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Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom
Today is the release of new Asterix live-action movie: Astérix et Obélix: L’Empire du Milieu (Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom) or in short: Asterix in China.
It is the biggest European movie production of 2023 so far and this film has been directed by Guillaume Canet, who also plays Asterix himself. Gilles Lellouche plays Obelix and Marion Cotillard has the obvious role as Cleopatra! Famous Football player Zlatan Ibrahimović portrays Roman Centurion Antivirus. For more information about the movie click here.
One of the reasons of my project’s name being changed from Asterix the Gaul into Asterix & Obelix is this movie! Both Asterix and Obelix belong to this Lego Ideas product idea and are equally important to this set. Let’s get them to the next milestone of 5K before the movie gets its wider release!
If/When Asterix & Obelix reach the 6K, I will add another that has to do with the 40th Asterix volume that will traditionally be released in October.
To be continued …
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Idéfix and the Invincibles
It is time to give a little exposition about the animals that are included in the project. The new animation series Idéfix et les Irréductibles from 2021 (Free translation: "Dogmatix and the 'Invincibles") triggered me to fill you in on the details.
In the Asterix comic books (and in the movies), animals always play a part in the background. Sometimes they are in interaction with Idéfix. They are a call back to when the world was still green. They make the stories of Asterix & Obelix complete and they contribute to the reality of living in a Gaulish village on the edge of the forest.
Here are the animals that I have included in the project:
The cows or oxen belong to the merchant who plays a role in the first Asterix comic Asterix the Gaul.
The pig is from the movie Asterix the Gaul. Just seconds before we are introduced to Asterix, this pig makes way for our Gaulish hero!
The owl that does not want to leave the tree trunk in which the Roman soldier Bondus is hiding is taken from the comic and movie The Big Fight.
The lobster is not really an animal character but it's an ingredient for Panoramix Magic Potion. The animal appears in Asterix the Gaul and in the movie Le Surprise de César.
The green frog plays a small part in the same movie where he gets Idefix' attention on the bridge.
A buildable wild boar. Boars always play a part in the Asterix comics! Asterix, Obelix and Idefix like to hunt them in the forest. I thought it cool to add an animal that one has to build!
The same goes for squirrels, goats and rats. They make their appearances in both comics and movies.
Idefix is of course the main animal character of all the animals and he appears for the first time in Le Tour de Gaule d'Astérix (1965) in Lutetia outside a butcher's shop. Later he becomes Obelix' faithful dog and joins our Gaulish heroes Asterix and Obelix very often on their adventures. In the new animation series and in comics based on this series, you can find out more about his adventures with the other dogs from the big city. This recent TV show shows that the Asterix franchise is not for the old fans alone, it is for every generation to come and therefore a real chance for LEGO to make the adventures of Asterix, Obelix and Idefix playable for young LEGO fans!
Let’s continue to support Asterix & Obelix and reach the 5K as soon as possible!
To be continued …
P.s.: These animals are just proposals. If LEGO chooses my IDEAS project, I hope that besides Idefix, at least the two cows (because they are part of the hay cart) and the buildable wild boar will make it to a possible set.
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Other Gaulish main characters (alternatives)
Yesterday, it was 65 years ago that the LEGO Brick was patented! So that's reason for a small celebration. Let's invite some more Gaulish villagers to this party.
Fans of Asterix and fans of my project asked me for other characters from the Asterix comics. We miss Cétautomatix! Where’s the chief Abraracourcix (Vitalstatistix in English) and where are his shield bearers? How about Agecanonix? Why are the female characters like Bonemine, the Chief's wife, missing! With the help of LEGO fan Peter de Smet and also in collaboration with Rolf Smit, I created these minifigures as alternatives for some of the main characters of my Asterix & Obelix project. See two updates below for my explanation about it. Just to be clear: I designed and built all the minifigures, Peter helped me with the digital printing on the torsos of some of the characters. Rolf helped me to enhance the pictures.
The alternative minifigures to choose from are from left to right:
Cétaumatix, Bonemine, shield bearer 1, Abraracourcix, shield bearer 2, Agecanonix and madame Agecanonix.
The Chief's shield bearers should also hold up Abraracourcix' shield (which is already included in Asterix’ hut as an easter egg). I gave it a little twist ... literally. You can bend the shield over as often happens in the comics! For example, during the fish fights.
We are heading for the 5K and the movie Astérix et Obélix: L’Empire du Milieu is around the corner, so let’s get there before the end of this week!
To be continued …
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Alternative Romans
As alternatives for the antagonist Prolix, I have created two other possible antagonists of Asterix the Gaul. One could replace the Soothsayer with either the Roman Centurion, Caius Bonus (from Astérix le Gaulois, 1961) or the Roman volunteer, Sciencifus (from Astérix en Corse, 1973 and from the animated movie Astérix et le Surprise de César, 1985).
In the comic and in the movie, Sciencifus helmet stands quite high on his head. Probably because of his high forehead. Order to recreate this feature, I have put a 1x1 round plate on this minifigure’s head. Now his helmet notably stands out.
I also added the possibility to change these figures from the actual characters into a Roman soldier or a Roman centurion as you can see in the picture above. For the Caius Bonus' headgear, one can take the golden centurion's helmet from Obelix' collecting shelf in his hut.
To be continued …
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How to change Bondus into a Roman legionnaire
Before I show you the other famous Gaulish characters as alternatives to some of the minifigures in my project, I would like to present to you a possibility with Bondus, the Roman spy in the tree trunk. He can be changed in a ‘serious’ Roman legionnaire. One can take off the LEGO tree trunk and put the Roman helmet from Asterix’ or Obelix’ hut on his head.
