Review: 75090 Ezra's Speeder Bike
Posted by CapnRex101,
Although reviews of the Star Wars Rebels sets released in the Summer of 2014 were overwhelmingly positive, there was one major omission which garnered some negative comments: the lack of a Sabine Wren minifigure. Six months later, 75090 Ezra's Speeder Bike has rectified this issue by finally allowing us to complete the crew of the Ghost!
This set is priced at £19.99 or $19.99 and contains 253-pieces, many of which are fairly desirable, so I think this is very good value. There are lots of play possibilities and the two speeders look rather nice on display in my opinion, so what more could you want?
Box and Contents
The box is the same shape and size as 75037 Battle on Saleucami from last year and shows Ezra fleeing across the plains of Lothal from an attacking Stormtrooper. The Disney logo has notably been added to Star Wars packaging this year, although only fairly subtly beside the Star Wars Rebels branding at the bottom. On the back we can see Ezra and Sabine fighting back against the Stormtrooper in some attractive rendered images, and the few features are demonstrated.
Inside are two numbered bags, one instruction booklet and a sticker sheet. The two bags contain almost identical pieces and as such, the build process is not particularly exciting given the fact that the speeders are identical in construction. However, this is only a small set so it is over pretty quickly and the varying colour schemes do provide some interest.
Minifigures
One minifigure makes this set a must have for all fans of Star Wars Rebels and that is Sabine Wren. Unfortunately she was absent from the Phantom and Ghost sets but at last she turns up here. However, there are still one or two improvements to be made in my opinion. The hair piece is new and looks very accurate to the show cast in dark blue with some orange streaks. Personally I wonder if it is a little too tall, but the accuracy of the colours conceal this very well. Her head is printed with smiling and frowning expressions which are fine, but I think that flesh was the wrong colour choice here as Sabine's skin has an almost yellowish hue in the TV show. This colour also appears on her arms while her torso is printed on the front and back with dark pink Mandalorian armour and a grey combat shirt. The legs are detailed with knee armour and she carries a pair of black machine guns, which are representative of the Westar-35 blasters she uses in the show.
Although there are one or two changes to be made that would improve this figure, the biggest issue I have with it is the lack of a helmet. Sabine often wears her Mandalorian helmet and I am mystified as to why it has not been included as it would not even need a new mould! Hopefully we will see a helmet next time a Sabine minifigure appears in a set.
This is the same Ezra Bridger minifigure as the one which appeared in 75048 The Phantom and it too could have been improved by the use of a slightly darker skin tone. However, the character is clearly recognisable on account of his tousled hair and dark tan vest, which is printed over an orange tunic and features some kind of insignia on the back. This symbol has not yet been identified in the show but I am sure we will discover its origin soon enough. His head is printed with worried and smirking expressions and he is equipped with a wrench as well as his unique lightsaber. This is simply a standard 4L bar plugged into a binoculars piece which works very well actually to represent the blaster built into the hilt, a feature which makes sense for the Imperial era when it is obviously unsafe to present a lightsaber.
The third and final minifigure is a Stormtrooper, which is a welcome addition to add to an army! The Rebels Stormtrooper is not universally popular but I quite like the stylised helmet personally as it is highly detailed and very faithful to the cartoon while the head is the standard grimacing Clone Trooper affair. The armour design on his torso and legs is also very impressive, capturing the simplified appearance of the Stormtrooper body armour we see in the show. He is armed with a standard blaster, which makes a welcome change from the stud-shooters.
The Completed Model
As the name would suggest the focus of the set is on Ezra's dark green speeder bike, which is the same as the Imperial 614-AvA Speeder Bike but for a custom paint job. The bikes are rather larger than they are in the TV show but they capture a very impressive amount of detail so I think the inaccurate scaling is well worth it.
The steering vanes on the front of each speeder are adjustable and a sticker is used on each one to add some panelling. The outriggers linking the steering vanes and the main engine block are retractable for storage, although they look equally impressive in both configurations as you can see in the image below.
