JackJonespaw Posted June 3, 2012 Name: 9490 Droid Escape Theme: LEGO Star Wars Year: 2012 Pieces: 137 Minifigs: 4 minifigures Price: USD $19.99; £19.99 Flickr Set Brickset Bricklink INTRODUCTION As soon as I saw the winter wave of the 2012 sets, I knew that I had to have Droid Escape. Not only does this set feature a new, fantastic C-3PO, but two dirty Sandtroopers, the armor covered with dirt. This set is a remake of the 2001 version with the same name. But with fourteen more dollars added to the price of the original, two more minifigs added, a bigger, more detailed escape pod, and a new speeder, is this set worth the twenty dollars used to purchase it? THE BOX The front of the box has 3PO and R2 escaping (hence: Droid + Escape = Droid Escape) from two Sandtroopers, neither of which seem to notice a gleaming gold droid and a snow white droid running away from them. 3PO and the two Sandtroopers have the "NEW!" symbol by them, meaning only R2 has been left alone in this set. But more on the minifigs later. Angry Maul and his lightsaber cover the top fourth of the box, with the dark blue Star Wars logo and the Lego logo in the upper left hand corner. The information about the set is in its usual spot, the middle left side. The back of the box shows three views of the pod and a shot of a Sandtrooper and his speeder in front of the two droids. I really like this new "hologram" format of Lego Star Wars, it makes the whole experience feel more classy. THE INSTRUCTIONS The instructions feature the same image as the box, this time with a Choking Hazard sign on it. (Even though there is no Vader in this set...) The instructions are nice and clear, although a faded Maul in the top corner is a bit creepy. There is no trouble telling the black from dark bley, which is great, as it's quite annoying in some sets. STICKER SHEET (Picture from Bricklink) There are only six stickers in this set, and although it's not much, it's quite annoying trying to get them on the curved surfaces onto which they're supposed to be placed. The two large stickers show details on the cone parts of the pod, while the other four go on light bley 4x4 curved pieces farther down. THE MINIFIGURES Let's start with everyone's favorite droids, 3PO and R2! I really love 3PO's new torso, since I felt that the older torso made him seem too muscular. R2 is the same since '08, but I like that. The back of 3PO has a slightly different redesign than his old torso. I like the wires poking out, they are much more colorful in this version. R2 has now back printing, but there isn't a lot back there. The Sandtroopers are amazingly detailed, with dirt in lots of places. The leg printing is nice, as is the torso printing with a new style breastplate. The head looks about the same to me, excluding the dirt. I actually enjoyed getting Stormtroopers, instead of putting them in the pile of Clone Troopers and Battle Droids I have hoarded. The backprinting also has dirt on it, (Nowhere is safe!) and also has a redesign. I felt the Lego actually tried on these minifigs, and they aren't a disappointment, like I felt some other figures were. (Ki-Adi Mundi, I'm talking to you.) THE SPEEDER I don't remember this speeder in the movie, but I'm not saying that I don't like it! Although it's not a sleek and fast looking as the Endor speeder, this speeder fits more with the dirty Sandtroopers than with some clean Scout Troopers. The front resembles the Endor speeder at a top angle, using the triangle clips and black bars for the front portion. The speeder has some nice detail packed into just a few pieces, as can be seen by the side view. I really like the use of the 1x2 with handles on top of each other. It looks pretty interesting. The minifig keeps this speeder together, connecting the front and the rear parts together with the help of some clips. The very rear has two horizontal clips looks like it holds the Sandtroopers' guns. But, trying this, I found that I have to take of the Sandtrooper's backpack for him to fit on with the guns. THE ESCAPE POD If you thought that the speeder looked nice, the pod looks even better. It's sleek, recognizable, and it just looks great! I actually felt like putting the stickers on, as it looked too plain without it. The front has a two round dishes on top of each other. I don't like the uneven cones, but there's no piece that I've heard of that can make an even triangle like this. The back has four bigger light bluish grey cones, representing the engines, and three more dark bluish gray smaller cones behind them. I would have preferred some trans pieces on the engines to represent powered up engines, but since the pod is crashed, this isn't the case. But the outside just complements what's in the inside! It's colorful, too! The top of the pod, the one that is removable, doesn't click on to the pod, which can cause some problems if you want to run around swooshing it. There was a whole lot of SNOT-ing in the set, and it really makes me feel that Lego is starting to move from the easy 2x4 plate on 2x6 plate to some more complicated things. I mean, look at the LOTR sets! 3PO sits on the edge of the 2x3 tile with R2 taking up the rest of the space. R2's one stud on the cylinder fits in the middle of the four studs. I don't remember the seating like this in the movie, much less having 3PO controlling the pod, but it works, and it seems more like a ship instead of a falling pieces of machinery because of it. I love pretty much every aspect of this set. Even though Episode 4 is not one of my favorite Star Wars films, I still enjoyed building this and swooshing it around. The bike is an added bonus to this set, and it looks fantastic with the Sandtroopers. There is great, secure building all around, which I think the Lego has been getting quite good at. As a big Star Wars fan, this gets an A+ in my book! FINAL VERDICT Playability: 5.5/10 (There isn't really much to do in this set.) Design: 10/10 (This is an instantly recognizable set if you have seen the first fifteen minutes of Episode 4.) Minifigs: 10/10 (Simply amazing minifigs, really detailed.) Pieces: 8/10 (Nothing interesting, but you can't have too many bley pieces, can you?) Price: 7/10 (This is a bit too expensive for my taste, and I could easily see a set like this released as Battle Pack size. ) Overall Grade: 8.1/10 I would pick this set up if you have twenty dollars. If only for the figs, it is a nice set. I see nothing wrong with this set that could turn any Star Wars fan away, or even your basic Lego fan. My final comment is: if you see this set at a store, pick it up. As summer gets closer, it might go on sale, which I see as even better. Don't pass this set up for anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Man Posted June 3, 2012 Good review . Honestly the best thing about this set is the escape pod. The rest is just expensive fluff . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Praiter Yed Posted June 3, 2012 Nice review with good pics Good review . Honestly the best thing about this set is the escape pod. The rest is just expensive fluff . I'd agree that TLG have done a good job of the escape pod with so few parts, although it does rely heavily on the dss for some much needed detailing. But surely you can't be suggesting that the Sandtroopers and lovely new C-3PO are just expensive fluff? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbo Baggins Posted June 3, 2012 Nice review. I really liked the minifigs though the speeder looks pretty simple Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vriverajr3 Posted June 3, 2012 Love the pod but really jus picked it up for my beloved sandtroopers haha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brickmamba Posted June 4, 2012 Love the pod but really jus picked it up for my beloved sandtroopers haha Same here, thanks for the review Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
just2good Posted June 4, 2012 Great review, 'JackJonespaw'! I've been reading lots of 2012 Star Wars sets reviews, and I really like the sets! Even though this one has a low piece count, it's quite nostalgic to me, as I have the 2001 version. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Man Posted June 4, 2012 But surely you can't be suggesting that the Sandtroopers and lovely new C-3PO are just expensive fluff? Yup. they are too detailed for their own good, almost as bad as the ARC Trooper . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
