Review: 75230 Porg
Posted by CapnRex101,
Porgs first appeared in a promotional video for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and have been causing controversy ever since. These winged creatures were inspired by the puffins that inhabit Skellig Michael, where scenes on Ahch-To were filmed, but they have subsequently come to represent weaker aspects of the modern Star Wars films for certain groups within the fan community.
75230 Porg therefore provoked considerable debate when images of this set emerged in July. Personally, I like the porgs in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and am quite impressed with this model. Furthermore, the set contains 811 pieces and costs £59.99 or $69.99 so it appears to offer reasonable value and I am approaching this review with high expectations.
Minifigure
This set includes a tiny minifigure-scale Porg for display beside the larger model. A similar figure has previously appeared in 75192 Millennium Falcon and 75200 Ahch-To Island Training but I am pleased to see another one here, following the example of 75187 BB-8 which also came with a BB-8 minifigure. The head was originally created for BB-8 but this element works perfectly for a porg, featuring some orange feathers and beady eyes. The orange 1x1 round plate that represents a pair of webbed feet looks great too.
The Completed Model
Information plaques are typically associated with the Ultimate Collector Series but are not exclusively available in that popular range. 75187 BB-8 came with a plaque and 75230 Porg includes one as well, providing some information about the porg's habitat, physical attributes and diet. This is a fun addition to the set and there is enough room to place the smaller figure on an exposed stud beside the plaque which is useful.
Creating organic shapes using LEGO pieces is notoriously difficult but I think this model looks fantastic. The porg measures almost 20cm in height so is life-size which is ideal for display, although it is slightly smaller than some of the other 'life-size' porg toys which have been produced. Nevertheless, its scale seems very realistic to me and the animal feels quite substantial in relation to its cost.
The model is constructed around a simple Technic frame so it feels remarkably sturdy, despite being almost entirely hollow. This cavity at the centre of the porg contains a long Technic liftarm which links the creature's tail to the lower jaw, both of which appear in the image below. Several panels are then attached to the central Technic frame, reminding me of 75187 BB-8 which employed similar building techniques.
These panels consist almost entirely of layered plates and slopes, creating an interesting feathered texture that matches the source material exactly. I love how it changes from the front of the model to the back, transitioning from curved slopes which only include a few exposed studs to a rougher surface with many more studs at the rear, as demonstrated in the image below.
A pair of webbed feet extend from the base of the model. These can rotate a short distance and the toes are individually articulated as they do not actually provide any support for the model. Instead, it rests on an inverted 2x4 tile and some 2x2 sliders beneath the feet. I like how the 2x2 wedge plates have been used to form webbing between each digit and the 1x1 round bricks, representing legs, look marvellous as well.
The porg's belly is comparatively smooth, featuring curved slopes of several different sizes which are arranged to create a rounded shape. I think the resultant design looks magnificent, especially since it appears suitably rotund in relation to the movie. This came as a pleasant surprise as I think the porg looks disproportionately tall in official images.
Dark bluish grey and black 2x3 rock plates are used to brilliant effect on the back of the model. These create a rough texture which looks fantastic and I love the combination of different colours, particularly around the black tail section. Pressing the tail will cause the porg's mouth to open and its wings to flap! This function works perfectly and is neatly integrated, although the wings' range of motion is somewhat disappointing.
While most of the body is constructed around a rectilinear frame, the head is attached using a Technic axles so rests at an angle. I was not impressed with this design in official images but it looks far better once the model is constructed, especially when displayed on a low shelf. The mouth looks superb in relation to the movie and I love the porg's large eyes too.
The mouth contains a pair of tiny teeth which are slightly larger than those on the creatures in the film, although they look good in my opinion. I like the consistent colour of the red Technic pieces inside the porg's mouth and the light bluish grey Technic bushes are not too distracting either. However, there is not enough friction for the mouth to remain open which surprised me as that does reduce the options for display. Of course, a simple internal modification will allow you to display the model with its mouth open.
Turning the porg around reveals even more textured detail on the back and sides of is head. I love the layered 1x2 wedge slopes and the blending of orange with light and dark bluish grey works beautifully. Once again, this area of the model also includes some 2x3 rock plates so the transition between the back of the body and the head is very smooth.
