Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75352 Emperor's Throne Room Diorama, a box of 807 pieces currently in pre-order on the official online store at the public price of 99.99 €, as well as at Amazon et FNAC at the same price and Auchan at 84.99 €, and whose official availability is announced for May 1, 2023.

I'm not drawing you a picture, the scene reproduced is emblematic enough for the context to be obvious at first glance. The stunned will as usual have before their eyes the logo of the LEGO Star Wars range, a line of dialogue in English and, as is the case for the other diorama expected on May 1, a pretty pad-printed brick that makes perfect tribute to the 40th anniversary of the film Return of the Jedi.

Once again, this box intended for an adult clientele will replace any diorama made up of children's toys already marketed on the same theme, such as sets 75093 Death Star Final Duel (2015) or 75291 Death Star Final Duel (2020) by a frankly less voluminous staging but also a little less coarse.

The product offers a fairly satisfying building experience with a base that takes into account the rest of the model from the start of the process, such as the stairs or the back wall, which will be dressed in very convincing sub-assemblies surrounding the magnificent pad-printed canopy provided.

I am much less convinced by the frontal covering of the perimeter of the niche which accommodates the throne of Palpatine, the whole lacks in my opinion a little finesse especially on this scale and we visually graze the crossover with the stargate of Stargate . The use of darker gray pieces might have helped to highlight the niche and make this large crown of pieces visually "disappear" a little.

For the rest, and even if we lose a bit of the gigantism of the room seen on the screen, it is all the same nicely executed with some refinements such as the very correct throne of the Emperor, the railings with their arms of metallic droids, the two control stations with their colored micro-screens or even the solution used to surround the 10x10 canopy with two flexible tubes and 13 sub-assemblies made up of windows with their frames to clip onto these tubes. Impossible to completely place Luke in one of the two control stations as in the film, they are not hollowed out.
The rear view of the diorama reveals the mounting and reinforcement solutions used to make this display product a sufficiently robust unit, nothing serious, the construction is intended to be displayed from the front. Perhaps more embarrassing for some fans, there is still a little void visible on the sides of the stage at the level of the stairs as well as between the steps, this will have to be done.

Watch out for scratches on the big dish pad-printed, LEGO does not protect it and it is simply thrown in a bag. This is the centerpiece of the product, I was hoping for a little more care from the manufacturer in a high-end set sold at a high price and targeting an adult clientele necessarily more demanding than the usual young clientele.

We will remember that Palpatine's two lightning bolts can be stored under the removable forecourt of the room, it's always better than losing them and not being able to get your hands on them again if you ever want to change the setting a little on stage. LEGO has also provided four visible studs on the floor of the room to allow the minifigs of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader to be positioned without the risk of them falling each time the object is moved, it is well seen.

Three minifigs are delivered in this box: Darth Vader, Palpatine and Luke Skywalker. Vader is not new, it is the version available since the beginning of the year in the LEGO Star Wars set 75347 Tie Bomber (64.99 €). It was not necessary to modify this figurine, it seems perfect to me in this configuration with the pad-printed arms and the face which I find rather successful. I would have appreciated a plastic cape with a nice draped effect for the occasion, especially at €100 a box.

Luke Skywalker is finally enjoying a hairstyle that matches the haircut seen on screen, it was time for LEGO to look into the subject and it's very well done. All previous versions of the character in this outfit are therefore definitely getting old with this new hairstyle. The character's torso is yet another variant of the outfit seen on screen, it's faithful but LEGO can't resign itself to removing the too white area of ​​the neck which still doesn't match the color of the head. The legs remain neutral.

Palpatine is also a little "updated" with white pupils that are no longer really in line with the look of the character in the film and an evolution of the graphics of the outfit, but he retains the fabric cape and the angular hood worn by the character since 2020. Difficult to do better in the context of the scene presented here even if we could discuss the slightly too yellow tint of the character's face and that a metallic buckle under the neck could have in my opinion brought a little finesse to the somewhat dull design of the outfit.

