As promised, we quickly tour the contents of the LEGO House set 40502 The Brick Molding Machine, (Limited Edition) a beautiful box of 1205 pieces that will be sold exclusively at the LEGO House Store in Billund from March 4th. It will be necessary to go there and pay 599 DKK or about 80 € to have the pleasure of assembling the reproduction of the machine which sits at the entrance of the LEGO House and which produces the bricks present in the small bags offered to visitors ( ref. 624210). For those wondering why the box bears the number 2, this is the second reference in a series of sets launched last year by the reference 40501 The Wooden Duck.

This souvenir to bring back from a trip to Billund will remain exclusive to the LEGO House and will probably never be offered for purchase through the official online store. I know that some are already imagining that LEGO could re-launch the initiative that had allowed the fastest to buy a copy of the set 21037 LEGO House on the Shop in May 2020, but the reopening to the public of the sanctuary dedicated to the brick being confirmed, there is hardly any chance that LEGO will repeat this operation.

The real injection molding machine visible to visitors to the LEGO House is identical to those installed at the brand's various production sites, the only difference being that the mold used here produces only six classic red 2x4 bricks and that the speed of the manufacturing process has been slowed so as not to produce more bricks than necessary depending on the number of people on site.

Well done to the designer, the reproduction offered is really faithful to the reference machine, down to the smallest detail with, for example, the small red bucket which collects production waste. Some features are integrated into the product, and even if this machine 29 cm long, 15 cm wide and 19 cm high with its presentation support is intended to end its career on a shelf, we can have a little fun with it.

The three side protection panels slide to allow access to the internal mechanics of the machine and a thumbwheel moves the part of the mold containing the six red bricks to the other half. The bricks are not ejected from the mold as on the real machine when the two parts of the mold are separated, but the integration of this function brings a little touch of realism to the product.

The designer insisted on this point and I therefore do the same: this set is also the first to offer doors and frames in Lime (lime) and these parts provided here in five copies should quickly find their way into other boxes. Here we find the color differences that particularly affect this color. Lime, those who have invested in the LEGO Technic set 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 know what I'm talking about. It's subtle but sufficiently present that the aesthetics of the final model suffer. It can therefore be concluded that despite LEGO's promises to try to solve this problem, no convincing solution has yet been found.

There is only one sticker in this box, it is the one used for the machine control panel screen. The three Tiles reproducing the promotional bags and those specifying that they are the machine installed at the LEGO House are pad printed. The designs of the bags are printed on Tiles nougat color which represent the paper version of the packaging soon to replace the classic polybag.

LEGO does include some information on the evolution of its manufacturing processes in the first pages of the instruction booklet, but I would have liked to know more about how this particular machine works. It's a shame, adding some technical data on the technology used would have made this product a pseudo-educational tool instead of limiting it to the role of a simple souvenir of a visit to Billund. A few inserts over the pages would have been welcome, it will be for another time.

In short, if you ever pass by Billund and this set is still available on the shelves of the LEGO House Store by then, you may be able to bring back this nice derivative as a souvenir. Just kidding, there is a good chance that this set has been sold out for a long time and you will as often have to turn to the aftermarket dealers who will be on site from March 4 to fill the trunk of their car and offer you the thing. at the double or the tripe of its public price to "amortize the displacement". It's up to you to see if this investment is justified.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 15, 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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 follow up with another 2021 novelty from the LEGO Monkie Kid range: the set 80023 Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter (1462 - 139.99 €) which offers us, as the title of the product indicates, to assemble a drone capable of transporting the young hero and his friends.

And the model actually looks like a drone with its four propellers that the designer has chosen to present in a protective arch like, for example, a Helicarrier. The colored drone can take the two containers which serve as a mobile den for the Monkie Kid and his friends and we find here the principle of modular playset already seen in the large box of the range marketed since 2020, the set 80013 Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ (1959 - 169.99 €). The two containers open to free access to a living space and an arcade room, you can also store a few minifigs.

A third container is included, it hides a cannon under the orders of Spider Queen. LEGO provides the minimum union in terms of opposition in this box, it will be necessary to invest in the set 80022 Spider Queen's Arachnoid (1170 - 109.99 €) to obtain an enemy machine at the height of this very large drone.

Be careful with the game phases with the two containers attached to the drone, they only hold via two simple clips at the CLuch Power a bit hit and miss. While handling the product, one of the two containers of the copy presented here, for example, came off.

It is possible to easily remove the four legs of the drone to play without being encumbered by these appendages. I often criticize LEGO for not providing a suitable exhibition solution for certain products, I will not complain here that I find something to present this drone in a more interesting position than to let it rest on the edge of the wings and on the integrated handle at the back.

The machine is a bit heavy, especially when it loads the two containers, but the designer has planned everything to facilitate the handling of the thing. As for the apparatus of the set 80019 Red Son's Inferno Jet (299 - 29.99 €), this drone is both a vehicle for minifigs and a handgun. The large black handle placed at the back of the construction makes it possible to grab the drone and use it like a pistol thanks to the trigger integrated under the body of the machine which triggers the expulsion of the two ammunition placed in Spring-Shooters.

The functionality seemed very interesting to me on the Red Son jet but the two ammunition here seem too undersized to really stick to the wingspan of the machine which measures 40 x40 cm. Projectiles identical to the one seen for example recently in the LEGO Marvel set 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos would have been welcome.

One can ask the question of the interest of transforming machines for minifigs into weapons on a human scale via the integrated functionalities. We know the success of the product line that Hasbro marketed under the NERF name that turns lethal weapons into colorful children's toys, and LEGO is clearly trying to go into that field with these sets.

The look of these handguns in the LEGO version is obviously much more diluted so that they do not look like machine guns or shotguns but the principle of the grip and the trigger remains present and clearly visible. Whether this drone or the Red Son jet goes too far in this area or not is up to everyone to see, knowing that for many children the functionality will be immediately understood and used extensively.

The assembly phase of the model is rather pleasant, we alternate between a little repetitive sequences and construction of the a little more complex mechanism which allows to put the central turret in rotation and to trigger the firing of the ammunition. The instruction booklets are also really very well designed with readable perspectives and extremely detailed assembly sequences which increases the number of pages in the process. We feel that LEGO wants to take care of its new Asian clientele by fine-tuning these types of details.

We do not escape a very large sheet of stickers but most of them are easily applied and even if they greatly contribute to the aesthetics of the model, it is possible to do without some of these stickers without disfiguring too much. the machine.

The grip of the drone also makes it possible to manage the orientation of the upper turret via the integrated dial just above the handle. It is well done, the wheel falls just under the thumb even with children's hands. My son immediately thought of NERF's Terradrone with which he had fun for a long time tracking my dog ​​through the apartment.

The minifig endowment is fairly balanced with Monkie Kid, Mei, Mr Tang, Fei, Sandy and Mo the cat on one side and Spider Queen, Huntsman, Syntax and Red Son on the other. There is plenty of fun without having to go back to the cash register immediately even if Spider Queen seems a little helpless without her mechanical spider.

As with the other sets in the range, LEGO deploys all its know-how in pad printing and molding here. The usual technical faults such as the pallor of certain white pad-printed areas on dark parts are there, but the finish is generally very satisfactory. The Spider Queen cape is a rigid plastic element, the rendering is and the lifespan of this accessories take advantage of this technical choice.

Again, it will be difficult to really get attached to the different characters without seeing the animated series that features them and develops their personality a bit. As it stands, we understand who the good guys and the bad guys are, but the real issues will no doubt escape the youngsters beyond the relationship between the forces of good very colorful and those of evil with darker and threatening hues.

The products in the Monkie Kid range are also a bit expensive and you will have to pay 140 € to afford this box. Note that this wave of sets will not be marketed in LEGO stores, it will only be sold online and only on the official store.

It's creative, the subject dealt with here is interesting and it mimics a modern machine rather well converted to make a transport drone more attractive than the usual ships or classic planes. The modularity allowed by the fixing of the two containers on the sides of the drone will appeal to the youngest even if the fixing system seems a little light to me. Now it's up to you to see if the barely "hidden" function of this drone fits your philosophy when it comes to children's toys.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 12, 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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 little LEGO promotional set 40450 Amelia Earhart Tribute which will be offered from March 6 to 14, 2021 from 100 € of purchase and without restriction of range on the official online store.

The minimum amount requested to be offered this product composed of 203 elements will be relatively high and I think that we are therefore entitled to be demanding on the finish of the set in question, beyond our possible affinities with the treated subject.