Overall
75230 Porg will not appeal to everyone but I am very pleased with this model. Not only does it capture the adorable appearance of these creatures in Star Wars: The Last Jedi but the porg is sturdily constructed and includes a couple of fun play features. Ideally, the wings would have a slightly greater range of motion, although the existing design still looks good.
However, this model is primarily intended for display and I think it fares equally well in that respect, making a welcome change from the vehicles which dominate the Star Wars theme. £59.99 or $69.99 feels like a reasonable price in relation to the size of the model as well. Ultimately, I think those who appreciate the porgs will enjoy this set and I would absolutely 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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51 comments on this article
Thanks, Chris - nice review.
LEGO has a tradition of releasing Star Wars sets like this, including 7194 Yoda, 10018 Darth Maul bust etc.. They're by no means to everybody's taste, but I'm a big fan - it's great to have some variety in the Star Wars theme, not least to provide some respite from all the remakes.
Must-buy for me!
A very interesting set to be sure. I think it's kinda cool (unfortunately out of my price range though) and I may be the only one who goes around calling it UCS Porg. XD Thanks for the review!
Just like the movie it gets more hate than it deserves
I actually want to get this one; it's really detailed, the price is great, I could go on. I also just like Porgs :P
My 4 year old will love this. He loves porgs and sleeps with a stuffed one.
"but they have subsequently come to represent weaker aspects of the modern Star Wars films for certain groups within the fan community.“
Even though i certainly agree with said groups, this sentence is pure poetry.
Don’t quite understand this set and will not be buying it myself, but the design is very good.
I'm someone who actually liked The Last Jedi (don't hate me). I love Star Wars and I thought the porgs were a good fun minor addition to the franchise. Although I'm not LEGO Star Wars collector (don't have any), thanks to this review and seeing the detail in the model I might actually be tempted. A fun display piece and is something different from the usual spaceships.
The stuff of nightmares.....
@Kolaxanthe:
Yes! I'm not the only one who likes The Last Jedi!
Great set, and great review as usual CapnRex101.
Hot take: I think the Porgs are better than the Ewoks and Gungans, because yes, they're all there to sell toys, but at least the Porgs don't affect the plot of the movie in any way.
This review really opened my eyes to how excellent this model looks. I may have to pick up this one up and I might as well get last year's BB-8 as well. Man, Lego has been sucking my wallet dry the last year or two.
The Brickset effect strikes again: the review takes more attractive photos of the official set than the official TLG boxart has... It almost makes me wish Lego would fly you guys out to Billund to do the official photos!
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
This is indeed a very nice set. Beautifully shaped and textured. One thing that would've been great to have is a sound brick with the Porg Scream when you open the jaw.
TBH I think the way a lot of the anti-Porg rhetoric (and anti-Ewok rhetoric, and anti-BB-8 rhetoric, etc, etc) revolves around them being aimed at kids or only existing to sell toys says a lot about the priorities of that segment of the fanbase. Star Wars as a whole has been intensely toy-driven for practically its entire history, but I never hear anyone complain nearly as vociferously about the A-wing, B-wing, and TIE Interceptor (all playing very minor roles in Return of the Jedi that could have just as easily been played by existing starfighters), the Twin-Pod Cloud Car (which does even less in any movie than the porgs do, and is basically just set-dressing) only existing to sell toys. Like, what kind of person do you have to be to think introducing new war machines to sell them to kids as toys is more respectable than creating lovable creatures or droids for the same reason?
Anyway, good review! This set looks just as cute as I expected! It's amazing to see such a wide range of organic textures achieved in a medium usually not associated with them. It makes me kind of hopeful that one day dinosaurs in themes like Creator might begin incorporating more feather textures themselves. The overall shaping and seamlessness is also quite good. Places where the "grid" changes alignment like where this model's head tilts can be hard to manage without leaving conspicuous gaps or interrupting the flow of textures, but here it's achieved about as well as I could imagine.
