Review: 75216 Snoke's Throne Room
Posted by CapnRex101,
The final confrontation between Rey, Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke's lethal Praetorian Guard is certainly among the most memorable sequences from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 75216 Snoke's Throne Room is therefore an extremely appealing set, offering a tremendous minifigure selection that includes two new members of the aforementioned Praetorian Guard.
However, this set costs £64.99 or $69.99 which seems rather expensive to me, particularly since it only contains 492 pieces and lacks several of the Praetorian Guards who protect Snoke in the film. Nevertheless, the throne room looks reasonably detailed and I enjoyed this scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi so have been looking forward to building this set.
Minifigures
This version of Rey has only appeared once before in 75189 First Order Heavy Assault Walker. I like her light and dark bluish grey robes which retain design features of Rey's original attire from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, albeit with styling more akin to that of a traditional Jedi. The tan sleeves look good in relation to the movie and the wrinkled fabric is very realistic, covering both sides of the torso and the legs.
Rey's dark brown hair piece is brand new and looks perfect when compared with the source material, featuring some lovely texture and two simple hair ties at the back. The double-sided head is decorated with some freckles as well as two different expressions, neither of which look as angry as the character does during this climactic battle in the film. Rey comes with a standard blue lightsaber.
Kylo Ren includes two more appropriate expressions, one of which looks rather severe while the other is twisted in anger. I like the scar across his right eye and the mole printed beside it shows excellent attention to detail. This hair piece looks great too, capturing the brutal warrior's unkempt hair style and including an accurate parting. Kylo does not come with his unique helmet so you cannot recreate its destruction, although this set is primarily focused upon later events in Snoke's throne room.
The minifigure's black robe features a silver stitched design which looks marvellous, especially under certain light conditions. I like the intricately detailed buckle on the belt around his waist but it is slightly disappointing that a fabric cape is not included as Kylo Ren does wear one for a significant part of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As usual, he carries a trans-red crossguard lightsaber with a pearl dark grey hilt.
75190 First Order Star Destroyer was the first set to include Supreme Leader Snoke so I am glad that he is now available in a less expensive alternative. The character's gruesome visage looks magnificent, featuring extensive scarring on the front and back of the head as well as a pair of distinctive pale blue eyes and white eyebrows. The scars are also visible on the minifigure's chest, just as in the movie.
Snoke wears a striking pearl gold robe which is decorated with a series of metallic gold streaks. These adorn both sides of the torso and continue across the hips and onto the legs, interrupted only by a belt. A standard minifigure does not quite capture Snoke's exceptional height so it might be worth adding a couple of 1x1 plates under his feet for display when standing up. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with this rendition of the Supreme Leader.
However, the most interesting figures in this set are definitely the exclusive Praetorian Guards. Their crimson armour looks absolutely fantastic, consisting of accurate printed designs on both sides of each torso and a brand new pauldron component which protects the minifigures' shoulders. I like the layered design of these armour plates, although there is slightly more clearance between the pauldron and the arms than would be ideal.
The torso looks brilliant when compared with the source material and I like the printed fabric designs on the skirt element which forms the lower half of each figure. These are present on the front and back of the skirt and appear distinct beside the curves on the guards' chest armour. The helmets are equally detailed, especially when viewed from the rear. I love the concentric bands across the visor and the shape of the helmet matches those belonging to the Fifth and Sixth Guards in the film. The red heads underneath are plain.
Unfortunately, this set only comes with one of the three different kinds of Praetorian Guard helmet, although they are actually separated into four pairs by their respective weapons. At least one of each guard should have been included, wielding four different weapons. Instead, the set features a bladed staff, depicting either the electro-bisento or a vibro-voulge, as well as two electro-chain whips, one of which is built in its stowed configuration. The lightsaber hilts are new in red and could be very useful but my set did not come with a spare.
The Completed Model
Comparisons have been drawn between Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room and that belonging to Emperor Palpatine from the Original Trilogy. A similar comparison can be made between this set and 75093 Death Star Final Duel from 2015 as both models are focused upon an entranceway as well as the space in front of a throne. However, this set is smaller than its predecessor, measuring 26cm from the throne to the turbolift and including no raised areas.
However, its layout is faithful to the source material. The chamber is accessed using a rounded turbolift opposite the Supreme Leader's throne and that is represented here by a revolving cylinder which can be activated by turning a Technic gear above the lift, revealing the minifigure standing inside. The back of the lift structure is open so you can place a figure inside without turning it around, as though they are entering the lift at a different level. Unfortunately, there is not enough room to fit both Rey and Kylo Ren in here.
