Review: 75255 Yoda
Posted by CapnRex101,
Some marvellous large scale models have been produced recently and 75255 Yoda seems quite impressive. This interesting rendition of the Jedi Master includes magnificent detail and appears accurate when compared with its famed source material. However, certain aspects of its design have elicited criticism.
The eyes have proven particularly controversial based upon their unusual aesthetic in some official images. However, they convey wonderful expression when properly positioned and should represent an improvement over 7194 Yoda from 2002. Hopefully this model will match the high standard of other large-scale characters.
Minifigure
Following the examples of 75187 BB-8 and 75230 Porg, the large Yoda model is accompanied by its minifigure counterpart. This rendition of the Jedi Master was introduced during 2013 and looks superb, featuring tan robes with realistic texture. Unfortunately, the decoration does not continue onto his short legs but the reverse displays lovely printing.
Moreover, the olive green head includes marvellous detail. I am particularly pleased with the wrinkles across the top and the ears appear similarly accurate when compared with the movies. However, this colour scheme contrasts with the sand green skin tone on the larger figure. I think olive green is more authentic but a significantly broader selection of sand green elements are available.
The Completed Model
Past large-scale characters have contained plaques which provide room for the accompanying figures to stand. 75255 Yoda continues that trend and I think the information plaque looks splendid on display, featuring black and blue colours that correspond with the Ultimate Collector Series. Unfortunately, this decoration is formed using a sticker but no other stickers are required within this set.
LEGO has become increasingly confident in producing organic characters during recent years, most notably following the introduction of curved slopes. This rendition of Yoda features many such pieces but also integrates classic layered plates which generate textured clothing. That contrast between his wrinkled skin and robe appears remarkably effective, distinguishing this figure from 7194 Yoda.
The model measures 30cm in height, excluding the lightsaber, so stands considerably taller than its recent predecessors. He therefore looks great on display, especially since the onscreen character is only approximately twice the height of this figure! However, the scaling between these models varies quite significantly which may disappoint some collectors.
Several panels are assembled around a Technic frame, further corresponding with both 75187 BB-8 and 75230 Porg. This construction technique remains effective though and connecting each panel to the frame is incredibly satisfying as they combine perfectly. Once complete, the structure feels robust and the colourful Technic parts are almost entirely hidden, except when viewed from beneath.
Numerous sand green curved slopes envelope Yoda's head. These form an intricate wrinkled texture that corresponds with the aged Jedi Master and appears accordingly authentic, particularly across his forehead. The profile of the ears looks marvellous too, although these lack depth when compared with the source material which is surprising because that depth was replicated for 7194 Yoda.
However, the head offers reasonable articulation which is pleasing for display and you can articulate Yoda's eyelids, as demonstrated below. They are assembled using sand green 3x3 dishes which are only otherwise available in 21042 Statue of Liberty and I appreciate their expressive aesthetic. I think the sorrowful appearance seems notably appropriate for Yoda during the Prequel Trilogy.
Moving those elements inwards creates an angry expression. The hollow eye sockets do appear odd when viewed from certain angles but this function is superb and I think specialised printed eyes might have been the only effective alternative. Furthermore, the nose and mouth have each been integrated beautifully so reflect Yoda's onscreen appearance, especially during the Original Trilogy when his chin is slightly recessed.
White hair covers the reverse of Yoda's head and looks wonderful, making perfect use of several 2x3 rock components. An identical building technique is employed in 75230 Porg and the resulting texture captures the wispy hair which appears during the movies. Moreover, the space between the head and the robe underneath is suitably narrow but provides adequate room for some motion.
Yoda's robe seems to hang around his shoulders and therefore captures the appearance of realistic fabric. Unfortunately, that design precludes the possibility of shoulder articulation but I think including any joints here might have affected the shape. Moreover, the contrasting reddish brown shirt beneath matches the Prequel Trilogy movies, hence the pan flute which is secured around his neck during the Original Trilogy has been omitted.
Exposed studs dominate the robe and this design elicited some debate when the set was announced. Nevertheless, I think the studded texture is excellent, replicating the loosely woven material that Yoda wears during the films. His folded hood features particular detail and I like how the sleeves have been assembled with hollow areas inside.
Technic axles connect Yoda's hands to his sleeves and these seem reasonably accurate in relation to the original character, featuring three separate fingers. Each finger is individually articulated, although they appear slender when compared with the films. Nevertheless, the hands make good use of curved slopes and wrap around the lightsaber nicely.