I'm a bit surprised at the model having an almost purely Technic core. While the functionality may be somewhat limited, that can be said of a lot of the more display-oriented/sculptural Star Wars sets. And said functionality doesn't end up feeling like an afterthought, as it might if it had ONLY a moving mouth or flapping wings as opposed to both. The value also seems quite good Even though a low price per piece can be expected in a set with lots of small, lightweight parts and an inventory with lots of repetition, a lot of the parts in this set also happen to be useful ones that don't typically come in this kind of quantity (like the rocky plates used for the grey feathers or the curved wedge slopes used for the orange ones).
You suggest a low shelf for this little friend, but I think it's perhaps more suited to a desk — a cute friend to keep you company and cheer you on while you're working. It would be interesting to see LEGO dabble more in cute-looking animal pals from their various brands — for instance, a life-size Niffler for their Fantastic Beasts license, a life-size Pascal from Tangled, or a life-size baby raptor from Jurassic World (note: I have no particular fondness for any of these specific brands, but they seem like toys that would be popular).
There's one major question this review doesn't answer, though — how huggable is it? ^_^
Cool sculpture! Now we need a UCS Chewbacca in a matching scale to put next to it! :)
Thanks for the review.
Wasn't a big fan of TLJ but loved these creatures.
I totally agree with xboxtravis7992! I think your outside pictures are wonderful. They really add life
to the Porg and I really appreciate whenever Brickset takes different types pictures such as these.
As much as I dislike the film, I’ve gotta say, this is a pretty excellent model. And hey I hated the hobbit films but bought a load of those sets.
@the_stud
'Porgs are better than the Ewoks'
No. No they are not.
People complaining that porgs were only there for merchandising and kid appeal are patently incorrect. Porgs were there because the location was a puffin sanctuary and the only way to deal with the native birds was to cover them with their own. Marketing came after. I don't see them much one way or the other. They're funny enough, and they're a nuisance in-story, so they're not trying to shove them down your throat within the film itself. I think this model does very well with capturing the source.
I think it’s fantastc. It would be great fun to take into the real world & take photos of it.
I don’t own either the Darth Maul or Yoda UCS models, but I do own the UCS R2D2 which is fantastic.
A UCS Darth Vader helmet would be good.....
Don’t have any UCS sets yet but these affordable type of UCS sets such as this and BB-8 are a must buy for me.
Still don’t have BB-8 yet; maybe one day XD
Great review as always Cap'n!
Whatever you say about porgs, at least we can all agree they're better then Jar Jar Binks.
The Porgs in the film were completely forgettable to me, but this set somehow seems quite cute to my daughters as well as to me. The building techniques remind me of the latest Statue of Liberty set which uses similar ways of "cladding" for a similar effect.
At a nice discount this set will certainly find a way in our collection.
Never mind the porgs, I want a thala-siren ucs, with Luke minifigure and milking action feature.
I’m not interested in Porgs or this movie.
But I really like how it was done in Lego.
I would like to see this quality and details in Lego version of real animals. B model anyone?
@8brickmario
The only person tying to shove them down anyone's throat within the film itself was Chewbacca.
Too soon...?
Love the film, the Porgs, the set, and this great review.
This set is terrible just like the film. I liked how the USC R2-D2 and the BB-8 were at least to scale of each other and now this stupid Porg throws everything off. This is why I am starting to hate the Star Wars franchise.
I really should get round to watching The Last Jedi and see what all the hate's about. I'm already sure that I'm going to loathe porgs at least as much as I loathe ewoks....
Radical notion: It's OK to like "The Last Jedi". It's OK to hate "The Last Jedi".
I think the porgs were fine in the film but over-marketed by the merchandising team, which is not something I hold against the film, although I was not fond of it for other reasons.
LEGO's done a fine and fair rendition of them.
Silly how the model looks much more elongated (and because of that, somewhat "wrong") in the official pictures than in these. Going by the review, the model luckily is closer to the source material than I feared.
Not sure if I'll buy it, though. I only got BB-8 at a serious discount...
Considering how good minifigs and other toys look outside, in the grass, at the center of photo shots... this looks to be better at that than a tiny minifig scale porg.
