Set ID: 75015 Corporate Alliance Tank Droid
Number of Pieces: 205
Year of Release: 2013
Minifigs: 3
Purchased Price: About SGD 45
Snail on Wheels / Track ...
I really cannot remember seeing this vehicle in any of the Star Wars movie. I can of course run through all my Star Wars DVD collection again, but in the interest of time, I rely on my trusted Google search again. According to online literature, the Tank Droids were deployed extensively in the Battle of Kashyyyk, but given its design and lack of maneuverability, I believe it has its limitation in the offensive wave, thereby earning its place in the "easily forgotten" league of Star Wars vehicles.
I really cannot remember seeing this vehicle in any of the Star Wars movie. I can of course run through all my Star Wars DVD collection again, but in the interest of time, I rely on my trusted Google search again. According to online literature, the Tank Droids were deployed extensively in the Battle of Kashyyyk, but given its design and lack of maneuverability, I believe it has its limitation in the offensive wave, thereby earning its place in the "easily forgotten" league of Star Wars vehicles.
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| Posing with the snail |
As a battleship / vehicle, it doesn't really help with a design that resembles a snail, and less said about the comical pair of 'eyes' propping up above the Droid, the better. The main propulsion of the Tank Droid is via the huge track which circumvates the profile of the entire vehicle. With a little pressure exerted groundwards, the track can actually move quite smoothly as I attempted to roll the Droid forward.Unlike the Wheel Bike, pushing the track is not the best option to move the tank Droid forward as the track is a little tight. As for the armory, there were 2 pairs of forward facing cannons, flanking on each side of the Droid. I was surprised to find that both sets of cannons are fixed and not rotatable. Wonder how the Tank Droid deals with aerial threat ... No spring loaded missiles for this set so the traditional flick missiles are still included to provide some form of playability.
There are a number of areas I thought the design can be improved upon to stay loyal to the original design. (1) The overall length should be longer, relative to its height. (2) There should be a pair of secondary tracks beside the main disc, instead they are replaced by 2 solid blocks of bricks with a row of 2X2 round SNOT bricks at the bottom. (3) The secondary wheel at the front should be protruding much further and its size, bigger. I can be more critical with the design but shall stop at three, given the limited brick counts to accommodate more details.
Building Experience
The box appears rather longish as compared to the standard box design, but just enough to accommodate the 2 packs of bricks and 1 instruction booklet. Pack 1 contains the parts for the internal core of the Tank Droid and the stars of this set - the minifigs. Pack 2 holds the track and the other external elements.
Building was rather straightforward and simple (and boring), using a combination of System and Technic parts. The "highlight" of the entire building process is undoubtedly putting the 60 pieces of track parts together. In the event you lost count midway through the process, just ensure that you have 2 spare pieces towards the end and you know that you're on the right erm ... track.
Still on spare parts. There is only need for a single Jango's helmet antenna but I ended up with 3 extras together with 4 other weird looking parts that resemble goggles. It is quite a baffling wastage in my opinion as I only need 1 out of the 8 parts pre-packed in a single packet. I am sure there is a more prudent approach to resolve this issue.
Minifigs
While the vehicle did not impress me, the minifigs included in this set provided the best excuse for me to part with my hard earned money. With luck, the Jango Fett's minifig may even fetch a price that exceed the original selling price of this set. I kid you not.
Jango's torso is printed on both sides, although the designs on his back does not really matter as it will be covered by the jet pack anyway. The prints extend beyond the torso towards Jango's leg piece. Surprisingly, Jango's head piece is only printed on one side, with stubble ridden face and smirky expression. The details on his helmet is a joy to appreciate, although his antenna is a little too long with respect to the size of the helmet. The only slight letdown are the pistols that he carries. For this accessory, I will prefer his predecessor in set 7153 (Jango Fett's Slave I) This version of Jango Fett is exclusive to this set and I hope it will not be mass produced for future set.
