Today we quickly go around the set 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage, a box of 2228 pieces which will be available as an Insiders preview from March 1, 2024 at the public price of €219.99. The product caused a sensation when it was announced, and we need to come back to it with a clear head to check if it finally lives up to my expectations and the price requested.

The assembly of the three constructions delivered in this box is relatively entertaining, with two small secondary models rather well presented embodying the wishing well seen on the screen and the glass coffin and the main course: the house with yellow roofs . We quickly see that we will have to come to terms with the facade of the premises, the construction not being closed on all its sides. If the facade is promising, the other side of the house is a little less so with large openings which reveal the fittings. We are once again in the cinema setting more than in the accomplished representation of the subject treated but this is the lot of many LEGO products which favor playability over the model aspect. It's hard to blame the manufacturer for offering its customers the opportunity to have fun with their toys.

We can console ourselves by saying that the other side offers a beautiful view of the layout of the premises which is of a very good standard with numerous pieces of furniture and other diverse and varied accessories, but I know that many of us regret not being able to obtain in a product clearly marked "18+" a "complete" house intended for exhibition instead of an ersatz playset with which no one will really have fun knowing that there is no bonus no stairs to access the floors and the different spaces are difficult to access unless you use your fingertips.

The pretty roof is obviously the most laborious section to assemble, it will be necessary to be vigilant and not to mix the parts to maintain the appearance desired by the designer. I won't spoil the process for you, you will discover it if you invest your money in this box, but it is convincing on arrival with a very realistic texture and the possibility of removing a section of the roof to take full advantage of the spaces that it covers.

The central hinge which connects the two sections of the cottage makes it possible to slightly improve the accessibility of the premises but it does nothing aesthetically because it significantly changes the layout of the building and the house is not necessarily ricochet then more truly faithful to that seen on the screen. This feature, however, remains interesting for anyone who would really like to take advantage of the furniture piled up in the different rooms and possibly install the dwarves around the table in the main room or in their respective beds identified by stickers.

Don't expect too much to be able to install the seven dwarves realistically around the large table in the main room, the short legs do not bend and they will therefore at best be installed standing on their chairs. On the other hand, they fit into their respective beds even if the room is not a spacious suite and all the furniture is crammed in with forceps.

The facade of the house is also in my opinion very successful with textures and details which give it the very rustic appearance of the cottage seen on the screen, the work provided on this precise point is appreciable with a truly satisfactory result. We will take pleasure in going into the detail of the different elements of decoration or layout with at the end some good ideas for the benefit of all those who are passionate, for example, about medieval-style creations.

You already know that the fireplace on the ground floor is equipped with a luminous brick which undoubtedly contributes more to raising the price of the product more than to heating the dwarves' food and the use of which will require as much habit of holding the must pressed on the button which protrudes from the foot of the facade. It's a system from another age without much interest and I would have happily done without this specific element for a public price falling below €200, but that's not an option.

The vegetation surrounding the house is welcome, it's not the thick forest seen in the animated film but it's a good start to recreate some context. Everything here is more symbolic than totally respectful of the reference film, you also have to make do with a small handful of small animals while Snow White is accompanied by a much more substantial menagerie on the screen. Even at €220, we feel that LEGO is struggling to maintain its margin and cutting back on the details that could make the product something more accomplished and more complete than the somewhat inexpensive representation offered.

We obviously cannot escape a large sheet of stickers but there are still a few pad-printed pieces in this box such as the two Tiles flanked by the inscription "Snow White" which take place on the sides of the glass coffin and which quickly disappear under the vegetation present around the object. French speakers are rarely at the party at LEGO and here, as is often the case, we have to make do with the English names of the different characters.

The supply of figurines is correct with Snow White, her stepmother The Queen, Prince Florian and obviously the seven dwarves. Nothing to say about Snow White and the Prince, two figurines already delivered identically since last year in the set 43222 DisneyCastle, the two characters are successful and conform to those seen on the screen with their usual faults in terms of the superpositions of light-colored pad printing on a darker background.

The rest of the casting seems much less convincing to me with on the one hand a Queen who looks like Palpatine, already seen in the set 43227 Villain Icons and which still seems to me to be so sloppy graphically and technically and on the other hand the seven dwarves with their faces, some of which graphically seem a little disappointing to me. The torsos of the different dwarves are very appropriate, the hats and beards match, but some of the facial expressions seem off to me.

