Review: 40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier
Posted by CapnRex101,
May the Fourth promotional items have usually settled into patterns, beginning with minifigure polybags, before the launch of brick-built droids and microscale models. Recent promotions feel less predictable though, including 40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier.
This model looks excellent and suitably marks the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, but seems better suited to army building than limited promotional availability. Even so, I am curious about this set, which will be available with purchases of over £145, $160, €160 at the beginning of May.
Summary
40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier, 262 pieces.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Although ill-suited for a promotion, this is nonetheless an appealing model
- Smooth and accurate shaping
- Fun details from 7126 Battle Droid Carrier
- Great selection of figures
- Army building potential
- Odd choice for a promotional set
- Storage rack could be more secure
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Platoon Attack Craft are sometimes controlled by multiple Battle Droid Pilots, hence two are included here. These figures are very similar to earlier droids, although the torso decoration is new, as the tan area is higher and a circular accent has been added. While that is a nice detail, the same feature appears on all live action B1 Battle Droids, so its presence also introduces a minor inconsistency.
As expected, the standard Battle Droids have not been updated, remaining near-identical to those produced 25 years ago! I wonder whether this was a factor in selecting the droid carrier for May the Fourth this year, as these figures have undergone fewer alterations than any other Star Wars character appearing regularly since 1999.
Six droids are provided, which is a generous complement for a promotional set. As always, the heads are fairly detailed and each droid features a straight arm, ready to grip a blaster rifle. Six rifles are also included, moulded in pearl dark grey, which has seemingly become the traditional colour for Separatist or Trade Federation weapons.
The Completed Model
Despite its relatively brief appearances in The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith, the lightly-armoured Platoon Attack Craft has now been portrayed four times in LEGO. This model takes specific influence from 7126 Battle Droid Carrier, which was released in 2001, so features the same reddish brown and tan colour scheme, unlike the mostly dark tan designs from 2011 and 2015.
In addition, the vehicle is more compact than its immediate precursor, as this comparison with 75086 Battle Droid Troop Carrier shows. The new carrier measures nearly 21cm in length and recreates the proportions of 7126 Battle Droid Carrier, as the droid storage rack is shortened to make room for the blasters. Although inaccurate to the movies, the retention of some features from the original model is welcome.
The control section has changed by far the most between the vehicle from 2001 and this one, better reflecting the source material. There is space for two Battle Droid Pilots on board, even though neither has any controls, while tan 1x1 round plates with bars denote barb-like features on the cockpit, which were missing from the original LEGO model.
Similarly, the floodlight is now correctly positioned at the very front, unlike on 7126 Battle Droid Carrier. The shape of the light seemingly pays homage to the original set, however. The engine detailing behind the cockpit is effective and I love the curvature of the armour around both sides, using 3x3 arch bricks for accurate shaping.
Six blaster rifles are secured in front of the Battle Droid storage rack, which stands out against the carrier's reddish brown armour. While the storage rack should be much longer, its rounded sides look good and I like the 3x3 dish mounted on the front, but this should be mirrored at the back. The tan 2x2 sliders along the sides look marvellous though.
The storage rack slots into position on the carrier using 1x2 plates with side rails. Their green colour again corresponds with the original Battle Droid Carrier and deploying the rack is easy, although I think a clip should have been added to keep it in place. Moreover, the storage rack tends to lean back very slightly, which you can see above, as it is only actually supported near the front.
Once removed from the transport, the sides of the storage rack can swing down to deploy the Battle Droids, which works well. You can place the droids with their heads tucked against their bodies, as usual for these vehicles and MTTs, or follow the instructions and pose them with the heads facing outwards, as presented in 7126 Battle Droid Carrier!
A decorated brick marking the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars accompanies the vehicle. This is an odd inclusion, without anywhere to display the brick, but a welcome one. I think the anniversary logo looks superb and R2-D2 is a suitable choice to feature, as the only character available in at least one set every year since 1999, when LEGO Star Wars was launched.
Overall
40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier is an unexpected choice for this year's May the Fourth promotional set, as I would not consider 7126 Battle Droid Carrier a particularly important set, worthy of this tribute. Moreover, sets like this are brilliant for army building, which is obviously more difficult with a promotional item than a traditional set, available to purchase.
Despite these issues, the actual design of the set is impressive. The model is fairly substantial and cleverly balances accuracy to the films with features from the 2001 Droid Carrier. Also, the addition of eight droids feels generous and I think the purchase threshold of £145, $160, €160 is reasonable for a vehicle of this size, especially with so many new sets to consider this May the Fourth.
129 likes
41 comments on this article
gwp booo
Honestly kinda digging it; nice little set of something that’s not been oversaturated in Lego Star Wars. And I like that this one has a deployment mechanic, such as it is, when the droids were just expected to walk off the other ones
As mentioned in the article, I might have bought 3 of these sets had they been available at retail, but this isn’t a GWP with enough pizzazz to even consider trying to get.
Really an odd choice for a GWP...
Also: The paint/print job on these pilot droids is not good, to put it lightly.
