It's still in season and it's especially an opportunity for all those who missed it to pick up this little set: LEGO is once again bringing out the 2020 end-of-year promotional offer and the set. 40416 Ice Skating Rink (304 pieces) is again offered from 150 € / 165 CHF of purchase and without restriction of range. This offer is in theory valid until February 21, 2021 or while there is stock, and it looks like there is ... Offer only valid online.

For those who have a LEGO Store near them (a real one, not a Certified Store): the LEGO Ninjago polybag 30539 Lloyd's Quad Bike (39) is offered until February 21 and from 40 € purchase of products from the LEGO Ninjago range in the LEGO Store only.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OFFER ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

(The link to the shop redirects to the version of the official shop for your country of connection)

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Star Wars set 75302 Imperial Shuttle, a box of 660 pieces which will be on sale at the public price of 84.99 € from March 1st and which will finally take over from the previous version of the shuttle marketed in 2015 in the set 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium (937 - € 99.99).

Even if the comparison with the previous interpretation is inevitable for many collectors, it is advisable to put this new set in the current context of the LEGO Star Wars range: LEGO has been offering since January simplified and a priori more accessible versions of the great classics of the Star Wars universe: sets 75301 Luke Skywalker X-wing Fighter (474 - 49.99 €) and 75300 Imperial Tie Fighter (432 - 39.99 €) marketed since the beginning of the year are perfect examples of this simplification with their reduced number of pieces and a low retail price which makes them more affordable for many young fans keen to build up a collection. The manufacturer's bias appears a little less obvious with this new box of 660 pieces which will be offered at the public price of 84.99 €, barely 15 euros less than the previous version.

The first visuals that had leaked on social networks suggested a rather successful version of the shuttle. We then discovered the packaging of the product with its photos with carefully designed angles to hide any weaknesses of the model. Putting the set online at the beginning of February on the official online store then allowed us to better observe the construction as a whole and to give us a clearer opinion. The assembly of the product confirms the few aesthetic compromises which will undoubtedly disappoint those who waited for a shuttle with an irreproachable finish.

With only 650 pieces, there are bound to be shortcuts and even if this LEGO version of the shuttle looks like the benchmark ship overall, it also accumulates approximations. The lower part of the cockpit, for example, lacks finishing and the black protuberance here is totally irrelevant. It reinforces the impression of having only a half-cockpit with its plunging nose which only deludes when looking at the shuttle from above.

Both wings would also have deserved a little more attention with even partial coverage in Tiles to double their thickness and match them to the center fin and the body of the ship totally smooth except for the few studs visible in the cockpit. Another revealing detail of this passage to the wringer: the landing gears are summarized here in their simplest form just like the interior of the cockpit. No stickers in this box, the only piece with a pattern is pad printed. Perhaps a grid effect is missing on the nose of the ship, it was enough to take the pattern of the part placed under the central fin. For those wondering, there is no deployable access ramp under the shuttle.

This product is mainly a toy for children and so it was necessary to think of those who will have fun with this shuttle. The upper cockpit hull tilts forward and the interior of the vessel is accessed by lifting the center fin which is held by a relatively inconspicuous latch. It's simple, it does not penalize the general aesthetics and these two features offer a certain playability to the product. Even if the cockpit can only accommodate one minifigure, the three characters provided can therefore take place in the shuttle, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader having "seats" in the back.

LEGO has nothing planned for those who would like to exhibit the shuttle with the wings spread, it will be necessary to DIY a support. I simply stacked a few bricks for the photos and by finding the point of balance it is possible to place the ship on a simple rod. Too bad that LEGO does not offer an integrated solution in the set. Even if it is a simple toy, it would be interesting to have a base to allow it to be stored on a shelf in its most interesting configuration and about fifteen pieces are enough here to achieve the desired effect.

