Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO ICONS set 10318 Concorde, a box of 2083 pieces which will be available on the official online store, as an Insiders preview, at the retail price of €199.99 from September 4th.

This product had received a rather favorable reception during its official announcement a few weeks ago, but the latter was then supported by a series of official visuals highlighting the product and it is therefore time to check if the promise is kept. Spoiler : this is not completely the case, you will understand why below.

You have probably already noticed that this Concorde with LEGO sauce is neither in the colors of Air France nor in the British Airways version. It's a bit of a shame, the Aérospatiale France / British Aircraft Corporation livery of the model 002 provided here being a bit too dated.

We can imagine that LEGO and Airbus did not wish to offer a livery in the colors of Air France which would inevitably have recalled the crash of July 25, 2000 and we will therefore do with this vintage version, the main thing being that the LEGO model is relatively faithful to the reference aircraft.

This is the case except for a few details, in particular at the level of the nose which is here in my opinion a little too round and voluminous like an ice cream cone. For the rest, the exercise seems to me generally rather successful for a model of barely more than 2000 parts and 102 cm long by 43 cm wide intended for the exhibition.

The assembly process cleverly alternates between building the internal mechanism that will later deploy the landing gear and stacking white bricks to form the wings and cabin of the aircraft. We don't get bored, the sequences are well distributed and we start with the central section of the plane and then finish with the extremities by installing the engine blocks in passing.

The mechanism for pulling out the gears circulates inside the cabin, it ends up in the tail of the plane which therefore serves as a wheel for a little fun. LEGO insists on the possibility of testing the proper functioning of each section of the mechanism during the assembly phase of the set, it is wise and it avoids having to disassemble everything if an axis has been incorrectly inserted or positioned. Only the central and front axles are concerned by this mechanism, the tail wheel must be deployed manually. One could also have imagined a synchronization of the movement of the landing gear with that of the nose of the aircraft, this is not the case and the latter must be handled separately.

A fun little detail, LEGO has also provided some "accessories" used only during assembly to hold a section in place or allow you to work vertically. All the parts used for these temporary supports are orange in color, you will not be able to miss them or confuse them with elements permanently installed on the model. Over the pages, we install or remove these sections, the process is quite unusual but very practical. On arrival these temporary supports remain unused, you can do with them what you want.

You have already seen it on the official visuals, it is possible to remove a short section of the fuselage to admire a few rows of seats. the functionality is anecdotal but it has the merit of existing and it will impress your friends. The assembly is perfectly rigid, the wings do not bend under their own weight or that of the engines and the model can be removed from its base and easily handled. Watch out for the two little ones Tiles quarter-circle placed on and under the fuselage, they only hold stuck between two tenons and they come off easily.

Don't spoil yourself too much about the different construction stages if you have planned to buy this product, all the fun is once again in the few hours of assembly with some good ideas and an assembly process that is paced enough not to overdo it. focus on the few slightly repetitive phases. The pages of the instruction booklet are embellished with some information on the aircraft, you will not come out much more learned on the subject but it is entertaining.

The real problem of the product is elsewhere and it is not new or reserved for this product: the white parts are unfortunately not all the same white. From certain angles and with the right lighting, I count up to three different shades on the fenders and it's ugly. The official visuals have obviously been extensively retouched to erase this aesthetic defect, in real life the real model will lose some of its luster when it comes to displaying it on the dresser in the living room. It even seems that some parts have slightly yellowed before time, it will be up to everyone to assess their level of tolerance regarding this technical defect but I would have at least warned you.

For my part, I still cannot understand how a manufacturer who has been in this business for 90 years does not know how to properly tint his parts so that they are almost all the same color. This product is no exception, regulars of the Sand green or Dark Red know that it is already complicated with these specific colors but we are talking about white here. Creamy white, off-white but white. The effect is all the more visible on the wings as it is reinforced by the separation between the different parts, with a line that circulates between the different colors and which delimits each of the elements concerned.

The cockpit, whose nose can be more or less inclined like on the real Concorde, benefits from two nicely executed canopies with pad printing (a little too white) on the main glazing and a protective glass installed on the mobile part of the nose which is supplied directly injected in two textures. The latter is delivered in a dedicated paper packaging, the other is simply thrown into one of the bags of the set with the risks that we know.

