Review: 75020 Jabba's Sail Barge

Set ID: 75020 Jabba's Sail Barge

Number of Pieces: 850

Year of Release: 2013

Minifigs: 6

Purchased Price: About SGD 200

Personally I prefer to build and review a vehicle set, for a good scene set is few and far between and a vehicle is more spectacular and eye catching as a showpiece on the display shelf. With two preceding scene sets built earlier this month, it was only logical that the next review will be a vehicle. Once again, I toyed with the idea of opening the UCS Sandcrawler but with increasing challenges for display places, I opted for the more manageable Sail Barge instead. I know it won't be long before I give in to the Sandcrawler temptation...

Setting Sail!

Only one other Sail Barge has ever been released by LEGO, back in 2006. Although both are comparable in terms of piece counts, the older sibling does come with an additional Desert Skiff and a Sarlacc pit. Whereas for this version, all the 800+ pieces are dedicated to the Sail Barge itself, creating a model that feels solid and dense. Visibly the new version is also slightly shorter in terms of overall length and has a more pointed nose. Despite my dislike for the design of this new nose, I have to admit that it is more movie accurate than its predecessor.

Cruise Control

The smooth operators

This is a Sail Barge, so logically it should ... sail. To simulate the sailing motion, this Sail Barge is now equipped with well concealed wheels at the bottom. These wheels (actually just the wheel hubs without the tyres) do allow the Sail Barge to move smoothly with a slight nudge and gives more credits to the "Sail" part of its name.

Play Ahoy!

There are plenty of playable features in this new variant and on most account I would say, are improvements over the 2006 variant:

Fully opened up for play time!

The Barge can be opened fully to expose its playable features within. The Upper deck can also be removed completely to allow easy access to the play area in the hull of the Barge. There is a new design for the hinges for the side panels - a combination of Technic peg and the rather new 2X4 plate with asymmetrical peg hole (OR LEGO part inventory 4646512/3). Although it was not easy to push the peg into the hinge, the resulting hinge works really well and allow each of the panel to open to any degree. There are only three panels now at the rear of the Barge as compared to five in the previous version. However, the space created within is now better utilised to set up a performance stage for Max Rebo to entertain Jabba the Hutt.

The one man (or elephant) band ...

Neater interior design

There are still the prison, a kitchen and Jabba's throne / seat that took up the other chambers in the Barge. The prison has been shrink considerably but I have no complain as there should only be one occupant. It now has a decent door that opens up directly to the kitchen. The brown prison door and the black grills are a little mismatched though ... The kitchen is a less messy affair here without the dodgy-looking food as seen in the previous Barge. All the food pieces (fish, drumstick and ermmm ... blue popcorn?) have their respective storage so that they don't get lost easily during play time. Jabba's throne is multi-coloured, which reminded me of a tic-tac-toe board.

The nose .. the nose ... the nose. I do prefer the smoother profile of the previous nose, but yes, it was a little too steep. This sharper nose is now housing a cannon that slides outwards when the lid opens. Not too sure if this cannon actually exist in the movie but it does resembles a lot to the old school cannon commonly found in the pirate / warships. Unlike the typical LEGO-ques flick or spring loaded missiles, this cannon fires by tugging the rear and releasing the spring mechanism within, firing off a pre-loaded 1X1 cylindrical cannon ball. Now before you get to excited over this pretty decent play feature, I must pre-empt you that the cannon is NOT designed to be fired from where it resides in the nose, i.e. you have to remove the cannon from the Barge before you can play with it. Go figure.

Old school cannon in the futuristic Barge. Nice design but impractical positioning ...

The removable upper deck is shorter now but serves its purpose well. There is a noticeable lack of safety railings this time round but I guess the minifigs are well secured on the studs of the deck to avoid any play time mishap. The double barrel gun on deck is now shootable with a pair of rather neat flick missiles. The down side is, with the large sail shielding over the cannon, it is not easy at all to play with it. Gone are the useless hatch and catapult from the earlier variant. They are certainly not missed.

The two sail masts are mounted on 2X2 square bricks instead of the previous round bricks, which were not at all well secured onto the deck. I have little complaint over the new plastic sails as they are still very movie accurate. However, the fabric variant in 2006 does go down better with me. One point to highlight of this new upper deck though, that it does warp upwards a little upon construction and this does make securing the deck onto the main body quite challenging. It may be down to my construction but it certainly wasn't well designed enough.

