Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Star Wars set 75274 Tie Fighter Pilot Helmet (724 pieces - € 59.99), one of three boxes launched this year which allow you to assemble reproductions in LEGO versions of emblematic helmets from the Star Wars universe.

After the (almost) white version of the set 75276 Stormtrooper Helmet I was telling you about a few days ago, it is a question here of assembling the helmet of a pilot of Tie Fighter and it is thus logically very ... black. Of the three models currently released, only the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett models have black background pages in the instruction booklet. Here, for the sake of legibility of the assembly instructions, the pages are with a gray background as is the case for the vast majority of LEGO sets.

The principle of the internal structure that will accommodate the different textural elements remains very close to that used for the Stormtrooper helmet with colored parts, windows, hooks to fix the nose of the helmet and intermediate plates to stiffen everything. We also find over the pages some technical solutions identical to those used for the helmet of set 75276, in particular for the nose of the model. If you follow the assembly of the two models in question, you will realize it, but the phase of assembling the various modules which constitute the external texture of this helmet proposes some variations which will allow you to quickly forget these similarities.

The presentation base on which the small presentation plate is attached is identical to that of set 75276, it is logical and consistent to maintain a range effect even if I find more and more this plate with the big LEGO logo superfluous .

The exterior texture of this helmet being black, we can distinguish here much less the colored parts that appeared between the different white sub-assemblies of the Stormtrooper helmet. The two gray pad-printed parts of the nose are bordered by two small stickers with in the end a rather hazardous alignment between the patterns of these different elements which spoils the visual rendering a little.

The other detail that saddens me about this model: the gray flexible tubes on which the 18 pieces are plugged which give their texture to the two pipes remain visible if you do not carefully distribute these pieces to hide them. There is still space when the 18 parts in question are in place and it is therefore necessary to tighten these elements on the very exposed portion of the curve to the detriment of the lower part of the pipe for an optimal rendering.

If you are an observer, you will understand that everything that is not on the sheet of stickers (see above) is pad printed. So we get two pretty Dish which attach to the front of the helmet and which largely contribute to giving a rounded (and smooth) effect to the upper part of the model.

This second helmet is one centimeter higher than that of the Stromtrooper (19 cm high, base included) and unlike the latter it benefits from an alternation between smooth areas and stepped studs on the upper part and on the back. rear of the model which I think is really beneficial for the overall aesthetic. This smooth headband accentuates the rounded effect of the helmet even if it also gives the impression that the product lacks volume in certain places, especially when viewed from the back.

As for the Stormtrooper helmet that I presented to you a few days ago, it's up to everyone to see if this profusion of tenons and the staircase effect on the curves of the model suits you. The fact remains that the designer did what he could with the chosen scale and that he did not do too badly in my opinion once again.

This pilot's helmet being black, it will be necessary to work on the ambient lighting to expose it in its best light. It is also when several models are exposed side by side that this new collection takes on its full meaning in my opinion: these helmets certainly have their faults and their approximations, but the concept works rather well when several models are brought together and observed. 'a certain distance. I hope that LEGO will extend the experience with many other models, the helmet of Phasma, a red helmet of Sith Trooper or even versions for example based on the helmets of the Mandalorian seen in the Disney + series and Sabine Wren (Rebels ) would ultimately be welcome.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 5th May 2020 next at 23pm. the shipment of the prize to the winner will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

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 2020 novelties around the Spider-Man universe with the LEGO Marvel set 76148 Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock (234 pieces - 29.99 €). This box features a new Spider-Cycle which vaguely recalls the version of the set 76113 Spider-Man Bike Rescue (2019), but here the machine has a transformation "function". Indeed, the motorcycle includes a detachable element which allows Spider-Girl to also have a vehicle to face Octopus and try to recover the 200 dollars that the villain stole somewhere.

The initial idea is not bad, I am still interested in the modularity of a machine capable of splitting into several sub-vehicles and this is a mechanical spider separated into two elements that come to clip on the sides of the motorcycle. Overall, the "assembled" version of the bike remains acceptable, although there is only room for Spider-Man on the vehicle.

Once the mechanical spider has been removed and assembled, the bike, on the other hand, looks less proud with its visible blue pins. For its part, the mechanical spider benefits from very limited mobility and the only points of articulation are placed at the level of the "claws", the rest of the frame of the construction being fixed. No controllers for Spider Girl, she's just sitting on her spider, her arms dangling.

Only the motorcycle is equipped with two Stud Shooters placed at the front of the vehicle and the mechanical spider has no coin launcher. The gameplay is therefore a little limited even if we can pretend that Spider-Girl throws webs using the complete assortment of white pieces provided. It should be noted that Spider-Man adopts as usual a driving position that is far from natural.

The Spider-Cycle is equipped with the rims already seen on Black Panther's bike in the set 76142 Avengers Speeder Bike Attack  and on the AIM machine seen in the set 76143 Avengers Truck Takedown. This element that I find very successful will eventually arrive one day on the chassis of a vehicle in a LEGO Creator Expert box or a set from the Technic range ...

As for the three figurines delivered in this box, it is minimum service: The Spider-Man minifigure, the other very common variant in recent years with its legs injected in two colors, is the one already seen in the sets 76113 Spider-Man Bike Rescue (2019) 76114 Spider-Man's Spider Crawler (2019) 76115 Spider Mech vs. Venom (2019) 76150 Spiderjet vs. Venom Mech (2020) et 76163 Venom Crawler (2020)

The torso and head of Doc Ock are the elements already delivered in 2019 in the set 76134 Doc Ock Diamond Heist and the hair provided here already equipped several versions of the character marketed since 2004. The exoskeleton is here dressed in stickers which do the job quite well by bringing an additional level of detail to all the parts that form the mechanical appendages of the character.

The Anya Corazon (Earth-616) figurine delivered in this box is the only one to be unseen and it is currently exclusive to this box. It takes over the hair of many "civilians" seen in different sets of the LEGO CITY range and on the head of Toryn Farr (Star Wars) or Erin Gilbert (Ghostbusters). To really stick to the character's outfit and offer a more successful finish, a few white lines on the legs of the minifigure would have been welcome. The design of the torso is very correct here, but like the Ghost Spider minifigure in the set 76149 The Menace of Mysterio, the spider-shaped black area turns gray and looks a bit sloppy to me.

According to the official descriptions provided by the manufacturer, this is not the first time that Spider-Girl has made an appearance in a LEGO set. The character was indeed indicated as delivered in 2016 in the box 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle, even if we remember that it was then in fact Spider-Woman in Ultimate version, more than Spider-Girl.

In summary, for a collector, this box is only of interest for the original minifig it allows to obtain, the rest being already seen or dispensable. For the little ones, there's plenty of fun with an acceptable 2-in-1 vehicle and a super villain to fight. € 30 for all that, however, is a bit expensive. As usual, patience will be rewarded with a few euros saved at Amazon and others within a few months.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 3th May 2020 next at 23pm. No emergency for the draws, the shipments will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

Today we take the tour of the LEGO Star Wars set 75276 Stormtrooper Helmet  (647 pieces - 59.99 €), a product clearly identified by LEGO as intended for an audience of adult fans, or at least major. The objective here is to start a collection of helmets from the Star Wars universe, a collection which currently consists of three references and whose future will probably depend on the commercial success of the various products launched this year.

The (too) big packaging announces the color, here we do not have fun, we collect and we exhibit. The product is also staged in a context a little more "luxurious" than usual with an instruction booklet with a glued square back and pages on a black background reminiscent of those in the Architecture range booklets.

Even if I stuck a minifigure next to the helmet on some photos, I think the product is sufficient on its own without the presence of a Stormtrooper figurine in the box: the target audience for these products is much larger that of LEGO fans and this attempt to appeal to an audience of fans of exhibition products based on the saga must in my opinion focus on the essentials. Despite everything, I find that LEGO was a little shy on this issue in terms of the scale of the final product: this helmet is finally only 13x13x13 cm without the base which allows it to take a little height and reach 18 cm from above.

If the finished product is relatively sober, the first stages of construction are a little more festive with an assortment of colored parts to assemble to constitute the "skeleton" of the model. Some will undoubtedly appreciate this visual distraction and the techniques used to make this part of the product before embarking on the assembly of the two-tone texture of the helmet, for my part I am very insensitive.

As for the ship in the set 75252 UCS Imperial Star Destroyer, I find that these colored insides distort the experience of assembling this collector's product a bit, but it's very personal. What is less is that several of these colored parts remain visible from certain angles on the final model, by small touches certainly, but they break a little the uniformity of the external texture of the helmet.

No big surprise here, when the internal structure is assembled, we start to add the different textured elements with large visible stud reinforcements that will gradually give its final shape to this Stormtrooper helmet. The designer is doing in my opinion honorably given the scale chosen and the curves and other hooks to reproduce. We could discuss certain angles or certain volumes, but in my opinion it is useless to seek absolute fidelity to the reference model on this scale.

There are still a few empty spaces here and there, but observed from a reasonable distance, this helmet therefore seems rather faithful to the model from which it is inspired. The tastes and colors are indisputable and some will appreciate this rendering all to the glory of the brand and its Studs where others would have preferred a slightly smoother finish.

The helmet being mostly white, it is difficult to escape two aesthetic flaws that are really obvious: the white parts are not all "the same white", with variations ranging from cold white to creamy white, and the different stickers to sticking on the model, however, they are printed on a really white background. This patchwork of hues is a bit annoying on a high-end product intended for exhibition and whose pieces can only tarnish a little more over time.

As you have noted, the black base is dressed with a small pad printed plate which reminds us that this is a helmet of ... Stormtrooper. By putting a smaller logo, there was room to possibly print a few facts on the character concerned, just to reinforce the premium aspect of the product a little.

Was there a different scale (and higher price) for these models to be considered in order to be able to fine-tune the level of detail of the product? Maybe yes. As it stands, there are a lot of aesthetic compromises that a LEGO fan will gladly forgive as they know and understand the limitations of the brand's concept. I'm not sure that a collector of Star Wars merchandise accustomed to high-end models offered by other manufacturers is so forgiving and understanding. The future will tell.

Concerning the target of the product clearly identified on the packaging via the 18+ classification, the construction experience does indeed call for some unusual techniques but it does not require any particular know-how to reach the end of the model. A child used to putting together LEGO sets will do well. The product does not offer any playability beyond the assembly phase, it is above all in the sense that it is intended for an adult audience.

In short, if you like LEGOs and the Star Wars universe, this product is for you: It reproduces an emblematic element of the saga, it does not take up too much space and it costs only 60 €. You will find a place available on a corner of the shelf to display this helmet and display your passion for the universe in question without cluttering your living room. If you are a fan of derivative products without necessarily being a fan of LEGO, this product is probably not the ultimate LEGO version mockup you were hoping for despite its large attractive box.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 2th May 2020 next at 23pm. the shipment of the prize to the winner will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

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 75278 DO (519 pieces), a novelty that will be available on the official online store from April 19 at the public price of 74.99 € / 89.90 CHF.

As was already the case for sets 75187BB-8 et 75230 Porg, it is about assembling an exhibition model of one of the many mascots that the LEGO Star Wars universe imposes on us over the episodes of the saga. DO is therefore the character we love or hate in the latest episode and LEGO offers us an adaptation based on bricks that we sell as a product for collectors accompanied by its presentation plate.

The assembly of the model is rather interesting with some original techniques which allow to realize the wheel of the droid. The "belt" of parts threaded onto flexible tubes which must then be bent to obtain the tread is well thought out and even if one doubts for a moment the reliability of the solution imagined by the designer, it must be recognized that everything is fits correctly when it comes to connecting the two ends of the headband to the inner part of the wheel. Two side panels showing the various details seen on the screen on the body of the droid finish filling the spaces and the whole is mounted on the presentation stand. At this point, we obviously understand that the wheel does not turn on itself and that's a bit of a shame.

The droid's black neck is then set up via an offset arm attached to the wheel. It is consistent with the version seen on the screen and so far the result is aesthetically convincing with in particular a few tubes which circulate between the wheel and the stroke of the character. The DO head is for its part composed of half-cones at the base of which is fixed the black plate equipped with antennas via a through axis.

It is at this stage of the assembly that an aesthetic detail seems annoying to me: the head is only fixed to the wheel via an axle plugged into the black neck which turns on itself and, from certain angles, we really have the impression that she is not united with the rest of the droid. I understand that the use of the two white half-cones for the head here requires this type of offset mounting, but I find the solution a little disappointing. Regarding the little green half-cones used for the droid's head: the injection points are really very visible on these elements (the light spots visible in the photos) and it's a bit unsightly.

This droid only has two features, if we can call them that: The head rotates on itself via a first wheel placed on the side arm and it can be tilted forward or back via a second wheel placed lower. Since this is a pure exhibition product, we can consider that these functions only make sense to vary the presentation poses. No one will play with this droid and after a few turns of the dial to put it in the desired position we quickly move on. I wish I could have tilted the whole droid forward slightly to put it in a more dynamic position and create a displacement effect.

