212th Battalion Clone Trooper (75036) Lego Star Wars Minifigure Review

The 212^th Battalion were commanded by Commander Cody and Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and saw action on the planets: Christophsis, Teth, Ryloth, Geonosis, Umabara, Cato Neimoidia and Utapau during the Clone Wars.  

This is the second minifigure variant of a 212^th Battalion Clone Trooper.  The first variant (Clone Wars) appeared in set 75013:  Umbaran MHC (Mobile Heavy Cannon) released in 2013.  The 212^th were involved in the Battle Of Umbara and most notably crossed fire with the 501^st Legion led by the renegade General Krell.

In the 2014 set:  75036 Utapau Troopers we get this second variant which could be referred to as the Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith variant.  It is unique to this battle pack.  The 212^th supported General Kenobi in taking General Grievous’s stronghold on Utapau in Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, before turning on him after Order 66 was issued to Commander Cody by the Emperor.

Let's take a look at the minifgure:

The minifigure is equipped with a Phase II Clone Trooper helmet with an orange V shaped marking across the crest of the helmet and includes some light grey markings (like the torso piece) representing battle damage/scarring.  There are some light grey markings accentuating the curve of the visor across the cheek area, but other than that the helmet is the same form as we saw on the Phase II 501^st Clone Trooper in 2013.  An unmarked Phase II Clone Trooper helmet can be found in the 75028 Clone Turbo Tank Microfighter set from 2014.  Personally I think the battle scarring on this minifigure is a nice feature which gives the impression they are seasoned veterans of many battles rather than grunts ‘hot off the factory floor’ on Kamino.

The head piece is the same grimacing facial print that we saw on the Phase 1 Clone Trooper in 2013 and have seen on every clone since...yawn.

From a torso perspective we have a double print to front and rear.  As has been observed with many of the 2014 winter wave releases: the torso uses the base print from the Phase 1 Clone Trooper released in 2013 (left in photo above).  The Torso print is accentuated by the orange angular markings of the 212^th across the upper chest plates and from the sides of the midriff (also seen on the rear print), together with orange highlights to the belt.  The arms are orange, the gloves are black (there are no purple prickles all over his back…one for the dads out there!).

The legs are printed to the front and have the similar base print seen on the Phase II Clone Trooper (75028) (in centre of photo above) which also forms the basis of the BARC Trooper (75037) from the same 2014 winter wave.  When contrasted with the Clone Troopers released in 2013, it is good to see leg printing becoming the norm.

This is a really satisfying clone trooper, now with leg printing and fantastic detail on the torso including the new battle scarring – Lego are evolving the clone trooper nicely.  I will make my usual grumble that a few head pieces with different facial expressions would be nice (applauded for the Death Star Gunners in set 75034).  4 clones in this battle pack (75036) all with the same head piece is a slight disappointment.

This minifigure is accompanied in the battle pack by the 212th Batallion Clone Paratrooper which complements it very well by continuing the battalion markings and battle scarring.  The new eyecatching helmet and fantastic torso printing probably just edging it for novelty value. 

Of course revisiting the 212^th for a second time raises the question:  when are we getting a Phase II Commander Cody?  Captain Rex has appeared in multiple variants (Phase I and Phase II Clone Trooper armour).  Commander Gree has been released in Phase II armour in spectacular fashion in 75043 AT-AP.  Come on Lego, give us Commander Cody, and if he is holding a holographic projection of the Emperor issuing Order 66 so much the better…

Did Lego get it right? We are always interested in your thoughts on the Lego minifigures we review, please add your comments below and give the minifigure a rating on a scale of 1-10:

TIE Fighter Pilot (75031) Lego StarWars Minifgure Review

The TIE Fighter made an appearance in all three Original Star Wars Trilogy films providing a memorable, iconic starfighter that could not be confused with any other science fiction film.   Variations on the original design were developed with TIE Bombers and latterly TIE Interceptors making an appearance in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi respectively.  

The TIE Pilot has made approximately 15 appearances in Lego Star Wars sets over the years.  In this time we have seen four principal variants including significant redesigns in 2010 and 2013.

The 2014 variant is unique to the Lego Star Wars Microfighter set:  75031 TIE Interceptor.  So with this new 2014 variant what do you get?  Let’s start with the highlight:

The helmet of course is the most distinctive feature of the TIE pilot.    The helmet design is reminiscent of stormtrooper armour, although the shell is bulkier which led to rebel pilots referring to TIE pilots as ‘bucketheads’.  The helmet is predominantly black with silver line details and Imperial insignia to both sides of the helmet.  The helmet piece is unique to the set and is the only unique aspect to this minifigure.

The double printed torso representing the fully sealed flight suit is black with black arms and hands.  The Torso is not unique to this minifigure, it first made an appearance on the TIE Bomber pilot in 2013 in the planet series set:   75008 TIE Bomber and Asteroid Field.  The Torso details including the life support chest piece and breather tubes and the rectangular back plate containing the oxygen supply, all are highlighted with silver line details.

 

The head piece is not unique, being the same as the 2013 Phase I Clone Trooper.  This has become a regular fixture in 2013 and 2014 Lego Star Wars sets.  The face print to the front shows a grimacing, light flesh coloured piece with orange-brown facial lines.

The legs are unique in the sense that no previous TIE Pilot has had printed legs, but the simply printed black leg piece with silver line detail is not unique to the set, it has been seen on a number of 2014 winter wave of Star Wars minifigures:  the Death Star Gunners (75034:  Death Star Troopers) and also the Imperial Crew (75033: Imperial Star Destroyer).

   

So Lego are not breaking new ground here:  we get a new helmet, the Torso is nicely detailed and if you have not collected the Planet Series sets is nice to have.  The printed legs are simple: do the job, albeit are not unique.  What can I say – it is a subtle evolution of what has gone before it.

The only fault I would pick with the minifigure is unfortunately with the new helmet.  There is a lot of light flesh visible from the head piece when the figure is viewed from the rear.  Lego should have either supplied a black head piece or the helmet piece should have been longer at the back.  This is not be a big deal if the minifigure will spend most of the time in an enclosed cockpit.  However if you are looking to recreate the “Several fighters have broken off from the main group - come with me!” scene aboard the first death star, this might look a little odd, although easily remedied with a quick substitution from a Stormtrooper/Scout Trooper/Imperial Royal Guard.

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Luke Skywalker - Bacta Tank Outfit (7879) Lego Star Wars Minifigure

“Master Luke it’s so good to see you fully functional again” C-3PO Episode VI The Empire Strikes Back

I guess after heroically dispatching the Death Star at the end of Episode IV A New Hope, our wannabe Jedi needed taking down a peg or two.  Throughout Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker has a pretty torrid time:  mauled by a Hoth Wampa; he crashes his X-Wing on Dagobah; finds out his father is Darth Vader; loses a hand, not to mention being kissed on the lips by his sister.

In the 7879 Hoth Echo Base Lego set released in 2011 we get a completely different Luke Skywalker Lego Minifigure, a unique variant that is not available in any other sets.  I have seen this described as the Bacta Tank Outfit, although the word outfit is probably a bit misleading.  The minifigure links in with the scene in which Luke is seen in recovery immersed and suspended in a Bacta Tank.

The minifigure is made up of four pieces.

The hair is tan coloured and tousled and layered in appearance and is also seen on the Luke Skywalker (Tatooine) minfigure variant from 7965 Millennium Falcon which was also released in 2011.  In 2011 this was a unique piece created especially for Luke, but has since been seen in 10233 Horizon Express (2013) and 10243 Parisian Restaurant (2014).   Prior to this many Luke minifgures had worn tan (blonde) long female hair.

The head piece is light flesh coloured and dual sided.  On one side we have a bacta tank mask instead of a mouth –this is black in colour with a central silver valve and nose clip.  If the head piece is aligned correctly continues into a black breathing tube which is displayed on the front of the Torso.  There are two red circles on the mask at approximately 2 o clock and 9 o clock positions.  The remainder of the face is interesting with a scar and ‘black’ eye on the right side of the face which are defined by orange brown markings.  The eyebrows are described by dark brown thin lines.  The second face print on the rear has a wry (sloping) smile to it and arched eyebrows which seems made for the “I guess you don’t know everything about women yet” moment from the film.  Moving swiftly on.  One of the slight issues with this head piece is that the black eye and scar would have been great on the Luke Skywalker (Hoth) variant from the 8089 Hoth Wampa Cave from 2010, but because Lego have printed the breathing apparatus on the head instead of going for a Cad Bane-like attachment it means we can’t effectively swap it.

