Review: 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers
Posted by CapnRex101,
75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers has inspired considerable excitement among LEGO Star Wars fans, containing an outstanding selection of new Clone Troopers! The minifigures are based upon Star Wars: The Clone Wars where the celebrated 501st Legion appeared prominently.
These characters look brilliant and should prove exceptionally popular for army building, especially given their important role during the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The accompanying vehicles appear less interesting but their substantial size has allowed the designer to include some splendid detail and functions.
Minifigures
Three standard 501st Clone Troopers are provided and these minifigures look absolutely outstanding. The bright blue highlights appear accurate when compared with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, although dark blue would have been closer to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Nevertheless, the figures are exceptionally detailed, especially on the torso.
Furthermore, the helmets include realistic shading and intricate detail around the mouth grille. Removing these helmets reveals a new head for Clone Troopers underneath! Some variety in their facial expressions would have been welcome, although the neutral face looks reasonable and the nougat skin tone is appropriate in my opinion.
Comparing this minifigure with its predecessor from 2013 reveals the advancement in detail. Replacing the black hips with white seemed quite jarring when official images were revealed, although I have become accustomed to this design. I think black hips are more suitable when the legs are not decorated while white hips look attractive beside printed legs.
An excellent 501st Jet Trooper accompanies the standard soldiers, featuring unique patterns on his armour. The blue and white colour scheme remains consistent and the armour designs seem identical, although the Jet Trooper includes different highlights across his helmet, chest and arms. Additionally, I love the red streaks on the helmet which correspond with the source material.
The distinctive decoration continues onto the reverse, although this printing is usually hidden beneath the blue jetpack. Ideally, the jetpack would combine white and blue plastic but I think plain blue is adequate. This minifigure features the same head component as the other Clone Troopers. as one might expect.
Each minifigure wields an appropriate blaster rifle, notably including one which is intended to resemble the DC-15A. A candle element is connected to the barrel which looks extremely long, although I appreciate this attempt to recreate the onscreen weapon. Moreover, the part has only appeared in black with two earlier sets.
Despite focusing overwhelmingly upon the Galactic Republic, this set also contains two Battle Droids. These simple figures are welcome though, opposing the Clone Troopers and therefore offering some play value. The design has remained almost unaltered since 2007 and the droids carry black blaster rifles, corresponding with their Clone enemies.
The Completed Model
Several different renditions of the BARC Speeder have been produced, beginning with 7261 Clone Turbo Tank during 2005. This vehicle appears prominently throughout The Clone Wars and sometimes features legion markings, including during the second season where the 501st design originates. The combination of light bluish grey and blue is certainly effective.
The speeder bike measures 20cm in length which is considerably larger than minifigure-scale, matching 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar. I prefer more realistic scaling whenever possible and 7913 Clone Troopers Battle Pack demonstrates that smaller designs can include adequate detail, although this example does appear impressively sleek.
Stud shooters are fixed on either flank, occupying the position of twin laser cannons from the original vehicle. These are integrated neatly and I like the central air intake which seems fairly accurate to the animated series. However, the 2x2 angled bow appears too sharp and I favour the simpler design that appeared in 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar.
The handlebars are beautifully detailed and can be adjusted for different minifigure poses. In addition, the black seat looks great and I am particularly impressed with the secondary intake beneath the driver because this feature has been missing from past models. The blasters that are fixed behind the driver also look reasonable but the side pods seem too angular.
Stickers are situated across the rear, forming blue stripes which reflect the onscreen speeder bike. I appreciate these designs and the recessed radiator vent is perfect, contrasting with the surrounding light bluish grey armour. This is another feature which has been omitted from past BARC Speeder models so the introduction of continued improvements is pleasing.
Corresponding with the BARC Speeder, AT-RTs have appeared at various scales since 2005 and this depiction if relatively substantial. The model measures 17cm in height, excluding the antennas, so is larger than minifigure-scale. Once again, I think the smaller design from 8098 Clone Turbo Tank is my favourite, although the enlarged scale does permit superior detail.
