Today we quickly tour the LEGO Star Wars set 75229 Death Star Escape (329 pieces - 29.99 €), a small box that promises us to "dive into an unforgettable space adventure"according to the official description of the product by LEGO ... Without going that far, the set has at least the merit of reproducing a cult scene from Episode IV and almost everything is there.

We will forget the fact that Luke and Leia courageously cross a Death Star duct from a dizzying height and we will be satisfied with the two structures provided to assemble to reproduce a truly minimalist version of the film set.

Too bad that the usual vertical light bands characteristic of the Death Star are missing from this staging, they could have contributed to give a little more context to the whole, especially at the level of the wall on which the control panel is located. the door. We obviously know that we are at the heart of the Death Star, but a little something is missing so that the places are immediately recognizable.

It is also a pity that the designer once again offers us a cinema set whose back lacks a bit of finishing. I do not know who will want to exhibit the thing at home, but it will be necessary to choose the angle of presentation of the scene.

The two black plates which constitute the base of the playset are not dressed in Tiles and it's petty. A few flat pieces and two stickers with a trompe-l'oeil effect could have advantageously completed the set and simulated depth. As it stands, Luke and Leia are unlikely to fall from a great height.

The designer also wanted to leave the fans the possibility of opening the structure, probably to make them forget that the two sections connected by the mobile gangway are a little too close to each other when they face each other as in the movie.

Here we find a Stormtrooper perched on a platform overlooking the passage that Luke and Leia want to take. It is consistent with the scene of the film, it is even possible to eject the type via a small mechanism actuated by a red wheel not very discreet. We can always say to ourselves that it counts as one more feature.

The gangway can be moved by pushing or pulling it, no special mechanism at this level. The same goes for the door which can remain blocked in the open position and (almost) closed by activating the mechanism provided.

A nod from the designer to the most assiduous fans, the door remains slightly ajar as in the film when the Stormtroopers try to catch Luke and Leia who are about to jump. To complete the whole, there are also the conduits that Luke uses to hang the grapple.

On the minifig side, LEGO obviously provides the two main protagonists of the scene, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, but is not very generous in Stormtroopers. One more copy would have been welcome.

Luke is here equipped with the belt taken on a Stormtrooper, white version of the usual accessory of Batman in the film which was dedicated to him, already seen on the hips of Disco Batgirl in the set 70922 The Joker Manor and on the version Easter Bunny of Batman in the Toys R Us exclusive pack based on the movie (ref. 5004939). Nothing rare for the rest, the head, the torso and the legs are already present in many sets. The lightsaber doesn't have much to do there, but Luke with his saber is always better than without.

Those who have not wanted to spend several hundred euros since 2016 to afford the set 75159 UCS Death Star (499.99 €) will be able here to obtain the torso of Leia available so far only in this big box. The double-sided head of the minifig is currently exclusive to this set and the hair is only available in the sets 75159 UCS Death Star et 7965 Millennium Falcon marketed in 2011.

Too bad for the white legs, I would have preferred a piece reproducing a tunic corresponding to the outfit seen in the film.

For the Stormtrooper, the head, torso and legs are the ones already seen in many boxes. The new helmet that I personally find very successful but which is far from being unanimous among fans is for the moment only present in this set and in the 4+ box. 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run and will also dress the Stormtroopers of the set 75262 Imperial Dropship to come up.

Honestly, I'd rather see here a thinly veiled homage to the cult Kenner-branded playsets that some of us knew in our youth than a toy that really brings something to the LEGO Star Wars range. This set would find a justification if it was one of the elements of a coherent group of boxes allowing to reconstitute a set of scenes but it is not the case.

The scene reproduced here deserves a little more context than the tablecloth in the living room or the carpet in the children's room and on this point the sets 75159 and 10188 did almost better.

Collectors will console themselves with the possibility of affording this version of Princess Leia's minifigure at a reasonable price.

As usual, no one is forcing you to pay 30 € for this little box, it is already less than 25 € at amazon:

[amazon box="B07FP6ZWNC"]

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 15, 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.

The LEGO Movie 2 side of the lineup returns with a quick set test 70829 Emmet & Lucy's Escape Buggy (550 pieces - 49.99 €).

