As promised, today we quickly tour the LEGO Ideas set 21325 Medieval Blacksmith (2164 pieces - 159.99 €), the official reinterpretation of the initially submitted project on the participatory platform by Clemens Fiedler alias Namirob.

The initial proposal quickly found its audience and LEGO then seized the opportunity to offer those nostalgic for the Castle / Kingdoms universe a box that should calm them at least for a while, as the LEGO Ideas set did last year. 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay and its strong tribute to the Pirates range.

The saturated colors of the final model, however, will not be to the taste of those who appreciated the more pastel tones of the project. Namirob and here we get a house with a blue and green roof that probably looks more like a setting in Puy du Fou than a real medieval building with its thatched roof or its row of slates.

This is not the first blacksmith's workshop in the LEGO catalog, three other boxes already dealt with the subject with the set. 6040 Blacksmith Shop marketed in 1984, the set 3739 Blacksmith Shop from the range My Own Creation (2002) and the set 6918 Blacksmith Attack launched in 2011. The initial project and the official set make it obvious here tribute to set 3739 from 2002, the other two boxes only offering much more summary versions of the places.

The blacksmith's house lost a little in volume during the conversion phase of the original creation into an official product of the LEGO Ideas range and we obtain here a construction (including base) of 27 cm long, 21 cm wide and 27 cm from above. So much the better for those who will look for a place for it on a shelf, too bad for those who imagined this construction as the imposing central point of a medieval diorama.

No base plates in this box, the different levels of the half-timbered house are based on three 16x16 plates Dark Tan on which are grafted some smaller plates. The set is modular with the possibility of removing the attic and the first floor to access the interior spaces. The two sections of the roof are independent and are also removable to allow access to the attic.

The assembly of this medieval house is very entertaining, especially when it comes to laying the exposed stones and the rooms which reproduce the half-timberings, these beams which form the framework of the houses and which remain visible. You never get bored and the attention to detail, especially in the blacksmith's workshop, reinforces the impression that the designer has really gone to great lengths to offer a successful product. No stickers in this box, everything is pad printed, including the boards that are used for the doors and the sign which confirms that the guy who occupies the premises makes and repairs the swords and other halberds of the knights who spend their time in war.

The house is divided into three distinct spaces: the blacksmith's workshop on the ground floor with its grindstone, its anvil, its tools and its reserve of coal to supply the forge, the living room on the first floor with its furnace , its food placed on bowls, its metal buckets, its barrel of hypocras and its pretty chairs and a room under the roof with its bed, its carpet made from bearskin and its desk with an inkwell and a feather.

There is nothing to say about the layout of the different spaces, it is really very rich in furniture and various and varied accessories and it is of the best level. Modulars classics with some nice techniques. The floor remains in visible tenons, I would have liked a floor for the first floor and the attic. The forge is equipped with a light brick that is activated by pushing the bellows plugged into the button. It's original and very much in the spirit of the set even if it is as usual impossible to leave the brick on. We know it's there, we will have fun pushing on the bellows from time to time.

The exterior appearance of the house is also very successful with its ground floor with stone walls and its half-timberings on the upper levels. The designer in charge of adapting the project chose to ignore the plank patterns visible in the original project and the timber of the half-timbering is here simply suggested by the color of the pieces.

We also assemble a sufficiently elaborate frame to stay in the theme and the two independent roof sections slide onto the side uprights. The roof is not fixed to the frame which allows its removal in the blink of an eye without having to force to extract it, it is well thought out.

We could discuss the side flashy of the roof with its scales in three shades and its rendering a little "cartoon". It's cleaner than the roof of the building from the LEGO Ideas project that served as a benchmark, some will no doubt find it's a little too smooth and tidy to be believable. Same observation for the tree planted above the well, here we assemble a tree a little more stylized and with false airs of giant bonsai where that of the original project was more classic.

On the side of the minifigs delivered in this box, we get the blacksmith, a female character who obviously spends her time training in archery on the target attached to the tree and two knights of the Black Falcons. The oldest will remember the first appearance of this faction in 1984 in the very popular set 6073 Knight's Castle then in many other boxes. A tribute to this faction had already been paid in 2002 with a reissue of set 6073 (ref. 10039) and then in 2009 in one of the four packs of the Vintage Collection (ref. 852697). The emblem of this faction also appeared in the LEGO Harry Potter set. 4768 The Durmstrang Ship in 2005 and in the set 10223 Kingdoms Joust in 2012.