To conclude, I find this diorama very convincing despite its few flaws, it perfectly symbolizes the scene concerned in a contained volume and it offers some very interesting assembly techniques as a bonus. The public price of the product does not seem to me justified, however, and as usual we will have to wait for the various retailers to offer us a sufficient reduction in this price to crack.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 19th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75353 Endor Speeder Chase Diorama, a box of 608 pieces which is currently in pre-order on the official online store at the public price of 79.99 € with effective availability announced for May 1, 2023.

Those who follow already know the principle of Diorama Collection LEGO Star Wars, these are reproductions of more or less cult scenes from the Star Wars saga intended for adults and these pure exhibition products are presented on a base decorated with the logo of the range and a line of dialogue in English relating to the scene in question.

This collection was launched last year with the first three references still available for sale, the sets 75329 Death Star Trench Run (€ 69.99), 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training (89.99 €) and 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor (89.99 €).

Many collectors therefore find in these boxes something to replace their existing dioramas often made up of sets intended for a young audience, they obviously gain in finish but sometimes lose in potential playability due to the relative fragility of certain assemblies. This will be the case here with two Speeder Bikes nicely executed but more fragile than the different versions of the machine marketed so far in boxes for children.

The principle of staging does not change and consistency with the other sets in this collection is retained: a black base embellished with a few metallic pieces on its different sides and which serves as a "sandbox" for the scene in question. It's easy to move, nothing or almost nothing protrudes and it is therefore possible to line up all these dioramas wisely on a shelf to obtain a very satisfactory result.

This is to reproduce the pursuit on Endor with two Speeder Bikes circulating between the trees of the forest moon. Of the gigantic trees seen on screen, only two trunks remain here that are a bit skinny, and some may find that LEGO has been a bit sparing on the vegetation.

However, I think that the whole works rather well, it was still necessary to leave enough to admire the two machines present without visually polluting the diorama too much. The designer has forced on the foliage and the ferns present on the ground to compensate for the cubic and a little rickety aspect of the trunks and their foliage, it is in my opinion thick enough to be credible knowing that the scene occupies a surface of 28 cm long by 18 cm wide and 20 cm high.

The two Speeder Bikes are similar except for one detail: that of Leia and Luke is logically designed to accommodate two figurines where that of the Scout trooper is satisfied with a single seat. These two machines are significantly more detailed than the versions already seen at LEGO but it is at the cost of a certain fragility which will not allow too much manipulation. Nothing serious, this set is an exhibition model.

The transparent supports installed on the floor of Endor can be moved and oriented as you see fit in order to modify the dynamics of the scene or to adapt the angle of presentation of the Speeder Bikes according to the orientation of the diorama on your shelves . This possibility is even documented in the product's instruction booklet, just to reassure those who are sometimes reluctant to improvise by deviating from the design provided by LEGO.

On the side of the three minifigs provided, we therefore obtain a Scout Trooper identical to that available in the set 75332AT-ST and two new minifigs: Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Too bad for the black arms of the Scout Trooper, a two-color injection to reproduce the shoulder pads of the outfit seen on the screen would have been welcome on a high-end product like this. There was no need to modify the rest of the figurine, but the addition of an additional finishing detail would undoubtedly have been very appreciated by the fans.

The figurines of Luke and Leia are successful, the tampograhies are detailed and in the end only the ponchos worn by the two characters on the screen are missing. These ponchos are well symbolized on the chest of the characters and you can imagine that I prefer this graphic solution rather than two pieces of shapeless fabric which would undoubtedly have difficulty resisting the onslaught of time and dust.

No stickers in this box, everything is stamped, including the pretty brick which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Return of the Jedi.

All is not perfect in this diorama, but it should never be forgotten that the creativity of designers is limited by the marketing constraints imposed. It is their public price and the profitability expected by the brand that defines the limits of the content of these products and you have to deal with or embark on modifications that will involve the purchase of additional elements, such as adding a third Speeder. Bike or flesh out both trees.

We could therefore discuss the public price of this product and wonder why LEGO relieves us of 80 € for a box of 600 pieces, a significant part of which ends up in the base of the product.

The answer undoubtedly lies in the target identified on the packaging, an adult clientele who can afford these toys but who does not want to have fun with their LEGOs and who prefers to be satisfied with products from exhibition more compact and discreet than the usual toys. It will obviously be possible to find these boxes a little cheaper at the usual retailers in the weeks following their effective availability.

