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 Sniper Droideka is average, Yoda should have been replaced by a second Clone.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 ...

Un interesting article on the npr.org site (National public radio) brings some clues and allows us to try to understand how the younger generations find affinities with a 35-year-old cinematographic saga.

Among all the Star Wars fans, there are many who have never known the Original Trilogy than through multiple DVD releases or TV broadcasts. Me, the first, I was much too young in 1977 to attend the release of theEpisode IV: A New Hope At the movie theater.

How does a universe like that of Star Wars succeed in staying in fashion all the time and attracting new generations where other so-called cult universes are struggling to survive technological developments and changes in mentality? It's very simple: A universe filled with action, spaceships, lightsaber battles, various and varied creatures, a basic scenario with the story of a family fighting for control of the universe, endearing (sometimes annoying) heroes who allow everyone to identify with the one with whom they have the most affinities, emblematic villains (really very bad), cubs, a kid who drives a racing machine and the cause is heard.

Star Wars becomes for the youngest the equivalent of the cowboy against the Indians, of the knight who fights against the dragon to save the princess, etc ... the projection in a technologically exciting future in addition. The Star Wars universe has grown so much that it's impossible to know every nook and cranny. It is possible to spend a lifetime learning about characters or planets, learning about technologies, following spin-offs and other parallel stories out of the imagination of third-party authors ....

Derivatives obviously play an important role in the survival of this universe among the youngest. How many children play with LEGOs from the Star Wars range without ever having seen the movies? Their parents buy these toys because they deal with a universe they themselves are nostalgic for and thus convey their own interest in the saga.

I prefer, but it's very personal, to give my son an X-Wing than a garbage truck, or a Tie Fighter rather than a backhoe loader. I prefer to hear him reproduce a space battle in his room than to see him go around an imaginary city to empty the garbage ... The part of my dream that I have left of Star Wars, I transmit it through these toys and I thus have the impression of perpetuating it in my own daily life.

The animated series currently broadcast like The Clone Wars obviously help to snatch the youngest in the Star Wars spiral. They discover the characters that we adults already know and I can speak with my son of Anakin or Obiwan as a common acquaintance. He tells me about their animated adventures, I tell him what I saw in the movies. The bridge is there, the link is made and we each have our bearings but in the same universe.

And it is this common universe that drives us to still consume Star Wars in all its flavors today: T-shirts, LEGOs, DVDs, etc ... Star Wars has this ability to resist all the fads and to all age groups. A kid with a Star Wars t-shirt stays in the game, just like a teenager or an adult. It's less obvious with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ben 10 or the Power Rangers ...

And you, if you are a fan, how did you discover this universe? At what age ? You can give your impressions in the comments.

This year, I had decided that I would go and see with my own eyes what a gathering of LEGO fans looks like, in this case one of the most important in France, Fana'Briques 2012.

So departure with the whole family for Rosheim, or rather Obernai a few kilometers from the place of the exhibition where we had found a guest room. On Saturday morning, head to Fana2012 with the desire to impress me and meet all those who bring LEGO to life in France, gathered for a weekend.

Upon arrival, I noticed that the organization is up to the task. Almost everything has been thought out correctly, and it smacks of a job well done. Head to the BrickPirate stand to meet LEGOmaniac, Lyonnais who provides the atmosphere, Stephle59, Alkinoos, 74louloute, R5-N2, Domino, Icare, Captain Spaulding and many others, they forgive me if I forget here ....

Nice atmosphere in the room, it's hot, people arrive, crowd around the stands, and that of BrickPirate is full: It is ideally placed and the MOCs presented are of quality. Quick tour of the exhibition as a whole, and it's quite uneven, the best meets the worst ... Lots of trains, the children love it, me a little less, and the theme Public Works moderately appeals to me. I pass quickly on excavators, cranes, graders etc ...

Some stands are impressive by the size of the MOCs staged. Others are a little less so, the MOCs presented are in fact a network of rails in the middle of which are gathered without really any logic various and varied machines, some minifigs and some small houses without great coherence. I pass there also quickly.

What strikes me during my wanderings is the contrast between the enthusiasm of the BrickPirate team or the SeTechnic team, eager to meet the visitor, to show their work, to chat with the kids who only dream of of one thing, to touch, to handle, to play ... and certain other stands where the gloom mixed with undoubtedly a little complacency and nonchalance are in order. I get annoyed to see certain exhibitors sprawled behind their tables, impassive.

Beautiful things to see also for Technic enthusiasts with the SeTechnic stand with the presence of the very chrome UCS of the Naboo Royal Starship. There is also a detachable chairlift (I had to have someone explain to me what that meant) and some gigantic cranes in front of which Joe Meno, the author of LEGO Culture and editor of the BrickJournal, was ecstatic.

Lots of medieval creations on the show, including the superb Archenval de Stephle59, and this theme that I don't particularly like is suddenly more sympathetic to me. It is only imbeciles who do not change their minds, it is said in authorized circles ...

Meanwhile my 9 year old son is gargling in front of the tables full of Hero Factory, Bionicle and others figures. My other 3-year-old son is desperately trying to get a car across a railroad track trying to open the barrier after the train has passed. I explain to him that he cannot touch, he gets annoyed, and I tell myself that it is a huge paradox: An entire exhibition of toys that cannot be touched. Fortunately, the organizers had planned a few corners with tables, benches and a lot of pieces for the youngest.

A few very cold beers later, a little chat with the very nice guys from Muttpop, Nicolas and David, who are at the origin of the LEGO Culture project and who had the good taste to bring us back Joe Meno, who came to visit the exhibition and dedicate the book in question. I picked up my autographed copy and was excited. The operation was carried out smoothly, the book is a success and I hope that the success of this book will open the door to other achievements of the same ilk.

