Review: 75209 Han Solo's Landspeeder
Posted by CapnRex101,
75209 Han Solo's Landspeeder garnered a great deal of attention when the sets based upon Solo: A Star Wars Story were revealed, despite being among the smaller sets in the range. I like the asymmetrical design of this vehicle within the Star Wars universe and the LEGO model looks magnificent as well.
Furthermore, the set includes exclusive Han Solo and Qi'ra minifigures as well as a Corellian Hound, the latter of which I have been looking forward to in particular. This might therefore prove to be a highlight of the entire Solo: A Star Wars Story subtheme!
Minifigures
This version of Han Solo is unique, wearing a sleeveless white jacket and muddy trousers. The entire minifigure is exceptionally detailed but I especially like the designs on the torso. Metallic silver studs line Han's belt and the fastening strips on his jacket look splendid too. However, the highlight for me is definitely the tattered neckline of the shirt which matches the source material exactly, demonstrating tremendous attention to detail.
The legs are splattered with grey mud which appears perfectly natural, although these blotches do not continue onto the sides of the legs, unfortunately. Han's textured hair piece remains the same as usual and looks brilliant but the head is new, featuring a confident smirk on one side and a determined expression on the other.
Qi'ra also wears exclusive attire in this set so differs quite dramatically from the figure in 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon. Her dark brown hair piece is brand new and looks superb when compared with the character in the film. The torso is similarly impressive, including a red shirt beneath a pearl silver fur-lined jacket. Pearl silver is perhaps a surprising colour choice where light bluish grey could have been used but I think it works very well.
Like Han, Qi'ra's feet are decorated with some grey mud and this continues onto the hem of her leather skirt. The LEGO Star Wars range seems to avoid dual-moulded arms and legs which is disappointing as dual-moulding would have been ideal here, although the printed design alone looks good and I like the brand new double-sided head as well. Both Qi'ra and Han are armed with standard blaster pistols.
A lone Corellian Hound completes the set. These vicious creatures are also found in 75210 Moloch's Landspeeder and include excellent moulded detail, with a scaly texture along their back as well as wattle-like structures hanging beneath the animal's neck. The printing on the face is simple but looks fantastic in relation to the movie, consisting of small eyes, yellowed teeth and prominent nostrils for hunting their prey with smell.
The Completed Model
Han's M-68 Landspeeder measures 16cm in length and perfectly reflects what we already know of the character's personality. Its asymmetrical design is very striking and the exposed mechanical details are superb, invoking the idea of Han removing sections of the bodywork in order to make modifications and simply never bothering to replace them. The dark blue and white colour scheme looks brilliant too, clearly distinguishing this landspeeder from others.
Brackets and bricks with studs on the side are integral to the assembly of the model and this becomes immediately apparent when viewing it from the front. A rounded window element forms the right side of the speeder and a light bluish grey wheel fits inside which looks in the film. The black and white stripes are equally accurate, although it is a shame that the 1x2 slopes on top do not quite link up with the tiles on the side.
LEGO Star Wars sets often include mechanical detail but this example is particularly impressive. The designer has evidently taken care to match the source material as closely as possible, using dark bluish grey 6L bars to represent exposed cables and recreating the stripped engine on the left of the speeder which contrasts with an enclosed engine on the right. Two printed cooling fans are fixed on top of the vehicle, not unlike many real hot rods.
The entire bonnet panel is attached using just two studs so can be taken off very easily, revealing even more mechanical detail beneath the bodywork. A power generator is placed in the centre of the vehicle which can be removed for maintenance and I like the trans-neon green cylinder beside the generator. Furthermore, you can store a black wrench, a spare projectile for the spring-loaded shooter and any other accessories in here.
There are two seats inside the cockpit along with some printed control panels and a yoke for the driver. The tan upholstery is consistent throughout this area of the model which looks marvellous and I like the trans-clear windscreen, although it should perhaps be set at a slightly steeper angle. A couple of hinges could therefore have been used to good effect here, just as they were on 10242 MINI Cooper MK VII.
A large wing is attached to the rear of the landspeeder and this is also asymmetrical so matches the rest of the bodywork. I love the curved corners of the wing but the light bluish grey 1x2 bracket looks out of place so I would recommend replacing it with a black one. Yet another removable panel is situated between the engines and this houses a trans-light blue power cell.
The landspeeder rests on four tiny wheels. I usually prefer to see 2x2 sliders on the underside of these vehicles as I think they are better for play, allowing vehicles to make tight turns or move sideways, just as they do in the films. However, the small size of these wheels means that the landspeeder is fairly manoeuvrable so they work perfectly here. Two spring-loaded shooters are also hidden beside the wheels.
Overall
This is my favourite Star Wars set of 2018 so far. Han's M-68 Landspeeder is richly detailed so looks fantastic on display and it also includes several play features so should appeal to every demographic. The minifigure selection is very impressive as well, consisting of two exclusive figures and a Corellian Hound which can join those found in 75210 Moloch's Landspeeder.
My only criticism of this set also relates to 75210 Moloch's Landspeeder as I believe this set offers relatively little play value without its villainous counterpart. On the other hand, dividing the vehicles between two sets makes perfect sense as Han's speeder feels appropriate for a lower price point. I think £25.99 or $29.99 is a reasonable cost in relation to the content of the set so would highly recommend adding it to your collection.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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25 comments on this article
I'm getting it. :)
Love the new landspeeders, they will look amazing with Luke’s.
