As expected, the small set 5007489 Fantasy Adventure Ride is finally available on the VIP Rewards Center.

Those who collect these boxes can now complete their collection with this fourth and final reference which joins the three sets already available: 5007427 Pirate Adventure Ride, 5007428 Dragon Adventure Ride et 5007490 Space Adventure Ride. It is necessary to exchange 2400 points or approximately 16 € in exchange value to obtain the unique code to then be used on the official online store when placing an order.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75371 Chewbacca, a box of 2319 pieces which is currently in pre-order on the official online store at the public price of 209.99 € and which will be available from September 1, 2023.

First of all, it should be recognized that the official announcement of this derivative product last July on the occasion of the 2023 edition of San Diego Comic Con will not have left anyone indifferent: too expensive and missed for some, missed and too expensive for others or passable by far for the most indulgent, we feel that the model of the Wookie is far from unanimous. And it's almost a shame as the set offers some good ideas that are not necessarily highlighted by the final result.

Regarding the assembly process, we quickly realize that the designer has worked on his subject and that he was able to offer us varied sequences even when it comes to assembling sections for which we could expect similar and repetitive steps.

No two builds are exactly alike except for a duplicate pillar in the internal torso structure, and you'll never get bored. The texture of the fur is diversified as much as possible to avoid visual repetition effects and it works. It will also be necessary to be very attentive when leafing through the instruction booklet, assemblies involving dark brown parts are not always very readable.

As you can see in the photos that illustrate this article, we start from the black base in which the two feet are firmly anchored and then move upwards. The limbs are made up of internal assemblies in various colors, so much the better for the inventory obtained thanks to this box as well as for the readability of the instructions, on which the fur of the Wookie is placed in the form of small independent sections. Nothing revolutionary, this is often the case for character models with textured skin like the Porg in the set 75230 Porg or Yoda in the set 75255 Yoda.

Some Ball Seals later, we obtain the body of the character and it is then a question of assembling the head. Same process as for the limbs with an internal structure on which the fur is plated, we also add the two pad-printed eyes and a few finishing pieces to give this somewhat mocking expression to the wookie.

Reproducing fur with plastic bricks is at least as complicated as trying to create hair on a BrickHeadz figure, plus the volume. Chewbacca is here covered with pieces which create some waves and other reliefs but the character being entirely covered with this somewhat unusual texture and unfortunately we don't really believe it. It's also missing a few teeth to really replicate the creature's on-screen expression and there's only the satchel with its nicely executed strap to save the furniture by covering some fur.

We finally assemble the crossbow intended to be fixed inside the right hand and we end up with the small display stand flanked by the character's minifig and a pad-printed plate distilling some facts about the Wookie. The latter obviously reinforces the collector side of this product sold for 210 € but it does not bring much other than a few facts without much interest. No stickers in this box.

The design of these plates widely used in the range Ultimate Collector Series hasn't evolved since their first appearances and I think we've reached the limits of the concept here with a frankly very ugly brick-based blue Chewbcacca. The graphic designer could have simplified the visual by keeping only the main contours of the character's head, as it is, it failed. Those who hoped to get here a new minifig of the character will be at their expense, LEGO provides the figurine available since 2014 in many sets.

The model of about fifty centimeters high is completely static, it is not possible to change the pose planned by the designer. The feet are anchored in the base, the head does not turn and the arms are fixed to the torso at two points using Ball Seals. It will also be necessary to deal with the inevitable clearly visible injection points, the usual scratches as well as other defects linked to the molding of the parts and not to observe the Wookie too closely. From a distance, the object is an illusion, but it is the face with the toothless smile that is the problem and Chewbacca looks a bit like a village idiot, and we don't really know if he's smiling.

The buildable crossbow with its fabric strap is quite well executed but it lacks the stock which disappears into the fur of the Wookie's forearm. Too bad for those who would have liked to expose the weapon separately next to the figurine, the designer would have been well advised to provide for this possibility.

For the rest, I'm not sure I want to spend 210 euros on this derivative product, even if I must admit I had a good time during the assembly process. I will wait wisely for the thing to end up in destocking, which in my opinion will inevitably end up happening one day. The designer has probably done his best considering the subject treated but the result does not seem convincing enough for me to paw the floor with impatience.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 25, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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

LEGO today unveils the 50th set in the LEGO Ideas range, the reference 21342 The Insect Collection, a product inspired by the creation posted online by Hachiroku24 (José María Pérez Suero) on the LEGO Ideas platform. The project was able to unite the 10.000 supporters necessary for its passage into the review phase and it was then definitively approved by LEGO in October 2022.

