Review: 75310 Duel on Mandalore

@PixelTheDragon said:
" @darthdrauf said:
"Great set reveiw, still not sold on a box and a chair with a red guy and an orange lady though, JK
"

But the red guy and orange lady are having a dramatic duel with laser swords!
Also, the only other set with this orange lady cost twice as much, so I'm glad that there's a cheaper alternative.

I'm also glad they finally went back to giving Maul a more neutral expression. Those smiles from previous sets were... unnerving.
"

yes Agreed on all of that, I would be sold with the laser swords though if they gave the red guy a new hilt. also the red guy is much of an upgrade.

I need this SW line but it's still a bit overpriced.

I dunno; try picking up Throne of Ultron - which, content-wise, is nearly identical to Duel on Mandalore - on eBay and you’re looking at $650 USD and up.

If you would like this set, preorder it now and you won’t kick yourself later.

For a $20 set, it is pretty disappointing. Compared to sets like 2020's Duel on Mustafar (fitting name for a comparison), 2019's TIE Fighter Attack, and 2015's Hailfire Droid, it really doesn't seem to fit the price. Unfortunately, that could be due to the oncoming inflation crisis, but I can't be sure.

My only other criticism would probably be Ahsoka's montrals, in which I think the print of her headwear is a bit too high up! Certainly, it would be nice to have a new piece that's a size in between the Shaak Ti head piece and the original Ahsoka Tano head piece, but since that would involve creating a series of new molds, I must hold that to greater critisism. Still, since they did the same in Ahsoka's design for Rebel Combat Frigate, I guess it's to be expected.

It must be autumn there.

Nice review!

Didn't mechanical-legs-Maul used to have proper mechanical legs once, or did I dream that...?

@KingTyrannos said:
" @MutoidMan said:
"I dunno; try picking up Throne of Ultron - which, content-wise, is nearly identical to Duel on Mandalore - on eBay and you’re looking at $650 USD and up.

If you would like this set, preorder it now and you won’t kick yourself later."

Throne of Ultron was a Comic Con exclusive, hence the price. "

Correct, and by the number assigned to this set, people are assuming this too is a set that would have been a Comic Con exclusive. The question is whether LEGO will produce enough of these that it will be a while before the price goes through the roof.

Last year’s intended-for-SDCC set 77905 Taskmaster’s Ambush can still be had for a low price, but for how long?

@bananaworld said:
"
Nice review!

Didn't mechanical-legs-Maul used to have proper mechanical legs once, or did I dream that...?"

He doesn’t have mechanical legs in season 7. Well, he does but they are shaped like human legs rather than the claw legs

Did I miss something or is this set based on the clone wars? This is confusing since these 2 characters fought in the Rebels, not in the clone wars show. The actual fight happened in the clone wars was maul and oppress vs sidious. If so this set is incorrect. And Ahsoka here is clearly the one from the rebels.

@Mister_Jonny:
It’s because Maul uses a double-bladed lightsaber that has a really long hilt. Using the standard hilt looks a bit silly because there’s clearly only enough room for a one-handed grip. The MK handle is slightly longer and doesn’t have the decorative details, meaning it could potentially accommodate two hands...but it’s still way too short. My solution (which has been well-received by everyone I suggested it to) is a little more involved, and a lot more accurate. Switch to 3L bars, because you should be using those for all lightsaber blades (otherwise, they’re as long as a minifig is tall, which just looks wrong). Then combine a standard lightsaber hilt with a matching telescope (this does, obviously, limit your color choices, but both are available in light-bley). When assembled, this will be about the same length as the official version, but you can actually pose Maul with both hands on the hilt. With a regular stud connection in the middle, it’s a bit fragile compared to normal lightsabers, so they’d never use this in an official set, but it looks so much more accurate than anything else I’ve seen.

@graymattr:
Try buying an authentic Ahsoka for less. The rarity of the character will help drive sales of this, plus Maul is another popular but underserved character. People have enough Harry Potter minifigs that some might have been put to use leveling tables by now.

@MutoidMan:
Wow. Throne of Ultron is an SDCC exclusive with a really limited production run. This is a regular retail set that they’ll keep cranking out for about a year, and which will probably never sell for even half that amount. Not in my lifetime, at least.

Regarding your later comment, Ahsoka’s previous appearance was in 75283. This is 75310. Last year’s SW convention exclusives were numbered 75294 and 77904. One fell in the normal range, like this, and the other was an outlier. Both still had convention badging, which this does not.

