Today we take a quick tour of the contents of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions set 76906 1970 Ferrari 512M, a box of 291 pieces sold at the retail price of €19.99 since March 1st.

With the Countach of the set 76908 Lamborghini Countach, this reference is one of my two favorites of the 2022 wave: the two vehicles seem to me to make the most of the LEGO inventory and the relatively limited possibilities of the current format of the vehicles in the range.

We assemble here the vehicle bearing the number 4 which won in 1970 the 9 hours of Kyalami in South Africa with at the wheel the Belgian Jacky Ickx and the Italian Ignazio Giunti. LEGO is doing quite well with a fairly faithful reproduction of the reference vehicle and the designer, well helped by the use of the canopy usually used on many ships in the Star Wars universe, did not have to struggle too much with curves of this Ferrari. It can be concluded that the subject is well covered, the result is convincing and the thing will stand out on a shelf.

If the choice of this canopy seemed obvious to the designer of the product, the fact remains that its use causes a major problem: The Ferrari 512 M is a two-seater car and there is only enough to slide here. a minifig in the center of the vehicle. The canopy is also too round and tapered to stick perfectly to that of the real Ferrari 512 M, but it is only by comparing the LEGO version with the real vehicle that this defect really manifests itself and we can easily be satisfied with this Overall very decent interpretation.

The products of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range are above all toys for children and the possibility of installing a minifig at the wheel of the different vehicles is essential. Suggesting the presence of two seats in the cockpit would no doubt have been possible by reducing the space available for each seat, but it would then no longer have been possible to put a minifig at the controls.

The assembly is as usual quickly dispatched and it is obviously necessary to apply a large handful of stickers to dress this Ferrari 512 M and recreate some aesthetic details. The canopy and both Tiles used on the side of the front headlights are stamped, as is the Ferrari logo present on the 1x1 pieces placed on the sides of the vehicle. The canopy and the sides of the headlights are of Dark Red mismatched, it's a bit of a shame knowing that the stickers are perfectly matched. LEGO provides half a dozen of these 1x1 pieces flanked by the Ferrari logo, but four of them are installed in unexposed areas.

Too bad for the headlights which are summarized here in their simplest form, the transparency effect falls a little in the water. Two optical units in the form of stickers to be placed under non-tinted transparent parts would have been welcome. As often, lovers of original and sometimes surprising techniques will be served, I won't say more and I advise you to skim the photos above only quickly if you don't want to spoil the pleasure.

The overall look of this Ferrari 512 M benefits from the very limited number of studs visible on the surface: there are only six left and that's enough to mark the LEGO spirit without disfiguring the model. The rest of the body is perfectly smooth, it's successful. LEGO rims in Pearl Gold also available since this year in two sets from the LEGO CITY range are a vague illusion: they are the right color but the real Ferrari 512 M was fitted with five-spoke rims. No central mirror on the roof, it will be necessary to do without, and the two white fins at the rear are integrated a little roughly into the bodywork via a few transparent parts.

I said it above, I'm still really a fan of this model which pays a nice tribute to the reference vehicle despite the few flaws and aesthetic shortcuts that stand out if you take the time to compare the model with photos of the real one version. I gladly forgive these discrepancies because the result has cachet and personality, which is not always the case with products from the Speed ​​Champions range with supercars that all end up looking more or less alike. Even if the twenty euros requested by LEGO seems a bit exaggerated to me, I make the effort without waiting for a price drop elsewhere, it's not every day that the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range really manages to seduce me.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 14th 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.

After the “Star Offer” of April 1, Amazon is continuing today with a flash sale on a selection of around sixty sets which benefit from a reduction in their usual retail price, sometimes reaching up to 30%.

It is therefore once again an opportunity for the most patient to obtain some recent boxes at reasonable prices. The selection is quite varied with, for example, Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, Technic, Ninjago, CITY or even Minecraft.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OFFER AT AMAZON >>

We end this cycle of reviews of the three references of the new LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection with a quick overview of the content of the set 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training, a box of 1000 pieces which will be available from April 26, 2022 at the retail price of €79.99.

I'm not drawing you a picture, this is about assembling a reproduction of the meeting between Luke Skywalker and Yoda on the planet Dagobah during Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back), which begins with a crash of the X-wing in a swamp and ends with some sequences of physical training and highly philosophical reflections.

