At this point in time I think it’s fair to say that fan response to The Last Jedi has been mixed. Do the criticisms that people have of the film also affect the tie-in LEGO sets? Today I will be looking at 75200 Ahch-To Island Training, one of the smaller sets from the film.
I know that the film has been out for a while but I will still not be posting any spoilers for those of you who haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I will be mentioning the end of The Force Awakens from here on.
If you have seen the end of The Force Awakens or any of the trailers for The Last Jedi you know that Ahch-To is the current island home of Luke Skywalker and where Rey travels to find him.
The Build
This set is a smallish Star Wars set and as you would expect it isn’t the most complex build by any stretch. It’s designed for younger fans and as such it doesn’t feature any ground-breaking techniques. It is still an enjoyable build and the way the structure takes shape is quite satisfying.
The set is split up over three sections. The first and largest of those sections is the main part of Luke’s Hut. It features 3 walls and a roof, the back left open for play access.
The rear access is important because the interior features a lot of detailing.
The use of slope bricks in various sizes help create a structure that looks pretty close to what is presented in the film. The shape isn’t exact but for a playset it’s easy to see why the differences exist.
The second section that gets built is a small area out the front of the hut with some ledges and a fire pit. This is very simple section but the use of curved elements is always a welcome change of pace. This small module clips in out the front of the hut with technic pins.
The final section is the training part. It features a small ‘rocky’ area, rotating platform and a large boulder. The two part boulder element sits on a tile surrounded by slopes. The lack of connection allows it to be knocked off by rotating Rey, revealing the crystal inside.
The training area is once again connected to the hut part of the build using technic pins. In theory the connection points allow you to alter the layout of the set but I am not sure why you’d need to. The way it’s set out in the instructions looks fine.
The End Result
Movie related sets are always a bit tricky to discuss without also talking about the movie that they are based on. Star Wars sets generally range from a good representation of what is seen on screen to stuff that didn’t even make the final cut of the film. This set leans heavily towards the good side.
There are some differences between the build and the film location but nothing beyond what you expect with a playset. If this was a UCS Ahch-To I’d be fussier about what was and wasn’t included.
There are two play features present in the set. The first is a section of the wall that ‘explodes’ when you turn a knob. Honestly it’s a bit pointless and I don’t really get why it was added. It feels like somebody was designing the set and had a “2 Play Features” checkbox that they had to check off.
The second play feature is the ability to spin Rey around and have her hit the boulder with her lightsaber. It’s a nice little feature but when I was playing with it I couldn’t help but think it would be better if there was a rubber band integrated somewhere so that the action had some power to it. I haven’t had an opportunity to modify this myself so I am not sure how you’d actually do it. The other issue with this play feature is that the boulder is way too well put together. In the pictures the boulder is hit and splits open to reveal the gem inside. Not once was I able to get the boulder to crack open unless I specifically just sat the top on.
Overall I am impressed with the ‘look’ of the set. It’s probably not going to be a highly sought after display piece but for a fun playset I think the designers have done a great job. There are a few stickers but they really just add a little extra detailing and aren’t overly offensive in terms of there placement or how prominent they are.
The Characters
The set features two minifigures and a brick-built Porg.
Luke Skywalker
This set has the advantage of currently being the only way to buy Old Luke Skywalker. He may come out in other sets in the future but right now this is the only Old Luke there is.
I love the hair piece used for Luke, it’s long and wavy and does a great job of representing what we see on-screen. I’m not sure if the colour is perfect but with the colours available to use I think its the best option.
Luke’s head element features two face prints. Both feature a printed beard but there is a vast difference in the expressions. You can switch between the serene Jedi master look or the grumpy island hermit look. Personally I think the grumpy look has more character.
Luke’s torso and legs feature detailed robe printing on white. I always appreciate printing that covers the torso and legs. The rear printing is less detailed but considering it’s covered by the cloak I am glad they still bothered with it.
The cloak itself is a nice soft material rather than the harder fabric used in other minifigures. The colour is great and matches the on-screen look.
This version of Luke also features his uncovered robotic hand, created by using a dark grey hand instead of a flesh tone.
Luke’s accessory is a grey and light tan staff.
Rey
Obviously you can’t have “Island Training” without somebody for Luke to train and that is the role that Rey plays here.
Rey’s torso features printing of her belt, vest and top. It is quite accurate to her costume in the film but it’s honestly not the most amazing printing. It’s not an overly intricate design.
The leg printing also fairly modest with just some small details on her knees and a continuation of the torso belt/straps.
Rey’s head element is also double sided. One side features a slight smile while the other is more of a frustrated look. The differences are fairly minimal. Her hair piece features the three buns that is her signature look.
There are two accessories that you can choose to give Rey. The first is the staff that represents her past on Jaaku or there is the blue lightsaber. There is a scene in the trailer where Rey puts down the staff and picks up the lightsaber and you can easily recreate that with the set.
Porg
The Porgs are a very divisive addition to the Star Wars universe. I personally am not a huge fan of them. Regardless of that it’s nice to get one of these in a more affordable set, as the only other place to get them is the UCS Millennium Falcon.
The Porg features a printed head element (the same used for BB-8) and a brick built body. I am honestly surprised by the body as it seems like the sort of thing that they could have created a mould for.
Generally the Porg figure is good, but I think the printing on the head carries it. The body isn’t amazing.
Value
7200 Ahch-To Island Training has an official RRP of $44.99 which I think is probably a bit too high for what you get. Luckily Big W and Kmart have both priced this set with an everyday price of $39. That $5.99 doesn’t seem like a difference but I think $40 is a bit of a psychological barrier for a smaller set. I think the set is well worth the $39 you can get it for. A sale bringing it below $39 would be great.
Final Thoughts
As I said at the start of this review, The Last Jedi has had very mixed reviews. While I personally wasn’t a big fan of the film I actually really like this set. For a play set I think it does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the island.
The Luke minifigure is fantastic and also happens to be the only version of Old Luke that we currently have available to us as LEGO fans. The Rey minifigure isn’t going to go down in history as anything special though.
I believe this set is worth getting for any fan of the new Star Wars movies.