Several stickers are found on this part of the model, including two control panels beside the turbolift and a series of bright blue light fixtures inside. These are reminiscent of the panels found throughout Imperial infrastructure and look pretty good, although it is quite difficult to apply the two stickers on the concave surface of the 2x2x5 curved wall panels which form the lift. The trans-orange lights above the entrance are excellent though and the stickers add some welcome detail, as long as they are properly applied.
A narrow walkway connects the turbolift to Snoke's impressive throne. Two black handrails protect minifigures walking across the bridge and their angle can be adjusted on hinges. I like the trans-red lights on either side of the walkway and the open areas are accurate to the film. More floor space would have been welcome though as there would not be space to stand all eight Praetorian Guards in here, if one were to assemble the entire group.
Two dark bluish grey structures flank the throne room, representing just a small section of its imposing walls. These feel rather superfluous to me as most of the action takes place in front of Snoke's throne and the walls obstruct access to the floor area for play. However, they do look good when compared with this location in the film and can be removed with ease as they are only linked to the central floor space by two Technic pins and a 1x2 tile.
Furthermore, storage compartments are situated at the foot of the walls. These contain a pair of handcuffs for Rey and a pearl silver goblet. You can also place the Praetorian Guards' weapons in here but the large electro-bisento will require some disassembly. Further stickers depict control panels on each exterior wall, presumably for unlocking the storage bays.
Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room is furnished with several interesting devices, the most prominent of which is the oculus. This unique viewing scope magnifies distant areas of space and is represented here by a sticker on a 2x2 round tile, showing a few stars, along with a trans-clear 1x1 round plate that forms the lens. The exact purpose of the machines protruding from the floor has not yet been identified but we know that they generate energy given the explosive fate of a Praetorian Guard who falls into one during the battle!
The throne is elevated at the centre of a curved dais which looks absolutely magnificent, although the designs on the dais are almost entirely reliant upon stickers. There is plenty of space to seat Snoke in his chair and the armrests look appropriately grand, featuring some trans-red and trans-blue lights that match the film. I also like the black pentagonal tile fitted at the base of the tall backrest.
A number of smaller pieces are attached to the back of the throne, creating some attractive mechanical detail. This side of the chair is not shown in the film but it compares favourably with other toys released for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and I appreciate that the throne can rotate too, providing further display options. However, this chamber is notably lacking the vast crimson curtain that encircles the entire room, instead featuring a few red highlights in the base. This is a shame but does not detract from the set too much in my opinion as a curtain would make it more difficult to reach into the throne room.
Strangely, the throne can be removed from its dais to reveal a Technic axle underneath. The official set description suggests that this should be used for storage but the set comes with few accessories and I would not recommend placing anything in here as it could easily interfere with the Technic mechanism. An entirely separate mechanism allows you to launch minifigures from one corner of the room towards the other and this is integrated effectively.
The aforementioned Technic axle links a red ball behind the throne to a section of the floor in front of it. This function allows you to recreate the moment in which Snoke pulls Rey towards him using the Force which is fun, although that also opens a hole in the floor. This could have been resolved very easily by placing another layer of tiles beneath the floor surface, lowering it by the width of a single plate rather than opening a chasm!
Overall
Supreme Leader Snoke's impressive throne room hosts a pivotal scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and I had high expectations for this set. Unfortunately, it is a little disappointing. Most of its functions work well and the minifigures are excellent but certain areas of the model lack detail. Furthermore, I think the designer has focused upon the wrong areas of the throne room as the walls occupy many pieces but serve little purpose. The crimson curtains are of much greater visual importance.
However, the most significant issue with this set is its price. £64.99 or $69.99 feels very expensive in relation to the size of the chamber and the quantity of minifigures included, even though those figures are appealing. I would therefore suggest waiting for a discount before purchasing this set and I think those who already own the Rey, Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke minifigures may wish to focus their attention elsewhere. Hopefully the Praetorian Guards will become available in a smaller set.
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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45 comments on this article
I feel like this is a set extremely similar to the Death Star Final Duel set, because the build is bad but the figs are great. I'm definitely getting this on a sale, those Elite Praetorian Guards are lit!
This set looks pretty good, but it is far too expensive; the same issue plagues the Sistar Starship.
Very disappointed. Very small and boring set. The only reason I’d get it is for the praetorian guards, but it still isn’t worth it. Like he said, I really wish there was a large crimson curtain. That would’ve justified the price.
Kudos for making a very decent playset, but as very often, licensed LEGO stands or falls based on its source material. With this set inspired by the most badly choreographed scene in the movie, nay, series, I can't help but feel this will be nowhere near as timeless as other sets.
I feel like this is a crappier, over priced, version of the Death Star Final Duel, and with far fewer accurate details, and the only reason I would get this set is for the Praetorian Guard minifigs.
