Review : LEGO Magnets 854012 London and 854030 Empire State Building

Without transition, we are interested in the two LEGO magnets 854012 London (27 pieces) and 854030 Empire State Building (26 pieces) which will soon be available for sale on the official online store for the modest sum of € 9.99 per unit.

The principle is the same as for the reference 854011 Eiffel Tower Magnet (29 pieces - 9.99 €) already available: This involves assembling a magnet to stick on your fridge using the parts provided. The magnetic element itself is an independent 4x4 brick like those sold in sets of four for € 7.99 (ref. Lego 853900) which is attached to the back of the blue plate.

There are two different approaches with these new references, on the one hand a micro-skyline of London in the spirit of the Parisian version and on the other an emblematic construction of the city of New York which completes the magnet. 854031 Statue of Liberty already available. If you are the picky type, be careful not to mix them up on the fridge door and to group them well by theme.

The London Skyline is minimalist, it's the format that wants it, but we still manage to distinguish the London Eye, the Ferris wheel sponsored according to the partnerships in progress with different brands (Lastminute.com at the moment), a tree, Big Ben and a piece of the Palace of Westminster.

Everything is dressed in somewhat sloppy stickers whose background is not even the color of the support, contrary to what the official visuals and the packaging had hoped for. No mention "Hello"Or"Good Morning"to be connected with the Parisian version which says"Hello", we must be satisfied with the name of the city on a green background (dark).

The other magnet in question here features the Empire State Building with a cloud passing behind (or in front depending on where you are in relation to the magnet). Small reference to the switch to the LEGO Architecture set 21046 Empire State Building marketed in 2019 with the use of six Tiles openwork beige, 684 of which adorn the Architecture version. Here too, you also need to stick stickers, one of which is not light beige (Tan) and the other which is not the same gray as the Tile on which it takes place.

We can say that when it comes to products for tourists in search of memories, these few faults are acceptable, but I think it's still a shame to have such differences in color on such minimalist products sold for € 10.

One last remark logically identical to the one I made during the Parisian magnet test: Without wanting to make crates on the theme "respect for the environment", I find that the packaging of the product on the other hand makes tons for not much on arrival. I understand that the marketing aces at LEGO want these little products to be clearly visible on the shelves, but there was probably a balance to be found in showing them off without all that cardboard and plastic.

In short, it's minimalist, it's a bit expensive, it doesn't replace a kitschy snow globe, but these two magnets will certainly sell like hot cakes if they are placed prominently in front of the LEGO Store checkout. Leicester Square or Rockefeller Center. It's up to you to see if your fridge really needs these magnets to keep the shopping list or the flyer from the local pizzeria.

Note: The batch of the two products presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 11th June 2020 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.