Parity is respected for the two knights who use the same torso and the same legs: a male character with a common face in the CITY range and who reuses Chief Wheeler's hair (60246 Police Station) and a female character who reuses the head of Jessica Sharpe seen in the LEGO CITY set 60264 Ocean Submarine Exploration and the hair of the zombie from series 14. The pad prints are impeccable and LEGO provides a hair for each of the minifigs in addition to the helmet, just to vary the presentations or the settings.

The blacksmith and the archer are a little less successful, the fault of some technical problems which are not new but which are not solved so far: the blacksmith's barista legs are a bit sloppy and the archer's neck is a little too pale. The young woman also reuses the torso of Robin Loot, a character delivered in the LEGO Ideas set 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, and the legs of Pomona Sprout. Under his beard, the blacksmith hides the face of Harl Hubbs, the recurring mechanic from the LEGO City range. The character's torso displaying an apron top that connects with the legs is unique.

This box also allows us to obtain a copy of the horse with movable rear legs, here in beige, and enough to assemble a rather successful cart on which we find the Black Falcons crest.

The adaptation of the initial project seems to me successful and does not betray the spirit of the original creation which was able to gather the 10.000 necessary supports and convince LEGO to take the plunge. The end result is a somewhat romanticized take on the subject with a range of colors and a finish that may displease those who preferred the more sober and clutter-free side of the reference model.

I think LEGO is doing pretty well anyway and this product should appeal to both fans of Modulars and those nostalgic for the Castle / Kingdoms universe who haven't had much to put on their shelves in recent years. Come to think of it, there is also a little Disney side in this medieval house that could accommodate a few mini-dolls. In summary, this product should appeal to a large audience and the good idea of ​​Clemens Fiedler becomes in my opinion a completely acceptable official set even if the retail price of 159.99 € seems a little high.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 28th January 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 set 71741 Ninjago City Gardens, a very large box of 5685 pieces available today at the public price of 299.99 € on the official online store and which allows to assemble a new extension of the Ninjago maxi-diorama composed so far of sets 70620 Ninjago City (2017) et 70657 Ninjago City Docks (2018)

I spent several days assembling the contents of this box and I give you some very personal impressions of this new immersion in the vertical megalopolis of Ninjago City. We remember that the other two sets already marketed were sold under the label The LEGO Ninjago Movie, the title of the animated film released in 2017 that inspired the proposed constructions.

This new box takes advantage of the 10th anniversary of the house franchise created by LEGO in 2011 and the manufacturer has therefore chosen to sell it under the title Legacy. Don't get me wrong, if the set does pay homage to some cult moments from the different seasons of the animated series, it is indeed an extension totally in the spirit of the other boxes with the same architectural bias of a Japan. fantasized that at best could be vaguely compared to old Kyoto.

As for the two previous constructions on the same subject, this new assembly is totally modular and partially modular in the sense that it is composed of separate elements to be installed on a basic structure and it can then be connected to one or the other. 'other sets 70620 Ninjago City et 70657 Ninjago City Docks. The junction with the docks is documented by LEGO on the official visuals, just extend the diorama to the right. The connection to the city of set 70620 is possible by placing on the other side of the construction and removing a piece of the cornice of the second floor which helps to ensure the visual continuity of the overall diorama. The apartment's black balcony with green walls is also removable.

LEGO presents this set as the "Ninjago City Gardens". It is undoubtedly more a reference to the name of a district than to the purely vegetal context of the area presented: It is necessary to be satisfied with a tree with relatively summary foliage and a pond covered by a few plants and other water lilies. Two base plates are provided (32x32 and 16x32), they define the space occupied by the construction which develops in height on 73 cm to end up exceeding the highest point of the set 70620 Ninjago City (63 cm) and invert the visual balance of the diorama. It's not a bad thing, but the docks in the set 70657 Ninjago City Docks will perhaps have a little trouble existing between these two constructions.

The least exciting part of the assembly comes first: it is about covering the 32x32 plate to delimit the constructible spaces of the water zone placed in the heart of the district. No tiles pad printed with pretty carp as was the case in the set 80107 Spring Lantern Festival, but it fits with the trim of the other two sets. After this somewhat boring phase, the pleasure definitely takes over and the different modules are linked. We position them on the base plate and we observe the quarter take height over the bags. As for the city of the set 70620 Ninjago City , the different levels are linked together by stairs, hatches or ladders.

If you feel like playing with the contents of this box, the designers have planned everything. Each of the interior spaces is relatively accessible and although there is little room left among the furniture and other internal decorations, the possibility is there. All modules are removable and easy to put back in place, just like a Structure classic. There is no notable functionality in this build other than the Ninja Zone door on the fourth floor, a structure placed just below the control tower, which opens with the turn of a thumbwheel. To speak of a playset accessible to the youngest as does LEGO in the official description of the product is in my opinion a little presumptuous and if the product remains easy to handle, it is also very fragile in places.

