On the sidelines of the May the 4th operation, LEGO is marketing a handful of new sets from today on its official online store, including the product from the LEGO Classic range which celebrates the brand's 90th anniversary. The LEGO Star Wars set Ultimate Collector Series 75341 Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder (199.99 €) is now also available as a VIP preview.

As usual, it's up to you to see whether to crack without waiting by paying the full price for these boxes or whether to show a little patience and wait for the inevitable reductions that will be offered in the boxes. weeks and months to come at Amazon, on FNAC.com and at a few other resellers.

ALL NEWS FOR MAY 2022 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

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Today we quickly go around the other novelty of the Botanical Collection LEGO which will be available at the public price of 49.99 € from May 1st: the reference 10309 Succulents, which allows with its inventory of 771 pieces to assemble nine plants forming a small modular set.

Difficult to pass after the very successful orchid of the set 10311Orchid, the product offered here has its charm but it is necessarily a little less elegant. It's the subject matter that wants that and this set still has some arguments to make, such as the possibility of assembling it with several people. LEGO indeed provides three instruction booklets and three separate bags that allow you to assemble three of the nine planned plants.

We can therefore consider that the experience is to be shared, even if the assembly of some of these succulents will only take a small handful of minutes. I engaged in the exercise as a family, with three, everything was completed in half an hour. I'll spare you the usual construction steps, it's up to you to discover the different techniques and parts used to obtain the final result, there's no need to spoil this pleasure for you.

For those who are wondering, there is not really any added educational value in this box, but LEGO takes the trouble to identify the different plants to build over the pages of the three instruction booklets. There won't be any chance of forging a solid culture about what the different assemblies represent, but you will at least be able to put a name to each of them. It is then up to you to document yourself if necessary so that you can skilfully present and comment on the construction in front of your friends.

If we take each of the plants individually, the result is in my opinion very unequal with for example an Aloe Vera, a moon cactus and a Sempervivum passable, a very correct sea urchin cactus and burro tail and two Echeverias which I find very successful. It is the set that will have its little effect and you will have to wait until you have finished assembling and connecting the small black pots to each other to obtain a visually rather convincing result.

We are not going to swoon for hours in front of these few plants, but the block will, for example, make a very original decorative centerpiece on occasion. Bringing together succulents, the construction does not take up much volume on arrival and it is the moon cactus which sets the maximum height with 13 cm high.

The modularity of the overall construction is interesting, it allows many combinations and it is only limited by the size of certain plants whose leaves protrude from the frame. Depending on the space available or the use of the construction, you can choose to group the different plants by balancing the volumes or align them wisely on a shelf. Small appreciable detail, the red axes provided which are used to connect the pots between them can be stored in the black base under one of the plants.

This product is a lifestyle reference that deserves its place on the shelves of a decoration and accessories store and which will undoubtedly have a little more difficulty finding its audience among LEGO fans accustomed to other ranges and universes. . For fifty euros at LEGO, and probably much less elsewhere in a few weeks, this box will make a nice gift to offer to arrive with something other than a bottle of wine and a cake at your friends' house. It's not trompe-l'oeil in the literal sense of the term, but the object has its charm if you can accept the idea of ​​exhibiting plastic-based plants.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 27th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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 Botanical Collection set 10311Orchid, a box of 608 pieces stamped 18+ which is currently in pre-order on the official online store at the public price of 49.99 € and which will be available from May 1, 2022. I am not drawing you a picture, this is about build an orchid in its vase. We can always discuss the interest of reproducing plants with plastic, it will be up to everyone to see if it is better to be content with buying real flowers which will have to be taken care of rather than contenting themselves with exposing this eternal reproduction that is only in danger of gathering dust.

The final appearance of the product does not really reflect the complexity of certain elements that compose it and the internal structure of the pot is deliberately much more detailed than what would have been necessary to achieve the same result. Good for us, the construction challenge is all the more interesting, knowing that the assembly of stems and flowers is very repetitive and has nothing very exciting about it.

The pot, whose outer surface is sober but nicely made, is heavy enough to avoid any accidental tilting of the construction afterwards, no risk at this level. It will be enough to leaf through the instructions to understand that the pot can easily be personalized to make it a little less sad, the internal structure with its pins on which you can attach Tiles allows for some creative variations if your inventory allows.

Those who have already spent their money on other products of this Botanical Collection will be on familiar ground when it comes to assembling the stems and their stakes. Nothing very exciting at this level, but if you want to reproduce the model shown on the packaging identically, you will have to be careful to respect the angles and bends of the two green rods and their ramifications.

We then assemble and install the buds and flowers, LEGO also specifies that it is up to everyone to compose their presentation by changing, for example, the length of the stems and placing the flowers where they see fit according to their mood. time or space actually available between two shelves: the construction measures 39 cm high on arrival.

Note in passing the use of the head of the Demogorgon minifig seen in the LEGO Stranger Things set 75810 The Upside Down, flanked here by a superb pad printing which really gives character to the object. These two pieces are also so successful that the six large flowers based on pieces and frogs seem almost indirectly a little too coarse.

Taking a step back, however, the whole is really an illusion and we almost believe it. The few "diverted" pieces used for the flowers such as the white forks, the shields and other shoulder pads are discreet on arrival and fit perfectly into the overall aesthetic, it's appreciable.

There are only the green leaves made from very large pieces which in my opinion spoil the overall presentation a bit, it's too coarse to convince me. The contrast between the finesse of the flowers and these large green pieces without veins is obvious, it will be possible to attenuate it by carefully orienting the leaves to make them a little more discreet.

