Today we quickly tour the LEGO Batman set 76118 Mr. Freeze Batcycle Battle (200 pieces - 24.99 €), a small box that could go unnoticed in the middle of the few sets marketed on the occasion of Batman's 80th anniversary but which ultimately offers quite acceptable gameplay at a reasonable price.

The Bat-vehicle of the day is a Batcycle, or rather a kind of mini Tumbler in the Microfighters spirit which splits in two so that Batman and Robin each have their Bat-two-wheels. It is quite well done and the machine has at least the advantage of allowing two young fans to have fun without arguing over who is driving.

The box containing only 200 pieces, the finish of this Batcycle is logically very basic. The machine is illusory when assembled but the separation reveals some somewhat unsightly details that affect the finish of the two Bat-motorcycles. The few colored pieces that appear during separation and the protruding connection pins spoil the appearance of the two machines a bit.

Batman and Robin remain standing to drive, unable to sit the two characters in their respective cockpits. As you will have noticed, I always prefer to let the capes fly in the wind rather than damage them by trying to get them wedged between the minifig and the other parts of the vehicle.

Unlike other boxes, the villain of the set also has a small vehicle here so that the balance of power is balanced. Mr Freeze drives a very basic snow scooter but in the spirit of the character. This will be enough to have fun together. A little annoying detail, the two pieces supposed to be clipped on the two front skates of the snow scooter in the set I received were missing. A call to customer service and the problem will be resolved.

There are a handful of stickers to stick on for the craft to become more "Bat", but the construction can also do without. The many cannons placed on the sides of the vehicle do not really fire, we must be satisfied with the Stud Shooter placed on Batman's Batcycle to try to knock out Mr Freeze who will not be able to retaliate. Note that the Gotham Vigilante Bat-Grapple is also based on a Stud shooter.

Three minifigs are delivered in this box. That of Batman is identical in the four sets of this new wave. Always the same problem of pallor of the face, we would almost start to get used to it.

Robin's torso and head are never seen before and are available both in this box and in the set 76122 Batcave Clayface Invasion which we will talk about later. The minifigure seems to be loosely based on Damian Wayne's outfit in version Rebirth, even if the cape is not two-tone. I would have preferred to get a pair of mid-size hinged legs, like in Harry Potter, rather than those hobbit legs.

Victor fries aka Mr Freeze is also delivered in a version Rebirth with a very successful torso. The minifigure makes good use of Mysterio's helmet, too bad the part is not perfectly transparent. The Ice gun based on parts with its dorsal tank is quite convincing, it will just be necessary to orient it correctly to leave it in the hands of the minifig without unbalancing the whole.

In short, for 25 €, this small set allows you to obtain three interesting characters and three playable vehicles, two of which are assembled together. This is not always the case with boxes that are in this price bracket and I appreciate the effort here.

THE SET 76118 MR FREEZE BATCYCLE BATTLE ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 29, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.

Without transition, I give you my opinion on the LEGO Creator Expert set 10269 Harley Davidson Fat Boy (1023 pieces - 94.99 €), a box which, as indicated during the official announcement, will be available in preview for members of the VIP program from July 17, before global availability scheduled for August 1, 2019.

At first glance, this reproduction of the iconic Fat Boy model of the Harley-Davidson brand delivered here in version 2018 with the Big-Twin Milwaukee-Eight engine in version 107 (1745 cc) seems rather convincing.

The LEGO version of the motorcycle reproduces almost perfectly the massive and aggressive side of the machine with its compact frame which encompasses all the engine elements without leaving empty space. We find the massive fork at the front and the curve that slides towards the driver's seat to end with the very imposing rear fender which surmounts a huge Michelin 240 tire.

The assembly process is very pleasant. We logically start with the Big-Twin engine which will start to move when the motorcycle is moving. As often, when the model is assembled, we do not see the operation of the engine, but we know that it is there. The only interest of this sub-assembly therefore lies in the pleasure of building it and admiring its operation by manually acting on the gears. After, it will be too late.

