REVIEW: 75016 Homing Spider Droid

[Artanis I]

All & more photos available in full size on Flickr

75016 Homing Spider Droid

Star Wars set based on Episode II: Attack Of The Clones

Released 2nd half of 2013.

Parts: 295

Mass: 386g

MSRP/RRP: $29.99 USD, £29.99 GBP, €39.99 EUR, $39.99 CAD, $49.99 AUD, $69.99 NZD

TLG's blurb:

Take on the Homing Spider Droid™ in the Battle of Geonosis!

As the Battle of Geonosis™ rages on, Jedi Master Stass Allie and a Clone Trooper™ spot a deadly LEGO® [i]Star Wars™[/i]
Homing Spider Droid™ in the distance. Overpower the droid before it attacks with its articulated legs, rotating head, elevating
lower gun and top-mounted flick missile! Then, take on 2 Super Battle Droids™! Includes 4 minifigures with weapons: Stass Allie,
Clone Trooper and 2 Super Battle Droids.
• Includes 4 minifigures with weapons: Stass Allie, Clone Trooper and 2 Super Battle Droids™
• Features articulated legs, rotating head, elevating lower gun and top-mounted flick missile
• Weapons include a Lightsaber and a blaster rifle
• Move the legs, rotate the head and fire the flick missile!
• Use Stass Allie’s Jedi powers to stop the attack!
• Recreate awesome battle scenes from [i]Star Wars™: Episode II Attack of the Clones[/i]
• Build an even bigger Battle of Geonosis with 75015 Corporate Alliance Droid™, 75019 AT-TE™ and 75021 Republic Gunship™!
• Measures over 7" (20cm) high, 10" (26cm) long and 7" (19cm) wide

Instructions for download: (7MB)

http://cache.lego.co...ons/6050673.pdf

Bricklink | Lego Shop@Home | Brickset

For reference, here are some shots from the movie & photos of Lily Nyamwasa as Stass Allie:

Let's have a quick look at the previous version, 7061 from 2008:

In 2013, TLG released a bunch of sets based on Episode II to tie-in with the release of the movie in 3D. Unfortunately this release was cancelled/postponed due to changes in ownership of things Star Wars and consequently the TV & movie direction plan. Due to the time & effort it takes to design Lego sets (especially licenced ones) TLG has had no real choice but to release a bunch of licenced sets that have no media promoting them. This set is one of those.

Let's have a look at it.

As is typical, we start with The Box. It seemed a big box for the size & price of the set. As is normal for Star Wars sets, the cardboard is very glossy and smooth. I found boxes from this wave to be more difficult to open than usual, I had a bit more trouble prying the boxes open without tearing the cardboard this time. Maybe they're using a different glue, the knife wasn't as slick as usual.

Box shows us what we're in for, a technic based droid walker with obligatory flick-fire missile, a smaller more maneouverable (in-universe) similar droid, a couple of super battle droids, a clone trooper and a Jedi, this one being the Tholothian Jedi Master Stass Allie. Battlefield is set on the desolate surfaced sandy orange planet of Geonosis, and the very nice 2013 SuperYoda green box art border really makes the packaging attractive.

Back shows us the posability of the builds & minifigs and also the flick-fire action. (Laser does not fire, BTW...)

Along the top of the box are the full sized images of the included minifigs, also shown in smaller scale on the front. We are alerted to the fact that the Jedi minifig was not previously available.

One side of the box also alerts us to this set being new... I'm not quite sure of many occasions when you would release a set that isn't new though.

On the underside we have a lesson in safety and linguistics.

The other side has a simple account of the set, including the main art.

Next, we go Inside The Box

Contents of the box are an instruction booklet, no sticker sheet, 3 numbered bags and a large technic wheel. The minifigs are divided through the bags.

Let's see the instruction booklet.

Nothing unusual on the front.

Specifics on the numbered bags' contents, bag 1 builds the jedi, dwarf spider droid, and the mid-section of the homing spider droid. Bag 2 builds the clone and the 4 legs. Bag 3 builds the 2 battle droids, and the top & bottom of the droid. The instructions themselves are exactly as you would expect, no real need to look at them here.

Towards the back of the booklet is a nice "checklist" lineup of the 8 regular sets from this wave - 5 based on Geonosis, 1 on Tatooine, 1 on Mandalore and 1 wherever and whatever Jek-14 has to do with Star Wars. I don't know yet.

The parts inventory also conveniently shows us the lengths of the technic rods. Curiously I only recently realised that black is used for even lengths and grey for odd lengths. Makes sense now that I know why they're sometimes one colour and other times, the other. The booklet got a bit curled up in the box, so I had to hold it down to get it flat enough for the photo.

We don't need to see the back, we know what hideous horrors adorn the back of instruction booklets.

Now for the parts:

Not much in the unusual category, but I hadn't seen these before:

Here she is, the highlight of the set. That probably isn't saying much though. Lovely printing on the soft rubbery plastic headress, the back of it looks very weird. It's not as noticeable on the front, but you can see on the back of the torso the "feminine lines" of the waist.

So we build one of these:

I like the way the battle droid torso is used here, it's a very useful piece for auto-greebling. His eyes look a bit downcast... perhaps he needs some encouragement or guidance from someone to look up to. Well, we'll work on that!

We start with this.

These bits weren't used.

Part 2 of the build has 4 identical items, they don't take too long and aren't too tedious so the build isn't as annoying as it can be for some sets with identical sections. No real unusual or overly interesting parts to me. Those brown parts make a reappearance, much to KimT's likely disgust... although take a look at the reference picture and you can see why they're there.

