Review: 75099 Rey's Speeder
Posted by CapnRex101,
The smallest of the seven sets based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens is 75099 Rey's Speeder. This vehicle appeared prominently in the first trailer and again from a distance in the second, so it is already instantly recognisable and this set should therefore prove popular with fans. The Brickset statistics certainly support this as nearly 600 people own it already, almost double the number who own any of the other sets in the new range!
The fact that we have already seen quite a lot of this speeder makes it easy to compare the set with the source material and in that regard I think it fares very well indeed. The shape of the model closely resembles that of the speeder in the film, as does its colour scheme. With a few fun play features and two excellent minifigures, this has the makings of a brilliant Star Wars set.
Box and Contents
The box is surprisingly small for a set at this price point, but features attractive artwork showing the speeder racing across the desert wastelands of Jakku. The back of the box shows off some of the features or the set as well as a couple of rather nice shots of the speeder from different angles which are shown in the style of computer readouts.
Inside are two numbered bags, an instruction manual and a large sticker sheet which has no fewer than ten stickers on it, rather a lot for a set of this size. The worn appearance of the speeder in the film necessitates the use of stickers and they are all very easy to apply, so I don't mind their inclusion, but you might if you have a particular aversion to the use of stickers.
Minifigures
The first of the minifigures included is Rey. Daisy Ridley's character will play a major role in the movie so I am delighted that this figure lives up to my expectations, with an impressive amount of detail and two brand new head accessories! Her hair piece seems to be almost an exact match for the hairstyle seen in press shots from the film and is currently unique to this character.
Alternatively Rey can wear a head wrap which seems sensible given the likelihood of sand blowing in her face as she speeds across the plains of Jakku. The moulding and printing looks superb all over this element but I am particularly fond of the salvaged Stormtrooper visor which forms part of the mask.
A variety of straps cross the chest and continue onto the back of the torso as well as the hips and legs. This design is relatively plain but looks accurate to Rey's Jakku outfit in the film, so I have no complaints about it. Her head is equally well printed with a smile on one side and a frown on the other, as well as some freckles which are a nice little detail. Rey is equipped with a brown satchel and the pike which has appeared in a number of posters for the film.
Unkar's Thug works under the authority of Unkar Plutt, a scavenger and rival of Rey on Jakku. We have yet to see any inhabitants of Jakku who look exactly like this one but there is a very similar looking character in this action figure two-pack. His masked head is enormously detailed and features a large grille over his mouth along with goggles over the eyes, giving the character a very imposing appearance.
The torso and legs are equally detailed and include a filthy jacket which is worn over a grey tunic. There are lots of silver spots printed on the shirt, perhaps representing some kind of mesh which is woven into it. The thug is armed with a golden crowbar element, appearing for only the fourth time in this colour.
The Completed Model
We know exactly what Rey's speeder should like like as it has appeared in both trailers as well as plenty of concept artwork and images from the set which have been published. This model compares very well indeed with the vehicle in the film and features many of the details we see in those images including the vertical arrangement of the engines, exhaust vents and tiny windscreen.
There are also some parts of this model which we do not see on the actual speeder but have instead been included to increase the play value. For instance, a pair of stud shooters are mounted on either side of the engine housing which are absent from the speeder in the film, but I think they look quite good here and they certainly don't detract from its appearance in my opinion. The tools clipped to the vehicle are also not present in the movie, although there is some cargo netting visible in a few images which these tools might represent.
I like the dark red colour scheme very much and am pleased that this colour has been selected in favour of reddish brown as it looks a lot more interesting. There are some light bluish grey, dark bluish grey and dark orange pieces included too in a successful attempt to capture the battered appearance of the speeder in the movie. The combination of exposed studs and tiles is also effective in creating this worn exterior. The only notable inaccuracy is the colour of the engine bumpers towards the rear of the craft, which would be better in dark red to match the rest.
By rotating the lower engine nacelle you can open the panels on either side of the model to reveal a crate inside, which contains additional ammunition for the stud shooters. The lid of this crate is used as a surfboard on the packaging for the set as well as a recent video on the LEGO Star Wars website, perhaps hinting at a scene in the film.
Rey can sit comfortably in the cockpit and hold onto the control levers. Clearly the entire model is oversized, a fact which is especially apparent when a minifigure is seated in the driving position, but that has allowed the designer to include a great deal of detail, far more than if they had scaled the model down to match the figures.
Overall
This is an excellent set on the whole. The two minifigures are both superb, as is the speeder itself and the price of £19.99 or $19.99 seems about right, although the addition of a third minifigure would have been welcome.
Nevertheless, 75099 feels like an absolute must-have as Rey's speeder is the most recognisable vehicle from the film so far. This set is unique among the seven based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens in that the model is more appealing, for me at least, than the minifigures. Unkar's Thug is a great figure but is unlikely to be a major character, while Rey also appears in 75105 Millennium Falcon, albeit without her headscarf, reducing the appeal of the minifigure here.
