Set ID: 75040 General Grievous' Wheel Bike
Number of Pieces: 261
Year of Release: 2014
Minifigs: 2
Purchased Price: About SGD 55
Surrounded by droids and more Grievous' henchmen, Obi Wan summoned the Force to release a 3-ton block from the ceiling, exterminating a platoon of Royal Guards. With pride at stake, General Grievous challenged Obi Wan to a one-on-one, (not really a fair competition still, considering 4 hands vs. 2, although Obi Wan did neutralise the deficit during the battle) and when the time warrant, cue for a runaway vehicle in the form of the Wheel Bike. Hot on the heels of General Grievous, Obi Wan cued for his ride in the form of, erm, a giant lizard. Hence commence the epic chase scene in Episode 3 ...
LEGO released the 7255 General Grievous Chase in 2005 to recreate the above scene. This set, however, is a sequel to that, when Obi Wan has abandoned his lizard and chose to share the ride on the Wheel Bike with Grievous. There will be many references to compare the 2 versions of the Wheel Bike in this review. But with 8 years and many new building parts and techniques between the 2 versions, I would have expected the new Wheel Bike to impress. It does, but not without some minor complaints.
At 261 pieces, the revised version has put the extra pieces into good use, upping the level of details in the design. For the record, 20 brick count goes to each leg of the wheel bike and the rotating track used up another 60. There is even a nice little touch of detail to include a control panel on the bike's handlebar, used by Grievous to fire up the Wheel Bike. The cockpit is customised to fit General Grievous, by attaching his feet to the stud panel of the handle bar. The armory includes a twin cannon and a flick missile located on the right of the cockpit.
Making constant reference to the movie scene, I cannot help but to notice that the twin disc version of the 7255 is more movie-like as compared to this latest revision, which is made by a single disc wrapped in a chain of track. The rugged looking rotating track is also quite a departure from the cleaner-edged version seen in the movie. Perhaps General Grievous has requested for more traction in this upgrade. If he did, he should have also asked for a canopy. At least that would have made it more challenging for Obi Wan to pounce on him.
The Wheel Bike can traverse in two options: (1) On four legs or (2) Cycling mode. Well, that's twice the fun then. My main complaint lies in the design of the Wheel Bike on fours. Although the ball socket design of the legs do enhance its posability, it is difficult to achieve a really stable pose. Swinging all the legs backwards allow the Wheel Bike to strike a more balanced stance, and a slight nudge of the track will allow the Wheel Bike to move forward, albeit in short spurts of distances.
Box Art
This, being the first 2014 set that I am building, I spent a fair bit of time scrutinising the box art. Personally I like the blue theme better than the previous green theme. And instead of Yoda, Darth Vader now graces the cover of the box, with a hand reaching out menacingly. Can't help but to notice that the cartoony nature of the box graphic is a thing of the past and in its place are the more human-like graphics. I have no preference for either one but compliment to the box designers for keeping them fresh and interesting.
Building Experience
Three packets of bricks and an instruction booklet fills the box. Being more unique in design, General Grievous comes in his own individual packing. It took me slightly more than 30 minutes to complete the building process. I did think I could do it faster but there were a lot of small parts that need to be fixed and it was not easy for a grown man with big fingers to do that. Plenty of repeated steps, considering that there are 4 similar legs and the rotating track is made up 12 similar parts. No stickers! Hurray!
Minifigs
Both minifigs included in this set are said to be "new". The "newness" is more apparent in General Grievous as compared to Obi Wan, with significant improvements made on the colour and design. Looking back at the bland General Grievous minifig in the 7255 set, it is actually not too difficult to surpass it. The white and grey combination strikes closer resemblance to the movie version and I especially like the details on the face of General Grievous. Check out those eyes! The cape is an obvious absence in this version but I am not complaining as the cape always gets into the way when the minifig is placed in a cockpit. With four light sabers, the General should have nothing to grief (pun intended) about. He should also be happy that the light sabers come with pretty impressive shiny silver grip instead of the usual matte ones.
