REVIEW: 75037 Battle on Saleucami

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I acquired this set on Thanksgiving weekend and had the review photos ready to go as I built it, but I haven't gotten around to it 'til now. It's a decent large battlepack, though a tad overpriced (as with everything in the Star Wars range anymore; licenseflation, I call it)

Here's the box, from both the front and the back:

As is usual with contemporary Star Wars sets, the front shows a high-energy battle with motion blurs while the action on the back is a bit less energetic. The back also demonstrates the set's gimmick and provides views of the BARC speeder from different angles. The top (not shown) has the customary minifigure images; I like to cut out and save these.

Here's what that box contains:

An instruction manual, a small sticker sheet with decals for the bike and the STAP, and three bags of parts.

Front cover of manual, and the inside of the manual. Amusingly, even today the manuals still tend to show pieces as being Old Gray and Old Dark Gray despite the switch to the new bluish grays.

And here's all those parts dumped out, ready for building. You could go bag by bag, but where's the fun in that? Besides, if you want to follow the instruction manual exactly you actually pretty much have to do this! As ever, it starts with building the minifigs (except for one), and they're in two separate bags already. Then the first part of the build proper it gives the instructions for? The STAP, the pieces for which are in the other bag.

With that out of the way, it's on to the build.

The minifigures, including the one it doesn't tell you to build right away. One 91st Recon Corps trooper (It's not Neyo, he doesn't have Neyo's sash), two Battle Droids (one holding a rifle, one with the original Battle Droid arm on either side to pilot the STAP), and two Super Battle Droids. Note the platforms under the SBDs and the regular BD with the rifle. Those will be important later.

The STAP begins to take shape. It too is also on one of those platforms, and is also flying lower than previous STAPs since it's on a transparent flagpole atop a transparent cylinder, rather than a transparent cannon piece. Interestingly, the flagpole is the classic rounded-top version, rather than the new one with the flat top.

The STAP is almost completed. It's the same basic STAP design that had its beginnings in the "Droids Battle Pack" set and was refined and given proper CIS livery by the Clone Wars AT-TE set.

And boom, one complete STAP with Battle Droid operator.

The droids' lookout post is under construction. Note the 2x2 tile, it will also be important later.

A bit more formed now. Just like "Clone Battle Pack" from 2007, this set makes use of a wheel arch as a top guardrail for the lookout.

Not too much more formed, though the first of the vegetation growing around the place has been added - this is supposed to be in the brush of Saleucami after all. Not as densely forested as Felucia or Kashyyk, but plants do abound.

And getting started on the other side of it... Not much to comment on here, although you do get a good look at the hinge plates used to make it not be just a straight line.

And voila, the droids' lookout post is complete. Two places of concealment in the brush, flanking an armored lookout's nest. The classic foliage piece that looks like a miniature christmas tree is once again brought into service here, and very nicely so too.

Last to be built is the BARC speeder, the star of this set. As with most vehicle builds of the non-nautical persuasion (and even then, some of those do this), it starts with a plate or two or three. As a bone thrown to alt build potential, two 1x6 plates are used where a 2x6 plate would have also sufficed.

The body of the bike takes shape. Here, the center is formed from one of the new missile bricks (that goes on your notepad too). A wheelmount piece for the handlebar assemblies to clip to can be seen, something that's standard nowadays for BARCs.

The body is basically complete. There is a battle droid head next to tally marks, indicating somebody's been keeping score. Yes, this is a sticker. No, I'm not gonna complain about it being one.

And ta-da. BARC speeder ready for action. It looks nice. The BARC design has been well-refined by this point, and it looks very nice. I've seen some people complain "We dun need another BARC" but you have to keep in mind that not everybody was able to get their hands on the previous sets to include one (like me), and the fact that a good chunk of the target market wasn't even born or old enough at the time of those sets' release.

So here it is, all together:

Battle on Saleucami. One Battle Droid on a STAP, one on the ground with a rifle, and two SBDs. All four of them on 2x2 bases that let them stand without just falling over, but leave them easy enough to knock over. A lookout point with tiled spots to stand them, so that they are braced but not anchored. A clone trooper on a BARC speeder with a spring-loaded missile-launching brick and four missiles for it.

Can you say "Shooting Gallery"?

It's a lovely idea for a set, good fun to play with and good for building up your armies. It's perhaps a tad overpriced, as I stated at the beginning, but I still recommend picking it up before it disappears from store shelves.

[MKJoshA]

You're off to a good start as a reviewer! A couple suggestions I'd make would be to have a solid white backdrop for your pictures. I use a piece of posterboard but there are many ways to achieve this. I would also be careful not to use any blurry pictures. A couple of yours look like they could use a little more steadiness. I would also try to format your review so that the words and pictures a little more spaced out instead of right on top of each other.

Please don't take my criticism the wrong way. I do think this is a good review

[TWP]

Good review! I still have to pick this set up, it looks quite nice.

One question: Would you recommend picking up multiples of this set?

And I agree with MKJoshA, a solid backdrop will be more pleasant to look at, and at least you could take the modeltrain stuff away next time you're making a review

[duboismerci]

One question: Would you recommend picking up multiples of this set?

I have 6 of these.

There are nice.

There is nothing in that set that you don't want multiple of: BARC speeder, a cool trooper, a stap + pilot , 1 battle droid and 2 super battle droid + a neat wall for playability or display.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Good review! I still have to pick this set up, it looks quite nice.

One question: Would you recommend picking up multiples of this set?

And I agree with MKJoshA, a solid backdrop will be more pleasant to look at, and at least you could take the modeltrain stuff away next time you're making a review

Thank you. I would indeed recommend buying multiples of this set, it's an army-builder for sure and you'll build up a nice fleet of BARCs and STAPs if you do.

I'll see what I can find around the house to use as a solid white surface/backdrop for future reviews. As far as the model train layout goes, we'll see... It's the kind of thing I'm reluctant to put away once it's been set up because the assembly's a bit convoluted (photo here). But I'll try to pick it up or at least keep it out of shot in the future (maybe take out the tracks near the filming area...).

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Thank you. I would indeed recommend buying multiples of this set, it's an army-builder for sure.

Yepp, this looks like a good battle pack - and you get some decent plants for landscaping => multiple buys recommended!