It is thanks to a publication made by LEGO on Instagram, since withdrawn, that we discover new features in the LEGO Super Mario range which were initially to be announced on March 10, 2022 on the occasion of Mario Day:

On the one hand, the set 71408 Princess Peach's Castle (129.99 €) and on the other a few new characters including an interactive figurine of Peach which will join the two others already on the market, Mario and Luigi. We also know that the cast of characters to be built in this range will be expanded by at least one Spike (Super Mario Bros. 3), Ludwig Von Koopa (Super Mario Bros. 3), Yellow Toad (New Super Mario Bros.) and a Boomerang Bro (Super Mario Bros. 3).

More information on these different products which will a priori be available next August from tomorrow on the occasion of the Mario Day.

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Speed ​​Champions set 76908 Lamborghini Countach, a small box of 262 pieces sold at the retail price of €19.99 since March 1st. We no longer need to present the small vehicles in the Speed ​​Champions range, with their always original techniques and their aesthetics that are often successful but sometimes also a little banal due to the use of the same canopy for many models and square parts for bodywork. with often asserted curves.

The Lamborghini Countach in LEGO version uses these last two flaws to its advantage for once and that's good news. The Countach is not very young, its aesthetics testifies to it, and it made a whole generation of teenagers dream in the 80s, including yours truly. It was the sports car that was talked about in schoolyards when it came to arguing with a friend who preferred the Ferrari Testarossa.

The Countach was also one of many luxury vehicles used in the Miami Vice TV series, those who follow the series may recall a chase that featured a Countach 50000 QV and Sonny Crockett driving his fake Ferrari Daytona Spider.

All that to tell you that this vehicle sends me back a few years and that the arrival of a LEGO version makes me really happy, at least more than many others super/hyper/machine cars a bit too dark for my taste.

The LEGO version is immediately identifiable and there is no doubt from any angle: it is indeed a Countach. It's already taken when you know some products in the range that are difficult to identify without having the box on hand. White suits me, it's the color I remember. Others might have preferred a yellow (Sunstreaker) or red (Lambor) version to stick to their nostalgia for Transformers toys, a question of time and generation.

Square parts for an angular vehicle? in principle, everything should go well here given the subject matter. And in my opinion it is. Despite the limitations of the format, the designer was able to perfectly reproduce the "curves" of the vehicle and even gratifies us with some truly original techniques with angles managed in a sometimes surprising way.

I tried not to spoil too much the composition of the various sub-assemblies in the photos, but if you want to keep the element of surprise and fun intact, avoid the galleries below. The fans should in any case take pleasure in assembling this Countach which takes shape before our eyes, it was the case for me.

The usual canopy is used wisely here, and once is not custom it really looks like that of the reference vehicle. We just regret that the pad-printed white areas are "too white" compared to the rest of the bodywork, which is rather cream. Again, LEGO fails to lightly color the ink used to try to match the hue of their parts and that's unfortunate. The manufacturer is trying to attenuate the color difference a little on the official visuals, but it's even worse in real life.

No scissor doors on the LEGO version, you can't have everything on this scale. Too bad for the purists who would have liked to exhibit the vehicle with the "Lambo Doors" In the air, we will have to do without. We will also be satisfied with the classic steering wheel which is not perfectly placed in front of the driver, even if I think it is time for LEGO to imagine a more suitable solution.

The four rims are pad printed, and it's successful, the sheet of stickers is quite large but they are stickers on a transparent background whose glue is not visible on the white background of the bodywork and the rendering is therefore overall satisfactory. The headlights are as often based on stickers but here they are placed under transparent parts and the effect obtained seems satisfactory to me.

The minifigure provided is not stunning, we are satisfied with a driver with a torso flanked by the Lamborghini logo, a black helmet without patterns, hair and a key which is not out of place but whose primary purpose is to remove the hubcaps from the wheels.

The LEGO Speed ​​Champions range is often a somewhat thankless subject for designers who try their hand at the exercise and the result is sometimes a bit approximate despite all the efforts made to reproduce the vehicles concerned. For this time, I really admire the result with a Lamborghini Countach that is fun to build and pleasant to observe from every angle.

Nostalgia is no stranger to this sentiment, the Countach has long been my favorite supercar and I'm thrilled to finally be able to display one on the corner of a shelf as a reminder of the endless Lamborghini/Ferrari debates that filled my recreations.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 19, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment (something to say what) under the article to participate.

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

The March 2022 issue of the Official LEGO Star Wars Magazine is available on newsstands and it allows us as planned to obtain a Clone Trooper of the 501st with his blaster, a figurine identical to those delivered since 2020 in the LEGO Star Wars set 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers (29.99 €).

The next issue of the magazine is due out on April 13, 2022 and it will get a different "limited edition" 52-piece AT-AT than the ones already bundled with the magazine. Nothing to get up at night.

For those who are interested, I remind you that the instructions of the different mini-models delivered with this magazine are available in PDF format on the publisher's website. All you have to do is enter the code on the back of the bag to obtain the file.

Finally, be aware that it is currently possible to subscribe for a period of six months or a year to the official LEGO Star Wars magazine via the abo-online.fr platform. The 12-month subscription (13 issues) costs € 65.

