Review: 75379 R2-D2
Posted by CapnRex101,
Star Wars subjects are sometimes produced at multiple scales concurrently, but one version is usually intended primarily for play and the other for display. 75379 R2-D2 therefore seems fairly unusual, given its notable similarities to 75308 R2-D2, launched in 2021.
This model is clearly smaller than its precursor and less expensive too, although it seems very functional and surprisingly detailed, comparing favourably with the larger model. Moreover, this set contains an outstanding anniversary minifigure, as Darth Malak from Knights of the Old Republic makes his LEGO debut!
Summary
75379 R2-D2, 1,050 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 8.6p/9.5c/9.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
75379 R2-D2 is certainly a pleasant surprise, improving on its larger counterpart overall
- Brilliantly detailed, for its size
- Varied options for display
- Extra equipment included
- Highly desirable Darth Malak minifigure
- Some avoidable inaccuracies
- Standard plaque error
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Like previous large-scale models of the courageous Astromech droid, a smaller R2-D2 figure accompanies its bigger counterpart. This droid was updated with printing on the back in 2022 and has appeared in a few sets since, but I am pleased to see the figure again here, featuring accurate panels across both sides of the body.
The metallic silver and dark blue details look superb, continuing on the pearl silver dome. The decoration on LEGO Astromech droid domes is notorious for sometimes being askew, but this example fares quite well. Nevertheless, this problem seemingly continues to occur, so it needs to be resolved.
Darth Revan arrived with 5002123 Darth Revan a decade ago and now his former apprentice, Darth Malak, joins the LEGO Star Wars range! This minifigure is incredibly detailed, including an exclusive pearl silver jaw element, which recreates the character's distinctive cybernetic jaw perfectly. Furthermore, the printed tattoos on Malak's head look fantastic and his sunken eyes are accurate too.
The choice of red for Malak's clothing is questionable though, compared with the original video game. I expect this colour was inspired by the troubled remake, which may frustrate some fans, although LEGO does not produce a suitable colour for Malak's classic attire. Regardless, I think the metallic highlights and bands across the torso and legs look excellent, as does the cape.
Malak is equipped with a red lightsaber, but I am more interested in the detail beneath his jaw prosthesis! The villain's mechanical vocabulator looks splendid and I am delighted this feature has been recreated in minifigure form, as Malak's mechanised voice is another of his essential characteristics.
Reference
Source - starwars.fandom.com
The Completed Model
A printed display base accompanies each anniversary minifigure, including Darth Malak. I like the branding for the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, while the style of this base matches those created for the 20th anniversary minifigures. Personally, I prefer the compact bases used for NINJAGO's 10th anniversary figures, but at least this design is consistent.
Similarly, the style of R2-D2's plaque corresponds with other droids, including 75306 Imperial Probe Droid and 75335 BD-1. However, this 6x12 plate is actually printed, rather than using a sticker, which is a welcome update. The tendency to make mistakes on these plaques remains though, as Artoo's primary sensor colour is wrongly displayed as red, rather than black.
Considering its size, I think this model of R2-D2 looks marvellous. The droid's proportions are accurate and its cylindrical body shape is remarkably appealing, consisting primarily of curved slopes. The structure reminds me of 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V, which has a similar diameter to R2-D2's body, although the curvature is even smoother on the space rocket, unsurprisingly.
75308 R2-D2 towers over the new design, which measures 23cm in height, compared with its 31cm-tall predecessor. Proportionally, the two models are near-identical, other than where the legs connect to the body. I think the smaller version is superior in that area, including a narrow gap between the legs and the body, which can be seen on Astromech droids onscreen.
Additionally, the shape of the head is arguably more accurate on the new rendition of R2-D2. Layered plates are secured around a central core, identical to the building technique used for 75187 BB-8 and many fan creations. While evidently not very smooth when viewed closely, the domed shape appears realistic from a distance and avoids the obvious ridges present on the model from 2021.
This construction method also makes it easier to add details around the dome, including all the dark blue panels we would expect to see. The holoprojector and angled photoreceptor are both correctly positioned and the stickered logic function displays look good. In fact, the only area for improvement is the trans-pink processor state indicator, which should be further to the left.