The other exclusive minifg is the orange-brown battle droid with backpack. His unique color easily sets it apart from the common beige versions. Add a 2X1 piece as a backpack and he looks a lot more valuable and exclusive. I do have to say my "brownie" feels really solid when put together as the head, arms and leg pieces clip on tightly to the torso. This is unlike the beige versions, whom I am getting increasingly frustrated with the loose head pieces which tend to droop as soon as they are fixed on.
Comparing to the first 2 minifigs, the Clone Trooper will inevitably step out of the spot light. Despite that (and the fact that they are a-dime-a-dozen), I must say I am complimentary of the details printed on the helmet and torso. He is armed with a longer-than-neccesary rifle, made up of a long rifle with a muzzle extension.
Conclusion
In recent years, the quality of Star Wars minifgs have been improving steadily. The same cannot be said of the vehicle sets or scene sets, with LEGO having sporadic successes with some new remake of the older versions. This is one of those sets where the minifig outdo the accompanying vehicle (yes, not the other way round). Buy this if you are a minifig collector.
The box appears rather longish as compared to the standard box design, but just enough to accommodate the 2 packs of bricks and 1 instruction booklet. Pack 1 contains the parts for the internal core of the Tank Droid and the stars of this set - the minifigs. Pack 2 holds the track and the other external elements.
Building was rather straightforward and simple (and boring), using a combination of System and Technic parts. The "highlight" of the entire building process is undoubtedly putting the 60 pieces of track parts together. In the event you lost count midway through the process, just ensure that you have 2 spare pieces towards the end and you know that you're on the right erm ... track.Still on spare parts. There is only need for a single Jango's helmet antenna but I ended up with 3 extras together with 4 other weird looking parts that resemble goggles. It is quite a baffling wastage in my opinion as I only need 1 out of the 8 parts pre-packed in a single packet. I am sure there is a more prudent approach to resolve this issue.Minifigs
While the vehicle did not impress me, the minifigs included in this set provided the best excuse for me to part with my hard earned money. With luck, the Jango Fett's minifig may even fetch a price that exceed the original selling price of this set. I kid you not.
Jango's torso is printed on both sides, although the designs on his back does not really matter as it will be covered by the jet pack anyway. The prints extend beyond the torso towards Jango's leg piece. Surprisingly, Jango's head piece is only printed on one side, with stubble ridden face and smirky expression. The details on his helmet is a joy to appreciate, although his antenna is a little too long with respect to the size of the helmet. The only slight letdown are the pistols that he carries. For this accessory, I will prefer his predecessor in set 7153 (Jango Fett's Slave I) This version of Jango Fett is exclusive to this set and I hope it will not be mass produced for future set.
The other exclusive minifg is the orange-brown battle droid with backpack. His unique color easily sets it apart from the common beige versions. Add a 2X1 piece as a backpack and he looks a lot more valuable and exclusive. I do have to say my "brownie" feels really solid when put together as the head, arms and leg pieces clip on tightly to the torso. This is unlike the beige versions, whom I am getting increasingly frustrated with the loose head pieces which tend to droop as soon as they are fixed on.Comparing to the first 2 minifigs, the Clone Trooper will inevitably step out of the spot light. Despite that (and the fact that they are a-dime-a-dozen), I must say I am complimentary of the details printed on the helmet and torso. He is armed with a longer-than-neccesary rifle, made up of a long rifle with a muzzle extension.
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| Why am I the one to carry the biggest gun? |
In recent years, the quality of Star Wars minifgs have been improving steadily. The same cannot be said of the vehicle sets or scene sets, with LEGO having sporadic successes with some new remake of the older versions. This is one of those sets where the minifig outdo the accompanying vehicle (yes, not the other way round). Buy this if you are a minifig collector.
+ Jango Fett minifig. Probably the only reason why this set is worth buying
+ Battle Droid minifig in orange-brown color. Probably the secondary reason to buy this set
- Proportion of Tank Droid not right
- Putting 60 pieces of track together. Great activity to induce sleep
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