Torso-wise we have a double printed torso which is predominantly light flesh in colour with orange-brown markings to pick skin folds/details on the front.  The print is simple displaying the harness (in white) that suspended him in the bacta tank to the front and rear.  In addition the tube from the breathing apparatus is described in dark silver/grey with black line detailing starting at the centre top and curving round to the right side of Luke’s torso.  The torso is completed by light flesh hands and arms.

The Legs have another simple print to the front, being primarily light flesh in colour with white hips.  A light grey harness is seen across the upper legs which is light grey in colour with a silver buckle off-centre on the upper left leg.  The harness also has additional square white buckle?? features.

All in all this is a simple, accurate representation of Luke scantily clad in white briefs and bacta harness.  Within the context of the Bacta Tank and accompanying 2-1B medical droid that are supplied in set 7879 it is difficult to fault this minifigure aside from my previous comment about the breathing apparatus.

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TC-4 (5002122) Lego Star Wars Minifigure Review

Since 2010 Lego has released special giveaways/promotional minifgures to coincide with May the Fourth, the proposed international Star Wars day each year.  This has often been tied in with purchases from the Lego.com shop: spend x and receive a special promotion polybag.  They have also been provided to Toy Retailers such as Toys R Us and Smyths Toys as free giveaways with purchases above a certain amount and have been also been made available at toy fairs.

TC-4 was given away free at Toys R Us stores in the UK with Lego Star Wars purchases of £10 or more between 9^th February and 9^th March 2014.  In some stores it was sold on the open shelf at £4.99 with a limit of 3 purchases per customer.  TC-4 was first seen as a promotional giveaway for the first 150 customers at the Toys R Us Hong Kong store in January 2014.  At the time of writing this article there is continued speculation as to whether TC-4 will be the Lego May The Fourth Promotion for 2014.

Protocol droids have been a common theme in these promotional giveaways.  In 2007, 10,000 gold chrome plated C-3PO minifgures (4521221) were randomly included in Star Wars sets in a Wonka-esque move  to coincide with the 30^th anniversary of Star Wars.  In 2012, in polybag 5000063 we got TC-14 (the protocol droid which played host to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at the start of Episode I:  The Phantom Menace).  The chrome plating on TC-14 was the highlight of this nicely detailed minifgure based on the 2012 redesign of C-3PO from 9490 Droid Escape.

And now we have TC-4.  TC-Who?  Those eagle-eyed Star Wars fans will have spotted a red protocol droid in The Empire Strikes Back in Echo Base, but alas – no this is R-3PO and he popped up in 2011 in 7879 Hoth Echo Base.  Whilst TC-4 has a good resemblance to this droid, "it is not the droid we are looking for".  Like a Mos Eisley Sandtrooper you can keep watching the films, trying to spot TC-4, but rest assured there are no Jedi playing mind tricks on you, he is not in Episodes I-VI.  And no this is not the point I drop the bombshell that he is going to appear in Episode VII, although neither am I in a position to categorically deny say that he won’t be in the new film.  Consulting the oracle that is Wookieepedia, we have a reference to TC-4 in the Star Wars Chronicles:  The Prequels reference book.  TC-4 was apparently a red protocol droid who assisted Senator Palpatine and featured  in a deleted scene that never made it into Episode I:  The Phantom Menace. 

Wow.  I hope you were sat down for that one.

So we have an obscure, never seen before protocol droid, that is not golden, silver or even chrome.  Are Lego scraping the barrel here??  Let’s take a look at the minifigure.

TC-4 is a nicely detailed minifgure and I believe is the first time we see leg printing on a protocol droid.

The overall minifgure is dark red in colour and composed of three pieces.  If you have picked up the new 2014 Imperial Guard in set 75034 Death Star Troopers it is the same dark red as the arms. 

The head piece is the standard protocol head mould which we have seen since the year 2000.  The piece has yellow photoreceptors (eyes) with a black spot which is just off-centre.  Opening to the mouth is silver on the upper side. 

