Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (75040) Lego Star Wars Minifigure Review

“Your Move!”  Kenobi challenges General Grievous on Utapau

There have been a number of Obi Wan Kenobi Lego variants released in recent years and at first glance, this one does not look appreciably different.  This is an Episode III, Jedi Master variant of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This set is clearly linked with Episode III:  Revenge of The Sith, as are many of the 2014 Winter Wave releases.  2012 saw the last release of an Episode III themed Obi-Wan Kenobi in set 9494 Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor.  Whilst this set dealt with the climatic contest between Master and Padawan, this 2014 set captures Kenobi’s other great duel in this film with General Grievous on the planet of Utapau.

This minifigure variant is not really breaking any new ground as you will see in the photographs and descriptions below.

The head piece is printed on two sides with brown trimmed beard, eyebrows and facial lines and black circular eyes with white pupils. On one side we have a white grimacing mouth on the other we have a straight black line, but worried eye brow line.  Kenobi always looks somewhat troubled!  In fact the face print is identical to the Obi-Wan Kenobi head piece which we saw in sets:  9494 Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor from 2012 and 75021 Republic Gunship in 2013.

Kenobi’s hair piece is dark orange, with smooth hair combed in a sideways manner.  This has also been seen before in 9494 Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor and 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar from 2013. 

The unique aspect of this minifigure is the torso and leg pieces.  The torso is a double sided print portraying Jedi Robes.  The detail of the Jedi robes is outlined with black lines and brown lines on a tan base colour.  A reddish brown undergarment is seen in a V-shape around the neck line to the front.  Kenobi’s belt is detailed with silver buckles and accessories as well as black detail lines describing small pouches on the rear of the torso.  The torso is completed by tan coloured arms and light flesh coloured hands.

The legs are nicely printed to the front.  The hips are tan coloured with simple line details in black and brown.  The upper legs are tan coloured with simple robe detailing: black and brown lines which follow a similar design to the legs we see on the Kenobi variant from the 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar.   The difference here is in the two-tone colours that are used.    The lower leg is dark tan in colour.

Interestingly, Kenobi is not equipped with a lightsaber, but is given a standard blaster.  Considering Kenobi loses his lighsaber early in the Wheel Bike Chase and uses a blaster to finally dispatch Grievous I guess there isn’t room for too much argument here.

So if you own the Kenobi minifgures from 75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar, 9494 Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor, 75021 Republic Gunship (2012-2014) you see a gradual evolution/subtle evolution.  From my point of view the Torso is probably the highlight here.

Let’s face it though, if you are purchasing 75040 General Grievous Wheel Bike, you are not really buying it for this minifgure.  You will be buying this for General Grievous and/or the Wheel Bike itself.  For an outlay of £20 you are not going to be disappointed with this set.  Build experience, playability and quality of the minifigures make this a value for money set (not something I say very often about Lego Star Wars sets).  This is a nicely detailed/printed minifigure that is not to be sniffed at!

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:

General Grievous (75040) Lego Star Wars Review

   

“You fool. I have been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku himself. Attack, Kenobi.”

The character of General Grievous developed out of concept art in the production of Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith.  George Lucas gave the designers  a high level steer of: “Threatening”; “not Darth Vader-like”; “Droid General”; “alien in a droid shell”; “an echo of what Anakin is going to become”.

The imposing cyborg has been seen in Lego minifigure form in two variants in the past.  This is the third variant of General Grievous, unique to the 2014 set: 75040 General Grievous’ Wheel Bike and the first opportunity to get a decent minifigure variant of General Grievous in a set for under £20. 

Of course the subject of the set is the Wheel Bike chase and final confrontation with Obi Wan Kenobi from Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith.  A similar set was released back in 2005: 7255 General Grievous Chase and taking a look at this 2014 set in comparison shows just how far Lego design has come in 9 years.

General Grievous has an interesting back story that I have explored in the review of the previous minifigure variant of General Grievous:  The Clone Wars variant that appeared in two sets in 2010 and 2012.