One thing is certain: When I see what the French community is capable of, I tell myself that we are lucky to have talented MOCeurs, able to come together and at least to iron out their possible differences of point of view. the space of a convivial weekend.

What I saw in Rosheim were passionate people, ready to make many sacrifices to share their passion. And for that, they all deserve the respect and support of French fans. And LEGO too, but that's another story ...

Special mention to the BrickPirate team, with whom I had a great time, and thank you to LEGOmaniac, Captain Spaulding and 74louloute for their welcome, their kindness and the memories I brought back from this nice getaway.

There would be a lot of other things to say about this event and I will come back to it here on occasion, with the necessary hindsight.

It is on purpose that I did not jump on the Brickset article which presents the above shot taken by Chris McVeigh when you unpack your set LEGO Monster Fighters 9466 The Crazy Scientist & His Monster and which indicates that the left brick from this set is much less heavy, the plastic less opaque and less dense and that the color which should have been Medium Blue is far from agreeing with that of the right brick ...

Always according Chris McVeigh, all the bricks in the set in question appear to be of poor quality, with the exception of the 1x2x2 slopes in Medium Blue.

That being said, the reactions were numerous, and the comments of the article in question swarm as usual with remarks about a possible manufacture in China of these bricks, which would explain their poor quality.

It's a rather quick shortcut often done in the heat of the moment and without taking a step back. Anyone who has worked with Chinese manufacturers before, and I am in a good position to bring it up, knows that it is not that simple.

The Chinese, like other manufacturers on the planet, produce according to the criteria provided by the principal, in this case LEGO in this specific case. And LEGO necessarily has quality control in place, throughout the production process. To summarize Chinese industry as the production of low-end products is to misunderstand the capacity of these manufacturers to adapt to the constraints of the market for which they produce.

Let's face it, the Chinese also know how to manufacture quality products. The extremely low cost of labor allows them to be competitive, but they are able to keep precise specifications, as long as the person who orders the goods keeps an eye on the production phase.

I think that we should not systematically blame the Chinese factories that are subcontractors of LEGO for every quality problem, and there are more and more of them, that we are currently encountering in different ranges.

LEGO may have decided to reduce its production costs, by reducing the density of the plastic, its quality, the quality of the coloring pigments used, the number of checks carried out during the production phase, etc.

After all, LEGO has regained its leadership position in its industry and everyone knows it's easy to rest on your laurels. Shareholders are smiling again, dividends, and always want more. At the same time, production volumes are increasing, allowing significant economies of scale and favoring the relocation of production to countries capable of responding rapidly to growing demand but which do not have the best image in terms of production. quality. Whether in Mexico or China, or even in Eastern countries, LEGO seeks to reduce its costs, and labor represents a large part of it.

But substantial savings can also be achieved by reducing the quality of raw materials to even a limited extent. The average consumer will see nothing but fire, it is above all a construction toy intended to be handled by children.

Maniacal and meticulous AFOLs obviously realize that many details are overlooked by LEGO these days, from misaligned silkscreens to pieces that split quickly after first use.

The quality problems are there, more and more present, it is a fact. But let's not blame the Chinese or the Mexicans. It is to LEGO that it is necessary to turn, to forward the information, and to make understand to this leading manufacturer today but at the limit of the filing of bankruptcy a few years ago, that nothing is acquired. .

People buy LEGO at a high price for the quality of the products. If this quality drops, prices will also have to drop, or consumers will turn without qualms to alternative brands, much less expensive ...

I'm like most of you, I love hanging out in the toy aisle of stores. I feel at ease there, in my element. I discover all these novelties there that still make me want and I marvel at the ingenuity of manufacturers in this constantly evolving field.

But I also noticed a strange reaction on my part: For most of the brands, I look like a child, with the desire to play, to handle, to bring these toys to life. When I arrive in front of the LEGO department, my gaze changes. I stare at each box with a different feeling, as if I have a different regard for them, as if I suddenly become more observant, more concerned, less playful ...

This change in attitude always surprises me. I like playing with my LEGOs, seeing my son assemble a set, invent a ship, shake a box to gauge the density of its contents ... But I'm also always more careful with my LEGOs than with other toys that populate the rooms of my children.

I place more value on the few plastic bricks or minifigs in my collection than on the youngest's Spider-Man figurine or the older ones' beloved spinning tops. Even they sometimes find it difficult to understand the respect I give to the LEGOs in my collection, because after all, to them, they are just toys like any other. They find it hard to understand why I care about the instruction booklets, or why I take care not to damage a box, especially when throwing away without complexes the packaging of other toys, sometimes much more expensive, after a feverish unpacking on Christmas morning ...

This strange behavior doesn't bother me. It sometimes shocks, all things considered, my entourage, but I always find a valid explanation to justify my relationship with LEGOs. 

Unlike many AFOLs today, I have very few childhood memories involving LEGOs. Even then, this toy was already very expensive, and buying LEGOs was a luxury that not all parents could afford. 

I didn't become AFOL out of nostalgia, I don't have much to say about my childhood with LEGOs, and I didn't feel like I had experienced a Dark Age, that slump in which LEGO fans cheat on their favorite toy.

All of this probably explains my current relationship with LEGOs: A kind of duality between desire to play and passion for collecting. Want to know this pleasant feeling of pain of the fingers which suffer from having handled too many bricks, but also to look for the older sets to complete a collection which already takes up too much space. 

I don't remember playing LEGOs as a kid, but I would remember making up for lost time as an adult.

And you ? what is your relation to lego? Players, collectors, designers, nostalgic, what is the value of these bits of plastic in your eyes?