Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75360 Yoda's Jedi Starfighter, a small box of 253 pieces which will be available from August 1, 2023 on the official online store and in LEGO Stores at the retail price of €34.99. This derivative product will finally take over from the set 75168 Yoda's Jedi Starfighter (262 pieces - €29.99) marketed at the start of 2017 and withdrawn from the LEGO offer at the end of 2018. The subject covered in this 2023 novelty is the same, it is simply a question of refreshing the product and putting it back in the catalog for two years.

In principle, it wouldn't be necessary to make a big deal about this type of product, which is in the price soft underbelly of the range, but this new version sees its retail price increase by €5 compared to the previous version. This price difference will seem negligible for some fans, but others on a tighter budget will probably hesitate a little more before adding this box to their basket or to their shopping cart.

No miracle on this scale, the 13 cm long by 16 cm wide and 7 cm high vessel remains relatively basic even if the designer has really made the effort to give it a certain look and the functionalities are there. -YOU.

The pretty canopy with its unique pad printing opens onto a cockpit, access to which is facilitated by a mobile element placed on the top of the cockpit and which in principle embodies the extension of the canopy, Yoda can therefore easily be installed at the controls. even if he has to stand because the figure is equipped with short legs. the character's saber can be hung on the back, so children will avoid losing it. LEGO provides a second handle in the bags but no second blade.

Two Spring-Shooters are integrated into the bottom of the ship, it's always taken to shoot the neighbour's cat. R2-D2 is comfortable in its location and everything is easy to handle without breaking everything.

On the construction side, we will especially remember the use of a Technic pin to manage the opening angle of the wings, the small element knows how to be forgotten and the technique is ingenious. Both wings gain in finesse compared to the 2017 version, it is visually more coherent.

For the rest, it is relatively well executed even if the red pines which are used to attach the wings to the body of the ship are a little too visible for my taste, that the central ball of the ship is not really a ball.

There are obviously some stickers to stick on the cabin and as usual, the background of these stickers does not match the gray of the parts on which they are placed. You end up getting used to it, but that's not a reason not to mention it anymore.

LEGO does not provide a support with this little ship, it's a shame knowing that it would have been enough for one or two transparent pieces to allow the object to be displayed correctly on a shelf. The maker should imagine that the youngest toss their toys in the bottom of a bin and never display them on their bedroom shelves like adult fans do.

On the side of the two figurines provided, Yoda benefits from a pretty new torso with a hood stamped in the back on which we plug the usual head in Olive Green available since 2013 and the R2-D2 figurine is the one with pad printing on both sides of the cylinder delivered in the sets 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor, 75355 Ultimate Collector Series X-wing Starfighter and which will also be provided in the set 75365 Yavin 4 Rebel Base from August 1st.

This little set will probably not make an impression, but it has a few arguments to make to seduce the youngest fans of The Clone Wars series thanks to several interesting features as well as the most assiduous figurine collectors with a Yoda at the unique torso. 35 € for that, it is in my opinion still expensive paid even if the vessel benefits from some welcome aesthetic improvements compared to the previous version.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 18, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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

Remember, in March 2021 I was telling you about the second version of "Lego Periodic Table", a derivative product that had had a small effect within the community of LEGO fans, and the WLWYB sign (We Love What You Build) there is now a new updated and corrected version of this original painting which has nothing scientific but which is intended to be a beautiful decorative element for the most assiduous fans. This new version still uses the principle of the Mendeleïev Table which aligns all the chemical elements classified by their atomic number and adapts it to the assortment of colors offered by LEGO.

The format of the object does not change and on the 40x30 cm support we find this time 75 LEGO bricks (compared to 65 on the previous version) glued cleanly and without burrs on their respective locations and accompanied by several information more or less relevant according to your affinities with the different classifications used by fans or marketplaces. I specify it for those who would have a doubt on this subject: the parts used are once again original LEGO elements. I also note a good effort on the overall quality of printing with small, easily readable characters, which was not necessarily the case with the previous version.