In my opinion one of the best SW sets since the rogue one wave. Easy to build, lots of play functions, nice figures with leg prints (! - Lego cheated on us in most of the new marvel sets in this regard!). And not too much overpriced.
It is a great set. Probably the highlight of the group for vehicles. The minifigs with the falcon are the best of the group in my opinion.
I am slightly paranoid with all the different blues. This is Earth Blue right? The same as in 31039-1: Blue Power Jet?
I am trying to put it together in my head but with quick glance this set (or 2) might compliment nicely that set for mocs.
This Landspeeder is quite amazing, but why the LEGO designers use the Angular Plate 1.5 Bot. 1X2 1/2 on light bluish grey instead of a black one
I think that bracket is light bluish grey because there's a black one that "hangs down" in the set, so they made the "sticks up" bracket in light bluish grey so we don't get mixed up. But if that's the reason, they could have used dark bluish gray. Better yet, use black, and put a picture of both brackets, with a green circle around the correct one and a red circle and line for the incorrect one- they do this regularly, and I think it's a good idea.
Me likey.. Alot, might get one.
Builded a few days ago, I just can confirm all that Cap'n says about it. It's small once complete, but filled with so many delicious details both in and outside that for the price I really don't regret this purchase. The colour scheme is for once different (I mean it's not grey!) with major dark blue and striking white lines for very good looking effect. I really like the engine compartment filled with mechanical details and features. The two trans neon green dishes stacked add a lot to it. And minifigs selection is a good way to get three main characters at once. Five star for me. Thanks for the good review again!
My 10 year old son got this set and his conclusion after building it (besides it being awesome) is that it looks like it had crashed and the one side was sheered off. I have to say that certainly looks to be the case . . . I'm guessing we won't know until we see the movie if that is indeed what happens. But I can imagine the speeder getting banged up and taking damage in action-packed chase scene with 75210.
It's excellent
Bet you can't say that without an Emperor voice.
This set is pretty cool! The color scheme is really good looking, not to mention the fine details all around the build. The design feels like something from in between the prequel and original trilogies, as that is where this movie takes place. Plus, this is the cheapest way to get a young Han Solo at the moment which is good for those who can't afford the KR Millenium Falcon.
In general, this whole Solo: A Star Wars Story wave is the best out of any of the lineups from these recent movies if you ask me.
I'm not particularly interested in the film, as I think a Han Solo prequel movie is a bad idea on its own and there's been production issues, but this is IMO one of the best Star Wars sets to come around since the start of the Disney era. I hope we see more original vehicle designs like this and fewer rehashes of the same vehicles . . . If I wanted an X-Wing, AT-AT, or Tie Fighter set I'd rather have one based off the original trilogy.
My only concern is that at that price point I think it could use another figure and maybe a small complementary build, but sets are discounted so much now it should be available for 20-30% off soon enough.
When I first saw pictures of this, I said to myself 'got to have it'. What a great set. Wonderful details, play value, and minifigs. For the photos this time I don't think the light gray works well as a background. The dark blue pieces don't look exactly like they should.
This is so coming with me this weekend, this will definetly function as a random civillian vehicle in my City.
It looks like a bed with a blue duvey cover and headrest.
Great review as always Capn! The stand alone movies really do seem to be offering up much better sets than the saga films - great new vehicles along with IT compatible favourites (AT ST from RO and the TIE from this wave). I'm already looking forward to the convoyex and hauler craft in the late summer wave.
I'm mixed on this.. On one hand I'm always happy to see Star Wars sets that I don't already have a previous version of, but on the other hand it sort of looks like the design was inspired by a bed with a giant headboard..
The more I read about the movie, the more I want to see it. Your review and the comments above really give the impression of a good ol' car chase using muscle cars - just like in some older 60's -70's movies like Bullitt.
This set really fits the bill. I'm going to buy it tomorrow. Thanks for the review.
A great looking set and great review - definite purchase.
Definitely my first thought was that it looks like a bed. Not a fan really :(
This reminds me of the Bounty Hunter Pursuit Set from 2002.
However that set contained both speeders in one set with three amazing minifigures (one exclusive even to this date!).
For me, you’d need both speeders to get the same playability from it and that’s way more expensive than it they were contained in one set.
@Lego_Mouse That set though had way less detail and older, less intricate parts. It would be nice to get another combo set, but at the current level of detail and size, it would probably be too expensive.
After watching re-watching some of the more recent Marvel films (including Inifnity War), and then looking at this Han figure, I’m starting to feel like this hairpiece would be great for a Peter Parker figure.
Great review cap't, I took your advice & swapped out the grey bracket for the black one & it looks a treat. My only issue with this set is the poor use of the engine bay. I pimped mine to add a water unit opposite the green coolant unit & an extra storage space for their guns. It would make complete sense for Han to store some guns under there in case a bounty hunter came calling while he was making modification in his hanger! It was also easy to attach the extra red laser projectiles underneath the speeder in the centre section by extending the spoiler - it looks even sleeker when you do this & you have a couple of exposed studs on either side for ease of handling. Wouldn't it be great if Lego made some vehicles based on Mad Max Fury Road - I'm sure there would be a market for it. Aussie & US muscle car enthusiasts can't get enough of the die cast models & they pay a premium for "Collector Series models" & I for one would love a Ford Inteceptor & Valiant Charger - an Ideas project perhaps?