Building Process

This set was released as part of the "green box" series in 2013, with Yoda on the box art. The box was rightly sized for this set too and there was no over supply of voids within the box. The bricks are separated into 6 numbered packs (actually 7 because there are two number 2 packs), with the two instruction booklets, sticker sheets and poster neatly tucked in a cardboard backed packet. As a result, no more creased stickers! That certainly took some pain away from application of creased stickers.

Pre-assembled Jabba

There were two things that took my attention when I first opened the box - (1) the blue Max Rebo and (2) the poster. More of the former in the later section of this review, but I really want to compliment LEGO for including the high quality poster in this set. The quality I refer here is not the paper of the poster itself, but the artwork of the "drawing" that was printed on the poster. Instead of taking the easier way out to use CG and print a picture of the product, the Sail Barge featured in the poster was actually hard painted. Yes, you heard me right, it was painted. I did not realise this until I was examining the picture and realise that they are not as sharp as we would normally expect from a CG designed poster. Kudos to whoever is the artist for making this poster a must-have for collector like myself. In case you are wondering, the other side of the poster features the minifigs that can be found in the same wave of release that year.

Check out this artwork! Impressive!

The Barge was built bottom up, without too much fancy techniques or pieces. The only challenging moments were when I was trying to hinge up the side panels. The aligning of the pegs to the peg holes were not easy and even when I got the alignment right, I somehow couldn't push the pegs in. It eventually took some brute force shafting to make the hinges click together.

One of my biggest complaint of the last set was the application of stickers over adjacent pieces. Such design does not go down well with me as I tend to dismantle some of the sets for easy storage. This time round, there was no such issue and all the stickers were applied on individual bricks, mostly found on the windows of the side panels.

Minifigs

Minifigs collectors will love this set for the exclusive and unique ones - namely Max Rebo, Ree Yees and the Weequay Skiff Guard. The other three minifigs are not new to the LEGO range so will leave some space to summarise them towards the end of the review.


Ree Yees - Besides the Sail Barge, Ree Yees also appeared briefly in Jabba's Palace and was certainly not a fan of Jabba. I am not too sure how he ended up on the Barge but he met with his fiery end when the Sail Barge went up in flame. His three-eyed head piece is rubberised and highly detailed, fitted onto the brown torso piece. This minifig features a dark brown outfit, which is slightly too dark as compared to its movie counterpart. Another unique feature of Ree Yees was his oversized hands, which unfortunately were not replicated in the minifig.


Max Rebo is the musician who entertained Jabba & Co. on board the Sail Barge. In this set, he has his own music room and drum set so he should be rather happy with that. This Max is cute. Period. It does help that he comes in a bright cheerful blue and has a shorter pair of legs. His elephant shaped head piece is also rubberised to allow more details in the design. But for the same reason that it is made of rubber, I do suspect that it will recolour unevenly over time as compared to his torso. If there is a wish list, I hope he can be fatter though. Regardless, he is THE minifig to have in this set.

The Weequay Skiff Guard is another all new minifig in the ever expending minifig range in the Star Wars series. The fact that he was consumed by Sarlacc despite his really ugly look shows how indiscreet the pit monster is about his cuisine selection. His wrinkled facial expression (and I am talking about VERY wrinkled) was printed on one side of the head piece while his braided hair was printed on the rear side. The hair print continues on at the back of the torso, although I would have preferred a real hair piece instead. Given the recent trend that the minifig designers are trying to cover every inch of the minifig with prints, I was surprised that there was no print or design on his leg piece. A pair of high boots will be nice though.

With every evolution of the Leia (bikini) minifig, more and more details are printed on her, including more life like (in LEGO terms) and more rem ... skimpy. In this iteration, LEGO finally gets the hair piece spot on, with golden hair accessories bringing out the opulence of Jabba's taste. Talking about Jabba, this is the same Jabba found in the 2012 Jabba's Palace, more wrinkled, more textured and more colour than its earlier versions. Check out the tattoo on his right arm too. Cool. This Jabba can also be rotated at his waist (where's his waist by the way?) and has a pair of movable arms. The last minifig is the waiter R2. This version has more drinks to carry around on the tan 2X4 plate. Other than that, it's just another R2.

