"Make it quick before it's too late": the message is clear, it creates a sense of urgency and that's obviously marketing. LEGO is taking advantage of the lack of new promotions this week to highlight the list of sets that will be removed from its offer when the current stock will be exhausted, the manufacturer is careful not to announce a deadline or a date, it is therefore necessary to act quickly, very quickly.

Let’s keep calm, these boxes will not disappear from the face of the earth however and you will still find them at other dealers in the weeks and months to come, then in the secondary market where other dealers will try to get a hold of them. small margin on the backs of latecomers.

The majority of the affected products have been in the manufacturer's catalog long enough anyway that those who really wanted them had plenty of time to buy them, it's up to you to see if the fact that LEGO is putting pressure on you this week motivates you to buy a box that you have not fallen for so far.

Among the sets officially announced as end of life by LEGO:

Today we take a quick look at the LEGO Monkie Kid set 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech, a large box of 1629 pieces sold for 129.99 € which proposes to assemble a robot about forty centimeters high accompanied by some additional elements which suggest many playful possibilities.

During the official announcement of the Monkie Kid range, LEGO sold us this set as the one that includes the most parts in Metallic Gold To date, it remains for us to verify whether this statement does not hide some gaps that could tarnish the picture.

Before tackling the construction of the big robot with a monkey head, we assemble the various additional elements provided. Nothing very complicated here, the end of the lane, the hill with the support of the stick, the floating cloud of the Monkey King and the little robot from the bad clones are quickly assembled with in the process the installation of half of the large plank of stickers provided.

Those who enjoyed the sets 70620 Ninjago City et 70657 Ninjago City Docks inspired by the movie The LEGO Ninjago Movie will appreciate to find here a set including a shop and a house a little in the same spirit, with signs, an arcade machine, neon lights, and a multitude of details that promote immersion in the atmosphere of the set. The building is also an important point of reference to give presence to the mech.

The context being set, we then move on to the assembly of the big robot. As soon as the central trunk is assembled, which also serves as a cockpit, we understand that the mobility of this mech will be limited. The shoulders are made of moving parts but the robot's waist and hips are fixed. By connecting the upper part of the legs, however, we can guess that it must be possible to move each leg slightly backwards or forwards.

By assembling the rest of the robot's two legs, we begin to imagine the improbable: knees! Indeed, there is a Ball joint at the knee, but we quickly become disillusioned when we notice that the calf is attached to the back of the thigh via two additional small kneecaps, thus preventing any flexion of the leg. Still missed, this is not the time that we will have a mech with really articulated legs. The good news: the mech is really very stable on its feet, both equipped with a central tire that helps prevent unwanted slips even on the smoothest surfaces.

In terms of joints, it's a little better at the level of the arms with a three-part structure that allows some movement, even if we quickly realize that the mech is in fact only thought to hold his giant stick with a very limited range of motion. Note that the stick can be "transformed" into a shorter version that fits in one hand. In both situations, the stick is attached to the palm of the hand (or both hands) via two ball joints.

Quickly, it becomes complicated to manipulate the construction in progress because of the decorative sub-assemblies that only fit on a clip or two, like the gold pieces that hide the shoulder joints or the fingers that come loose regularly. It's a shame for a toy intended for children and it does not get better afterwards.

The "naked" mech clearly lacks finish and it is not the hundred or so golden pieces that save the furniture. The back of the robot has obviously not benefited from the same attention from the designers as the front side but it is not so serious since it is necessary to attach a large piece of red fabric to it which covers the whole thing. . Even if the drape effect is not uninteresting, the felt used is in my opinion too fine to give hope for a reasonable lifespan. In the end, it seems to me that we are more in a “hide-and-seek” solution based on a consumable product than in a purely creative choice.

Finally, we must add seven decorative elements in flexible plastic which in principle should give this mech its final appearance. The four flags which take place behind the head only fit on a clip and also have an unfortunate tendency to fall off at the slightest manipulation. On the other hand, the three inserts which are fixed around the waist of the mech really help to give a nice visual coherence to the construction.

