As we have discussed previously (see: Force Friday & New LEGO Star Wars Sets) there are seven new LEGO Star Wars sets based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens film. Other new sets that were released are the LEGO Star Wars Battle Figures we talked about the other day (see: LEGO Star Wars Battle Figures Review). Today we will tackle the review of the seven new LEGO Star Wars sets with the help of one of our favorite reviewers JANGBRiCKS. First we will take an overall look at the new sets and minifigs, then, if you are interested, you can watch separate reviews. 🙂
Overall the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens sets are a mixed bag. The #75101 LEGO Star Wars TIE Fighter, the #75102 LEGO Star Wars X-wing, and the #75105 LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon are all old friends from the Star Wars universe that we have seen many times in LEGO form. It’s good to see these iconic vehicles being part of the new story, and the LEGO versions come with some nice improvements and upgrades. I particularly like the beefier look and recolor of the X-wing, and the red highlights of the TIE Fighter. The three sets that are unique to the new line are the #75100 LEGO Star Wars Snowspeeder, the #75103 LEGO Star Wars Transporter, and the #75104 LEGO Star Wars Command Shuttle. I’m sorry to say that all three of these look like ugly gray dumpsters. Of course this mostly has to do with how these vehicles look in the film, and LEGO designers did incorporate some fun play-features and clever building-techniques. They are not all bad, they are just very ugly. If you are interested in any of these sets I would suggest that you look at the detailed video-reviews below. Then there is one set that kind of stands on its own; Rey’s little #75099 LEGO Star Wars Speeder. This vehicle combines a great color-scheme with excellent mechanical detailing (geebling) and play-features. And it is only $20. Sets like these are where LEGO really shines.
As far as the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens minifigs, they are awesome all the way. LEGO did an incredible job on all of them. Particularly noteworthy are the earthy color-schemes on the heroes and some of the villains, great detailing on all of the minifigures, excellent accessories, and good mix of characters for army building. In the video-player below you will find two videos; one summarizes all the new LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens vehicles, and the second discusses all the minifigures. This is a good way to get an overall view on the new sets and characters, as well as get a feel for the comparative size of the vehicles.
Now that we looked at the new sets and minifigures overall, and if you are still interested in them, in the video-player below I have included individual reviews of all seven LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens sets, also by JANGBRiCKS. This will give you a chance to see all the details and play-features of each of the sets. You can watch the videos one after another, or select from the drop-down list on the upper left corner of the player. Here is a list of all seven sets for your reference with just their basic info:
- #75099 LEGO Star Wars Rey’s Speeder – 193 pieces. Price: $19.99
- #75100 Star Wars First Order Snowspeeder – 444 pieces. Price: $39.99
- #75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter – 517 pieces. Price: $69.99
- #75102 LEGO Star Wars Poe’s X-wing Fighter – 717 pieces. Price: $79.99
- #75103 Star Wars First Order Transporter – 792 pieces. Price: $89.99
- #75104 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle – 1004 pieces. Price: 119.99
- #75105 Star Wars Millennium Falcon – 1332 pieces. Price: $149.99
If you don’t own a previous version of the TIE Fighter, the X-wing and the Millennium Falcon, this is a good time to pick them up as the new versions are well done. If you have earlier versions however the upgrades are not enough to warrant buying them again – except for the X-wing as it is a full recolor and looks excellent next to the traditional color variation. The price on the X-wing and the Falcon are reasonable, however the TIE Fighter is way overpriced. As far as the ugly gray dumpsters, if you like the play-features and minifigs, you might consider some of them after watching the reviews. I like the look of the Command Shuttle the most. If you modify the wings so they can fold out (like you have seen JANG do in the overview video), it actually looks quite graceful while still remaining menacing. The set that is getting pretty much universal positive acclaim is the little speeder – the smallest and cheapest in the bunch. You can find all the news sets under the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.
Hope these reviews helped you to decide if any of these sets are for you. If you have some or all of the sets already, feel free to share your own thoughts and reviews in the comment section below. I’m sure other readers would appreciate it. 😉
And you might also like to check out the LEGO Star Wars section for more news, reviews and discussions, or select from the following recent posts:
I really like Rey’s speeder and the X-Wing, its a shame to get another Falcon that is almost the same as the last one, Lego really could make one that is slightly bigger with an interior that has more detail.
Still i do like the improvements but i feel like it needs to evolve.
And lastly i just wanted to mention how much the price differs between USA and Europe, its almost a joke especially with the exchange rate the way it is at moment.
My understanding is that prices in Europe are so much higher because of the insane amount of taxes companies have to pay there on everything. As far as I know Europe is very business un-friendly, and it is ultimately the customer who suffers from this. 🙁
Prices are much higher in Europe for a set of reasons.
– Lego in Europe are made in Europe, i.e. salaries of workers are higher than the ones in Mexico factories.
– Companies do pay more taxes and it reflects on prices. Europe is indeed “business-unfriendly” compared to the US, but it’s also much more “people-friendly”. For example, Europeans may a lot more taxes than Americans, but school is basically free, healthcare is basically free, infrastructures look like they’re from rich countries in the 21st or late 20th century (my biggest shock moving to the US was how decrepit infrastructures were overall), and so on (I’m getting sidetracked here)
– Sales taxes are much higher, for products like Lego is about 20% (and that the customer does suffer from it).