LEGO today presents its financial results for the 2021 financial year and the trend displayed during the publication of the interim results for the first half of the year is definitively confirmed: all the indicators are frankly green for the whole year.

LEGO announces a 27% increase in its turnover and a sales volume up 22% in all the markets where the brand is present. The operating result shows a spectacular increase of 32% and the net profit shows an increase of 34%.

The manufacturer lists as usual the ranges that ensure the best sales in 2021 with five universes: LEGO City, LEGO Technic, LEGO Creator Expert, LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Star Wars.

125 new official stores were set up in 2021, including 95 in China, bringing to 832 the number of LEGO Stores currently established around the world, including 340 in China. In line with its ambitions, LEGO has continued to renew its assortment in 2021 with 49% of the catalog made up of new products. For the rest, the group welcomes its diverse and varied investments, particularly in terms of sustainability, environmental protection and altruistic initiatives with large donations via the LEGO Foundation. For 2022, LEGO predicts a "return to normal" with reduced but stable growth.

If you like numbers, you can download the full annual report at this address.

Today we are quickly interested in the contents of the LEGO Marvel Infinity Saga set 76209 Thor's Hammer, a box of 979 pieces sold at the public price of 119.99 € since March 1, 2022. The title of the product is sufficiently explicit, it is a question here of assembling a reproduction of Mjolnir (or Mjöllnir), the hammer of Thor.

The idea of ​​offering this iconic accessory from the Marvel universe is not bad, it remains to be verified that the final product lives up to its claims and its public price which seems to me in any case far too high. You will have seen it for yourself since the announcement of the product, the result is quite uneven with a design faithful to the reference object, a rather credible handle but a head which ignores the runes and which content with a neutral surface. No runes, but no stickers either.

Don't rely too much on assembly experience to get your money's worth: the neck is a repetitive succession of identical sub-assemblies framed by a few Technic beams and covered in brown and gray parts.

This part is assembled in a few minutes and then we move on to the internal structure of the hammer head which is also not really in the lace. A few large pieces Tiles and gray plates for the exterior texture, it is here also dispatched in a few minutes.

The hammer comes with a display stand made from new road plates which might have been a nice touch if it weren't so flimsy. We also assemble a small display that brings together the Infinity Glove with all its stones, the Tesseract already seen in this form in the set 76201 Captain Carter & The Hydra Stomper and Odin's Eternal Flame. The object is independent of the rest of the construction but it can be stored in the head of the hammer, just to add functionality to this exhibition product.

No mechanism specific to this product functionality, You will have to remove a few Tiles to slide the assembly into the head of the hammer and close the whole thing. The most complicated thing will then be to try to remove the thing later if you have connected the small display to the studs available inside by pressing hard, you will then have to shake the hammer vigorously or disassemble part of the head.

The assembly will therefore not leave you with an imperishable memory, and even if the object is ultimately rather convincing, there are not really any surprising or innovative techniques. It is on closer inspection that the defects of this product appear: There are some scratches on the parts in Reddish brown of the handle, all the gray parts are not quite the same gray and LEGO insists with its Tiles 6x6 mates flanked by a large injection point in their center.

There are 18 in this box and they are obviously all placed on the head of the hammer where they are surrounded by Tiles smaller and brighter. Those who remember the roof of the Batmobile from the LEGO Batman set 76139 1989 Batmobile know what I'm talking about Tiles should no longer be used when they must be visible and especially framed by other pieces in the same shade. In 2019, LEGO had replaced the Tile 6x6 batmobile roof mate in threes Tiles 2x6 bright and the improvement was welcome.

I am not sure that the manufacturer will one day put the cover back on this new product but I find it disappointing not to have avoided the use of this piece which no longer corresponds to the standards of collection and exhibition products sold at high prices. .

For those wondering, the hammer is strong enough to be picked up and handled. The internal structure does its job and the assembly is both very light and flawlessly rigid. We will easily play with five minutes before putting the thing back on its support. The latter is designed to accommodate the hammer in a precise position, do not expect more.

The plinth is in my opinion lacking in finish with a single layer of road plates and a few finishing pieces dotted across the surface. It also lacks a bit of inspiration and even if this element of the set is ultimately only secondary, there was probably a way to make it something a little more accomplished than a foil that just inflates the 'inventory. Note that the hammer is not fixed to the base, it can be removed at any time by grasping it by the handle.

For originality, we will console ourselves with the use of a rather convincing strap at the end of the handle. For those who don't know, the element is not new or specific to this product, it comes from the defunct LEGO VIDIYO range where it served as a carrying handle for the various BeatBoxes.

The object is intended to be displayed on a shelf as is already the case for the glove of the LEGO Marvel set 76191 Infinity Gauntlet, but LEGO makes the effort here to provide us with a minifigure of Thor to pass the public price pill. Only the torso of this minifig is new. The character's head is delivered in four boxes marketed since 2021.

When the product was announced, I was seduced by this model which seemed to me really original and accomplished. I'm less enthusiastic after putting it together, mainly due to the degraded appearance of having these Tiles 6x6 mates that spoil the aesthetics of this hammer, which is very successful.

The absence of runes on the head of the hammer is also disappointing, this plastic model of less than 1000 pieces sold for 120 € deserved in my opinion better than this somewhat austere finish.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 17, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment (something to say what) under the article to participate.

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