If you are looking to buy one of the new Star Wars sets but don't want to spend a great deal of money, this is certainly the set to go for. If you are instead planning to buy some of the larger sets, I still think this one is worthy of consideration as the speeder is excellent and no Jakku display will be complete without it.
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26 comments on this article
Needs a BB-9.
I enjoy all the detail they put on the side of the speeder for such a small set.
I think it is a little big for the minifig...but the main colour is truly good to MOC some republic vehicles..an awesome set it is!
wait...hope the white scars on the minifigs' legs will be disappeared one day
For me this is the most appealing set of all the Star Wars New Order sets. But at 300 NOK (36 USD) I will take a pass on it. :(
Add BB-8 and increase the price to $24.99.
SOLD.
This might be the first Star Wars set I buy since the 1998 Speeder-bike set.
I love this set--the speeder's color is an excellent choice, it has great parts and detail, and I love minifigure of Rey. Lots of fun to put together. It looks absolutely fine even with no stickers applied.
Only set of the new movie I own thus far (not buying the Falcon because I love the previous version I already have). I think plenty of fans will purchase Rey's Speeder over the other new sets. It's the cheapest of the bunch; everyone agrees the sets are overpriced.
That mask thing looks out of place to me, it just doesn't look right when on her. Other than that it's a good set!
Happy to hear I am not the only one that thinks the mask is odd. Its too big and looks like more like joke oversized sunglasses. Other than that its a really nice set but could do with another figure to be on the same level as the £20 SH sets.
@luvLegos_Cool_J: You live in the US, where nearly all of the sets are perfectly priced, what are you talking about?
Why does everybody love the set that I dislike the most, and hate the sets I do like? It's not fair! :(
Actually, my first thought was "That thing does NOT look speedy." It's funny to see these new designs without any memories to attach them to. Should be fun and interesting to see what happens when the movie drops.
I widths it came with BB-8.
It's totally the wrong shape in the front, but it works! Well done LEGO, now I wish I had the instructions to build this guy in LDD.
As much as I would have liked BB-8 included in this set, it doesn't seem to fit here. I mean, do we even know who BB-8's owner is?
He's Poe's droid isn't he?
"The Brickset statistics certainly support this as nearly 600 people own it already, almost double the number who own any of the other sets in the new range!"
I wonder if this is due to it's popularity or more cause it's a mixture of getting a sneak peak into the series and being more affordable and so it's simpler to justify the money spend.
@jonamok
That's all I can assume by looking at these new sets. We also know that LEGO likes to spread their minifigures out over several sets, so including BB-8 in just two of the seven vehicle sets makes sense to me.
This is just what Lego's marketing has become. I'm not saying that it isn't smart, but it can be frustrating. If you want Kylo Ren in a set, it costs you $120 USD. If you want all the main characters from Scooby Doo, it's 2 sets at a total of $120 USD. If you wanted all 4 TMNTs, it was 2 sets and $100 to get them as well. As a great man once said, "It's not personal, it's just business...Lord business"
@dcswo
That's one reason why I will be waiting to buy any new Star Wars sets until after the next wave comes out. There must be some cheaper options down the road for getting certain minifigures. If I buy one of these new sets, Rey's Speeder will be the only I spend my money on.
Pretty tired of this cry baby nonsense about pricing and mini-figures. Um obviously harder to find figs will be in bigger sets. If you want good sets with various figs at lower costs buy CITY sets... Oh you won't do that? Fine then be quiet. Someone whined about Kylo Ren being in one bigger expensive set... Oh you mean the one called "Kylo Ren's ship"? I think it makes sense that fig comes with you know his ship. The sets pricing is fine and in some cases seem really good to me. Also why wait for the second wave? You think they'll just drop Kylo Ren in a $20 set? Probably not. The pricing for sets will probably be the same and your guys comments will be the same. If you can't afford your hobby you should probably switch to collecting rocks at the park.
Darthbricks is a nerd.
Already on sale at Walmart this weekend...$17.95! My Walmart had, what seemed like hundreds of these, clearly anticipating a rush to buy on Force Friday... but in a rural county like mine, I don't think Star Wars is in great demand...
I like this so much I bought three. One to keep as is and two to MOC. Having the engines side by side is a good look.
I don't care for the film version too much though. Won't those engines get hot? Shouldn't Rey be wearing asbestos pants?
I thought all the sets to be expensive when released on force Friday but at toys r us in Australia they had buy one get one half price for last two weeks then on last day of sale every thing was 20% off on top of that, I gottwo of all the sets ,two MF $300au Yay for me!
Curse you Darth Disney, I say. Curse you! *shaking fist*