[Review] 2020 LEGO Star Wars 75280 501st Legion™ Clone Troopers

[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:

Quote

Stage an epic battle between elite 501st Legion Clone Troopers and the Separatist Army’s Battle Droids. Look out for the droids from the AT-RT cockpit using the electrobinoculars. Launch into attack with the BARC Speeder and fire the stud shooters. Fight back with the Battle Droids' blasters. Who will triumph in this exciting LEGO® Star Wars™ adventure? You decide.

• Kids can role-play as 501st Legion Clone Troopers and relive exciting action from Star Wars: The Clone Wars with this LEGO Star Wars™ action set (75280), featuring an AT-RT Walker and BARC Speeder.
• This LEGO® Star Wars™ building kit includes 4 LEGO minifigures: 3 new-for-2020 501st Clone Troopers and a 501st Jet Trooper, with jetpack element, plus 2 Battle Droids and weapons for battles.
• The AT-RT Walker has a new-for-August-2020 color scheme, posable legs, a stud shooter, attachment points for a blaster and electrobinoculars element, and the BARC Speeder has 2 stud shooters to inspire creative play.
• This 285-piece construction playset makes an ideal birthday present or holiday gift for boys and girls aged 7+. The 2 vehicles can also be driven in the LEGO® Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga video game.
• The compact, robust LEGO® Star Wars™ AT-RT Walker measures over 7” (17cm) high, 3.5” (9cm) long and 3” (8cm) wide – a convenient size to slip into a child's backpack with the BARC Speeder ready for play wherever they go.
• No batteries are needed with this awesome kids’ building toy – it’s built purely from LEGO® bricks and powered by children’s imaginations so the action never stops.
• Thinking of buying this Star Wars™ building kit for someone new to LEGO® sets? No problem. It comes with easy-to-follow, illustrated instructions. Open the box and away they go!
• LEGO® Star Wars™ building toys are fantastic for kids (and adult fans) to recreate scenes from the StarWars saga, make up their own galactic adventures and display the collectible construction models.
• Ever since 1958, LEGO® bricks have met the highest industry standards so they are robust and connect and pull apart easily every time – no need to use the Force!
• LEGO® bricks and pieces are tested in almost every way imaginable to make sure that every building set meets the highest safety and quality standards on planet Earth – and in galaxies far, far away!

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.

[Truck730]

Great review and comparison photos are a nice touch