This looks decent but I don't buy SW sets any longer.
I feel think this build was going to bland regardless, as in my opinion Snoke’s chamber is far less interesting than Palpatine’s once you get past the curtain. The price is unexcusable though. All we can hope for now is a Praetorian battle pack, hopefully one with the guards wielding their vibro-arbir blades!
If this set was £20-30 and had a smaller build I would definitely buy just for the figs but anything more is too expensive.
Disapppointing and cramped rendition of the cavernous space that is Snoke's throne room. For the price we deserved better.
They should have ditched the wall pillars and made some red curtains instead. Would have been much more visually striking. Completely agree they could have made a slide mechanism that didn't open a hole too.
This set just doesn't seem worth it. Given the Death Star final Duel was only a £5 dearer, but contained nearly half as many parts again, its massively overpriced for what you get imo. I'd have made this a side view diorama, adding more floor space and the curtains and loosing a set of the pillars, which you could have switched around with technic pins.
What a disappointment! I was really looking forward to this one, until now. It's going to require a significant MOC effort to make it a reasonable recreation of that impressive room (I'd start with an all-red backdrop behind the frame and throne).
That price point is insanity, even for Star Wars. I thought this one was going to be like 39-49 range. Yikes.
The walls should’ve been moved to surround the throne at an angle and then had red cloth draped off of them. I’m also disappointed that there’s no function to push Snoke out of the throne like there was in the Wizard Battle set from LOTR. I was so excited for this set but I’ll wait for a decent sale before I buy it.
Pros and cons for this one. It absolutely lacks some representation of the crimson atmosphere of the movie scene. I know it is quite impossible to reproduce the entire curtain while keeping the part count and price point, but I am sure that the use of more red parts and panels would have helped to give the vignette an ambience closer to the original. The oculus deserved more care in its design too IMO, it should have been a little bigger. Those two Praetorian are the real stars of the set (and I agree, two are far too few) and Snoke also which was only available in an expensive set before. For the rest... Nice action features included, but some missed opportunities to make a better rendition of this key scene. I shall wait for a discount to get this one. Good review and pictures again, thanks for it.
The price tag is ridiculous! Even with FOUR Praetorians, it would have been an outrage. Lego has finally lost it with the pricing. Remember the Hoth healing chamber. Same thing. But hopefully stores will know, that they can not call up this price.
Almost similar priced as “Helms Deep”...
I think the spear of the Praetorian represents the vibro-voulge and not the electro-bisento as the weapon is very long and the bottom red lightsaber hilt represents the large power source on the voulge. Also, the blade is not curved like the bisento and only the mentioned 5th and 6th guards carry the voulges.
@StarWarzFan7777 - Possibly. It is difficult to accurately characterise the weapon as either an electro-bisento or a vibro-voulge so I have updated the review to mention them both.
@Spartan Ghost - That is true, although play often extends beyond what is shown in the films and in that situation it seems likely that Snoke may be required to stand up. Nevertheless, he certainly looks alright when sat in his throne, as you say.
For those who have commented that this is a poor redesign of the Final Duel set, that is probably a comment about the movie just as much as the set itself...
492 pieces for $70 is just too much for me. Going to have to wait for a sale or something.
Say what you will about the film, but the NINJAGO MOVIE sets have ridiculously good price to piece value. The fire mech is also $70 and includes 944 pieces.
Considering it’s being based off a horribly made scene...of a horribly made movie I didn’t have any expectations at all. Won’t be buying it. Probably just try to pick up the minifigs separately
This set is indeed quite disappointing, for all the above reasons, great review, as always btw. Had so much potential but seems a bit of a let down. Still, since I saw the images on Brickset back in May I think it was, I knew it would have to be a day one purchase for me. Got the other 3 figs already but I got to have those Preatorians.
So the set is just as disappointing as Snoke was in general?
Figures.
Love you guys but I hate this set. I like my custom version way better.
I'm glad we started with one of the less impressive August release SW sets so we can gradually move into the more interesting ones. The Death Star Final Duel was way better than this - far more three dimensional and even the figs at the time were very appealing with Vader's two part helmet. The Praetorian Guard were so much more effective than any other Royal or Senate Guards before them, but still not enough to face two force wielders as powerful as Rey and Kylo. Are the helmets a single piece or is there a head under there? I assume the former.
@CM4Sci - I actually had your rendition in mind when commenting on certain aspects of this set in the review. I really like how you constructed the red curtain and included a function to set it ablaze.
You can take a look at CM4Sci's version of Snoke's Throne Room here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/89141500 @N07/albums/72157692732738761
@The Rancor - Most of the summer Star Wars sets definitely improve upon this one!
