Review: 75117 Kylo Ren
Posted by CapnRex101,
The first wave of the Star Wars Buildable Figures met with acclaim from veteran Constraction fans as well as Star Wars fans like myself and the news that a second wave was approaching was therefore very welcome. The second set of six figures is based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and includes several of the major First Order and Resistance characters from the movie.
We have chosen to begin our reviews of the new range with 75117 Kylo Ren, the sinister villain of the film whose lightsaber and helmet are already instantly recognisable. This is one of the more expensive sets in the latest wave of Buildable Figures, priced at £19.99 in the UK and $24.99 in the US but it only includes 86 pieces, so is more akin to the smaller sets (75113 Rey and 75114 First Order Stormtrooper) in that regard.
Nevertheless, I think the size and quality of the figure justify the price.
Box and Contents
The box is taller than it is wide, a typical feature of Constraction set packaging. Ren looks atypically calm standing among the flames of a burning village on the front of the box while the back demonstrates the geared right arm which has been introduced with the latest wave of Buildable Figures.
Inside are two bags of pieces and a single instruction manual which features some nice artwork as well as advertisements for the other figures in the range. Kylo Ren's helmet is packaged in its own little bag just as the heads of figures in the first wave were.
The Completed Model
Kylo Ren is one of the largest Buildable Figures of the twelve released so far, measuring over 26cm in height. Construction is as simple as many of the smaller figures which disappointed me slightly, although there is no arguing with the results which look superb. Ren's intimidating visage has been captured perfectly and the fabric elements compliment the standard CCBS panels perfectly.
As with all the Buildable Figures there is plenty of articulation, with ball joints found at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. This allows one to create plenty of dynamic poses which give the impression of movement and emotion.
The accuracy of the figure to the character in the movie is quite impressive too. The helmet looks fantastic while the layered cloth is realistically rendered despite the use of only two fabric components. The cape is attached around the neck and leaves a gap for the gear on the back while the surcoat is clamped beneath the chest armour as you can see in the image below. I expect Constraction builders will find plenty of imaginative uses for this new fabric shape as new elements like this one often seem to prove popular.
A simple gear mechanism is used to transfer motion from a knob on the back of the figure to the right arm, allowing Kylo Ren to slash his lightsaber at any opposition. This function works nicely and does not interfere with the posing of the arm at all, although an unsightly gap would be left in the cape should you wish to remove it altogether.
Kylo Ren's lightsaber is probably his most recognisable feature and it was therefore very important that the designers got it right when creating this figure. Thankfully they have done exactly that by including a new element which permits the attachment of two 3L bars to form the cross guard. This versatile component opens up a range of building possibilities and I look forward to seeing how it is used in future.
Overall
I am quite pleased with this figure on the whole as it looks great and is highly poseable, although I must admit to being a little disappointed with the build which is extremely basic, with nothing like the level of intricacy enjoyed in 75111 Darth Vader or 75112 General Grievous. The size of the figure led me to believe it might include as many interesting building techniques as those figures but the piece count and price suggest the opposite, so my slight disappointment is probably a result of my own unrealistic expectations.
Nevertheless, the helmet is fantastic and I like the printed design on Kylo Ren's chest which represents his robes. The cape and surcoat look equally good, suggesting an adequate amount of layered cloth despite not including nearly as much as there is on the movie costume.
I certainly recommend this figure and it looks great beside the other characters in the range, but it does not quite match the excellence of 75111 Darth Vader or 75112 General Grievous from the first wave. Hopefully some of the other new figures will provide competition for those two!
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22 comments on this article
Thanks for the review, especially the fact that there are no spoilers! Seeing it on Christmas eve!!!
Awesome figure, I'm so excited to see the new movie soon!
I have little interest in this one. It has some good parts (particularly the textile parts and shoulder pads, which are presently exclusive to this set), but like Phasma and the First Order Stormtrooper, the color scheme is very bland and monochrome, and it doesn't appear to do anything very unique build-wise.