Details continue on the back of the dome, featuring a couple more stickers, but not relying too heavily on them. The additional holoprojectors look nice and you can attach Artoo's periscopic photoreceptor on top of the dome, hence its height is accurate, unlike the integrated periscope from 75308 R2-D2. The earlier functionality was admirable, but this is a better solution.
In fact, the only major weakness of the head is the chunky dark blue band around its base, as that should be much thinner. The dark blue highlights on the body look excellent though, partly because the stickered panels protecting R2-D2's spacecraft linkage arms are the correct shape. While brick-built details are always nice, I think stickers were a suitable choice here.
Like on the head, these stickers complement brick-built features, such as the prominent vents on the front of the body. The texture looks fantastic and this assembly involves construction in four directions! The tool panels on either side are represented by white 1x8 tiles, which can be swapped for pre-assembled tools, as shown below.
The scomp link and manipulator arm are both articulated, so you can position them as though folding away. Perhaps these could actually have been hidden inside the body, but like with the periscope, I think providing separate attachments was a reasonable solution at this scale. Also, the pearl gold and reddish brown accents on the equipment look superb.
The back of the Astromech droid is relatively bland, as expected. R2-D2 does include several more tool panels on his back, although there are no dark blue accents to highlight their edges. However, the seams between curved slopes and tiles look reasonable, giving an impression of further textured panels.
A couple more stickers form the polarity sinks towards the bottom of R2-D2's body, flanking a second recharge coupling, which mirrors that on the front. Accurate details are present on the sides of the body too, as well as the legs. The various dark blue and light bluish grey elements attached across the legs provide stunning texture, reflecting the source material as closely as possible.
The light bluish grey bars on each side are accurate, for example, but I wish a pair of rockets were included and could be mounted here. In addition, the Technic pins on the feet should be covered, although they blend with neighbouring details to some degree, such as the cylindrical oil reservoirs situated just above.
As normal, Artoo's feet seem most impressive when viewed from the front. The reddish brown powerbus cables are reasonably faithful to the bronze cables present on the original character, while the mechanical details on the fuel tanks are also effective. However, the sloped front and back of each foot should be slightly steeper, so there is still potential to improve.
The model is equipped with a third leg, which can be connected to the underside of the body using a Technic axle. Past large-scale renditions of R2-D2 have included a function to deploy this tread, but like the aforementioned periscope and tools, simply attaching the third leg works for the scale. In addition, the proportions of this third leg appear more accurate than previous models achieved.
I think the view from the side is particularly complementary, showing how R2-D2's body leans back somewhat with the additional tread extended. 10225 R2-D2 and 75308 R2-D2 remained closer to vertical, which corresponds with some scenes of R2-D2 trundling along in the movies, although this steeper position is more common.
A blue Technic pin is visible on top of the third tread, which is unfortunate, although not hugely distracting, thanks to the many dark blue pieces. Otherwise, the shape of the central foot looks good and matches the angles of those on each side. This tread lacks any articulation, unlike the main struts, but none was really necessary.
Overall
When rumours of 75379 R2-D2 began to circulate, I was confused. After all, 75308 R2-D2 was only launched three years ago and is an appealing, although imperfect, model, which a smaller version would never match. However, I find this edition more attractive than the previous design on display and the additional tools are included, even though they cannot fold inside the body.
The minor loss of functionality was definitely a worthwhile compromise at this scale, especially because I think it has allowed some improvements in detail. The shaping is excellent too, while the size of the droid feels reasonable for the price of £89.99, $99.99 or €99.99. Furthermore, the exclusive Darth Malak minifigure is an exceptional bonus, albeit a slightly strange one!
126 likes
56 comments on this article
Like it and I got it! ;-)
I have not yet built it, surely this week-end.
Never considered getting the previous ones because of the price. But this one is perfect. Still “big” and detailed but not outrageously priced. Will maybe get one when there’s a great deal somewhere
A $100 set for a Darth Malak mini figure , sounds like LEGO.