@bananaworld:
75022

@ResIpsaLoquitur:
A B-Wing microfighter has never been made, and would be tricky to pull off given the overall design. Slave I has been produced, but only as a convention exclusive. And if you mean Maul’s Sith Infiltrator, that has appeared as both a convention exclusive and a regular set.

@vader11:
Clone Wars S1-5 were released normally on cable. S6 was direct-to-video because they cancelled the show before it could be released. S7 is paywalled on D-.

@xboxtravis7992:
Let me know when they release it on physical media so I can put it with S1-6.

I see a lot of complaints about the price, but I bet it'll be hard to find for a while because plenty of people will pay full price. Plenty of others will wait for a discount. Everyone will be (relatively) happy- especially TLG. They will sell lots of this set.

@PurpleDave said:
" @ResIpsaLoquitur:
A B-Wing microfighter has never been made, and would be tricky to pull off given the overall design. Slave I has been produced, but only as a convention exclusive. And if you mean Maul’s Sith Infiltrator, that has appeared as both a convention exclusive and a regular set."

And I would love for those last two to be released in a more publicly accessible form. The Ghost also had a Microfighter convention exclusive--twice!--before being released in a slightly different form as an official Microfighter.

I like this and it's a cheaper way to get Ahsoka now and the updated Darth Maul..
perfect!!
Just need sets under £20 with Cara dune, Mando and Moff Gideon in them now.

This looks great to me! Admittedly, I don't like that the Star Wars sets are always pricey, but I like how this puts two outstanding characters with great minifigs into something small that isn't a miniature vehicle, or worse, a big clunky thing full of battle droids and/or clones. I'll for sure be picking this up when I see it.

@ResIpsaLoquitur:
75224 is the retail version, which came out just two years ago, and is (thankfully) a better design than the SDCC version. Besides Slave I from SWC, the other missing convention exclusive Microfighter was Luke’s landspeeder from NYCC. I’m a Lucas-era/Microfighter fan, plus Darth Maul and Boba Fett are two of my favorite characters, so I’d love to have all three of the tin sets, even if they do release retail versions of Slave I and the landspeeder. I also find it annoying that the only A-Wing was paired up with Darth Tantrum, so I had to skip it.

I still miss the DCS Mighty Micros, and I have to wonder if the cartoony minifigs were the main reason Mighty Micros only lasted three waves when Microfighters has been going strong for a decade.

If I didn't already have Ahsoka from 75283 and/or the pieces in this were actually printed and not stickered... I'd maybe swallow the ridiculous price. As is, don't think so.

"the lekku appear too long for Ahsoka. Introducing a new component would therefore have been appreciated here, especially because the element might be required again for a minifigure inspired by the character's live action design."

This is about how long her lekku should have been in The Mandalorian. A season 7 accurate element would have been preferred here but that would still be way longer than the live action costume had. I would be perfectly fine with them using this one for a Mandalorian Ahsoka fig and prioritizing lore accuracy over show accuracy

@kongutahu said:
[[[[the lekku appear too long for Ahsoka. Introducing a new component would therefore have been appreciated here, especially because the element might be required again for a minifigure inspired by the character's live action design.]]

This is about how long her lekku should have been in The Mandalorian. A season 7 accurate element would have been preferred here but that would still be way longer than the live action costume had. I would be perfectly fine with them using this one for a Mandalorian Ahsoka fig and prioritizing lore accuracy over show accuracy]]

I understand there was a physical constraint due to Rosario Dawson and her stunt doubles having to wear the lekku in the lightsaber duels which made them go for a smaller lekku in the show compared to her Rebel's animated form. Although Rebels also had a habit of elongating faces and helmets too, so arguably we could say Rebel's longer lekku is just a stylistic choice.

@Mister_Jonny said:
"I don't quite understand the comment about the hilt. I mean, what else do people assume the light saber is going to be? Or is it a matter of the piece being confused with other pieces in the set?

Light saber hilts have long been used in other sets for non-light saber applications. Why can't it work the other way around?"

there was a longer lightsaber hilt like piece in a set from another theme. I think some people were hoping that would be used for mauls lightsaber.

Well, in https://brickset.com/article/59718/three-licensed-sets-revealed-by-mexican-certified-store @FuddRuckus made the (what I thought was an astute) observation that these sets seemed to have been designed and numbered as if they had been intended as SDCC exclusives, and no one bit his head off.

