We end the cycle of reviews of the 2021 novelties in the LEGO Monkie Kid range with a quick overview of the contents of the set 80018 Monkie Kid´s Cloud Bike. With an inventory of 203 pieces and a public price set at 19.99 €, it is the most compact and cheapest box of this new wave and its content is therefore necessarily less ambitious than that of other more opulent references.

There is still something to have a little fun with the possibility of staging a chase between the Monkie Kid and Spindrax, just to come to the rescue of young Rui who finds himself trapped in the clutches of a Spider Drone.

The set gives pride of place to Cloud Bike of the young hero with a machine whose wheels are deployed to allow him to fly. The mechanism at work which ensures the versatility of the machine, it suffices to manually separate the four sets of two wheels fixed on Technic pins, is childishly simple but the result is rather interesting. Opposite, Spindrax is satisfied with a more classic motorcycle which takes up the aesthetic codes of the different machines in the service of Spider Queen.

To each his own weapons and Spindrax has two Stud Shooters on the sides of his motorcycle and the Monkie Kid machine is equipped with two Disc shooters can be activated via a simple central lever which knows how to be rather discreet. Here too, the solution used is straightforward and it works every time.

The Monkie Kid arrives at the scene from the air, he catches up with Spindrax on the road after having folded up his thrusters, stands at his side and shoots him with a white disc. He can then free Rui from the Spider Drone's clutches, with the robot hanging from the minifig via the transparent piece it wears around its neck. The playability is there.

This small set allows you to obtain three minifigs including the Monkie Kid which is an assembly of elements already available in several other boxes, Rui who takes the torso of one of the characters from the LEGO CITY set 60262 Passenger Airplane (2020), hair already seen on the heads of several children in Chinese New Year sets and a fairly common smartphone at LEGO and Spindrax with his nicely pad-printed helmet and his exclusive outfit. The villain of the set comes with hair that allows you to really enjoy the face of the minifigure, this is a rare bonus in other lines and therefore appreciable.

This entry-level set without big pretensions is therefore in my opinion a good start for a young fan who seeks to optimize the use of his pocket money or to be offered a small box on the occasion of a good bulletin. The aesthetics of the vehicles provided is once again in line with the rest of the machines in the range regardless of the faction concerned, consistency is essential for all the sets of this new wave.

Overall and despite a few constructions that are a bit behind in terms of finish or functionality, this new wave of LEGO Monkie Kid products really does have a refreshing side that proves the manufacturer knows how to go the extra mile when it comes to to go and invest in a new market and attract potential customers. Not everything is successful in this range, but the adaptation of a popular legend in a techno-futuristic universe who does not hesitate to make a few nods to the content that serves as a starting point is a very judicious choice. which allows these toys to be placed in a highly respected cultural context in China.

Even if I am not part of the main target of this range, I must admit that I took great pleasure in assembling these different boxes and taking an interest in some of the references they offer. The whole would have really deserved to be supported by the diffusion of the animated series elsewhere than in Asia, to at least try to seduce the children who need the connection between the toys with which they have fun and the digital contents which put them forward.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 10th 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.

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Star Wars set 75306 Imperial Probe Droid, a box of 683 pieces which is currently available for pre-order at the public price of 74.99 € with the two new helmets available in the sets 75304 Darth Vader Helmet (834 - 69.99 €) and 75305 Scout Trooper Helmet (471 - 49.99 €). Delivery promised for April 26th.

In the pretty box which takes the format and dressing of the helmets already marketed in the Star Wars range, enough to assemble the LEGO interpretation of the Viper Probe Droid seen for about fifteen seconds in theEpisode v.

Some will wonder if this droid that self-destructs after being hit by a blaster shot really deserves a reproduction of this size in a dedicated set, but fans of the Star Wars universe will tell them that everything that appears in Star Wars, even for half a second, is bound to be passed on to legacy at LEGO. In more than 20 years of the Star Wars universe in the catalog, anything that is not a remake or a reissue is generally welcome.

Over the years, the Probe Droid has obviously been the subject of many MOCs, more or less successful, on a scale similar to that of this version and it was necessary that one day LEGO seized the file to finally propose a "official" interpretation of the thing. It is now and I think the designer is doing honorably when it comes to the overall aesthetic.

The idea of ​​the snowy base is excellent and the small promontory placed just under the droid somewhat masks the presence of the inevitable transparent support from certain angles. The integration of the small presentation plate with its edges covered with snow which distills some facts on the subject dealt with is also very successful. The droid is therefore perched on a stack of round transparent bricks crossed by an axis and at the end of which there is a square brick. This brick is there to ensure the stability of the model when it is plugged into the base and even if the construction is indeed not likely to fall, the whole shakes a little. Come to think of it, a white thru-axle would undoubtedly have allowed the support to melt a little more into the model.