The new variant of General Grievous resembles the second variant in form, but gets a new colour scheme – predominantly white and there is a change to the eyes on the head.  

Other than these two differences the figure is the same and comes with 2 green and 2 light blue lightsabers taken from the fallen Jedi that he has defeated.

Grievous' is composed of 8 parts that make up his mechanical 'duranium' body and if you don't own the previous variant, is pretty special and somewhat different to your average minfigure. 

Personally for me, the second variant has the edge , but you would previously have had to spend at least £45 on a set to get the second variant, so getting largely the same minifigure in a set for £20 seems a bargain.

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:

BARC Trooper (75037) Lego Star Wars Review

If you thought the Battle of Kashyyyk was brief in Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith, then if you blinked in the wrong place you would have missed the reference to Saleucami.  But why would you blink?  How could you blink?  For all their midi-chlorian induced foresight and wisdom the Jedi are taking a pummeling.  Chancellor Palpatine issues Order 66 and the average Star Wars fan’s mouth hangs open whilst the principle Jedi Generals are taken down on the various battlefields.  On Saleucami, Jedi General Stass Allie is leading a BARC speeder patrol when Commander Neyo receives Order 66 via comlink.  He and his wingman then drop back and open fire on Allie’s speeder bike which then crashes killing the Jedi General.

Interestingly, it is only in the summer wave of Lego sets in 2013 that we see Stass Allie in minifigure form for the first time so getting a BARC trooper in the insignia of the 91^st Reconnaissance Corps is timely, but is also the only minifigure highlight of the 75037:  Battle On Saleucami set released in the winter wave of 2014.

At the time of writing this is the first BARC Trooper we see in minifigure form and is unique to this set.  Although, we certainly have not been deprived of BARC speeders in recent years.

It is a handsome minifigure comprised of four pieces, and a pretty accurate rendition of what we see in the film.

The head piece is the most unremarkable, and is quickly becoming a regular fixture in Lego Star Wars sets released in 2013 and 2014.  A single sided print that we first saw in the 2013 Clone Trooper in Phase 1 armour, we also see it on the 41stElite Corps Scout Trooper and Kashyyyk Clone Trooper in the 75035 KashyyykTroopers Battle Pack.

Don’t be put off, we get a really nice helmet to cover this unmemorable face.  The eye is immediately drawn to the insignia of the 91^st: a small red circle with a white sword pointing upside down (not dissimilar to the logo belonging to the national postal service of Australia).  This is seen on the left hand sided of the helmet (as you look at it).  An insignia that is also seen in the centre of the torso and just below the hips on the upper leg on the left hand side.  The helmet has the same form as a Phase 2 clone trooper helmet – a comparison picture to a 501^st Clone Trooper from 2013 can be seen below.  Whilst the form is the same, the print has many differences:  visor shape differs to the usual T shape of a standard clone trooper; grey markings below the visor give a more streamlined aerodynamic feel to the helmet.

Drop to the Torso and we have a beautiful print to the front and rear.  The torso has a white base colour, with white arm on the left hand side and dark red on the right (again as you look at the minifigure).  A different colour on each arm is an interesting touch, not quite movie accurate (more of a dark red shoulder plate) but I’m not being picky.  The hands/gloves are black.  The torso print itself we have largely seen before, on the Clone Trooper in Phase 1 armour found in a number of sets from the summer wave of 2013.  See photos below for comparison purposes.  I have commented before on how much I like this print.  It has been re-used here with further printing outlining a light grey strap and shoulder buckle to the front and rear with additional pouches/details attached to the waistline on the rear.  As mentioned above, we get another 91^st insignia in the centre of the torso on the front.

The legs have black hips with white legs.  A print can be seen on the front.  A simple print, but after all that busy detail on the Torso a simple design is welcomed.  Armour plates on the upper leg  are delineated with grey lines that transition into black lines with greater emphasis around the knees.  The red and white insignia of the 91^st is seen on the upper leg on the left hand side.

