Set ID: 75099 Rey's Speeder
Number of Pieces: 193
Year of Release: 2015
Minifigs: 2
Purchased Price: About SGD 50
The Force Awakens. And that also awoke (or rather, shook) the world into another wave of Star Wars frenzy exactly 10 years after the Revenge of the Sith. Hollywood blockbusters have started to adopt a trilogy approach in telling their stories and Star Wars, being one of the largest and most successful franchise of all times, did two better. First with the 3 episode prequel, and now, the other 3 ermm, post-quel? Regardless, I can almost hear the cash register at Disney going kerrr- ching-kerr-ching already.
Having acquired almost all the TFA sets at the end of 2015, I was resisting the temptation to build any of them until I have watched the movie itself. It is not a superstition or anything along that line, but the appreciation of details that could be found in some of the sets, and would not be fully appreciated if I have not seen the movie. It also form a basis for comparison on accuracy, or lack of. Now that the cinema visit is out of the way (I love the movie anyway!), I can start the build. And in consideration that I am also building the Sandcrawler in tandem, I would have to choose a smaller set to start with.
I am not going to talk too much Rey's Speeder in the movie as it may contain spoilers for some. However, I can say it did have quite a fair bit of air time in the movie, and from the way it was featured, constantly reminded me of the Land Speeder that Luke was zipping around with. But that's as far as the similarity is concerned as this Speeder is more "bike-ish" than "car-ish", thereby restricting it's ability to carry cargoes and people. As a junk collector, Rey might seriously consider a career or vehicle switch. (Spoiler alert: She did the former, eventually)
The Speeder
This is the smaller vehicle set released under the first wave of the TFA theme. For some reasons, it was also rather popular here as I often found it being re-stocked in the stores. I guess the lower price point (yes, "low" in a relative way in comparison to the other sets) and Rey's role as the heroine did help this cause.
The completed Speeder looks a little shorter than I thought it should be. It is highly recognisable with its oversized front engine and the primarily red coloured body. The engine compartment also acts as a storage where I kept some of the red studs used as ammunition in this version of the Speeder. I do like the opening mechanism of this compartment as it can be accessed through a twist of the exhaust knob at the rear. Simple but yet efficient way especially in a small vehicle like this.
A few clips can be found on the left of the engine, where Rey's equipment such as at the binoculars and saw (both rather useful for scavenging) However, this part was mostly featured in the movie where Rey hangs her junk using a cargo net. Guess that might be difficult to replicate in a LEGO version.
The cockpit sits (or stand) one comfortably with a 3D perspective stickered control panel. Play feature also includes a pair of stud firing weapons found on the front of the Speeder, although I believe those are exclusive to the LEGO version and not the movie one. Hovering effect is half achieved by the transparent 2X2 and SNOT grey bricks at the bottom of the Speeder.
Building Experience
The box is appropriately sized for a small set and limited contents, which can be put together in under 20 minutes.
There are a few stickers to be applied to add some details to the exterior of the Speeder. Given the limited size for details to be added, I have no complaint over these decals.
Minifigs
Something tells me that Rey will be playing a bigger part in the upcoming 2 instalments, and TFA pretty much left the plot at the right moment to whet the appetite of the fans by not revealing too much of her past nor her future, essentially subtitling the conclusion of TFA with "If you want to find out more, come back for it ..." That also mean that we can expect her minifig to appear in many other future sets, in different variations and costumes. This version should therefore be regarded as the pioneering Rey's minifig, something worth collecting.
Rey hair piece is unique to her and I am glad it is so accurate to the movie version. My daughter commented it was an "upgrade" from Princess Leia's 2 buns, to Rey's 3. LOL. She also comes with alt faces, albeit with very little difference between them. The details of he double sided torso prints and leg prints are also very faithful to that in the movie, down to even the sling bag that Rey is often seen carrying around with. To help Rey brave the sandy condition of the desert during her ride on the Speeder, she is also equipped with a Tuskan Raider- looking mask, which is slightly oversized. However, this is my preferred look of Rey as it exude an air of mystery that befits her identity and background.
Unkar's Thug - Rey did have a brief encounter with a Unkar's thug and it is not as confrontational as seen on the box art. His air time was too brief for me to make a comparison to this LEGO version. There are also a fair bit of details printed on the 2 sides of the torso and leg piece. The patchy prints actually accentuate the rugged environment that the thugs operate in. His cape is the grey version of Emperor Palpatnie's and it conceals the rather mechanical looking face of the thug. I suspect there is a humanoid behind that face but there wasn't much I could find online to prove this. He comes with a crowbar, supposedly to help him with his scavenging and scaring other junk collectors off.