The rounded cover for the steering column is represented nicely using a 3x3 parabolic reflector, and on Ezra's speeder bike, this is printed with some orange stripes. There is room for a single pilot on each vehicle and there are a pair of stud shooters mounted beneath the seat, one firing green studs and the other red.
The engine cover features another sticker on each speeder and there are also some vents for dissipating heat. A clip can be used to store any of the weapons included or the wrench, which is useful, and a couple of attractive firebird symbols decorate Ezra's bike, completing the dark green and orange colour scheme beautifully.
Overall
We have not yet seen Ezra's speeder bike in Star Wars Rebels but I am sure it is only a matter of time now. Examples of the white Imperial version of the speeder have appeared very frequently patrolling the streets of Lothal's capital city and pursuing the Rebels, although they are often seen in pairs so I might pick up a second set if I see it on sale price.
There is no question that this is a must have set for fans of Star Wars Rebels, not only because it is the only set where Sabine is available, but also because the speeders are great models. They are accurate to the TV show in every respect other than their size, although this was necessary so many more details could be included.
Finally we can complete our Ghost crew and they look great together in my opinion. For £19.99 this set is well worth purchasing simply to complete the team!
6 likes
22 comments on this article
What do you mean by "we have not yet seen Ezra's Speeder Bike..."? This is the Speeder Bike, surely? The set's name says it all..
Great review, anyway!
Sabine is a real disappointment. Usually with Minifigures you can tell who it is supposed to be at a glance. With Sabine, you really can't. Unless you know it's her I think most people would be hard pressed to guess in a blind test.
LEGO could have done a much better job, adding some arm printing to show her shoulder pads would help.
And the most obvious omission... her Mandalorian helmet!!!! For shame, LEGO...
Ezra's lightsaber also irritates me. I actually am a fan of the design, just not LEGO's interpretation of it. It deserves its own mold just like The Inquisitor's lightsaber received.
The lack of helmet isn't really a surprise is it? It just means they can bring out another version of the fig with a helmet and put it in a future set as a 'new' fig. Standard practice.
Nice review, but Sabine's hair is really bugging me (as are the inaccurate skin tones of the figures)...
Neat review, Ezra lightsaber is closely accurate to the one he himself build on Monday night. The lack of a Mandalorian Helmet is a serious no from me (I will be saving my cash on this one and instead buying two Troop Transports).
I might be wrong here, but wasn't there a Stormy pilot on the speeder in the show, instead of a regular Stormtrooper?
@NBJ2002: I think he meant, we haven't seen it in the TV show.
@SprinkleOtter
You are right!
It has been a while since I saw all the episodes that have been aired the last quarter of 2014, but I also remember the speeders being driven/ridden by these Imperial Combat Drivers / AT-DP pilots.
http://starwarsrebels.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Combat_Driver/Gallery?file=LothalAT-DP_Pilotbikes.jpg
I haven't seen the latest episode yet, so I can't comment on Ezra lightsabre, but to me the binoculars with the blue rod attached to it looks really awkward. In none of the episodes from 2014 Ezra had a lightsabre, instead he wielded an energy bolts flinging slingshot mounted on one of his wrists. Makes me curious about the new episodes.
I really like the speeders, and I totally do not mind that they are identical builds (apart from the colour). The colour scheme for both is nice, wish that instead of stickers they would have printed all those bricks you need to apply stickers on.
About Sabine's hair; I think they should have moulded her hair differently. Wilder, more tousled, more punky! More resembling that hairpiece used for Anakin, or that hairpiece that red and green Ninjago minifigs wear now in 2015. Also her hair is too blue, they did not print enough orange highlights on it. The mould of this hairpiece looks too 1950's, too neat. Still happy that I can now finally complete the team with this new minifig. Guess I will just get another hairpiece for her and paint it blue and orange myself if this hairpiece does not 'grow' on me.
I hope that TLG will update Sabine, so that the next time this minifig character is included, she also comes with a helmet, and shoulder pads printed on her arms, a black ABS torso might also be a better choice (since she wears a black body-glove in the series), with more magenta highlights on her female hourglass printing too.
Oooh! And thank you @CapnRex101 for another great review!