The Probe Droid is assembled very quickly, you will not spend hours on it. Since this is a LEGO brick-based model, you won't have to be too careful about the finish of the robot's body with really widely spaced side bricks. The five appendages of the droid seem to me rather well reproduced, they remain of a relative finesse without losing in level of detail and articulations. The robot's "head" is undoubtedly the most successful element of the model with many growths which wonderfully reproduce the machine seen on the screen. The two antennas are not retractable but you just have to remove the gray rods and plug in the candles directly by turning them over if you want to vary the pleasures.

If the contents of this box are quickly assembled, the assembly of the droid remains very interesting by the different techniques implemented to achieve the final result. As is often the case with models that are almost monochrome in their external appearance, the designer does not hesitate to bring a little variety in the colors for the bowels of the construction. The presence of these elements, the color of which has little to do with the product itself, also makes it easier to locate through the pages of the instruction booklet. I'm not making a Prévert-style inventory of the solutions used to obtain the final result, the photos speak for themselves. If you prefer to avoid spoiling the pleasure of assembly, simply hover over the thumbnails without clicking on them.

Some might have preferred a black droid, LEGO has chosen the Dark Gray. I prefer the color chosen by the manufacturer, it allows to effectively manage the contrast with the few black pieces and the metallic elements coming from the small bags of accessories used and this color will be a little less sensitive to dust when the construction is exposed on the corner of a shelf.

The model is satisfied with four stickers in addition to the one to stick on the presentation plate, it is reasonable and these stickers contribute to the general aesthetics. I'm not sure that if LEGO had chosen to pad print the orange areas, the rendering would have been better given the dark shade of the parts on which these graphic details would have had to be printed. Significant bonus, the background color of the different stickers matches the color of the parts.

Those who have been waiting for a very successful model of the Probe Droid may be disappointed by some of the somewhat rough finishing details on this model. But it's LEGO, and it's just a brick-based interpretation with its constraints and aesthetic approximations. One should also not seek consistency between the scale of this Probe Droid and those of other existing droids in the LEGO Star Wars range, there is none.

A clarification for those who regret that this model is not accompanied by a mini-version of the droid as is the case for BB-8 or R2-D2: the designer has confirmed having deemed it superfluous to add one of these micro- constructions alongside the model because the Probe Droid does not exist as a "real" minifigure at LEGO.

In the end, I think that this original and new product in this form in the LEGO Star Wars range has serious arguments to make: its retail price of 75 € seems reasonable to me, the assembly phase is very entertaining and the positioning aesthetic. between model and LEGO seems to me here rather balanced.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 8th 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.

We end the cycle of reviews of the LEGO Ninjago novelties for March 2021 with a quick look at the contents of the Legacy set 71740 Jay's Electro-Mech, a small box of 106 pieces sold at the public price of 19.99 €.

The set is stamped "4+" and the inventory is therefore up to this classification which indicates that the thing is designed to simplify the life of the youngest fans tired of the big DUPLO bricks. This box is also marked with the mention Legacy, it pays a priori homage to a set marketed several years ago in the Ninjago range. And it is well in the set 70754 Electromech 2015 that this new set vaguely refers to, for the tribute it will be necessary to review.

We are not going to lie to each other, this mech does not have many arguments to make with its large castings and its more than summary finish. Jay is not locked in his cockpit, or even restrained by any hoop, and that's a shame. I understand that this type of set is really intended for very young children, but there is undoubtedly a balance to be found between the simplicity of assembly and the level of finish. The big gray shuriken is identical to the one seen in the set 71738 Zane's Titan Mech Battle.

According to your tastes, it will be possible as I did here to invert the two molded legs to obtain a robot with a pose a little less ridiculous than in the default configuration. The two elements used make me think of the legs of the droid ED-209 seen in Robocop and I hope that we will see these parts in other colors in the future, there must be something a little original to do with.

In front of the mech, there is a mobile Anacondrai ballista, also rather sketchy, which probably vaguely mimics the machine seen in 2015 in the set 70745 Anacondrai Crusher. There is at least something to aim the mech with the barrel mounted on a rotating axis, that's always taken for the gameplay. Should we put this type of projectile in the hands of a four-year-old child with the risk of ending up with a stunned cat? I'm just asking the question.