To recreate any of the scenes from the film in a meaningful way, you are going to need two for the patrol scene, and a few more to represent the corpse strewn swamp where Allie crash lands.  In a battle pack retailing at a price of £14.99, no big deal, but I would have taken a few droids out of the set and replaced with a second BARC Trooper any day of the week.

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:

41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper (75035) Lego Star Wars Minifgure Review

"The droids have started up their main power generators."
"Then now, the time, is Commander"

Yoda and Commander Gree.  Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith

The Battle of Kashyyyk sequence in Episode III:  Revenge Of The Sith lasts a little over two minutes, but what a great sequence it is.  Wookiees in full combat (proving it wasn't just Chewbacca who watched Tarzan as a cub/pup or whatever young Wookiees are called) taking on the Separatist Droid armies as they cross the lagoon in the Wawaat archipelago to attack the Wookiee city of Kachirho.   The Wookiees are supported by camouflaged clone troopers and the Scout Troopers of the 41st Elite Corps.

The Battle of Kashyyyk has not received much by way of attention from Lego in previous years so the Winter 2014 wave of Lego sets have been welcomed.

The 41st Elite Corps Troopers were led by Jedi General Luminara Unduli and Clone Commander Gree who have both been the subject of previous minifgure versions, but the Troopers themselves have not been seen in minifigure form with the exception of the Clone Scout Trooper who was released in 2005 in the 7261 Clone Turbo Tank set.  The 75035 Kashyyyk Troopers battle pack in the winter wave of 2014 seeks to address this.  The 41st Elite Corps Trooper (Clone Scout Trooper/Swamp Trooper) can be found in this battle pack and also the 75042 Droid Gunship set from the same wave.

Ever since I saw the first picture of these back in 2013 I have been looking forward to getting my hands on these, and they don't disappoint.

Just like the Kashyyyk Clone Troopers that we see in the same battle pack, the eye is immediately drawn to the yellowish/olive green camouflage printing on helmet and torso of the minifigure.

Very distinctive, something I have never seen before and accurate with what we see in the film.

The helmet piece has evolved somewhat in comparison to the Endor Scout Trooper.  I show the plain form of the Scout Trooper from 9489 Endor Rebel Trooper and Imperial Trooper Battle Pack from 2012.  How things have moved on in just 2 years.

The marbling of the camouflage colours is focused on the front and sides of the helmet with the yellowish/olive-green base more clearly seen on the top and rear of the helmet.  The visor is printed in a slightly bluish green colour.

The head piece is identical to the head seen in the 2013 Phase 1 Clone Trooper.  This is single printed to the front.  Given this is a battle pack and a number of these will commonly be bought to "army build" I find it a little disappointing that we don't get an alternative facial expression on the rear, or as we see in 75034 Death Star Trooper Battle Pack - have two differing heads in a set where we get two otherwise identical troopers.  Constructive criticism Lego, I'm not moaning...

The Torso certainly has it where it counts.  A double sided print incorporates a camouflaged mottled vest over a dark brown base layer.  A number of pouches are seen around the belt line with dark grey on the tan coloured belt.  It certainly gives the impression of Troopers travelling light (with everything strapped to the waistline), yet able to survive during extended reconnaissance missions in difficult terrain.

The Torso is a good contrast to the plated Phase 2 armour camouflaged torso on the  Kashyyyk Clone Troopers.

The printing to the front of the Torso continues onto the yellowish/olive green hips.  I'm not a great fan of the disjointing you get in printing between Torso and Leg pieces, this being the only flaw in an otherwise fantastic minifigure.

The legs are dark brown in colour and include printing to the front depicting strapping around the hips and a touch more camouflage mottling on the knee pads.

The rear of the Torso includes a combination of grey and black detailed lines outlining a small backpack, more belt pouches.  The arms are plain yellowish green in colour and hands/gloves are black.  

The figures are of course equipped with the new 2014 blaster:  not accurate to the film, but great for playability and to keep long suffering fathers like myself busy retrieving ammo from underneath furniture.

What can I say:  a very satisfying minifigure in an accessible and affordable set, steering clear of the 2014 blaster debate what is there not to like.  Good job Lego, keep it coming....

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: