This year marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and there have already been a few LEGO sets announced, like the Podracer diorama and the Droideka. But one of the most iconic characters introduced in that movie, aside from Darth Maul, is the B1 Battle droid. Providing comedic scenes of dialog and utter destruction at the hands of Jedi Qui-gon Jin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and young Anakin. The latest Gift with Purchase from the LEGO Star Wars theme is a redesign of the battle droid carrier that helped deliver battle droids in the battle of Naboo, in case you don’t already have too many of these clumsy cannon fodder. LEGO Star Wars 40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier will be available from May 1st through May 5th for a minimum purchase of US $160 | CAN $TBD | UK £145 from the Star Wars theme.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Unboxing the parts and instructions
The set comes in a small rectangular thumb-punch box with an image of the troop carrier on the front and the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars and Episode 1 branding. The full line-up of eight battle droids (2 pilot and 6 standard ones) is also included. On the back of the box is another image of the carrier in its two detachable sections and an image showing how the two sections come apart.
Inside the box are 3 numbered bags, a single plate, and an instruction booklet. There are no stickers in this set.
The build
The build starts with the pilot section of the carrier and includes two 3×3 curved rounded pieces in reddish-brown. The rear portion consists of a row of black rail bricks to allow the troop section to slide in and out of the carrier.
6 bumper details are attached to the sides, and the pilot section with a single asymmetrical light and angled front are added.
Next is the troop section which includes a gun rack at the front, and two troop compartments that hinge down when removed from the pilot section, although I can see no practical reason for this, as the droids would end up face down on the ground.
Since the droids have no knee joints, they are folded at the waist with their arms out behind them. The gun racks are a waste of space, in my opinion, and could easily fit 2 more battle droids, with the guns stored somewhere else.
The Minifigs
The set comes with 2 pilot droids with blue torsos and 6 standard droids. The standard droids all hold a rifle in the usual straight arm.
The finished model
Despite my criticisms, the finished carrier is pretty good. It is a clear improvement over the last version and includes a variety of newer parts like the brown curved slopes and the 2×2 plate with the perpendicular plate that the droids stand on. This is a pretty good source of battle droids, although I should point out that according to the official Visual Dictionary, the troop carrier holds a full rack equal to the much larger MTT, LEGO obviously cannot include that many, especially in a gift-with-purchase set.
Conclusions and recommendations
If you are a fan of the prequel films and other content from that era of Star Wars or are looking to expand your droid army this set is a great addition, and with so many recently announced LEGO Star Wars sets out now, or coming out on May 4, meeting the $160 purchase threshold should be pretty easy. LEGO Star Wars 40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier will be available from May 1st through May 5th for a minimum purchase of US $160 | CAN $TBD | UK £145 from the Star Wars theme.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
This is the most un-GWP like GWP I have ever seen. Why is it not a regular set for army building?
Brief and informative, with the right amount of (good-quality) pictures.