The frame of the motorcycle is mainly made of Technic parts and during the assembly of the first parts we almost forget that this is a product from the LEGO Creator Expert range. The mix of these two LEGO universes works wonderfully here, each category of part being used wisely with the aim of offering a solid, functional and aesthetically coherent product in focus.

The sides of the tank, the exhaust lines, the timing cover and the footrests are pleasant sub-assemblies to assemble separately and then to fix on the frame, as one would do on a well-designed model.

Looking more closely, even very closely, we will inevitably find fault with the finish of this model which is intended as a high-end derivative product of a brand that knows how to maintain its legend by regularly revisiting its most emblematic models without completely distorting them.

The logos on each side of the tank are the only elements of the set to be pad printed. All the other elements are covered with stickers and for a product derived from a mythical brand, it's still a shame. Three rims are provided, two of which are coupled to integrate the large rear tire.

As you will have noticed, a few tenons remain visible on the sides of the tank. Some will appreciate this detail which helps confirm that this is above all a LEGO product. Others, like me, will regret that these (too) visible studs spoil the rendering of the model a little. The few studs visible at the front on the Ford Mustang also designed by Mike Psiaki seemed to me discreet enough not to affect the overall rendering, those left visible here are in my opinion more disturbing.

More annoying: while Harley-Davidson generally gives pride of place to chrome on its different models, LEGO is content here with a light gray which struggles to highlight the various chrome elements present on the Fat Boy. These are all these chrome which give a little lightness to this compact and massive Fat Boy model. The Lakester cast aluminum solid rims in the LEGO version are perfectly reproduced, but they also lack that little satin sheen that would give them a more graceful side.

The two exhaust lines are also a little dull and the presence of the barrels at the end of the line is detrimental to the overall aesthetic in my opinion. I am well aware that we are talking about a LEGO product here and the followers of the NPU (Nice Part Usage) will probably be more tolerant of the use of these barrels than I am. As far as I am concerned, these parts are above all barrels and they are not necessarily intended to be used as engines or body parts on modern or futuristic models.

At the level of the headlight, I find the finish a little rough with visible tenons under the transparent dome. A smooth pad-printed plate or, for lack of a better one, with a nice sticker whose details we could guess under the transparent part would have been welcome. As it is, we do not find the nice finish of the headlight present on the real model.
At the level of the saddle, the designer tried to reproduce the curves with the prominent area in the middle of the seat. The result is in my opinion a little average, even unsightly.

Even though I'm one of those people who generally prefer to have little or no stickers to stick on, I think there are a few missing to replicate the reflective elements placed on the bottom of the front fork and on the two elements that hold the guard. - rear mud. Their presence would have helped to give a more "finished" look to the model, especially in the absence of chrome parts.

The stickers used for the counter and the fuel gauge placed on the tank do the job. We would have liked pad-printed parts but we will do with these stickers whose cutting is not perfectly centered.

If the rear fender is rather faithful to the real model, the one placed at the front lacks a little inspiration. On the Fat Boy, this part really envelops the wheel following the curve of the latter very far forward, here it is far from the case and the LEGO version is more motocross accessory than anything else.

We could also discuss the technique used to reproduce the front fork with its cartridge suspensions that have become too bulky on the LEGO version and once again dressed in barrels visually a little too off topic for my taste. Even though the Fat Boy has a relatively thick fork, the LEGO version obviously does a bit too much on this point.

The handlebar is in my opinion very successful, it integrates all the elements of the real model with a well thought out assembly for the brake handles. The mirrors, which I have not correctly oriented in the photos, are covered with stickers with mirror effect.

Looking even closer, we notice that there is a blue Technic pin visible at the junction between the tank and the handlebars of the motorcycle. It's a detail, but even if some fans consider that these visible blue pins are mainly intended to remind us that we are dealing with a LEGO product, I find it a shame not to have replaced this one with a gray version, history of get a perfect finish.