LEGO also provides some additional elements to create an atmosphere around the two main buildings. Nothing crazy, it's still so basic but everything is pad printed. We get some pretty Tiles, a spider in Dark Flesh seen in ten sets since 2018 and a scorpion in dark Blue seen in only four boxes since its first appearance in 2017 in The LEGO Ninjago Movie set 70617 Temple of the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon.

Alongside the Mech and the Anacondrai cannon on wheels, we get two minifigs here: the young blue ninja Jay and the villainous Eyezor. Jay's minifig combines more or less common elements in the Ninjago range: the head is the one used for the character since 2017, the torso and legs are also present in the sets 71735 Tournament of Elements et 71737 X-1 Ninja Charger marketed this year. The mask has been in the LEGO catalog since 2019 in this form.

Eyezor is also delivered since this year in sets 71735 Tournament of Elements et 71736 Boulder Blaster, I just remember that the yellow area on the chest is not really in line with the arms and the head, contrary to what the official visuals on the Shop claim.

In short, there is not much more to say about this set which I find much too expensive for what it really has to offer, but parents who have just left the DUPLO universe are already anyway. used to paying a high price for their offspring's toys and there will always be someone to spend $ 20 on a product like this.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 6th 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.

We continue the tour of the 2021 novelties of the LEGO Monkie Kid range with a quick glance at the contents of the set 80020 White Dragon Horse Jet, a box of 565 pieces sold at the public price of 39.99 € since March 1st.

Once again, this set which allows to assemble a ship with a resolutely futuristic look draws cheerfully from traditional Chinese culture and from the legend of the Monkey King by directly referring to the White Dragon Horse (Bai Long Ma), a major character of the popular tale of which Mei is a descending wave for the needs of the very free adaptation in LEGO version.

The ship she is piloting here is therefore a machine that appropriates some attributes of dragon and horse with an aesthetically rather interesting result. Scales on the wings and on the back, nose vaguely reminiscent of a horse's head, two Spring-Shooters with their ammunition hidden in the wings, two Stud Shooters sides at the front, a sword tear already seen in other colors in several sets of the Ninjago range at the back, it's consistent and this jet has allure.

The assembly of the jet is very pleasant with interesting techniques to form the nose which is in two parts with a colored band in the center and a nice overlap of Nexo Knights shields on the two steerable wings which are neither too thin nor too loaded. The few golden touches bring a little tinsel to the fuselage, it is successful.

We will also remember that Mei is piloting her ship a little blind, she is quite simply lying under the canopy in Transparent Bright-Green, here in reverse position compared to the more classic use of this element, which will perhaps bring back memories to the fans of old ranges which put this shade in the spotlight. For those who would ask the question, the Tile the pad printing with vintage accents used for the cockpit is the one already seen in 2020 in the sets 10273 Haunted Houses et 10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1.

Mo also has a flying machine with a platform in colors matching the animal's fur and crest. The character really finds his place in this box thanks to this small flying machine which will allow him to truly take part in the action imagined by the happy owners of the set and not to find himself confined to the role of simple pet.

As in several other boxes in the range, the designer here tries to create a little context by adding a piece of sidewalk with a floor lamp and a drink dispenser. This additional construction is very interesting, it is even functional with a very simple mechanic identical to the one seen in the LEGO Ninjago set 70657 City Docks : All you have to do is insert a Tile 2x1, here Si's smartphone, in the slot provided to release a can. The spider web attached to the machine serves to create the stake of the product with Mei tumbling down to free the friendly civilian from the clutches of Spider Queen's henchman and the accompanying spider drone.

The drink dispenser is decorated with several stickers but the lids of the different drinks are pad printed. This mini-scene would have in my opinion deserved to be associated with a few other street elements with for example a longer sidewalk with a more successful finish, a bench, or even a shop but it will unfortunately be necessary to be satisfied with this modest setting. situation.

As I said a few days ago, I find that this range lacks a bit of urban elements that could have been used to create a real context. In my opinion, we are not immune to a Monkie Kid's City in the years to come in the manner of what LEGO did very well in the Ninjago universe. There is potential.

In front of Mei and Mo, we therefore find a Spider Queen henchman and a spider drone. Not really enough to balance the clash between the forces of good and those of evil, but it will still be possible to have a little fun while waiting to be able to be offered something more consistent to put in front of the jet.

The character endowment here is pretty decent despite the absence of the main hero of the range with Mei and Mo on one side, the Spider Queen henchman with his drone on the other and a civilian who had nothing asked in the middle. As I said above, Mo takes here a real foreground dimension thanks to his flying machine which allows him to really participate in the fight.