The aircraft to be built is an exhibition product with no functionality, no cockpit, or moving parts apart from the frontal propeller. The supplied minifig cannot be installed at the controls.

For those who were wondering and who had not zoomed in on the official visuals available for a few days, it will be necessary to stick a dozen stickers on the model: those which take place on the cabin of the Lockheed Vega 5B piloted by Amelia Earhart during of her crossing of the Atlantic in 1932, the one that reminds us that Amelia Earhart was an aviation pioneer on the small presentation plate and the one that reproduces the map that the figurine holds in her hand.

The stickers to stick on the cabin and the wings of the aircraft have a red background, the color of which does not completely match those of the parts tinted in the mass. You get used to these technical faults in the end, but it is still a pity that a pure exhibition product like this one does not receive more care from the manufacturer.

One can also wonder why LEGO chose to stage the plane on such an imposing black support. The base mobilizes nearly 70 pieces of the supplied inventory and I personally would have preferred a more discreet support. The solution used has at least the merit of reinforcing the "collector" effect of the product and of making it possible to install the airplane in a relatively dynamic position.

We have a bit of fun assembling the aircraft cabin but the assembly phase is quickly dispatched. Amelia Earhart's minifigure is inspired by the iconic aviator outfit with her leather jacket and scarf tied around her neck. No hair, LEGO only provides the helmet equipped with glasses, also emblematic of the beginnings of aviation. The torso and the head of the figurine are specially pad printed elements for this box.

In short, this set offered on condition of purchase is the ideal product to accompany International Women's Day 2021 which will take place on March 8. It will join the other sets which pay tribute to outstanding figures of History as the reference 40410 Charles Dickens Tribute offered during Black Friday 2020 or the set 40291 Creative Storybook offered at LEGO in June 2018.

It's up to you to see if this product is worth making the effort to spend at least € 100 at LEGO as of March 6, or if it will be better to wait for the offer to get the set. 40449 Easter's Bunny Carrot House which will be offered from € 60 purchase without restriction of range from March 15 to April 5, 2021.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 11, 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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 Ninjago set 71747 The Keepers' Village, a box of 632 pieces which will be sold at the public price of 49.99 € from March 1st. This set is one of the four references announced which will stage the events taking place in the special episode "The unknown island" which will be broadcast on France 4 on Saturday February 27, 2021 at 21:00 p.m.

No vehicle rolling, flying or floating in this box, we focus on creating a context and an atmosphere and we assemble the lair of the Guardians, a colorful tribe domiciled on "the unknown island" under the orders of Chief Mammatus. At just 30cm long by 19cm wide, this isn't the ultimate playset but the designer has tried to fill the space with several features that should keep the youngest busy.

We will retain the cell dug in the rock from which a young ninja who would be taken prisoner can escape by slipping through the mouth of the dragon which conceals an access hatch or the trap which allows to catch a reckless hero by lifting manually the trunk to which the chain is hung. Note that the left part of the playset unfolds to facilitate access to the cell placed in the dragon's mouth.

At the top of the rocky outcrop sits a totem of about fifteen centimeters made up of three distinct blocks at the top of which is the amulet of the storm. The construction is plugged into a tilting axle which allows it to be set in motion before extracting it.

It is then easily divided into several subsets with movable arms and armed with sharp tricks that can fight the ninjas. Each of the totem's levels is dressed with a sticker and these stickers to put on a rounded surface all display a different expression. The youngest would also be well inspired to get help to put these stickers so as not to spoil the final rendering. If you are only interested in the Storm Amulet, you should know that it is present in all four boxes and that the cheapest solution to obtain this item is the set. 71745 Lloyd's Jungle Chopper Bike (183 - € 19.99).

As often, the size of the box suggests a construction a little more imposing than that obtained after a few tens of minutes of assembly, but the whole which brings together a piece of sea, a beach, a little vegetation and a rocky peak with its lava flows still seems very convincing from an aesthetic point of view. Then it's up to the fans to invent what goes around.

If I had to quibble a bit, I think the back of the playset would have deserved a little more care. Playing in pairs or more around such a compact construction will imply that one of the participants ends up at the back of the stage which lacks a bit of finishing, I would have preferred a product completed on 360 °.

The endowment in minifigs is sufficient to have fun with the contents of this box without needing to add the contents of other sets. The Guardian Tribe might seem understaffed with just two characters that also come in other sets, but the three belligerent elements of the totem pole will provide some boost.