The changes to Obi Wan are more subtle, with details added to the torso (especially the utility belt design) and the leg piece. As expected, Obi Wan comes with 2 facial expressions, one of angst and the other rather neutral.
Conclusion
8 years have been a long time and I am generally happy with the improvements made to this revision of the Wheel Bike, both in terms of the vehicle and minifigs. At SGD 55, I will not consider it as overpriced. For collectors with entry level budget, this can be a set worth buying.
+ More detailed design
+ Easy transformation between the 2 modes of travel
+ Improved General Grievous minifig
- Legs not stable when deployed
- Disc design of Wheel Bike not as realistic as the previous version 7255
LEGO released the 7255 General Grievous Chase in 2005 to recreate the above scene. This set, however, is a sequel to that, when Obi Wan has abandoned his lizard and chose to share the ride on the Wheel Bike with Grievous. There will be many references to compare the 2 versions of the Wheel Bike in this review. But with 8 years and many new building parts and techniques between the 2 versions, I would have expected the new Wheel Bike to impress. It does, but not without some minor complaints.
At 261 pieces, the revised version has put the extra pieces into good use, upping the level of details in the design. For the record, 20 brick count goes to each leg of the wheel bike and the rotating track used up another 60. There is even a nice little touch of detail to include a control panel on the bike's handlebar, used by Grievous to fire up the Wheel Bike. The cockpit is customised to fit General Grievous, by attaching his feet to the stud panel of the handle bar. The armory includes a twin cannon and a flick missile located on the right of the cockpit.Making constant reference to the movie scene, I cannot help but to notice that the twin disc version of the 7255 is more movie-like as compared to this latest revision, which is made by a single disc wrapped in a chain of track. The rugged looking rotating track is also quite a departure from the cleaner-edged version seen in the movie. Perhaps General Grievous has requested for more traction in this upgrade. If he did, he should have also asked for a canopy. At least that would have made it more challenging for Obi Wan to pounce on him.
 |
| Grievous in control |
Box Art
This, being the first 2014 set that I am building, I spent a fair bit of time scrutinising the box art. Personally I like the blue theme better than the previous green theme. And instead of Yoda, Darth Vader now graces the cover of the box, with a hand reaching out menacingly. Can't help but to notice that the cartoony nature of the box graphic is a thing of the past and in its place are the more human-like graphics. I have no preference for either one but compliment to the box designers for keeping them fresh and interesting.Building Experience
Three packets of bricks and an instruction booklet fills the box. Being more unique in design, General Grievous comes in his own individual packing. It took me slightly more than 30 minutes to complete the building process. I did think I could do it faster but there were a lot of small parts that need to be fixed and it was not easy for a grown man with big fingers to do that. Plenty of repeated steps, considering that there are 4 similar legs and the rotating track is made up 12 similar parts. No stickers! Hurray!
Minifigs
Both minifigs included in this set are said to be "new". The "newness" is more apparent in General Grievous as compared to Obi Wan, with significant improvements made on the colour and design. Looking back at the bland General Grievous minifig in the 7255 set, it is actually not too difficult to surpass it. The white and grey combination strikes closer resemblance to the movie version and I especially like the details on the face of General Grievous. Check out those eyes! The cape is an obvious absence in this version but I am not complaining as the cape always gets into the way when the minifig is placed in a cockpit. With four light sabers, the General should have nothing to grief (pun intended) about. He should also be happy that the light sabers come with pretty impressive shiny silver grip instead of the usual matte ones.
The changes to Obi Wan are more subtle, with details added to the torso (especially the utility belt design) and the leg piece. As expected, Obi Wan comes with 2 facial expressions, one of angst and the other rather neutral.
Conclusion
8 years have been a long time and I am generally happy with the improvements made to this revision of the Wheel Bike, both in terms of the vehicle and minifigs. At SGD 55, I will not consider it as overpriced. For collectors with entry level budget, this can be a set worth buying.
+ More detailed design
+ Easy transformation between the 2 modes of travel
+ Improved General Grievous minifig
- Legs not stable when deployed
- Disc design of Wheel Bike not as realistic as the previous version 7255
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