Today we quickly tour the LEGO set 10290 Pickup Truck, a box of 1677 pieces which will be marketed at the public price of 119.99 € from October 1st. LEGO offers us here to assemble a vintage pickup vaguely inspired by the Ford F100 but which the designer presents as a version mixing the characteristic attributes of different utility vans produced in the 1950s such as the Chevrolet 3100 or the GMC 100.

Even if some fans would certainly have appreciated having to build a vehicle of an existing brand, the lack of a license on this product is in my opinion not a bad thing, it probably saves us around forty dollars. euros on the public price of the product and the whole remains visually sufficiently associated with the period concerned to convince.

In order not to deliver us a vehicle alone without a particular context, LEGO puts this pickup on stage by presenting it as the utility of an American farmer who would go to the local market to market his production. It is a good idea, the various small constructions which accompany the van are varied and and allow to fill the dumpster.

These accessories are inspired by the four seasons of the year with spring flowers, summer vegetables, fall pumpkins and even a festive winter wreath that can be attached to the front of the hood. The designer did not just throw a few vegetables in a crate, he also had to assemble a watering can, a jug of milk and a wheelbarrow, all three very well designed and with interesting decorative potential.

The assembly of the pickup, about thirty centimeters long by 14 centimeters wide, begins with a frame made up of a few Frames and Technic beams which will later receive the engine and the various mechanical and bodywork components. In passing, a steering system is integrated into the front axle which can be manipulated via the steering wheel of the vehicle. No offset of the function via an HOG on the roof of the vehicle, so much the better for the overall aesthetics of the model.

It is at this stage of the assembly that a problem arises: the set mixes the parts in Dark Red present for years in the LEGO catalog and elements delivered in what is called the color New Dark Red which are of a slightly lighter shade and which are especially thinner, sometimes up to transparency. The difference in color is not obvious depending on the lighting, but it is clearly visible from certain angles. Skillfully retouched official visuals often hide this detail.

In profile, we can even distinguish the tenons present under the Tiles, in particular those which adorn the doors of the vehicle. Again, it's also a question of lighting and when the vehicle is put on a shelf, these flaws fade a bit.

Even more annoying, the scratches on parts with the same scratch in exactly the same place on some batches of identical items. It is therefore clearly a degradation of the surface directly linked to the production process, it is a bit of a shame on a product with a monochrome body intended for exhibition.

At LEGO, it is often a question of complicating things to arrive at a result, which it would undoubtedly be possible to obtain more simply, by adding in the process a little spice to the process of construction. The techniques used here are therefore often interesting even if the price to pay is a certain fragility of certain sub-assemblies and a sometimes somewhat complicated adjustment of certain portions of the bodywork.

Align, push in but not too much, shift just a little, for example, it will be necessary to find the perfect position of the fenders whose two-part wheel arch is simply clipped so that the rendering is almost perfect. I threw in the towel quickly, the movements of the vehicle requiring to go back to the file almost every time and the alignment of the Tiles 1x1 having the gift of annoying me quickly.

The bonnet, with its two Porsche 911 wings here delivered in Dark Red that do their finishing job perfectly, lifts up and can be held in the open position to take a look at the vehicle's engine. No moving parts on this engine which remains very detailed with its belt (a white elastic) and its metallic air filter cover.

Only the dashboard, the "embossed" LEGO logo on the rear panel of the dumpster and the part marked V8 on the grille are pad printed. For everything else, the vehicle uses stickers: the side pillars of the windshield, the two license plates, the landscape in the rearview mirror and the farm logo on the doors. These last stickers do not overlap two pieces as the official visuals might suggest (see photo below).

The two guardrails of the body are removable and allow the pickup to be exposed in a more sober and less "utilitarian" version if the need arises. We feel that the designer has really made the effort to perfect the finishes of the vehicle to offer an aesthetically very successful product that does not ignore functionality.

The doors mounted on a Technic pin associated with a rubber insert open and close without forcing and they do not open inadvertently, the front cover is held in the open position thanks to the manually deployable rod, access to the The tipper is facilitated by the opening of the rear panel and the cab roof can easily be removed to take advantage of the driving position with its bench seat, dashboard, gear lever and brake pedal.

The wheels with their white rims and metallic hubcaps really contribute to the vintage finish of the vehicle, that's perfect. I am a little less convinced by the large mirrors, with their simple Dish en metallic Silver but it is a detail.

In the end, I think this pickup deserves your full attention if you are a fan of vehicles in LEGO version, even if it is an unlicensed model loosely inspired by the utilities that circulated on the roads of Texas in the 50s. The lack of a precise reference to a brand also prevents us from comparing it with the original and that's not bad when we know that LEGO sometimes has trouble reproducing certain existing vehicles.