The building experience is not unpleasant, especially at the beginning of the assembly phase, although one does not escape the sub-assemblies to be built in two copies when it comes to taking care of the members of the robot. The youngest will get by without problem, the most difficult will remain to manipulate the robot while wanting to play with it.

Difficult to objectively judge the aesthetic aspect of the mech, tastes and colors cannot be discussed, but I think you really have to wait until you have finished assembling the thing to get a precise opinion. As far as I'm concerned, I find it visually a little too colorful to convince me. The gray joints are too visible and the red, yellow mixture, Pearl Gold et Metallic Gold is a bit too messy for my taste.

The addition of the three flexible plastic elements around the waist of the mech completes depriving the construction of the little mobility it had so far: they hinder a little the few possible movements of the robot and will be quickly bent and marked. This detail convinces me that this product is not a toy for children aged 10 or over. It is just a demonstration of the know-how of the LEGO designers which turns into a pure exhibition product far too static and too fragile to really have fun with.

There are also some minifigs in this box: two clones with identical torsos but one of which is decked out with arms and pink horns, the monkey king, delivered here in a different version from the one present in one of the sachets from the 19th series of collectible minifigs (ref. 71025), with its staff equipped with the new handles also available in gray on the knees of the mech, the young Jia (the boy) and An (the girl) and the inevitable Monkie Kid in person with his headphones around his neck, his smartphone and his hyper-detailed legs with a slightly less successful finish than on the official visuals.

For those who are wondering, Jia's Hawaiian shirt is not new, it was already present since 2010 in several sets of the LEGO Education range and more recently in the LEGO CITY sets. 60202 People Pack: Outdoor Adventures and Juniors 10764 Central Airport. An's torso is also a very common piece, especially seen in sets 10247 Ferris Wheel, 60200 Capital City or even 10261 Roller Coaster.

In the end, this set had it all on paper with a balanced content between the giant mech, the main hero of the range and the animated series that goes with it, the Monkey King himself, a pair of villains, two civilians and small additional modules.

Unfortunately, the robot is aesthetically very correct but it is not what it claims to be when it comes to playability and it will have to be content to expose it on the corner of a shelf after spending too much time putting it back in place. everything that comes off when playing with. At 130 € a box, in my opinion, it's too expensive to pay for such a fragile construction, with a somewhat sloppy finish in places and frankly limited mobility.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 7th June 2020 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

LEGO today unveils the set 10273 Haunted Houses, a large box of 3231 pieces (229.99 € / 249.00 CHF) which completes the LEGO version amusement park already made up of sets 10196 Grand Carousel (2009) 10244 Fairground Mixer (2014) 10247 Ferris Wheel (2015) 10257 Carousel (2017) et 10261 Roller Coaster (2018)

As you will have noticed, this box stamped 18+ is no longer in the colors of the defunct LEGO Creator range Consultant, it now benefits from a look similar to that of the manufacturer's other products intended for adult fans and inaugurates a new sub-range logically entitled "Fairground Collection".

Those who are familiar with the attractions of Disneyland parks will find here a mix between Phantom manor ou Mystic manor, for aesthetics, and Tower of Terror, for the (smiles integrated. This box should also satisfy those nostalgic for the Monster Fighters universe who can possibly try to transform this attraction into a haunted house, in the spirit of the construction of the set. 10228 Haunted Houses marketed in 2012.

It will be a question here of assembling a haunted house proposed in the form of a resealable playset and which contains an attraction of type free fall (free fall) with a motorized lift via additional Powered Up elements not supplied: a Smart Hub (88009 - €49.99) And two M engines (88008 - 17.99 €).

The elevator will then be controllable from the application usually used to control the various LEGO sets that use the motorization elements of the Powered Up ecosystem. It is therefore imperative to have a smartphone or tablet to take advantage of the interactivity offered by this product or be content to manually raise the elevator via the crank installed at the rear of the construction.

The respectably-sized mansion, 68cm high, 25cm wide and 25cm deep, is also equipped with a LEGO light brick. In the box: 9 minifigs, including two ghosts, and a skeleton.