On the other hand, it's hard to blame LEGO for leaving the chain visible when it is covered with a housing on the real model. The only functionality of the product being the setting in motion of the two pistons inside the cylinders of the engine, it was necessary to leave a visible indication of the presence of this mechanism.

Like the real one, the LEGO version of the motorcycle is equipped with a crutch that allows it to stay balanced when stationary. If the presentation angle seems a little too steep, LEGO provides a relatively inconspicuous buildable stand that doubles as a center stand and keeps the craft upright. Thinking about it, the designer could have gone to the end of the concept and made this support rotatable.

In summary, this set is in my opinion rather successful despite its aesthetic defects and it is placed closer to the Ford Mustang from set 10265 that ofAston Martin DB5 from set 10262 in the ranking of the most successful derivative products inspired by existing vehicles and marketed under the Creator Expert label.

The construction phase is very pleasant and the model can proudly stand on a shelf even if it will not be particularly noticed thanks to its chrome. Hopefully this nice set paves the way for other motorcycle models in the Creator Expert range. I say yes, especially to encourage LEGO to persist in this direction.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FAT BOY SET 10269 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 21, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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 Harry Potter set 75946 Hungarian Horntail Triwizard Challenge (265 pieces - 34.99 €), a small box which in theory allows us to reproduce some scenes from the first trial of the Triwizard Tournament seen in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

With 265 pieces in the box, it's obviously minimum service with a mini-tent, a somewhat rickety Pointed Magyar and four characters delivered in their tournament outfits: Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum.

In terms of spikes, the LEGO version dragon does not have many and not really in the places needed to come up with a convincing minifigure. The Magyar offered here by LEGO is also more of the robotic creature with an eagle's head and bat wings than anything else. The choice of colors for the Spiked Magyar also seems questionable to me: the dragon is in my opinion more beige than dark brown in the film. In the Legends of Chima range, it goes, here in a derivative that claims to reproduce a scene from a movie, it is much less convincing.

If we try to see the bright side of things, this little dragon is pretty well articulated and can take a lot of poses. Unfortunately, a few horns and the tip of the tail regularly detach from the construction, which will quickly annoy those who try to have fun with the contents of this box.

The land on which the scene in question takes place boils down here to a mini-rock with the golden egg placed on the construction. A few sparks to brighten up the whole thing and that's it.

Although it is not specified on the box, you can clip the accessory of the racing broom used by Harry on the mini-boulder for a slightly more dynamic setting. The effect is nice on the corner of a shelf.

If you were looking for a golden egg to put it in the Prefect's Bathroom in the set 75948 Hogwarts Clocktower, so there is one in this set. I am a little disappointed by the finish of this accessory, some patterns on the shell, without necessarily trying to reproduce in detail the accessory from the film, would have helped to put it a little more in value.

The tent delivered in this box is also a very symbolic representation of the plush barnum seen on the screen. It will be difficult to reproduce the many scenes taking place inside, LEGO having filled the entire available space with a bed and some furniture. The emblems of the three competing schools are obviously stickers, which I also find very successful.

I'm not sure this garden shed-like tent is essential in this box. The few coins saved here could have been used to flesh out the rickety dragon a bit and create a much larger rocky outcrop that Harry could have hidden behind.

No joke, this set is first and foremost a box with four pretty minifigs and a few pieces around it and we therefore find the participants of the Triwizard Tournament in their competition outfits.

Overall, these four figures are quite successful. On closer inspection, as usual, the few details are missing that would make these minifigs perfect interpretations of the characters seen in the film.

LEGO obviously still does not know how to pad print elements on the entire spine of the arms, the designers therefore skipped the yellow bands present on the sleeves and hood of Harry Potter.

The name of the character appears well on the back of the minifigure, but in a much darker tone than on Cédric Diggory's minifigure. The designer will undoubtedly have wanted to coordinate the color of the name and the star, which has nothing to do there if the minifigure does not yet wear the black cape, with that of the arms.