That is particularly apparent across the front where multiple stickers are applied, accurately replicating the animated walker. 75002 AT-RT features similar designs but the battle damage looks magnificent here. The jagged shaping appears somewhat strange when compared with previous models, although this design does appear closer to the onscreen AT-RT.
Unfortunately, the stud shooter which forms the primary laser cannon looks awful. I think the combined solution from 75261 Clone Scout Walker - 20th Anniversary Edition was appealing and that design should certainly have returned here, integrating a stud shooter and achieving reasonable accuracy. The stud shooter offers extensive articulation though.
There is space for a minifigure at the controls and two accessories can be connected to clips behind the driver. The handlebars are interesting as they are secured beneath a control panel, resolving an issue which has affected previous models as removing the minifigure would often detach the handlebars as well. This assembly feels more robust and the antennas are equally strong.
Light bluish grey robot arm elements form linkages which support the cockpit module. These have been updated since 75261 Clone Scout Walker - 20th Anniversary Edition was released last year but I think the earlier shape was more accurate. Moreover, the positioning of the hips could be improved by lowering the blue dishes beneath the aforementioned linkages.
Most renditions of the AT-RT have featured similar legs and this example maintains that trend. There are several click hinges that provide impressive motion, although the hips cannot move forwards which restricts options for display. The feet look superb though, including pearl silver blades for slicing through barricades and continuing blue highlights.
Overall
The minifigures are definitely the outstanding feature of 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers. Each figure includes fantastic detail and should prove exceptionally popular for army building, especially following season seven of The Clone Wars where these troopers appeared in great numbers. The opposing Battle Droids are welcome too, offering additional play value.
However, these two vehicles are somewhat disappointing. The new BARC Speeder does offer some improvements upon earlier sets but the AT-RT is weaker than its predecessors in certain respects. The price of £24.99 or $29.99 is reasonable, although I still think this set should have focused entirely upon the Clone Troopers and included a smaller vehicle to match conventional Battle Packs.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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47 comments on this article
I've got a few small Star Wars army but held off on the Clone Wars era...until now. I'll definitely be picking up at least one of this set, as well as the Ahsoka set.
Good concept, terrible execution. The vehicles are comically oversized but still not very accurate; it includes four printed minifigures like a regular BP but at twice the price; and most importantly the torso and helmet prints of the clones are less accurate and detailed than the 2013-2019 style. I like the new clone face, but all in all the set is useless for me.
I will be trying to pick up four of this set, along with two of 75283. I just hope it won't sell out too quickly.
Awww, man, I can't believe they skimped out and gave them boring blasters instead of stud-shooters.
LEGO is banking on people paying almost anything for the four 501st figures. Mission accomplished I guess. 29.99 USD is more of a stretch than reasonable IMO, and they are getting that for a few useless vehicles that most people who want the set will likely discard into a parts bin as they are just 'army building'.
I may get these if they go on sale, but that is about it.
While this will sell, the core debate remains with this set. The large vehicles and jacked up price are completely unnecessary and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. I suspect that many TFOLs/AFOLS will buy 1 or perhaps 0 of these sets, depending on how irked they are by the shady business practices at work here. Many will buy it, yet these same people would have bought 10+ true no-frills battle packs for the purposes of Army building. The set will sell, but Lego will lose money from an opportunity cost point of view. Army builders buy tons of battle packs.
I must have picked up 15-20 units of the $9.99 classic space TLM2 battle packs in 2019 (70841). They didn't overdo the parts count by lumping the figures in with excessively complicated vehicles, keeping the price low, and some of the limited number of parts were desirable to classic space fans in the bargain. It was a great way to connect with fans of the particular theme. Lego fans love battle packs, but Lego seems averse to producing streamlined Army builders these days. This really seems like a missed opportunity.
RIP angry clone
@HandPositions:
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Yeah, it might sell out initially, but they'll keep producing it long enough that you'll be able to find it without any trouble. The same thing happened with Benny's Space Squad, and the new Mandalorian battle pack. I also remember people freaking out over the idea that the UCS Tumbler would be retired after a few months, when large sets like that are usually available for 2+ years.