Because it is a set for adults, the designers did not hesitate to slip in some references to products that some fans today knew during their childhood: the mansion belongs to Baron Von Barron, a character that appears in several boxes of the LEGO Adventurers range marketed in 1998 and 2000 and we therefore find in the different rooms of the building that house its collection of artifacts a piece of the obelisk from the set 5978 Sphinx Secret Surprise (1998) or an orb from the evil OGEL.

Watching the short 360 ° sequence below, you will see the rear of the construction which is not shown in the photos provided by LEGO. We see the mechanism of the (smiles with the chain that runs along the building.

Until we can offer you a "Review "of this 2020 novelty, please note that this box will be available for early sale for members of the VIP program from May 20, 2020 before global availability announced for June 1, 2020.

THE SET 10273 HAUNTED HOUSE ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

THE SET IN BELGIUM >> THE SET IN SWITZERLAND >>

Today we quickly go around the LEGO set 40393 LEGOLAND Fire Academy, a small box that will be difficult to obtain because it is only distributed in stores in LEGOLAND parks. Since LEGO has sent me a copy, I'm taking the trouble to tell you about it here.

I don't need to draw you a picture, this 221-piece box is a product of attraction glory that anyone who has ever visited a LEGOLAND park is familiar with and has tried at least once.

It is also and above all an essential extension for all those who want to install a reproduction of the park in the middle of their CITY diorama and who already have the exclusive references. 40346 LEGOLAND Park et 40347 LEGOLAND Driving School Cars marketed in 2019, the set 40306 Micro LEGOLAND Castle  (2018) and the set 40166 LEGOLAND Train (2016)

The principle of the attraction is simple: The alarm sounds, you have to borrow a fire engine to get to the scene of the fire (a few tens of meters from the starting point) and use the water hose to target the fires that take place in the neighborhood made up of cinema facades. The first team to return to base after completing their mission wins the game. It's fun for the youngest.

We therefore find here a reproduction of the fire truck to borrow in both directions, which explains the somewhat strange construction of the vehicle, and the facades that must be aimed at. To replace the water, LEGO provides us with some blue pieces that we have to project using a Stud Shooter installed on a fire hydrant.

The different constructions of the set are decorated with stickers including a nice park map already present in the set 40346 LEGOLAND Park.

In this small box, LEGO also provides three minifigs to embody the park employee in charge of the proper functioning of the attraction, a mother and her son.
The employee's torso with his badge surmounted by a minifigure is rather rare, it is currently only available in this box and in the set 40346 LEGOLAND Park, a box also exclusively distributed in the shops of the parks .

The torso of the female character is more common, it is the one seen in the LEGO CITY sets 60150 XNUMX Pizza Van et 60203 Ski Resort and in the Creator Expert set 10261 Roller Coaster. The young boy's torso is the one seen in the LEGO CITY set 60233 Donut Shop Opening.

In short, this little set is undoubtedly a nice souvenir to bring back from a visit to one of the LEGOLAND parks, and its relatively small distribution unfortunately does not make it accessible to all fans. Not enough to get up at night, even if the attraction in question benefits from an honest reproduction in LEGO version.

Some copies are currently for sale on Bricklink  ou on eBay with a starting price of around 25/30 €. It's a bit expensive for this little club but it's still a lot cheaper than taking the plane and paying for the hotel and the entrance to the park.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 6th February 2020 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

PicWicToys joined FNAC.com in the team of retailers offering this weekend the usual offer which allows to obtain 50% immediate reduction on the 2nd LEGO product purchased.

As usual, it is the cheapest product in your basket that benefits from the advertised reduction and in the best case you can therefore benefit from a 25% discount on your entire order, if you buy twice the same product or two products sold at the same price.

The brand indicates that the offer is valid for the entire LEGO range, but this is not quite true: several large LEGO Star Wars, Harry Potter, Technic or Creator Expert sets are excluded from this promotion. (ref. 75192, 75159, 42100, 71043, 42083, 75222 and 10261).

This new offer is valid until December 9 and delivery is free from 60 € of purchase.

Consider going to the store if you are not the type to take the risk of an order cancellation due to unexpected out of stock a few weeks before Christmas ...

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OFFER AT PICWICTOYS >>