Not crazy about a remake model. Not crazy about a glorified fanfic. Defenitely not crazy about the price either. Easy pass.
Considering buying this because of how well the sculpt balances detail vs being recognizable as Lego, for example, using the old roof and space slopes to shape the feet just looks very satisfying.
I wonder if they’ll ever make the minifig scale Astromech droids with the third leg. Kind of seems weird that Lego hasn’t yet.
Feel like all of these Minifigures should have just been a collectable Minifigure series, but I guess you gotta figure out a way to sell a set you've already made iterations of before.
MALAK!!!!!
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Not crazy about a remake model. Not crazy about a glorified fanfic. Defenitely not crazy about the price either. Easy pass."
I should resist responding to this, but to describe Knights of the Old Republic as glorified fanfic is just wrong.
@jpmeier said:
"I wonder if they’ll ever make the minifig scale Astromech droids with the third leg. Kind of seems weird that Lego hasn’t yet. "
It's pretty easy to do with part 6371584, a 1x1 hollow round stud, and a white 1x1 slope. I think the only reason they don't add it is it can be a bit difficult to remove.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Not crazy about a remake model. Not crazy about a glorified fanfic. Defenitely not crazy about the price either. Easy pass."
I should resist responding to this, but to describe Knights of the Old Republic as glorified fanfic is just wrong."
On one hand I’m giving you the ‘like,’
on the other hand you’ve gotta pass on responding to troll posts like that one…
Putting Malak in a purchase situation like this is insulting.
Really liking this model. Wasn't ever able to justify $200 or $240 for R2, but I was always interested. This should serve me quite well once I pick it up. A pity about the loss in integrated functions, but understandable given the size reduction.
@blogzilly said:
"Putting Malak in a purchase situation like this is insulting."
I assume you mean it's insulting to R2-D2 to imply that he needs some guy from a video game to boost his sales.
Where does one even find the information about the color sensor for R2? Or any of the info on last UCS display plates?
The studded Artoo.
@Sandinista said:
"Where does one even find the information about the color sensor for R2? Or any of the info on last UCS display plates?"
Wookieepedia: *Doing the Shannon Sharpe meme*
@Sandinista said:
"Where does one even find the information about the color sensor for R2? Or any of the info on last UCS display plates?"
Reference books are normally the original source, although in this case the model shows the answer. A droid's primary sensor is nearly always its photoreceptor(s) and the red light on R2-D2's head is not a sensor at all.
By now, we must assume that making mistakes on the information plaque is some sort of Lego inside joke, right?
If not, it would mean that there is less of an editorial process during the Lego graphic design and quality phases than there is when I post comments on Brickset (which is quite the low bar, given the number of times I edit my own comments for errors).
@Brick_Belt said:
"Feel like all of these Minifigures should have just been a collectable Minifigure series, but I guess you gotta figure out a way to sell a set you've already made iterations of before. "
Hasn’t it been established before that Lego can’t do this or sell figures separately due to rights issues with the manufacture that sells the action figures?
worth mentioning the scale is comparable to the R2-D2 model in 75253 Boost Droid Commander! really interesting
Considering Revan is super expensive in the aftermarket, $100 for Malak and a pile of bricks is likely a steal compared to how it will be in a few years.
As for Artoo, I think they did a good job, especially for the scale. I MOCed the original one years ago, but I may get this newer one also.
Hopefully a sale happens sometime, but even without, it is a maybe.
@Tupperfan said:
"By now, we must assume that making mistakes on the information plaque is some sort of Lego inside joke, right?
If not, it would mean that there is less of an editorial process during the Lego graphic design and quality phases than there is when I post comments on Brickset (which is quite the low bar, given the number of times I edit my own comments for errors)."
Comment WINNER!!!
Perfect, perfect, perfect!!!
@Sethro3 said:
"Considering Revan is super expensive in the aftermarket, $100 for Malak and a pile of bricks is likely a steal compared to how it will be in a few years.
As for Artoo, I think they did a good job, especially for the scale. I MOCed the original one years ago, but I may get this newer one also.
Hopefully a sale happens sometime, but even without, it is a maybe."
