Those who follow the usual channels know that this is not the first appearance of the LEGO set 40530 Jane Goodall Tribute, but one LEGO Certified Store Singapore posted the "official" visual above and so it gives me the opportunity to talk about it here without being slapped on my fingers by LEGO.

This promotional set will be offered from March 3, it honors the famous scientist, adventurer and activist Jane Goodall, recognized worldwide for her research on the relationship between human beings and animals. The base takes the shape of that of the set 40450 Amelia Earhart Tribute offered at LEGO last year at the same time, a few days before International Women's Day which takes place on March 8 each year.

If the minimum purchase was €100 last year to get the set 40450 Amelia Earhart Tribute, it will be necessary this year to spend in France at least 120 € to be offered this new promotional product.

Rumor has it that it could be a promotional product offered on the occasion of the launch of the LEGO set 10298 Vespa 125 but it won't: the LEGO Creator set 40517 Vespas is now referenced on the official online store and this box is simply a product from the catalog which is displayed at the public price of 9.99 €.

In the box, 118 parts to assemble a red version of the mythical scooter a little less ambitious than the blue one: the model measures 12 cm long by 6 cm wide and 9 cm high. This product will be available from March 1, 2022.

LEGO CREATOR 40517 VESPA ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO set 10298 Vespa 125, a box of 1106 pieces stamped 18+ which will be available from March 1, 2022 at the retail price of €99.99. Purpose of the product: to assemble a Vespa 125 scooter freely inspired by the VNB1T version marketed in the 60s.

During my younger years, I was more a fan of the Peugeot 103 SP than of the Vespas, so I have no particular memory linked to this vehicle. You will tell me that I have never had a Porsche or a Corvette, but that did not prevent me from buying the two vehicles in this range formerly known under the title "CreatorExpert"As soon as the first visuals of this new product were put online, my first reaction was to ask myself if it was really useful to go to so much trouble to offer us a simple scooter, however stylish it may be.

But the Vespa brand has its followers, it is cult for many of those who used these vehicles during their teenage years and this LEGO version is like the yellow yogurt pot of the set 10271 Fiat 500 a "popular" product that many have actually known and driven. The icing on the cake, the current models of the brand always pay homage to the lines of the historical variants and this pretty model of a vintage version becomes almost timeless.

On the official visuals of the product, the model seems of a simplicity that could put off all those who expect from these constructions of the "Expert" type a real pleasure of construction and their usual lot of original techniques. Rest assured, this scooter is a little more complex than it looks and the experience of assembling this somewhat unusual and surprising model is well up to the task. One may wonder where the 1106 parts of the set are, but they are mainly hidden under the very large body parts.

The floor of the scooter is made up of a few Technic beams and stacks of parts which ensure optimal rigidity to the model. It is on this internal structure that various body sub-assemblies are then added, the inclinations and angles of which are subtly managed. There is no escaping the use of a few very large parts, but their presence ensures maximum respect for the curves of the machine. Color fans Bright Light Blue moreover here will get nearly 440 elements in some are unpublished in this hue.

Hidden under the right wing of the scooter, which is adorned with a sticker embodying the air intake, the horizontal single-cylinder 2-stroke engine has been carefully reproduced by the designer of the set with its carburettor and its cooling circuit. The motor cooling cover is nicely stamped, LEGO must have imagined that this relatively neutral design element could be used later in other sets.

The retractable double stand, the exhaust, the starter pedal placed under the engine and the rear brake pedal are also present and very faithful to the elements of the reference vehicle. No suspension spring with hydraulic shock absorber under the driving rear wheel, but you can't have everything. At the front, the steering is obviously functional and the oscillating suspension hub carrying the front wheel is rather well reproduced with some metallic parts as a bonus. The element used was already delivered in the LEGO Technic set 42130 BMW M 1000 RR where he fitted the front wheel of the machine.

On this model, the 8-inch wheels with their stamped steel rims are here embodied by new elements in two colors. In the 60s, not all Vespa 125 scooters benefited from this aesthetic refinement, but this new part flanked by the six nuts used at the time really gives character to the model. It is here associated with a new tire whose tread pattern is perfectly adapted. For those who are wondering, the central part of the rim is attached to the contour with an overall diameter of 6cm.

The upholstery is also very well reproduced, it is in principle equipped with a suspension device with central spring adjustable according to the weight of the driver. We will content ourselves here with two raised blocks of rooms which create an illusion. The spare wheel, optional at the time, and here attached to the interior reinforcement of the front apron and the block of parts is presented as covered with a cover in the colors of the brand.

The odometer embedded in the headlight in the center of the handlebar is a sticker, as is the horn placed just above the front wheel (see plate scanned by me). The handlebars are in my opinion the least successful part of the model, one wonders a little what the case is doing there, placed upside down and the front apron does not go up high enough in my opinion to cover the axis of direction. The set remains acceptable but the designer could have taken care of this detail a little more.

On arrival, this Vespa 125 looks really great and the few accessories supplied with the vehicle break up the monotony of the blue of the bodywork. You get a luggage rack, a crate with a bouquet of flowers and a vintage helmet with its glasses for the driver. The helmet with "Minion" effect is in my opinion not the most successful element of the set but we will be satisfied with it.

Did our shelves absolutely need a blue scooter 35 cm long, 12 cm wide and 22 cm high? Everyone will have an opinion on the relevance of the product and it is normal, knowing that it will be necessary to pay a hundred euros to afford this model. I must admit that I am seduced by this model which offers its share of details very faithful to the reference vehicle and curves which are up to the homage that LEGO wanted to pay to the machine.

The only real criticism that I have to make is not new: we always see the differences in color between different pieces of the same color. It's subtle, you only notice it under certain lighting conditions, but these differences are there whether on the bodywork, the upholstery or the "cover" of the spare wheel.