I have mixed feelings about this set. On the one hand, the price-per-piece is a great value, and the set is fairly playable. Two equally matched, one-hand-swooshable vehicles? It should be awesome, but since they're EXACTLY THE SAME except for coloring, it's not. Love that printed dish though.
And the minifigs are a HUGE disappointment. Sabine's hair is too tall, her skin tone is totally wrong, and she's not wearing pink armor! Worse, where on earth is her helmet?! It's not like they don't already have a Mandalorian helmet mold...
Rebels Stormie is good, and I like seeing lots of the same trooper in one wave. Ezra is just blah.
EDIT: Also, reviews of 2014 Rebels sets were not overwhelmingly positive. FBTB was particularly scathing on them...
@PicnicBasketSam - FBTB reviews are unfairly scathing of almost every set in my experience so I don't usually bother reading them.
@ The Big Legoski.
The lightsaber hilt is accurate enough. I'm glad they didn't make a new piece just of it. Here's what it looks like:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ezra%27s_lightsaber
@ The Big Legoski. There was an episode where Ezra used a lightsabre while training on top of The Ghost.
Can you post a picture of the stormtrooper's face maybe? Thanks!
I thought both bikes seemed a bit chunky compared to the versions seen on screen. Just removing the bricks below the seat where the stud shooters are mounted makes them feel a lot more streamline. Ezra's new lightsaber was featured this week on the show (the episode is called Path of the Jedi) - it can be found online if you're not in the US. The binocular piece is a fair representation but I reckon it can be improved upon.
@Figura: Thanks, that makes everything a lot clearer. :-)
What a timely review, I was just looking at this set yesterday in store. Almost grabbed it, I'm gonna go back and pick it up now, it looks great. Thanks for the review.
Man , this is a great set. Totally getting this after BFAL. The speeder bikes are the best part , since I am MOST DISPLEASED about how Sabines hair is way above her head whereas in the show it covers down to her eyebrows. Although the rest of the figure is honestly amazing.
I don't think it's so much the hair as it is the minifigure's square jawline. A Sabine minifigure will always be at a loss without her sharp jaw. I'd like to see are hair on a minidoll.
The same for Ezra. I'd never think that minifigure is Ezra out of context of a Tebels art because of the lack of the prominent nose. Alone, he looks like the character from Prince of Persia.
I think TLG has done the best they can with the characters and the minifigure shape.
Great-looking set and nice, informative review.
It seems that either the quantity of small parts (as compared to the total parts count) has increased in recent years, or LEGO sets are more parts dense than they used to be, or both, since even with 253 pieces for $19.99 (amazing value anytime and especially now considering the overpricing of SW sets) this set feels a lot smaller than say, 7475-1 Fire Hammer vs. Mutant Lizards, which was also $19.99 and had only 1 more piece than this set. Still, this set definitely looks worth buying.
After building this set while watching Rebels for the first time, I totally agree with the comments about the Sabine mini fig being done better. It would have been so great to get that helmet! Really fun build, love these speeder bikes, they look cool and those stud shooters are really neat, good playability. This is only my 2nd Star Wars set, I really like the Rebel characters. When the Ghost set came out it caught my eye, I can see that in my future, feel myself getting hooked here. :-D
In defense of FBTB's reviews, they're at least the most entertaining reads on any LEGO site... Brickset's are essentially flat descriptions, with no flair to the prose at all. They might as well just be an image gallery.
I would apologise for the offense, but if we're fine to criticise FBTB, I'm sure Brickset's writers are open to a little constructive criticism too. I like the volume of reviews here; I just wish they were a little more interesting to read.
In my experience, most favorable reviews, however well deserved, tend to make somewhat bland reading. It's the outright pans and criticisms that are most entertaining as well as informative. Which may be why FBTB prefers to write hypercritical reviews, of course.
Personally, I enjoy Brickset's reviews as reviews, and when they turn critical (as they do from time to time) I find them quite entertaining too! What's more, I tend to find myself agreeing with the Brickset verdict most of the time, which makes them excellent guides for my purchases--surely their main purpose, after all.