It's time to announce the new Modular : The LEGO Modular Buildings Collection set 10278 Police Station will join from January 1, 2021 the city of all those who never tire of lining up the pretty constructions offered each year.

In this box of 2923 pieces stamped 18+ and bearing the new mention "Modular Buildings Collection"a police station flanked by a donut shop on one side and a newsstand on the other. To bring the construction to life, LEGO provides five minifigs including three police officers. The common thread of the set: the tracking down a mysterious donut thief.

The construction is developed over two floors and a removable roof that allow access to the various interior spaces and these three levels are connected by an interior staircase. Designer Chris McVeigh went out of his way to stage the product pitch with a set of details scattered throughout the construction all related to the hunt for the donut thief with holes.

The whole construction is 37cm high, 25cm wide and 25cm deep.

The set will be available from January 1, 2021 at the public price of 179.99 € / 189.00 CHF. We will talk about it until then on the occasion of a "Review ", but apart from a few color differences already visible on the official visuals, for the moment I have the impression that the cuvée Modular 2021 will be an excellent vintage.

10278 POLICE STATION ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

THE SET IN BELGIUM >> THE SET IN SWITZERLAND >>

Today we can quickly move on with the second reference in the LEGO ART range which will be marketed from January 1: the set 31202 Disney's Mickey Mouse.

With 2658 pieces, the inventory of this second box is less extensive than that of the set 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests (4249 pieces) but the retail price of the product remains the same: 119.99 €. Here it is a question of assembling Mickey or Minnie as you wish and possibly of collecting two copies of the set to obtain a rectangular mosaic bringing together the two characters. The overall model is content to combine the two existing creations, LEGO does not offer an "alternative" construction.

The cartoon side of the pattern is reinforced by the use of tiles 1 x 1 rounds which in my opinion are more suited to this type of mosaic than the stud pieces used on other products in the range. The overall finish is better and easier to maintain. These tiles are on the other hand a little more difficult to remove from the modules and the supplied super brick separator is not of much help. Its use in this specific case just guarantees you to expel pieces to the four corners of the living room and the golden crowbar provided is a better ally during the operation.

As usual, this is not about having fun by discovering more or less original editing techniques, everything is scripted and the user is guided by a very well designed instruction booklet. The pieces are delivered already sorted by color in individual bags and you just need to associate the right shade with the right number to get started. It seems to be relaxing.

The usual mechanics of the LEGO ART range do not change, we align parts on the nine 16x16 modules which are then connected to each other via a few pine Technic. The Disney logo pad printed on a 2x4 piece will give a little cachet to the whole but you can also not install it on the model, the pieces which will be used to fill the hole are provided. The complexity of these models being quite relative, two and a half hours were enough for me to assemble Minnie, having previously stored the batches of parts in small plastic cups.

Here also, I regret a little that LEGO does not provide two different plates to be used according to the model chosen with the mentions "Mickey Mouse"on one side and"Minnie Mouse"on the other. However, in my opinion, the combined mosaic would have benefited from the presence of two separate plates.

For those who are wondering, each mosaic is foolproof once assembled, the pine Technic provide a first level of connection to the nine modules, the whole is reinforced by the presence of the gray parts placed on the back of the model and the whole is completely secured by the installation of the frame of the table with tiles that overlap the uprights. As with the other mosaics in the range, LEGO provides two wall brackets but you can easily just use one by placing it in the center of the frame.

I'm not an unconditional fan of Mickey and Minnie, but it must be recognized that visually it works quite well in this specific case with the two silhouettes presented on a white background in the shape of ears itself surrounded by a very vintage blue halo. As with the other mosaics in the range, the rendering is convincing as long as you stay at a certain distance, so you will have to study the exhibition location by choosing a wall with a little distance to really enjoy it without having the nose into the details.

As usual, we are promised a thematic podcast planned to accompany the assembly from the launch of the product. This audio track will only be available in English and is not yet downloadable at the time of this writing.

120 € for Mickey or Minnie alternately or 240 € for Mickey and Minnie at the same time, it's up to you. At the risk of repeating myself, I really have trouble with the public price of these products despite their beautiful packaging and the stated desire to target an adult audience who in principle has the means to have fun. The sale of packs bringing together the number of sets needed to assemble global or alternative mosaics, offered at a preferential rate, seemed to me to be a logical step and I am surprised that LEGO is not making this effort.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 9th December 2020 next at 23pm. 