In the box, 1111 pieces to assemble a blue morpho butterfly, a bee, a Chinese mantis, a seven-spotted ladybug and a Dynaste Hercules beetle. The insects are spread over three separate displays representing the natural habitat of the insect concerned and the set includes three separate instruction booklets for group assembly.

Availability announced in VIP preview from September 4, 2023, global marketing to follow from September 7. Retail price: €79.99.

LEGO takes advantage of the launch of this product to make its playlist available Green Noise, a 45-minute ASMR audio track with insect noises reproduced with bricks (see the video below).

21342 THE INSECT COLLECTION ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

If you have a LEGO Store near you, know that you can get a LEGO Disney polybag there. 30646 Moana's Dolphin Cove (La Baie du Dauphin de Vaiana), without having to buy anything on August 23 and 24, 2023 from 14 p.m. to 00 p.m.

As usual with this type of animation without obligation to purchase, expect to find people in front of the window of the Store before the launch of the operation. The offer is limited to one polybag of 47 buildable pieces per person and it will be on a first come, first served basis. Do not push or trample children.

Don't hesitate to make sure that your favorite LEGO Store is participating in the operation by checking at this address. According to the space dedicated to LEGO shops on the official website, this offer will in principle not be available in Certified Stores managed by Percassi.

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Marvel set 76266 Endgame Final Battle, a box of 794 pieces available since August 1st at the retail price of €104.99. LEGO promises us "Iconic characters in a detailed settingvia the official description of this movie spin-off Avengers: Endgame, it's almost that but not quite.

It is therefore a question here of building a small round display which will be used to stage a handful of figurines on a pile of rubble as in the film. The LEGO version is on arrival only a pile of pieces a little rough in certain places with some places planned to install the characters there. The object is not a playset, there is no functionality and the scene is static.

The assembly is quickly dispatched, you have the right to make mistakes anyway and no one will really notice. There are some good ideas, especially at the level of the damaged pillar, but it's generally too confusing to clearly distinguish the different subsets that make up the scene without approaching.

However, we recognize Luis' van equipped with the Quantum-Tunnel miniaturized which was delivered complete in the set 76192 Avengers Endgame: Final Battle and which here consists of a few parts embedded in the base of the product.

For the rest, this product is aimed at customers who do not wish to invade their living room with LEGO playsets and the tribute to the scene concerned remains compact enough to be discreet in an interior decoration.

All the figures provided can be presented in a relatively dynamic pose and the object can even be displayed in a linear fashion, revealing the presence of Thor's hammer and Captain America's Shield, both hidden under some rubble.

We are sold the idea that this product can be admired at 360° when the base is closed on itself, it is true but it will then be necessary to adapt the position of the figurines according to the angle chosen to expose the object. Note that the top of the pillar on which Valkyrie is riding Pegasus pivots on itself, which allows it to be oriented in the correct position whatever the angle chosen.

There is obviously no escaping a sheet of stickers and you will have to deal with the usual problem of the (really) white background of certain stickers which is not really fitting with the slightly cream tint of the parts on which they must be installed. It's ugly, but we're used to it.

The endowment of figurines will not really motivate collectors who hoped to find something here to fill their Ribba frames a little more: the only completely new minifig is that of Valkyrie and Thanos benefits from a new head here.

Valkyrie logically reuses the head and hair already seen in the set 76208 The Goat Boat, only the torso is new and the legs are neutral. The figurine is a little sad but we are starting to get used to neutral legs in this range of derivative products. We will also remember the presence of the winged horse Pegasus whose wings are borrowed from the LEGO Harry Potter set 75958 Beauxbatons' Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts.

All the other minifigures delivered in this box have already made at least one appearance in a LEGO product released so far: Okoye in the set 76247 The Hulkbuster: The Battle of Wakanda, Shuri in sets 76186 Black Panther Dragon Flyer et 76212 Shuri's Lab, Captain Marvel's torso is in the set LEGO Marvel Avengers 76237 Sanctuary II: Endgame Battle and that of Scarlet Witch, who here wears Indira's hair (43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell), is in the set 76192 Avengers Endgame: Final Battle.

The Wasp microfig is the one also delivered in the set 76256 Ant-Man Construction Figure, it is also delivered here in two copies in the box.

LEGO having chosen to refer directly to the scene "Girl Power" from the movie Avengers: Endgame, the presence of Pepper Potts / Rescue would have been appreciated. This is unfortunately not the case.

In short, it is probably not the selection of figurines that will motivate collectors to spend 105 € on this product, except perhaps if this box ends up being offered elsewhere than at LEGO with a significant reduction in its retail price. As far as I am concerned, I find the whole visually too messy to convince me despite the obvious potential for exposure of the product.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 23, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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