The molded Logo on the blue torso is literally shining through the tan print.
I do defend LEGO against many common complaints (price, stickers...) - but these quality issues are not ok and need to be adressed again and again.
Great set, awful as a GWP.
Next year, the M4 gwp will be the battlepack that every army builder wants instead of the battlepacks that are marketed as battlepacks. Seriously, I'm expecting nothing but that XD.
The fact that set like this is not on shelves for 25$ is another proof lego is losing it.
Set looks great, I plan to pick up 75357 to get it. Man, do I wish this wasn't a GWP.
I appreciate sets like this as connective tissue between the bigger, flashier sets, which makes its status as a promo item all the more frustrating. This is the sort of thing I like to have at least two copies of.
Just imagine the GWP when AOTC hits 25 in three years.
Odd choice as a GWP BUT much better than a small diorama without any figs.
Would have loved if there was a Gungan warrior... riding a Kaadu perhaps?
Hopefully we get one soon, we need a new mold
This makes me want a new MTT.
How are they not ashamed of releasing something as awful as that print on the pilot... We're hitting quality issue levels that shouldn't be possible.
I like how sassily the droids are posed in the rack, like they're saying, "What're YOOOOU gonna do about it?"
Those green bricks that slide in are a homage to the oldest version
@TheRichrocker said:
"Also: The paint/print job on these pilot droids is not good, to put it lightly.
The molded Logo on the blue torso is literally shining through the tan print."
Weird. I don't think I've ever seen them print over molded text before, and apparently with good reason. Poor placement of the logo, in this case, considering how frequently they've printed on that part of the torso before. Down in the belly pit would have been a much better choice. They could have made the text larger, and it wouldn't have been very intrusive because it'd be hidden from many angles.
You know - this, I feel, might be pretty useful as some sort of army-builder, if you felt so inclined.
I like the set itself. The quality issues and it being a GWP are just not okay.
It also just strikes me as... weirdly specific to have this set as the only remake of an older set this year (so far...?). Why a set from 2001? Why go out of your way to make a love letter to that specific set and even at the 'cost' of some accuracy (don't get me wrong, I don't care about accuracy myself, but it still is odd).
Maybe the Landspeeder or Ender Speeder Bikes from 1999 were done too recently already, which I could kind of understand?
IDK, I wouldn't be surprised if this was just some weird passion project of a designer that Lego only allowed to be sold as a GWP against all logic to what else they could do with it.
If this set had been available for sale, i would buy it. I can't find $160 worth of Star Wars sets on the LEGO online shop that i want, though.
Awesome set! Definitely the best GWP ever, IMO.
But i'm not spending the threshold on Lego.com, so i'll wait until I can hopefully find one for sale at a market. There is one specific one I go to which has a stall that sells lots of GWP's. So that should be a reliable way to get it.
@Binnekamp:
Did you forget the UCS TIE Interceptor already?
@PurpleDave said:
" @Binnekamp :
Did you forget the UCS TIE Interceptor already?"
... yes.
Sets of that size are not in my budget and I see a lot of them come and go, so they don't really stick with me as much as they used to unfortunately.
Now that I think about it, if we're talking remakes of old sets you can make an argument for the Sith Infiltrator being a remake of a 1999 one too. And the Droideka of the 2000 technic version if you stretch it a bit. Although with SW it's all based on source material anyway, so the TIE UCS sized model is a more clear-cut case indeed.
I think it's a good GWP, because if you don't want to spend 160 euros, you're not really missing out on anything, you can build it yourself at home from bricklink. Meanwhile it's still both nostalgic for adult buyers and a good playset for kids.
@Binnekamp:
Mmm, yeah, there actually are quite a few that qualify. We've already identified 75086/7126, 75382/7181, and 75383/7151 (which even ties back to the inaugural wave of sets). More than a few people have been comparing 75381 to 8002. But I see there's also a polybag TIE Interceptor coming (30685), which could tie back to 6965. Someone pointed out that 75372 looks like a combo/remake of two previous Battle Packs. 75375 seems a clear throwback to the first run of midi scale ships with 7778. 75380 ties back to the inaugural flagship set 7171 thematically, but also 4485 in terms of the podracer models themselves. Heck, if the Droideka is a remake, I guess that would mean 75379 is a remake of 8009, too.
Plus, there are 14 more sets that haven't been announced from the 743xx series, and two more from the 407xx series that have been identified as Star Wars sets releasing in 2024. That's a lot of possibilities for sets that might qualify as remakes, though it does seem like they'd try to land all the big stuff in time for May 4.
Would have loved it as a regular set available everywhere and printed to outer space and back to ensure anyone who wants one can get one. For folk like me who started army building late in the game my droids are always outnumbered by the clones. Droid army builders like this would be greatly appreciated by folk like me at retail. Still this set looks nice.
"R2-D2 is a suitable choice to feature, as the only character available in at least one set every year since 1999, when LEGO Star Wars was launched."
Really? They had whole years pass without Vader, Luke, Han, Chewy, or Leia? That's honestly shocking.
