6 replies to this topic

[TheKingOfBuilding]

7255: General Grievous Chase



Theme: Star Wars, Episode III
Set Name: General Grievous Chase
Number: 7255
Year Of Release: 2005
Pieces: 111
Minifigures: 2
Price: £14.99/$20 (I bought it six years later in used condition for £30)


Way back in 2005, this was a prized set because of the unique minifigures and vehicles included. General Grievous Chase has still not lost it's collecters value even after two other sets with updated versions of Grievous were realeased. So lets find out if you should join the chase to get this sought-after set!

Box



Here we have the box art showing a mysterious robotic vehicle followed by a oversized, duck footed lizard.



The back of the box suggests the alternative models which can be made from this set and an advert for some other Episode III sets.


Instructions



Being the same as most Lego instructions, this manual has the exact same artwork as the box but without the set name and reccomended ages.



The first pages show minifig assembly and the steps for Boga.



The "Random Page" shows the construction of the wheel bike above a neat lava effect (which is on all of the pages).



This page demonstrates the main play feature of this set: the transformation of the wheel bike.



Here we have some pretty different alternative models.



Second to last page shows all of the 2005 Episode III sets except Ultimate Space Battle.



And the back of the instruction manual advertises the Star Wars videogame. It's better than today's "screaming kid" but still doesn't beat the "Yoda on the Star Wars website" advert from the early 2000's!

Minifigures

Next is the main draw to the set: the minifigs. Smile Grievous!



This photo shows General Grievous and his jedi scum both with lightsabers.



Here is a closer look at the minifigs. I think the old Grievous has much more of a Lego feel compared to the new Clone Wars version. As for Obi, he is the standard EpIII minifigure but still is an nice fig nonetheless.



Look at that lovely exclusive cape!


Pieces



Not so much system, but alot of technic and those 2001 dinosaur molds.



The unusaul pieces are two of those large transparent dishes, two dark green technic bricks, Boga's body parts, a brown strecher piece and various sand blue parts.



And the spares.


Boga

Obi Wan's mount, the mighty (and adorable) varactyl called Boga is recreated perfectly in Lego!








Grievios' Wheel Bike

A mix of technic and more technic, the wheel bike has an ability to convert from driving to crawling mode.





The transformation:

1.

2.

3.


Ratings



Price: 10/10 You get alot for your money - this set has playability, great pieces, rare minifigures and a big collectors value.
Pieces: 8/10 Some nice technic parts but not so many system bricks.
Minifigures: 9/10 This set has exactly the right characters but could of done with just a little bit more detail on the plain white Grievous.
Playability: 8/10 The restricted movement with Boga's legs takes away a point and the lack of another, just a tiny play feature, takes away another point.
Conclusion: There are not any other re-realised versions of this set about so it remains a unique and important little set in the Lego Star Wars collection!


P.S: Why has Eurobricks hardly got any Episode III reviews? They, in my opinion, are some of the most interesting Star Wars sets around and they can't be that rare!

[CallMePie]

TheKingOfBuilding, on 09 October 2011 - 10:06 PM, said:

P.S: Why has Eurobricks hardly got any Episode III reviews? They, in my opinion, are some of the most interesting Star Wars sets around and they can't be that rare!

Yes. Yes, the can.  

Nice review. Personally, this set is all collector's value. The designs are pretty eh, though Grievous's Wheelbike is decent. I got 2 of these (one in a trade, nearly fully complete) And in my mind, this set is overrated for it's inflated aftermarket value. Boga is really pitiful..

Hey, I'll just hope for a remake. Good set idea, needs better execution.

[Fallenangel]

CallMePieOrDie, on 09 October 2011 - 10:32 PM, said:

Hey, I'll just hope for a remake. Good set idea, needs better execution.

Agreed. This wasn’t all that great of a set in my opinion - the wheelbike was too juniorized, Boga too unconvincing. There really isn’t a whole lot of actual building here, just a bunch of large pieces. The Episode III line had its hits and misses, and this was one of the latter.

There are some decent wheel bike MOCs like this one that feature brickbuilt wheels – if the LEGO Group ever decides to redesign this set, I’m hoping that this is the direction they will go.

[Clone O'Patra]

The EpIII range really wasn't a wonderful time for LEGO, though I perfectly liked Wookie Attack.  This set, on the other hand, was pretty bad.  I got it mainly for Obi-Wan, and I did like that Obi-Wan figure.

Obi-Wan and Grevious' cape are the best parts of this set.  The bike wasn't wonderful, but it did roll tolerably well, which was something.

Grevious might seem more LEGO-y in this form, but he's awfully lame.  He isn't reminiscent of the character at all, since he isn't bent over and his head is so cylindrical.  Also, the way in which his arms are arrayed makes it impossible for him to hold his lightsabers in a way that looks good, especially all four.  I found just giving him two was the best solution.

The absolute worst part of this set was Boga.  Since it uses those Dino pieces, it is absolutely rigid and not pose-able.  I don't know what they could've done, but this is pretty bad.

Overall, really not one of my favorites.

[Oky]

Thanks for the review. This is indeed one review we have been missing. I've always wanted this set, but now that we have a much better Grievous, I have lost interest. The wheelbike sure could use improvement too, but I actually liked the Boga in this set. She looks pretty accurate; all she needs is some printing. The immobility of the legs is a pity though. And what more play features would you want to see on her? Flick-fire missiles?

[The Blue Brick]

The other day i noticed that on the box, Obi wan has a different torso printing than the one it comes with.

[Mikeosaurus]

A great review of an often overlooked set. The bike itself is er, interesting but what turned me away from this set as a young lad was that they used the execrable 2001 dino system for Boga.
Those alternate models are pretty hilarious though!