No need to do tons of it, here it is simply a matter of assembling the vehicle, seen in the trailer for the film, with which Emmet and Cool-Tag flee from Apocalypseburg. With a few details, the LEGO version is also rather faithful to the model of the film.

With 550 pieces on the clock including four characters (six with Star and Heart) and some accessories, the buggy in the set is obviously not an ultra-complicated model and yet the final rendering is in my opinion very convincing. It's colorful, the design is original and it's playable. What more ?

THE big feature of the buggy is its front suspension which puts the vehicle in aero position, as long as you press the hood. Unable to block the position.

No steering and the front part of the roof is easily removed and the doors open to place Emmet and Lucy inside the craft. No moving parts at the engine level which is rather detailed but purely decorative.

The wheel arches at the front are a little offset when you press to compress the suspension spring, but that's not a big deal because this is not a model of an existing vehicle. ..

No complicated solution to lower the front of the vehicle, the unique central suspension does the job. It is rustic but sufficient. However, the rear remains permanently raised and it is therefore not possible to put the vehicle in the "Lowrider" position.

Strangely, the buggy does not have any functional weapon. No machine launcher or trick-shooters, here we have to be content with a fictitious weaponry with a harpoon launcher on the right side and a front cover that opens to reveal a row of missiles symbolized by a few red cones .

Here we can therefore do vroum-vroum but not knock out some minifigs or accessories using integrated weapons.

The model uses rims and tires of different diameters, it is a wise choice which gives a really successful aggressive look to the whole. The basic frame made up of a few technical parts will allow the youngest to familiarize themselves with the concept of beams and pins before moving on to more elaborate models.

I am again not sure that the machine enjoys an onscreen presence beyond the chase stage seen in the film trailer, but it is a vehicle and therefore offers gameplay that is going well. beyond the context of the film.

I told you about it a few days ago, this set can be combined with the reference 70827 Ultrakatty and Warrior Lucy! to obtain an even more stylish vehicle. To think about when choosing what to give to a young fan of this universe.

In the box, LEGO delivers the characters of Heart and Star, a version of MetalBeard to hang wherever you want, a small support that allows you to eject some parts from a crate and a flaming canister.

On the minifig side, we find here the two usual heroes, Emmet and Lucy Wyldstyle (Cool-Tag at home) accompanied by Sharkira. The latter uses the torso of Roxxi, character delivered in the set 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg and she wears a helmet with opaque visor flanked by a requion mouth. Why not.

The (Never) STOP sign held by Lucy is pad printed. There are also only six stickers in this set, they serve to raise the level of detail of the buggy a little by adding finishes to the body.

This box, the public price of which is set by LEGO at 49.99 €, is already offered at a reduced price by Amazon. In short, it offers a vehicle with a successful look, very pleasant to assemble, and accompanied by six characters including the two heroes of the film. It would be a shame to do without.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 12, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

[amazon box="B07FNTSDDM"]

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 small LEGO Star Wars set 75225 Elite Praetorian Guard Battle Pack (109 pieces - 14.99 €).

As much to admit it right away, I believe that we can consider that this Battle Pack is in fact only an addon for the set 75216 Snoke's Throne Room (74.99 €) which was a bit stingy in Praetorian Elite Guards.

This new set allows us to add three guards to our collections and they are now equipped with real legs and no longer with tunics symbolized by a curved pad-printed piece. It's always taken for the gameplay even though I tend to find the tunic versions more respectful of the film's outfit.

In the box, there are therefore four minifigs and some parts that will be used to assemble what appears to be a training space with a weapon rack and a droid armed with a blaster and a lightsaber.

While the two gray platforms can be rotated to stage a clash between two guards, this set of pieces looks more like a vague display than anything else. The more DIYers will try to connect this platform to Snoke's throne room to give their diorama a little more scale. Here.

On the minifig side, we therefore obtain a new type of helmet in two copies, torsos identical to those seen in set 75216, neutral red heads ... and a First Order Stormtrooper. This minifig seems to have got lost in this box and LEGO would have done better to offer us the third variant of the helmet seen in The Last Jedi instead of that generic soldier who has nothing to do here.