The star on Harry's back is in fact only present on the cape worn by the character when he comes out in the arena and in the film, the word POTTER is a much brighter red than that of the sleeves of the hoodie worn by the character in the tent scenes. The torso of the minifigure is therefore here a priori a mixture of the two outfits seen on the screen.

Fleur Delacour's outfit almost matches that of the film. The design of the torso is very faithful with a magnificent emblem of the school of Beauxbatons on the back, but the jacket and the bib seems to me to be more white / gray on the screen than beige. That being said, the blue pad-printed color on the beige chest is perfectly matched with the arms and legs tinted in the mass.

Cedric Diggory is the only one here to have a "tunic" effect via General Hux's legs but he also lacks the yellow bands on the sleeves. The connection between the pattern of the torso and that of the legs is correct but there is still a little something that bothers me in the visual continuity between the two elements.

Viktor Krum is on his side almost perfect with his beautiful torso even if he still has his hair too trimmed to be convincing. In the film, the tunic he wears goes down much lower at the level of the legs but we will do with it.

With minifigs being the major draw of the set for many fans, the rough finish of some of them is still a bit of a letdown in my opinion. To attract collectors, LEGO declines many outfits seen more or less briefly in the various films of the saga but does not always do so completely.

I'm not fooled, the vast majority of minifig collectors will be content with what LEGO offers, the important thing for these collectors is to accumulate as many different versions of each character as possible.

In summary, this small set, whose role is above all to occupy an intermediate slot in a series of boxes at staggered prices to make them accessible to all budgets, will undoubtedly not pass to posterity.

It's a bit like the LEGO Star Wars range: by dint of trying to wring out every scene from each film to make it a derivative product, commercial policy requires, some scenes end up in boxes whose content is really too approximate and symbolic. to make them indispensable. In my opinion, it is advisable to wait until the price of it drops to around € 25 before investing.

THE HUNGARIAN HORNTAIL TRIWIZARD CHALLENGE SET 75946 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 13, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.

This is the promotional product currently offered by LEGO to fans of the Marvel Super Heroes range: the polybag 30451 Spider-Man's Mini Spider Crawler is automatically added to the basket as soon as your order reaches the minimum amount of € 35 in products from the LEGO Marvel range.

In the bag, 73 pieces to assemble a micro version of the Spider Crawler seen in the set 76114 Spider-Man's Spider Crawler (39.99 €) and a Spider-Man minifigure already seen in many boxes.

While one might wonder why Spider-Man would need such a contraption, the buildable mini mechanical spider in this polybag is pretty cool with its eight adjustable legs and crude "cockpit". The assembly here is necessarily a little repetitive with the eight legs based on the same model.

As I said above, the minifig is obviously not exclusive to this polybag, it is the same as the one already delivered in many boxes and other polybags since 2012. So you already have at least one somewhere in your drawers if you are a fan of Spider-Man.

As usual, it will be noted that the red area of ​​the torso is much less luminous than the head and the hands. Red on blue, it's bound to be a bit dull dark red at LEGO.

In short, not enough to get up at night, but as the offer is currently cumulative with those which allow you to double your VIP points and to be offered the LEGO Ideas set 40335 Space Rocket Ride (from 85 € of purchase) and the Creator polybag 30571 Pelicans (from 35 € of purchase), you might as well take advantage ...

Note: The polybag shown here, supplied by LEGO, is used as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 16, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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 take a quick look at the LEGO Harry Potter set 75957 The Knight Bus (403 pieces - 39.99 €), a box based on the four minutes of the film Harry Potter and the Prisonnier d'Azkaban during which we saw Harry take the Magicobus (Knight Bus).

This is not the first time that LEGO offers a reproduction of the bus, the vehicle has already been available in two boxes in the past: 4755 Knight Bus (243 pieces - 2004) and 4866 The Knight Bus (257 pieces - 2011). I think we will all agree at least on one point, the 2019 version is the most successful of the three aesthetically, it also uses more parts.

