The new Star Wars Force Awakens LEGO sets are now available (although with all the coverage I’m going to assume you knew that). After braving the midnight Toys R Us crowds I am going to take a look at the cheapest of the new sets.
75099 Rey’s Speeder
RRP $39.99
193 Pieces ($0.20 per piece)
Available online and most retailers.
When I first saw a list of The Force Awakens set names I went back and watched the teaser trailers looking for hints as to what those sets may be. Sure we all know what an X-Wing looks like, but I’m more interested in new additions to th Star Wars universe. After re-watching those few seconds of Rey taking off into the desert on the back of her speeder the LEGO version jumped to the top of my wish list. It would fair to say I was hoping this set would be good when I grabbed it off the shelf at midnight.
The box is reasonably sized for the part count. The front of the box features a nice action scene of Rey taking off and leaving the unnamed thug behind. The rear is a little more interesting with a look at the included accessories and insets showing off the play features such as the stud shooters and the opening sides. The rear also includes an x-ray/schematic type drawing of the completed model.
Inside the box there are two numbered bags, an instruction booklet and small sticker sheet. As somebody that doesn’t apply the stickers to models, I would have liked if there were some more printed elements in the set.
Surprisingly bag one does not include the titular Rey, but rather the grey cloaked “Unkar’s Thug”.
Obviously I have no idea who Unkar is or the role his/her thug plays in the film. What I do know is that the minifigure looks great with front, rear and leg printing. I was impressed that the printing features metallic spots on all three areas. The hood element makes it a bit tricky to see the head but that is a minor complaint.
Once the thug is put together the build moves on to the initial stages of the speeder itself.
The early build features angled plates to add sideways details. The mechanism for opening the sides of the speeder is also started.
A combination of plates and side studded bricks create the open cavity inside the finished model.
After the lower engine is added the seat and top engine are created as a sub-assembly that is then added to the model.
By the end of bag one the speeder is starting to take shape and you begin to get a sense of the scale of the finished model.
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Bag 2 begins with the construction of the Rey. Unlike the thug, Rey includes a dual sided head; side one has a slight smile, while the alternate is more stern. Rey’s torso and leg printing appears to quite closely match her appearance in the footage that has been released so far. Rey’s accessories include a satchel bag, staff-like weapon and a new head covering piece to protect her from the desert sand while driving the speeder. The head covering is quite detailed with the goggles molded and printed onto the piece.
While the headcovering piece looks good, it would be nice if there was somewhere to put it when Rey wasn’t wearing it. I can see myself losing it in the future.
After adding more details to the model (such as the small windshield and rear ‘flaps’) the front grill/intake is constructed.
The model takes it’s final shape when the side panels are added. A few more little details, such as tools on the side, and the set is complete.
Verdict
With about 10 seconds of footage and a few online photos I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to come to a decision on the quality of this set. After finishing the build I didn’t have any problems making a call on whether this set was any good or not; I really enjoyed putting this set together and I think the end result will work either on display or being played with.
This set isn’t perfect though. There are no printed elements included, which means that people who choose not to put stickers on their sets are missing out on a bit of detail. I don’t expect every element that requires decoration to be printed but a mix of some printing and stickers would have been nice.
If I was given the choice I would have got the set without the thug minifigure and paid just a little less for it. That opinion might change once I see the film though.
Some of the other toy versions of Rey’s Speeder show it with a net on the side filled with what appears to be scrap. That could have been an interesting inclusion. That’s not so much a criticism, just a thought.
I also feel that the price tag of $39.99 is a bit too high. If you can grab it at 20% off that’s a little better.
It may sound like there are more negatives than positives but it’s just that it is easy to pick little issues. I don’t know if this speeder is going to become a classic Star Wars vehicle but it certainly works as a LEGO model. They have managed to get the scale, detail and overall look spot-on.
Whether you are a serious LEGO Star Wars fan or just looking to start your Force Awakens collection then I feel like 75099 Rey’s Speeder is a must have.
Build Photos
Excellent review, concisely written and your product photos are great! Overall I agree, the model looks great. Maybe a bit smaller than I was expecting.
Great review and photos Michael! I got this one too and I like it a lot. I agree the ‘value’ isn’t great, particularly when you compare it to the next set up in the range, the FO snowspeeder. Are you reviewing any of the other TFA sets?
Currently this is the only Force Awakens sets I have.
It was a good build but a tad small. Also just feels like a chunk of plastic. Theres no emotional connection with this (and the other TFA sets) at the moment due to not seeing the movie yet. So hoping that will change.
I got this over the weekend. It’s a cool little set and I reckon is decent value for money. Things I liked is the door opening mechanism, done by twisting the engine on the back, and how surprisingly effective the bullet firing mechanism was.
I’m sure the stud shooters have lead to a dramatic rise in the number of LEGO parts eaten by pets and young children.