"We want an actual lego set with the May the Fourth GWP."
And so a finger of the monkey's paw curls in.
Nice review. The product itself is decent enough aside from the noted issues. I'm glad to have it.
I like the accuracy and size of the preceding carrier. But, this one is a nice tribute to the oldest rendition while making improvements with the smooth shaping. The designer should be proud.
However, like most others, I would rather this be a set for purchase. Instead, the M4 GWP would ideally be a more obscure and rarer set or polybag minifig that wouldn't be suitable for mass production.
Yet, if the rumours of significant discounts are true, I'll be looking to get several of these.
May end up with all 3 GWPs if the UK gets the same discounts / double/quad points as rumoured for the US (often doesn't!).
Quite like the dioramas and Chewbacca, but will have to see how GWPs + discounts + Insider points compare with Amazon prices on the day.
@mikesray said:
""R2-D2 is a suitable choice to feature, as the only character available in at least one set every year since 1999, when LEGO Star Wars was launched."
Really? They had whole years pass without Vader, Luke, Han, Chewy, or Leia? That's honestly shocking. "
Well, Han, Chewbacca, and Leia didn't even show up until 7190, so they got knocked out of the running instantly. Some years also focused extensively on whichever movie was in theaters around that time, so minifig selection tended to be a little lopsided. Also, sometimes you ended up with a set like 6212, which stayed in production for nearly five years. Minifigs released with that set would only count for the year the set debuted, not the subsequent five years when it was still available. Still, that means the character would have been available for the duration, even if not appearing in new sets that entire time.
@CapnRex101 said:
"lightly-armoured Platoon Attack Craft has now been portrayed four times in LEGO."
Arguably, there is another: 7654, Droids Battle Pack.
The model looks great as a tiny adaptation of the ridiculously large PAC but choosing it as a GWP is kind of sad. Then again, I don't think it were good value as a set of 25 to 30$ or even more considering the droids aren't exactly worth a true minifig each.
Might not be accurate size but in-universe PACs are far too large for what they do anyway, thinking about just buying the rare pieces on Legos website from Bricks & Pieces and build one out of my loose parts collection.
lovely set - must have, great addition to the collection
Delicious droids, but spending 160$ to get some extra droids ain't worth it. Many GWPs would be better as sets than GWPs, but doubly so for this one.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
"lightly-armoured Platoon Attack Craft has now been portrayed four times in LEGO."
Arguably, there is another: 7654, Droids Battle Pack."
Doesn't have the rack, has guns, is shaped completely differently... You'd have a hard tame making that argument.
I'm not normally one to get worked up about stuff that Lego does, but this set annoys me quite a lot. It could have been a nice cheap army builder. It's an ideal set to buy duplicates of but they decided to release it in the one way that makes it very hard (or expensive) to acquire duplicates.
Besides that, it's a poor choice for a GWP. It's not distinctive. It's generic. It's something that we've had before and are likely to get again. There's nothing exclusive about it. You could probably piece it together through Bricklink. Though it fits with the 25th Anniversary of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, almost anything else from that movie would have been a better choice.
@CapnRex101 - I didn't see any mention of the floating pilot torso. Can you confirm that both pilots do indeed require legs? :o)
@TheOtherMike said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
"lightly-armoured Platoon Attack Craft has now been portrayed four times in LEGO."
Arguably, there is another: 7654, Droids Battle Pack."
Doesn't have the rack, has guns, is shaped completely differently... You'd have a hard tame making that argument."
Yeah, it definitely has that Kenner Star Wars Mini-Rigs feel to it. But, to me, the inspiration is pretty clear. What else could it be?
@mikesray said:
""R2-D2 is a suitable choice to feature, as the only character available in at least one set every year since 1999, when LEGO Star Wars was launched."
Really? They had whole years pass without Vader, Luke, Han, Chewy, or Leia? That's honestly shocking. "
It took me forever to get Vader, Han and Leia. Even now if a kid wants Han, he's only in 3 sets on the market, 2 being completely out of the question!! Those would be 75192, 75290 and 75365
@EnterTheSerpent said:
" @mikesray said:
""R2-D2 is a suitable choice to feature, as the only character available in at least one set every year since 1999, when LEGO Star Wars was launched."
Really? They had whole years pass without Vader, Luke, Han, Chewy, or Leia? That's honestly shocking. "
It took me forever to get Vader, Han and Leia. Even now if a kid wants Han, he's only in 3 sets on the market, 2 being completely out of the question!! Those would be 75192, 75290 and 75365"
As a not-very-well-off kid, I had to use Hermione as Leia, Hagrid as Chewie, an Exo-Force Iron Drone as 3PO, Han and Luke cobbled together from various other figures, and luxuriously, the red astromech from 7259 for R2 because even he was hard to come by back in the day. 7251 was a godsend.
Agree this is an odd choice. Unless you are a superfan of Episode 1, I can't see this as a must have given the purchase threshold to get it. Nothing super new or unique that I can see here.
The micro-deathstar GWP last year was much, much better.