BB-8 [75187] review

BB-8-ception

BB-8!

I mentioned before that I fell in love with BB-8 [75187] set ever since I saw it in the previews, and I'm sure I'll fall deeper once I've built it. True enough, I did.

Before we go to the adorable droid, can we talk about the box first?

BB-8 [75187]

The packaging for The Last Jedi looks very sophisticated and futuristic with its white and red color scheme. It literally goes with anything. Then the LEGO logo in red made everything perfect, complementing the whole look of the box.

As if the brick built BB-8 is not adorable enough, the set comes with a minifigure as well. I remember two years ago, with the release of The Force Awakens, it's quite difficult to obtain this famous astromech droid in brick form. Now, it's in almost every LEGO Star Wars set (but that's not a problem. One can never have enough brick droids). The chase minifigure status has now been passed to its emo version, BB-H8 BB-9E, which is so far only included in Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter [75179] and in the First Order Star Destroyer [75190].

BB-8 Minifigure

In terms of building experience, I had tons of fun in making my own BB-8. For me, it has an average level of difficulty, though it's my very first time building a LEGO sphere. At first, I was having difficulties following the instructions but after a while, I was able to get use to it for they are pretty repetitive. Building small white on white bricks can be a bit of an eye sore, but that's nothing compared to what they do to your fingers. All in all, the BB-8 [75187] set has a total of 1106 pieces.

Brick Built BB-8

The final build has surprisingly a lot of tricks in store. Utilizing different Technic parts, you can turn one wheel at the side to rotate the detailed head. Another wheel can be moved to open the access hatch and extend the welding torch, giving you his famous thumbs-up pose. Unfortunately, the BB-8 model does not roll, but that's okay. It still gives a sufficient amount of play experience.

Welding Torch Up

This faithfully reproduced model also comes with a display stand and a decorative fact plaque, making it a great display piece in any room. Without the stand, the final build measures over 25 cm high and 15 cm wide. With the display stand, it measures over 26 cm long.

Display Stand & Decorative Fact Plaque

In terms of value for money, I think the BB-8 [75187] set is very much worth it (or maybe I'm just biased). It retails at UK £84.99, around 7.7p per piece.

Final BB-8 Display

Overall, the BB-8 [75187] set is a must have for any Star Wars fan, as evidenced by its current out of stock or backorder status. And my fearless forecast is that it has the same potential as the classic R2-D2 [10225] set. I just hope LEGO will release a BB-H8 BB-9E in the same format very, very soon!

scarif stormtrooper [40176] review

Scarif Stormtrooper [40176]

More Rogue One minifigures!

One of the freebies in the LEGO Force Friday II offers is the Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] polybag. It's free with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £25. It's the second from the (hopefully long) series of interlocking Star Wars display sets. The first one is the rebel droid R3-M2 (which I previously made a review post). At first I thought the series was limited to droids, but we obviously now know that's not the case. The good thing about this is it opened a lot more possibilities!

Shoretrooper

For the minifigure per se, it appears that the one included in this [40176] polybag is a Shoretrooper Squad Leader, as identified by his sand blue stripe along the top of the chest plate and onto the shoulder guards. Another visual cue is the kama attached to the belt. This is in comparison to the Regular Shoretrooper (all sand-colored armor) in the Battle on Scarif [75171] set, and the Shoretrooper Captain (mostly sand blue-colored chest plate and left shoulder guard) in the TIE Striker [75154] set.

Unmasked

The minifig head is the standard Stormtrooper head with black eyebrows, cheek lines, chin dimple, and a grimace expression. The Scarif Stormtrooper is equipped with a blaster rifle built by attaching a prismatic binoculars to a ribbed spacegun.

Backdrop & Stand

The backdrop and stand is almost identical to the one from the R3-M2 [40268] polybag, with the exceptions of gray connector pegs and a Scarif scenery. Of course, there's the sticker label announcing what kind of Stormtrooper he is. It's just a bugger that his rank was left out.

Scarif Stormtrooper

Overall, I am very happy with the Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] polybag, and, as I said before, the possible direction this line may go. (Can you give me my LEGO Lothcat now?).

force friday II millennium falcon posters

Millennium Falcon VS The First Order

Awesome LEGO Millennium Falcon posters!

Included in the Force Friday II and Millennium Falcon [75192] launch promotions was the free VIP posters. For LEGO VIP purchase of any Star Wars set, a Millennium Falcon mini poster was given away, and there's a different one each day! Why limit to VIP? Because it serves as an invitation for the early VIP access to purchase the biggest LEGO set ever! At the back of the poster is the date 14.9.2017 and the website VIP.LEGO.COM.

The first poster is a brick version of the chase in Jakku in The Force Awakens, wherein Rey and Finn were trying to evade the First Order. The epic scene was set against a sunset, making it very vivid and colorful.