Unlike a Structure Classic which generally develops a theme and a precise architectural style, the experience here is even more fun thanks to the many variations encountered when going from one module to another. The assembly techniques are very interesting with in particular sloping side partitions, roof edging using elements that are not usually used to reproduce tiles and decorations all more creative than the others. We often pour into exaggeration and overbidding but it is also this caricatural and loaded side that makes the charm of these three sets of the Ninjago range.

My advice: If you are really planning on purchasing this box, try not to focus too much on the details when reading reviews or watch speed builds. Nothing beats the surprise effect still present when turning the pages of one of the three instruction booklets of the set and the assembly of this product does not disappoint on this point with very few repetitive sequences and many solutions aesthetics that will probably pull a smile of satisfaction from you.

Those who will only buy this box for the Asian theme and the representation of a Japan that does not yet exist in this form can be reassured: the references to the Ninjago universe are there but they are subtle enough to leave this neighborhood exist even in the eyes of one who has never watched a single episode of the animated series.

Master Chen's shop with its sign based on minifig with inverted legs but without the presence of Skylor remains a picturesque stall even for those who do not have a precise reference. The small island with its temple and statue erected in honor of Zane during the last episode of the third season of the series will also easily find its place in a diorama even if the one who aligns these sets on his shelves does not know who is the gray minifigure.

The same goes for the museum with the orange facade which occupies a large part of the surface of the third floor of the construction, the place is occupied by some more or less obvious references to the Ninjago universe depending on your affinity with the franchise. Otherwise it's just a nice museum.

Many references to the Ninjago universe are conveyed by the stickers and I have scanned the three boards delivered in this box. Aesthetic continuity with the other two sets is here also ensured with the same visual codes and the same ninja alphabet used for these new stickers. It will also be necessary to take advantage of these different stickers before sticking them, most of those which directly refer to the Ninjago universe find themselves confined in one or other of the houses or shops to be built.

The minifig endowment is substantial with 22 minifigs including 19 characters, the statue of Titanium Zane, the sign of Master Chen's Noodles and an outfit Legacy/Avatar by Jay. The minifig that collectors who do not have the means or the inclination to afford this box will seek to obtain via the secondary market is obviously that of Sensei Wu in the 10th anniversary version. This figurine with its display adorned with a pretty pad-printed piece that can also be found on the trunk of the only tree in the neighborhood is matched with those of the young ninjas in Legacy version distributed in different sets marketed since the beginning of the year.

The set allows you to accumulate some variations of the young ninjas in civilian clothes: Jay with a new torso, Cole with a torso already seen in the CITY range and Nya wearing a Perfecto already seen in other boxes are here delivered in outfits which make it possible to stage the minifigs by passing them off as lambdas inhabitants. We also get the (very) young version of Lloyd, the explorer and adventurer Clutch Powers, a character that many know thanks to the animated film released in 2010 and who reuses here the torso already seen in the pack of minifigs bearing the reference 40342 marketed in 2019, Ronin a recurring character in the series, and ninjas Kai and Zane, both in a Dragon master rather common.

We also get here a large handful of more or less known characters from the Ninjago universe and some civilians: Misako the mother of Lloyd, The Mechanic, one of the villains of the Ninjago saga who changes sides as well as his shirt here with his accomplice Cece , Kaito with Tattooga's face and ponytail from the LEGO Ideas set 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, Eileen with her pretzel, Hai the ice cream seller, Christina who is obviously a fan of young ninjas with her Lloyd-colored sweater, Mei who takes over Okino's torso, a character delivered in 2020 in the set 71708 Gamer's Market, Tito, a young boy who walks Sensei Wu's husky and Scoop a cleaning robot who joins his colleague Sweep delivered in the set 70620 Ninjago City.

The endowment in minifigs therefore does not forget to please fans of the Ninjago universe but it also leaves a little space for civilians who are necessary to liven up the streets and shops of the city. The balance seems satisfactory to me in this box, there is something for everyone. The pad prints are generally impeccable, the absence of flesh color is undoubtedly a little for something.

Beyond what it offers in terms of construction, the strong point of the set is in my opinion its versatility: the fan of the Ninjago franchise will savor the assembly by meeting many more or less supported winks to the events of the different seasons of the animated series, the fan of Modulars which only seeks to fill the holes left empty since 2018 on the edge of the set 70657 Ninjago City Docks will finally have at its disposal something to extend its maxi-diorama, now composed of the three references available since the launch in 2017 of the set 70620 Ninjago City and he will wait patiently for LEGO to decide to extend the experience.

