At least four new books around the LEGO theme are announced by publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) in 2021: Minifigure Mission, How to Build LEGO Cars, How to Build LEGO Houses et Mighty LEGO Mechs.

Minifigure Mission is a 128-page book that takes on a Toy Story-style adventure with a minifigure that must reach its shelf via an obstacle course to be built in different rooms of the house. The editor does not provide the parts necessary for the realization of the various ideas proposed but the main character is included with some accessories.

How to Build LEGO Cars et How to Build LEGO Houses are 96-page, more didactic books with around thirty examples and ideas for learning how to build cars and houses. An interesting detail for those who have followed the LEGO Masters UK show: Nathan Dias, one of the members of the winning pair of the show's first season, is the co-author of these two books. No bricks with these two books, it will be necessary to call on your personal inventory to reproduce the proposed examples.

Mighty LEGO Mechs is a 96-page book about which not much is known yet. Judging by the cover featuring two mechs from the LEGO Ninjago sets 71720 Fire Stone Mech (2020) et 71738 Zane's Titan Mech Battle (2021), it should be a simple collection of what LEGO has been able to offer so far in terms of robots and mechs, without instructions or new creations.

You will find a few pages above from two of these forthcoming books, the texts are in English but the visuals seem explicit enough to me that a young fan lacking inspiration will find some interesting leads.

We do not know for the moment whether these different books will one day be translated into French by the publisher who usually takes care of the localization of most of the books offered by Dorling Kindersley.

These four books are currently on pre-order from Amazon with availability announced for October 2021:

[amazon box="0241506336,0241506271,0744028655,0744044618" grid="2"]

Today we are interested in the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75304 Darth Vader Helmet, a box that allows, as the title suggests, to assemble a LEGO interpretation of the most famous helmet in the galaxy.

Since the official visuals of this product became available, opinions are rather divided about this exhibition model. Some see it only as an approximate reproduction with too visible studs where others consider that the product should mark its difference and its belonging to the LEGO universe thanks in particular to these studs visible on most of the exterior surface of the construction. Tastes and colors cannot be discussed and all opinions are legitimate.

Star Wars fans know that Darth Vader's menacing appearance relies heavily on the play of lights, shadows, and reflections on the character's helmet. This is also the case here with a reproduction which has a little trouble convincing me from certain angles and which "exists" more easily when adequate lighting allows it.

The designer has obviously chosen to insist on the contrast between the smooth surfaces and the visible tenons which on this scale necessarily penalize the level of finish of the model. The staircase effect only fades a little when you distance yourself from the product, for example placed on a shelf. The contrast between the front face of the helmet mostly made up of smooth textures and the overall coverage of the exposed stud-based thing will not be to everyone's liking but above all it is an artistic choice that can hardly satisfy everyone. the world.

The construction process and the techniques used to achieve this result on the "face" should, on the other hand, be unanimous: the assembly of this product is a real pleasure with many very original solutions which make it possible to propose a reproduction. rather faithful to this part of the helmet.

So far, this helmet is the one that offers the most complex construction challenge and by extension probably the most interesting. The substantial inventory of 834 pieces sells the wick, the public price of 69.99 € also, it is for example 363 elements and 20 € more than in the set 75305 Scout Trooper Helmet (471 - 49.99 €) which nevertheless offers a product with similar measurements. If you do not want to spoil too much the assembly phase of the internal structure on which the various blocks that make up the external texture are plugged, do not click on the thumbnails that I suggest to you.

Some of the product details are based on shadow effects that fill in the few empty spaces a bit, similar to what is offered on Tony Stark's helmet in the LEGO Marvel set. 76165 Iron Man Helmet (480 pieces - 59.99 €), but without going as far as totally empty cheeks. This helmet being completely black except for a few details, these empty spaces blend easily into the structure and the effect will remain contained except by auscultating the model very closely.

The dome of the helmet is crossed by a smooth band which in principle is there to emphasize the curves of the object. Depending on your perception of the matter, this band will also have the effect of emphasizing the lack of volume of the rest of the surface, especially at the level of the forehead. At certain angles you might also feel like Darth Vader is squinting a bit or smiling slightly, it's the lower edge of the gaze that will cause this feeling from certain angles or lighting.

There are four stickers to stick on this reproduction, including one on the chin of the helmet which is only really visible when the product is placed high up and three on the "face". The one to stick on the "nose" is a joke in bad taste, LEGO could have cracked a pad printing there. The last two stickers to put on the respirator here embody more reflections than real details and I would have preferred a slightly darker shade of gray.

I'm not a big fan of the plates which are supposed to enhance the collector effect of these helmets, in my opinion they don't add much to the product with their big logos and the name of the character, all not even centered on the l 'element. The object is also a magnet with fingerprints and dust, I have done my best to present it to you in its best light but it will have to be taken care of regularly to keep it reflections and shine. Then it's up to you to find a place for it that will highlight it.

