention your tops or your flops for 2012 in the comments.

It's no secret that my favorite set of 2012 is obviously the 9500 Sith Fury-Class Interceptor and this for many reasons :
- This set is proof that LEGO is still capable of innovating in the Star Wars range with new creations. The universe of the saga The Old Republic, allows an appreciable refreshment in the middle of the remakes of existing sets or the sets taken from the animated series The Clone Wars.
- The minifigs in this set are brand new, and I remember being amazed when I discovered them for the first time, which had not happened to me since the announcement of Amidala's minifig delivered in the set 9499 Gungan Sub.
- The ship is also a success because it preserves and respects the spirit of its successors (or predecessors in the chronology of the range).
- Sold by LEGO at a slightly excessive price of 99.99 €, it can however be found around 70 € by searching carefully. (68.99 € currently on amazon.fr)

The other set that got me excited this year is the 6857 The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape released in the LEGO Super Heroes (DC Universe) range.

Arrived from nowhere when no one expected it, this box represents to me what every LEGO set should be: A playable product, with many features, delivered with enough minifigs and marketed at a fair price which is the case here.

This exclusive set, always on sale at the LEGO Shop at a price of 49.99 € and difficult to find elsewhere at a reasonable price, allows you to obtain five key characters of the DC / Batman universe: Batman, Robin, the Joker, Harley Quinn and The Riddler. Enough to start a collection in good conditions and have fun with the functions offered by the "Laughter Palace"as LEGO calls it.

On the flop side, I would put two sets for which I expected something else without really knowing what: the 9516 Jabba's Palace which, even if it is chock full of interesting minifigs, lacks finishing and ambition: The palace is reduced to a hut in which the characters come cram like in an overcrowded Christmas crib.
The retail price of € 144.99 is clearly exaggerated. Fortunately, it is possible to get this set for less than 100 € (97.99 € currently at amazon.fr).

The other disappointing set this year is the 9497 Republic Striker-Class Starfighter with a failed ship for my taste, you ancestor of the X-Wing disguised as a Christmas tree. It's ugly, barely faithful to the versions seen in the game or in the webcomics based on The Old Republic and it's a shame. The three new minifigs in this set (Satele Chan, T7-O1 and the Republic Trooper) go a little unnoticed by fans and they deserved to be better accompanied.

Do not hesitate to talk about your favorite sets for 2012 in the comments, even and especially if they are products from other ranges than those mentioned above.

It seems that the night brings advice. And I remained perplexed last night facing the impromptu announcement of this takeover of Lucasfilm by Disney, even if it is confirmed that the negotiations had started more than a year ago between the various stakeholders. Georges Lucas therefore becomes one of the largest shareholders of the Disney group. Kathleen Kennedy, hitherto co-president dubbed by Lucas, therefore takes the direction of Lucasfilm which remains a full entity within the Disney group.

An important point needs to be clarified: Disney and Lucasfilm have already been working together for many years. This operation, above all financial, is only the logical evolution of things: Lucas wanted to pass the hand and entrust the future of the Star Wars universe to a new generation of businessmen and directors.

With this acquisition, Disney is also offering ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) and Robert Iger (Chief Executive Officer at Disney) confirms his intention to benefit from the know-how of this pioneering entity in the field of special effects.

Disney obviously intends to take advantage of the Star Wars brand in all possible and imaginable areas: Films, TV series, cartoons, video games, derivative products, etc. As is the case with other franchises, Disney will re -populate in the broadest sense of the term a saga that has become over the decades the preserve of nostalgic geeks. Everyone is going to love Star Wars, young and old, geek or not. All those who proclaimed their difference by relying on their passion for this universe will have to make it clear, Star Wars will become a mainstream brand.

Regarding the next episodes of the cinematographic saga, they will reduce those we already know to a simple family affair in an Adventure with a capital A. Star Wars overtakes Anakin, Padme, Luke, Leia, Han Solo and the rest. And that's good. I want lightsaber and space battles but I also expect novelty, freshness, new stories and new characters. The Original Trilogy is in the end only a piece of an epic of which we know a few slices with the Prelogy and The Clone Wars. 

We can legitimately wonder what the Disney group will do with the Star Wars universe. But we must not mix everything up. Confusing Disney and Mickey is a mistake. The example of The Avengers is the best proof of this. In a 2-hour movie, Disney did more for mainstream popularity of Marvel superheroes than decades of print comics and a few movies no one remembers. Comic book fans have been dispossessed of their world and that's what annoys them. We can always talk about the ultra-simplistic scenario of The Avengers, but after all, and judging by the success of the film, the general public wants simple stories of superheroes who fight against the evil embodied by super bad guys, period. The same is going to happen with Star Wars.

Will the next episodes of the saga be based on theExtended Universe ? Nothing is less sure. The continuation of the saga could make obsolete a whole derivative universe which has so far served as a reference for the most assiduous fans.
Cinematographically speaking, Disney can't be wrong: It'll be hard to get more cheesy than the dialogues of thePart III or more simplistic than the scenario of the Original Trilogy.  

