In the Star Wars universe, the bad guys often have the coolest toys. In A New Hope, it was Star Destroyers and the Death Star, and with the release of The Empire Strikes Back it was the AT-AT. But one of the first new characters appears in the movie as the Empire searches the galaxy for signs of the Rebel scum that destroyed the Death Star. I am, of course, talking about the Viper Probe droid, launched from the Imperial fleet and scattered across the stars in their pods. From the moment we first saw the technological terror rising out of the snowbank, turning its multi-eyed head and unfolding its arms like some kind of evil jellyfish, it was clear that the Empire would stop at nothing to find the rebels. Joining the collectible helmets in the new 18+ line of LEGO sets, the Imperial Probe Droid is finally available at a scale that does the source material justice. 75306 Imperial Probe Droid includes 683 pieces and will retail for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £59.99. It is available for pre-order now, and will be available starting April 26.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
The box uses the same black vertical format as the Star Wars Helmets Collection with the 18+ branding, featuring the finished model on the front with a subtle red glow. The back of the box shows the model from a different angle and includes a small diagram to show the dimensions and a small row of three images from the movie.
The box comes with 6 numbered bags, most containing additional bags for smaller parts, an instruction booklet, a sticker sheet, and 2 small bags filled with an assortment of small parts which are mostly used in the construction of the arms, with a few turning up as eyes.
Just like the 2 waves of helmets, the booklet starts with an introductory spread from LEGO Star Wars Creative Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen about the probe droid, including a full-page photograph of the droid in action from the movie.
Here are just a few of the interesting parts in this set, including several of the small parts from the pre-pack bag that was introduced with the Batman theme last year. Each of these is appearing in this color for the first time. I think that mech-builders and LEGO fans who enjoy creating seemingly impossible connections will love many of these as they use a bunch of unusual angles, and have a variety of studs and clip pipes. There is one part that stands out as essential in this set, and that’s the small 1×1 rounded cone that is used in many of the arm joints.
The sticker sheet is dominated by the large UCS-sized info card that goes on the stand.
The build
The build starts out with a basic snowy landscape which hides an opening for the end of the stand built from transparent found bricks with an axle down the center. The info card attaches to the base, with a bit of snow along the edges, which is a fun detail.
The base of the droid uses a common technique of plates attached to hinges on all 4 spokes, but there is a neat trick to ensure that the angled segments line up consistently around the model by using gold handles to keep them at the perfect angle.
The head is a hodge-podge of radar dishes, cones, and rounded boat tiles for eyes and sensors, and a lot of the 1×1 round plates with handles, which allows the many smaller eyes to be arranged at different angles.
The two antennas used to transmit the recorded scans of the rebel power generator are topped with 2 of the candle piece in black, which also appear later on some of the smaller arms.
Speaking of arms, the droid also has 6 spindly appendages. Three larger ones tipped with various clamps, blades, and other nefarious tools. The three smaller arms which sprout from the central portion of the droids underside all end in clamps of differing designs. The arms, which feature several of the short rounded trapezoid cones, are very movie-accurate, and frankly would not look nearly as good without them, being the perfect shape for the knobbly joints.
The finished model
With the finished droid perched on its stand, the head can move freely, and some of the arms can be posed, while others are more restricted by the use of certain fixed parts. The droid can be turned to face any one of four directions since the base of the stand is square. If I had any complaint about the set, it would be that the stand is just a bit too short to unfold the arms fully, but the trade-off in stability is acceptable since you would not want a wobbly stand to tip over and cause your probe droid to self-destruct.
Conclusion and recommendations
As the first non-helmet in the small-box 18+ Star Wars collection, this droid stands out, and would be a perfect addition to any fan’s collection. The Imperial Probe Droid is a complicated blend of organic and angular shapes with so many different sizes of eyes and sensors, and the LEGO designers have done a fantastic job. Fans of the probe droid have had many versions from official sets at minifig scale that left so much to be desired, and it is great to finally get a version worthy of display, and for a reasonable price.
75306 Imperial Probe Droid | 683 pcs | US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £59.99
The set is available for preorder starting today from LEGO.com, and on general sale globally from April 26th. It may also be available on Amazon and ebay.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Check out the gallery for all the images:
I’m not much into Star Wars Lego, but will still be buying this just for the parts!
Wow, that is fantastic. Great review!