Those who have hesitated too long to invest in sets 70620 Ninjago City et 70657 Ninjago City Docks and who would nevertheless like to exhibit this exceptional diorama on their shelves today will no doubt find it difficult to catch up without agreeing to pay a high price for these boxes on the secondary market. Is the end result worth the effort? It's up to everyone to judge according to their affinities with the Ninjago universe and the vaguely Japanese theme of these sets which take up everything that makes the salt of the Modulars traditional and add a touch of creative madness.

To be completely honest, I have not embarked on this adventure and I do not plan to do so someday. I already have a lot to do with the different ranges that I collect, but I readily admit that this new district of Ninjago City has good arguments to make. If you can't afford it, at least try to have the opportunity to ride it with whoever is lucky enough to be able to display it at home.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 25th January 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 Marvel Super Heroes set 76173 Spider-Man and Ghost Rider vs. Carnage, a small box of 212 pieces sold for 19.99 € which could easily go unnoticed but which in my opinion deserves better than to be considered as a product which has nothing to offer other than a handful of minifigs.

Ghost Rider is not what we can call a recurring character at LEGO, we have to go back to 2016 to find the only minifig of the character already marketed with the version of the set 76058 Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-up. We then added to our collections Johnny Blaze and his motorcycle, a machine that vaguely resembled the chopper driven by the character in different comics.

In this new box we get Robbie Reyes with his Dodge Charger and the appearance of the minifig confirms that LEGO was inspired by the version of the character seen on screen in the 4th season of the Marvel's Agents of SHIELD series more than that of the comic book run All-New Ghost Rider published in 2014/2015.

The vehicle to be built is largely on the level of what the Speed ​​Champions range offered in the set 75893 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon & 1970 Dodge Charger R / T released in 2019. Both Dodge Chargers are similar except for a few details and this new version adds a touch of playability by replacing the Supercharger of the engine by Stud Shooters that are delusional.

By removing a few body parts to free up connection points, Robbie Reyes' vehicle can go into Ghost Rider mode using a copy of the orange-colored bag of items often included in sets in the LEGO Marvel range. Super Heroes and the effect obtained is quite convincing with some fiery touches that do not detract from the overall appearance of the car.

The assortment of minifigs delivered in this set will not necessarily seem very consistent to everyone and one may wonder what Spider-Man and Carnage are doing in this box. I would gladly have been content with a few gang members who want to do battle with Robbie Reyes but you probably had to make sure the set attracts the younger ones and Spider-Man is generally the ideal candidate.

Robbie Reyes' minifigure is in my opinion really successful and it's hardly the neutral pair of legs that leaves me hungry for more. The character's face conforms to the version seen on the screen and the torso takes the design of the jacket worn by actor Gabriel Luna.

Too bad that LEGO does not provide us with an alternative head for the character, so that we can choose between Robbie Reyes driving his "classic" Dodge Charger and Ghost Rider driving his fiery car.

In any case, I much prefer this version of Ghost Rider to the one in the set. 76058 Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-up who was content to adapt a white head like we find on LEGO skeletons using a somewhat coarse pad printing.

The Carnage minifigure is the one already seen in the set 76113 Spider-Man Bike Rescue (2019) et 76163 Venom Crawler (2020), that of Spider-Man with his arms with really covering pad printing is new but it is also delivered in the other two sets marketed since the beginning of the year (76172 Spider-Man and Sandman Showdown et 76174 Spider-Man's Monster Truck vs. Mysterio).

The increase in the area of ​​the arms covered by the pattern is very good news, it now remains to solve the color difference problem on the assortments of parts with inverted colors: Red on a blue background is darker than red tinted throughout the rest of the torso.

Like many of you, I have come to realize over the waves of new releases released in recent years: with a few exceptions, the content of many sets in the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes range is too often only a pretext to make us pay a high price for a few minifigs. But I think, for once, that's not necessarily the case here as long as you really want to get a version of Ghost Rider that has long deserved to be part of the LEGO assortment.

Two unseen minifigs out of three and a pretty unpretentious vehicle but well within the theme for € 19.99? I say yes, we often have less than that for at least as much.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 18th January 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 two "extensions" of the set's bouquet 10280 Flower Bouquet (756 - 49.99 €) marketed since January 1: LEGO references 40460 Roses (120 - 12.99 €) & 40461 ​​Tulips (111 - € 9.99).