Not only that, but at least the Sanctuary II set was available for pre-order, which is not something I see happen for many sets. We couldn’t pre-order the Daily Bugle, for instance, so at least to me that lent credence to the idea that these sets are intended to be limited.

So there’s where I got the idea; and no, it’s not ridiculous.

Unless you guys have inside knowledge of LEGO’s production and distribution plans, and even if you do, there is no need to act like know-it-alls.

@MutoidMan said:
"Well, in https://brickset.com/article/59718/three-licensed-sets-revealed-by-mexican-certified-store @FuddRuckus made the (what I thought was an astute) observation that these sets seemed to have been designed and numbered as if they had been intended as SDCC exclusives, and no one bit his head off.

Not only that, but at least the Sanctuary II set was available for pre-order, which is not something I see happen for many sets. We couldn’t pre-order the Daily Bugle, for instance, so at least to me that lent credence to the idea that these sets are intended to be limited.

So there’s where I got the idea; and no, it’s not ridiculous.

Unless you guys have inside knowledge of LEGO’s production and distribution plans, and even if you do, there is no need to act like know-it-alls."

They’ve just recently started having preorders for sets available; they’ve had a good handful up for preorder. As for Daily Bugle, I don’t think there was much lead time between announcement and actual release, so preorder didn’t really make sense. Plus, big sets have more tendencies to be limited due to their size, while small sets like this that are mass released never are.

The comparison to the Ultron set really was an apples to oranges thing. But I’m not here to beat up on it.

I know you think they sound like know-it-all’s for having called out your comments, but I mean, they have far more knowledge of Lego and their inner workings than we do.

@PurpleDave Eight years is not a decade. Or are you using GotG Ravager math?

@monkyby87 said:
"I know you think they sound like know-it-all’s for having called out your comments, but I mean, they have far more knowledge of Lego and their inner workings than we do. "

Fine and dandy. Still not an excuse to be disdainful when all I’m saying is that the set does fit the mold of a comic con set, so maybe grab one on the off chance LEGO either doesn’t make them for general release or does but makes a very limited amount, because you may find yourself having to pay a very inflated price on eBay if you don’t.

If I’m wrong, I’m wrong; but the way prices of retired sets have skyrocketed, I wouldn’t chance it on a set that represents a climactic battle between two iconic characters.

@MutoidMan:
Before I post my response, I want to clear the air. I prefer honest, civil discourse. Tone is hard to read on the internet, but I don’t throw names or insults around, even when people do so to me. I can at times be a bit clinical in my responses, especially when I get sucked into the research. I have been called out for being factually wrong a few times, and I’ve had people convince me to change my mind. What you don’t see is all the stuff I trim out because I end up proving myself wrong when I start researching. Usually. I did let one error slip through that I ended up catching when researching my next response, but it’s too late to edit it out now. I’m not going to say what it is, but it’s there if you want to go hunting.

@560heliport:
2013 was a gap year (and I didn’t check for those), but if you count the 2012 convention exclusives as part of the sub-theme (which I do, even though Brickset doesn’t), that makes a ten year span when you include the stuff that was released this year. That was the basis for my math.

@MutoidMan:
Those three sets may look like they were designed as convention exclusives, but the 752xx number range falls within the current retail numbering for SW sets. As I pointed out, Bespin Duel (a SWC exclusive) fell within the normal range while Nebulon B (an SDCC exclusive) did not. If someone did a quick check against Bespin Duel, it would be an easy mistake to think that this set number had greater meaning.

Looking at the Mexican reveal sets, the combination did seem suspect because those are the three themes that have received SDCC exclusives for the past decade, and they do tend to have wildly divergent designs. What they don’t have is wildly divergent prices. As @FuddRuckus even noted, the convention sets are consistently $40, while these are $30/60/70. That right there makes this theory suspect. At the time he posted that comment, I did think maybe he was right. I don’t anymore, barring confirmation from someone in Billund.

The set numbering doesn’t work out, if you actually dig into it. The four 2020 SDCC sets were numbered sequentially 77904, 77905, 77906, and 77907. The Mexican sets aren’t. All three Mexican sets fall outside of their normal number ranges, but Marvel just closed out the shared Superheroes 761xx range with 76199, and pushed past it with 76200 and 76201 (both still unannounced). Checking the database also shows that there’s an unbroken sequence for DC including 76238, 76239, and 76240, which kinda shoots down the idea that 76236 will turn out to be a missing SW set. The 2021 SW retail line continues unbroken from 75295 through 75316, spanning both 75296 and 75310.

SDCC 2021 has been confirmed to be an online-only event again this year, but we don’t know if they produced exclusives at all, if they’re just going to dump them on the market like last year, or if SDCC has set up a system by which they can fill orders for convention exclusives (which would probably mean they’d be restricted to paying “attendees”).

But you’re right that the fact the Mexican sets are all up for preorders is weird. I still don’t know what to make of that. I just don’t think it’s SDCC. And this set was revealed with the other retail sets, where all five convention exclusives got special reveals last year. But it’s only $20, so there’s no harm in grabbing one early. Assuming there hasn’t been a reveal of actual SDCC sets by then, pay attention to quantity limits before trying to stock up on these in the hopes of getting rich. All of the 2020 convention sets were Limit 3, I believe, while Limit 5 is more typical of retail sets. If this set ends up Limit 5, it means they have plenty of supply to meet demand, and you’ll have a hard time cornering the market.

@PurpleDave
That is a lot of serious research - thanks for the info & sorry if it was a bother!

Okay so I’ll lean towards it looking as though these were not intended for comic con; although, it is interesting that both the Sanctuary II and Classic Batman Mask sets are up for pre-order on the US site each with a limit of 2, which I take it may mean limited production. The Duel on Mandalore set is not up for pre-order on the US site and advertised as shipping on August 1st, so maybe that one will be more widely available?

Either way, I pre-ordered my one copy of the Sanctuary II set, just in case.

Solid set even for pieces (if its 15$ xD)

@MutoidMan:
It’s best not to take too many things personally, even if they’re meant that way (unless it’s clearly a ToS violation, in which case just report it).

The research didn’t take more than a few minutes, but you have to know what to look for, where to find it, and how to locate it most efficiently. I normally prefer Bricklink over Brickset, but Brickset publishes MSRP and uses meta tags.

The meditation chamber is also up for preorder, but so was Carnage. Maybe it’s just something they’re trying out for IP sets that they don’t expect to sell as well as others. Is Carnage a Target exclusive? I suddenly had the thought that maybe these were retailer exclusives, and was about to dismiss the idea because none of them were flagged Exclusive or Hard To Find on LEGO.com, but neither is Carnage. If 76199 is a retailer exclusive, then maybe that’s what the preorders are for. DC, Marvel, and Star Wars also get a lot of retailer exclusives, and I was once told that 76040 (also a retailer exclusive) was shipped to LEGO Stores in stupidly small quantities as a result. If preorders help them do a better job of gauging early interest on limited-release retail sets, that’s a potential game-changer.

I still hate the eyes on the Ahsoka fig. They looks so blank and inhuman. Lego seems to do it with most of the non-human Jedi, e.g. Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee, Stass Allie, the Jedi Consular and the Jedi Knight. They didn't do it for Aayla Secura though.

Battlepack-quality build with half the minifigs, what an absolute joke to charge more than a battle pack for it. I hope this at least gets a standard retail release so it has a realistic chance of seeing discounts, because the AAT *didnt* get a retail release in Australia, and I can only think of one reason why (so it wouldnt get discounted).

Though, Lego Star Wars retail stock for all sets have been a sad joke themselves across the country since the pandemic started.

A moment of silence for all the people that bought 75283 mostly or entirely for Ahsoka.

This one is kinda neat, but the price is harsh. Especially compared to battle packs.

LEGO, again, prove they can't print Darth Maul's eyes right. I think they should just give up and go for a simpler print for him, their machines seemingly can't print detail this small with good accuracy.

Also Ahsoka's eyes, from design perspecrive, aren't great. They should just give her black eyes like every other figure (I mean, Luke has blue eyes too but they still made him normal). At the worst case they need to "ninjago movie Lloyd" her and give her eyes like his, but in blue instead of green.

@historynut said:
"2 figures and a few bits. In the past this would barely be a £10 impulse purchase near the til now its a set costing more than a 4 person battle pack. Not sure I like Lego's thought process for this. Maybe a 3rd figure or a better throne / wall structure would justify the price but I doubt it."