Conclusion

In short, this is a good set to have, especially if you have not managed to lay your hands on the 2006's version. Although this is not a visibly pleasing set, the many playable features should keep the younger fans happy for some time. If that does not appeal to the AFOLs, the minifigs should provide the necessary incentive to own one.

For a quick reference to my review of the 6210 Jabba's Sail Barge, please see my earlier review in 2013 via this link: http://legoiamyourfather.blogspot.sg/2013/01/review-6210-jabbas-sail-barge.html

+ Better and more secured mast bases
+ Better hinge design for side panels (though difficult to build)
+ Simplified interior design, but practical enough
+ Smooth wheels on undercarriage to allow sailing movement
+ Super artwork on poster

- Nose profile not as sleek
- Frontal cannon not practical for play (can't access firing mechanism)

Review: 75014 Battle of Hoth

Set ID: 75014 Battle of Hoth

Number of Pieces: 426

Year of Release: 2013

Minifigs: 7 (Maybe 6?)

Purchased Price: About SGD 100

Years ago I attended a workshop that taught me, for the fist time, the term "abundance mentality". Essentially it just means there is enough for everyone so let's just be nice and not kill each other for it. (This mentality should really apply to those people queueing outside the Telco shops for the iPhone 6 right now ...)  I believe the LEGO Star Wars designers have pretty much embraced this same principle when they decided to launch yet another Hoth set. Doing a quick search on brickset.com reveals the following startling statistics: Just by searching with the word "Hoth" itself, there are already four pretty significant scene sets released over the years, Hoth Rebel Base in 2007, Hoth Echo Base in 2011, Hoth Wampa Cave in 2010 and this set that I am reviewing. These do not include the other battle packs, AT-ATs, standalone Snowspeeder, which pretty much form the landscape of Hoth. Abundance? You bet.

Re-creating the Hoth battle scene! 

Then there is another interpretation of "abundance' for this set. The inventory includes a Snowspeeder, a speeder bike, a trench set, gun station, a probe droid, a tauntaun and seven minifigs. Yup, a whopping seven relevant minifigs that are featured significantly in the battle of Hoth. As a set by itself, it is adequate to form a mini battle scene without having to break your piggy bank for an AT-AT or more elaborate sets like the Echo Hoth Base or Rebel Base sets. Someone in LEGO must be in a generous mood (price aside of course).




The Snowspeeder

Just recently I reviewed the 75049 Snowspeeder so it does feel a little weird to be reviewing an earlier version with only one year between their release dates. This also explains why there are hardly noticeable changes / improvements worth mentioning.

If I should scrutinise it harder, there are a few differences: (1) The pilots (although there is only ONE included in this set, are sitting on 2X2 SNOT plates without any studs or T-shape leg slots, as seen in 75049, to secure it. I tried to execute a few barrel rolls with the Snowspeeder and Luke ended up somewhere between the two pilot seats. Poor thing.

(2) Unlike 75049 version, this set was not produced in the era when LEGO decided to squeeze in spring loaded missiles in every darn set. I do not miss the arsenal under its wings nor that ugly looking single stud "gun" at the rear. In fact, I do like the design of this rear blaster, which is made up of a double barrel gun and a pair of binoculars. (3) I do like the winch design for the grapple hook of the newer version better than this. It is simply based on the nicer aesthetic of a symmetrical design over an asymmetrical one. Both work just as well though.

The Speeder Bike

Lovely. This is the new variant of speeder bike which is made up of a customised body. Of course, for the die hard LEGO fans, this customised piece essentially dilutes the basic principles of the building philosophy of LEGO (think of Playmobil and you will understand what I mean). HOWEVER, this is a compromise that I am willing to take. It does make the whole speeder bike more movie accurate and sturdy. The front of the Speeder Bike is clipped on to the main body, thus allowing it to articulate to a small extent. Handle bar design is also spot on, fitting nicely to the hands of its rider.

Probe Droid

I can only recall the probe droid appearing in the 2007 set of Hoth Rebel Base (7666) before. In that version, it was a much flatter variant, and although it was a good representation of its movie counterpart, this re-design does go one-up with a more organic feel, especially with its uneven tentacle lengths. Minor complain over the design of its rather small round base, guilty of causing the  droid to tip over constantly, no thanks to its top heavy centre of gravity.





Web Gun / Trench / Radar Gun Station

The LEGO design team seemed to have hit the right note with the web gun design since 2011 and sensibly, stuck to the winning formula with this version. The gun is rightly proportioned to the gunner behind it and the best part is, not overly complicated.