The presentation is always a little dense at first sight even if the manufacturer has considerably simplified the nomenclature used, it will be necessary to refer regularly to the legend placed at the bottom right of the product to understand the logic implemented: year of introduction and possibly withdrawal of the color concerned in the LEGO inventory, number of sets using this color, Bricklink reference, LEGO reference and even an abbreviation created from scratch for this table, we always get lost a little.

If you are looking for a precise and reliable documentation tool in this product, go your way, the object is not exhaustive on the subject it deals with and it is above all a decorative painting whose main purpose is to allow you to display your passion for the LEGO universe in a slightly more subtle way than with the usual posters. This new version gives pride of place to colors that are a little more original than the classic shades, it is always the potential starting point for a discussion between fans.
Also note that the first 1000 copies of this new version are numbered. The product does not become ultra-collector, but it is a finishing touch that some will appreciate.

Once again, I remind you that some of the information mentioned on this product will inevitably end up becoming obsolete, the LEGO inventory being constantly in motion, but I think we can count on the brand to release a version 4 when the time comes. will have come.

WLWYB is selling the thing for $49.95 including shipping and the product arrives well packaged in a dedicated carton with internal bubble wrap protection. It is possible to hang it on the wall via the folding hook glued to the back but I think that it will then possibly be necessary to consider placing it in a frame deep enough to accommodate this painting whose thickness reaches 1.5 cm. There must be a suitable framework at IKEA or elsewhere.

If you would like to offer yourself a copy of this "Lego Periodic Table" or to prepare a birthday by making sure that the beneficiary will not already have the gift you wanted to give him, know that WLWYB has provided me with a code that allows you to get 10% off, you just have to enter the code HOTHBRICKS at checkout to benefit from it and pay the whole $44.95 including postage. It's always taken.

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE LEGO COLORS V3.0 AT WLWYB >>

Note: The sign WLWYB allows me to put into play a new and sealed copy of the product, deadline set at July 18, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO ART set 31209 The Amazing Spider-Man, a box of 2099 pieces which will be available via the official online store and in LEGO Stores from August 1, 2023 at the retail price of €199.99.

As with other recent products in the LEGO ART range, this construction breaks away from the usual concept of a flat painting with a subject treated in three dimensions. Here, Spider-Man appropriates the frame which becomes a box on a comic strip and the character takes advantage of the border of the painting to give the impression that he is stepping outside the limits of the work. Why not the idea is excellent with a new dynamic that should appeal to hardcore fans of the spider-man.

The chassis of the product is not designed like most of the other references in the range and this product does not use the usual 16x16 black plates which are often used as a starting point. Here, we first create an internal structure equipped with two elements that allow the painting to be hung on the wall and on which we then install ten 16x16 green plates, the central part of the construction remaining hollow to accommodate the system that will be used to fix later the character's head.

We then alternate between a batch of large filler pieces to create relief and a selection of Tiles various and varied which ensures a sufficient level of detail in the background of the painting and finally we add the visible sections in relief with the shoulders, the forearms, the hands and the head.

The assembly is quickly dispatched, the most laborious being not to forget one or more Tiles green, even if it is not so serious because the final rendering will not be affected unduly. The construction process is entertaining, the different stages are well distributed and you don't get bored. We sometimes wonder how the whole will end up representing something coherent and there is a real satisfaction in discovering the final result by taking a step back from the end of the assembly.

However, I am rather torn about this proposal, which at least has the merit of innovating a little: I really like the halftone effect Benday on the background of the painting which reminds me of the assiduous reading of Strange or Spidey comics during my young years, it is successful. The presence of a white spider's web in relief on the bottom frame of the box is also an appreciable detail and the fifteen or so spiders to be distributed over the whole of the painting is also a nice finishing detail.

I'm much less of a fan of the execution of the central character though, it's a bit rough up close and it lacks some of the iconic attributes of the Spider-Man suit including the shoulders, waistband, and cuffs. forearm.