In this set I would like to include a spear and a Roman shield as we know the shields from the comics: blue with a yellow dot in the middle.
I have chosen the classic green uniform tunic ... but only for the torso. In some of the comics, the soldier wear read tunics. Bondus gets the best of those two. One must know that comic writers back in the days did not always have a say in what the colors of their images were going to be.
Next time I will show you the alternative Gaulish villagers as promised.
To be continued …
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The request for more famous Asterix comic characters
Many fans of my Asterix & Obelix project and fans of the comics in general, asked me for more famous Asterix characters. I included the allowed amount of minifigures. Just enough to play an adventure with this play set proposal. With this build and the supporting figures, I have a story in mind.
According to the Ideas rules, I should not suggest a minifigures line, so I did not add every Gaulish character to my ‘cast’. All the figures that I will add in the upcoming updates, are possible alternatives for the minifigures that are part of my Asterix & Obelix project.
Just to be clear. My main characters are:
Asterix, Obelix, Panoramix, Ordralfabétix, Assurancetourix, Prolix, Bondus and ‘le marchand du boeuf’.
Those that follow here in the updates could be alternatives to Bondus, ‘le marchand du boeuf’, Ordralfabétix, and Prolix. They are not additions to the original cast.
To be continued …
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A better look at the addition to the tree
As stated in an earlier update, many fans of my previous Asterix the Gaul project asked if the bard Assurancetourix (Cacofonix in the English version) could also be hanged from the tree. By using the handcuffs, the chain with 5 links and the chain with 21 links, one is able to hang the minifigure on one of the tree branches. A handy feature of the handcuff is that the object is bendable and therefore the bard can easily be attached to it. One can also hang Assurancetourix’ winch in the tree by using another chain with 5 links. Here is a better image of this small addition to the tree.
Let’s keep supporting and sharing this project to get it to the next milestone of 5000 supporters soon!
To be continued …
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The Chariot of Julius Caesar
As stated in the previous update, the hay cart is the main vehicle of my project. I came up with an alternative: the fishing boat … but many fans asked for more Romans, so I thought: Let’s give them a real Roman, who really existed in history.
The Nemesis of Asterix and Obelix. The Roman dictator: Julius Caesar and his chariot. The chariot and Caesar could be another alternative for the hay cart and its driver respectively.
In the first comic book, Caesar plays an important part at the beginning of the book and at the end. He is the general that cannot defeat Gaul in its entirety in the beginning but he is also gracious at the end by giving Asterix and Panoramix his leave. He gives them their freedom.
But it is certainly not the last time that Asterix and Caesar meet each other. In the 37th album from 2017: Astérix et la Transitalique, Caesar himself takes on Asterix and Obelix. He tries to defeat them (masked) in his golden eagle chariot during the Transitalique (based on the Giro d’Italia). I have recreated this very chariot.
We still have a long road to go but with the speed of Caesar’s chariot and the fair play of Asterix and Obelix, we will win the race!
To be continued …
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33,33 % of the votes: a fishing boat (alternative)
We are at 33,33% of all the necessary votes! Time for an update.
The hay cart is the main vehicle of my project but because of the jetty at the back of Asterix’ hut, I would like to offer an alternative for the hay cart: a fishing boat.
This boat is based on the model from Astérix et la Grande Traversée (1975). In this comic book, Agecanonix, the oldest man of the village offers his fishing boat to Asterix and Obelix to catch fish for Panoramix.
In my design the boat can be moored at the jetty and it can be used by Ordralfabétix, the fishmonger, to catch fish. Normally he gets his fish from Lutetia (Paris). That’s why his fish is never really fresh. Perhaps in this way, he can finally sell some good fish from the Atlantic to the Gaulish villagers. By the way, one needs to know that Ordralfabétix does own a boat. In Asterix in Spain (Astérix en Hispanie, 1969) he hires his boat to Asterix and Obelix, while navigating the vessel himself.
Here are a top view and a view from behind the fishing boat in order to have a look at it from more angles.
Peter de Smet helped me with the printing design of Ordralfabétix.
Two thirds of the votes remain, so …
to be continued …
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A play feature on the dock
This update is about a “home improvement". It has to do with a play feature on the dock at the back of Asterix' hut. I added a trap door in the dock. If Assurancetourix the Bard tries to sing a farewell song, someone like Cétautomatix could smash him right through the wooden floor of the dock. Nobody likes the Bard’s songs, except the people around the Indus River (Astérix chez Rahàzade, 1987).
In order to lower the dock floor into the water, one has to pull out the axle 3L pin with stop horizontally. The minifigure (for example a Roman soldier) that has been placed upon the hinge plate can be pushed down. This dock can be found in several Asterix comics and in the movie Asterix Conquers America (1994). In one of the scenes, Assurancetourix goes out there to sing for the fishes … that are not very interested of course.
Peter de Smet helped me with the printing design for Céautomatix, the blacksmith, who is not part of this project. I included him in this update just for a reference.
We are almost at 33,33% of all the necessary votes, so we are not there yet! Let’s go continue to press on to the 10K supporters!
To be continued …
Help your fellow builder by leaving your feedback based on these three criteria:
- Originality: How original is this - never seen before?
- Building Techniques: How much skill do you think the creator of this MOC has, in terms of building technique?
- Details: Express how much you like the details of the build.
Your feedback is only shown to the creator as well as yourself. It is not available for other users to see. The creator won't see your user name.