Just to keep busy and wait while waiting for something better, here are some official visuals of the 16 characters from the 20th series of collectible minifigs in bags (LEGO ref. 71027 - € 3.99 per bag) expected on May 1st. Given the current context, I think it is a little early to possibly plan a trial session in your favorite store, you will have to be patient or order a complete box of 60 sachets from those who will soon offer this packaging for sale .

These new images here are mostly digital versions of each of these minifigs with perfect pad printing. To see them "in real life" refer to to the photo gallery taken at the last New York Toy Fair.

On the menu, a boy and his Piñata (Pinata Boy), a young girl with her boombox (breakdancer), a woman disguised as a pea (Peapod Costume Girl), a knight (Knigh Tournamentt), a pirate (pirate girl), a young girl with her rocket (SpaceFan), a young girl disguised as a llama (Llama Costume Girl), a Viking warrior (Viking ...), a red Power Ranger (Super warrior), a karateka with his nunchaku (martial arts boy), a javelin / discus thrower with her medal (Athlete), a diver with a turtle (Sea Rescue), a guy disguised as a green lego brick (Brick Suit Guy), a musician with his portable synthesizer (80s musician), a girl in pajamas with her teddy bear (Girl pajamas) and a young boy with his drone (drone boy).

(Visuals via The Minifigure Store)

Today we quickly tour the LEGO set 40371 Limited Edition Easter Egg, a small box of 237 pieces which will be offered from March 23 to April 13, 2020 from 55 € of purchase without restriction of range.

The Easter egg to be built here partially takes up the principle of what is called the Lowell Sphere, named after its creator Bruce Lowell, with its cubic interior structure and paneling based on panels with visible tenons in gradient.

The construction is divided into three modules with the lower part of the shell, a removable intermediate zone and the cover. Nothing very complicated in terms of assembly techniques, it's simple and repetitive. The DOTS effect is felt here too with many small pieces to align to decorate the shell and a whole lot of additional pieces which aim to fill the lower internal space, the white of the egg. We also assemble a little chick with the eyes of Mixel which logically finds its place in the yolk of the egg.

On arrival we get a big construction that is a little too cubic to really look like an egg. We are also at the limit of converting the thing to BrickHeadz format, which should delight fans of characters with "revisited" morphology. Younger fans eager to discover new techniques may find it beneficial by learning to dress a bob to make it (almost) round.

In short, this small limited edition set (it's marked on the box) mixes genres without really convincing and I'm not sure we'll find many people from next March 23 to force themselves to spend € 55 on the store. official online to get this box.

As usual, tastes and colors are indisputable and it's up to you.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at March 22, 2020 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and 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. Shipment of the batch as soon as the sanitary situation permits.

Those who follow the Good Maps page of the site have already known it for several days: the offer that currently allows you to be offered the set 40370 40 Years of LEGO Trains and which was to end this evening is extended by one week, that is to say until March 22.

The minimum purchase to take advantage of the offer being relatively high and customers probably having other concerns at present than ordering LEGOs, there is obviously stock.

If you want to bet on the availability of the offer at least until March 20, know that LEGO is planning a VIP Points X2 operation from that date. It will then be possible, subject to a change of plan on the part of LEGO before then, to combine the two offers.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OFFER ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

THE OFFER IN BELGIUM >> THE OFFER IN SWITZERLAND >>

Today we can discover a little more about the LEGO Super Mario "range" with a short video featuring a large interactive minifigure, additional characters and a buildable level of the game. At first glance, the experience seems rather fun, even if we visibly move away from the "traditional" LEGO concept with its minifigs.

We also know that there will be several sets but that the Mario figurine will be the only one to be equipped with the device offering all its interactivity to this range with screens in the eyes, mouth and chest and a speaker. The construction shown in the video below is an assembly of elements from several sets in the range. It will also be possible to build your own levels while respecting the constraint of 60 seconds to complete the game. No interaction with the Nintendo Switch and presence of a Bluetooth connection which we do not yet know what it will be used for.

Until better, the mini-site dedicated to this new range can be found  at this address.

Today we must quickly turn to the LEGO Ninjago set 71716 Lloyd Avatar Arcade Pod (48 pieces - 9.99 €), a new attempt on the part of LEGO to offer us boxes in which it is possible to store and transport the contents of the set concerned.

Here, the container takes the form of an arcade machine composed of a very large molded part on which are grafted a cover, a base, a glass, several stickers and some decorative elements. The series of three sets taking up this idea and integrating in turn Lloyd (71716), Jay (71715) and Kai (71714) is inspired by the world of video games Empire premium declined in short videos uploaded by LEGO to bring the 12th season of the animated series.

No mystery here, the 48 pieces of the set are quickly assembled and it is the installation of stickers that will take the most time. The arcade cabinet is pretty well designed, except that you have to remove the base completely to really interact with the two minifigs placed inside. The locking latch is supported by two pins and the assembly does not open unexpectedly during transport and the terminal door serves as a storage space for various accessories. The head of Lloyd's avatar is also plugged in and the body of the character takes place just in front of the minifig of Digi lloyd. It is then necessary to break down the minifig to align the torso and legs in front of the display.

The object obtained in this box is rather successful, we immediately recognize the arcade machine and the model will find its place at the bottom of the backpack of a young schoolboy fan of the Ninjago universe. The decorations placed at the top of the construction will undoubtedly come off during movement and it will then be necessary to go in search of the different parts at the bottom of the bag to reconstitute the thing but it is generally very transportable.

Unfortunately, if the idea is good, the realization leaves aside an important constraint which harms the coherence of the content a little: A minifigure cannot reach the buttons of the game console which is much too high. We can therefore conclude that the terminal is really only a storage box and that it has a little trouble convincing of its possible double use. We are not going to lie to each other anyway, with this molded box, LEGO tries above all to impose a new "collectable" product rather than a real toy with which we will have fun for long hours.

The arcade machine is dressed in four large stickers including two huge side stickers. LEGO is kind enough to provide us with eight small additional stickers to stick on the terminal or elsewhere according to your desire and your creative capacities.

This box also allows you to obtain two minifigs and only the Avatar version is exclusive. The Digi Lloyd minifig with its "life bar" on the back is the one already seen in the 71709 Jay and Lloyd's Velocity Racers, 71712 Empire Temple of Madness and 71713 Empire Dragon sets. The handle of Lloyd's saber shaped like a gamepad Pearl Gold is only available in the three Arcade Pods but it is found in white in several boxes marketed since the beginning of the year.

The Avatar version of the character is not uninteresting but its realization leaves much to be desired with colors that do not match anywhere. The green pad printed on the legs in Pearl Gold is too dark for that of the torso which is on a green base with a pad-printed insert which turns pale yellow instead of being matched with the head and the hands of the character. Again, the official visuals are way too pretentious and the reality is disappointing.

In summary, for 10 €, we get two minifigs, their accessories and a decorated box that allows them to be transported. After the ball-shaped capsules, square boxes from the Friends range or books from the Disney universe, LEGO offers a new variation of the toy to take everywhere thanks to a container made of a molded shell. Why not, even if in this specific case I would have appreciated getting an arcade machine to assemble and scale minifigs.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at March 20, 2020 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and 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. Shipment of the batch as soon as the sanitary situation permits.