LEGO STAR WARS: CORPORATE ALLIANCE TANK DROID – 75015 REVIEW

• 8th Jul 2013

Star Wars: Corporate Alliance Tank Droid

Pieces: 271

Ages: 7-12

Mini Figures: 3

• Jango Fett
• Clone Trooper
• Battle Droid (Dark orange)

Price: £19.99

What’s inside

2 numbered bags of Lego bricks

Instruction booklet

Background

The Corporate Alliance’s Battle Tank Droid is a fairly obscure vehicle in the Star Wars universe, so it is perhaps rather surprising that this is in fact the third version of it that Lego has released after appearing in the slightly larger 2005 set Wookie Attack – 7258 and on its own in 2009 Corporate Alliance Tank Droid – 7748 sets. In the films the tank droid can only be spotted in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as part of the Corporate Alliance’s assault on Kashyyk against the Wookie army led by Yoda. However, aside from the first 2005 set, the Lego Tank Droids have been shown as part of the battle of Geonosis which is the major battle of Episode II: Attack of the Clones indicated by the the minifigures included. The tank was indeed originally designed to be included in that battle but ended up being cut from the film as can be seen in some of the deleted scenes on the blue ray edition of the films.

The real stars of most Star Wars Lego sets are the minifigures and with this one Lego has truly pulled the rabbit out of the hat. For the first time since 2002 Jango Fett, the bounty hunter and father of Boba Fett of the original trilogy, can be found as part of the set and the minifigure has also been brought to the modern standard with new colours and body printing. This inclusion in itself will make this set a must buy for any Star Wars minifigure collectors. The included standard Clone Trooper will quickly find himself outmatched by having to face Fett, the tank and a battle droid from the Corporate Alliance side. The battle droids in the 2013 sets have a new orange brown colouring depicting the camouflage for the desert battle and have a 1×2 plate acting as a back pack but otherwise are the same design as all the previous battle droids released.

Building

As expected from a set of this size and age grouping, the tank droid is a fairly easy build which should pose no problems to children who have any experience of following standard Lego instructions. The only possible help needed might be the in building and attaching the tank tracks which are made up of 60 linked parts wrapped around the finished model. It is also worth noting that there are extra links included in the bag so to get the track the right length it might be easier to first build the links into smaller, easier to count sections before adding them all together.

Finished product

The finished model of the tank droid is pretty similar to the 2009 model with some improvements, particularly at the rear end where some further detail has been added therefore raising the piece count of the set. The track section rolls nicely on surfaces with a bit of grip and the model in general is sturdy enough for play. It has a nice likeness to the “real” tanks depicted in the films and will make a great addition into any space battles being waged on the living room carpets across the world.

For adult fans, the real attraction of the set is the new Jango Fett minifigure which at the price of £19.99 and 271 piece count makes it great value. I’m sure all minifigure collectors are sighing in relief that Jango was included in a set at this price rather than one of the more expensive sets despite the fact that having the two in the same set does not make much sense (Jango was killed in the arena scene directly preceding the battle).

All in all then, this simple entry level set can be highly recommended for its contents and if you have any interest in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, it could just be a must buy at this price.

http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Corporate-Alliance-Tank-Droid-75015

Marko Hyypia