The pad prints are as usual in this range overall very successful with a level of detail to make some of the characters of external licenses regularly offered by LEGO fade. If you have a feeling of déjà vu with the civilian's torso, this is normal: this element is far from unheard of and it has already been used in the CITY sets. 60290 Skate Park (2021) 10273 Haunted Houses (2020) and Hidden Side 70435 Newbury Abandoned Jail (2020)

The double-sided head with its (very) scared expression on one side and rocker hair are common items in the LEGO inventory. Mei's minifig, delivered here without her helmet, is an assembly of items seen in many other sets in the range and that of Spider Queen's henchman is also available in sets 80021 Monkie Kid's Lion Guardian et 80023 Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter marketed from the beginning of the month.

I think we have here a reference that brings together the best of what LEGO can do: in my opinion, it is a creative product with a slick design, solid, equipped for fun and which offers as a bonus some challenges interesting in terms of assembly. All this for € 39.99 with a handful of minifigs, we're not going to complain too much, LEGO doesn't always do as well in this range or in others.

A small update concerning the animated series which serves as context and marketing support for these derivative products: The first season is now available online via various video on demand services but you have to go through a VPN to be able to watch the 12 episodes and it is essential to master a little English. I tested a viewing via New Zealand service TVNZ going through NordVPN with location in New Zealand, it works.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 4th 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.

Today we take a quick look at the set 71745 Lloyd's Jungle Chopper Bike, one of the four boxes currently marketed in the LEGO Ninjago range which show the events taking place in the special episode "The unknown island" .

In the packaging, a modest inventory of 183 parts which allows to assemble (again) a motorcycle for Lloyd, a vehicle presented here as 2-in-1 by LEGO and from which we can extract a surfboard that will allow Nya to move. This relative "modularity" of the bike is in passing the main functionality of this small set sold for € 19.99.

You guessed it, the bike is assembled very quickly and the end result is nothing exceptional. It is in the details that it is necessary to look to find some interesting parts or techniques with for example two rims in Pearl Gold which until now were only available in the DC Comics set 76159 Joker's Trike Chase (2020) and a very simple but effective rear suspension, based on two Technic rubber parts on which the two beams which hold the rear wheel crash down.

For the rest, the body of the vehicle, about twenty centimeters long, uses a few Technic pieces on which decorative elements are grafted, a handful of stickers are glued and it's done.

The surfboard is then plugged into the back and the motorcycle then becomes a somewhat hybrid machine equipped with a fabric sail similar to those seen on the two boats in the set. 71748 Sea Battle Catamaran. These veils are only printed on one side and they will probably tend to get dirty and crumpled easily, the pattern on the other hand is very successful.

Even if the sand yacht loses a little of its splendor when the two elements are separated, this modularity offered by this product makes it possible at least to obtain two machines with which it is possible to play two without getting too bored. For a LEGO set at 20 €, this is already a weighty argument.

The pilot is well protected by a roll bar which folds over his shoulders but Lloyd has no handlebars to steer his machine. The young ninja therefore has his hands empty when he is standing in front of his control panel (a sticker) and it's a bit of a shame.

As in all the other sets inspired by the adventures of the little troop on the unknown island, LEGO includes in this box a copy of the Amulet of the Storm and this set is the cheapest option to obtain the item.

As for the three minifigs delivered in this box, two are available in other sets, Lloyd in version to Iceland with his tactical outfit and the Rumble Keeper with his colorful shield, and only Nya is exclusive to this set. The pad printing of this minifigure is also really very successful, with here also a detailed tactical vest that covers a blue pad-printed outfit on a background in Pearl Dark Gray and whose color is almost matched with those of the arms.

If you have to look for an argument to justify the purchase of this small box, it is therefore on the side of Nya's unseen minifigure that you have to look. The motorcycle with its onboard surfboard does not demerit but the machine does not revolutionize the genre, especially in the Ninjago range.

For fans of Nya: we know that the character will occupy a central role in the 15th season of the animated series, so there will certainly be some new never-before-seen versions of the girl to add to your collections.

In short, for 20 €, we are not going to ask too much and this small box is the ideal complement for all those who have already invested in one or more of the other sets on the same theme. The whole of this sub-range highlights pretty tampographs, a few good ideas and it refreshes a universe that often hums with reissues and a little less inspired sets. For me, it was a great discovery knowing that I am neither the target nor a nostalgic fan of the arrival of the Ninjago range in the LEGO catalog in 2011.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 2th 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.