[REVIEW] 75335 BD-1

[MKJoshA]

INTRODUCTION
Large scale droids are nothing new for the Star Wars line. But a droid based on a video game? That's new territory for Lego. We've received sets from various Star Wars video games like Battlefront, Old Republic, and Force Unleashed. But this is the first time we've received a large scale display piece as our only set to represent a game. Is the set good enough to satisfy Jedi Fallen Order players even without a Cal Kestis figure?

SET INFORMATION
Number: 75335
Title: BD-1
Theme: Star Wars
Released: 2022
Part Count: 1062
Box Dimensions: 35.4 x 37.8 x 7.05 cm
Weight: 1162 gram
Set Price (RRP): 99.99 EUR / 89.99 GBP / 99.99 USD / 
Price per Part: 9.4 EUR / 8.5 GBP / 9.4 USD
Links: Brickset, Bricklink

THE BOX
The front shows the Fallen Order logo, the game from which this model is inspired.

And on the back we see the few play features included.

CONTENTS OF THE BOX
Inside are 8 numbered bags (3 of which are for step 3) and a sealed instructions plus sticker.

Despite being sealed, my instructions were warped and my sticker nearly so.

THE BUILD

We can see from the beginning of the instructions that the model is built in 2 main parts, the body and then the head.

This set has some parts and recolors that are new for me. First off being this technic connector. Bricklink tells me it first came out last year, but has only been in three other sets which explains why I haven't seen it before now. It's used in BD-1 to add security for the neck connection.

Next up on the new-part-list are these large click hinge attachments. It's new for this year and has been used in eight other large creature/robot sets. It's essentially a converter for the two different kinds of click hinges and adds a lot of versatility of movement in a small space.

Just a little ways into the building process and BD-1 is really starting to take shape.

The legs are fleshed out by attaching two different sections to the top and bottom technic beams. These are very secure and match up perfectly with each other. The technic beams remain exposed on the feet which is unfortunate as there should be more white covering that area. But overall the end result looks pretty good.

Finishing the lower half we start into the head. It's a pretty hollow structure as you can see. And there is a nicely integrated drawer for the Stim Canisters.

Finishing the head you attach it to the body using larger click hinges in white. It's a very simple attachment, but very effective. The end result is extremely sturdy.

And here's the end result!

The head can tilt left and right a little which adds emotion to this little robot.

The back of the head uses light and dark blue round tiles to simulate the computer lights. The back of the feet uses the newer 2L bar and a silver candlestick to replicate a piston.

From the side you can see the details on the side of the head. You can also see the negative results of how the feet and legs are built.

From the front only the feet look a little bare. From the side you can see the exposed technic elements and hollow sections. A few mods would fix it and it's not glaringly noticeable. So it's a minor quibble.

The legs have limited range of movement. There's a lot of versatility in the hips. But the "knees" and "ankles" are completely stationary. So this pose is about as crazy as you can get. I wish there were more options for posing. Though I understand it would have affected stability quite a bit.

Of course you always have the option to do the splits.

And while the posing is limited, there are a few fun ways you can arrange BD-1. Here's the droid looking embarrassed.

And here's he's looking up at his owner with expectation.

Around the eyes there's some really fun piece match-ups. The eyes are attached with technic pins and the flaps fold down on clip hinges. They meet up perfectly showing the genius of Lego math! If you're not careful a small gap can appear as seen above, but it's easy to push the two sections back into position as seen in the bottom half of the photo.

The Stim Canister drawer opens just enough to see 3 canisters loaded. The drawer stays closed or slides open as desired. If you really move the model around the drawer might slide open unwanted, but not usually. The Stims are really hard to get out when the drawer is open. And no spring is included to recreate BD-1 launching them to you when your health is low   The easiest way to get the Stims out is actually when the drawer is closed. Since the head is so hollow you can just shake BD-1 a little bit and they'll drop out the neck.

The Stim Canisters themselves don't look much like their game counterpart. I'd have gone with trans-blue instead of green. And all three are attached together with the technic half-beam so you can't get a single one apart. That's good for storage and movement, but a compromise when it comes to accuracy.

Here you can see the hollow inside of the head. It's only noticeable from certain angles. But when you can see the underside it looks very unfinished.

Overall the model is very sturdy. Here the head is extended all the way back and the legs are still able to hold everything up.

The set comes with a minifigure scale BD-1, shown on the left. Also released this year was a blue version in the Mandalorian N-1 set shown on the right. The only difference is the paint job.

Red is the classic skin for BD-1 in the game so it makes sense that Lego went with that. But I know many customizers will be pleased that there's a blue version available too. It would have been fun if the set came with multiple skins for the "minifigure", but it's completely understandable that they didn't.

OVERALL

This is a fantastic set. The end result is well built and instantly recognizable as the BD-1 droid from Fallen Order. It's displayable in a few different, fun positions that would look great on any desk or shelf. I have a few complaints all dealing with Lego's choice to go with form over function. But if you have to choose only one of those Lego made the right choice as the end model looks great.

SCORE
How do I rate this set?

DESIGN 9
This set is designed really well. A few areas where the technic parts show through, but overall it looks sleek.

BUILDING EXPERIENCE 10
BD-1 was a lot of fun to build! The model really comes together nicely and the sub-models all fit nicely.

FEATURES 9
This is a display model which is its main feature. And it does that pretty well. I wish there was a little more flexibility in the legs, but it's a minor complaint. The Stim Canister drawer is a fun addition even if it's challenging to get the canisters out.

PLAYABILITY 9
This is not meant to be a play model. But because you can pose the head a lot I think it ticks a lot of the playability boxes for a set like this.

PARTS 10
There is a very nice selection of parts in this set. It's not a parts pack, but you certainly get your money's worth.

VALUE FOR MONEY 10
This is easily worth $100. You get over 1,000 parts and the end result feels substantial and looks great.

FINAL SCORE: 9.5
BD-1 can't sit on your shoulder. I tried and couldn't get it to balance well enough to even get a picture! But you can display it on flat surfaces and it'll look fantastic. And if you don't like the classic red color scheme it's very easy to customize this set. Overall a fantastic model for any Star Wars fan.

[Milan]

Beautiful set and great review!

[LordsofMedieval]

Good review. However, you don't get enough for $100.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Amazing set ...thanks for the review!