Yep. I'm also one of those SW fans we all complain about.
The model is nice, but I don't really want/need the quickie remake.
Nevertheless, I do 'need' that sweet minifig from the (what're we calling it)... 'glorified fanfic.'
Great review. Horrible detail work, Lego, as usual. Of course, they don't hate SW. Afterall, they spend sooooooooo much time making sure they get things right. (palm covering face, slowly shaking head)
I wish Lego SW worked in my industry because I would laugh and crush them every time!
BTW, I have a sealed Darth Revan that I will trade for Finch Dallow.
@andygott said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Not crazy about a remake model. Not crazy about a glorified fanfic. Defenitely not crazy about the price either. Easy pass."
I should resist responding to this, but to describe Knights of the Old Republic as glorified fanfic is just wrong."
On one hand I’m giving you the ‘like,’
on the other hand you’ve gotta pass on responding to troll posts like that one…"
Apologies. I'm not trying to personally attack TOR fans or anything. It's just that it's a non-canon videogame that came out years ago, is no longer relevant, and appeals to a very niche part of the Star Wars fandom. Heck, I had never even heard of Darth Malak until the rumors for this set came out last year.
Cal Kestis coming out later this year, on the other hand, I think was a good choice. The Jedi games came out recently, are canon, and have been received widely and well by the fandom. I've never played the games myself, but I'm still excited because it's a minifigure that's actually pretty relevant to modern Star Wars fans.
Unless that Old Republic remake actually comes out, I don't see a whole lot of casuals - like me - getting excited for Malak. If I buy this set, it'll literally just be so I can sell off the fig for like $50 to some TOR stan.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
" @andygott said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Not crazy about a remake model. Not crazy about a glorified fanfic. Defenitely not crazy about the price either. Easy pass."
I should resist responding to this, but to describe Knights of the Old Republic as glorified fanfic is just wrong."
On one hand I’m giving you the ‘like,’
on the other hand you’ve gotta pass on responding to troll posts like that one…"
Apologies. I'm not trying to personally attack TOR fans or anything. It's just that it's a non-canon videogame that came out years ago, is no longer relevant, and appeals to a very niche part of the Star Wars fandom. Heck, I had never even heard of Darth Malak until the rumors for this set came out last year.
Cal Kestis coming out later this year, on the other hand, I think was a good choice. The Jedi games came out recently, are canon, and have been received widely and well by the fandom. I've never played the games myself, but I'm still excited because it's a minifigure that's actually pretty relevant to modern Star Wars fans.
Unless that Old Republic remake actually comes out, I don't see a whole lot of casuals - like me - getting excited for Malak. If I buy this set, it'll literally just be so I can sell off the fig for like $50 to some TOR stan."
But, really, how hard is it to make a Cal figure as opposed to one of the Darth Sithhood?
Also, it's offensive not to capitalize proper nouns. And, my name isn't stan.
Bleep-boop-bleep
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Apologies. I'm not trying to personally attack TOR fans or anything. It's just that it's a non-canon videogame that came out years ago, is no longer relevant, and appeals to a very niche part of the Star Wars fandom. Heck, I had never even heard of Darth Malak until the rumors for this set came out last year.
Cal Kestis coming out later this year, on the other hand, I think was a good choice. The Jedi games came out recently, are canon, and have been received widely and well by the fandom. I've never played the games myself, but I'm still excited because it's a minifigure that's actually pretty relevant to modern Star Wars fans.
Unless that Old Republic remake actually comes out, I don't see a whole lot of casuals - like me - getting excited for Malak. If I buy this set, it'll literally just be so I can sell off the fig for like $50 to some TOR stan."
You need to stop using social media troll slang if you want to avoid sounding condescending. "Stan" almost always has a negative connotation. Also, KOTOR is not a "glorified fanfic"; a fanfic is unofficial and not endorsed by the IP owner. KOTOR is licensed by Lucasfilm, and non-canon stories like it, as you well know, are officially labelled as part of the Expanded Universe. Once upon a time, they might have been canon, until Disney tossed it all out.