It's up to you to see now if you will have to crack as soon as the product is launched or wait for this box to be available at a lower price elsewhere than at LEGO. We all know that nostalgia has a price, but patience is often rewarded.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 9, 2022 next at 23pm.

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

Forward for a little contest with a 2022 novelty from the LEGO Harry Potter range to win: the reference 76399 Hogwarts Magical Trunk (retail price €59.99).

To validate your participation and try to add this small trunk to your shelves at a lower cost, simply identify yourself via the interface below and follow the instructions provided. As usual, it is a question of finding information on the official online store and then answering the question correctly. At the end of the participation phase, the winner will be chosen by lot from the correct answers.

Your contact details (name / nickname, email address, IP) are only used within the framework of this competition and will not be kept beyond the drawing of lots which will designate the winner. As usual, this no-obligation competition is open to all residents of mainland France, DOM & TOM, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The prize is provided by LEGO, it will be sent to the winner by me as soon as his contact details are confirmed by return email.

As always, I reserve the right to disqualify any participant who has attempted to defraud or hijack the entry system in order to increase their chances of winning. Hateful and bad losers to abstain, the others will have more chances to win.

Good luck to everyone !

No participation via comments, I leave the form open as long as the competitors who cannot read are not there yet. Then we close.

We also take a quick look at the contents of the LEGO Technic set today 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car, a box of 1432 pieces which will be available at the retail price of €179.99 from March 1, 2022.

LEGO promises us in the official description of the set: "...Build a detailed replica of the 1 McLaren F2022, with the LEGO® Technic McLaren Formula 1™ Race Car (42141) set for adults...".

We can now say that the manufacturer has engaged a little hastily. Even if we find some elements of the 2022 aerodynamics in the front and rear fins, the LEGO version, which is almost exclusively based on the 2021 version of the vehicle, is far from being a tribute to the 2022 version which was officially unveiled a few days ago. Always in the official description of the product visible on the Shop, we are however assured that "...the designers at LEGO and McLaren Racing have worked closely together to develop their models simultaneously...". The result casts some doubt on the extent of this collaboration.

We understand better now why LEGO chose to unveil its product a few days before the announcement of the MCL36. The comparison between the two would have had no particular interest, except perhaps that of passing the big mention "McLaren Formula 1 Team 2022" present on the packaging for a bad taste joke. The 2022 is probably too much.

Below is the comparison between the LEGO model and the 2022 version (MCL36) on the left and the 2021 version (MCL35) on the right:

[twenty20 img1="56940" img2="56941"]

That being said, fans of the LEGO Technic universe should appreciate getting a Formula 1 in their favorite range, despite the inevitable aesthetic approximations imposed by the inventory of the ecosystem concerned. It should be noted in passing that the inventory of 1432 pieces contains just over 530 diverse and varied pins. This is not a product from the "Luxury" LEGO Technic range like the references 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2016) 42083 Bugatti Chiron (2018) or 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 (2020), this set is a "standard" model which therefore does not claim to be an ultra-detailed model even if the vehicle measures 65 cm long, 27 cm wide and 13 cm high on arrival.

The assembly is quickly dispatched, the longest being to build the chassis with its V6 engine with moving pistons and its rear differential, its very rigid suspensions with four compressed shock absorbers and installed horizontally and its steering manipulated via the cockpit console flanked by two micro stickers.

No gearbox, but in the end the product does very well without it. The rest of the process is only made up of the integration of very large bodywork elements and the installation of the countless stickers provided. The mention 18+ on the box is not related to the difficulty of assembling the model, it is a simple toy for children and it only concerns the commercial target of the product.

We might regret the use of very large panels for the bodywork, but that's the price to pay for having a vehicle without too many slightly empty spaces in different places and the compromise here seems very acceptable to me. I prefer a Formula 1 with lines and curves that are more faithful than a skeleton with beams that are too roughly aligned. This may not be the case for the most fundamentalist fans of the Technic universe, each with their own affinities.

LEGO has chosen to leave part of the engine visible through the bodywork of the vehicle and opinions will undoubtedly be very divided on this point of aesthetic detail: some will see an interest in it with the possibility of taking advantage of the functionality integrated into the engine with its six mobile pistons and others will consider that the fidelity of the overall rendering frankly suffers from this choice. I think that this model being in any case already too far from what it claims to embody, you might as well take advantage of one of the rare technical features of the product.

The vehicle is here mounted in Full Wet, which explains the blue pad printing of the flanges that are too flat and which also allows the reuse of the Tumbler wheels. The process is a little lazy, LEGO could have cracked slick tires stamped on a €180 product under official McLaren license. And different width for front and rear, but I think in this case that was too much to ask anyway.

Three large sheets of stickers are supplied with 66 stickers in total, it was necessary to install all the sponsors on the bodywork of this Formula 1. The sheets are simply thrown into the box, and one of these three sheets was a little damaged in the copy I received.

This Formula 1 looks good, no doubt about it. It will be able to sit enthroned on the corner of a shelf, making its little effect and the least observant or the most indulgent fans will undoubtedly find their account there. It's not the McLaren MCL36 as the mention on the product packaging might suggest, but we can always console ourselves by considering this interpretation in the LEGO version as a timeless model, a cross between two versions or a hybrid synthesis between two changes in the regulations governing this sport.

The retail price of the product seems a little high to me for what it actually has to offer, especially for a set from the Technic range that is content with a handful of gears and features. It is not a complex construction machine, the subject necessarily limited the choice of mechanisms and integrated functions. We will wisely wait for Amazon to cut the price of this box, there is no hurry because this Formula 1 is not really the one that will evolve this year on circuits around the world.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 8, 2022 next at 23pm.

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