Review: 8001 Battle Droid
Posted by Huw,
Last week I reviewed 8012 Super Battle Droid, prompted to do so after Huwbot selected it as the random set of the day. While I've got the box of my Technic Star Wars figures out of storage I thought I'd review a couple more, starting with one of the first, 8001 Battle Droid from 2000.
It's a neat model with a few interesting tricks up its sleeve that are not immediately apparent from looking at it.
The set came with additional red pieces to enable a security droid variant to be built which must be why I ended up with two of them. They stand at about 33cm tall.
Many of the tan parts are extremely rare: some are unique to this set, including seven 4x2 L beams (32140).
Here's its first neat trick: The gear on the back rotates the right shoulder joint, as is often the case on models of this type.
Rotate it far enough and the magnet on its hand connects to a magnet on the gun in the shoulder holster.
Rotate it back again and the gun is drawn.
It's a cool feature that works well.
Such techniques are now totally illegal because small magnets like these cannot be used any more, in case kids swallow two of them and end up mangling their intestines.
Its other party piece is folding up for storage and transportation. When the round inverted tile is pressed a ratchet piece is disengaged from a gear which allows the legs to be folded forwards.
The knees are sprung loaded using elastic bands (which surprisingly haven't completely perished after 19 years) so are either straight or bent. So, by moving the legs forwards a bit and bending the knees back the droid can kneel.
If you sit it down with feet flat on the floor...
...then tuck its head between its knees and fold down the antenna, it's ready for storage.
The Technic system has been put to good use to implement this excellent feature that adds a lot of playability the model.
Just for fun, let's have a caption competition: what are these two saying in the picture below?
I'll review one more of these Technic figs before putting them away again -- you decide which one, but note that it can't be 8002 Destroyer Droid because I don't have that one constructed still (it wouldn't fit in the box!)
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56 comments on this article
I suggest 8007 C-3PO which I think have a fall-apart feature when hit with a missile from 8008.
Very impressive for 2000. I loved those magnets on M-Tron... the best was the model you could make from 2-3 others and its just magnetically sealed perfectly. Caption. "Where is your holster"
I didn’t know that little trivia tidbit about the magnets, but it makes so much sense.
I had this, it cost me a fiver in woolworths in stockport in 2001but then months later i dismantled it and gave it to my god son,
There were a few to many elastic bands included in the set for my liking lol..
Roger, roger.
I don't think they're capable of saying anything besides "roger roger", lol
Destroyer Droid is absolutely brilliant. Un-frickin-believable.
”I’ve lost my gun.” ”Turn around and I’ll turn your gear.”
Nice review! The magnetic gun feature sounds really cool.
I would like to see a review of 8010 Darth Vader.
I am lucky enough to own this set, as it was given to me by my uncle after he didn’t want it anymore. Throughout the years, I’ve built and rebuilt it into the various builds that they suggest.
Like what @The Teenage Brickster said this set also came with yellow pieces that could be used to customize the droid even further.
It should also be noted that this set also had an alternative build of an AT-ST that could rotate its “head.” As someone who has never been able to get an AT-ST in time, this is a very noteworthy build.
Thanks for the trip back down memory lane with yet another great review!
Oh is that why we don’t get magnets anymore? Always get a pang of nostalgia for sets with magnets...
Security Droid: “No but see my name actually is Roger”
@Brickalili - and the other droid responds ‘roger roger, Roger.’
"oh, ... uh, that doesn't compute, your under arrest"
Battle Droid: How do you put your gun back in it's holster?
Security Droid: I use the Let Go Technique.
...I'll get my coat.
Those dumb kids ruined our magnet fun.
"So after this deal, would you like to go out with me and get a nice hot cup of oil?"
"Sorry, I don't think our chemistry has clicked yet. Your still missing some pieces that I look for in a droid."
It also had yellow pieces for a commander version? You should have bought three, Huw... I'm really disappointed in you... ;)
I was going to suggest a Valentine's Day themed caption, but on that front I can't top "roger Roger"
So that's why we don't get proper magnets like these anymore? Because kids nowadays are too stupid or careless?
I don't get it.
Our kids play with my old sets all the time, including the magnets. With a little proper education, no kid would dream of sticking a magnet in his/her mouth. And if they do anyway, it'd be their own smeggin fault. What has happened to the "survival of the fittest" principle?
Will be the same kids who grew up (if they managed that feat at all) thinking they could use their microwave oven to dry their cat, or to swallow down a whole cup of freshly brewed steaming hot coffee at McDonuts...
Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?
Aren’t there also blue parts for, I’m pretty sure, a pilot Droid? Anyway I think a review of the Pit Droid or R2D2 would be cool. Even though the Pit Droid is from the prequel series. Maybe if you were considering doing R2 or 3PO, you could do them together since they were available in a bundle at one point.
I used to have this set... I remember picking it up off eBay in the late 00s for a good price, along with the Pit Droid. This was definitely the better of the two, IMO; the folding and unfolding motion was completely faithful to the movie, and was really neat to play around with.
As for which other one of these to review... may I register a vote for See-Threepio (8007)? I was fascinated by his model ever since I first saw it in Lego World Club magazine, way back in the day.
Huw why didn’t you follow through with the function? it fully unfolds with a tap of that boat plate you pressed in to start folding it. (You gotta hold it in the center and in the air so the legs have somewhere to go)
Also besides the red bonus elements I thought it had a set of yellow and blue (different elements since the markings don’t go in the same locations for each variant. I didn’t click through to the instructions to check but that should all be detailed in them!