On the side of the three minifigs provided, we find a mixture of parts present for many years in the LEGO Star Wars range and more recent elements: The torso and the head of Luke Skywalker are parts already seen for the first in 2015 in the and 75093 Death Star Final Duel then delivered in several boxes. The torso of the imperial pilot is a new reference to the minimalist pad printing on legs present in the Star Wars range since 2014. The character's head also dates from 2014 and the cap made its first appearance in 2016.

Darth Vader's minifigure uses elements already seen in the sets 75291 Death Star Final Duel et 75294 Bespin Duel but without the arms with the pad-printed shoulders. Note that the legs used here are also those of the festive version seen in the LEGO Star Wars 2020 Advent calendar.

To put it simply, LEGO continues to decline the iconic ships of the Star Wars range in frankly simplified versions which should in principle be more affordable. Unfortunately, this is not really the case here with a public price that seems too high for a slightly minimalist product that ignores several aesthetic details and the few finishing touches that would have made it possible to make a model. more faithful to the reference vessel. So we end up with a simple children's toy that is a little too expensive for what it has to offer.

Sooner or later this box will necessarily end up on sale somewhere, so you have to be patient to pay for it at the right price. Those looking for a slightly more accomplished version of this Imperial Shuttle can always turn to the aftermarket where the set 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium from 2015 is trading new at around € 140.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 28th February 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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 are quickly interested in the LEGO set 10295 Porsche 911, a box of 1458 pieces sold for € 139.99 that LEGO unveiled to us a few days ago by presenting it as a product resulting from a close collaboration with the German car manufacturer. This set allows you to assemble two versions of the Porsche 911, the Turbo version or the Targa convertible. It is indeed the possibility of choosing between the two models, the contents of this box not allowing to assemble the two vehicles at the same time.

Taking a step back on the various vehicles offered by LEGO in the defunct Creator Expert range in recent years, it should be admitted that some of them were more successful than others. If the Mustang of the set 10265 Ford Mustang marketed since 2019 is generally considered successful, it is much less obvious for the Aston Martin of the set 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 (2018) which had a little trouble with the curves of the reference vehicle or for the Fiat 500 from the set 10271 Fiat 500 (2020) which struggles to reproduce the iconic vehicle of the Italian firm.

There is no suspense here, although not everything is perfect, this 911cm long and 35.5cm wide Porsche 16 does a lot better than the Aston Martin and the Fiat 500 aesthetically. Purists will inevitably have comments on certain details or proportions and we could for example discuss the windshield a little too flat, the front cover not sufficiently domed, the rear window of the Targa made up of several elements that produce a rough effect, Headlights as big as the rims, axles of different colors for the wheels or somewhat coarse widenings of the rear fenders of the 911 Turbo.

However, many will be satisfied with what LEGO offers and I think some will even invest in two copies of the set to be able to align the two versions on their shelves. It is up to each to see at what level he sets the bar of his demands, his indulgence and his tolerance.

The assembly of the product is divided into two parts: the assembly of the "common trunk" which will serve as a basis for the two models followed by the addition of the mechanical and aesthetic elements which make it possible to differentiate the two vehicles. Good news, this Porsche 911 is equipped with functional steering.

However, we should not have to be overly pleased with the presence of this type of functionality which seems to fall under the union minimum on a high-end construction toy, but when we note that even recent models from the Technic range do not benefit no such function, we can be happy to have it here.

No one will play with this Porsche 911, but the assembly of this feature is a very entertaining addition to the sidelines of the stacking of white bricks and the presence of a steering will allow the wheels to steer at the ideal angle when driving. exposure of the model.

Do not rely too much on the instruction booklet to teach you more about the Porsche 911, just a few introductory pages to the glory of the model and designer Mike Psiaki and a few rare facts without interest over the pages. There was undoubtedly material to document this exhibition model a little better to please purists of the brand and automobile enthusiasts, especially on the occasion of a set which is clearly intended for an adult audience.