Opening the fingers reveals Yoda's distinctive lightsaber hilt. This accessory is connected to his right palm and incorporates marvellous detail, including an activation button and four black grips above the pommel. However, my favourite design feature is probably the light bluish grey emitter shroud which is ingeniously formed using a mudguard element that has only appeared in one other set.
Trans-bright green 2x2 round bricks represent the lightsaber blade and these are stacked around an enormous 32L Technic axle which provides absolute stability. This element has appeared on several previous occasions but the white example found here is exclusive. It looks brilliant and the lightsaber almost seems to emit light under certain light conditions!
Yoda's feet are connected to the Technic structure within this model and their angle may be adjusted slightly. This character only features six toes during Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back but eight are included here, thereby corresponding with the later movies and demonstrating great attention to detail as the hind toe is hidden underneath the figure.
Overall
Befitting the exceptional popularity of this character, 75255 Yoda is an impressive set. Recreating his wrinkled skin must have been particularly challenging but I think this design looks marvellous and the shaping across the head appears similarly accurate. Moreover, the robe texturing has been executed beautifully in my opinion and seems quite natural, despite comprising angular bricks and plates.
However, the most divisive aspect of this model is undoubtedly its eyes. I think they look somewhat strange when positioned with the eyelids level but adjusting them to convey sadness or anger is more effective. On that basis, I am pleased with this large-scale character and its price of £89.99 or $99.99 seems reasonable given the substantial size of the Jedi Master, especially since this set includes 1771 pieces.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your opinion of the set in the comments below.
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41 comments on this article
One things for sure, its certainly a set up from the last Yoda
Now THAT is what I call a proper buildable figure.
Love the texture effect created by the studs. So satisfying to see LEGO proudly displaying its brickishness once again. No need to hide away studs under tiles as if in shame. This is LEGO we are talking about after all.
This is a nice set and has a lot of great parts. I think the colors are great. I think they needed to get a few more pieces added around the eyes to fill in and the eyeballs could have been done differently. I also miss the dark orange used in the old version.
Jangbricks pointed out on his review the "problem" with the eyes, I would appreciate if some of the dark have been hidden, however, only from certain angles makes it look weird looking, it might be fixed with some additional few parts.
Do or do not, Master Yoda said once, and I will buy this one for sure, very displayable set, cool parts, and a nice price per part racio.
Thanks Lego!
The Eyes...
How does it scale with R2?
Extraordinarily well done set! I love the articulated "muppet eyes"!
I do wonder where Lego goes from here with these Star Wars figures/statues. So far they've mostly stuck to droids and smaller characters, but there aren't that many others I can think of that are as iconic as the ones they've done so far. An Ewok, maybe?
Great set - but it the head looks closer to a Gremlin than Yoda!!
Thankyou, another great review, and "in the wild shot" Do you have the older Yoda set? I am about to build 75255 and wanted to compare with 7194 but fear I may be in the loft for days looking for it. Then its going to be tricky to hide 2 Yodas in the house without the "Have you bought MORE Lego" debates.....
@Lobot, that was my thought, as well!
I'm glad to see that someone on reddit was able to come up with a solution:
https://old.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/dk8hao/just_finished_lego_yoda_and_made_a_small/
Uuuuuuuum
Yoda has a plaque while Tantive IV does not? Treason!
The review was a surprise, but a welcome one to be sure...
Missed out on the UCS Yoda and Darth Maul busts from the early 2000s ( was deep in my dark ages), so this is an easy sell just in time for Christmas, and it’s a good price.
I can live with the eyes, and I think he’d look good next to the UCS R2D2 which is an absolutely tremendous set.
A re-jigged Darth Maul bust would be very welcome as well.
It’s good to see Lego doing this type of display set again, although why not just name it a UCS set and be done with the confusion
Good review! I'm definitely impressed with how well this set recreates Yoda's appearance. The eyes might've felt somewhat more authentic if the eyelids had more of an arch shape (perhaps using one of the various wheel arch pieces from the Speed Champions sets), but the ability to reposition the eyelids is certainly neat, and calls to mind the original puppet.
When the inventory for this set was added to the Brickset database, I was also impressed by how much it expands the available range of parts in Sand Green! Between this set, Welcome to Apocalypseburg, and last year's LEGO Architecture Statue of Liberty, that color has been seeing quite a lot of use lately, and it's great that it's now getting parts that are just as suited to organic or curved shapes as they are to more rectilinear architectural forms.