Update : the set is also available for pre-order at Amazon (€ 79.99), Auchan (69.99 €) and FNAC (79.99 €).

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 18th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

Today we very quickly go around the contents of the 18 bags of minifigs to collect gathered under the reference 71038 Disney 100th Celebration collectible Minifigures Series and which will be available from May 1, 2023 at the unit retail price of €3.99.

Those who follow already know the list of characters in question in this series of 18 figurines imagined to celebrate 100 years of Disney, for the others, know that you can get Oswald the lucky rabbit (1927), the Witch-Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - 1937), Mickey as a sorcerer's apprentice (The Sorcerer's Apprentice / Fantasia - 1940), Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio - 1940), The Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland - 1951), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty - 1959), Cruella (101 Dalmatians - 1961), Robin Hood and Prince John (1973), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), Stitch 626 (Lilo & Stitch - 2002), Tiana and Doctor Facilier (The Princess and the Frog - 2010), Baymax (The New Heroes - 2014) and Miguel Rivera, Dante and Ernesto de la Cruz (coco-2017).

I'm not going to dissect each of these figurines, the photos speak for themselves, but I still have a few comments to make regarding LEGO's work on this new series. We could obviously discuss the proposed selection which will make some people say, depending on the generation to which they belong, that it is made up of many second-rate characters or, on the contrary, that it brings together a large handful of heroes from their childhood.

It is indeed up to everyone to appreciate the LEGO proposal, there is something for all ages and nothing obliges you to invest in the entire collection if you consider that a few of these figurines are more than enough for your happiness. Some of the characters offered here might have deserved to have a little more ambitious career in dedicated sets, but we all know that these children's products usually come in overpriced boxes with sketchy content. Being able to obtain them individually is therefore in my opinion a good thing.

We can also consider that the selection made by LEGO unfortunately ignores certain antagonists or companions of the characters present (Lilo, Angel, Snow White, Prince Philippe, etc ...), but the manufacturer has clearly undertaken to sweep a century of Disney characters and choices had to be made.

Once again, LEGO puts all its know-how at the service of this series of figurines and we are witnessing a real debauchery of top-flight pad printing on all sides, two-color injection and new molds. However, the manufacturer delivers a result that sometimes seems a little disappointing to me if we compare each of the characters with the digital alter-ego that serves as a marketing medium to convince customers to spend €4 per sachet.

Some colors are bland, there are smudges around the eyes of some figurines, several areas are poorly aligned, the colors are not always perfectly centered on the area that should receive them and we even find on Robin Hood's legs the a bit messy layering of shades already seen on the legs of Marion Ravenwood in the LEGO Indiana Jones set 77013 Escape from the Lost Tomb.

Concerning Robin Hood in particular, LEGO does not totally oversell its technical know-how on the official visual with a slightly more successful superposition effect but just as visible as on the real figurine. LEGO is making progress, no doubt about it, but prices are rising faster than the trim level of some products.

Pinocchio's nose is a piece of flexible plastic added to a classic head, it is correctly executed even if the junction between the two elements remains clearly visible up close. If some wanted to believe it, know that this nose does not lengthen and is not retractable. You will have noticed, Stitch reuses the double arms seen on Rio Durant, a character present in the LEGO Star Wars set 75219 Imperial AT-Hauler marketed in 2018.

Baymax isn't as chubby as he is on screen, and the pattern on the classic torso struggles to give him volume even though the character's fully movable arms are very convincing. The figurine is white with gray patterns, the official visual let imagine something brighter and more contrasting. The face of the Queen of Hearts seems a little too caricatural to me, even if the graphic designer has tried to reproduce the somewhat ungrateful and coarse features of the character and Jiminy Cricket's legs are fixed and unarticulated contrary to what the visual may suggest official.

My favorite figurines are Robin Hood and Prince Jean, two minifigs that perfectly embody the characters of my childhood for which I am ready to forgive the few technical flaws present. Miguel and Ernesto are also two magnificent minifigs with very accomplished pad printing, I will have the impression of getting my 4 € with these two characters, their four-legged companion and the two guitars, including the white one, which is simply magnificent . Finally, Mickey as a sorcerer's apprentice will also join my shelves, the short film which inspired the pretty figurine offered here is a great classic of my youth.