The Millennium Falcon [75192] has a feature of switching the model from the latest trilogy to the original one. So, it only makes sense to make a poster depicting the old gang of rebels. For the second poster, the chosen scene was from The Empire Strikes Back, wherein Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO desperately tried to escape the Imperial forces by navigating through the Hoth asteroid field.

Millennium Falcon VS The Galactic Empire

The third poster is just a few frames away from the second one, wherein our heroes were almost eaten alive by an exogorth, or commonly known as a space slug. The scene shows the Millennium Falcon on the verge of escaping through the galactic monster's orifice.

Millennium Falcon VS The Space Slug

These free posters were printed in high quality on thick card boards. Very fitting for LEGO's newest and biggest flagship set. I just wish the artist was credited in order to associate these fantastic pieces of art to a name and a face.

first order heavy assault walker [30497] review

First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497]

A fearsome new walker!

As part of the LEGO Force Friday II promotions, the First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] polybag was given away with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £60. It is a mini build of the larger set [75189] with the same name. Not much is known yet on the new First Order weapon but early reports warns against it heavier artillery, featuring a megacaliber six cannon mounted to its back. It is officially named as the All Terrain MegaCaliber Six or AT-M6 for short. I'm sure we'll know more once the film is released.

The mini First Order Heavy Assault Walker looks very similar to the massive set. The scale translation was rather impressive. Building it is a lot of fun, and the utilization of different Technic parts gave the mini build more appeal with multiple articulation points.

First Order Heavy Assault Walker

The First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] is the first among the promotional polybags for The Last Jedi, and with it, things are looking very promising. I can't wait too see what's in store next. And of course I can't wait to see the AT-M6 and everything else on the big screen!

LEGO force friday II experience

Force Friday II
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

Force Friday II is here and LEGO has a lot of force-filled goodies for brick fans from a galaxy far, far away...

For some reason, LEGO UK waited until the last minute to announce their Force Friday II (weekend) offers, but it's so worth the wait. Unfortunately, I was working (and not to mention exhausted) the past few days so a timely announcement post is not feasible. My sincerest apologies. Let me just give you an account of my wife and I's Force Friday II experience.

To continue celebrating 40 Years of Star Wars, and to further hype The Last Jedi (merchandise), 1 September has been marked as Force Friday II. Since the day wasn't declared a public holiday, the event was extended the whole weekend. And of course LEGO is a big part of this celebration, releasing new (huge) sets based on the upcoming film, with lots of offers and freebies to boast.

There are a few Star Wars sets on sale, mostly from the Rogue One collection, which are, by the way, retiring soon! VIP members will also receive triple points on LEGO Star Wars sets. Then for the freebies, there's a free First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £60, and a free Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] minifigure with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £25! For more details, check out their official website.

Force Friday II Offers
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter)

But wait, there's more! Everything is just about to get massive with the official announcement of the biggest LEGO set ever, the Ultimate Collector's Series Millennium Falcon [75192]! Well, it only has a piece count of 7,541 (and a RRP of £649.99)! It's just a bit unfortunate that my local LEGO Store in Watford had some technical difficulties and was unable to display the model during the Force Friday II weekend (they're still the best, though). But the good news is, LEGO, being generous as ever, is giving its fans a chance to take home the iconic new set via its Launch Guide.

Launch Guide
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

At the back of the Launch Guide is a Galactic Pop Quiz, wherein there are five multiple choice questions. You can answer these questions by applying the green stud stickers on the space provided for. Please don't look for the green stud stickers in the sheet pictured above, they were already used before I got the chance to take a picture of it. After answering it (correctly), show it to a LEGO Store Associate to receive your Peel Card.

Scratch Peel Card
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

Unfortunately, our Peel Card said we didn't win but there is a consolation prize, an R2-D2 [30611] polybag (which I previously did a review)! I almost forgot, for LEGO VIP purchase of any Star Wars set, you'll receive a Millennium Falcon mini poster (a different one each day!). Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of these posters, I'll just make a separate post on this.

Are you wondering what my haul is this Force Friday II? It's the BB-8 [75187] set! I fell in love with this set ever since I saw it in the previews, and I'm sure I'll fall deeper once I've built it. 'Can't wait!

BB-8 [75187]

I think it's now safe to say that the LEGO Force Friday II is a huge hit among LEGO Star Wars fans, with a lot of new (and even old) sets being sold out in-store and being on back order online.

How about you? What's your Force Friday II story?

P. S. With the untitled Han Solo film being released on May 2018, I wonder if we'll be having Force Friday next year. I'm sure promotions will be big on May the 4th. Will there be anything left to celebrate come fall?

imperial assault hovertank [75152] review

Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152]

Fresh from the Rogue Friday event, the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is ready to take on the spiritual warrior-monk Chirrut Îmwe, or is it?