Here in Japan, prices are finally falling down a little bit, but with the yen being weak, it doesn’t feel like it. I do find this batch of sets very pricey and I’m not sure I’ll get any at all until the second batch comes and those hopefully go down a little… OK, I guess I’ll get Rey’s Speeder, but really I should find the will to hold out until January or so.
To give you an idea (with sales tax included):
– Rey’s Speeder: 3,200 yen
– Millenium Falcon: 19,400
– X-Wing : 9,800
– Kylo Ren’s shuttle: 16,000
– TIE Fighter : 8,600
etc.
And I agree with Brickblogger, the First Order sets, except for the TIE Fighter are pretty ugly, even though I’m sure I’ll eventually get the minifigures from bricklink (unless they’re in better looking future sets too – I’m sure Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma won’t be unique to these sets)
Yeah, every country has its plusses and minuses. Some have better public services, but doesn’t support individual endeavors, while others support the idea of the self-made-man, and provide less public support. The bottom line is that somebody has to pay the price for everything. Governments don’t have money (besides what they extract from the people), so it is either going to be high taxes or people have to take care of themselves. This is why it is important to travel; to see different ideas and concepts play out and see where you fit in the best. 🙂
My opinion on these sets has softened a little, though my opinion of the movie remains the same (worst idea ever!). I like Rey’s Speeder, and have no complaints about it. The Snowspeeder is still dumb in idea (why is it open-roof?), but I kind of like the set, especially the twin rapid shooters. The TIE Fighter I like, but it really should be $55-$60, not $70. Now I have to wait until it goes on sale (5/4/16?). The 1st-order Tub, I mean Transporter, still looks like junk, even if it is functional. Disney is definitely inexperienced with Star Wars. Kylo’s Shuttle, it looks bad, and according to Jang the wings don’t match the real thing. The Falcon, having seen theBrickfan’s comparison shots with 7965, is definitely a modified version of the old, with only a few design updates. Worth getting if you don’t have 7965, too bad it’s not the same price ($140). That’s my review of the models. As for the minifigs: I don’t like them that much. That’s all. 😉
I seem to have forgotten Poe’s X-wing. I see it’s just a re-colored 9493 at the core, but all the differences between Poe’s and T-65s are due to modifications on Poe’s part. I’m not a fan of the wings, or the blaster cannons’ length, but the rest of the ship looks okay. 🙂
I’m really anxious to see how the movie turns out. I grew up on Star Wars, and for me its important that they follow the same spirit. If they fail I will just stick with the originals, but if they do a good job I might continue to follow the saga. Yes, the TIE Fighter should be cheaper, both because of the piece-count and also because of what you get for your money. You can get a lot more interesting sets with more play-value for $70. I don’t care for the ugly gray dumpsters, but that’s not LEGO’s fault. I think the X-wing is gorgeous though. I really like the beefed up engines and the new colors. I’m surprised you don’t like the minifigs. I think they are sweet. 🙂
Whether they be good or no, I’m going to watch the movies just so I know everything that happens. I do like Poe’s X-wing, I think the engines and colors are cool; my only gripe is that the wings are not the right shape, which irks me. I get that it’s not a normal X-wing, but I still don’t like it much. 😐
The minifigs are very good in terms of mold and printings, but the First Order guys look odd. I’ve disliked them since the first trailer of the movie. The resistance minifigs look okay, my favorites are the soldiers from the Imperial Tub, and the minifigs with the Falcon.
I think we really have to just wait and see the movie to form an opinion. As CVJ said; without that the emotional connection is just not there. So we shall see. 😉
I am cautiously optimistic for the movie, I think too much time has passed for sequels based on the OT. I bought a few of the new sets, the X-Wing, Falcon and Tie Fighter love the X-Wing. The other sets I don’t have problems with but I can’t find them interesting because without seeing the movie that they are connected to, I am just not feeling it when I see the models.
The shuttle looks pretty bad especially with the wings not being able to come down, I bet that set sets a record for fastest reissue with improvements
Yeah, the shuttle not having foldable wings is a bummer. It looks like Disney didn’t communicate on the design. If it is a really important vehicle in the story, we will likely see an updated version.
My wallet is gasping for air. I’m going to Comic-Con this year, maybe I’ll pick up some of these sets, but at Comic Con your money goes by fast. Also, these sets seem pretty expensive (Which is okay because their cool). Last year at comic-con I spent $20 on (wait for it… Get ready…) a custom Lego figure. It was awesome though, so worth the money. But the point of all of this is… I need those sets now.
Maybe we should star discussing how we can all make more money. 🙄
Once my company is a multi million-dollar company (Yup I’m shooting high, but hey if I miss I’ll be still good) I’m gonna wright a book. Oh also when it comes to that point, how much do you think your blog is worth. 😀
LOL! I have no intentions to sell TBB. I hope you get very rich though! We accept donations. 😉
I meant like you would be an employee and the domain would be in my name. 😀 🙄
Hm… I like my independence. 😀
… Not even for a million dollars?
If someone would give me a million dollars I would take my LEGO, buy a small island, build a little hobbit hut, and retire. 😀
lol.. and write blog posts? 😀
TheBrickLot, once you buy TBB I will buy it off you once again for 1 million and 1 dollar. Fair price you think?
He-he. Looks like we have a lot of millionaires here! 😀
Maybe… once in a while when I’m not a the beach… I like my LEGO friends. 😀