The Brick Connection – A novice Lego fan explores the great brick world of LEGO

Good afternoon LEGO fans! Or good whatever time of day it is when you’re reading this.

There are new LEGO Star Wars sets out! But you already knew that. They came out on January 1^st, because apparently releasing new sets on the first day of the year is something LEGO does.

Now that I have finished my in-depth review(s) of The Force Awakens, (although I could definitely find more to talk about), we can now discuss these spoiler-ific new sets.

The previous sets that were released were able to satiate LEGO Star Wars fans’ appetites in the months leading up to the film’s release, without really spoiling anything. Now that the film is out and everyone and their brother has seen it multiple times, these new sets that reveal details about the plot and the new and old characters involved, can be released.

So let’s take a look at The Battle of Takodana set and the Resistance Troop Transporter set, including some video reviews (from other people) and my random musings.

First up: The Battle of Takodana

LEGO’s description:

Defeat Kylo Ren at the forest castle!

Battle Finn against evil enemy Kylo Ren at the forest castle entrance, featuring sliding doors, wheel-activated exploding wall and collapsing staircase, plus a falling tree function. Includes 5 minifigures: Finn, Maz Kanata, Kylo Ren and 2 First Order Stormtroopers.

The basics: $59.99, 409 pieces, 5 minifigures

Here is the box compared to photos from the movie (before and during the battle):

Okay first of all, Finn against Kylo Ren? Nope! That did not happen in this scene. Kylo went off to find Rey and BB-8 while this battle was going on. I won’t hold that against LEGO though. Obviously they had very little information when designing this set, and plot details like that would not be something they were privy to at the time.

That being said, this is a good set to use with Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle set and First Order Transporter sets since those are the vehicles that got Kylo and the First Order on and off Takodana during the battle. Specifically, Kylo Ren carried Rey onto his command shuttle as the battle was ending and that was the first time Han Solo saw his son in what we assume has been a very long time.

You could also add in some First Order TIE Fighter sets to have them shooting down from above. And you need the Millennium Falcon to get Han, Finn, Rey, and BB-8 to Takodana. The whole reason that Takodana is attacked by the First Order is because somebody notifies the First Order that the droid they are looking for is there. (The bad guys are always looking for droids. Instead of Star Wars, they should call it, “Dude, Where’s My Droid.”)

Ah, it’s so nice to review new sets having already seen the film, because without seeing it you feel like you can’t give a full critique of the set. Since I don’t have the set myself though, I took a look at three different video reviews of it. They were:

The Brick Show – 6 minutes long, light commentary, includes time-lapse build

JANGBRiCKS – 8 minutes, detailed commentary

Solid Brix Studios – 23 minutes, very detailed overview and commentary, includes time-lapse build

All great video reviews and LEGO channels in general if you're interested in watching the videos yourself. 

The main issue that all three reviewers had with this set, and seemingly every set LEGO puts out, is the price. You’re paying 60 bucks for walls and minifigures. Really the most valuable parts of this set are the minifigures themselves. Right now this is the only set that comes with Maz Kanata, and I don’t see why she would appear in any other set for The Force Awakens. You get another Kylo Ren, but this time you get his face and hair. Prior to the movie’s release the powers that be didn’t really want people to know whether or not you ever saw Kylo Ren without his mask. But you have seen his face, so now you get his whiny bitchy angry face and his luxurious hair. (He does come from a family of great hair with his parents and maternal grandparents being who they are.)

You also get Luke’s lightsaber, and a cool little chest to put it in, like the one in which Rey found the lightsaber in the movie. (And yet, Rey is not included in the set.)

Another great minifig included is stormtrooper FN-2199, who despite just saying one word in the movie, has become a very popular character.

TRAITOR!! That was his one line, said to Finn. You also get to build FN-2199’s famous weapon called the Z6 riot control baton. The other two minifigures included are another First Order Stromtrooper and Finn himself.

Other highlights:

• Exclusive printed cloth piece
• Great coloring
• Not too many stickers
• This set is a cheaper way to get the Finn and Kylo Ren minifigures
• 5 different play features

None of the reviewers were that impressed with the play features, most of which were attempts to show the destruction of Maz’s castle. The flying studs in particular, which were supposed to represent flying debris, did not go over well with the reviewers. All the reviewers wished there had been more to the set, like maybe an indoor area to replicate Maz’s cantina. Solid Brix Studios’ and Jangbricks especially just wished there was some kind of baseplate in front of the castle so that you could place minifigures on studs to show them fighting. Otherwise, there’s really nowhere to place the minifigs.