KOTOR is also neither "no longer relevant" nor "niche". It remains one of, if not the most, popular SW videogame of all time - so much so that they rereleased the original (and KOTOR 2) on modern consoles and are indeed attempting to remake it. Star Wars fans also nominate the Old Republic more highly than any other time period for Disney to make shows/movies around (though why, at this point, anyone would want Disney to get within 12 parsecs of touching TOR is beyond me). Darth Malak is, accordingly, a very well known character.
I don't mean to go off on you, either. You're young. There's a lot of SW content out there you aren't familiar with. I'm in the same boat - and I don't care much for TOR or even Star Wars games in general. But there are a LOT of SW fans out there, and they know more of that content than you or I. M&R and Star Wars Theory (or really any single SW Youtuber out there you may watch) do not represent the majority of the fanbase. So, when commenting here or elsewhere, just be aware that your experiences and opinions are not fact and might not align with those of other fans, and there's no need to be dismissive of those other fans' interests.
All that said, Cal Kestis is well deserving of a minifig representation, especially since we already got a BD-1 set. Hopefully we get a Merrin minifig as well.
Oh, and as for the big R2 - looks good. Impressive for the scale. But the dark blue around the base of his head is definitely too thick. Still, would go well with the other UCS droids (BB-8, BD-1, D-O).
Like it, but won’t be picking it up as a display model due to the stickers. Most of my StarWars sets plus the London bus have the stickers just breaking up whist other sets I have on display have perfect stickers. It’s all very odd..
@blogzilly said:
"Putting Malak in a purchase situation like this is insulting."
I completely understand and share your feelings. After all, this isn't like the Darth Revan GWP polybag.
On the other hand, would you sincerely want them not to make the fig at all?
I second the good Cap'n in questioning the premise of this set. I assume that it has something to do with the Chewbacca set and the rumored C-3PO set. The speculation is that all three will look good together.
Nevertheless, that does little to answer our 'questions,' and the essential logic of your statement.
All I can say is there's a large segment of SW Lego fans that love cool minifigs. Lego knows this, and that's why they make them so rare(ly).
They want our money, honey.
Im pleasantly surprised by the visceral detail of the Malak figure
Quite annoying to put a cool minifig with a remake of a set released fairly recently, that while more expensive, blows this iteration away. I've no use for this, unless I found it on deep discount and can sell off the rest of the set.
I think the concentration of dark blue around the photosensor just looks off. I like the look of the previous larger version.
@Tupperfan said:
"By now, we must assume that making mistakes on the information plaque is some sort of Lego inside joke, right?
If not, it would mean that there is less of an editorial process during the Lego graphic design and quality phases than there is when I post comments on Brickset (which is quite the low bar, given the number of times I edit my own comments for errors)."
In all fairness, your comments are not included in several-hundred-dollar sets
I feel like I should apologize again. But sincerely this time.
I think I just got too carried away voicing my opinions is all. And while I certainly didn't intend to, I did kinda come off as trollish.
If you like KOTOR, good for you! You absolutely deserve to be a fan of it. But please don't turn that into forcing people to agree with you. I agree that I did that back there.
I don't know why I'm so against this minifigure. Maybe it's because I've never played any Star Wars videogames (outside of LEGO Star Wars 3 - which I LOVE). Maybe it's because - as I said above, albeit a bit rudely - I feel the Old Republic isn't relevant anymore. Maybe it's because I'm still sour that we got a Legends character instead of Yaddle, Dexter Jettser, or Boss Nass.
But I'm sorry for what I said. I'll make sure to voice my opinions more respectfully in the future, and not hate on someone for liking something I'm apathetic to. And even though I'm not excited about Darth Malak, if you're excited for him, please don't let me take that away from you.
The price of this set is still kinda off though.
@BLProductions said:
"All that said, Cal Kestis is well deserving of a minifig representation, especially since we already got a BD-1 set. Hopefully we get a Merrin minifig as well."
Cal gets a pass as the series' protagonist, not because he's an interesting character. The rest of the Stinger Mantis crew are definitely more interesting. Hopefully we'll get the most deserving, Greez.