The assembly of the product oscillates between weariness, with nearly 180 Tiles greens to place to form the surface of the swamp, and more entertaining sequences with the construction of Yoda's hut and the surrounding vegetation. The contrast between the vegetation and the hut is well managed, the staging of 29 cm long by 17 cm wide and 16 cm high seems to me graphically very successful with easily identifiable and well positioned elements which avoid us some confusion visual.

The transparency effect of Tiles swamp works rather well to embody a liquid surface even if we are not yet in a trompe-l'oeil rendering. The organic aspect of the hut is convincing, the "wall" of vegetation that delimits the bottom of the diorama is appropriate, difficult to find fault with. The wing of the X-Wing which suggests the presence of the submerged vessel in the marshy waters is well executed, this detail made up of a few parts really gives cachet to the scene with the added bonus of the presence of "bubbles" around the wing to symbolize the sinking of the vessel.

The designer has not only worked on the front of the diorama and also leaves access to the interior of Yoda's hut from the rear, with just enough room inside the premises to install it. Yoda and Luke. It is also on the back of the product that the lightsaber handle is located, it is hung on the ceiling of the hut. At the front, Luke can optionally be staged balancing on one arm, LEGO provides the transparent parts that allow the minifig to be presented in the correct position.

Like the other two products in the same collection, the construction here displays a quote from the film and the text in English, "...Do. Or do not. There is no trying...", is once again self-sufficient as the formula has become cult and used in all sauces for many years. Almost no one uses the French version of Yoda's statement anyway: "...Do it or don't do it, but there is no try...".

To populate this mini diorama, three figurines: Yoda, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. The three miniatures can be considered as evolutions of those of the set 75208 Yoda's Hut marketed in 2018, because they benefit from subtle aesthetic modifications by taking up patterns already seen. Luke Skywalker, for example, comes in the same outfit, but the t-shirt and the characters' legs are a little more detailed on this new interpretation. The head of the character is identical to that of 2018, it nevertheless carries a new reference.

The cylinder of R2-D2 takes up the 2018 pattern on its front face, stains included, and LEGO adds this year a pad printing on the back with there also traces of sludge. The result is frankly convincing and is only a little spoiled by the eternal problem of alignment and more or less pronounced deformation of the pad printing of the dome of the droid.

Yoda's minifig is also content to reuse in detail but under a new reference the torso with the design already seen on the figurine marketed in 2018 and the head which dates from 2013.

LEGO finally assumes the idea that no one will really "play" Luke's training sequences on Dagobah and offers us a truly accomplished pure exhibition product. This is in my opinion the most successful interpretation of Yoda's hut at LEGO to date and the sequence seen on screen finds a beautiful tribute here. More generally, this new collection of exhibition dioramas which targets an audience of adult fans will inevitably find its audience despite high prices. It offers the possibility of displaying your passion for the Star Wars universe in a subtle way without filling your living room with ships and more or less detailed playsets.

With a little patience, we can save a few euros or get something offered by waiting at least a few days from the launch of these three new products scheduled for April 26: The offers around the May the 4th operation will follow and it is to be hoped that these three boxes are not already out of stock during the event. Nothing is less sure.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 12th 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.

If you missed the LEGO set launch 10300 Back to the Future Time Machine, you will have to be patient, the product is currently indicated as "temporarily out of stock".

To wait while LEGO allows orders or pre-orders again with a later delivery date, you can always download the nice visuals posted by the manufacturer on the VIP rewards center.

It will cost you 10 VIP points to retrieve the 24 MB archive which contains several illustrations in suitable formats and resolutions to use them, for example, as wallpaper on your smartphone or PC and possibly make a poster out of it to frame or to be staged at the back of a showcase displaying the brick version of the DeLorean.

If you don't want to drop 10 points for that, you can also download the archive directly at this address, I've already spent my points and it's not worth everyone going to checkout for a few pictures.

Mini-dolls in space? I say yes. No hair salon or bakery here, the mini dolls of the LEGO Friends range will fly into space from May 1, 2022 with the new set 41713 Olivia's Space Academy which will be sold at the public price of 69.99 €. Exit the usual idleness of the small troop, we take action with a training center for young astronauts and a space shuttle stamped NASA and dressed in a purple border.

It's fun, it's a change from beach vacations, cupcake tasting and pet grooming. We will also remember the “balanced” cast of the set, with two boys and two girls.