This is very personal, but perhaps we are simply reaching the limits here once again when it comes to making a face look puffy or inflated on a classic minifig head and I find some of these dwarfs without noses and artificially chubby, a little ridiculous.

I know that some of you will not fail to compare this product with the two rather interesting ideas on the same subject proposed and rejected at their time on the LEGO Ideas platform, the debate will not take place anyway and that is LEGO which decides when and how certain products which have been in the pipeline for many months are marketed. There will therefore be no point in crying out for plagiarism, the recovery of the idea or the need for a petition; it is the manufacturer who has control and he alone.

On arrival and putting aside the slightly excessive price of this pretty box, I think that there is something here to please fans of the Disney universe who will be lenient with the savings made and the few approximations techniques and aesthetics observed. The house really has character, it will easily find its place in an interior decoration decorated with the main characters and a line of dwarves returning from work, that's the main thing. Building what this box contains while watching the 1937 animated film for the hundredth time promises a great evening that the most nostalgic fans will surely appreciate.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 4, 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

It must be believed that the concept of “Houses of the World” has found its audience at LEGO via the series of four promotional products offered recently with a new reference which will take over in March and entitled 40680 Flower Store. This new promotional product of 338 pieces takes up the principle of the small thematic construction in limited edition with for this new variation a theme in the style of Modulars.

We do not yet know the dates and terms of the associated offer but we can bet on a launch in March with, as for previous offers in the same category, a minimum purchase amount of €250. To confirm.

(Visuals via LEGO Malaysia)

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO ICONS set 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna, a box of 693 pieces which will be available from March 1, 2024 at the public price of €79.99. Those who were in front of their television on Sunday afternoon in the 80s already know who Ayrton Senna is, others will quickly launch a search to discover this extraordinary pilot with a tragic destiny who excited an entire generation of fans of Formula 1.

LEGO therefore pays here a tribute to the driver by associating him with a single-seater long considered the fastest on the circuit, the McLaren MP4/4, and which allowed him to become world champion in 1988.

We may be surprised by the reduced inventory of this box, knowing that it allows the single-seater to be assembled but also a podium to display the minifig provided as well as a support to present the vehicle from a rather flattering angle favoring exploring integrated mechanical details.

The main construction of the product, however, remains very detailed and on an acceptable scale to benefit from the various aesthetic refinements offered by LEGO which make this vehicle measuring 3 cm long by 17 cm wide a real exhibition model and not a simple product in the Speed ​​Champions spirit vaguely oversized for the occasion.

LEGO has also made the effort to feature here some new elements used wisely with four wheels injected in two materials whose rims and tires cannot be separated, as well as new suspension triangles. Everything is really at the service of the construction by making it possible to keep the vehicle very close to the ground like the real single-seater and contributes to giving it character by refining the model aspect and these four new wheels are finally perfectly adapted to the subject treated even if they are all the same size and that the rear wheels would have benefited from a greater diameter and thickness.

There are also several pad-printed elements in the box, but you will also have to put up with a large sheet of stickers. Unfortunately, the pad printing of the white color on a red background of some body parts is a failure with a "too white" white which turns pink as well as several stickers whose white background is far from matching the color of the parts on which they take their seats.

Everything you don't see on the sheet of stickers that I scanned for you is therefore pad printed, such as the Tag Heuer logo on the cockpit canopy. The Marlboro logo is logically left out and LEGO has not even kept the pointed design of the white and red pattern. This is understandable, but loyalty to the reference vehicle takes a hit.

I will not detail the entire assembly process, the photos speak for themselves without revealing too much, those who checkout should in my opinion retain the privilege of discovering the different techniques used here.

The public price of the product seems reasonable enough to me to put it within everyone's reach, we are not talking here about a box inaccessible for fans on a limited budget even if it still offers nearly two hours of pleasure assembly taking your time.

Just remember that the vehicle is well equipped with suspensions but that they only rely on the very limited flexibility of the new wishbones used, that the steering is functional via the steering wheel in the cockpit and that the Honda V6 engine remains accessible by removing the bodywork element placed just behind the driver's head.

These different features undoubtedly remain a little anecdotal on an exhibition model but they add a little spice to the assembly by making it a little more complex and above all more interesting for the target adult audience. The single-seater is obviously not on the scale of the minifig provided but the latter can still be installed at the controls to have a little fun.

