At first, when you look at this set, it looks like a quick & easy build that you will have together in 20 mins and once built, it won't be much of a memory. Well... it is a quick build, but has lots of quick bits of fun throughout. From building the forge itself, with a few cool little bits to building a custom cabinet!

Pros

- the minfigs are amazing as always, with lego seemingly upping their game on each set that comes out. 3 figs for this set seems to be the right call as well, since it isn't a large set, but it also isn't the smallest

- the building techniques are a lot of fun and some really neat techniques are implemented throughout the build

- the set definitely catches the forge scene in the Mandalorian series quite well

- lots of playability with this, since it is open enough to use the figs and move them around without feeling like you will break something and easily can have them sit on different areas to fit iconic scenes

Cons

- it is a nice set, but it also definitely isn't cheap, but that's expected with a licensed set

- as mentioned above, it is a quick build and takes an AFOL about 20 mins at most to put it together.

Overall, for the price, it isn't the most expensive, but certainly isn't the cheapest either, but the value is definitely there throughout the set. If you're a Mandalorian fan, it's a must-have!

When I first found out about this set, this was my #1 set I was pursuing at the time. It wasn't till a few months later till I actually got my hands on one. And I have to say it's well worth the wait! The builds are pretty cool for what it is. The parts are lovely, some ones I really liked were the sticker designs, the little blue flames, the Mando hologram, and the unprinted Mandalorian helmet, along with the parts for the figures. Speaking of figures, Mando is nothing special but nonetheless an amazing figure (also having a jetpack is great, but since I already have one of the later sets that have his jetpack, I wasn't ecstatic). Paz Viszla is great and I like the bulky armour he has along with the backpack, however I do wish they made a special visor for him since his is unique and having a blaster more of a machine gun like in the show and other merch. The Armorer is a lovely figure and the new helmet mold works great! I'm kind of sad that she does not have a neck fur collar (and even with the piece it won't fit due to the helmet). Also, a downside that it's exclusive to Target (and the Lego store), therefore makes it more difficult to find. But for $30, this is a great set with nice parts, good for playing or display, and some great figures that'll be great to add to any collection.

So this was a rather intriguing set as it features a location that plays a very prominent role in the first season of the Mandalorian, despite being released long after the second season concluded. Obviously it is a small set at 258 pieces and the minifigures are perhaps the greatest draw, but this is a set that either tried to do too much or simply didn't do enough.

Minifigures

Finally we got a Mando with a jet pack! This is the standard Mando minifigure wearing beskar, minus the cape. At this point I have a few of these so they are no longer too exciting, but it's nice to have the jet pack at last. Only problem, the jet pack is a dark gay, not silver like his helmet. I'm not sure why they wouldn't make it match.

The Armorer is nice and I love her tools, very creative way to build tongs. However the printed fit really doesn't come off very well. It simply lacks the depth it should have and looks like chest hair on her back.

The other Mandalorian on the other hand is fantastic. Presumably this is the one that picks a fight with Din after he brings in his haul for Baby Yoda. The shoulder pads and jet pack make him look huge and he is incredibly detailed, not to mention the colour scheme allows the details to stand out.

Parts

Besides the minifigures, the part selection is pretty decent. You get a blank Mandalorian helmet, a very cool 1x1 trans-blue round with a printed hologram of a Mandalorian, some blue flames and a handful of tools you would never expect to see in a Star Wars set. The problem however is the stickers. There is one that goes inside a small panel, and because it is interior it is very difficult to apply. But the big problem are the stickers on the 4x4 quarter circle tiles. There are 4 of these that need to be applied to a curved brick and needless to say it is not easy to make it look good. After applying the first one starting at one end and having it come out very crooked, I figured out applying it from the middle provides the best results but even still gives inconsistent results. With 4 of these being used, and a fairly generic pattern that could easily have been reused in future sets, why weren't these printed?

The Build

Its a small set, so don't expect it to be rocket science. Each bag builds one of the room components. There is nothing complex here and you probably aren't going to learn anything from it. That said, it is completely asymmetrical so at least nothing is repetitive. It's not a bad build, but it is kind of blah.

The Model

Sadly I think this model is where the set fails. You wind up with the center of an octagonal room and only two of its walls. It reminds me of the Tusken yurt in 75299, only worse. At least that gave us half a yurt, here we get a quarter of a room. Had this set at least built a semicircle of a room, you would have had something that looked good, but this is not the answer. Now I'm not advocating for a larger, more expensive set, but this design simply fails. I feel a better design would have done away with the two wall segments and built a better fire pit. Or keep this fire pit which is adequate, add a fourth minifigure, and call it a battle pack.

Overall, I just feel very disappointed in this set, and Lego has been releasing a lot of much nicer sets that offer much better value (I'm looking at 75300 which only cost $10 more). This set simply doesn't look good and lacks any real play features. The only reason why you should buy this set is for the minifigures, or at least the two unique ones. I've bought a lot of Star Wars sets this year and have loved all the rest, but this one leaves a lot to be desired.