These two small boxes allow in principle to add some flowers to the basic bouquet but they have above all the advantage of being able to compose other thematic bouquets and to do without some of the plants provided in the set 10280 such as the lavender plant or the snapdragon.

We usually offer red roses to someone for whom we have deep and sincere feelings and the tulip allows to mark a more nuanced intention according to the chosen color: white to be forgiven or to emphasize the purity of his feelings. , yellow to declare his flame and his despair of not being loved in return and purple to wish happiness and prosperity to the one who receives the bouquet. LEGO does not provide a red tulip, the flower embodying the same intention as the rose supplied in the other box.

The two roses in the set 40460 Roses are built on the same principle as those of the set 10280 Flower Bouquet, with the two green steering wheels but without the car cowl overlay, replaced here by a series of 4 elements identical to those placed near the center of the flower. the flower is therefore a little less voluminous but the effect remains successful. The stems with their thorns are based on the same assembly as the roses in the bouquet, but the wings of Pteranodon which embodied the leaves are here replaced by more classic elements, which is not to displease me.

Tulips in the set 40461 ​​Tulips are logically all three based on the same combination of parts. It's a bit simple at the assembly level but the effect is visually very successful. The stems are relatively coarse and the leaves will limit the presentation possibilities a bit depending on the vase chosen. If you plan to put together a big bunch of tulips, you can always remove some of the leaves to get a more even distribution of the thing.

In short, these two small unpretentious boxes that may convince some fans to invest in the bouquet of the set 10280 Flower Bouquet also offer many possibilities by collecting several copies, on condition that you agree to pay € 12.99 per set of two roses and € 9.99 for three tulips. I let you calculate the cost price of a large bouquet of red roses with at least ten flowers, we quickly reach peaks.

Some find the bouquet from set 10280 a bit bland and the two red roses sold separately will provide a bit of contrast to the set. The tulips can eventually fill a few spaces left empty by the basic composition, but it will be necessary to put up with the stems and leaves which are more green. flashy in these two small boxes and which will stand out in the middle of the elements in Sand green more discreet in the bouquet.

Note: The set of sets presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 17th January 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation.

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 two small sets from the Creator range that LEGO took the trouble to send for us to talk about: the references 40468 Yellow Taxi & 40469 Tuk-tuk, both currently sold at the public price of € 9.99 on the official online store.

The theme: the transport of people for remuneration across the world with two very different versions of the concept: on the one hand the classic American yellow taxi with its advertising panels on the roof as we see it circulating in the streets of New- York, on the other an Indian tuk-tuk with its colorful bodywork and traditional decorations.

The two vehicles are not the scale of each other, as you can imagine. The 124-piece New York taxi is strangely "crushed" in the passenger compartment and we can't really say that LEGO succeeds in selling us a Ford Crown Victoria. But it's Creator at 9.99 € and simplification is essential. The taxi is 6 studs wide, which should please fans of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range who have not appreciated the recent change in format of the vehicles in the range. No elaborate windshield, we are satisfied with a few almost transparent bricks.

The 155-piece tuk-tuk is much more successful, we find all the attributes of the machine that circulates in the streets of Indian, Pakistani or Thai megalopolises: a mix of more or less assorted colors, traditional decorations, packed lunches placed on the roof, everything is there. The assembly of the machine is more interesting than that of the yellow taxi, the latter being ultimately a pile of bricks on wheels. If you only have 10 € to spend and you have to choose between these two boxes, the tuk-tuk should be taken, both for the end result and for the pleasure of assembly.

With their reduced inventories, these two machines are quickly assembled and it will then be up to each to find a place for them in a diorama: the yellow taxi can circulate in the streets of a "classic" LEGO city and the tuk-tuk can eventually expand a thematic exhibition shelf on Asia (Ninjago, Monkie Kid), even if the version delivered here is not really emblematic of China or Japan and that it is not on the minifig scale.

Only the taxi is accompanied by stickers for the license plates, the mention on the doors and the advertising panels placed on the roof. No minifigure in these two boxes and that's a bit of a shame. A passenger hailing the taxi and a driver for the tuk-tuk would have been welcome, just to pass the pill on the public price of these small boxes.

In short, these two small sets probably do not deserve that we spend hours there and if LEGO had not bothered to send them, we would probably never have talked about them beyond the announcement of their availability. .

These are small additions that can possibly enhance a more global staging and only the tuk-tuk seems to me sufficiently accomplished to deserve to belong to the Creator range. The yellow cab is more eyeing the universe 4+ and with its vintage yet crass design it might bring back memories for those who had LEGOs in their toy boxes 15 or 20 years ago.

Note: The set of sets presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 15th January 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.