We start with a reproach: the purple coins (Medium Lilac) are not all the same shade and I think that this always embarrassing lack of uniformity deserves to be underlined because I am not the type to self-persuade myself that it looks "vintage" ...

Regarding the assembly of the Magicobus, nothing very complicated: we build from the bottom to the top, we align the many windows, we put the upper floor, we stick some stickers and voila. The large integrated side door provides access to the interior of the vehicle which is logically very narrow. For those who still believe in Santa Claus: there is no direction, the bus drives straight ahead.

Difficult to criticize the realization, it is much better than the previous versions and apart from the upper stage with the somewhat hazardous curves, it is rather well done. It spoils in fact copiously at the front and at the back of the top floor of the bus with on one side an empty space left under the purple arches and on the other a separate module to build and clip which struggles a little to convince to form the angle of the front of the bus.

As this is a reduced model of the Magicobus, everything is obviously more symbolic than truly representative. So you get a bed instead of five or six and LEGO has even provided a very simple slide so that the bed moves when the bus is moving. Not enough to cry genius, but the wink is there.

The chandelier that hangs from the ceiling of the bus is here well interpreted and swings on its axis to do as in the film. The standard LEGO steering wheel held by Ernie Danlmur (Ernie Prang) would have benefited from being replaced by a model with a larger diameter, but we will do with it.

The cover of the Daily Prophet delivered in this box (see photo below) is unfortunately not the one seen on the screen when Stan Rocade (Stan Shunpike) announces to Harry that Sirius Black has escaped. We must be satisfied with the one already delivered in the sets 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow et 75955 Hogwarts Express. The scene in my opinion deserved a special piece.

On the minifig side, we can regret that the Harry Potter minifigure is a bit sloppy. The outfit of the figurine has indeed not much to do with that of the character in the scene concerned, except perhaps for the blue t-shirt.

The white stripes on the jacket sleeves are missing and the leg color is incorrect. In addition, Harry Potter is delivered in this set with its trunk which is here replaced by a classic chest whose shape is not really suitable.

The minifigure of Ernie Danlmur (Ernie Prang), the driver of the Magicobus, is rather approximate. We can discuss the interest of the piece which serves here as a hairstyle / bald head, the character not being totally bald but just fairly bald.

Small technical detail, the sleeves of the shirt are well planned to be the same color as the visible part of said shirt on the torso of the character. Unfortunately, LEGO spoils the party with too dull pad printing and the shirt effect no longer works. Again, don't be fooled by the official visuals which feature a perfectly dressed Ernie Danlmur ...

Stan Rocade (Stan Shunpike) is the most successful of the three characters delivered here. Her outfit is consistent with that of the film and the character's face is cohesive. The detailed pad printing of the torso even incorporates the ticket machine worn by the character.

Here, too, LEGO doesn't do miracles when it comes to printing a light color on a dark background. On official retouched visuals, the shirt is white. In real life, she turns gray.

The symbol on the character's cap is also missing and the red band is a bit empty on the minifig. It's a detail for some, but with this type of set, I think it's all in the details.

The joker's shrunken head on the front of the Magicobus (see above) is very correct with a facial expression faithful to the one seen in the film and even some dreadlocks stamped on the piece.

History to make pass a little better the pill of 40 € requested by LEGO for this box and to add an additional playful possibility, a granny with her walker would have been welcome ...

In short, this set is pretty decent but when you're doing fan service, you might as well do it down to the smallest detail. Fans of the Harry Potter universe will not have waited for my opinion to buy this set anyway and many will be content with this new version of the purple bus which refers to a very popular scene.

Too bad for the somewhat hazardous finish of the top floor of the bus and for the few approximations at the level of the minifigs, but seen from afar on a shelf, it's fine.

THE SET 75957 THE KNIGHT BUS ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 10, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

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.