We also welcome the possibility of finally obtaining certain minifigs of characters such as Mulan, Tiana and Aurore which were until now only available in mini-doll format, much less desirable when it comes to collecting particular characters in the most emblematic format of the Danish manufacturer.

As you will have understood, I find this series of 18 characters rather balanced, knowing that it aims to summarize 100 years of Disney heroes and villains, but also very unequal on a technical level with defects which seem to me regrettable on products sold for €4 each and promoted via extensively retouched visuals. LEGO has really gone all out to seduce fans by offering them a varied assortment of minifigs with a successful design, but the execution is a bit poor on some of them and we will probably never have a second chance to get a new version of these characters.

One last remark: I'm not a big fan of the systematic use of pieces of fabric to embody capes and other collars, I think that LEGO could make the effort for some of these attributes to offer them in plastic. The durability of these elements over time would only be better and the rendering visually more successful. Be careful when opening the bags not to cut them on the way.

If you're planning on hitting the bag at a toy store or a LEGO Store near you, good luck, I'm a little concerned about the ability of Pioncchio's nose to withstand the onslaught of fans fumbling without care. Otherwise, you can also buy boxes of 36 sachets, they contain two complete sets judging by the contents of the one I received.

Note: Two series of 18 characters, provided by LEGO, are as usual put into play. Deadline fixed at April 15th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winners were drawn at random and notified by email.

As expected, LEGO is offering a copy of the set starting today 40590 Houses of the World 2 from 250 € of purchase and without restriction of range. It's hard to criticize the content of this little box of 270 pieces, the theme developed won't please everyone, but you have to admit that it's nicely executed.

We therefore assemble a micro-modular that reuses the emblematic characteristics of its big brothers from the LEGO ICONS range with a removable floor and roof, some micro-furniture that fills the different spaces available and a finish that is very satisfactory given the the scale of the building. Too bad for the sheet of stickers, these promotional products available only from a very high amount should be able to do without.

We can also wonder what to do with the construction once the assembly is complete, there is nothing very exciting here to display prominently on the corner of a shelf. Those who want to build a diorama on the Indiana Jones theme will perhaps find something there to furnish the background of their staging via a forced perspective: this somewhat caricatural reproduction of a typical habitat in North Africa, after the official description of the product, seems to me quite appropriate.

It is indeed the conditions of the offer which makes it possible to obtain this set which are more debatable with a very high minimum purchase amount set at 250 €. Many will oppose me that with 250 € at LEGO, we don't have much, but it's still a shame not to put this pretty little set within the reach of more customers. Knowing that this box is also one of four to collect on the same theme, it will therefore be necessary to spend at least 1000 € in LEGO products and at their maximum public price to collect all the promised products.

It may therefore be wise to turn to the secondary market if this small collection tempts you, the savings made by buying cheaper elsewhere than at LEGO should allow you to finance the acquisition of the four boxes concerned. It's up to you.

DIRECT ACCESS TO CURRENT CLASSIFIED ADS ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 11th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO ICONS set 10317 Classic Land Rover Defender 90, a box of 2336 pieces which will be available as a VIP preview from April 1, 2023 at the retail price of €239.99. You already know it since you follow, Land Rover is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and it was therefore an opportunity to collaborate with LEGO to pay tribute to one of the legendary models of the brand. The choice fell on the Defender in version 90, a vehicle marketed between 1983 and 2016.

This product will allow its buyers to assemble three versions to choose from: a version with a V8 engine and its flat bonnet, a five-cylinder Turbo Diesel version and its domed bonnet and an "Expedition" version which makes use of all accessories provided. The necessary modifications are documented in the instruction booklet which, after assembling the structure common to the three vehicles, allows you to go directly to the next section according to your preferences. Going back from one to the other later will be a little more laborious, you will have to play the game of the seven differences a little.

If the two motors supplied are interchangeable without having to disassemble anything, this is not the case for the front cover and its support, which will have to be modified to integrate the curved area. Some parts also come to block the spaces left on the bodywork to fix the luggage rack there, they will have to be removed to switch to "Expedition" mode. The over-equipped version seems visually coherent to me, but that's a little less the case with the two standard versions: the Defender then seems to me aesthetically a little too high on its suspensions.

