ecwood1

Welcome! This review is of Lego set #75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers with 285 pieces and retails for $29.99 USD. The set has been hard to come by recently being sold out at many retailers including the Lego Shop at Home and Amazon. The set contains six figures: 3 501st Clone Troopers, 2 Battle Droids, and 1 501st Jet Trooper. The two vehicles included are an AT-RT walker and a BARC speeder. The designs are based off of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show. Official Lego Description: The Box and Contents Inside the box, there are 2 numbered bags, a sticker sheet with 10 stickers, and the instruction booklet. Bag 1 has 1 smaller bag inside it and Bag 2 has 2 smaller bags inside it. The Build The first bag builds the BARC speeder, two Clone Troopers, and the two droids. The second bag contains the pieces for the AT-RT walker, a Clone Trooper, and the Jet Trooper. The complete build from Bag 1 as well as the extra pieces. The complete build from Bag 2. Complete Build (including extra pieces) Minifigures The 501st Troopers with and without the helmet. All 4 Clones have the same head which has a more accurate skin tone than in previous iterations. The Jet Trooper has distinct torso and helmet prints with blue arms instead of white while the legs are the same as his comrades. The back of the torso printing is also unique to the Jet Trooper. Of course, here are the 2 clankers for the Troopers to blast away. Comparison to the 2013 AT-RT #75002 The 501st Clone Trooper from the 2013 AT-RT set #75002 has slightly less detailed torso and legs but the helmet has a bit more molding which the newer helmet replaces with printing. The face of the newer Trooper is also a bit less horrifying, opting to match the aesthetic of the more recent mainline Star Wars sets rather than the Clone Wars TV show. Compared to the $20 2013 AT-RT set, this set is much more of a battle pack. Both contain a somewhat similar AT-RT while the newer has a adjustable stud shooter. The 2020 set replaces the Clone Wars Yoda and Commando Droid figures and ugly Sniper Droideka for three more Clones, two more droids, and a BARC speeder for only ten more dollars. Compare to in-show models The BARC Speeder is pretty accurate to the in-show vehicle in both shaping and in scale to a Clone. While the coloring isn’t perfect, the stickers to add touches that add to the accuracy but aren’t totally necessary if you don’t like stickers. The AT-RT build is accurate enough to the show but the scale to the Clones remains a bit too tall just as with previous iterations. Thoughts Some groups in the Lego community have been waiting and campaigning for years for a 501st trooper battle pack and I feel that this set delivers. Although it is twice the price as a normal $15 battle pack, this set is still a battle pack that fans could but several copies of to amass a 501st legion. The set’s four troopers, two enemy droids, and two substantial but useful vehicles are all perfect for army building. While I would prefer giving up one of the vehicles and maybe the droids to drop the price by $10, I would give this highly anticipated set a 9/10.