I feel like adapting some of these techniques into a mini Falcon eating space slug at some point
Looks like a good set, and despite what RogueSquad says it’s not terrible.
I think this set is very cute. I thought the Porgs in the film were adorable. I even liked the movie when I saw it for the first time a couple weeks ago.
Clearly, I’m not a Star Wars collector.....
I have no personal interest in this set - Porgs are entirely neutral to me, though I do have to say that the one Chewbacca was cooking looked quite delicious - but I'm fascinated by the building techniques used here. The intricate detailing of the feathers on its back look absolutely perfect... and if this means Lego is trying its hand at models of more organic licensed subject matter in this format, then I'm all for it ^^
I think this is a set that I need to see in the plastic (so to speak) before I make a decision about getting it. But it looks better than I thought it'd be.
I wonder, though, if there'll ever be a fish nun figure at this or minifig scale. :)
Can't wait for this - love the porgs - as does my daughter - she won't let me take down the little one that I made from my spares bin! (it was a give away I think around the time of the Y-wing launch in the states) Looking forward for this to join my BBB Baby Groot on my desk at work!
May get at least one - one to build and one for parts - because it looks like a great parts pack (probably when I can get a bit of a discount on it)
@RogueSquad: That seems like an odd thing to get up in arms about. Where were we ever promised sets that would be in scale with each other? Out-of-scale UCS sets have been a thing since 2000.
@Drzhivago138: Well, I can see how a set not being in scale might change a person's mind about whether they want it for their own collection, though I don't think there are many situations where I'd characterize a set as "terrible" for being out-of-scale with others.
Sometimes different scales are preferable for different subjects, depending on what size is most suited to the types of functionality and playability you want the set to include, how big the set has to be to depict all the most essential details most efficiently, what type of pieces and techniques are best for recreating trickier or more critical aspects of the subject's appearance, what level of skill or patience you expect of the set's target age group, what size keeps the model sturdy and balanced, what size strikes the best balance between appeal and affordability, how the price point will compare with other sets already out or planned for release, how the size compares with similar products from other brands, etc.
I'll be buying it October 1 to get the Han Mudtrooper figure. I've really been looking forward to this set; I was debating doing an MOC of it until they announced it.
@Aanchnir: I don't disagree that scale can be a factor in one's decision to buy a certain set, but I just don't see how this being "out of scale" and others being "in scale" automatically makes this a "terrible" set in RogueSquad's words, when we've never had a single scale in UCS to begin with. There are plenty of reasons to dislike the SW theme besides any supposed scale issues. But (not to project too hard) it's seems apparent that they don't care for porgs much anyway, and this is just another excuse to complain about how much they disliked them and the film.
Wow. This will appeal to lots of KFOLS.
This looks pretty cool.... don't understand the hate towards the sequels, especially Porgs- just remember guys it could be worse. They could've brought Gungans back.
Do we know when this will be released? Very glad to hear (and see) that the thing looks appropriately chubbier than the official photos!
This set looks scary to me... Maybe that's how it should be. If the eyes are made with Red color parts with light blocks behind it, I guess it fits well to a horror movie. The body is cute though, maybe it's because of how the mouth and the eyes are designed. Anyway, for the collectors it doesn't matter.
Loved the film and love this ! Definite purchase.
On the topic of scale, I think making it to scale with us humans is a much better decision than putting it at the pretty arbitrary scale of two previous models, not least because that would have resulted in a rather tiny porg.
Seriously, this is not a UCS set and neither were BB-8 or R2-D2!!!
@nvbrit: This and BB8 are not considered Ultimate Collectors' Series, but R2-D2 indisputably was, at least when it was released. The official set description was painstakingly clear about this: https://brickset.com/article/2763/r2-d2-announcement
Now that LEGO has created a separate category (Master Builder Series) for playsets that were previously considered Ultimate Collectors' Series, it's possible they will do the same for character sculptures and busts so as to distinguish them from model ships. But whether they do and that category would retroactively include the UCS R2-D2 remains to be seen.
The detail of the feathers on the sides and back is breathtaking. I don't collect any SW sets, but I'd be tempted to get this one, just for the fun of building such a detailed piece. Thanks for the review!