This is definitely a remake/rehash that I appreciate. The $240 R2's head always looked really bad to me with how sharp the edges are. The price was also pretty rough. This set is a far cheaper alternative that still looks excellent. Although the red light area is a bit undersized. Malak is a fine addition, albeit not one I have any connection with.
@chrisaw said:
" @Brick_Belt said:
"Feel like all of these Minifigures should have just been a collectable Minifigure series, but I guess you gotta figure out a way to sell a set you've already made iterations of before. "
Hasn’t it been established before that Lego can’t do this or sell figures separately due to rights issues with the manufacture that sells the action figures?"
Not sure. I think that was why they couldn't do buckets of stormtroopers or whatever. If that's the case they should rip the band-aid off and make a Star Wars Legends series or something that includes more niche characters in a small diorama. Would be more fitting IMO. I'd actually buy a number of characters that way. Attaching characters to an unrelated set just screams manipulative tactic to try and sell the set.
@BillingsBrix said:
" @Tupperfan said:
"By now, we must assume that making mistakes on the information plaque is some sort of Lego inside joke, right?
If not, it would mean that there is less of an editorial process during the Lego graphic design and quality phases than there is when I post comments on Brickset (which is quite the low bar, given the number of times I edit my own comments for errors)."
In all fairness, your comments are not included in several-hundred-dollar sets"
I believe you made my point better than I did.
@Brick_Belt said:
" @chrisaw said:
" @Brick_Belt said:
"Feel like all of these Minifigures should have just been a collectable Minifigure series, but I guess you gotta figure out a way to sell a set you've already made iterations of before. "
Hasn’t it been established before that Lego can’t do this or sell figures separately due to rights issues with the manufacture that sells the action figures?"
Not sure. I think that was why they couldn't do buckets of stormtroopers or whatever. If that's the case they should rip the band-aid off and make a Star Wars Legends series or something that includes more niche characters in a small diorama. Would be more fitting IMO. I'd actually buy a number of characters that way. Attaching characters to an unrelated set just screams manipulative tactic to try and sell the set. "
Good point. Me too.
Just spitballin' here... But, just give us, say, a small speeder, a Coruscant stripper pole- and please, please, please- give us some unique Jedi...officers from the 501st.... temple guards.... librarians... something. Just not the same old fgs from the last dozen sets....
Oh, wait. Nevermind. I guess they do hate us, and Star Wars... and their jobs. :(
I would love an R2D2, unfortunately they are sold out in my country (australia) and I'm not sure when they're being restocked
@AverageChimaEnjoyer
Coming back and addressing things puts you ahead of most commenters on the internet. Good for you.
Regarding the actual set, I also find these “add-on” minifigs a little lazy and consumer hostile. But SW fans are gonna SW and I’m sure these are selling just fine.
Not being able to get a completely smooth head is still a red line for me. So much visible studs disappoint me. I will continue waiting for the correct dome.
@FARLANDER said:
"Not being able to get a completely smooth head is still a red line for me. So much visible studs disappoint me. I will continue waiting for the correct dome."
If you want an R2-D2 at this scale that has a perfectly smooth dome then you are probably best off buying one with a single piece moulded dome. Many companies make toys and display models like that.
I’m thinking of buying this set to display it next to my 8007 C-3PO but I’m thinking R2 will look too big next to him. As anyone seen pictures of set 75379 next to either set 8007 or 8009?
Also, anyone who played KOTOR two decades ago knows this is a must get.
The 2012 version also states a red primary sensor. In fact, the text is practically identical except a few changes to lower/upper case letters.
@gdeligne said:
"I’m thinking of buying this set to display it next to my 8007 C-3PO but I’m thinking R2 will look too big next to him. As anyone seen pictures of set 75379 next to either set 8007 or 8009?
Also, anyone who played KOTOR two decades ago knows this is a must get."
This one is 23cm tall. To have the correct height ratio with 8007, it would need to be 20cm tall. So this one is slightly too tall. However the technic C3-PO is rather thin and looks very outdated so I doubt they would look very good together.
Is the 'real' sensor maybe dark transparent red like Vader's lenses?
