Review: 75017 Duel on Geonosis

Set ID: 75017 Duel on Geonosis

Number of Pieces: 391

Year of Release: 2013

Minifigs: 4

Purchased Price: About SGD 80

I have not been too impressed with too many Star Wars Scene sets after 15 years of collecting them. On the scale of 1-5, 1 being "waste of money" to 5 being "WOW", I have rated most scene sets in the lower end of the spectrum (the recent Ewok Village is a rare exception). The thought of the disastrous 2005's 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel, still sends ultimate shudder down my spine. And if I used 7257 as a benchmark, then this set will be rated much higher for its playability and accuracy to movie details. Although it is unfair for me to compare the two sets as apple-to-apple, I would think that nine years will be an adequate duration for the design team to come up with a better set. It is about time.

Take this, Yoda! Stop jumping around!

While I sit on the fence with my final impression of this set, my bigger disappointment was actually not from the perspective of the design nor set accuracy, but with LEGO, for getting a brick wrong! This is rare, really rare. I might have a better chance of winning the lottery than to expect LEGO to make the very fundamental mistake of including a wrong brick in a set. This is the level of trust I have in the brand which kept me as a loyal fan. BUT, it happened. More on that later ...

The completed set

This set attempts to re-create the great battle in Genosis where the ever-jumpy Yoda took on Dooku (masterfully acted by Christopher Lee in the movie) Plenty of structural destruction was witnessed during that battle and so a fair bit of that was included in the design of the set. A huge SNOT platform provides the landing pad where Count Dooku could park his bike upon arrival.

The view from landing pad

Falling pillar

Crumbling wall

Playable features in the set include falling wall pieces and the collapsing column that kept Yoda busy while Count Dooku made his escape. Yoda can also be attached to a long stick with multiple degree of freedom to manipulate Yoda's movement during the duel. But seriously, I don't think there will be too many people who will be spinning Yoda around during play time. The walls are hinged so you do have some flexibility on how you want to display the set. Movie accurate touches such as the wall colours, hanging lights and pipes are welcomed inclusion in the design. There is also a stone wall that opens up to a secret compartment. Not too sure what's that for or if I ever remember seeing it anywhere in the movie...?

"To infinity and beyond .... Oops, wrong movie!"

I am not too impressed with the Dooku's bike in this set. Basically the LEGO version is a little too "angular" to resemble its movie counterpart. In all fairness, the actual bike is too rounded to be replicated in LEGO form, especially the rear end of the bike. The designers have also took pain to include the pair of foot paddles at the front end, unfortunately, the LEGO minifig of Count Dooku does not have legs long enough to straddle the bike and rest his feet on these paddles. All in all, this Dooku's bike reminds me much of the first generation LEGO Star Wars Scooter Bikes.

Building Experience

The 391 bricks were split amongst three bags. Content also includes a manual that, IMHO, rather challenging to read even in white light. My main issue with this manual is the colour distinction between the shades of brown, and to a certain extent, between the dark brown and dark grey. Fortunately, there is too little bricks in this set for me to commit the mistake of choosing the wrong bricks, so no harm done. The other loose contents include the plastic wings belonging to Poogle the Lesser and a ginormous 16X8 SNOT plate for the landing pad.

Spot the difference?

What's really appalling halfway through the construction of the set was the discovery of a grave mistake by LEGO. THERE IS A WRONG BRICK INCLUDED! I cannot remember when was the last time I encountered this, possibly never before! One thing I cannot ascertain if this is a prevalent problem in all of this set or is it only unique to mine. But my confidence of the brand does take some beating with this discovery though. Fortunately, as shown in the pictures below, with some improvisation, I managed to get the parts fixed up nonetheless.

Improvisation required! It still works!

The discovery of the mistake did take me some time off the construction as I was scouring through the rest of the bricks to ensure that the correct piece is not misplaced in another bag. Without this distraction, the et could easily be completed in around 30-40 minutes, or even lesser. No difficult moves and techniques involved so it will certainly be an easy build for younger kids. In any case, probably only the younger owners will be interested in the simulation of Yoda in the fight with Count Dooku, right?

Minifigs

All four minifigs are new and unique (almost) to this set, with exception of the FA-4 Pilot Droid, who also appeared in the Star Wars Avent Calendar Set before. Yoda and Count Dooku are certainly the must-have with this set and I can also see why FA-4 is here as it was responsible for the escape of Count Cooku after the duel. But Poogle? Can't see the relevance but I am not complaining, for it is a well designed minifig worth collecting.

First up, Yoda. The headpiece went through an overhaul to make him less of a Gremlin and more of a wiser (and happier) Yoda. Its rubbery texture revealed that it is a customised piece and that allows much more details to be included in its design. His torso is printed on both sides with details of the robe and inner vest. For playability, a L-shape neck collar can be fixed on to attach to the control stick anchored on the wall. However, the neck collar does make Yoda look a little out of proportion, resembling more of a Hobbit with a long neck.

The white hair Count Dooku comes with a double face that spells little differences between both of them. His all black outfit is movie accurate to the extent of the details of his belt and chain across his chest. The accessory impressed me more, especially the curved hilt of his red lightsaber. The other accessory is the purple-blue electric bolt which is not uncommon amongst some of the earlier Star Wars set. Credit to the minifig designer, I could almost see Christopher Lee in this minifig! Lol...

The PA-4 does look a tad too brown to its lighter coloured movie counterpart. But I do like how the legs (or bottom) are designed, closely resembling that of a triangular roller base that the PA-4 is traversing on. Most of its torso and hands are recycling parts from a common Clone droid, just with different colours. Head piece is totally new, with a face reminding me more of the movie "I-Robot".

Poogle the Lesser made a brief appearance just before the duel between Yoda and Dooku so I guess that air time earned him a spot in this set. The details on this minifig is nothing short of breathtaking, especially if you study his torso and legs designs. As the Archduke of Geonosis, it is no surprise that Poogle's wardrobe sense will tilt towards opulence than simplicity. And that was totally reflected in the design of this minifig. To replicate those details on his head, the headpiece has to be customised too using rubber, rather than plastic, mould. The result is a highly-detailed headpiece of Poogle but the down side is that the attachment to the torso tends to be a little loose. With the rather complex wing fixture on his neck, my Poogle's headpiece tends to slide upwards from time to time. Nonetheless, I am still impressed with this minifig, at least from design's perspective.

Conclusion

The price per brick ratio, this set is certainly on the steeper side. Scene sets have always been an Achilles' heels in the Star Wars range as it is always tough to get the details right. Playability wise, this set does well enough but for an AFOL, this factor is always secondary. The biggest disappointment for me is still the inclusion of a wrong brick. Someone in QC will need to look into this.

+ Simpler scene set with adequate play features.
+ Detailed and uniquely-designed minifigs

- - Wrong parts included in set! Big no-no!
- Not too impressed with Count Dooku's bike
- Not too sure if putting Yoda on a stick is a good idea