GWPs are definitely something that you can miss out on if you delay your purchase too long. Cuusoo/Ideas especially has had a terrible track record early on for underproduction. Seasonal sets and retailer exclusives can be a bit weird as well (I bought the only copy of 9465 The Zombies that I ever saw on a shelf). But regular retail sets from major licensed themes they've got a pretty good handle on these days. I think the last time they really had problems with availability of that type, it was 2008 with the final wave of the original Batman theme, after stores had significantly reduced their orders, and the release of The Dark Knight caused a huge spike in demand. I bought two copies of all three sets the first time I spotted them, including the last copy I ever saw of at least one of those sets. The keychains were even worse. By the time I found out about them, our local LEGO Store had two Batmen and only one Harley Quinn left, and never restocked after that.
@bananaworld said:
"Awww, man, I can't believe they skimped out and gave them boring blasters instead of stud-shooters."
You can’t be serious.
I swear these AT-RTs are getting bigger each rendition...
Not often do you see a Captain review his own Soldiers! :D
@Brickalili said:
"I swear these AT-RTs are getting bigger each rendition..."
This one is actually smaller than others, such as the ones from 2013 and 2019. The difference is mainly in the height, although other details are noticeably smaller.
@btmarshall said:
"While this will sell, the core debate remains with this set. The large vehicles and jacked up price are completely unnecessary and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. I suspect that many TFOLs/AFOLS will buy 1 or perhaps 0 of these sets, depending on how irked they are by the shady business practices at work here. Many will buy it, yet these same people would have bought 10+ true no-frills battle packs for the purposes of Army building. The set will sell, but Lego will lose money from an opportunity cost point of view. Army builders buy tons of battle packs.
I must have picked up 15-20 units of the $9.99 classic space TLM2 battle packs in 2019 (70841). They didn't overdo the parts count by lumping the figures in with excessively complicated vehicles, keeping the price low, and some of the limited number of parts were desirable to classic space fans in the bargain. It was a great way to connect with fans of the particular theme. Lego fans love battle packs, but Lego seems averse to producing streamlined Army builders these days. This really seems like a missed opportunity."
"Shady business practices"? LEGO is in the business of selling building bricks!
The clone head definitely looks more like Jango Fett than the characters Dee Bradley Baker voiced.
New clone heads push this over the edge for me. Can't wait to grab a couple of these.
@560heliport said:
""Shady business practices"? LEGO is in the business of selling building bricks!"
Is that why they have forced China to stop their people from producing and selling minifigures Lego doesn't produce, despite patents for the design having expired years ago?
Their business is selling minifigures at vastly inflated rates coupled with junk plastic in form of rainbow-colored satellite dishes and mini-racer mudguards, all made out of ever milkier plastic. Do you think increasing CMF prices by 200 or 250% depending on the region is even remotely justified when the dual-molding machines used to justify it aren't even used on every figure and were introduced with a price increase of 50% from the original price the only actually justified price increase?
The only reason one should buy Lego is for supporting the licenses the product is based on, Lego does nothing but reduce quality and raise prices to fake profit growth. When they do this they should at least have the decency to at least give people the parts they actually want and need to fair prices like Phase 2 Clone helmets, cloth kamas and realistic style blasters. But they can't which is why I have gone over to get these parts from customizers and the chinese but they can't even allow me to do that in peace.
@Slobrojoe said:
" @bananaworld said:
"Awww, man, I can't believe they skimped out and gave them boring blasters instead of stud-shooters."
You can’t be serious.
"
Of course they are! The oversized hair dryer blaster is soooo much better than the "accurate" boring looking blaster piece ;)
I don't mind the slight inaccuracies that other folks over exaggerate about the new 501st figure. The builds in this set are expectedly mediocre, but at least it provides some decent pieces. I'm definitely going to pick up quite a few of these whenever I can get it below $30. Like most other SW sets, this set is only good for the figures.
I'm happy for all the CW fans, this should be heaven. I just wonder why they didn't incorporate holes for visor and range finder into hose new helmets..
This comment section is a hilariously sad example of why it's so rare for companies to respond to requests like the 501st battle pack these days. People spam Lego's social media channels nonstop for a 501st battle pack, Lego finally caves, and then nothing but negativity.