So that’s the Battle of Takodana set. Overpriced, but good minifigures. Maybe wait for it to go on sale? Definitely necessary if you want to recreate an important scene from The Force Awakens though. And to recreate the scene that happened directly after the battle, you're going to want the next set...



Resistance Troop Transporter

LEGO’s description:

Battle the forces of the First Order with the Resistance Troop Transporter!

Lower the ramp and climb aboard the Resistance Troop Transporter. Jump into the cockpit and get ready for takeoff. And if the First Order tries to attack, arm the shooters and get ready to fire!

The basics: $69.99, 646 pieces, 4 minifigures

Here is the LEGO Box (there are no photos from the film I could find to compare it to):

Now we never actually saw this thing in battle. I believe it just comes in once the First Order has left Takodana. So even though we never see it in battle, we know, particularly from this LEGO set that this transporter is ready to do battle if necessary; as well as transport a super important person to be reunited with their one true love. Yeah, this is a part of a big scene in the movie. Han very eagerly runs over to the ship, knowing who must be on it. And it opens to reveal Princess General Leia. They share a moment that is immediately interrupted by C3PO, who continues his tradition of ruining nice moments between Han and Leia.

Speaking of C3PO, his appearance in that scene begs the question, why wasn’t C3PO included in this set? Were they worried we wouldn’t recognize him with his red arm?

So the transporter’s actual screen time is not very long, but it sure is important. Oh man, my heart’s breaking all over again just thinking about Han and Leia. Poor Leia! She’s faced so much heartache and turmoil in her life. I take comfort that she and Han at least had some years of happiness before everything turned to crap.

But I digress. Let’s remember that we’re talking about a LEGO set, Cori.

I was so excited when Admiral Ackbar appeared on screen the first time I saw the new Star Wars. Glad to see he’s still doing good work for the rebellion/resistance, specifically looking out for any traps. His minifigure is included in this set, although he did not appear in that particular scene. Why does he have coffee mug though?

Here are the video reviews for the Resistance Troop Transporter:

The Brick Show– 6 minutes long, light commentary

JANGBRiCKS– 10 minutes, detailed commentary

Solid Brix Studios– 21 minutes, very detailed overview and commentary, includes time-lapse build

All three reviewers liked the build of this set and all of them complained about the amount of stickers (17!). Jangbricks thinks you can get away with just putting the stickers for the cockpit canopy on and leave the rest off.

Stephen from The Brick Show seemed to think that people would prefer the Battle of Takodana set over this one. But JangBricks and Solid Brix Studios were very high on this set. Solid Brix said it was one of their favorite Force Awakens sets, while Jangbricks went even further to say it was one of his favorite Star Wars sets ever.

For both of them, it was the build that sold them. Their expectations weren’t too high, just seeing pictures of the set, but once they got to build it themselves, their outlook on the set changed.

For one, it’s very sturdy. Solid Brix waved it around and dropped it a few times (from only a few inches above the table) and it stayed perfectly together. That allows for some fun flying playtime with this set.

Everyone also really likes the big space inside the vehicle. There’s plenty of room for even more minifigures than the ones that come with the set. A contrast to the last set, which had almost no place to put minifigs.

Other highlights:

• Includes 2 Resistance Troopers
• Top opens up to show a very detailed interior
• Discreet spring loaded shooters that shoot really far
• Nice design for the engines in the back
• Play feature to open canopy of the cockpit (very well-liked by the reviewers)
• Jangbricks noted there is a lot of different types of LEGO building involved

So a much more positive attitude towards this set from the reviewers. They barely complained about the price. But of course like always, if you can, wait for it to go on sale before buying. After watching the video reviews, I’m actually pretty excited at the idea of building this set. Of course I probably never will, but if I had to pick between the two new sets, I’d definitely pick this one.

Right now it’s the only set where you can get General Leia. Interestingly, LEGO still refers to her as Princess Leia. Maybe they didn’t know that detail when they put together the set. Of course, as that old guy said at the beginning of the movie, she’ll always be royalty to me.

So that’s it. The two latest LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens sets. I believe there are even more to come this summer. I can’t wait to see what’s next for that, and what they will be making for the Star Wars spinoff/A New Hope prequel, Rogue One, which comes out this December.

If you have the sets, which new one is your favorite? If you don’t have the sets, which one would you want to get? Are you worried about how emotionally invested I am in fictional characters?

An inquiring mind that is mine wants to know.

Until next time…[insert clever sign-off here]

*Compliments, general feedback, and constructive criticism are welcome. Any haters that are gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate can go step on some Lego with their bare feet.*