Three ninjas in version to Iceland are delivered in this set: Cole, Jay and Kai. Only Cole is only available in this box, Jay and Kai are also delivered in the set 71748 Sea Battle Catamaran (780 - 74.99 €). I say it again, the pad prints are really very well done and Cole's minifigure is really superb with its tactical gear. I'm not repeating the verse about members of the Guardian tribe, the minifigs and their tribal accessories are beautiful.

This playset at the almost reasonable price seems to me in the end to be a good surprise, it allows to contextualize the confrontation between the young ninjas and the tribe of Guardians and it constitutes a good starting point to which we can eventually add the other boxes on the same subject which will be available in March whose reference 71746 Jungle Dragon (506 - € 39.99).

The designer succeeds in offering a very compact construction, the finish of which is not sloppy and which offers some interesting features. Many other LEGO sets don't and the effort is worth highlighting.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 10, 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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 return to the LEGO Marvel Avengers universe with the set 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos, a reference of 103 pieces stamped 4+ which will be available from March 1st at the public price of € 19.99.

In the box, we find something to assemble two constructions which immediately seem a little off topic and which obviously only offer a very limited challenge, even if this is the purpose of the 4+ universe intended for the youngest fans in transition course from the DUPLO range to more classic products.

The "starter brick", as LEGO names it in the official product description, is the base of Tony Stark's ship here. It is on this large piece that the handful of elements are placed which allows to obtain a somewhat coarse jet with a open cockpit Even though the ship deserved to be completely closed, the youngest will have no trouble installing or removing Tony Stark from this spacious, easily accessible cockpit.

The ship in question seems to be more or less inspired by that seen in Doctor Strange comic # 1 published in June 2018 but we can also imagine that the designer is vaguely referring here toy marketed in 2009 in the range Marvel crossovers. LEGO designers have their influences and their childhood memories and it is not uncommon to find traces of them in their creations, it may be the case here.

Two pad printed parts are integrated into the ship with on one side a few control screens in the cockpit and a hood with an ARC Reactor. This piece may find a second life among MOCeurs who want to tinker with a Hulkbuster. The ship is equipped with two Disc shooters side which will only be of interest as long as the young owner of the set has not yet lost the three ammunition provided.

Opposite, we're building a rotating turret for Thanos. The thing, which looks like a product from the defunct range Mighty Microphones, is equipped with the new dart launcher which replaces the previous model since last year. LEGO only provides one ammunition, it's a bit petty, and two pad-printed pieces that take up the pattern visible on the character's torso dress the sides of the barrel. The playability could have been maximum if LEGO had planned a turret orientable on a vertical axis but this is unfortunately not the case. It is still a question of targeting a ship and not a car.

The two main constructions are accompanied by an alcove protected on one side by lasers in the middle of which there is an Infinity Gauntlet. The coin used here is just a Oversized Minifig Hand as there are in many other boxes at LEGO since 2013. No trace of the Infinity Stones on the glove, it is necessary to be satisfied with a generic element not padprinted.

As for the two minifigs delivered in this box, nothing new or exclusive: the Iron Man figurine is the one already seen since 2020 in the sets 76140 Iron Man Mech, 76152 Avengers Wrath of Loki, 76153 Avengers Helicarrier, 76164 Iron Man Hulkbuster versus AIM Agent, 76166 Avengers Tower Battle et 76167 Iron Man Armory. It was also offered with the official LEGO Marvel Avengers magazine in November 2020.

Thanos' minifigure is the one in the set 76141 Thanos Mech (2020), the pair of legs less pad printed. The 76141 set therefore remains the only solution to obtain a minifig dressed from head to toe, it is also sold for € 9.99.

So there is not much to chew on in this little box, except maybe apart from the two pretty colored supports called "Energy Stands"by LEGO. These two pieces are rather original and they allow to beautifully stage the minifigures. They also provide an appreciable aesthetic solution when it comes to trying to stabilize characters overloaded with various and varied equipment that have a Little trouble to stand up The MOCeurs will eventually find their use on ship reactors.

In short, this box sold for 20 € does not have many arguments to make whether in the field of the construction challenge or that of the characters. Even the gameplay is only relative with the inability to orient the turret upwards to aim at Tony Stark's ship. It is therefore in my opinion possible to do much better with 20 €, even for a young child.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 9, 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

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.