We will also note some alignment problems at the level of the red line which crosses the cabin horizontally, it is alternately embodied by red parts or by pad printing on white parts which is not perfectly positioned on the elements concerned to guarantee a perfect connection. This detail will probably not be a problem for hardcore fans of the plane or LEGO, but we are still talking here about a white model at 200 €, attention to detail should have been in order.

For those who are wondering: the pad-printed windows are consistent with the reference aircraft, the Concorde was well equipped with smaller windows than conventional airliners.

The small base provided, which takes up the aesthetics of the base of certain classic models of the plane, does its job: it makes it possible to present the device with a slightly dynamic staging and the stability of the whole is at all test thanks to the perfectly balanced positioning of the support. It's up to you whether you want to display the Concorde in the flight phase with the landing gear retracted and the nose straight or in the take-off phase with the landing gear extended and the nose tilted. The small vintage-looking plate placed on the front of the display is pad-printed, there are no stickers in this box. This plate distills some facts about the plane, it's vintage and it's fitting with the proposed livery which is far from being the most recent.

Like many of us, I was pretty excited about this product so far following its official announcement. I once again let myself be convinced by the pretty official visuals which promised a model with a finished aesthetic, it's not the impression I have having this Concorde in my hands. The designer has done his homework and the returned copy is in my opinion frankly very honest, but the main technical defect of the product comes in my opinion a little to spoil the party. Many will however be satisfied with this Concorde which, observed from a certain distance, will do the trick, installed for example next to the Titanic.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 13, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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

In anticipation of the VIP days that will take place from July 11 to 15, 2023 on the official online store and in LEGO Stores, don't forget to collect the code that will allow you to obtain a VIP key ring (reference LEGO 854090 VIP Program Keychain) through the Rewards Center.

LEGO does not claim any of your VIP points to give you this trinket, just grab the code for free and use it on a future order to have the item added to your cart. The code obtained will be valid for 60 days.

 DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>

If you have a little trouble with the very colorful side of the fleece blanket 5007622 Fleece Blanket currently offered from 200 € of purchase on the official online store, know that the 2021 version of the LEGO plaid (5007023 Fleece Blanket), a bit more sober, is now available as a VIP reward in the dedicated space.

It is necessary to exchange 2000 VIP points, that is to say a little more than 13 € in exchange value, to then have the right to use the unique code provided during an order on the Shop. The code is valid for 60 days and must be entered during checkout, in the field titled "Please enter a promotion code".

You can therefore obtain both fleece blankets in a single order, one free if you spend at least €200 and the other added to your order using the code provided. The collection, you know.

 DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>

She had quickly slipped away just after her launch into orbit, the VIP probe 5006744 Ulysses Satellite returns on May 17 from 09:00 a.m. to the VIP rewards center to offer a second chance to all those who were unable to obtain this small product of 236 pieces with its pad-printed presentation plate.

As during the initial launch of the set, it will be necessary to exchange 1800 VIP points (12 € in exchange value) to obtain the single-use code to be used during a future order. LEGO announces ultra-limited product availability, set your alarms.

If you were already able to redeem your points for this product in April 2021, you will not be able to get a new one.

As usual, the conversion of your points allows you to obtain a unique code to use during a future online order on the Shop, you have 60 days from the date of issue of the code to use it . Only one code for a promotional item per order.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>

When LEGO holds an idea, it must be declined in all sauces. The VIP plate 5007016 VIP 1950's Retro Tin offered last November from €250 of purchase on the official online store must have found its audience because the manufacturer is now reusing the concept in the form of new thematic VIP rewards. On one side a plaque celebrating the LEGO CITY STUNTZ range with its small pull-back motorcycles and on the other a plaque celebrating the 10th anniversary of the LEGO Friends range with the five girlfriends but without the logo used for the campaign around this anniversary .

These two products are identical to the vintage version already offered in 2021, they are 30x15 cm plates, without wall fixing or kickstand on the back and they are made in China by a subcontractor specialized in derivative products for companies, the company RDP Creative.

It is necessary to convert 1200 VIP points to obtain a plate, that is to say the equivalent of approximately 8 € in exchange value. As usual, the conversion of your points allows you to obtain a unique code to use during a future online order on the Shop, you will have 60 days from the date of issue of the code to use it. . Only one code for a promotional object per order, it will therefore be necessary to place two separate orders to obtain the two plates. It's up to you.

DIRECT ACCESS TO THE LEGO INSIDERS REWARDS CENTER >>