It's the same clone that we've already seen in a few other sets this wave and last.

Our progress looks a little bit similar to this:

As may be evident in the photos, the leg assembly allows them to be quite posable. The feet are very loose, so by trying to animate it with one hand it will flop around a lot, and the feet often curl under. So posing the model takes a bit more care than you may be expecting.

These bits felt left out:

We complete the model with part 3:

I've gotta say, battle droids are not very interesting minifigs. And have very flimsy connections.

A bunch of small add-ons. The curved slope wedges make this version look a lot rounder, but at the same time seem slightly less spherical than the previous.

Put it all together and whaddayaget...

The separatists found these to be extraneous to the needs of the war effort:

Total extra parts in this set:

Model/set evaluation:

It's not a very interesting set to me, but I think that is mainly due to the original source material being so skinny-legged. If the legs were more substantial I believe the set would be too, and more interesting. I don't think this set is worth the $50. I'd say reduce the size of the legs a few studs, bring them slightly closer to the body, remove 1 battle droid and drop the price a few dollars. It may seem more enticing then, but as it's turned out there's just too much space. Either that or bulk up the legs (they wouldn't be as true to the source though) and lose a droid to keep the same price?

It's not a rubbish set, it's just a bit empty. I do however think that this set captures the look of that droid quite well. The dwarf isn't quite there in terms of accuracy, the original is a sphere with legs and a nose like a stinger, whereas the model is a sphere on a box with legs and a nose like Mr Squiggle. While it loses a bit on that side, it seems a better looking Lego model than the bigger droid. The main model looks good in the core, I think it's let down by its spindly legs.

If you're one of those types that buy sets for the parts to build MOCs from, I think this isn't a bad option. Plenty of reusable parts, especially of the technic variety. It's also a set you could easily have multiples of, the only superfluosity would be having an army of Stass Allies. Any battle diorama would easily welcome more clones, super battle droids and spider droids.

Minifig selection:

Well, a clone, a new Jedi & 2 SBDs. It's not bad. I don't really find the BDs or SBDs very interesting so I'd rather an extra clone instead, but I think 2 droids is right. No problems with a plain white clone, the battlefield was lined with them. And because there's only been 1 per set this year, if you get 1 of each or a few sets you can get a decent collection but not too many. I think the Jedi option was an unusual one, I would've expected Stass Allie in a Saleucami Episode III set more than a Geonosian Episode II set, but we haven't seen her before and probably won't see her again.

Thanks for reading/skimming, I hope this was useful to you. I don't have any other versions of these models, but any other photo requests let me know. Any questions/comments feel free to share.

Edited August 20, 2013 by Artanis I

[Tariq j]

Brilliant and detailed review! Thank you for showing us, I haven't got this set yet but i'm planning on getting a few. Mainly for the figs.

[Little_russian_AFOL]

Very good review!!!

[wesker]

Nice review. I think this set is a pretty good improvement over the previous version. The rounded body especially looks a lot better.

The only thing I think could be improved is the minifigure selection. We've had so many Super Battle Droids over the years, it would've been nice to have some more Geonosis Battle Droids instead. And although inaccurate to the scene, I do prefer Adi Gallia over Stass Allie.

[MstrOfPppts]

I think that Adi Galia was saved for a CW set since her role is bigger there. But with CWs end, the future of these sets is unknown. We'll just have to wait and see.

Nice review and I'm definitely getting this set ... *** must have all the jedi ***

Edited August 13, 2013 by MstrOfPppts

[pedro]

Nice reveiw Artanis, thanks. I like the Homing Spider Droid's design in general and this is a good improvement in it's overall shape although it sounds like the posing problem from the original set (or spider on ice skates dilemna as I like to call it) stills persists. Adi Gallia is a good addition to the traditionally styled LEGO minifigures but I sincerely wish the SBDs would get an update - LEGO's poseable figures have come a LONG way since 2002. I'm not so keen on the Dwarf Spider Droid model - the solution to the feet don't do it for me but this is easily modded.

I'll hold off buying this at full price but will keep an eye out for any price drops.

[Csacsa234]

Nice and detailed review, I like this set a lot, but I find it expensive. The best part IMO is Stass Allie and the round body of the spider droid is a major improvement comparing to the previous version. If I find it on sale I get it but not yet, thanks for the review Artanis!

[Captain_Rex]

Very nice job with this review. I have the 2008 Spider Droid and I like the selection of minifigures in that one better than in this set.

[Darth Nader]

Very nice review of the set, great job . I was only interested in the Stass Allie minifigure but now you make me want to get the set. Are you going to review any other sets from the new SW wave?

[Artanis I]

Thanks guys, and for the comments.

To some specific points:

The only thing I think could be improved is the minifigure selection. We've had so many Super Battle Droids over the years, it would've been nice to have some more Geonosis Battle Droids instead. And although inaccurate to the scene, I do prefer Adi Gallia over Stass Allie.

I think that Adi Galia was saved for a CW set since her role is bigger there. But with CWs end, the future of these sets is unknown. We'll just have to wait and see.

I agree with both of you, I actually had a chunk of commentary regarding Adi Gallia vs Stass Allie but I couldn't really get down to what I meant so I cut it.

Are you going to review any other sets from the new SW wave?

I intend to do Jek's starfighter & the Mando speeder this week if I can, I've built the sets & sorted some of the photos. They are the only sets I have / will be getting that aren't reviewed already.

[Esurient]

Great review! Thanks for sharing! I will get my hands on this set! (Sooner or later )