16/09/2016 - 17:38 Lego news Lego stores

LEGO Store Paris Les Halles - Grand Opening

Today begins the week of "festivities" planned at the LEGO Store at the Forum des Halles in Paris. You have until September 25 to take advantage of it.

Among the gifts offered to the first customers to show up on site and spend at least € 50, the pack of three minifigs in limited edition of 500 copies above.

Inside the pack, a cook with his stove, a geeky teenage girl wearing Cool-Tag pants and a writer with his quill.

From 125 € of purchase, the set is yours 40145 LEGO Store.

The gift offered without obligation to purchase upon presentation of the invitation is the DC Comics polybag 30446 The Batmobile.

(Thanks to Ampar for the photo)

15/09/2016 - 21:12 Lego news

LEGO 40205 Seasonal Christmas Set

One again Seasonal Set which will probably not be unanimous among the many fans of this type of box: Here is the reference 40205, with two elves (or two elves, it's up to you who see) a little ramshackle, once again decked out with a look from Mixel and come with a gift prep workshop piece.

We cannot blame LEGO for not having a follow-up in the ideas: It is in the same spirit as the other references proposed by the manufacturer to celebrate the various festive events of the end of 2016: 40203 Vampire & Bat (9.99 €) to celebrate Halloween and 40204 Pilgrim to celebrate Thanksgiving.

(Seen on the facebook page of BrickVibe)

15/09/2016 - 19:26 Lego news LEGO Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars Rogue One Minifigures

Because something new in the Star Wars range is always good, here are all the minifigs that will accompany the pieces of each of the sets of the first wave of boxes based on the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

To collect all of these minifigs and taking into account only the public prices that will be charged for the five sets concerned, it will be necessary to spend from next September 30 the modest sum of 356.95 € on the LEGO Shop and in the LEGO Stores. Or turn to specialist retailers on eBay or Bricklink to acquire them individually and hope to save some money.

15/09/2016 - 14:04 LEGO Ideas Lego news

LEGO Ideas 21307 Caterham Seven 620R

The official announcement of the LEGO Ideas set 21307 Caterham Seven 620R has just taken place. The official visuals were already available and this launch therefore gives us only one information: the public price of the set.

The wait is over! We've been polishing this yellow and black beauty all night so that we could finally present to you the first official images and details of the LEGO Ideas 21307 Caterham Seven 620R! Measuring in at 771 bricks distributed across 10cm in height, 28cm in length and 14cm in width, this Caterham contains stunning details to reproduce that awe inspiring Caterham look.

This LEGO Caterham is racing to a store near you with availability from the 1st of October, 2016 for a recommended retail price of USD 79.99 / EUR 79,99.

LEGO clearly indicates the price that will be charged in the two reference countries: USA and Germany. There is therefore a good chance that the public price charged in France for this box is greater than or equal to the 79.99 € announced.

To be continued when the product goes online on the official LEGO store.

15/09/2016 - 00:17 Lego news

lego no product recall since 2009

With each publication of financial results, LEGO regularly prides itself on having had no product recalls since 2009. A manufacturer generally recalls a product when it is affected by a major malfunction or presents a proven risk for user safety. Apart from a remote control Power Functions who overheated in 2009, LEGO has therefore never had to recall a product, that is to say organize its return at its own expense for exchange, repair or refund.

lego zero product recalls

And yet, many sets undergo discreet modifications during their "commercial" life, to correct problems related to the playability or the resistance of the model and even sometimes to make up for simple errors of an aesthetic nature.

I'm not going to list all the LEGO sets here that have undergone inventory and instruction changes over the years, but I do offer some recent significant examples:

LEGO Ideas 21303 WALL-E

The set that immediately comes to mind when approaching the delicate subject of design flaws is the benchmark LEGO Ideas 21303 WALL-E : On the initial model released in 2015, the neck of the little robot had an obvious stability problem.

If LEGO initially quickly kicked in by denying the existence of the problem, the set was nonetheless withdrawn from sale so that its contents could be modified and a new improved version was marketed a few weeks later.

LEGO Ideas 21303 WALL-E

At the same time, LEGO pledged to send a free modification kit, or "Rework Bag"containing parts and instructions to all buyers of the original version who request it. No reminder, all is well.

LEGO Ideas 21303 WALL-E - 6162839 Rework Bag

Another set released in 2015 that was the subject of a somewhat chaotic launch due to a design flaw: The reference 76039 Ant-Man Final Battle, based on the film Ant-Man and which features Ant-thony, the ant who comes to the aid of the superhero on duty.

76039 Ant-Man Final Battle

The giant ant in the LEGO version had obvious problems with stability and mobility. 12 pieces later, the problem was solved. Once again, LEGO undertook to send to purchasers of the first version who requested it a modification kit with parts and instructions. No reminder for this box either.

76039 Ant-Man Final Battle

Going back in time, we find another set that has been significantly modified without the manufacturer recalling the boxes already on the market: The reference 79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase released in 2013 in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles range.

79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase

The first version of the main vehicle supplied was affected by an obvious design problem with its internal structure causing the vehicle to be destroyed at the slightest manipulation. Many disappointed customers manifested and LEGO has logically decided to face it.

The set has been modified (Original version of the instructions / New modified model) and LEGO once again offered unhappy customers a modification kit to resolve the issue. No recall for this set, the initial version of which was far from meeting the quality criteria touted by the manufacturer.

79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase

79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase

These three sets are just a few examples of boxes affected by obvious design flaws that have been subject to subsequent modifications without being recalled by the manufacturer.

Many other sets undergo more or less significant changes in their inventory without customers being informed, for example the LEGO Creator set 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van launched in 2011 and whose roof was reinforced in 2013.

The changes made are sometimes inspired by feedback from dissatisfied customers or by aesthetic adjustments last minute and they usually go unnoticed, unless you compare scrupulously the different versions of the instruction booklets available for download.

LEGO does not communicate or little about these modifications and it is generally up to the customer to come forward by contacting the manufacturer to obtain success. Fortunately, information circulates quickly and many sites regularly relay these "incidents", the seriousness of which is after all very relative.

The fact remains that these defects directly affect the playability of the product, extensively praised on the packaging. By choosing not to communicate openly on each of these issues, LEGO thus avoids scratching its image as a demanding manufacturer of high-end products.

And it is therefore up to the end customer to be content with a product that sometimes does not keep all of its promises or to take the steps with the brand's customer service to hope to obtain something to correct the problem.

Who among you systematically asks for the modification kits offered by LEGO to correct the defects of a set? Did you do this for the sets mentioned here?