Just to be clear, I get it's frustrating that they didn't make a proper battlepack, throwing in an extra two figs and vehicle compared to the usual four figs + side build. At the same time, this approach makes me think army builders aren't the target audience. Lego is trying to bring in CW fans who aren't into Lego - all they need to do is buy this one set and they're good to go. It's also questionable at best, dishonest at worst, to say these figures are lower quality than previous CW figs.
But anyway. All of these comments reinforce my belief that Star Wars (especially Star Wars Lego) has one of the most toxic fanbases.
Why do some people think they have a "right" to a $15 501st Battle Pack? They take entitlement to a new level of ridiculousness.
The only negative I see of this set is that AT-RT size and cannon but regardless, I'll buy 4 at the least. It seems that LEGO will only respond to fans when they unite so let's do this: ask for The Bomber, Tie Interceptor, Tie Reaper, Rogue One imperial cargo shuttle, AT-ACT, minifigure accurate Hailfire Droid, Venator Cruiser, Star Destroyer, ITT (Imperial Troop Transport), The Mantis and such as Bionicle.
@Lordmoral said:
"The only negative I see of this set is that AT-RT size and cannon but regardless, I'll buy 4 at the least. It seems that LEGO will only respond to fans when they unite so let's do this: ask for The Bomber, Tie Interceptor, Tie Reaper, Rogue One imperial cargo shuttle, AT-ACT, minifigure accurate Hailfire Droid, Venator Cruiser, Star Destroyer, ITT (Imperial Troop Transport), The Mantis and such as Bionicle. "
Wow, that's ambitious. Might I add an AT-TE, an Attack of the Clones Airspeeder Chase, an ARC - 170 Starfighter, and a B-Wing, along with a Clone Wars MTT, a Bad Batch Shuttle, and a Separatist Landing Craft?
@Judge_Fudge:
The patents may have expired, sure, but where the 2x4 brick was deemed to generic for trademarking purposes, the minifig was not. So, they've got the minifig shape locked up until the end of time provided they keep it in active use (not likely to be a problem). You can make any original minifig-esque design you want, but you can't copy theirs.
I find it interesting that they state the 501st playing "An Important Role" in the final season of the clone wars despite the fact that they play a major part in only 3 episodes. The 332nd is technically not the 501st. It would have been fair to acknowledge the 501st playing major roles throughout the entire clone wars as well as episode 3. Seeing as how Season 7 of the clone wars is not the only thing that matters. No offense CapnRex101 love your reviews good job!
@ Hylocera
"People spam Lego's social media channels nonstop for a 501st battle pack, Lego finally caves, and then nothing but negativity."
No... People ask Lego for a 501st battle pack; Lego release a 501st set but make it twice as expensive as a battle pack. We obviously don't have the "right" to getting any set, but when very reasonable expectations (for example the price being similar to that of all previous battle packs, or the minifigures not being less accurate than the existing ones) aren't met, of course some people aren't going to like it.
"It's also questionable at best, dishonest at worst, to say these figures are lower quality than previous CW figs."
In my opinion they're better than previous TCW minifigures, but worse than "normal" minifigures. And since the cartoony faces were phased out years ago and at least one TCW-based set already included realistic armor prints, I thought the days of lower quality TCW minifigures were over.
@HandPositions said:
" @Lordmoral said:
"The only negative I see of this set is that AT-RT size and cannon but regardless, I'll buy 4 at the least. It seems that LEGO will only respond to fans when they unite so let's do this: ask for The Bomber, Tie Interceptor, Tie Reaper, Rogue One imperial cargo shuttle, AT-ACT, minifigure accurate Hailfire Droid, Venator Cruiser, Star Destroyer, ITT (Imperial Troop Transport), The Mantis and such as Bionicle. "
Wow, that's ambitious. Might I add an AT-TE, an Attack of the Clones Airspeeder Chase, an ARC - 170 Starfighter, and a B-Wing, along with a Clone Wars MTT, a Bad Batch Shuttle, and a Separatist Landing Craft?"
A new AT-TE can wait as I am listing sets that haven't been done in years but that is one where we can have Phase 2 Cody with a few clones (enough to man the tank and as ground support) along woth droids, Kenodi saber and a six leg Crab Droid; AOT Airspeeder a chase remake is loooong over due as are the ones you list but might want to add a Tie Defender and an Imperial Police Gunship. Get in toich with my via email to coordinate this.
