How It All Clicks Together – Part II

As the dust settles on the cinematic release of the latest Star Wars movie, and the list of LEGO sets waiting to get built has started to dwindle, now is a good time to take a post-release look at the Winter 2018 set drop.

Again, these were heavily leaked, giving fans a chance to build up preconceived ideas about how they fit into the storyline – were they as controversial as the trailer wave though?

They also took fans and collectors by surprise. Traditionally this is a post-Christmas release and though they had an official shelf date of January 1st many retailers put them out early. This isn’t anything new in Europe, a market that traditionally receives LEGO sets in advance of North America and other world regions, but in the case of this newest wave even the US had them early enough to put them on shelves before Christmas.

So let’s take a look at what LEGO has given us this time around, and see how well it matches up with the movie.

75194 First Order TIE Fighter Microfighter
	Though this is pitched as a The Force Awakens set – and is nominally paired with 75193 Millennium Falcon Microfighter (just when did Chewbacca dogfight TIEs in Episode 7?) in the set’s text – it can easily be slotted in to any The Last Jedi play, and goes especially well with the 75196 A-Wing vs. TIE Silencer set.

75195 Ski Speeder vs. First Order Walker Microfighters

In the first ever Microfighter dual (or should that be duel?) pack we are treated to seemingly connected craft – they shared the same battlep plain and the same scene in The Last Jedi but they didn’t interact with each other. Not like an AT-AT and a snowspeeder did. Hmm, now why does that seem so familiar? Still, it’s a novel way of picking up two sets and only have to make one purchase. Highly effective!

75196 A-Wing vs. TIE Silencer Microfighters
	This pairing makes much more sense, as a squadron of A-wings did skirmish with a flight of TIE Fighters, lead by Kylo Ren in his TIE Silencer. I can remember thinking that the A-wing is The Last Jedi seemed smaller than I thought, and so this Microfighter version fits the on-screen scale quite well.

75197 First Order Specialists Battle Pack

This is less of a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” set than a “prop-your-eyes-open-with-matchsticks-and-you’ll-still-never-spot-it” set. But that’s OK, because it’s a neat way to deliver a quartet of army building minifigs at low cost. Remodel the cannon and swap the minifigs out for a couple of Resistance ground pounders and you’ve got the beginnings of an epic battle. Food for thought or seed of obviousness?

75200 Ahch-To Island Training

You can write a list of how LEGO got this set wrong – not enough porgs, Luke’s door didn’t have a cloth, blah, blah, blah – but you’ll still have to swallow the fact that this set has out sold any other from The Last Jedi. No-one knows why. I can’t even put a finger on why this is currently my favourite set. Still, an extra porg wouldn’t have gone amiss. Maybe LEGO will release a polybag with a clutch of these avian inhabitants of Ahch-To?

75201 First Order AT-ST

There is no denying that this set raised the hackles of many a LEGO fan/collector! While it was the last set to get leaked, with pics showing up post-movie release, and consumers knew where it fit into The Last Jedi it still caused consternation. Most don’t think it is necessary addition to the line, see it is an expensive way of finding a set for a BB-8 minifig to get put in, dislike the redundant elevator and find that it reminds them of a less-than-popular segment of the movie. Is it likely that there will be another (fully headed) AT-ST released though?

75202 Defense of Crait
	As much as I disliked the Battle of Crait in the movie, this set really does tick all the boxes. The salt-skimming Ski Speeder is well crafted, the command tower looks suitably weather worn and the trench – though pocket-sized – works well. Plus there are a handful of orange bricks in this set, and I love orange LEGO.

With both Rey and Kylo appearing together in the fateful throne room scene that saw Snoke and his Crazy Eights deposed of, these two BrickHeadz deserve a look-in.

41602 Rey
	Garbed in the thicker and warmer outfit she wore – presumably to beat the sniffles on Ahch-To (bless you!) – while attempting to persuade Luke Skywalker to train her the art of the Jedi, she ultimately proved that her skills and dress sense were fit for an audience with the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

41603 Kylo Ren
	With the typical greasy and unruly hairstyle of a stroppy teenager you’d think that Kylo couldn’t be captured in BrickHeadz form, but LEGO actually did a good job of it. The forehead scar, given to him by Rey in their last face-off, goes to show that this is indeed a The Last Jedi set.

If you are collecting Star Wars or just want to make your LEGO shopping one click easier then head to Target where they have an exclusive twin-pack of these two BrickHeadz.

Thinking of placing an order on LEGOshop.com in the near future? Remember that purchases over $125 will get a free Classic 60 Years of the LEGO Brick Set added to your shopping basket.