Back when there were £10 impulse sets that weren't troop packs there were barely if ever any discounts and if there were they were a local occurrence and much steeper. Growing reliance on online shops disrupted the profits of physical stores so they need the high prices to survive but online shops can and must offer discounts to stay competitive.
As such, the full price should never be treated as the rule. All recent 20€ duels have been available at a discount for most of their shelf life, just wait a couple months after release. Preordering at full price just creates price increases.
I will get it when it's 14€. That seems fair compared to a set like 4476 , considering inflation, piece count and the improvements in print design (yes, stickeridoos too).

And again...Who buys sets at full retail price anymore??? You can always find at least a decent -20% off from time to time. So, yes, at 16€ this is still expensive but considering how much those minis go at the aftermarket, I for once applaud TLG for lowering their aftermarket prices even that way.
Plus, I've read somewhere that this was done in order for younger generations to get aboard the SW hype train in a cheaper way (instead of paying top dollars for those minifigs at the aftermarket).

$35 is insane, but considering you can’t get the AAT anywhere in Australia this will probably sell like hotcakes for Ahsoka alone.

Two figures in a Star Wars set...the price is comparable to what it always is.

Two must have figures make this a must purchase!

I've never watched Clone Wars, but I'll still pick up sets from it if they have cool figures/pieces.

@CapnRex101 @everyoneinterestedaboutMaulssaber
So Lego is unwilling to change the one lightsaber because of... tradition, I guess? As if Lego Star Wars has kept to tradition. Removing blue accents from TIE fighters, replacing the iconic original molds for Darth Vader, Scout and Stormtrooper helmets, creating and then ditching the cartoony Clone Wars face prints, and even going from yellow to realistic skin tones, LEGO, for better or worse, has given Star Wars a makeover maybe even more than George Lucas has! If Lego Star Wars had never really changed, the lightsabers in this set would be chrome, there would be a megaphone under the throne, and Maul might not have head spikes.

Maybe LEGO has decided as part of their new Star Wars 2021 design philosophy to stop the increasing trend towards trying to copy everything 1:1. Because they have already produced smaller, cheaper, less accurate and proportional X-Wing, TIE fighter, and Imperial Shuttle this year to be more affordable, maybe that applies to avoiding too many new molds to further keep prices realistically affordable. Which could be why they have also decided Ahsoka using Shaak-Ti's montrals was close enough because they are both Togruta and they don't need a third Togruta mold.

However, if LEGO decides to replace something in Star Wars in the future, then they lied about this. I don't care about how long Maul's lightsaber is, I hardly ever buy Star Wars sets, but I am interested in their new "philosophy" of making sets more unrealistic, if necessary, to keep them affordable, and if they stick to their claim.

@Norikins:
I suspect the issue is more that this element does represent lightsaber hilts, while the MK bar does not. And it’s not like it would look that good to begin with. It’s unadorned, where all three lightsaber hilt elements have some degree of decorative design. It’s barely longer than the standard hilt, and still doesn’t accommodate a two-handed grip. I think it’s more the fact that it _could_ be used as a hilt that has people convinced that it _should_ be.

@Norikins
Bit of a strawman. They were talking specifically about lightsaber hilts. I don't think your generalization is fair when they didn't say "tradition" once.

And if they do change something in the future, it wouldn't be lying. They would be changing their philosophy, which is allowed.

There's a lot to criticize about the lightsaber hilt decision without pointless personal attacks.

Hey, if we're talking about the inaccuracies of LEGO lightsabers... the blades should be solid colors, not transparent. On-screen lightsaber blades glow, but they're opaque. Discuss!

@560heliport.
So you’re saying the blades should be a super-reflective what material with a color wash applied? Or should they be a dull grey with a team of people to apply a CGI effect on the fly?

@PurpleDave .
Yes and yes! :)
Or glow-in-the-dark. Not terribly accurate; I just think it would be cool. In looking up "white glow" (TLG's name for the color) parts I just realized the new Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets 76389 has a glow-in-the-dark Nearly Headless Nick. That set just went from "almost certainly will get" to "must have- maybe today"!

@Mister_Jonny said:
"I don't quite understand the comment about the hilt. I mean, what else do people assume the light saber is going to be? Or is it a matter of the piece being confused with other pieces in the set?

Light saber hilts have long been used in other sets for non-light saber applications. Why can't it work the other way around?"

And there have been plenty of lightsabers which have used different hilt pieces. I think this is just an excuse not to make a new mould for the darksaber, and they're trying to be consistent by not giving Maul the new hilt piece either. It's dumb.