Geeks of all stripes, make yourself a reason: Whether you are fans of superheroes, Tolkien or Star Wars, you are no longer the only ones and even if it annoys you a little, you will no longer have to hide your passion for lightsabers or to share it only with your fellows at obscure conventions.  

And to add another layer, it is obvious that a day will come when a whole generation of kids will know Star Wars without even having heard of the adventures of Anakin or Luke, fifty or sixty years ago in old films with outdated special effects and sluggish dialogues. Such is life. 

We've seen pretty much everything to expect for early 2013, except maybe the lineup Lone Ranger, but since this is a licensed line based on the upcoming Disney movie, you can expect both the best and the worst. Despite everything, the return of a bit of Western, even in Flesh, in the LEGO range is to be welcomed.

So apart Star Wars (because Star Wars), the range DC and Marvel Super Heroes (for all those great minifigs) and Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit (history of having the characters in minifigs), I do not think of slipping towards other ranges in 2013.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ? Without me. Except for the minifigs of the four friends, just to mark the occasion of the animated series (this form.) which gave me many quiet hours a few years ago while my son was watching his DVDs on repeat. He is 9 years old and he has moved on. I showed him some pictures from the new animated series which should arrive in France soon on Nickelodeon and he was not thrilled. He confirms to me that it is not worth investing in the playsets which will be released in 2013 on this theme.

Legends of Chima ? It will be without me there too. Cats driving flying caterpillar motorcycles and green boats or guys with bird masks piloting mini-machines that you can throw like spinning tops ... I don't really hook, and my son doesn't more. He had enjoyed the Ninjago range, before it got out of hand with improbable motorcycles and futuristic planes, but there, he's formal, it's big nonsense. Even the Power Rangers are more consistent for his taste, that is to say. LEGO should have planned an exciting cartoon to wrap this range of sets in a context that will appeal to the youngest. 

As for City, you will not blame me, but me the vehicles of police and firefighters or concrete mixers, that does not make me dream. I will spend my turn on this range as well. One day of rain and depression, I could eventually crack on the Octan tanker from set 60016 which happens to have me nostalgic. 

Friends ? Not concerned, it's for girls ... In any case, that's what LEGO says. My only opinion on this range: It's too colorful, too flashy, too girly, too Barbie. Obviously, I have two boys at home, and I suspect that if I had a daughter, she would probably have a different opinion than mine.

Technic ? Not really my thing. But I really like the Formula 1 of the 42000 Grand Prix Racer set and its alternative model. It is a purely visual crush. 

And you, you will spend your money in what ranges next year? What do you think of Legends of Chima, in all honesty?

A little hot reaction to what we have just discovered from the Star Wars range of early 2013. First observation, the boxes are really successful, LEGO is a past master in the art of dressing its products to make them attractive and trigger a pressing desire for Star Wars sets among the barge in the toy department. The visuals are superbly staged. The look of the boxes is modern and marketing level we can say that it is perfect.

Where it gets tough is when we approach the sets by focusing on their content, without any artifice or dressing. And here is the drama.

Of all that I have just seen, I have only one desire: To get myself the superb minifigs of this first wave 2013. Personally, I am not shocked to see that the Original Trilogy gradually gives way to the universes and characters of The Clone Wars et The Old Republic. After all, these products are intended for current fans of the animated series and the video game. For the rest, the Rancor Pit and the A-Wing will do.

Le 75005 Rancor Pit is a bit skeletal, but let's wait and see what LEGO has planned to interface it with Jabba's Palace. The 75003 A-Wing is ordinary, I never found this ship very attractive anyway and the 6207 set is still nicer for my taste than this new version, however more modern in appearance.

The Battle Pack 75000 is a scam. 2 minifigs (Clone Troopers Phase I) at the same price as the Battle Packs containing 4 ... the Droidekas are basic, nothing impressive and the forward command post is ridiculous as it is reduced to its simplest expression. I add that a Droideka is NOT a minifigure.

The other Battle Pack 75001 is much more attractive, if we forget the Speeder of the game reproduced here in a really simplistic way. The 4 minifigs are successful and innovative as long as we integrate the fact that they represent characters (Sith Troopers and Clone Troopers) from a universe derived from the original / cult / sacred saga.

The and 75012 BARC Speeder is pretty cool, but it's mostly for Rex minifigs Phase II and Obi-Wan in a new version that this set is already essential for me. Ditto for the 75002 whose AT-RT seems a little too "blue" to me and which is especially worthy of the much hoped for, expected, finally arrived Trooper Phase II of the 501st. Sniper Droideka is average, Yoda should have been replaced by a second Clone.

Le 75004 Z-95 Headhunter is still one of those ships with too flat wings, reactors made up of parts loosely strung one behind the other and a fuselage too thin to be convincing. It's ugly and expensive the Clone. I ask to see Krell's face.

Finally, the 75013 Umbaran MHC is quite nice, plush, and the resemblance to the TCW version is correct, less curves. Another set for Ahsoka's minifigs in a new version and the Clone Phase II. Although I wonder why LEGO put these helmets on the Umbarans ...