Six of the seven pad-printed pieces delivered in this box are used for the cobweb pattern on the head and I find the rendering of the Spider-Man costume a little poor as it is. The colors used do not help, we find once again the "classic" red and blue of the LEGO universe and I am always a little disappointed by the use of these colors which seem dated according to the set concerned.

The shadows on the folds of the costume or on the musculature of the character are also really symbolic here, it's crude and you really have to take a step back for this lack of finish to fade. Same observation for the shoulders which are framed by very large elements and whose very basic finish has difficulty in being forgotten even when the painting is observed from a certain distance.

Some Tiles flanked by the pattern seen on the Spider-Man costume would have frankly helped to improve the overall rendering. I understand the desire to offer a "stylized" version of the character, but in my opinion we feel more here a desire to save money than a desire that would really come from an artistic bias.

As for the proportions, everything seems quite correct to me except perhaps for the forearms which are a little thin and the left calf which lacks volume and which is visually lost in the background. The left arm lacks muscle and the junction with the hands seems a bit sloppy to me.

We could also discuss the position of the hands, that of the right hand really lacks naturalness with an improbable angle. The fingers that come to grip the edge of the frame are on the other hand well executed, it will even be possible in principle to orient those of the left hand differently so that they do not interfere when the frame is placed on the dresser in the living room.

In fact, it's laborious and annoying: by passing the four fingers of the hand flat outwards from the bottom of the frame, you have to be careful not to unhook the pieces that form the upper part of the hand.

The yellow plate placed at the bottom right of the work is pad printed, there are no stickers in this box. Do not look for the statement indicated by the official description of the product, "...a box at the bottom quotes his motto "With great power comes great responsibility"...", she is not there.

The initial idea is excellent and the possibility of obtaining a purely decorative product that offers something other than alignments of small parts was enticing. Unfortunately, the execution leaves in my opinion a little to be desired and it will be necessary to take a lot of hindsight so that the defects of the product are forgotten. The overall finish is therefore too approximate to convince me, especially at 200 € for the poster in relief.

I'm still looking for thesurprising details" vaunted in the official description of the product and I remain on my hunger in front of a table which could have been much more successful. I hope that LEGO will show a little more ambition on future proposals of the same barrel, the possibilities are numerous, especially in the Star Wars universe.

This product therefore deserves in my opinion encouragement if not mentioned, it opens the door to future creations that could seduce me if the manufacturer is a little less stingy in pad printing and more diligent about the important details of the subject treated. We will therefore wisely wait for a significant reduction in the price of this product at LEGO or elsewhere.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 16, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Marvel set 76262 Captain America's Shield, a very large box of 3128 pieces currently in pre-order on the official online store and which will be available at the retail price of €209.99 from August 1, 2023.

I'm not drawing you a picture, this is about building a reproduction of Captain America's shield 47 cm in diameter and you will have understood that the assembly phase is not the strong point of this derivative product: it will have to work on the assembly line to finally have the pleasure of displaying the thing on a shelf alongside, for example, the hammer from the LEGO Marvel set 76209 Thor's Hammer (119.99 €).

If you are wondering where the 3128 pieces of the set are, just look at the photos below to understand that this shield is not a simple disc on which we would distribute plates diverse and varied colours. The internal structure of the accessory consumes most of the inventory and it is designed so that it supports standing and moving. It is also thanks to these alignments of parts that the shield takes on a little volume with a very successful curved effect and the designer has applied himself to proposing a model that fits rather well with the aesthetics of the reference accessory.

It's the subject that wants that, so almost the entire assembly process is broken down into sequences consisting of building the same thing 18 times, and those who love LEGOs for the diversity of assembly techniques will be in for their costs. Here, it is only the end that justifies the means and we are bored while waiting to finally have the possibility of exposing this shield on its support. The only instruction booklet provided seemed strangely thin for a product of more than 3000 parts, I quickly understood why by discovering the sequences consisting of multiplying the same sub-assemblies in a loop.