The public price of the set fixed at 119.99 € seems reasonable to me for what this box has to offer, the pickup is very pleasant to assemble, it offers some appreciable features and the accessories that accompany it create an appreciable context. There are still some technical issues that LEGO seems to always have a hard time resolving, such as color differences or scratches, you will have to deal with and contact customer service to get a replacement for items that you think are really too damaged.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 24, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

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.

LEGO today unveils the set 10279 Volkswagen T2 Camper Van, a box of 2207 pieces which will be sold at the public price of 159.99 € from August 1, 2021.

Longtime fans are bound to remember the set 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van (1334 pieces - 99.99 €), marketed in 2011, which then made it possible to assemble the first version of the famous combi sold from 1950 to 1967 with its two-part windshield.

This new box proposes to build the second version of this mythical vehicle with its one-piece windshield (baywindow) sold between 1967 and 1979.

The steering is functional, the roof tent integrated in this Westfalia version can be lifted and completely removable to allow access to the interior of the vehicle, the sliding side door is rather well done, the kitchen is fitted out with storage, a refrigerator , a sink and a stove, fabric curtains are installed inside and the Combi comes with a surfboard and two folding sunbeds. A large sheet of stickers allows you to switch the machine to hippie mode if that makes you happy. Vehicle dimensions: 35cm long, 14cm wide, 15cm high.

Let's face it, if the 2011 version was relatively faithful to the real T1 and remains to this day one of the most successful LEGO vehicles, I find that this new Combi only vaguely resembles the reference model. The comparison photos between the real T2 and the LEGO version provided by the manufacturer are not all to the advantage of the toy and from certain angles, one has a little the impression of rather dealing with an East German Barkas B1000 or a Czechoslovakian Skoda 1203 than a Volkswagen T2.

10279 VOLKSWAGEN T2 CAMPER VAN ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we take a quick look at the small serves currently offered from € 95 purchase and without range restriction on the official online store: the LEGO reference 40486 adidas Originals Superstar with its 92 pieces and its minifig disguised as a shoebox.

We are not going to lie, fortunately this product valued by LEGO at 12.99 € is offered, knowing that the minimum purchase required for it to be automatically added to an order is rather substantial. The box is pretty, it changes us a bit from the usual packaging, but the content does not in my view justify paying for one or more sets at a high price at LEGO.

The mini shoe to assemble is in my opinion even more successful than the one in the set 10282 adidas Originals Superstar (€ 99.99) marketed since July 1st. A white 4x4 plate out of the LEGO Super Mario universe on the front, a few pneumatic tips to tie the laces and six roughly white bands on the sides, the result is almost convincing.

The difference in color between the white surface of the bands and the rest of the parts is, however, unforgivable for a derivative product so worked out and the presence of two stickers does not help matters. It is the box that makes the product "sell", LEGO has put the package on the packaging and has not made the effort to pad the two elements bearing the logo of its partner ...

The minifig delivered in this box with a microphone and a boombox reuses the torso of one of the figurines sold in 2018 in the series 18 (ref. 71021), which here becomes a shoebox thanks to the addition of a plate on which we stick a sticker. It's original, the effect is there.

In short, if you do not want to treat yourself to a LEGO product in the glory of the brand adidas invoiced 100 €, you can always keep on your shelves a souvenir of this collaboration between the two brands by taking advantage of the offer in course which should in principle last until July 14th. If you want to get a pair of mini shoes, you will have to try a second separate order, hoping that LEGO will deliver you a second small promotional set and not remove it from your new order with the motif "One set per household".

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 18, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

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.

If you have extra VIP points and you like adidas sneakers but not to the point of spending € 99.99 for the LEGO version and € 140 for the real ones, be aware that LEGO is putting into play a bundle containing a copy of the set 10282 adidas Originals Superstar  and a real pair of adidas Originals LEGO Superstar sneakers on the VIP rewards center.

Unfortunately, this "collector's pack" does not contain the small promotional set. 40486 adidas Originals Superstar currently offered from 95 € purchase without restriction of range.

You can participate in the raffle by "buying" up to 50 tickets for 50 VIP points each. You have until July 22 to decide, the draw will take place on July 30.

If you no longer have VIP points, know that you can still participate in the draw by taking a quiz which can be found in section "Earn more points"VIP area.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>

LEGO has released a 2021 novelty on its online store: this is the set 10290 Pickup Truck, a box of 1677 pieces that will allow you to assemble a vintage vehicle (33 cm long, 14 cm high and 14 cm wide) and some accessories.

On the functional side, LEGO specifies: "... Move the pick-up then open the doors to explore the interior. The hood also opens to reveal the engine ..."

The product is already in pre-order across the Atlantic, it will be available in France from October 1, 2021 at the public price of 119.99 €.

LEGO 10290 PICKUP TRUCK ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

(The link to the shop redirects to the version of the official shop for your country of connection)