In short, this helmet is like many products that reflect purely artistic choices, we see that it is LEGO and this surface based on visible studs will not be to everyone's taste. The scale chosen for this collection of helmets also has its constraints which influence the final result, it's up to you to see if you want to put up with it or not. This model in my opinion offers a slightly more accomplished build experience than some of the other helmets in the range, if you are in doubt this may be the argument that will convince you to check out.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 11th 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.

Today we discover the official visuals of the Batman mask to be built very soon in the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes set. 76182 Batman Cowl with an inventory of 410 pieces which makes it possible to obtain an exhibition model 22 cm high. This is the sign Barnes and Nobles who uploaded the product to this address with an advertised price of $ 59.99.

Once again, opinions will certainly be very divided about this interpretation in LEGO sauce of the mask of the vigilante of Gotham City, a construction which notably uses transparent parts at the level of the base of the base and of the hole at the level of the jaw. . The official description states: "... includes transparent pieces to represent the face ...". It is in my opinion moderately successful.

We end the cycle of reviews of the 2021 novelties in the LEGO Monkie Kid range with a quick overview of the contents of the set 80018 Monkie Kid´s Cloud Bike. With an inventory of 203 pieces and a public price set at 19.99 €, it is the most compact and cheapest box of this new wave and its content is therefore necessarily less ambitious than that of other more opulent references.

There is still something to have a little fun with the possibility of staging a chase between the Monkie Kid and Spindrax, just to come to the rescue of young Rui who finds himself trapped in the clutches of a Spider Drone.

The set gives pride of place to Cloud Bike of the young hero with a machine whose wheels are deployed to allow him to fly. The mechanism at work which ensures the versatility of the machine, it suffices to manually separate the four sets of two wheels fixed on Technic pins, is childishly simple but the result is rather interesting. Opposite, Spindrax is satisfied with a more classic motorcycle which takes up the aesthetic codes of the different machines in the service of Spider Queen.

To each his own weapons and Spindrax has two Stud Shooters on the sides of his motorcycle and the Monkie Kid machine is equipped with two Disc shooters can be activated via a simple central lever which knows how to be rather discreet. Here too, the solution used is straightforward and it works every time.

The Monkie Kid arrives at the scene from the air, he catches up with Spindrax on the road after having folded up his thrusters, stands at his side and shoots him with a white disc. He can then free Rui from the Spider Drone's clutches, with the robot hanging from the minifig via the transparent piece it wears around its neck. The playability is there.

This small set allows you to obtain three minifigs including the Monkie Kid which is an assembly of elements already available in several other boxes, Rui who takes the torso of one of the characters from the LEGO CITY set 60262 Passenger Airplane (2020), hair already seen on the heads of several children in Chinese New Year sets and a fairly common smartphone at LEGO and Spindrax with his nicely pad-printed helmet and his exclusive outfit. The villain of the set comes with hair that allows you to really enjoy the face of the minifigure, this is a rare bonus in other lines and therefore appreciable.

This entry-level set without big pretensions is therefore in my opinion a good start for a young fan who seeks to optimize the use of his pocket money or to be offered a small box on the occasion of a good bulletin. The aesthetics of the vehicles provided is once again in line with the rest of the machines in the range regardless of the faction concerned, consistency is essential for all the sets of this new wave.

Overall and despite a few constructions that are a bit behind in terms of finish or functionality, this new wave of LEGO Monkie Kid products really does have a refreshing side that proves the manufacturer knows how to go the extra mile when it comes to to go and invest in a new market and attract potential customers. Not everything is successful in this range, but the adaptation of a popular legend in a techno-futuristic universe who does not hesitate to make a few nods to the content that serves as a starting point is a very judicious choice. which allows these toys to be placed in a highly respected cultural context in China.

Even if I am not part of the main target of this range, I must admit that I took great pleasure in assembling these different boxes and taking an interest in some of the references they offer. The whole would have really deserved to be supported by the diffusion of the animated series elsewhere than in Asia, to at least try to seduce the children who need the connection between the toys with which they have fun and the digital contents which put them forward.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 10th 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.

It is finally possible to speak freely about the LEGO Marvel Shang-Chi set 76177 Battle at the Ancient Village, without risking to suffer the wrath of LEGO or Marvel, the product having been purchased in a shop called "The Brick" in Israel by a fan who then posted the photo of the box on Reddit.

If we hide the pretty graphic staging on the packaging of this product of 400 pieces, there will not be much left in this set except a slightly starved version of the dragon and five minifigs: Shang-Chi, Morris (a Dijiang), Xialing, Wenwu (The Mandarin) and Death Dealer. A little frugal for a set whose title pretentiously evokes a battle in a village.

Two products derived from the film Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings, which is in principle expected in theaters this summer, are according to the latest rumors to date announced at LEGO: this reference which is now confirmed and the set 76176 Escape From The Ten Rings (321) which we know will feature a chase between a few vehicles and five characters: Shang-Chi, Morris, Wenwu (The Mandarin), Katy and Razor Fist. I know the other set is also visible on the usual channels, but without a source of availability identified, I cannot post a visual here.