Not considering the buildable figures (sorry, not a fan), the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is easily the obvious Rogue One LEGO set choice due to its price. It's the least expensive among the latest Star Wars sets, retailing for UK £29.99 / US $29.99 (I wonder if there's a pricing error here).

Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] Box

The packaging is very nice, with a Death Trooper ominously peeking at the upper right hand portion of the large box. I always love it when the box is big enough to fit the final build without disassembling it. Fortunately, that is the case with set 75152.

The set includes three minifigures, specifically Chirrut Îmwe and two Imperial Hovertank Pilots. Not much has been revealed yet for the Rogue One characters, but based on the trailers, Chirrut Îmwe is a blind warrior-monk who strongly believes in the Force. I think that was captured perfectly in minifigure form. His eyes were painted white to reflect that he is sightless, but that did not leave him with a blank expression. The minifig head has double sided looks of seriousness and smugness. He also carries two weapons, a wooden staff and a bowcaster. And for the last detail, LEGO was generous enough to give Chirrut Îmwe a cloak made of fabric instead of just printing it on the legs.

Chirrut Îmwe (Front)

Chirrut Îmwe (Back)

In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of new Stormtrooper types introduced in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailers. And they are represented in the different LEGO sets. What a perfect time to be a Stormtrooper fan (not so if you're a completist on a limited budget)! The set's Imperial Hovertank Pilots are great additions to anyone's army collection. They look very menacing in their detailed armor prints. But the best bit here is that new molds were used for their helmets.

Imperial Hovertank Pilot Unmasked

Imperial Hovertank Pilots

The build per se was a lot of fun. The Imperial Assault Hovertank, with its heavy-armor detailing and multiple guns, is the ultimate urban patrol vehicle. The concealed placement of the dual spring-loaded shooters and the subtle manner to activate them is a genius idea! The vehicle also has a hover gimmick by utilizing transparent wheels. The two Imperial Hovertank Pilots can board the transport via the opening two-minifigure cockpit.

Imperial Assault Hovertank

I think the model looks very similar to the hovertank in the trailers. Even down to the bright orange cargo (which loudly screams STEAL ME!). Inside it was another blaster and electrobinoculars. I wonder if it's the same in the film. Could it contain the secret Death Star plans? The missus suggested that it might be a flight recorder.

Cargo

Bonus points added on the absence of stickers. I don't know about you, but I'm not really fond of painstakingly putting stickers on my bricks. However carefully I do it, I always manage to unevenly stick them. Thank God for my ever-loving wife, who always saves me from this sticky task. But there's no saving needed this time.

Overall, with a fun build, detailed minifigures, and reasonable price, I think the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is a great starting set to go rogue this season. I can't wait to see the live version in action in the big screen soon!

rogue friday 2016 haul

Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152]

Star Wars fans all around the world have gone rogue over the weekend, and LEGO builders are no exceptions. With the recent release of Rogue One toys in the Rogue Friday event, I wonder what did you guys get?

Me? I got the least expensive LEGO Rogue One set, the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] (buildable figures not considered). I usually buy stuff only when they're on sale (unless I really, really, really like them), so I bought set 75152 with the Triple VIP Points in mind. That's almost like having a £5 rebate. And of course, let's not forget the free First Order Stormtrooper [30602].

First Order Stormtrooper [30602]

LEGO UK is generous enough to giveaway the exclusive minifigure for any LEGO Star Wars purchase. And they really do mean any, for that includes even the cheapest key chains. That's why my ever-loving wife, using her own VIP account, bought BB-8 and Yoda Key Chains to avail more minifigures.

BB-8 Key Chain

Yoda Key Chain

Though I was really eyeing for the Krennic's Imperial Shuttle [75156] this Rogue Friday release, I did not purchase it straightaway. I guess I'm going to wait a little bit more for better deals. In the meantime, I'm more than happy and contented to start with Chirrut Îmwe versus the Imperial Assault Hovertank. Opening the set in 3, 2, 1...

UK LEGO store rogue friday / force friday 2016 promotion

First Order Stormtrooper [30602]

After making a few phone calls about Force Friday, the UK LEGO Stores employees told me that for 2016...

It's no longer called Force Friday. The galactic event is now dubbed as Rogue Friday to commemorate the release of the new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story sets. As of writing, no official announcement has been released yet. I was told to expect an email about it anytime soon. But the employees that I talked to were kind enough to confirm that the promotion for Force Rogue Friday is that for any LEGO Star Wars purchase, one can get triple VIP points and a free First Order Stormtrooper [30602] polybag. It's the same minifigure from this year's May the 4th event but without the required minimum purchase, and with triple VIP points to boot. The promotion runs from 30 September to 2 October, so it's more of a Force Rogue Weekend! The promotion is also available in the online LEGO Shop as well.

Free First Order Stormtrooper

________________________________________

UPDATE: Official Force Rogue Friday offers are now online! Learn all about them here. Don't forget to use the code GB10 at checkout to get £10 off with orders over £40!