The Torso is printed on both sides and largely follows the C-3PO theme that was first seen in 9490 Droid Escape.  With a dark red base colour the droids plating is defined by dark grey lines, but is further accentuated through use of silver lines and black line details.  This combination of black and silver line detail is also seen around the neckline.  There is an exposed section on the lower torso to front and rear showing a collection of silver, gold, blue and dark red wires.  The number of wires, layout and colour of the wires differs from the C-3PO 2012 torso print.

The rear torso print is very similar to the C-3PO 2012, but has dark grey and silver detail instead of the black and dark red lines on C-3PO.

The hips and legs are dark red, both have printing to the front.  The hips have a single curved grey line which continues the torso print.   Longitudinal marks in a dark grey colour define the plating on the upper leg with dual silver lines on the right leg.  Silver and black lines on both legs define the detail around and below the knee joint.  Close inspection of the library of images of protocol droids from the Star Wars universe suggest that Lego have done a good job with the leg printing.

Without a doubt it is a nicely detailed minifigure.  Given its exclusivity it is no doubt going to be collectable and for those that can get their hands on them great:  put one in the display cabinet, any surplus keep them safe, forget about them and pass onto your great grandchildren so they can sell/exchange one for a return ticket to the Sea Of Tranquillity in years to come.

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General Rieekan (75014) Lego Star Wars Minifigure Review

“You’re a good fighter Solo, I hate to lose you”

Carlist Rieekan was an Alderaanian General and veteran of the Clone Wars, but is best known to Star Wars fans for leading the Republic Forces during the Battle Of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

  

Whilst Hoth was a crushing defeat to the Rebels, Rieekan’s careful security and evacuation measures led to many survivors of the overwhelming Imperial invasion.  Rieekan survives Hoth and his story continues far into the future in the Expanded Universe series of novels and is even called out of retirement in the Yuuzhan Vong War 27 years after the Battle Of Yavin. 

General Rieekan first appears in Lego Minfigure form in 2013 and at the time of writing remains unique to set 75014 Battle of Hoth.

In the film Rieekan is mostly seen directing operations from the command centre in Echo Base and so would naturally seem to be more at home in the 7879 Hoth Echo Base set from 2011, rather than in a set which is suggestive of him leading troops in the trenches on the front line.   Not a moan, just an observation.

The minifigure is composed of 4 pieces, with blaster pistol and a two piece cold-weather helmet and goggles.

The figure has the same head as the 2010 version of Professor Snape (4842 Hogwarts Castle) with a   single print to the front with a serious determined expression:  “Princess, we have a visitor”.  The print has heavy black eyebrows above black rounded eyes with white pupils and light brown facial lines to the sides of the mouth and crease between the eyebrows.

The dark bluish grey hair piece has short smooth combed hair from a parting on the left side.  This piece is the same shaped piece that we have seen on a number of Obi-Wan Kenobi variants in a dark orange colour.  The hair piece can be replaced by a cold-weather helmet and snow goggles combination in a similar style to the Hoth Rebel Troopers in the set.  The snow goggles can clip into a choice of two sets of holes, so that they can be worn over the eyes or over the helmet.

The torso is dark tan in colour representing the snow jacket we frequently see him wearing in the film.  The snow jacket has two pockets highlighted by black and crimson red lines as well as an insignia on his right chest.   On the lower part of the torso a simple belt (dark brown) and buckle (silver) print can be seen.   The arms are dark tan in colour with white gloves.  The torso has printing on the rear which continues the themes we see on the front: criss-crossed upper part of the snow jacket; brown belt and brown crease lines to the lower part of the snow jacket.

The Legs and hips are both dark tan colour with no printing.

Overall this is a good minifigure.  I find it difficult to pick fault: the lack of leg printing (despite being commonplace in 2013) does not really bother me.  If I was being extremely picky, then perhaps a new head piece instead of the re-use of Professor Snape’s head would be a consideration:   Rieekan has grey hair – grey eyebrows perhaps?  They certainly weren’t black in the film.  As an additional point: the hood is the same as that worn by the Hoth Rebel Troopers.  Being tan in colour it is not exactly consistent with the dark tan colour of General Rieekan’s torso or legs.  A dark tan coloured hood would have been a nice option.

We have seen a couple of variants of General Veers over the years (and maybe another one very soon?) so it’s good to see Rieekan in Lego Minifigure form.  I can’t imagine we will see too much more of him in future minifigure variants.

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