Note that there is only one sticker in this box, that of the presentation plate. The three black bands of the head and the grille of the muzzle are pad printed. The presentation plate is also irrelevant, it only lists some basic information and LEGO could have made an effort on this point, just to strengthen the collector's side of the thing.

LEGO also provides a droid minifigure in this box, it is the one already seen in the sets 75249 Resistance Y-Wing Starfighter et 75257 Millennium Falcon in 2019.

In short, despite the questionable aesthetic compromise at the level of the head, I already know that this exhibition product will necessarily find its audience among those who like to exhibit the various reproductions of droids from the Star Wars universe. DO will take place on a shelf alongside R2-D2 and BB-8 but you will have to deal with the different scales imagined by LEGO: the BB-8 version of the set 75187BB-8 is 25cm tall for a droid who is actually over sixty centimeters tall. The LEGO version of DO will therefore slightly exceed its pal with its 27 cm high for a real screen size of only 30 centimeters. Too bad for the consistency of the duo.

The set is now referenced on the official online store and it will go on sale on April 19. My advice: wait wisely for May 1 and the launch of the offers of May the 4th operation before having fun.

Note: The product presented here, purchased by me, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 30th next at 23pm. the shipment of the prize to the winner will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

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 LEGO Marvel Spider-Man set 76147 Vulture's Trucker Robbery (93 pieces - 24.99 €), a box flanked by the 4+ logo which is therefore aimed at an audience of very young fans of the Marvel universe.

Even if it is self-sufficient with a very balanced content that allows three young fans to stage a clash between Spider-Man on his motorcycle, Vulture and his mechanical wings and the armored van to escort, I see this box as a nice addition to the set 76149 The Menace of Mysterio of which it takes again the general framework, the robbery, and some elements like the white chests containing ingots and precious stones. It will be necessary to accept the idea that Spider-Man is duplicated but the two sets together allow for really fun.

Looking more closely, we see that this set is a good example of recycling many elements already used more or less frequently in the past: The armored van is logically composed of a few large parts including the gray frame which was already used as a base. for the vehicle from the LEGO Juniors Jurassic World set 10757 Raptor Rescue Truck in 2018 and for the garbage dumpster from the LEGO CITY set 60220 Garbage Truck in 2019.

The big green hood is a bit rarer, it had not been seen in a set since 2008, when it was used for the CITY set truck 7733 Truck & Forklift. We especially remember the two green panels stamped with a diamond and the windshield holder already used for the green locomotive from the LEGO CITY set 60198 Freight Train (2018) but also for the truck of the set 76015 Doc Ock Truck Heist marketed in 2014.

The red motorbike also returns regularly in different sets since 2016, including some LEGO CITY and DC Comics boxes. Despite the inevitable assortment of colors reminiscent of the Spider-Man costume, here it lacks a few designs that truly identify the vehicle as Spider-Man's. Designers usually put it everywhere, so this bike without specific decoration seems a little too neutral to me.

Too bad the "armored" van is not completely closed, as it is, it looks more like a public works truck than anything else. The designer will no doubt have wanted to facilitate access to the rear of the vehicle to allow Vulture to steal the load when arriving by air. The same goes for the driver's cabin, which is not covered. It's far from believable, even for a very young fan, but we will do with it. Small funny detail, the rear part of the van is ejectable via a very simple mechanism.

In the minifig department, we also recycle many elements: The torso of the driver of the truck who has the features of Tina Goldstein is that of the guardian of the Arkham asylum in the set 76138 Batman and The Joker Escape (2019). Spider-Man minifig is the one seen in the sets 76133 Spider-Man Car Chase (2019) 76134 Doc Ock Diamond Heist (2019) 76146 Spider-Man Mech (2020) et 76149 The Menace of Mysterio (2020)

The torso of the vulture is the one delivered in 2019 in the set 76114 Spider-Man's Spider Crawler and the character's face also appeared in the sets 76059 Doc Ock's Tentacle Trap (2016) et 76083 Beware The Vulture (2017). Only the wings also used for the character of Falcon, here delivered in L, are really new and for the moment exclusive to this set.

In short, this box is not enough to wake up a seasoned collector but it does offer something to have fun for one or more young fans of the Spider-Man universe. This is the whole point of these sets stamped 4+. The public price of this box is set at 29.99 € and it is as usual a little excessive. We will wait a few months for the price to drop at Amazon to have fun.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at April 21th next at 23pm. No emergency for the draws, the shipments will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

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.