The pot is filled with substrate to conceal the internal structure as best as possible, which remains visible from certain angles. Lego is once again content to deliver us a handful of pieces that simply have to be thrown into the pot while trying to distribute the different elements between the stems and the tutors. These pieces are not fixed, you will have to be careful when moving so as not to lose some of them. I find the process a bit lazy and disappointing, you can't really talk about "construction" anymore at this stage.

at €50 for a flowerpot, there's nothing to think about for too long: It's nicely done, the asking price is rather reasonable and the product will easily find its place in the interior of whoever will receive the product. This plastic orchid is also a little less kitschy than the fake bouquet in the set. 10280 Flower Bouquet with its car hoods or the plant of the set 10289 Bird of Paradise with its Technic body panels. The frogs present on the flowers also seem to me more appropriate here in their role as a nod to the many possibilities of use offered by certain pieces than on the Bonsai which used a hundred of them.

I think we have here the most elegant product of the entire collection of plastic plants offered by LEGO, if you only had to buy one for yourself or as a gift, this is it. The real flower requires a lot of attention and care, this plastic version will delight anyone who wants to emphasize their love or their friendship to someone without risking seeing the thing wither and disappear from the shelves too quickly.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 25th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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

LEGO today officially unveils two new features of what is now called the Botanical Collection : the references 10309 Succulents (771 pieces - 49.99 €) and 10311Orchid (608 pieces - 49.99 €) which will join from May 1, 2022 the other sets already available on the same theme, the sets 10289 Bird of Paradise (€ 109.99), 10280 Flower Bouquet (49.99 €) and 10281 Bonsai Tree (49.99 €).

On one side, a set with nine succulents or succulents in their individual pots to be built by several people with three separate instruction booklets and on the other an orchid in its pot.

We will talk more about these two boxes very quickly, they are online on the official store and the orchid can be pre-ordered:

LEGO 10309 SUCCULENTS ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

LEGO 10311 ORCHID ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

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We end this cycle of reviews of the three references of the new LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection with a quick overview of the content of the set 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training, a box of 1000 pieces which will be available from April 26, 2022 at the retail price of €79.99.

I'm not drawing you a picture, this is about assembling a reproduction of the meeting between Luke Skywalker and Yoda on the planet Dagobah during Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back), which begins with a crash of the X-wing in a swamp and ends with some sequences of physical training and highly philosophical reflections.

The assembly of the product oscillates between weariness, with nearly 180 Tiles greens to place to form the surface of the swamp, and more entertaining sequences with the construction of Yoda's hut and the surrounding vegetation. The contrast between the vegetation and the hut is well managed, the staging of 29 cm long by 17 cm wide and 16 cm high seems to me graphically very successful with easily identifiable and well positioned elements which avoid us some confusion visual.

The transparency effect of Tiles swamp works rather well to embody a liquid surface even if we are not yet in a trompe-l'oeil rendering. The organic aspect of the hut is convincing, the "wall" of vegetation that delimits the bottom of the diorama is appropriate, difficult to find fault with. The wing of the X-Wing which suggests the presence of the submerged vessel in the marshy waters is well executed, this detail made up of a few parts really gives cachet to the scene with the added bonus of the presence of "bubbles" around the wing to symbolize the sinking of the vessel.

The designer has not only worked on the front of the diorama and also leaves access to the interior of Yoda's hut from the rear, with just enough room inside the premises to install it. Yoda and Luke. It is also on the back of the product that the lightsaber handle is located, it is hung on the ceiling of the hut. At the front, Luke can optionally be staged balancing on one arm, LEGO provides the transparent parts that allow the minifig to be presented in the correct position.

Like the other two products in the same collection, the construction here displays a quote from the film and the text in English, "...Do. Or do not. There is no trying...", is once again self-sufficient as the formula has become cult and used in all sauces for many years. Almost no one uses the French version of Yoda's statement anyway: "...Do it or don't do it, but there is no try...".

To populate this mini diorama, three figurines: Yoda, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. The three miniatures can be considered as evolutions of those of the set 75208 Yoda's Hut marketed in 2018, because they benefit from subtle aesthetic modifications by taking up patterns already seen. Luke Skywalker, for example, comes in the same outfit, but the t-shirt and the characters' legs are a little more detailed on this new interpretation. The head of the character is identical to that of 2018, it nevertheless carries a new reference.

The cylinder of R2-D2 takes up the 2018 pattern on its front face, stains included, and LEGO adds this year a pad printing on the back with there also traces of sludge. The result is frankly convincing and is only a little spoiled by the eternal problem of alignment and more or less pronounced deformation of the pad printing of the dome of the droid.

Yoda's minifig is also content to reuse in detail but under a new reference the torso with the design already seen on the figurine marketed in 2018 and the head which dates from 2013.

LEGO finally assumes the idea that no one will really "play" Luke's training sequences on Dagobah and offers us a truly accomplished pure exhibition product. This is in my opinion the most successful interpretation of Yoda's hut at LEGO to date and the sequence seen on screen finds a beautiful tribute here. More generally, this new collection of exhibition dioramas which targets an audience of adult fans will inevitably find its audience despite high prices. It offers the possibility of displaying your passion for the Star Wars universe in a subtle way without filling your living room with ships and more or less detailed playsets.

With a little patience, we can save a few euros or get something offered by waiting at least a few days from the launch of these three new products scheduled for April 26: The offers around the May the 4th operation will follow and it is to be hoped that these three boxes are not already out of stock during the event. Nothing is less sure.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 12th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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