Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Star Wars book 5008878 The Force of Creativity, a derivative product sold on the official online store since May 1, 2024 at the public price of €149.99.

The price charged suggests an exceptional product intended for the fans most committed to the Star Wars universe, it is therefore advisable to check if the promise is kept before committing to a pre-order with delivery scheduled for July 2024 .

It is difficult to criticize the packaging of the product, the work of just over 300 pages is delivered in a high-end box which suggests that we are dealing with something exceptional and new.

The box set is indeed magnificent, it is almost too much for a simple book but LEGO specifies that the work is accompanied by an "exclusive" time capsule described as a treasure made up of collector's items and which one could legitimately imagine filled with exceptional products.

Worse, this product is excluded from current promotional offers, its exceptional character probably placing it above the lot of boxes containing common plastic bricks. I reassure you right away, this is not the case.

First observation, not a LEGO brick on the horizon. Not even a pad-printed collector's brick, let alone a copy of the brick celebrating the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars range that we find in many boxes. There is only cardboard and paper here, a lot of paper.

Concerning the work itself, the most dedicated fans will not learn much from the pages. It is more of a collection of information available for a long time in other books or quite simply online and even if the quotes from the many speakers remain interesting, there is nothing to make it a real investigative work. and journalism. This book at least has the merit of approaching the LEGO Star Wars universe from all angles, including through fan work.

It is therefore a somewhat lazy summary of fan service printed on glossy paper and certainly richly illustrated which focuses everything on its appearance to the detriment of its content and we are left wanting more while having the impression of having already heard or read the information distilled throughout the pages. I would point out for those who do not understand, this book is only available in English and it is necessary to master the language of Shakespeare to really benefit from it.

We could say that the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars range needed to be celebrated with this beautiful book, but at €150 per item and promised delivery on the Greek calendar, I think we have the right to hope for a little more than visuals already seen elsewhere and anecdotes worn to the core.

This book being a pure product to glorify the manufacturer, do not expect to find any perspective on the work of designers or marketing people. It's advertising, certainly well packaged, but it's advertising above all.

As for the promised "time capsule", that's also the disappointment: The box contains some reproductions of documents relating to the launch of the LEGO Star Wars range in 1999 but you also have to make do with a postcard, instructions for products offered in LEGO Stores (without the bricks) and a few boards of little historical interest.

Still no plastic in sight but a mini diorama in low-end corrugated cardboard to assemble yourself which is unspeakably sad and whose manufacturing quality leaves something to be desired. It's definitely very meager for a "treasure" made up of collector's items.

I am not going to do more about this product, you will have understood that I am frankly doubtful about its interest and its price. In form, it is very well executed with a pretty box containing a book with careful layout and very clean visuals, but the substance is not there. In any case no more than in many other books which deal with the same subject and which present us with the same anecdotes for ten times less expensive. The time capsule, for its part, is a huge joke. This is obviously only my opinion and you will be able to form your own when the book is actually available.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 15th May 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

While waiting to be able to tell you about the new features for the second half of 2024, today we quickly return to the content of the LEGO Harry Potter set 76428 Hagrid's Hut: An Unexpected Visit, a box of 896 pieces available since March 1 at the public price of €74.99.

The latest version of the construction shown here dates from 2019 with the set 75947 Hagrid's Hut Buckbeak's Rescue (496 pieces - €64.99) and LEGO is taking the very laudable initiative this year to offer us a cabin inspired by the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets closed on all its sides with the added bonus of the possibility of removing the roof and opening the construction to make an easily accessible playset. So we finally get the best of both worlds, even if we have to pay a price.

Nothing to say about the textural effects on the walls and roof even if some will find it all a little crude in places, it is consistent with the cabin seen on the screen. Even if the moss and grass are crudely interpreted here, the main attributes of the cabin in the film are there, it is perhaps lacking enough to raise it a little and add a few steps in front of the entrance but it is already very good Thus.

The roof is removable and it can be easily removed without breaking everything. Then simply unhook the two front half-sections and move them aside to open up the space which will serve as a play area for the youngest. In the opposite direction, the cabin will quickly be put away while waiting for other adventures, it's well designed.

The interior designs are successful without doing too much and leaving room to install a few figurines. Hagrid can sit in his armchair, there is something to sit on, some furniture including the shell of Norbert's egg is installed and some decorations are attached to the walls. This is enough for us to recognize the places. There are also four stickers to stick but nothing prohibitive.

In this box we obtain two of the fourteen collectible portraits which have been supplied with certain sets of the Harry Potter range since the beginning of the year, one of them serves as wall decoration and the other is stored in a cupboard . It's up to you to exchange them with your friends if you have any duplicates. Alongside the main construction, we also assemble the Crockdur doghouse. Nothing crazy, but it still makes for a truly complete diorama.

In terms of figurines, fans are rather well served here with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Rubeus Hagrid. Two figurines complete the assortment: Crockdur and Norbert. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Hagrid are new in this form, Fangdur is finally entitled to his LEGO version and the update of Norbert's design is welcome.

LEGO is therefore making a good effort with this box which ticks all the boxes and which does not skimp on playability or casting. There remains the public price of this product, very high, which may make some fans hesitate. We can already find this box for a little cheaper elsewhere than at LEGO, with a little patience it will undoubtedly be possible to make some additional savings and this set will then be a convincing and accessible product.

Discount -7%

LEGO Harry Potter Hagrid's Cabin: An Unexpected Visit, House to Build for Children, 7 Characters, Construction Toy, Magic Adventures

74.99 € 69.99 €

BUY

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 14th May 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

The May 2024 issue of the official LEGO Star Wars magazine is currently available on newsstands at the price of €6.99 and as expected it allows us to obtain a Chewbacca minifig like we all already have by the handful in our drawers.

In the pages of this new issue of the magazine, we discover the construction which will accompany the next publication announced for May 29, 2024: it is the N-1 Starfighter seen in the series The Mandalorian. Nothing earth-shattering despite the announced inventory of 50 pieces.

Finally, note that it is possible to subscribe for a period of six months or a year to the official LEGO Star Wars magazine via the abo-online.fr platform. The 12-month subscription (13 issues) costs € 76.50.