@CCC said:
" @FARLANDER said:
"Not being able to get a completely smooth head is still a red line for me. So much visible studs disappoint me. I will continue waiting for the correct dome."
If you want an R2-D2 at this scale that has a perfectly smooth dome then you are probably best off buying one with a single piece moulded dome. Many companies make toys and display models like that."
I guess that's why I'll never own a Lego R2-D2 in this scale... ;-)
@Tupperfan said:
"By now, we must assume that making mistakes on the information plaque is some sort of Lego inside joke, right?
If not, it would mean that there is less of an editorial process during the Lego graphic design and quality phases than there is when I post comments on Brickset (which is quite the low bar, given the number of times I edit my own comments for errors)."
I genuinely wondered whether it was an inside joke myself for a while. Obviously they would never intentionally include a big mistake, but perhaps a tiny error was a tradition. I was told that is not the case though. I get the impression that these things are checked by both LEGO and Lucasfilm, but I can only imagine the people checking are assuming that the information is accurate and only looking for spelling or formatting errors.
The same is probably true for books. Looking at the new LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary, I have noted one or two spelling errors, but the number of factual mistakes runs into the low hundreds.
@Atuin said:
"The 2012 version also states a red primary sensor. In fact, the text is practically identical except a few changes to lower/upper case letters."
Yes, although it was correct in 75308 R2-D2, as the plaque references the processor state indicator colour as red and makes no mention of the primary sensor.
@gearwheel said:
" @BLProductions said:
"All that said, Cal Kestis is well deserving of a minifig representation, especially since we already got a BD-1 set. Hopefully we get a Merrin minifig as well."
Cal gets a pass as the series' protagonist, not because he's an interesting character. The rest of the Stinger Mantis crew are definitely more interesting. Hopefully we'll get the most deserving, Greez."
I’d like to see Second and Ninth Sisters, myself.
Malak is only going to fetch Revan prices because of the Instagram investor culture that developed around 2020. There are definitely more copies of a 100$ set that will be available for 12-24 months than of a polybag intended to only be given away for 1-7 days.
Even if all the Not-CMFs couldn't have been made any other way, I would think everyone agrees that the figures are utterly random inclusions. I mean, since 2010s Sith Infiltrator with Captain Panaka I was confused about the figures Lego does include in sets but at least there is some logical throughline and it helped get characters into the line that have huge difficulties due to being tied to vehicles and scenes that have difficulties of getting made. Saw Gerrera is from an entirely different era compared to the Prequels, so why wasn't he in a set that included other rebels like the Tantive IV? Why wasn't Fives included in a set with other clones or at least Prequel era? Not that this would prevent video game figures from being included, Malak could be included in a set all about villains like the Death Star Conference or Dark Millenium Falcon and Cal Kestis as a Jedi and Rebel could also have fit relatively well into the Sith Infiltrator. Or maybe back when they made his droid as a giant figure.
When figure selections get more and more random it's becoming ridiculously hard to decide what to get as selling parts of a set is difficult and paying 12-50 bucks for a single figure simply isn't sensible. I was collecting LEGO figures because they were cheaper than action figures and there were more ways of playing with them and having them interact with vehicles and playsets at affordable prices while also being small enough to have enough rooms for a decent selection of the entire SW universe.
Outside of figures released in sub-30$ sets the prices of single figures are so close to action figures nowadays, especially with the action figures often on discount, that I am far more happier with the action figure lines of Hasbro than anything Lego Star Wars has offered since 2019 outside of Legos minifig-compatible UCS sets. Lego technically has a better Darth Malak as he is faithful to the game while Hasbro made up a new costume for him (not based on the cancelled remake game according to the designers btw.), but how is it that Hasbro can sell him with 30 or so all new dedicated molds for 20-30 bucks and now the Lego figure with exactly one new part is effectively 40-100 bucks? This is unfair and not comparable value.
Good thing I don't care about this figure since I have never even heard of the character before.
I might have played KOTOR ages ago, actually I'm quite certain that I played it once or twice back then, but it's so long ago that I don't remember any details.
Otherwise I would probably be annoyed that I would either have to buy another R2 display set or pay ridiculous amounts of money for it on the aftermarket.