EDIT:
I looked. Scratch blue. But the unfolding is page 51 and the yellow variant is page 79.
@RikTheVeggie -- that's hilarious! Yours is the best caption of all. :-)
Wow, I have this set from when it was originally released in the USA, built it and displayed it, and I do not at all remember any extra color parts for commander or security droids. I'll have to dig it out and take another look. Also, the gun design shown doesn't look familiar to me, I thought the gun was a little bit larger and more accurate to the shape of the ones in the movies. Is my memory completely failing me here (wouldn't be the first time!), or were there different versions of this set released in UK/EU?
I also did not know the reasoning behind discontinuing the magnets, too bad. Aside from train couplings and a few of the Classic Space sets, this Battle Droid is one of the best uses of the parts I've seen in an official set.
Huw, don’t limit the old reviews to just these SW sets. Go for more! Go for...
ALL of them
Dang. I would like to see the Droideka. It's difficult to find good reviews on the web for that set. There are a couple on Eurobricks, if I recall correctly, and they are not very good quality. :(
Guy on left: "Why do you always have to do The Claw when we play Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
"Meet Mr Cosh,you tan *******"
Could you do the Pit Droid next?
Roger Roger!
"I've just been promoted to Security, got the new paint job and everything."
"That's impressive."
"Yeah, my first mission is to go ambush these two Jedi in the conference room."
I have this one too, it's assembled from 2001. A real technic model, with nice functions. My dream was the security spider droid, which can stand up from a globe form, I can't tell it's exact name at the moment.
However, I need to change the rubbers periodically, because none of them can fight with the time, they tears regularly.
"We are not the droids they are looking for."
“are we the droids they’re looking for?”
@lippidp I have the Destroyer Droid. I got rid of most of my SW technic, but couldn't let go of that one, it's just too fascinating.
I second nominations for Destroyer Droid for the next retro-review! It's finicky, but brilliant!
"...but note that it can't be 8002 Destroyer Droid because I don't have that one constructed still "
Do you have the Hailfire available for review?
"Vector, Victor!" "Clearance, Clarence!"
The Technic pieces work and look marvelous here.
I would like to see a 3PO or pit droid next.
The droid on the left is saying "Roger roger" and the one on the right is saying "That's disgusting! Plus my name's not Roger"
I'm sorry but I have to... its the writer in me... Huw, you seem like a great guy, but you used it's when it should be its.
Sorry its the writer in me, check my work on Amazon LOL. (Search Perseous: Fallen Angel. You won't regret it.)
^ I can't believe I did that, I'm usually careful because it annoys me too!
I _may_ have 4-5 copies of this set. I know I bought doubles of all three of the Prequel droids just because they all had alternate builds (Speeder Bike for the Pit Droid, AT-ST for the Battle Droid, and AAT for the Destroyer Droid). But since this had parts to make two of the other color schemes, I suspect I probably picked up at least two more just to build the four official builds, and _maybe_ a fifth to cobble together a Pilot Droid. Regardless, I definitely built all four basic color variants for my Bionicle-scale Star Wars MOCs.
And yes, all three of these Technic droids had a pop-open function. On this it was the button on the chest. On the Pit Droid, you (appropriately) bap the eye. And I think on the Destroyer Droid it was set up so you could actually roll the thing forward and the weight of the model would press the button on the top of the head when it was upside-down, causing the legs and arms to snap out as it completed the roll into a standing position. I have no idea what the Speeder Bike had in terms of features, but I think the AAT had some sort of rolling function, that maybe caused the gun turret to swing side-to-side.
@iriz:
Sort of. The other four that released were the Stormtrooper, C-3PO, Vader, and Artoo. I don't think Vader had any action features (though the lightsaber and cape were awesome). Artoo may have had one or two, but I distinctly remember adding in a few other canon actions and improving whatever else was built-in. The Stormtrooper had a dart-launcher built into its gun arm, and C-3PO's chest disc was the target you had to aim for. Hitting it would cause the arms to pop free, but I can't remember if the head ejected. The legs for sure didn't.
Where's my todger Roger?
Do the C3-PO one, I want to see the play feature where he blows up
Fair enough, but "don't have one constructed" implies you -do- have one... ;)
Please review the pit droid next. How many of these do you have?
Droid on the left:
-Get out of my way Clarence!!!
Droid on the right: --Roger, I know the kids were smashing your classic star wars Lego sets.....but put the gun away!
@ra226, yes, but my old dark grey and old brown parts were consigned to deep, deep storage a decade ago so reconstructing is not practical at this time.
Oh I remember this, first set I got from my Legoland California trip in 2001... Its all in bits now but you know, so were must of the droids in the movies as well so its alright I guess... :D
This was the only good one out of all of those.
It's fun to see these reviewed against the backdrop of modern design standards. I purchased Destroyer Droid for my birthday several months back, and it came assembled. I still haven't gone through the disassembly/rebuilding experience, but just from having it together on my desk, I consider it the most genius and complex Lego creation I own. It's really something else, and I think the Battle Droid looks good enough to add to my collection. On that note, you've kept your pieces in remarkably clean condition! Thanks for the review.
"Security Droid: Soldier, get off your phone or you’ll be deactivated"
I'd like to see a review of the pit droid!
"Just for fun, let's have a caption competition: what are these two saying in the picture below?"
There are far too many "Gone with the Blastwave" quotes to choose from!