Today we quickly go around the contents of the LEGO set 40521 Mini Disney The Haunted Mansion, a box of 680 pieces available at the retail price of €39.99 since August 1, 2022. the US version of the haunted mansion and not the Phantom manor from Disneyland Paris. The set is therefore reserved for a clientele familiar with the place and does not necessarily target European fans even if we know that everything bearing the Disney logo generally sells very well, whatever the subject treated.

That being said, we are a little entitled to wonder where the 680 parts of the product really are when we see the mini-model of 12 cm long, 12 cm wide and 14 cm high, ski pole on the roof understood. They are however there and we are entitled to an inventory worthy of the best sets of the LEGO Architecture range with a slew of 1x1 elements. We also find here the main codes of the Architecture range and all those who are in need of monuments and other skylines to assemble this year should find what they are looking for.

It's hard to fault the model itself, we find here all the emblematic attributes of the place with the green arches, the columns of the entrance, the cornices or the four chimneys on the roof. The result obtained may seem a little simplistic, but the compact format of the construction inevitably imposed a simplification of the overall aesthetics. A little greenery around the building, or at least a tree, would have been welcome, but LEGO has chosen to stay within its usual codes with a simple black base.

I won't spoil the few interesting assembly techniques of the product, there are several good ideas even if we quickly realize that the construction is divided into a series of somewhat repetitive sequences, especially at the level of the walls of the building. . Everything is very quickly assembled, we will conclude on arrival that this product could have been offered under condition of purchase rather than sold at full price.

The number of stickers to stick to raise the level of finish of the mini-model is limited with five stickers to be installed on the different paintings of the main room. This interior space remains easily accessible by turning the model over and even if there is not much to manipulate there except perhaps the white micro-ghosts, it is always an opportunity to remember a possible visit to this ghost train.

LEGO provides a minifigure with this product, the tired-looking local butler. The presence of this park employee is appreciable, especially at 40 € the box, but the minifig does not really find its place alongside the construction. Nothing is planned to stage it on the black base even if there are still a few studs available at the front.

The pad printing of the figurine is successful but I might have extended the frock coat on the front of the legs to improve the finish. LEGO provides a fabric element that pretty much embodies the back of the garment but the color of the accessory doesn't perfectly match the torso and the effect visually falls a bit flat. No double face for the character, you have to be content with the single expression provided.

In short, this little by-product will no doubt easily find its place among fans who are already exhibiting the castle about twenty centimeters high from the set. 40478 Mini Disney Castle sold at the same price, we can begin to see the beginning of a collection of attractions that know how to be discreet in the living room of fans of the Disney universe who do not want to be burdened with too much plastic.

I see here those who hope to one day be able to install a mini Disney park on the chest of drawers, that will have to wait to see if LEGO intends to offer us other mini models of iconic attractions. In the meantime, this little box is a nice souvenir to bring back from a visit to the park that hosts the attraction and the euphoria of the moment will undoubtedly help to lower the price requested. With a clear head, it is immediately less obvious.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 15, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

Good news for all those who did not find enough to reach the minimum amount during the previous promotional offer, the set 40530 Jane Goodall Tribute (276 pieces) is available again at LEGO from September 5 to 11, 2022.

The small box of 276 pieces valued by LEGO at €22.99 is automatically added to the basket as soon as the minimum required amount of €120 purchase without range restriction is reached. Attention, the offer is only valid on the official online store and not in LEGO Stores.

I remind you for all practical purposes that this promotional set honors the famous scientist, adventurer and activist Jane Goodall, recognized worldwide for her research on the relationship between human beings and animals. I told you about it in more detail in a "Review" released in March 2022 just before the launch of the previous offering.

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We are now quickly interested in a book which this year takes over from the first edition based on the same concept and dating from 2011: The LEGO Ideas Book New Edition is, as the title of the book indicates, a collection of construction ideas proposed by some of the most prominent LEGO artists of the moment, such as Rod Gillies, Mariann Asanuma or even Nate Dias and Tim Goddard. The previous edition very quickly became the historic best-seller in terms of LEGO licensed books, the publisher was not going to hesitate to try to repeat the feat by using the same recipe.

Dorling Kindersley (DK for friends) therefore spreads these ideas over 200 beautifully illustrated pages and embellished with some somewhat vague explanations about the techniques presented. This is also the limit of this book to leaf through in your spare time, there are no real assembly instructions inside, you have to be satisfied with the finished models and in the best case of a few exploded views that will have to be observed very carefully in order to hope to be able to reproduce them.

We can not say that the book is sloppy, as is sometimes the case with some of the many books published each year which take advantage of the LEGO license and are content to accumulate full-page 3D renderings. The whole of this book is illustrated with real photos of real creations and it is appreciable even if one has a little the impression to fly over only very quickly the various topics approached.

It will also be necessary to have a very substantial and very varied bulk of parts to be able to reproduce most of the models offered, which can very quickly become frustrating for some fans even if the children who accumulate the sets in their toy box will undoubtedly find over the pages some ideas to reuse part of their inventory and get a little more out of their parts.

A good point: the book covers a very wide range of themes and subjects, and there is something for all types of fans, from microscale to animal creations, vehicles and fantastic creatures. It will therefore be necessary to leave the object in evidence on the living room table and to come back to it from time to time to really discover all of its content and possibly draw some good ideas from it. It is also what one could call a "beautiful book" with a very accomplished finish, heavy paper, very well-treated photos and a plush cover. If you're looking for something to give a LEGO fan who already has almost everything without breaking the bank, this book may be the solution of choice.

You will therefore have been warned: do not expect a book of detailed instructions, it is simply "ideas" and techniques that can be used as a starting point. It is enough to read the comments of customers disappointed by the previous edition at Amazon to understand the extent of the misunderstanding on this specific point.

Should you spend nearly €30 for construction "ideas" collected in a book that is certainly pleasant to leaf through but whose creative added value becomes a little debatable? Nothing is less certain and I think that a few illustrated construction steps would have been really welcome, especially for the more complex models presented in this book. No more or less exclusive model provided with this book as is sometimes the case with other thematic books, the publisher must have imagined that the reputation of the previous edition would be sufficient to ensure a substantial sales volume.

The English version of this book will be available from September 27 on Amazon, we do not know for the moment if a localization in French is planned one day:

The LEGO Ideas Book New Edition: You Can Build Anything!

25.48 €

BUY

Note: The work presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 13, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

This is the LEGO fashion-lifestyle product for the start of the school year: the manufacturer is marketing a bag "perfect for fashion lovers and LEGO® fans" flanked by several very vintage logos which should appeal to fans of t-shirts and other sneakers in the brand's colors.

This "elegant" bag, 22 cm high, 22 cm wide and 10 cm deep, is made of imitation leather, it is advertised as waterproof and it is sold for the modest sum of 49.99 €. It also earns 375 VIP points. Run to buy it and stroll in style through the aisles of the next expo.

5006491 CROSSBODY HANDBAG - RETRO LOGO ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

After a mess in terms of communication between LEGO and its marketing service providers which had cast doubt on the validity of the offer, it is now definitively and officially confirmed: the set 40530 Jane Goodall Tribute (276 pieces) will be offered again at LEGO from September 5 to 11, 2022.

The small box of 276 pieces valued by LEGO at €22.99 will be automatically added to the basket as soon as the required minimum amount of €120 purchase without range restriction is reached. Please note that the offer will only be valid on the official online store and not in LEGO Stores.