For those who are interested, know that the LEGO Ideas set 21340 Tales of the Space Age is available today as a VIP preview at the retail price of €49.99. In the box, 688 pieces to assemble four decorative "3D postcards" 14 cm high by 9 cm long. To display on a wall or on the corner of a shelf.

21340 TALES OF THE SPACE AGE ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

The team in charge of selecting the ideas that will become official products still has work to do: 71 projects have gathered the 10.000 supports necessary for their passage to the review phase during the first four months of the year 2023 on the LEGO Ideas platform.

As usual, the selection is made up of more or less interesting ideas, slightly wacky projects that a priori have no chance of passing, various and varied licenses, modulars, medieval sets, musical groups, Shrek, vintage or old-fashioned objects, Shrek, etc... All will not be lost for those who see their project go down the drain, they will receive a consolation endowment consisting of LEGO products worth a total of $500. It will be in my opinion well paid for some of them...

If you want to find out more about all these projects, go to the LEGO Ideas blog, they are all listed there. Result expected for fall 2023.

While waiting to find out who will see their idea become an official product among these 71 projects, we will be entitled this summer to the announcement of the results of the third phase of the 2022 review with 35 projects in the running:

LEGO today unveils a new reference in the LEGO Ideas range, the set 21340 Tales of the Space Age which is now online on the official store and which will be available in VIP preview from May 5, 2023 at the retail price of €49.99.

IF you follow, you know that this 688-piece product is inspired by creation of the same name proposed by Jan Woźnica (john_carter) which had been definitively validated in October 2022 following a competition organized on the LEGO Ideas platform.

LEGO having as usual reworked the original idea, we therefore go from three to four spatial scenes 14 cm high by 9 cm long while maintaining the principle of the relief panel to be displayed on the corner of a shelf. . It's minimalist, decorative and the somewhat vintage aesthetic is retained. To be displayed on a piece of furniture or to be hung on the wall via the part usually supplied with the paintings in the LEGO ART range.

21340 TALES OF THE SPACE AGE ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Ideas set 21339 BTS Dynamite, a box of 749 pieces which will be available from March 1, 2023 at the retail price of €99.99.

This product is inspired by an idea with a very simplistic realization initially registered on the LEGO Ideas platform, acclaimed by 10.000 fans and then definitively validated by LEGO. Either you know what it's all about and you'll be in the starting blocks as soon as the set goes on sale, or you don't know it and you can go back to your usual business, telling yourself that you'll save a hundred euros .

To put it simply, it is a derivative product to the glory of a group of seven young singers created in 2013, BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan, the world famous representative of a musical current from South Korea: K-pop. More precisely, this box proposes to assemble the decoration of the clip of the title "Dynamite" which cumulates to date more than 1.6 billion views on Youtube and which flooded the FM frequencies for long months. You must have already heard this title at least once, even without knowing who is singing.

We could discuss the relevance of the proposed construction, but we must recognize that the designers have done their homework: we find in fact a simplified version of the decor of the clip itself, which is already relatively refined. So difficult to criticize the poverty of the whole even if the finish seems a bit sloppy, it is relatively faithful.

This box obviously offers only a limited challenge in terms of building experience, but I think the essentials are not there for the intended audience. This set is primarily aimed at fans of the group who want to treat themselves to an original derivative product that changes a little from t-shirts and other mugs. BTS is also a great machine for merchandise of all kinds and fans generally do not deprive themselves, within the limits of their budget.

LEGO allows itself a few refinements all the same with a stage with mobile plots which allows the seven members of the group to move with perfect synchronization, a small ice cream truck which does not equal the best versions of the CITY range which, however, is all the same very correct, a shop filled with vinyls, two palm trees and a big donut which is not of the best barrel but which will do the trick.

The set is not stingy with stickers but it's probably for a good cause: some of these stickers will end up on the pieces of the set or on the cover of a textbook, it's also the only really "collector" element of the product apart from the minifigs. Some fans already saw themselves getting photocards inserted in the box but it will not be, LEGO has not pushed the concept to the imitation of the techniques used by the marketers in charge of the promotion of the group.

The seven members of the group are logically entitled to their minifig, more or less identifiable if you do not know by heart the outfits and hairstyles of each of the young singers, but the most assiduous fans will immediately recognize RM, Jin, SUGA, j hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook and this is once again the main thing. These miniatures are all affected by the usual defect with white areas which are not really white, contrary to what the official visuals, which have been extensively retouched, suggested.

There should be no mistaking LEGO's intentions with this product, the manufacturer is not exclusively aimed at its most loyal customers, it is also a question of regularly targeting more and more people and of attracting all possible audiences outside of the usual LEGOsphere already stuffed with sets throughout the year. It's an indisputable fact, the BTS group is a global phenomenon followed by a whole generation of young fans, and LEGO shows here its ability to take into account (and take advantage of) current trends.

I am not the target of this product but in my opinion it is at least as legitimate as others inspired by series or references that are much more confidential, at least with current generations. Fans of the group will undoubtedly find their account there, LEGO did not make fun of them by offering content in the inventory sufficiently limited so that the public price of the thing remains acceptable to fans accustomed to spending large sums in concert tickets, collector's albums or autographed photos.

It is also in my opinion not a bad LEGO product that would miss its subject, it is quite simply a product derived from the very decent BTS brand with a little LEGO in it. The association of the two brands will do the rest and sales should follow.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 3, 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.