Review: 75009 Snowspeeder and Hoth
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Review: 75009 Snowspeeder and Hoth
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2013 08:55. Filed under Set review.
You may recall us mentioning that, for some reason, series 4 of the Star Wars Planet sets have made an appearance in shops in some mainland European countries already. They are not due in the UK until August, apparently, and I don't think they are in North America yet, either (correct me if I'm mistaken).Thankfully being in the EU enables us in the UK to bypass anomalies such as this, especially so when the European Amazons stock them. So, I ordered the two I didn't already have from Amazon.es and they arrived today.
You may also recall that when I reviewed 75010, the B-Wing from series 4 that was kindly sent to me by Ahrien a few weeks ago, I thought it was the worst Planet set ever. Surely this one was going to be better that that...
Box and contents
All Planet sets look the same inside and out and contain the same. I don't know why I bother writing this bit of the review, to be honest :-) However, look closely at the picture above and you will notice a difference: it's shrink wrapped. This is a first for me and I suspect it's been done at Amazon's request, or maybe even by Amazon, because I don't believe other shops sell them like this. It certainly helps to keep the planet protected and if you're paranoid about such things, Amazon.es would be a good place to buy them. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found them shrink-wrapped like this.
The Minifigure
The set hasn't been inventoried at BrickLink yet so I don't know for certain that the Snowspeeder Pilot is unique but I suspect it is. To torso and legs look the same as Luke Skywalker's in 75014 The Battle of Hoth, but of course this one has a different head and helmet. Regardless, it's very nice.
The Snowspeeder
This is the first micro-scale Snowspeeder to have been made by LEGO. There was a pico-scale one in 4486 AT-ST & Snowspeeder and also 8029 Mini Snowspeeder, which was designed but never actually produced.
As you can see below, it's excellent. The nose slope is printed and everything looks right and well proportioned. My only complaint is that the black 1x2 plate used in the cockpit should have been trans-black like the 1x1 cheese wedges.
After taking these pictures I noticed that two of the four white 1x2 jumper plates used beneath the cockpit are the old style without grooves, and two are the new style with them, which I thought was a bit weird. It doesn't really notice when you look at the model normally but this photo has accentuated the difference.
The completed model
As usual, a stand is provided, with a unique printed 4x4 tile, to display the minifig and ship on. The planet looks suitably cold and icy.
Overall opinion
Series 4 of the Planets appears to have one of the worse -- the B-Wing -- and one of the best spaceships in it. This Snowspeeder is big, chunky, swooshable, looks great, and just as it should, and with the exception of the black plate issue, could not really be bettered. The minifig is nothing special, but is perfectly acceptable and appropriate for the set.
Recommended.
I hope 75011, up for review next, is as good as this.
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