The whole is flawlessly rigid, thanks in particular to the solid cross made up of axes which takes place in the center of the construction. Placed very quickly in the center of the construction, it ensures the shield a perfect distribution of the sub-assemblies which constitute the internal structure of the object and makes it possible to no longer have to worry about the solidity of the whole.

We could discuss the choice of colors, I would rather have used dark colors, Dark Red et dark Blue, rather than basic shades for the outer surface of the shield, the result would have been only closer to that offered by the abundantly retouched official visuals of the product. In "real" with these basic colors, this shield immediately has less cachet than on the product sheet available online or on the box and it will be necessary to play on the lighting to attenuate the flashy side of the red and blue pieces a little used.

The black support supplied with its pad-printed plate which serves as a reminder that the owner of the object is indeed Captain America is a version on steroids of the usual presentation bases, you have to be able to hold the shield in place without risking it falling . The part of the internal structure of the shield which rests on the base is also reinforced, this is the area identified by a Plate red on the visuals above.

The central star offers a slightly more entertaining assembly sequence than the rest of the product, it's always taken and it's the finishing detail that gives a little cachet to this shield which looks like cracked up close over its entire surface. From further away, the object is necessarily an illusion while recalling that it is indeed a LEGO model with its studs visible on 100% of the outer surface. Nothing has been planned to be able to get rid of the base and hang this shield on the wall, but the most resourceful will necessarily find a solution to install the object, the area with the Plate red seems to me sufficiently reinforced to allow it to be suspended.

The set therefore seems extremely well designed to me and nothing has been left to chance, except perhaps the absence of a handle at the back to grab the shield like a superhero. Was this by-product essential? Nothing is less certain but it will be up to everyone to assess the interest of having a large shield with a surface dotted with studs on its shelves.

LEGO adds a minifig of the owner of the shield in the box, just to furnish a little at the foot of the presentation base and to make the whole thing even more imposing by creating a comparison of scale. The supplied Captain America figurine is not exclusive to this box, it is the one already seen in the sets 76189 Captain America and HYDRA Face-Off (9.99 €) and 76260 Black Widow & Captain America Motorcycles (15.99 €) and we can conclude that this is good news for collectors of minifigs, they will not have to invest more than 200 € in this shield to obtain the figurine in question.

LEGO provides both the character's mask and additional hair. how you want to expose the character is up to you. Small printing defect on the shield accompanying the minifig in the box I received, it will once again be necessary to call on customer service to obtain a perfectly pad-printed element.

It is obvious that this product is aimed at customers who would not necessarily buy the usual classic sets and who want to be able to display their passion for the Marvel universe without getting stuck with the cars, ships and other motorcycles that the range distills for us year round. LEGO attracts here interior decoration enthusiasts who buy their New York posters at Ikea and who proudly display the word "Welcome" based on large wooden letters found at Nature et Découverte on the wall of the living room. It's simple: if this shield does not seem essential to you, it means that you are not the target of the product.

It is therefore lifestyle pushed to the extreme, and even if the object benefits from pretty techniques which allow it to obtain a very acceptable finish, the construction process is unequally monotonous which will undoubtedly put off the most LEGO fans looking for a bit of diversity in the techniques used. It will be without me, anyway I don't have the space to display this big shield at home and I already have the minifig provided.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 14, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Technic set 42160 Audi RS Q e-tron, a box of 914 pieces which will be available at the retail price of €169.99 from August 1, 2023 via the official online store and in LEGO Stores.

Don't get too carried away on the product inventory, there are still more than 400 pins to use during the assembly of this interpretation of the vehicle in addition to the large handful of various and varied black panels. On the other hand, there are several elements of the CONTROL+ ecosystem in the box with 3 L motors and a Hub Powered Up which also serves as batterybox, their mere presence probably explains the relatively high price of this set. The model owes its successful finish only to the two huge sheets of stickers which bring together 47 stickers, it is difficult to do without these stickers if you want to obtain a machine with an aggressive and successful look.