Wow, I thought you guys wanted a 501st pack, but reading through the comments, they are mostly negative!
@PurpleDave said:
"The patents may have expired, sure, but where the 2x4 brick was deemed to generic for trademarking purposes, the minifig was not. So, they've got the minifig shape locked up until the end of time provided they keep it in active use (not likely to be a problem). You can make any original minifig-esque design you want, but you can't copy theirs."
That just has to be re-evaluated with a new lawsuit, seeing how many very similar types of figures have been developed because of that ruling. As if people could distinguish between the many types of figures with similar proportions but slightly different design elements in the shoulders. Then the minifigure can't be bound to Lego but has to be made available to all.
It's like Apple trademarking curved edges on laptops, a ludicrous ruling only made possible through corporate lobbyism and favoritism when it is obvious that the proportions of the figures have been dictated by the dimensions of the bricks, meaning they are just as much a part of the system as the regular bricks. What is legally right isn't always the same as morally correct.
@ 560heliport:
When Lego scratches the bottom of the barrel with Jawas, Imperial Gunners, Royal Guards Praetorian Guards and Bounty Hunters there are valid questions as to why they don't do the most prominent and popular choice bound to result in dozens of sales by just one person. But still more importantly, why aren't there any decent clone packs at all with 4 Phase 2 helmets?
@ Graupensuppe:
Even weirder is the decision to apply the same TCW cartoon style to the Airborne Trooper from Grievous Starfighter that is based on RoTS. That trooper hasn't once appeared in the cartoons. People have always disliked the cartoon elements, customers have complained about the weird TCW faces, the weird armor of Rebels Stormtroopers and nobody said a word when Resistance was just given a bunch of realistic designs where the Resistance Leia ended up more detailed than the movie version. It's simply idiotic to go back on that decision and apply it even to movie only-designs.
@AJ_Walls_34 said:
"I find it interesting that they state the 501st playing "An Important Role" in the final season of the clone wars despite the fact that they play a major part in only 3 episodes. The 332nd is technically not the 501st. It would have been fair to acknowledge the 501st playing major roles throughout the entire clone wars as well as episode 3. Seeing as how Season 7 of the clone wars is not the only thing that matters. No offense CapnRex101 love your reviews good job!"
The 332nd Company is a subdivision of the 501st Legion, although you are correct in saying that the 501st Legion played an important role throughout the entire series.
@Judge_Fudge if I'm not mistaken, the only plain (black and white armor) phase 2 clone with the newer helmet (not the first style with a cutout so the black minifig head showed through representing the visor) was the one with the Clone Turbo Tank microfighter. My hope is that we'll get a couple dozen new, plain phase 2 clone troopers with the UCS Gunship.
With this being released this year, I hope next year brings a 332nd Company Troopers Battle Pack, with two standard 332nd, as seen in the AAT, along with a 332nd Jet Trooper, as seen in Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 9, and a Phase II Clone Trooper, along with a more accurately built BARC Speeder or AT-RT. This would go against a Battle Droid Battle Pack, hopefully with two B-1 Battle Droids and two Super Battle Droids, with a small troop - carrying vehicle and/or a STAP or two.
@Judge_Fudge:
The 2x4 brick is a fundamental core to the system. A minifig is not. Furthermore, the fact that so many companies _have_ come out with distinctly different takes on the minifig that don't get them sued shows that it's not necessary to strip The LEGO Company of one that they've already been awarded. Heck, there's nothing forcing any other brand to try to emulate the minifig. Anyone could come up with something completely original, with more realistic proportions.
I kinda like the upsized AT-RT, and I haven't gotten one previously, so I'll probably get this set for it and the Clones. As far as smaller versions go, I think the build from 75089-1: Geonosis Troopers is pretty close, aside from the multi-stud launcher (even though I kinda like it in a 40k sorta way).
Just... As a huge CW series and characters fan, I like this set a lot and will get one. Overpriced of course but I know it will as soon as I come to buy a Lego SW set. Now I am impatient to hear Jangbricks's reaction in his video review about the new standard clone face, if he ever comes to it :) no more angry clooooones!