Money saved.
In this corner, @FARLANDER who said:
"Not being able to get a completely smooth head is still a red line for me. So much visible studs disappoint me. I will continue waiting for the correct dome."
And in the other corner corner, everyone who said:"Stop making all the display pieces so smooth! We want visible studs!"
Not trying to make fun of you or anything, @FARLANDER. It's just that your position seems to be in the minority. It really depends on the model for me.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @blogzilly said:
"Putting Malak in a purchase situation like this is insulting."
I completely understand and share your feelings. After all, this isn't like the Darth Revan GWP polybag.
On the other hand, would you sincerely want them not to make the fig at all?
I second the good Cap'n in questioning the premise of this set. I assume that it has something to do with the Chewbacca set and the rumored C-3PO set. The speculation is that all three will look good together.
Nevertheless, that does little to answer our 'questions,' and the essential logic of your statement.
All I can say is there's a large segment of SW Lego fans that love cool minifigs. Lego knows this, and that's why they make them so rare(ly).
They want our money, honey. "
While I understand the point you’re making, I’m not the type of person that will show my gratitude to a corporation for giving me less than their best. I’m not an insensitive man, gratitude and appreciation comes easily for me in my everyday life. I’m talking about the corporate mentality here, and this reeks of it.
This is taking an item a lot of us want and placing it behind a ridiculous paywall. I see this happen with LEGO now on a frequency that has me questioning their ethics as a group. I’m entitled to this feeling, just as I’m entitled to decide not to pursue this as a purchase (of course).
I respect others rights to buy the figure, to feel good about it certainly, but the more I experience this gut feeling of “really? again?” on another cool thing that I would need to spend X amount to get access to…it’s taking its toll on my fandom.
I hope that resonates more clearly with some folks.
By the way, I really appreciate your thoughtful reply. Means a lot.
@blogzilly said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @blogzilly said:
"Putting Malak in a purchase situation like this is insulting."
I completely understand and share your feelings. After all, this isn't like the Darth Revan GWP polybag.
On the other hand, would you sincerely want them not to make the fig at all?
I second the good Cap'n in questioning the premise of this set. I assume that it has something to do with the Chewbacca set and the rumored C-3PO set. The speculation is that all three will look good together.
Nevertheless, that does little to answer our 'questions,' and the essential logic of your statement.
All I can say is there's a large segment of SW Lego fans that love cool minifigs. Lego knows this, and that's why they make them so rare(ly).
They want our money, honey. "
While I understand the point you’re making, I’m not the type of person that will show my gratitude to a corporation for giving me less than their best. I’m not an insensitive man, gratitude and appreciation comes easily for me in my everyday life. I’m talking about the corporate mentality here, and this reeks of it.
This is taking an item a lot of us want and placing it behind a ridiculous paywall. I see this happen with LEGO now on a frequency that has me questioning their ethics as a group. I’m entitled to this feeling, just as I’m entitled to decide not to pursue this as a purchase (of course).
I respect others rights to buy the figure, to feel good about it certainly, but the more I experience this gut feeling of “really? again?” on another cool thing that I would need to spend X amount to get access to…it’s taking its toll on my fandom.
I hope that resonates more clearly with some folks.
By the way, I really appreciate your thoughtful reply. Means a lot."
Likewise. I suppose I'm trying to work through my own feelings about this hobby.
I came back to Lego through Star Wars because it resonated with my childhood, and my new-found fatherhood.
There was nothing for me in it but joy. The company was good, and did extraordinary things (amazing customer service, free builds for kids, great sets and figs).
Now that my kid is a young adult, I find Lego Star Wars positioned more as a passionless, crass, money-making exercise where- as you put it- they give us far less than the best, and far less than they used to.
I celebrate this set because it has a very-rare 'great' minifig and the set is well-designed. Nevertheless, it definitely fits squarely within the new Lego Star Wars ethic of gouging their customers.
Sigh. Are we all just growing up?
If so, I'm not sure I like adult Lego Star Wars. It's turned into Darth Vader. They were supposed to be the Chosen One!!