I'm much more interested in Rey, who is cheaper, has a more interesting color scheme, and just generally looks more unique. Finn looks nice too — lots of neat colors, a blaster, and a head that could be useful for more than just Star Wars characters. But I think Rey is easily the standout set of this wave, and possibly the category as a whole.
Really enjoyed the film but have some gripes about it, which will be kept to places where it's okay to discuss the movie.
Reading that he's bigger than 75112 General Grevious...wow! Grevious is huge, I thought. I may have to grab this guy. Two little things though, a bummer he doesn't have a hood & the cross guards on his saber are so much thinner.
I've been avoiding all social media to avoid spoilers and I'm really happy you guys here (including folks in the comments) keep this place spoiler-free!
@Legoguy29
Actually that's incorrect, according to CapnRex101's other reviews, Vader is about 29cm, and Grievous is over 30cm, while here he says Kylo Ren is only about 26cm.
The gearbox used on him is the same one used in most of the larger 2015 Bionicle sets, and it's really great to see that they finally put it in after I was expecting it in Wave 1. The torso and the back piece are both brand-new pieces created so you can have the ability to put the gearbox in line with where the shoulders would normally be and not set back like on the aforementioned Bionicle 2015 sets.
Honestly, on Kylo Ren himself, I agree with Aanchir that he is pretty bland in comparison to the rest of the wave. I only plan on getting Finn and a FO Stormie.
I want!!! I still need to buy the General Grievous figure, too.
Sparing any spoilers, I've seen a lot of dislike for Kylo Ren around the web. Ray not only seems to be the more liked character, but is also the more appealing figurine. I would be surprised if this wave sold as well as the last, except for possibly Rey.
This figure looks amazing and will probably grab it off the shelf next year. I do have one complant though he really needs a hood cause he doesn't look right without it.
@CapnRex101
Can you please show us the back without the cape? Some of the new sets have a back armour piece, wondering if this one does...
Thanks for the review this will probably be the first set of this series that i will get. I do agree with how the knob if removed would look strange. could you post a picture of the arm mechanism please?
I have the Captain Phasma figure, and for all those who are reluctant to buy one for themselves, let me assure you that she is freakin awesome in buildable figure form and is well worth your pennies. I just love the rifle they have you build, and her cape with the red stripe, and her menacing silver helmet. So good.
You cannot POSSIBLY spoil the movie any more than the director has, an abysmal experience from every angle, a complete failure both as part of the SW saga as well as a 'standalone' movie.
This figure looks great! They have captured the look very well indeed and i think a hood would detract from the helmet. The cross beams are a little long. Just seen the film and must very strongly disagree with Stepalex - this is in my opinion the best of ALL the films so far, even (gasp) better then Empire Strikes Back! Going to see it again in new year 'cause it's amazing!!
Looks good, but kind of boring also. I am probably just going to get Rey and Captain Phasma.
Thank you for the review! I would like to get this set! Your review confirmed my presumptions.
Any idea how much it will cost in euro's? I've seen the USD price on the set page, but is the european price known yet?
Really excited for this one, I think he looks great. Poe is probably the only figure in this wave I don't think I want.
Agreeing with yuffie that Stepalex's opinion, while presented as fact, falls into the minority, which is evident just by looking at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. The film was not flawless by any means, but it felt very much like the original trilogy in spirit. It was nice to have most (if not all) of the interactions between characters take place in real environments, instead of in front of a green screen. Loved the new actors, loved Kylo as a villain, and I'm hoping Episode VIII can address some of the nitpicks I had with the lack of exposition.
Thanks for the great review! Is there any opportunity to add a hood? Am seriously considering picking it up ...
Love the helmet piece, but I'm not terribly excited about the gearbox and knob on the back. The surcoat also seems to hang a bit awkwardly. All in all, it's a good figure, but Phasma and the First Order Trooper look far more appealing.
I just got all the figures for 14,99e in Slovak Tesco (Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, Stormtrooper). I think they had some mistake there because all new sets were for 14,99e (microfighters included which should be 9,99e). Pitty they didn't have Battle of Takodana, Carbon-Freezing Chamber and Droid Escape Pod :) :) :)