This year has been really rough for LEGO Star Wars as far as pricing of sets goes. It’s really a shame because I really like some of the builds, but I just simply cannot justify some of the terrible prices.
As always, the review is on point!!
I like this set. The throne itself is a nicely shaped build and the overall design of the room is excellent.
However, like others have said, we're missing that red tone that defined the room. They should've incorporated, in-between the side supports, red elements or the entire support beams themselves ALL in red with the top and middle striping the same (keep the grey grill and black tile on top, and the middle black plates).
Also, Snoke is too short. Somehow, make him like Hagrid's height/minifig build with a new coat/cloak/robe. He's like supposed to be 7 or 8 feet tall.
Do any of you have an idea of why such a set is "so expensive"? There are similar ones in parts count, number of minifigs, license etc. which are cheaper : so what in this one justifies that price? New minifigs? Specific molds? Thank you.
Zzzzzzzzzzz sorry yet another long winded negative review. My son loves it and we have had great fun playing with it. People seem to be using it to be negative about the film. Stick to reviewing it for what it is. A toy.
I expected it to be a good set, and my expectations were SUBVERTED!
My 8yo son likes this set because , the new Rey hairmould and how they made the praetorian guards and the snoke minfig. It has great play features, which is what 8yo boys like about Lego.
@Brick't - The set does include a couple of new parts for the Praetorian Guards but I think a more significant factor is the subject matter. This is a prominent scene in the film and LEGO probably anticipated that a related set would prove very popular. On that basis, they could charge more than they might in other instances.
@Sleepybrian - I am glad to hear that your son enjoys this set but I can only give my personal opinion in a review. Ultimately, I think most of the functions are well executed and the figures are superb but certain aspects of the model could definitely be strengthened and the price is too high, as described in the review. Furthermore, I can assure you that Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which I enjoyed, would only have a positive bearing upon my opinion of this set.
Another vital factor which must be taken into consideration is the audience for the review. The majority of Brickset readers are teenagers or adults and our articles should therefore be focused upon those age ranges. That does not mean ignoring the play features in a set but it does mean that we must acknowledge inaccuracies or other issues when we encounter them, even though those factors may not be of great importance to younger children.
This is a pretty good set, but Snoke was the most purposeless villain in Star Wars history.
Let's hope for a guard battle pack in the future! I like this set well enough. Definitely going to have to add some red bricks for a backdrop though.
This actual scene in the movie is fantastic so it seems like a waste to make such a lame, overpriced set out of it. :/
I see nothing here that justifies the price. There are very few notably large and zero printed pieces, just one (repeated within the set itself) new minifigure, and the completed build is the size of a $30 set. Even beyond that it does a poor job of representing the scene, with the throne taking up way too many pieces and somehow not even having a feature to make Snoke fall out of it. There is a not a trace of the red curtain around the room, much less a way to make it fall down to reveal some flame elements or something to that effect. Even the elevator doesn't even work as intended without space for two figures.
CM4Sci's version is vastly superior.
When I first saw images of this set, I thought that it looked quite decent. And I still think so. But I guess you are right: the set just does not capture the atmosphere of the room, which was wide and open and very red :-). CM4Sci's version is indeed vastly superior in this regard.
The minifigs are great, they really are; it’s just a damn shame there weren’t two more Praetorian Guards.
In regards to the model itself, it looks to me like the whole thing is focused in the wrong area of the throne room. Like the elevator and two stanchions could have been dropped and a much wider semicircle around the throne created - with a red material sheet positioned around a curved back edge. That way you’d be looking into the throne room with a dramatic backdrop like the movie.
Another overpriced Wall and cool figs set :/ At least this one the wall piece looks good :D
An incredible, stunning scene in a brilliant movie and this is what they come up with at that price, very disappointing
Wow! Crazy money for (essentially) the Praetorian guards and a few bricks. Just bought a couple of battle packs half price at lunchtime from the supermarket and that seems a better use for my money right now. To be blunt, I only really want the red armour, helmets and lightsabre handles, but not £65 want!
I have been buying SW lego since the very first sets but they increasingly disappoint now, especially the price being gouged by Lego from figure collectors.
Funny, Snoke in this set looks very much like Goldmember to me. I wonder why...
:-P
I don’t know what the deal is, but the prices are just getting to be too much.
Great looking set, terrible movie, and it is very over-priced. In general Star Wars set pricing has been really high the past couple of years. I really don't think this is worth $70.00. Rey Minifig looks great, the rest I think are a bit meh. EDIT: Snoke and Ren actually look pretty good as well at a second glance. However, the Praetorian Guards just look odd to me, in the movie and in Lego form. The samurai meets Royal Guard thing just doesn't work for me.
I WANT THIS SET!!!
When the OT summer sets review??