Yoda as a character definitely doesn't have quite the same inherent cuteness as R2-D2, BB-8, or a Porg, but he's important enough to the franchise to make him a great choice for the next installment in these "not quite UCS" character sculptures.
@Lyichir : Well, certainly there are more droids they could do, like D-0 from "The Rise of Skywalker" or R1-J5 from Star Wars: Resistance. Other small alien character possibilities I can think of besides Yoda include Maz Kanata, Jabba the Hutt, Watto, or a Jawa.
And if LEGO were to consider characters who aren't so diminutive (presumably scaled down more than these ones), then Jabba the Hutt, Admiral Ackbar, Chewbacca, C-3PO, a Tusken Raider, a Rancor, and any number of other well-known Star Wars characters and creatures could become candidates for future sets.
Dare I even suggest… Jar Jar Binks?
A brick built IG-88, Jawa or Probot next please LEGO! Looking at Yoda’s robes, this build technique could easily be transfer to a Jawa’s robes too.
Weird. I like the look of 7194 more. The new one look too cartoonish for me.
So the choices then are Angry Yoda, Drunk Yoda, and Insomniac Yoda? Good to know. If I buy this, I'll probably go with Angry Yoda because he's poised like he's about to launch into a lightsaber battle.
@Lyichir:
Jawa with light-up eyes. Mouse Droid. Womprat.
@Aanchir:
I find that I'd like to kick BB-8 into a Porg, so I think you overestimate their cuteness factor vs the gut-punch you get whenever you're reminded that those movies exist. Or vs how annoying they both are on-screen in general.
@mr_skinny:
Ooooh, I hadn't even considered the idea of a UCS Probot before. That would rock.
How about Salacious Crumb?
@PurpleDave : I suspect that the majority of people who hold that much vitriol for the sequel trilogy are well outside the core audience for LEGO Star Wars.
I mean, I was 8 when "The Phantom Menace" came out, and 14 when "Revenge of the Sith" came out. Throughout those years I was intensely passionate about Star Wars in general and LEGO Star Wars in particular, and I certainly didn't let nostalgic adults' persistent complaints about those movies not measuring up to THEIR generation's Star Wars movies tarnish my own wide-eyed enthusiasm for action-packed space adventures on exotic alien worlds.
I can't imagine today's teens and tweens being that much more cynical about one of the world's most popular movie series than teens and tweens of my generation. And heavily polarized reactions to new Star Wars movies and shows have been par for the course since "The Empire Strikes Back", so numerous people despising the franchise's current direction should be no surprise to anyone.
Regardless of opinions on the sequel films, though, your comment is kind of missing my larger point, which is that Yoda, a wrinkly, hairy old green swamp man, is kind of creepy and ugly by design. On a general level, that sets him apart from fuzzy, Pokémon-esque aliens or big-eyed droids who talk in bleeps and bloops, which are engineered for kids to fall in love with them, and usually have no trouble achieving that.
In conclusion, no need for any Rancor-ous debates or "aggressive negotiations" over the quality of recent Star Wars movies. Let's instead remind ourselves of those words Yoda would have wanted us all to live by: "Just hold your breath and see: when the time is right, birds'll bite your face…" https://youtu.be/U9t-slLl30E
@vader11 : I 100% agree. Give me a pan flute and walking stick instead of a lightsaber please. NotMyYoda
I can't be the only one who thinks, when looking at the Yoda pictures from distance he is wearing glasses.
*In Yoda's voice* Reading, I need the glasses for.
@samuraiturtle: wrong, it's:
For reading, the glasses I need. To the optician I must.
;-)
@CCC : don't ask the manufacturer for exisiting parts in new colours. I have been told this costs gazillions of whatever currency you fancy, and makes the price for the set quintuple at the very least.
*endsarcasm*
Honestly, I do indeed wonder why so many LEGO fans put up with TLG's BS argument that it is prohibitively expensive to pour some hitherto unused colour ABS in a mo(u)ld that can miraculously accept only ABS pellets in known colours. (While knockoff/alternative manufacturers appear to have zero problems with it. Likewise with printed pieces - TLG, ask Cobi how to do it for the money.)
Having built this one I thought it was an absolute joy. Building the robe is very rewarding and one you are sick and tired of bricks and plates you build the head that has an amazing range of curved.
When did Lego get the Gremlins license?