Taking a break ...

Manning the trench ...

Nice trench gun!

The trench is an element that brought a smile to my face regardless whether I am building or appreciating it. The three articulated parts are hinged together, each with details telling a story of their own - An oversized sausage to feed the hungry Troopers fighting in the snow, a spade and an pickaxe that reflects the harsh weather condition, and a very nicely detailed mounted gun to help the Trooper fend off the offending armies.

Playing hide and seek with Snowtrooper

At the Radar Gun station, the radar dish is mounted on an elevated platform and it doubles as an observation station as well. A flick missile does fire off impressively via the middle of the radar dish but I am struggling to recollect if such a weapon exist in the movie, or is it a LEGO fantasy? Beside the radar station lies the control centre, presumably housing General Rieekan, who masterminded the defence.

The Tauntaun

Visibly I cannot tell apart this new Tauntaun from its predecessor in set 7879 Hoth Echo Base, released in 2011. Although standing on two feet, it is well balanced and steady even with a Trooper riding it. There are not many playable features except for the articulated short hands and saddle with rein. Surprisingly, there is no 2X1 body coloured brick to fill the saddle void in this set.




Building Experience

For a set that has so many elements, it is surprising to see that there are less than 500 pieces of bricks in the box. All the bricks are spread out into three polybags, and the Tauntaun in an exclusive bag by itself. Two instruction booklets and a sticker sheet complete the content of the box. The stickers are mostly applied on the Snowspeeder, and as they do add some nice details to the vehicle, I am not going to criticise it too much here. Although I will like to encourage LEGO to think of a way to protect the sticker sheet from being squashed and creased by the bricks in the box. Cardboard packs as a standard will be a good start.



There are many small parts in this set, which makes building a little challenging at times. Despite that, I managed to complete the set within 1.5 hour without any major hiccup or surprises. Some new parts (new at the point of time in 2013) are also very welcomed, e.g. The 2X2 SNOB (Stud not on bottom) brick used at the undercarriage of the Snowspeeder to assist with the gliding.

Minifigs

Officially there are supposed to be seven minifigs in this set. I counted six and trying hard to figure out who is the 7th. Is it the Tauntaun or the probe droid?

The Hoth Rebel Troopers 

Goggle or face mask?

There are three troopers in this set, two "common" Rebel Troopers and one General Rieekan. IT must be mentioned that although they are "common", both Troopers have their own unique head piece and facial expression. I really like the oversized snow googles and helmet design, which is best showcased with the googles propping above the face. Once you bring the googles down to the face, this is how the Rebel Trooper will look like ... you be the judge. Both Troopers have identical Torso design, printed with scarf, ammunition pockets and belt.


General Rieekan comes with an alternative hair piece which he can swapped into when he is not engaged in battle. The grey hair piece and facial expression are excellent representation of the character in the movie. Even the torso prints are very movie accurate, with quilted designs, breast pockets and fabric crease lines.

Luke comes in the classic orange flight suit with plenty of printed details. He has a two face head piece, one printed with the orange visor (my personal preferred side) and the other without. The helmet design is meticulously detailed but the chin strap of the concealed face still peek out from under the helmet. Minor detail but still it spoils the rear view of the minifig. This minifig will subsequently made another appearance in the 2014 Snowspeeder set.

Not to be outdone by the other minifigs, the Snowtroopers are of good quality too. His head piece is only printed on one side (what's with the smiley face?) and totally black on another. There is a good reason why there is a need for the black side. When the minifig dons the helmet, it will look better with the black colour peeking out of the eye holes as compared to flesh colour. The torso is printed on both sides with nice details such as the battle damage and body armour. The rear torso print seems a little redundant since the back pack of the Snowtrooper almost entirely covers the back of the minifig.

Conclusion

Recommended for any one who watches the battle scenes in Hoth at least 12 times a year, or who is in the process of building up an army to re-create the battle scenes at home. This can also be a good starter pack (an expensive one though) for someone who wishes to be introduced to the world of LEGO Star Wars. May the Force be with you!

+ Soooo many elements in a single set. Enough to re-create a Hoth battle scene without getting other sets
+ Nice speeder bike and well designed probe droid
+ Enhanced playability with many details and features in the trench and gun station
+ Unique Rebel Troopers

- Only ONE pilot? Who's flying with Luke?
- Creased sticker sheet from package