The design of the LEGO version of the vehicle seems pretty decent to me, it was delusional anyway to hope for better, especially since it is a motorized model intended to bump into the living room baseboards and no a model with perfectly interpreted angles. This version, for example, ignores almost the entire front bumper with its air intakes and headlights, which are embodied here by a single large sticker. However, we recognize the reference Audi RS Q e-tron and that is the main thing.

The assembly of the 37 cm long by 19 cm wide and 15 cm high model is quickly dispatched starting with a first section which involves two of the three motors, with a first motor to drive the wheels which take advantage of new hubs, red rims and new tires and a second that manages the direction of the vehicle. The instructions are explicit enough not to be mistaken in the passages of cables and connections.

The second section then connects to the first via two large Technic frames, it uses the third motor to drive the rear wheels. The Bluetooth Hub with its new cover with four screws is installed on the way and I advise you at this stage to test all the functions of the vehicle to ensure that nothing has been incorrectly installed or incorrectly connected. You will thus avoid having to remove the various bodywork elements, the installation of which is sometimes a bit complex to rectify the situation.

The installation of the various body elements could have been entertaining if it weren't punctuated by the placement of numerous stickers. Not a pad-printed Audi logo on the horizon, it's a sticker fair and you quickly get tired of trying to line up the different patterns. One might wonder why a machine presented on the packaging as capable of hurtling down dunes and therefore of being used mainly outdoors is covered with stickers, but make no mistake, this is a simple indoor toy.

The vehicle weighing more than 1.20 kg is rather comfortable on the living room floor, but things get a bit tricky as often happens outside: the slightest obstacle can become a problem despite the generous wheel arches, the very soft independent suspensions and the sufficient ground clearance, the movements of the machine are a little more laborious depending on the terrain, it lacks torque and the turning radius is very limited. This is the case for most of the motorized vehicles offered by LEGO, they are above all children's toys, certainly motorized, but which above all offer various and varied challenges intended to occupy the youngest for a few hours via the dedicated application.

The Audi RS Q e-tron being an electric buggy specialized in rally-raid, it is not moreover a machine designed to offer the best crossing capacities, there are other references in the LEGO range for that like the LEGO Technic set 42129 4x4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck.

The CONTROL+ application available on iOS and Android will obviously be updated by the time this product is marketed and I was able to use a perfectly functional beta version. The interface that allows you to steer the vehicle is pretty, the controls are simple and accessible and you can have fun immediately without going through a laborious phase of acclimatization which would be a little discouraging. One joystick for steering, the other for forwards or backwards, it's simple and effective.

As usual, I tested two types of rechargeable batteries: classic Panasonic Eneloop Ni-Mh 1.2V 1900 mAh batteries and Ansmann NiZn 1.6V 1600 mAh batteries and the result is clear: Ansmann batteries offer more power and the machine moves noticeably faster and stumbles less on certain small obstacles. If you plan to really play with this type of product, do not hesitate to buy this type of battery and the essential charger compatible with the NiZn standard.

Discount -23%

ANSMANN NiZn AA Rechargeable Batteries 2500 mWh 1,6V

19.99 € 15.47 €

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Discount -33%

ANSMANN Nickel-Zinc Battery Charger (1 PCE) – Ch

44.99 € 29.99 €

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I have to say that for once I am globally won over by the look of this modern buggy with its aggressive lines, and I did not expect to obtain a vehicle with breathtaking performance anyway. I have had many machines powered by LEGO in my hands and I now know that we should not rely too much on the promises made on the packaging of these different products. This Audi RS Q e-tron offers a good compromise which should satisfy all those who have understood that this is not a classic radio-controlled vehicle.

This children's toy is therefore in my opinion not the worst of what LEGO has produced on the same theme over the years, far from it, but you will still have to wait to find it for less than the 170 € requested. The youngest will have fun for long hours thanks to the various activities offered in the application and they will discover some interesting assembly techniques in terms of motorization, differential, suspension and steering, adults will perhaps see a nice show model of a modern vehicle with a very original look.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 12, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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