Repeated maintenances, patches that are slow to come, general weariness of players with the highest levels, more or less justified bans, too many servers and often deserted, so many reasons that could justify the disaffection of players for the BioWare MMO edited by LucasArts and Electronic Arts which has only 1.3 million subscribers with an officially estimated loss of 400.000 players since the start of the year, while EA announced in February that it had sold more than 2 million copies of the game.

Nevertheless, EA announces that the product is profitable and that the decline in the number of sustainable subscriptions is roughly offset by regular new registrations. Several analysts are already talking about the possibility for EA to switch the game to free mode while switching to a system of Freemium as we know it with Gameloft for example, that is to say with the possibility of spending (a lot) of money in-game to acquire skills, equipment, access to new areas, etc ...

LEGO has decided to exploit the popularity of the game by integrating characters and other ships in the game in its range of sets 2012. Those who know the game well know that the possibilities are almost endless and that LEGO could produce dozens of sets on this universe. But if the attendance of the game drops steadily, the number of loyal subscribers drops a little more each month and Electronic Arts lowers its ambitions for 2013, LEGO will probably not take the risk of insisting. with sets containing machines and characters ultimately too confidential to interest the average consumer for whom Star Wars is above all symbolized by the X- / Y- / B- / A-Wings and by Darth Vador, Luke, Han, Leia, Yoda and others.

The sets to be released in 2012 would remain a simple opportunistic tribute to a concept that is certainly interesting but which has had difficulty in converting regulars of classic MMOs or Star Wars fans to the monthly adventure ...

The LEGO Cuusoo team has decided to take it up a notch and stop grabbing the tweezers with projects that reach 10K supporters but are problematic ... well, the Firefly Serenity Playset project, which had reached 10.000 supporters in record time, in particular thanks to the mobilization of fans of browncoats.com, has just been rejected in a few hours. 

I will not come back here to the MOC itself, which I find unimportant, nor to the relatively limited audience for the universe in question which children today have probably never heard of.

But where the bad faith becomes evident is when LEGO argues that the context of the film and the series is far too violent for children aged 6 to 11 who buy their products ... seriously, they could have found a another more credible explanation. Indiana Jones and his gang of Nazis, Star Wars and his characters cut in half, his hands cut off, his mass crimes with exploding planets decimating the entire population in a second, his ships exploding with all their might ...

Unless a space science fiction universe competes directly with another and a certain Georges L. does not really appreciate the joke .... In this case, LEGO could at least have had the correction to announce clearly the color to prevent those who have created projects based on flying things equipped with lasers wasting their time ...

I know, the title .... But actually, it's mostly to underline something that gets a little bit on the nerves with this official Hulk minifigure. Let's move on to the design, the hair and the color a little too ... green.

It is the quality of Mexican-Chinese plastic that concerns me. the bag states in full: Components made in Mexico and China. Well, if two countries can't get us a better quality plastic that's a little less transparent, we can start to worry.

It is not catastrophic either, obviously, but fortunately this minifigure will be offered from May 16 to 31 during a promotion, I would mind having to pay to get it ... # Oh Wait ....

As I said, it's bleak plain right now, and you have to wait another good two months to get your hands on the sets from the LEGO Lord of the Rings range. If for some the enthusiasm and enthusiasm of the announcement of this range has undoubtedly given way to a little weariness and indifference, others stampede a little more each day in anticipation of these sets. ..

To pass the time, here is a video taken by a visitor at The LEGO Show in Manchester (UK).

Not much new to eat right now in the LEGO Lord of the Rings range. Everything has been said or seen, and apart from the upcoming availability of sets and the hundreds of reviews, the thousands of pictures of minifigs in all sauces, in all positions and with all effects  Instagram possible and imaginable flooding flickr, nothing new under the sun.

Nuju Metru, he continues his way and expands his range of parallel sets with today this magnificent playset / modular featuring Gandalf arriving in the capital of Rohan, Edoras. It's pretty, consistent, playable and it opens the door to a nice village that can be done with other constructions in the same spirit.

To see more, visit the flickr gallery of Nuju Metru, my hero ...