The weapons provided in this box are only simple assemblies of existing elements but they rather faithfully reproduce the versions seen on the screen. Voulge vibrator, Bilari Electro-Chain Whip, Electro Bisento et Twin Vibro Arbir Blades are almost instantly recognizable and the included assortment gives you the choice for your workout. Too bad the shoulder pads limit the possibilities of movement for the three guards a bit.

Regarding the First Order Stormtrooper, we find the usual outfit of the minifigs sold for a few years already associated here with the new version of the helmet already seen in other Battle Packs with a slightly modified pad printing.

Hopefully, one day LEGO decides to offer us the third variant of the helmet that equips the Praetorian Elite Guards. Even if the final bill to be paid to faithfully reproduce the scene from the film may then be even more expensive, it would be a shame to ignore the possibility for LEGO to close a file that has already cost us nearly € 90. We are no longer close to a few dozen euros.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 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.

Now it's the turn of the LEGO Spider-Man set 76133 Spider-Man Car Chase (52 pieces - 9.99 €) to be the subject of a very quick test on the blog.

There is nothing in this little box to talk about during the long hours. As usual with the sets from the Juniors / 4 + range, this set is designed for the youngest who are gradually discovering the world of "classic" bricks after a few years of having to be content with products from the DUPLO range.

We assemble a vehicle for Spider-Man who obviously needs a buggy to move through the streets of the city and pursue the evil Green Goblin (Green Goblin) who has his usual jet glider.

I've put together an exploded view of Spider-Man's buggy for anyone wondering what level of build simplification the 4+ line sets reach. We will just retain the pretty pad-printed piece which serves as a hood and which also served as the fuselage for the aircraft in the set. 76134 Spider-Man: Doc Ock Diamond Heist.

The Spider-Man minifigure is identical to that of the other stamped set 4+ released at the end of the year, the reference 76134 Spider-Man: Doc Ock Diamond Heist and must therefore be satisfied with single legs without pad printing or bi-injection in two colors.

Green Goblin, on the other hand, is exclusive to this small set and has been the subject of a good pad printing effort. Even the green of the legs pad printed on the purple background matches the character's arms and head. No significant color difference to note. Too bad, however, that the usual printing defect at LEGO at the junction between the thigh and the lower leg is once again present here.

For the rest it is flawless on this minifig, front and back and in my eyes it is the best version of the character offered by LEGO so far.

In short, if you are a collector of Marvel minifigs, you pay this exclusive Green Goblin 9.99 € and you put the rest in the back of a drawer.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 3 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 Movie 2 set 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg, a large playset of 3178 pieces relatively compact which is full of details and which, with the 12 characters included, offers a priori maximum playability. The public price of 299.99 € charged by LEGO on this box does not leave many people indifferent and the debate is lively. I will come back to this point a little later.

I'm not going to repeat the pitch of the set and its different spaces, the official description of the product and the photo gallery that accompanies it are made for that. As usual, I am content to give you some very personal thoughts here.

No doubt about it, this set is a concentrate of fan service that takes advantage of all the know-how acquired by LEGO since the first part of the The LEGO Movie saga and the wave of derivative products released in 2014. There is something for you everyone with the added bonus here of a post-apocalyptic vibe that obviously pleases many fans.

The nod to the film Planet of the Apes is obvious here: in the middle of Apocalypseburg we find the Statue of Liberty lying on its side and half buried seen in the 1968 film which then revealed to Charlton Heston that he had come back to Earth (too bad for the spoiler, the film is 50 years old).

In fact, even if we understand by viewing the various trailers of the film that Apocalypseburg will have only a limited presence on the screen, the risk-taking is minimal for LEGO as the set is full of winks supported by the first part and references to many other universes and themes popular with LEGO fans.

Apocalypseburg is obviously located in the suburbs of Bricksburg, the megalopolis devastated by the events of Taco Tuesday. The refugees from Bricksburg therefore settled in a makeshift camp cobbled together with containers, car wrecks, a train car and salvage materials while waiting for something better. The concept finally allows the designers of the set not to worry too much about the final rendering, the main thing being that the post-apocalyptic souk atmosphere is present.

The large 450-page instruction booklet provides some interesting information on the genesis of the set: interviews with the designers and biographies of the different characters are shared a few pages. This content is only available in English, you will need to download the instruction booklet in digital format to obtain the French version. I repeat it every time, but it's a real shame that we can't take advantage of the extra content in our native language right out of the box.

Note that the assembly is facilitated by a visual detail which significantly improves the readability of the instructions, especially during the final stages: The parts to be added are surrounded by a thin red line which allows them to be quickly located on the concerned diagram .

On the side of the stickers, 55 stickers must be applied in total. No big stickers that are difficult to put on and it seems to me that the designer really made the effort to distribute these sometimes tedious steps in a balanced way. This appreciable effort does not however excuse in my eyes the presence of all these stickers in a very high-end product, especially since some of the patterns here are really poorly centered on their support.

This big playset is really very pleasant to assemble and here too it seems to me that a great effort has been made to avoid boring repetitions and to alternate between the different modules to build. For each finished bag, its reward in the form of an additional element that takes place on the starting support.

The progression is very coherent and rhythmic and I really had the impression to be able to benefit from each graphic wink and each more or less obvious reference to the first part of the saga. Many of these small details will not be easily accessible or really visible afterwards and being able to enjoy them during the assembly is a real plus.

The assembly of the base which will accommodate the different modules is thought out in such a way as to make this step rather distracting, a priori a little boring with an assortment of many colors and a very varied positioning of the parts, even if most of these will not be more visible later. It's always taken for those who swear by the variety of a set's inventory and these colored elements allow you to better find your way in the middle of everything. Tan or this Sand green.

We build the two halves of the support separately, we bring everything together and then we go up to the torch held by Lady Liberty. As this playset is designed as a 360 ° set, you have to constantly turn the base support to build the various modules leaning against the statue. In the center, a simple structure based on Technic parts ensures the rigidity of the construction which quickly gains height.
The surface occupied by the playset remains relatively reasonable: 49 x 33 cm for about fifty centimeters high, you will find a corner of the shelf capable of accommodating this pretty exhibition product.

Visually, it's Lady Liberty's head that catches the eye of the fan who still hesitates to spend € 299.99 in this big box. When the time has come to put the head together, the set finally takes on its almost final form. The face of the statue is really compelling, even up close. The only slightly annoying detail here, the glaring difference in color between the rigid and flexible parts of the branches of the crown (see photo below).

One might think that the set is weakened by the integration of this leaning structure which extends its arm diagonally. This is not the case and even if, in the instruction booklet, the designer does not recommend carrying the playset by grabbing it by the arm of the statue. The whole is quite surprisingly solid and moving around is not a chore if you take care to grab the construction from below its base.

As I said above, the post-apocalyptic theme allows here some fantasies. The somewhat coarse appearance of the back of the statue is therefore a ready-made excuse and remains in the theme. The same goes for some of the different living spaces stacked at the foot of the statue. We could discuss these amalgamations of pieces and colors that don't really match, but it's in the theme, so it's okay.

Each space is filled with various and varied accessories up to the overdose. Going around the playset, we see that no side has been overlooked and four young fans can easily gather around the thing to enjoy it together by replaying the scenes from the film or by giving free rein to their imaginations. Being able to have a product that allows everyone to participate and share their adventures with others is really the big advantage offered by this box.

As usual with LEGO, you have to have small hands and be very careful not to destroy something by accessing something else. The playable spaces are cramped and filled with mini-constructions that easily come off as soon as you play them in a slightly "energetic" way.

The guardrails of the various ladders which are only fixed via a few droid arms are for example very fragile. The same goes for the roofs of the various "modular" spaces which can be removed to access the interior space, the barriers and other accessories placed on them tend to come off if you are not careful.

If I underline these details, it is because the final vocation of this set is a little difficult to define. On the one hand, we have a real playset designed for a multiplayer experience, with many playable spaces that the youngest should love, but we also see that these spaces are designed like those of a Structure intended for exhibition rather than play. As a bonus, this set does not include any significant moving mechanism or elaborate functionality.

The mention "16+" on the box adds to this confusion. No need to be over 16 years old to assemble this set, the different techniques used are within the reach of any somewhat trained fan. On the other hand, you must be at least 16 years old and have a job or a little pocket money to afford it ...

Regarding the level of the many references to the first part of the saga, they will have the value you give them. If a simple sticker is enough for your happiness, you will be served. Otherwise, even the grille of the Batmobile from the first film embedded in the construction will leave you unmoved ...

In the box, LEGO delivers 12 characters and there are also here for all fan profiles: Important characters from The LEGO Movie saga, secondary characters from the first film in "End of the World" version, DC Comics super heroes and minifigs credits in post-apocalyptic outfit that will find their audience among fans of Mad Max or Steampunk dioramas, everyone is served.

The DC Comics quota is here provided by Batman with his usual half-tires on the shoulders but with a different outfit from that seen in the set 70836 Battle-Ready Batman and MetalBeard. The minifig is beautiful, it uses just about all of LEGO's know-how in this area with two-color molded arms and legs and exemplary pad printing.

Harley Quinn accompanies Batman and Suicide Squad fans will immediately recognize the version played by Margot Robbie shyly adapted as a post Taco Tuesday version. It's fan service power 10, but we will not complain, the film Suicide Squad has not been the subject of any variation in LEGO sauce.

Green Lantern completes the DC Comics trio delivered here, with a rather correct dress for the occasion. I still haven't understood the alternate expression on this character's face (see below), the film will certainly let us know a little more about what makes him hilarious (and a little ridiculous).

For die-hard fans of The LEGO Movie saga, LEGO provides Emmet, Lucy Wyldstyle (Cool-Tag here) and Bad Cop. If Lucy and Bad Cop are also entitled to post zombie invasion outfit, Emmet invariably comes with his orange outfit and it's a shame to have to carry another copy of this minifigure available everywhere. We can estimate that the worn reflective bands directly refer to the post taco Tuesday period, but in my opinion, it is insufficient for this box.

For the most assiduous fans of the saga, LEGO delivers some secondary characters who survived the apocalypse and who were already present in different sets based on the first part: The "Where are my pants"Guy with faded underwear, Larry the Barista who changed his hairstyle and who is now at the counter of Coffee Unchained and Surfer Dave who became Chainsaw Dave for the occasion.

There again, the outfits of these different minifigs are very successful, they really refer to the earlier versions of the characters with now a side "I survived and I'm pissed off" which suits them perfectly. Special mention for Chainsaw Dave with his superb, slightly damaged swim shorts.

Finally, Steampunk diorama enthusiasts will be served with three additional characters: the aptly named Mo-Hawk, Roxxi, a warrior who seems to like gears, and Fuse, the camp pyrotechnist.

In different places in Apocalypseburg, there are also six Skeletron heads that must have had a tough quarter of an hour before finding themselves relegated to the rank of hair mannequins or engine decoration ...

No Sewer Babies in this box and it's a shame. You will have to go back to the cash register and afford the little one Accessory Pack wearing the reference 853865 to get two to stage in the city streets.

In the end, this product is probably not intended for the audience that we think of first when discussing The LEGO Movie saga. The high price, the lack of real features and the references to a film already 4 years old are perhaps not sufficiently convincing arguments to seduce a very young audience in 2014 who have grown well since, who have not. had the right to go see Suicide Squad and a good part of which has probably already moved on.

There are still adult fans, those who are indeed over 16 years old, who have the necessary budget to afford this big box, who will appreciate the assembly experience offered and who will understand the different references piled up in the four corners of the set. And who will be delighted to get Margot Robbie.

Personally, I say yes but I still skip this box, having no particular affinity with the The LEGO Movie saga. But I have just enjoyed this set for a few days and I readily recognize its qualities as a successful construction toy that will satisfy the most demanding builders.

My advice for all those who do not want or cannot spend 300 € in this box: Find a friend who bought this set and offer to help him assemble it. You will enjoy the pleasure of assembling it and you will save 300 €. And if you feel like owning this set afterwards, be patient, sooner or later it will end around € 200. Or buy Margot Robbie on Bricklink.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 3, 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.