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO ART set 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests, a box of 4249 pieces which will allow, from January 1, 2021, to reproduce the emblems of the four houses of Hogwarts (Hogwarts): the lion for Gryffindor, the badger for Hufflepuff, the eagle for Ravenclaw and the snake for Slytherin.

As you will have understood, the possibility of assembling four different mosaics with various dominant colors implies that the inventory is substantial and we therefore end up with more than 4200 pieces sorted by color in individual bags. However, the public price of the product does not change depending on the number of pieces, it is still 119.99 €.

To be honest, I was not thrilled by the individual interpretation of the different emblems. Fortunately the combination of four copies of the set saves the furniture with the possibility of assembling a very successful coat of arms. The other side of the coin: you will have to spend € 480 to proudly display this coat of arms in your living room.

Those who follow already know that this is not a puzzle but a simple 40 x 40 cm (48 x 48 studs) mosaic whose assembly is scripted using the instruction booklet provided. The parts are already sorted and the mechanics are the same as for the previous sets marketed in this range: nine plates on which we align parts, we collect these plates via a few Technic pins and we frame the whole.

The pleasant surprise comes from the nine plates delivered in this box: LEGO has solved the problem that created a very unpleasant ripple effect in the center of the element. The ones I received with my test copy of the set 31199 Marvel Studios Iron Man had a defect that I reported to the manufacturer. I had to return all of these modules to get a replacement, but the new copies received were not perfectly flat either.

Here, the hollow effect in the center of the module disappears permanently and that's a good thing, especially when crossing the mosaic in profile. In turn, the problem encountered prevented me from correctly clipping the white pieces on the back of each of the plates. For the new sets that will be marketed in January 2021, LEGO has chosen here to no longer use the central volume of each of the nine modules and to add parts at the junction of these different elements.

For the rest, those who have already invested in other products in the LEGO ART range will be on familiar ground with the added bonus of large areas of the same color which will reinforce the impression of working in the assembly line. For others, expect to be a bit bored lining up pieces and following the instructions to the letter. This range will not revolutionize the LEGO universe in terms of the evolution of assembly techniques and the 4 in 1 concept of this reference will, as usual, involve disassembly in order before moving on to the next model. The case is heard in less than three hours, unless you decide to align the LEGO mention on each of the parts very precisely.

The dismantling is here in principle facilitated by the super brick separator supplied which allows to extract the bricks four by four, but then you have to unhook them from the utensil itself. It is laborious and those who can afford four copies of this box would be well inspired to go directly to the assembly of the coat of arms. I remind for all intents and purposes that the instructions necessary for assembling the combined mosaic are not provided. You will need to download them in PDF format from the manufacturer's website and view them on a PC or tablet.

As with the rest of the range, LEGO provides a small 2x4 pad printed plate to be inserted into the lower corner of the mosaic. The manufacturer could have taken the opportunity to provide us with four different plates with the names of the different schools represented, but unfortunately we have to be satisfied with the generic mention "Harry Potter". Never mind.

Two hooks for fixing the construction to the wall are provided, but the frame easily fits on one of these fasteners. LEGO still does not provide an easel to present the construction on a piece of furniture without having to rest it on something and that's a shame.

I am not giving you a verse on the thematic audio podcast promised on the box and which is part of the overall "experience", it is not available at the time of this writing. We already know that it will only be available in English.

Unlike other mosaics in the LEGO ART range which are visually self-sufficient when taken individually, I'm not really convinced by the graphic bias used for the four individual emblems offered here and There is only the coat of arms which includes four copies of the set which seems to me really very successful. Every fan of the Harry Potter universe is used to finding affinities with one or the other of the Hogwarts schools, offering a single copy of the set, however, makes sense and should be enough to please.

The public price of these mosaics has something to put off some fans who will prefer to spend € 120 on other more interesting products to assemble. In any case, it will be necessary to know how to show a little patience to find this box at around 90 €, the 2020 references are already regularly offered at very attractive prices. on Amazon Germany.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 8th December 2020 next at 23pm. 

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

The visuals have been circulating for several days on the usual channels, we now know where they come from: It is the Polish brand Bonito which reveals the two sets of the new "Botanical Collection"which will be launched next January by LEGO.

The images available are not in very high resolution, we will have to deal with it in the meantime.

On the menu of this new range intended for an adult audience, two sets: