Today we continue the series of rapid tests of sets from the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range with the reference 76895 Ferrari F8 Tribute (275 pieces - € 19.99) which allows us to assemble a vehicle for which the passage in 8 studs of the entire range is in theory beneficial if we take into account the usual aesthetics of the models of the Italian brand.

This is partly true, we finally get a very large Ferrari with proportions much more consistent with the usual characteristics of the various models of the manufacturer. But that's all. Before shouting genius, it is still necessary to understand what a Ferrari F8 Tributo is. That's it :

And you can try to convince me that the LEGO-style reproduction of this curvaceous vehicle is convincing, I maintain that this is far from the case because we are reaching the limits of what is possible here. to make this scale even with the smallest of LEGO bricks.

We can tell that the designer has clung to a few iconic details of the model to try to find points of reference to reproduce, but he seems to have given up very quickly in front of this almost impossible challenge. You probably find me a little too demanding but the official description of the product is in my opinion a little pretentious for this set: "... All of the 2020 LEGO® Speed ​​Champions models are 25% larger, which means the vehicles are more faithful to the original versions than ever! ..."

There remains a car that has the color of a Ferrari, the logo of a Ferrari and some bodywork elements that could make one think of old models of the Italian manufacturer much more angular like the 288, the 308, the 458 or the F40, models to which this new version pays more or less homage. But in my opinion, the construction is not completed enough to conclude that it is an F8 Tributo.

All considerations relating to the fidelity of the LEGO version to the reference model aside, the fact remains that this Ferrari has the look of a Ferrari. The width of the new chassis gives it what could be lacking until now in the versions of the many sets sold in the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range: an acceptable width which also allows the model to be crushed a little to give it allure.

For assembly, it's business as usual: a few big filler parts inside the new vehicle chassis and a bunch of small parts to try and get a cohesive body. Like the other boxes in the range, the set makes intensive use of Wedges with 45 ° cutout.

In terms of finish, it's complicated. The model offered here is not a competition version packed with sponsors, so we logically end up with a reduced number of stickers and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, we also find ourselves with three shades of red between the color of the parts, that of the ink of the stickers and that of the red zone pad printed on the canopy. I will not dwell on the pathetic front headlights in two stickers which are an important element of the aesthetics of the vehicle and which are here relegated to the rank of simple details on sticky paper.

The rear of the vehicle is a little more successful with real headlights even if here too we clearly reach the limits of what it was possible to do on this scale. It's paradoxical, but I almost regret that the designer did not rely more on a sticker-based solution to refine certain details of the design.

In the area of ​​pad-printed parts, we get two red Nexo Knights shields with a black area, the part that is at the front of the hood just behind the logo and two 1x1 pieces with a micro Ferrari logo to be placed on the front fenders. As usual, the steering wheel is offset, but there is room for two minifigs inside the cockpit which is unfortunately "ventilated" by the space available between the side windows and the doors.

The minifigure provided is a fan of the brand poorly dressed with his t-shirt a little pale, not enough to get up at night. The fault of taste: not having put an expensive pair of leather gloves on his hands.

In short, the vehicle to be assembled is undoubtedly a Ferrari even if we do not really know which one. And in my opinion, this is the whole paradox of this reproduction with a somewhat approximate design which nevertheless really benefits on certain points from the change in format of the range and which refers the previous models to the rank of simple, slightly misshapen toys.

As usual, it will cost € 19.99 to afford this Ferrari from January 1 or wait a few weeks to take advantage of a promo at Amazon.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 29, 2019 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 have finished with the series of reviews of the sets marketed since last October with a box that I consider a little missed, we start that of the sets scheduled for December 26, 2019 with a product that in my opinion does not deserve better: the LEGO Star Wars reference 75269 Duel on Mustafar (208 pieces - 24.99 €), a box which according to LEGO "... stimulates children's imaginations and encourages them to develop their creativity with fun adventures inspired by Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith ...". An entire program.

Regulars of the LEGO Star Wars range will have understood that this new box is designed on the same principle as the set 75236 Duel on Starkiller Base (191 pieces - € 19.99) marketed in 2019: a small, vaguely modular, minimalist playset on which several mobile elements are integrated.

The base can be locked in the open or closed position with two clips. Why not, the combat zone remains perfectly functional in both configurations. It's hard to criticize the level of detail of the construction, for a set at this scale it's absolutely correct. The mix of red lava, transparent pieces, and black rocks is balanced and visually it's pretty much consistent although I think replacing a few red pieces with additional transparent ones might have better symbolized the floating side of the two. platforms.

The two small platforms move on the red rail in an attempt to replicate the clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a rather pissed off Anakin Skywalker who has just strangled his wife. You have to grab them by the black protuberance to make them turn on themselves and move them forward on the rail. It's vintage, it feels like the 80s.

Two rods placed under the base of these platforms would have been welcome to be able to easily move the two supports and attend a fight without fingers that disturb the action. This was the case in the set 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel on the same theme marketed in 2005.

You understood it thanks to pine clearly visible blue, the collector arm is mobile to allow it to fall into the lava flow on which the two characters clash. The Floating Platform and Collector Droid are done correctly, and it is even possible to ease Anakin's ejection by positioning him on the single-stud centerpiece of the Collector Droid.

Since it's LEGO, you can also cut off its legs by removing the part from the minifig. It's funny. Ultimate feature of this playset, a "molten lava explosion", or rather a manual pull tab that vaguely ejects three small orange-colored pieces. LEGO's ability to make tons of them still amazes me.

The two minifigs "Battle Damaged"provided are unpublished but we can also consider that they are" refreshed "versions of existing figurines. Complete collectors will probably not agree, they have probably already made room for these two new figurines in their frame Ribba The pad prints are successful and the damage to the torsos brings some context to the scene presented in this set Special mention for Obi-Wan's tunic with tears which reveal the brown of the lower layer of clothing. I always appreciate the kind of detail that shows the graphic designers have thought about it.

If you're wondering where you've ever seen Anakin's legs, this was in the set 75214 Anakin's Jedi Starfighter marketed in 2018 and the character's hair is the one available in around forty sets. No more bubbles in the blades of lightsabers as has been the case for several months now, there is just a small injection point at the end of the blade that is easily concealed by reversing the direction of the part.

Double faces for the two protagonists: Anakin angry / Anakin very angry and Obi-Wan a little annoyed and Obi-Wan who wonders what he's doing there. It's always taken for collectors.

In short, we can not say that this scene is a chestnut tree at LEGO and it perhaps deserved better than an ultra-minimalist playset with symbolic decor. We will have to deal with it while we wait for something better.

Collectors will have two minifigs that are and will probably remain exclusive to this box for a long time. As for the price, we go to € 24.99 for this new duel while the set 75236 Duel on Starkiller Base is sold for € 19.99. 5 € more, that's probably the price to pay for a few more pieces and two exclusive minifigs instead of one, the Rey figurine in set 75236 is indeed available in a good half-dozen sets .

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 28, 2019 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 are quickly interested in a small box that will be available from January 1, 2020 on the official online store and in the LEGO Stores: the LEGO set 40385 Trophy with its 200 pieces, its sheet of 20 stickers and its retail price set at € 12.99.

The idea here is interesting and rather well executed. It is about assembling a small cup about fifteen centimeters high (base included) which can then be personalized according to the person who will receive it. It's fun to assemble, it's solid thanks in particular to the axis that crosses the foot of the cup and LEGO provides a whole set of colorful elements that make this award unique.

Two zones can be personalized: the plate fixed to the white base and the Tile white which eventually replaces a yellow part on the cup itself. There are as many rectangular plates as there are stickers of the same size and LEGO provides 12 Tiles (6 white and 6 yellow) for the stickers that take place on the cup. Bravo for the very complete inventory.

We regret that the text stickers are only provided in English, boards available in several languages ​​depending on the marketing areas would have been welcome. Nothing prevents you from creating your own messages, but the goal of the product is all the same to offer a successful concept without having to use the printer and the scissors.

Apart from this problem of locating the messages to stick on the base, I think that we have here a nice little product which, if it is affordable (the public price has not yet been communicated), should allow the youngest to hand over trophies around them without dipping too much into their pocket money. Conversely, parents will be able to store a few boxes and distribute rewards on various occasions while giving a nod to their children's passion.

I enthusiastically validate this little set without pretension or license which only asks to be enthroned on the corner of the desk of a young schoolboy.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 24, 2019 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.

I had saved the best for last before moving on to the 2020 novelties of the LEGO Star Wars range: today we are very quickly going around the LEGO Star Wars set. 75255 Yoda (1771 pieces - 109.99 €), a box which in theory takes over from the version Ultimate Collector Series of the character seen in set 7194, which has really aged poorly since its launch in 2002.

Let's get rid of the subject right away: this new set is not a UCS, nothing allows us to say so without hanging on to the branches and inventing arguments that go in this direction. If all the products that come with a descriptive plate were UCS, it would be known and the sets 75187 BB-8 et 75230 Porg which were also accompanied by a presentation plate do not really deserve to benefit from this classification.

That being said, I wanted to give myself time to really judge this new version of Yoda and not to react negatively to the product announcement. So I had the time to take a good look at this figurine from all angles and I am now sure that I have formed an objective opinion: it is ugly. You too have had plenty of time to form an opinion on this product, or even to buy it, and my opinion is logically only binding on me.

For those who still hesitate, know that the figurine is assembled by slices of stacked pieces which come to be fixed on a frame based on Technic elements. The solution is interesting and allows the thing to be stored at the bottom of a drawer without having to disassemble everything: just remove the various sub-assemblies and lay them flat. On the other hand, it is a little off-putting and you can, like me, assemble the different elements over several weeks, so as not to get bored. If you mess up a bit, nothing serious, it won't really show.

If you like exposed studs, the textural effect of Yoda's coat overlaying his dark tunic is pretty good, the staircase stacking works pretty well from a distance. The sleeves fall, the texture covers the legs of the creature which are in the process well centered under the figurine and the volumes are respected especially at the shoulders.