There are no stickers in this box, all the elements of the dashboard, the various license plates as well as the markings used to identify the two vehicles are pad printed. As often, there are some variations in color between the different parts that make up the body of the Porsche 911 and if we add the shadow on the edges of each part which reinforces the "brick wall" effect, we say that LEGO Perhaps this 911 should have chosen another color. Two of the side windows are also pad printed with a curved pattern and the white used does not really match that of the body.

Some useful explanations on the possibility of building a Porsche 911 Turbo or a Targa version: As indicated above, the inventory of this box divided into 10 bags only allows you to assemble one of the two models and you will have to make your choice before reaching the 8th bag, which is common to both models, but which uses the parts it contains differently. The bags 9 and 10 are in turn used for one or the other of the models.

The two versions use rear axles of different lengths, and the designer has provided a clip on the common trunk on which the axle corresponding to the chosen model is inserted. It will also be necessary to change the rims and add or remove some parts of the engine depending on the version.

During a first assembly, everything rolls. The floor based on Technic elements, the very successful upholstery with front seats that tilt to allow access to the rear bench, the interior trim Dark orange et nougat with its somewhat minimalist dashboard, the massive but well-designed doors, the mechanical elements and part of the bodywork are assembled and then all you have to do is decide on the Turbo or Targa version and follow the instructions given in the booklet. 'instructions.

Switching from one model to the other after the fact is more complicated. I did it for this test and I had to disassemble from memory some elements of the Targa version to return to the common core assembled with the first seven bags of the product, collect the obtained parts and start assembling the attributes distinctive features of the Turbo version.

Converting one way or the other isn't documented, so it's a bit laborious and I bet a lot of buyers will be a little overwhelmed by the process and will just show off their top pick. So we can't really talk about a 2-in-1 product, it is rather a set that leaves you more simply the choice of the model and the possibility of converting it perhaps one day in the other. proposed version.

Aside from the usual flaws that you would almost get used to, such as color variations or striped transparent parts, there is a slightly more annoying problem here: on the 911 Turbo version, the rear of the white roof rests on a series of black studs and these are visible by transparency. The effect is not too disturbing in the photo above but it is more or less present depending on the angle and the lighting.

While it is possible to contact customer service for replacement clear parts, this is much less obvious for parts with thinner areas that let in light. I will not be led to believe that this detail has not been noticed by at least one person in charge of the validation of the product at LEGO and I deduce that this defect was not considered sufficiently important to justify a modification of the product. support placed under the rear of the roof.

In my opinion, the world's leading manufacturer of toys must absolutely concentrate on all these little details which spoil the fun a little instead of being scattered in various and varied experiments which only aim to flirt with adult customers. Packaging and marketing aren't everything when it comes to building customer loyalty. If the product itself does not live up to the promises made, the customer disappointed with those disappointing finishing details may not come back.

In short, I still conclude that LEGO offers us here a "collectible Porsche 911 model"acceptable which offers an entertaining assembly experience and which can be enthroned alongside the Ford Mustang without having to blush.

As usual, many LEGO fans will forgive the aesthetic approximations and the inevitable compromises associated with the limitations of the concept, they have already done so without balking for products much less successful than this one. The biggest defect of the product remains in my opinion the windshield much too flat to convince and this detail spoils all the efforts made to try to restore the curves of the vehicle.

The set will go on sale on the official online store at the public price of € 139.99 from next February 16 for a VIP preview that will allow those in a hurry to be offered a ticket for a thematic goodies pack.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 28th February 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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.

Amazon has updated the description of the book LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Galaxy Atlas whose publication is announced for April 13, 2021 and we thus discover in close-up the exclusive minifigure of Yoda which will accompany the book of 88 pages.

The design of this Yoda minifigure is not a surprise, the cover illustration had sold the wick when the first visuals were put online. The character with the new torso will be delivered with a backpack, a camera, a staff and a map of the Outer Rim for the moment exclusive to this book.

You have to pay a little less than 15 € to pre-order this book whose English content will probably not revolutionize the genre but the minifig seems to me rather successful. It's up to you.

[amazon box="0241467659"]