I never participated in the annoying social media campaign to get this made so I think I have the right to be as critical as I want. However, I think this set is perfectly fine for what it is, they haven't made a small BARC or AT-RT in ages and the leg articulation is always terrible on walkers so it's not like those issues are unique or rare. The stud shooter on the walker is the only thing that really bugs me honestly.
@Graupensuppe said:
"@ Hylocera
"People spam Lego's social media channels nonstop for a 501st battle pack, Lego finally caves, and then nothing but negativity."
No... People ask Lego for a 501st battle pack; Lego release a 501st set but make it twice as expensive as a battle pack. We obviously don't have the "right" to getting any set, but when very reasonable expectations (for example the price being similar to that of all previous battle packs, or the minifigures not being less accurate than the existing ones) aren't met, of course some people aren't going to like it.
"It's also questionable at best, dishonest at worst, to say these figures are lower quality than previous CW figs."
In my opinion they're better than previous TCW minifigures, but worse than "normal" minifigures. And since the cartoony faces were phased out years ago and at least one TCW-based set already included realistic armor prints, I thought the days of lower quality TCW minifigures were over."
I don't think they're lower quality than other 2020 figs, but I respect your opinion. I was mainly responding to another person who said they were lower quality than 2013-2019 CW figs. 2020 CW vs. 2020 other figs would make for an interesting comparison.
I’m going to be getting at least 10 of these
cool
I’m just not excited about this set. The builds do nothing to excite me, and nothing against the 501st, but if I’m going to be buying a set for clone trooper minifigures, I want the ones with Ashoka’s face on their helmets.
I think that the 501st deserves to have a more substantial build, I’d be much more inclined to buy a $100 set than this one.
Four 501st Clone Troopers (the 2013 variants) go for at least $32 on Bricklink. That’s if they’re used and doesn’t count shipping. I understand complaints from people who already have the previous 501st Clone figures and consider those superior. I’m not one of those people, though, so I might as well just concede and get this for $30.
wegota501stbattlepack
@TheInfamousBobaFett said:
"One of the best Lego Star Wars sets of all time its phenomenal!!!!!
What’s the USA release????? Ya USA people are dying for releases!
I don’t get how people can hate this??? Everything about it is amazing and the price is a steal for 6 figures"
The set is coming to the US around September.
Can't wait to get these but who knows when due to the state or the world now.
Also Lego should not call them "battle packs" it has too much of a military vibe. They should be called "sets of people with non-functional weapons who spread peace with conversation and love" no battle droids, I mean friendship droids were harmed in this comment.
@Judge_Fudge whether or not we think an increase in price is justified is irrelevant, an increase in price is justified by people buying it at that price.
Nothing about the price increase is shady, because while price increases do suck, from a business perspective, Lego would be stupid not to charge more since people will still buy it.
I've actually not bought any previous BARC Speeder of this larger scale so I have much more incentive to pick this up than most, although I will probably need to buy some black hips because the white hips on troopers have never looked right to me on LEGO., especially with the increased tendency to print belts on the torso; but I'm not faulting LEGO for trying something different, just stating my preference.
People are upset this isn't a regular cheap Battle Pack, which is basically because of the extra AT-RT, but I think for a lot of kids, those additions will ultimately be a big plus, since I bet many of them weren't collecting in 2013 and the more recent redntion was based on the Kashyyyk sequences and may not be as popular. I sympathize because I prefer standard BPs, but I appreciate LEGO trying a larger format effort, too.
I would of liked one 501st jet trooper, 3 regular 501st troopers & a small whatever for a regular sized BP. Lego knew they had us & they oversold us. Lego doubled the price by including one, extra, poor vehicle & 2x battle droids. I know they’re a business but for the most requested BP ever they could of just made a solid 501st BP & sold a record number. Now they’ll still sell a record number & profit double (or more) while screwing all of us even harder. I mean they’re really charging us $15 for 2x plain battle droids & a small vehicle.
@bananaworld said:
"Awww, man, I can't believe they skimped out and gave them boring blasters instead of stud-shooters."
Is this a joke