I will wrote my skepticism about the Friends range a few days ago. I was probably not the only one to think that this line intended for girls would raise a serious problem: Is LEGO showing sexism? sectarianism? condescending to little girls who want to play with LEGOs?

In A press release fallen like a hair on the soup in full commercial launch of the Friends range, LEGO explains that it is important to clarify a few points about this range that I summarize here: The Friends sets are designed like those of the other LEGO ranges, they are just as constructible, packaged like the others, with instructions and parts in bags like the others, that the pink bricks are not a novelty and that the marketing plan for this range is the same as for the others ...

LEGO then defends itself against offering girls only the Friends range, and that they can play, because they are obviously capable of it even if they are girls, with the other range of the manufacturer ...

In short, it smacks of the emergency rescue attempt of a product whose brand image has tilted to the wrong side in a few weeks ... But LEGO boasts of having tested the product with thousands of girls and their parents. for 4 years, and therefore to have largely covered the issue ...

I think that LEGO has forgotten some basic principles: If this product was not intended for a particular audience and in any case different from the one usually targeted by LEGO, why did you turn the minifig into a mini-doll? Because once again, the whole problem is there and not in the candy pink or the still dubious marketing choice to sectorize the products according to the sex of the customer.

In France, we are less sensitive to the problem of sexism in our daily lives, but I tell myself that there must be an American feminist association that risks asking this obvious question: Why do girls have the right to a different toy from the one for boys for whom the rest of the LEGO range seems reserved?

How can a little girl who sees her brother, her cousin, playing with LEGOs and classic minifigs, hope to share this activity when she does not have the same toy in her hands?

One would have thought that LEGO had learned the lessons of the Belville range. Apparently not, LEGO continues to want to offer a product intended only for girls and significantly different from the rest of the range that made it successful. The LEGO minifig as we know it remains the yardstick of this construction toy, not the brick which is declined by many other manufacturers.

Until proven otherwise, for LEGO, boys create and build and girls therefore play with dolls ...

 Find the official press release at this address.

There are MOCers who take weeks or months to finalize their creations, there are those who want to release an MOC but who ultimately will never design it, and there are those like Blake's Baericks who are passionate about a subject and who are able to output many thumbnails in no time. With his particular style, he offers us a series of performances in Tolkien's universe, all very successful.

The style is researched, sometimes jumbled, and each MOC is filled with details, winks and improbable but innovative techniques which in the end form an interesting blend. The magic still works and that is the main thing. Don't dream, the LEGO LOTR & The Hobbit range will not be of this ilk, far from it.

So I present you these thumbnails here gathered, and if you want to know more about some of them, go to Blake's Baericks flickr gallery or his Brickshelf gallery.

And it's not me saying it, but LEGO. I contacted the manufacturer for two problems: Batman's blue cape missing from the set 6858 Catwoman Catcycle City Chase (see this article) and the color error of the hands of Two-Face and his two henchmen in the set 6864 Batmobile and the Two-Face Chase (see this article).

Regarding the Batman cape, it is sent to me by the LEGO after-sales service who recognizes that the absence of it is voluntary but embarrassing and does not hesitate to send this item to those who request it.

Regarding the 6864 set, LEGO confirms to me that it is indeed a design error on the box and that the minifigs were well planned to be delivered with the hands in Flesh. The error on the box will be corrected with the next production wave for this set.

If like me, you are annoyed that you did not have Batman's blue cape in the 6858 set which is still the cheapest in the range allowing you to get the blue version of this minifigure, contact LEGO by email and ask them to send it to you, it shouldn't be a problem.

Just a quick note to tell you that I just ordered the two mini sets 30056 Star Destroyer et 30058 STAP, and that the seller also offered me the 30057 Anakin's Podracer.

I will not expand here on the price of these sets, but I would point out for your reference that the 30057 is currently available in the USA from Toys R Us for $ 4.99. Expect to pay it at least double on Bricklink, as usual with this type of sets.

I can't help it, I love these mini sets.

No trace of 30059 MTT for the moment at this seller, nor elsewhere.

As usual at Calin and Christo, we do not joke with the quality of the customs and the photos which are used to present them to us.

Today Calin presents us his custom Dooku minifig with a screen-printed face by Christo and hair designed by Calin. This superb photo also features two particularly successful Assassin Droids customs.

They are designed using parts purchased from CloneArmyCustoms: Chest and head in Chrome Silver and these same two pieces in Black. CAC also sells these two pieces in Dark Bluish Gray.

It also offers us an update of its custom STAP which therefore displays a new color scheme which I find successful. In the background of the photo, a MOC from Droid Carrier that Calin promises to present one day.