Decidedly LEGO takes us for young padawans a little silly, we French (in fact the Europeans, but hey, at the moment it's every man for himself) ... As evidenced by this offer proposed by LEGO via Brickset and for which with the codes BS11(USA) and BS12(CA), Americans and Canadians can get this Shadow ARF Trooper in a bag, already offered in May 2011 during a promotional operation and whose resale price reaches summits on Bricklink.

That this offer is reserved for Americans, still passes. But what is frankly ridiculous is the explanation given by LEGO on this subject, I quote:

"We have discovered a limited quantity of LEGO Star Wars ™ Shadow ARF Trooper minifigures in our warehouse! Due to the very limited quantity we would like to give the fan community the first chance to receive these as bonus gift on any LEGO Star Wars holiday purchases that meet the Free Shipping threshold of $ 99."

Basically, a lot of these Shadow ARF Troopers were lying around in the warehouse of LEGO, who just realized it, and who therefore decides in a surge of generosity to offer them for any order over $ 99.

Obviously, none of this in European warehouses, at least not at the time of this writing .... and the groundhog ....

I introduced you his teaser a few days ago, and M <0> <0> DSWIM wasted no time in offering its highly anticipated AT-RT on the Miniland scale. It even allows it to be declined in three versions, the original one, then one in the colors of the 212th Attack Battalion (Orange), led by Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and finally a version in (Blue) colors of the 501st Legion also known as Vader's Fist.

Often skeptical about this Moodland ou Miniland Scale, I must admit that on this MOC the result is very satisfactory.
The ARF Trooper and its mount are sufficiently detailed without losing their kinship with the original models.
The AT-RT accommodates carefully chosen parts to reproduce every detail, the same parts that could not necessarily have been used on a smaller scale.
This MOC opens the door to more ambitious achievements on this scale and other emblematic vehicles of the saga would undoubtedly find their account.
The choice of parts is completely redefined by the scale and we get a little novelty and freshness in the variety of construction techniques, which is not to displease me.

For other views, quickly run on the flickr gallery de M <0> <0> DSWIM .

He had presented his X-Wing MOC and I had appreciated it, despite some very personal criticisms about the staging and the nose of the machine.

Rusty is not the type to let himself be put down and his reaction is up to what I expected from a talented MOCeur who knows how to question himself and take advantage of criticism. The nose has been revised, and it finds a shape and colors closer to that of an X-Wing and the sides have also been thinned.

His X-Wing is therefore back after some modifications, and it must be recognized that the work carried out benefits this quality MOC. The crumpled tablecloth has also disappeared and we get a high class MOC well presented and with the added bonus of some really successful situation photos.

Hats off to the artist! To see more it's on Rusty's flickr gallery, or on his blog.

There are guys who take competitions very seriously, and lisqr is one of those. With his entry for category 1 of the competition Eurobricks Batman Contest, he has just set the bar very, very high for the other participants.

It presents the Axis Chemicals factory, where Red Hood will become the Joker by falling into a vat of toxic waste. We can also evoke the Jack Napier of Tim Burton's Batman who becomes the Joker following a bath in the same vat of toxic waste.

This MOC recreates the industrial atmosphere of the place well, with its pipes, grids, control dials and metal stairs while keeping a certain side comic. With a few well-chosen minifigs, it could even make a nice set from the Superheroes range ....

I let you go see the other photos of this pretty MOC, and you will discover on the dedicated topic at Eurobricks the vat in which the Joker became Batman's worst enemy ...

I come back to an MOC which is undoubtedly the most successful when it comes to the famous scene of the arrival of Darth Vader and his henchmen on the Tantive IV ou Rebel Blockade Runner, vessel carrying Leia Organa and commanded by Captain Antilles who will suffer the wrath of Vader.

Small precision precisely at the level of the name of this vessel of which LEGO has used the two names for the two sets released:  10019 UCS Rebel Blockade Runner (2001) et 10198 Tantive IV (2009). It is indeed the same vessel and the nickname of Rebel Blockade Runner comes from its use by Corellian smugglers to break down the imperial blockades .....

This MOC perfectly reproduces the sanitized atmosphere of the ship's corridors when it was taken by Vader. The use of new and still shiny LEGO parts is the key to this type of reflections on the floor of this type of MOC. The pale lighting is also one of the elements that make this scene a perfect recreation of the one in the film.

In the meantime, you can see other photos of this MOC on MOCpages and discover in particular a photo of the complete construction used for these scenes.