LEGO is also content to provide us with one of the two drivers of the single-seater in question, obscuring Alain Prost to support the tribute to the Brazilian whose nationality is also highlighted several times during the assembly process via the association of pieces in the colors of the national flag of Brazil.

Adding the French driver would have been in good style and in my opinion would not have diverted this product from its vocation, many fans would have appreciated obtaining these two legendary drivers who drove this car on the same circuits. 0n will be satisfied with the pretty new minifig delivered with its hair and its helmet very faithful to the reference accessory which allows you to vary the scenes.

The pad printing of the figurine obviously suffers from the same defect as the red parts of the car flanked by a white pattern and the small podium almost seems a little sloppy but it serves as a support for the sticker which highlights a sentence spoken by the associated driver with a visual and a signature. Why not.

The single-seater display is flanked by a large gray sticker listing some technical data, it's in good style and gives character to the model. Too bad for the name of the McLaren brand stamped on the nose of the car with a space between the “Mc” and the “Laren”, LEGO could have paid attention to this type of detail.

The nose of the single-seater will also seem a little too flat to be completely faithful to the reference vehicle but the rest of the bodywork is rather well executed and in my opinion we quickly forget this point of detail. I find it more difficult to forgive the errors in terms of pad printing which spoil the appearance of this model at a low price but still presented as a high-end product. The official visuals are, as is often the case, very optimistic and we have the impression of being tricked when unboxing.

You have noticed in the photos, I present this product to you in a pretty custom-made display case which was kindly provided to me for the occasion by the musehome company, a structure based in Troyes and specialized in the production of tailor-made boxes for all types of valuable or collectible products.

This PMMA or acrylic glass display case is assembled and glued by hand in France, there are no visible screws or hooks. The case is therefore delivered already assembled and it disappears in favor of the object it highlights. This product therefore seemed perfectly suited to this combination with an exhibition set which requires this type of scenario.

Do not hesitate to contact them if you are looking for something to showcase your most precious sets, the creator of the brand is himself a big fan of LEGO and you will find an attentive ear to your requests.

In my opinion, this product definitely deserves your attention if you are a Formula 1 fan, even if it is a car from another era. It offers a good compromise between the scale chosen and the level of detail offered, even if I know that some will only see a supercharged Speed ​​Champions reference which does not necessarily merit spending €80 on it.

I will make the effort, Ayrton Senna is part of my childhood memories and I spent long hours dozing in front of races where I waited for the overtake that would wake me from my torpor and fuel schoolyard discussions next week. For that alone, this tribute to Ayrton Senna and his 1988 single-seater will make me happy.

We are not going to complain about being entitled from time to time to accessible products in the LEGO ICONS range, the adult target must also be able to have fun for a reasonable budget.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, as well as the showcase graciously provided by the company musehome are as usual put into play. Deadline set for 1er March 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

Today, LEGO is going to do a little teasing for a new addition to the LEGO Ideas range, undoubtedly eagerly awaited by fans of LEGO and role-playing games: the official set based on the winning creation of the competition organized by LEGO and W on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the license Dungeons & Dragons.

The short teaser below doesn't reveal much about the final product, but we can still see a few pages, a ring, a shield in the hands of a skeleton, a key or even a sword. pNo way to form a precise opinion on this product, you will have to wait for an official announcement for that.

Below, the winning creation of the competition, we also know that a visual presented as the final product redesigned by the Billund designers is circulating on social networks, to see if this model is officially confirmed in the coming days.

Update : the offer was available until now but it seems that it is currently withdrawn. Please check if this is a temporary technical problem or out of stock.

As expected, after an offer reserved for members of the LEGO Insiders program, the LEGO set 40712 Micro Rocket Launchpad is now offered to all customers of the official online store even if they are not registered with the brand's loyalty program.

The conditions of this extension remain identical to those of the previous offer: €200 minimum purchase without range restriction. This new offer is in principle valid until February 25, 2024, if there is stock left by then.

The product is automatically added to the basket as soon as the minimum amount required is reached and if you have collected an exclusive one-time use code via the popup which is displayed at least once per visitor on this site (if you have obviously deactivated blocking popups...), you can take advantage of this to add a copy of the set 40580 Blacktron Cruiser currently offered from 190 € of purchase.

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