Really don’t like this (nor the Porg) - ugly imho
@AustinPowers: It's not changing the plastic color that's the expensive part. It's adding an additional color of part to Lego's overall inventory, requiring separate storage space and adding complexity to the logistics of filling orders. The difference between Lego and knockoff manufacturers is that they are producing a smaller number of products, at a much smaller scale, without the same overhead costs Lego themselves deal with (including design, engineering, marketing, and many other factors in addition to those that directly involve the production process. A single new recolor, on its own, probably doesn't add that much to the costs Lego has to deal with. Unrestrained recolors across all sets and themes, on the other hand, was a big factor in Lego's near bankruptcy near the turn of the millennium, hence the much stricter oversight of how individual colors of parts are introduced and retired these days.
To be honest, the cheapest way for Lego to have made the larger figure more accurate to the minifigure would probably be to create a different Yoda figure with Sand Green hands and head. There'd be something a little nostalgic about that, honestly.
"DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY" --Yoda
Great review, but for me this is by far the ugliest official Lego set design from recent times. It looks creepy, non organic and just wrong.
@Aanchir:
You could ask all the people who made Solo the biggest blockbuster of the year what's with the vitriol, but they all swore off watching another one after The Last Jedi. And having grown up on the originals, I really don't remember any polarized reactions from TESB. ROTJ, sure, but that's because there was a distinct age barrier on opinions regarding Ewoks, and even then it took several years before there was really any significant backlash against it (frankly, even Ep1 didn't get much flak until a few years after release when people started running a pogrom against it on the internet). As for Yoda, I _also_ grew up on the Muppets, so Yoda voiced by Miss Piggy ruled. No, seriously, everyone loved him. There's a reason Yoda had a cameo in ET.
@AustinPowers:
In regards to why people buy it when they say they can't just make every part in every color, I have two things to say in response: 2000, and also 2003. Those would be the two years when they posted annual losses, and a large part of the blame landed on the fact that the set designers were out of control in terms of how many molds they were calling for, how many colors they had access to, and how many elements they made out of the two combined. So, now they have restrictions. Like eating out for dinner, it's not that you _can't_ order one of every desert after eating a big meal, but rather that it's not really a good idea.
@jdm:
2016.
https://brickset.com/sets/71256-1/Gremlins-Team-Pack
The eyes are straight out of the uncanny valley. That would keep me awake at night- sadly, a pass.
@CCC: Yes, they do. And they did so for this set as well, with a fair number of sand green recolors—though far fewer than it would have required to recolor all of the sand green to olive green.
It's about working within limits. Ultimately, Lego probably could have done this in olive green if they were to use up much more of the Star Wars team's allotted budget on this one set. But there are a lot of Star Wars sets Lego is intent on selling and a lot of them demand their own unique prints, recolors, and so forth. And the same applies, on a larger scale, to Lego's many other themes and their own needs for new parts and recolors. Hence why there need to be limits in the first place, since if Lego let every set get as many unique new parts as they needed to be considered "perfect", you'd quickly start to see the costs associated with that kind of excess build up to an unsustainable level. I don't see why it's hard to understand why Lego is structured to avoid that specific scenario, especially given the lessons they learned in their last scratch with bankruptcy.
@PurpleDave: I would really like to know if TLG had more part/colour combinations back in 2000 or 2003 than they have now. Seems like nowadays we have far more parts in far more colours than ever before.
In any case, I like the set as it is. I was merely replying to someone who said he would have preferred it to be olive instead of sand green.
Fabulous set, how anyone can not like this one is beyond my comprehension.
The only SW set i bought and probably will ever buy (unless they make an even better Yoda).
Reminds me more of gremlin than Yoda :(
@AustinPowers:
That would be impossible to gauge without inside info. They used to hang on to legacy elements for a lot longer in case people called for replacements. Somewhere along the way they started referring people, very apologetically, to Bricklink for anything that has been purged from their inventory (you can tell when this has happened because a new Element ID will be issued for the same shape/color the next time it's produced for a set, as the old one expires as soon as they stop tracking it for a specific element).
Eyes are much less creepy in your photos than the promo art. Good job
The eyes only look good while the eyelids aren't level.
I absolutely love this set, including the eyes. I find something about it terribly appealing. Thanks for the review.
Will look great next to my R2D2. BB-8 and Porg, all of which I think are fantastic sets.
Furby Yoda :)
If the eyes bug you, another option would be to change the trans-black 1x1 round tiles to some shade of trans-green. That would be much closer to his eye color in most sources.