Everyone will agree, the subject treated lends itself rather well to an interpretation based on LEGO bricks. The Defender is a "cube", so the LEGO version is inevitably stunningly realistic except for a few aesthetic shortcuts. The lines are there, the new wheel arches are very appropriate and the angles linked to the use of certain parts are not chosen here out of spite, as is sometimes the case on other models.

This Land Rover Defender of 32 cm long by 16 cm wide and 16 cm high is here delivered in a color Sand Green, a choice that may seem relevant, this color being close to the idea that we have of this vehicle when it is mentioned. But regulars of this color at LEGO know that it often involves rather unsightly color variations and this is once again the case here, especially at the level of the doors. The visible junction between the pieces already breaks the uniformity of the flat surfaces, but it makes sense since these are LEGO bricks, and these color differences only reinforce this effect.

As far as I'm concerned, I would have preferred a Camel Trophy version of this Land Rover, the over-equipped version of the vehicle would in my opinion have been more credible and more attractive for all those like me who only knew the Defender in their youth. with its ocher color and stickers on the doors. Especially with the two sand removal plates provided which obviously evoke the rally-raid and the desert.

This vehicle from the ICONS range, or Creator Expert for those who knew this defunct label at LEGO, is an almost surprising mix of classic parts and many elements drawn from the Technic universe. These allow to obtain some notable refinements such as a functional steering, a playable winch as well as a complete set of suspensions. This last technical detail is significant on a show model which in principle is not intended to do too much under its bodywork apart from a few openings and simple moving parts, especially for an all-terrain vehicle.

We therefore obtain here a real top-of-the-range toy that it will be possible to evolve in rough terrain to measure the effectiveness of the four integrated suspensions. Be careful all the same when handling, some sections are just simple stacks of slightly fragile bricks, exhibition model stamped 18+ obliges.

In the standard version of the Defender, the hard-top is easily removable to allow access to the interior of the vehicle, the layout of which is very neat. It will be a little more laborious with the "Expedition" version. The upholstery is well executed and the cockpit, on the right, then becomes accessible to easily manipulate the steering via the steering wheel, it's always easier than sliding two fingers through the door to have fun with the integrated steering.

LEGO provides two small stamped Land Rover logos but everything else including the model name placed on the front of the bonnet is based on stickers. The two stickers to be aligned carefully to get the correct spacing between the letters E and N add an extra color gap to the vehicle, it's a bit of a shame.

Do not expect protected glazing to minimize potential scratches, LEGO seems to have definitively abandoned the good idea of ​​the individual protective sheet present in the sets 10300 Back to the Future Time Machine et 75341 Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder. Besides, in my opinion, LEGO misses the opportunity to create a totally flat windshield like on the reference vehicle and is content to deliver the usual glazing with its rounded edges flanked by two stickers to break the curve of the item delivered. The result is a little disappointing but we will have to deal with it.

The slew of accessories delivered in this box is interesting with a jack, a tool box, a fire extinguisher and two jerrycans whose finish is very neat even if they seem a little oversized. All these elements can be hung on the vehicle, they bring a welcome touch of color but they also contribute to inflate the inventory of the set and therefore its public price.

I'm not sure that it was absolutely necessary to hang a shovel and a pickaxe on the hood as well as two other tools on the sides of the vehicle, but the adventurer atmosphere of the machine is only reinforced even if the bodywork disappears a little more under this abundance of additional elements. Those considering doing something else with the wheels of this Defender will have on hand here not four but six pretty rims and the tires to match.

Finally, I think this vintage-looking Land Rover Defender is a nice surprise despite its flaws. It may seem a little redundant with the larger one, 42 cm long by 20 cm wide and 22 cm high, from the Technic range set. 42110 Land Rover Defender released in 2019, but it should find its audience among anyone who has ever used this vehicle or who simply wants to expand their collection of LEGO cars by incorporating this off-road machine that has become a classic.

Too bad for the color chosen and the associated aesthetic defects, I will skip it because the only version that immediately comes to mind is that of the Camel Trophy.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 30, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.