If you have friends in Belgium, get back in touch with them right away by pretending to check in with them, you are going to need them ...

Indeed, the Belgian newspaper The Latest News  launches from September 15, 2012 a cycle of 10 weeks during which the newspaper will be sold (1.95 €) accompanied by LEGO polybags (City & Friends). Each polybag will contain a unique code that must be entered on the operation site and which will allow you to win a trip to LEGOland or one of the 100 LEGO City boxes in play.

The list of polybags:

Week of 15/09: 30019 Fire Helicopter
Week of 22/09: 30100 Andrea on the Beach 
Week of 29/09: 30018 Police Microlight 
Week of 06/10: 30100 XNUMX Mia & Skateboard
Week of 13/10: 30017 Police Boat 
Week of 20/10: 30102 Olivia & Desk
Week of 27/10: 30152 Mining Quad
Week of 03/11: 30103 Emma & Car
Week of 10/11: 30010 Fire Chief
Week of 17/11: 30105 Stephanie & Mailbox

Certainly, the Monster Fighters range is talking about it at the moment (not that in good elsewhere ...) and Brickset unveils a new (again!) Polybag of the range with the reference 5000644 distributed during the FanExpo which was taking place in Toronto this past weekend.

Nothing very attractive in this bag: 12 pieces, including a skeleton, a bat, a fluorescent spider, two crystals and a spider web, and a sheet of stickers ...

These polybags are used more and more by LEGO which declines them in all the sauces and for many ranges (Star Wars, Super Heroes, Lord of the Rings, etc ...). And if (European) collectors are tearing their hair out to bring them together, their usefulness in the promotion of LEGO products to potential customers clearly no longer seems to be demonstrated ...

NorbyZERO is currently working with Digital Wizards, the producers of the brickfilm Two Towers in Two Minutes whose I was talking to you on Lord of the Brick recently, on a new project around the Avengers.

He therefore designed this Chitauri creature seen in the film spilling waves of alien soldiers and destroying everything in its path ... The shots are taken on a green background (this explains the horrible background of the photo) for the purposes of the film. and this project is already shaping up to be very, very interesting if we judge by the quality of this MOC, which is almost 80 cm long.

NorbyZERO was already the creator of the Balrog seen in the brickfilm cited above. To find out more about the current project, visit his flickr gallery.

It's a tradition now well established among LEGO fans. Each year its Advent calendar. Everyone has their favorite theme, but for everyone the joy (or disappointment) of opening a daily box with a few pieces inside allowing you to create a machine or a vessel, some accessories or even a minifig.

Children are fond of this exercise, AFOLs also ...

To be sure to have the coveted box on time, it is better to do it in advance. Recent rumors regarding production issues with the LEGO Friends set 3316 complicate the availability of it at traditional merchants. Public prices are also very high, and inflation does not spare this type of sets.

Fortunately, we have alternative sources to get these sets at the best price. The best offer of the moment is available at amazon Italy with very correct prices:

3316 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar 2012 - € 18.59
9509 LEGO Star Wars Star Wars Advent Calendar 2012 - € 26.09
4428 LEGO City Advent Calendar 2012 - € 18.59

These three sets are in stock and immediately available. One more reason not to risk having to pay a high price at the last moment because of a breakup ...

Erik Amzallag, the president of FreeLUG, one of the French LUGs, recently met the managers of LEGO France and offers a report on the points raised during this meeting which you can read in full. on the FreeLUG forum ou on the Brickpirate forum.

In summary: So there will be an official LEGO store in Lille, but it won't be the first to open. LEGO wishes to remain discreet on the subject, and we understand why: Some merchants, generalists or specialists, will look gray ...

No concrete answer regarding the recurring supply problems that we encounter in France. Furthermore, LEGO France is aware that we are in Europe, that we have the internet and that Spain and Italy have become viable and cheaper sources for our purchases of LEGO in a few months.

New product releases should gradually be harmonized on a global scale.

LEGO France is apparently little spoiled in terms of marketing budget, which explains the absence of promotional operations (polybags, etc ...) and the weak involvement of the French branch in the events organized during the year (exhibitions, etc ...). 

I forgot: there will be a second animated LEGO Star Wars short film.