The bravery piece of the set is obviously the assembly of the character's head which then comes to slip a Technic axis. It's convoluted to perfection with original techniques and we end up with a slightly strange head in the style "Planet of the Apes"which nevertheless seems to me to be well proportioned with the rest of the body. No moving elements on Yoda's face, apart from the eyelids which are too thick which can shift into position"You bought me, now display me on your dresser or I get mad"Or"Oh no, not right away in the drawer where you'll forget me for years to come".

The shape of the face is correct, the nose and the chin are faithful but these bulging eyes with a lot of void around spoil the appearance of the "sculpture" a little. The head can be oriented to the left or to the right, convenient for Yoda to stare at your guests insistently depending on the corner of the dresser on which the figurine will be enthroned.

The lightsaber blade is made up of a string of pieces on a white axis and once in place, the sword is attached to the character's right hand. The weapon is quite successful, with a nice handle. We are satisfied with what we find. Oh yes, the character's hands are also very realistic, with joints that wrap rather well around the handle of the sword. You cannot blame me for being too negative.

The ultimate snub to all those who spent their money in this box, LEGO provides them with a minifig of Yoda with an olive green head, the color that I think would have been perfect for the head and hands of the large minifigure. instead of Sand green used here.

As a bonus, this minifigure is not even exclusive to this box, it is the one already seen in the sets 75142 Homing Spider Droid in 2016, 75168 Yoda's Jedi Starfighter and in 2017 75233 Droid Gunship this year. The identification plate is not of much interest, it's just a pretext to give the set presence and motivate collectors "of plate sets that are necessarily UCS, it's the thing that said it".

As usual, if you don't have a Yoda "sculpture", don't waste your time trying to get the one from set 7194 which is too expensive on the aftermarket anyway and stick with this one anyway. this which will inevitably end up in destocking everywhere. While waiting for better.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 23, 2019 next at 23pm. Quickly.

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 series of rapid tests of the new LEGO Speed ​​Champions products planned for early 2020 with the set 76896 Nissan GT-R NISMO (298 pieces - 19.99 €).

Still based on the new 8 stud chassis, this vehicle also seems to me to confirm that the change in format of the range is beneficial in terms of scale and proportions: as for the Audi of the set 76897 1985 Audi Quattro S1 (250 pieces - 19.99 €), we get a car that does not seem too narrow and as if excessively stretched in length.

The front is a little less successful here than the rear, although the designer has done his best to reproduce the grille of the GT-R. The front curve of the fenders falls a little into the void and you have to be content with headlights made from stickers. At the rear, it's a little better with headlights based on real parts ingeniously integrated.

For the rest, the curves of the Nissan GT-R NISMO are almost all there, the new windshield fits perfectly into the construction and the level of detail is very satisfactory. There are still a few spaces to fill here and there, such as for example at the junction of the rear window in two parts hinged on the body, but it will have to be done with.

I note the relative fragility of the rear exhausts which only hold because the gray tubes are plugged into a stud and which are sure to come off on occasion. The rest seems solid enough to withstand the assaults of the youngest drifting fans, apart from perhaps the black quarter-circles of the mirrors which can also disappear under a cabinet.

I will give you the same reflection each time, but I never tire of it: The model is completely covered with stickers. Only the front hood and the two elements that form the roof of the vehicle are pad printed.

As usual, the white of the stickers is not that of the parts and the overall rendering suffers a bit. I also note a phenomenon that seems to me to be increasing lately: the stickers are less and less resistant to being temporarily peeled off to be repositioned with a large part of the glue that remains on the part.

For lack of anything better, we also dream of a second sheet of stickers in the box, with why not a version highlighting sponsors exclusively from the LEGO universe (Turbo Oil, Octan, Anwa Race, Hill Suspensions, KRN Powertools, etc ...) so that two children who obtain the same set can for example differentiate their vehicles.

We find here the problem of space available in the cockpit already present on the Audi Quattro S1, but the roof closes completely without having to modify the construction. The steering wheel is still not in front of the driver and you have to tilt the minifigure forward slightly because of the headrest, you will have to get used to it. Thanks to the new windshield, the pilot can however keep both hands on the wheel.

The holding of the minifigure is consistent with that seen on the various pilots at the controls of the vehicle, nothing exceptional especially since I am not a fan of the dotted lines which a priori represent the seams of the suit.

LEGO provides hair for the character, and female hair is missing so young girls who dream of someday becoming a racing driver rather than baking cupcakes or mothering puppies in their girlfriend's store can find their way around. It's good of LEGO to tell us stories about "gender-neutral" toys, but every once in a while you need to take action on products that really deserve it.

In short, this is a very nice model which also benefits from the passage to 8 studs of the whole range which allows to obtain real reproductions with consistent proportions. The vehicle can find its place in an exhibition window or on the racing circuit of a child's room.

19.99 €, however, it is a bit expensive for a single car without the steering or friction displacement system and its driver, so we will have to wait for a drop in price at Amazon and others so as not to have the impression that LEGO is abusing a bit of our benevolence towards him.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 26, 2019 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.