Conclusion
If we ignore some of the minor discrepancies in accuracy, this is actually a nice set to own. I would prefer a cheaper price point but who doesn't anyway?
+ Rey's minifg
+ Smallest and most economical amongst TFA sets (Easy to store, cheapest to buy)
- Dimension and details a little inaccurate
Having acquired almost all the TFA sets at the end of 2015, I was resisting the temptation to build any of them until I have watched the movie itself. It is not a superstition or anything along that line, but the appreciation of details that could be found in some of the sets, and would not be fully appreciated if I have not seen the movie. It also form a basis for comparison on accuracy, or lack of. Now that the cinema visit is out of the way (I love the movie anyway!), I can start the build. And in consideration that I am also building the Sandcrawler in tandem, I would have to choose a smaller set to start with.I am not going to talk too much Rey's Speeder in the movie as it may contain spoilers for some. However, I can say it did have quite a fair bit of air time in the movie, and from the way it was featured, constantly reminded me of the Land Speeder that Luke was zipping around with. But that's as far as the similarity is concerned as this Speeder is more "bike-ish" than "car-ish", thereby restricting it's ability to carry cargoes and people. As a junk collector, Rey might seriously consider a career or vehicle switch. (Spoiler alert: She did the former, eventually)
The Speeder
This is the smaller vehicle set released under the first wave of the TFA theme. For some reasons, it was also rather popular here as I often found it being re-stocked in the stores. I guess the lower price point (yes, "low" in a relative way in comparison to the other sets) and Rey's role as the heroine did help this cause.
 |
| A little too "compressed" for my liking |
The completed Speeder looks a little shorter than I thought it should be. It is highly recognisable with its oversized front engine and the primarily red coloured body. The engine compartment also acts as a storage where I kept some of the red studs used as ammunition in this version of the Speeder. I do like the opening mechanism of this compartment as it can be accessed through a twist of the exhaust knob at the rear. Simple but yet efficient way especially in a small vehicle like this.
A few clips can be found on the left of the engine, where Rey's equipment such as at the binoculars and saw (both rather useful for scavenging) However, this part was mostly featured in the movie where Rey hangs her junk using a cargo net. Guess that might be difficult to replicate in a LEGO version. |
| Cockpit view |
Building Experience
The box is appropriately sized for a small set and limited contents, which can be put together in under 20 minutes.
There are a few stickers to be applied to add some details to the exterior of the Speeder. Given the limited size for details to be added, I have no complaint over these decals.
Minifigs
Something tells me that Rey will be playing a bigger part in the upcoming 2 instalments, and TFA pretty much left the plot at the right moment to whet the appetite of the fans by not revealing too much of her past nor her future, essentially subtitling the conclusion of TFA with "If you want to find out more, come back for it ..." That also mean that we can expect her minifig to appear in many other future sets, in different variations and costumes. This version should therefore be regarded as the pioneering Rey's minifig, something worth collecting.
Rey hair piece is unique to her and I am glad it is so accurate to the movie version. My daughter commented it was an "upgrade" from Princess Leia's 2 buns, to Rey's 3. LOL. She also comes with alt faces, albeit with very little difference between them. The details of he double sided torso prints and leg prints are also very faithful to that in the movie, down to even the sling bag that Rey is often seen carrying around with. To help Rey brave the sandy condition of the desert during her ride on the Speeder, she is also equipped with a Tuskan Raider- looking mask, which is slightly oversized. However, this is my preferred look of Rey as it exude an air of mystery that befits her identity and background.
Unkar's Thug - Rey did have a brief encounter with a Unkar's thug and it is not as confrontational as seen on the box art. His air time was too brief for me to make a comparison to this LEGO version. There are also a fair bit of details printed on the 2 sides of the torso and leg piece. The patchy prints actually accentuate the rugged environment that the thugs operate in. His cape is the grey version of Emperor Palpatnie's and it conceals the rather mechanical looking face of the thug. I suspect there is a humanoid behind that face but there wasn't much I could find online to prove this. He comes with a crowbar, supposedly to help him with his scavenging and scaring other junk collectors off.
Conclusion
If we ignore some of the minor discrepancies in accuracy, this is actually a nice set to own. I would prefer a cheaper price point but who doesn't anyway?
+ Rey's minifg
+ Smallest and most economical amongst TFA sets (Easy to store, cheapest to buy)
- Dimension and details a little inaccurate
hey where are you?? ;-)
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