Buying this set will set you back $69.99 and get you 616 pieces, including eight minifigures with assorted accessories. As far as I can tell, the three Bith musicians are the only minis in this set that haven't been seen before, with updated versions of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Greedo, and a Sandtrooper rounding out the ranks.
Interestingly enough, this set seems to be a remake of the 4501 Mos Eisley Cantina released back in 2004. I didn't have this set, but I do have access to Google, hence me learning this little tidbit. Both sets contained a version of the Cantina, the Landspeeder, and the Dewback, so it's neat to be able to see how the set has been improved over the previous release.
I was on the fence about this set at first. I'm not a huge fan of playsets because I don't do much playing with these builds. And I already had the previous version of the Landspeeder, which I have pictures of below. I also have more versions of Luke and Han than I can shake a stick at. But in the end, the set won me over. Read on to find out why.
The Minifigures
As I said before, I have plenty of Luke's, Han's, and even a few Obi-Wan's. I also have at least 20 Stormtroopers, so that certainly wasn't the driving factor behind me purchasing this set. That being said, I did want the other minifigures, especially Greedo, so I'll start things off there.
So here we have Greedo, scourge of the underworld, and bane of Han Solo's existence. Naw, just kidding. Greedo can really only be summed up in two words: super chump. And I don't care what Lucas says, Han shot first.
Now that that's out of the way, lets talk about this minifigure. This isn't the first time we've seen Greedo, as he was part of the Cantina set I mentioned above, but this is the first time he's been released in almost a decade, so I'd consider him a new figure. Greedo is a solid design, despite not completely matching the movie counter part. The blue is a little bright for my tastes, and I'm disappointed he doesn't have the yellow stripes running down his arms and legs. But it does work as a facsimile, because it'll be hard to look at this figure and not know it's supposed to be Greedo. The head is well sculpted, I like the belt printed on his legs, and I think the vest looks great. Greedo also comes with a standard blaster pistol.
Next up is the Cantina Band. You get three identical minifigures, and while it wouldn't hurt if Lego had decided to make slight differentiations around the torso, ala the Ghostbusters, I can't fault them because the characters are supposed to look identical to one another. I like the way they turned out, and the sculpt of the head is fantastic. Two of the three come with accessories: a wind instrument and what I think is a microphone. The third band member is supposed to be the drummer, and his drum kit is part of the Cantina build.
This is definitely the most detailed version of Luke Skywalker in his Tatooine outfit that we've seen to date, although whether this is a good or bad thing might depend on your personal preference. I like the outfit. It has a lot of detail, and I like the printing on the back. What I don't much care for are the use of excessive lines on Luke's face. It's supposed to look more detailed, but really just makes the figure look older. Not that I'm not a fan of detail, I just think it takes away from Luke's youthful appearance if he looks world-weary before he even goes off-world. Luke also comes with his blue lightsaber and a pair of binoculars. And if you were keeping track, this is the same figure that came with the UCS Sandcrawler.
Since we're on the topic of too much facial detail, Obi-Wan Kenobi looks rough. The extra lines on his face makes him look more haggard than he needs to be, as if I couldn't tell he was supposed to be an old man by looking at his gray hair and beard. The two-tone beard is a great touch, but I wish Lego would update his hairpiece. Or this hairpiece in general. Obi and Han have had the same hair since 1999, and I think it's time for a new do.
As far as Obi-Wan's body goes, I think it looks fantastic. I was shocked it didn't come with a cape, but integrating his Jedi robes into the printing really works well. The printing on the back is very detailed, and the front looks even better. It's funny that this is both the best and worst Obi-Wan has looked. He also comes with the blue lightsaber pictured. And of the three main minifigures, Obi-Wan is the only that doesn't come with a double-sided head.
If we have a Cantina set featuring Greedo, then of course Han Solo isn't far behind. And he looks pretty damn good. As far as I can tell, this is the same minifigure that came with the 75030 Microfighters Millennium Falcon (which is worth the $10, btw). The detail on the body is well done, I like the belt on his legs, and unlike Luke, I think the extra detail on his face makes Han look the part of the smuggler we all know and love. There isn't much else to say, other than he also come with a blaster pistol.
As great as the other minifigures in this set are, the Sandtrooper stands out as being the best. It's great to see the evolution of the Stormtrooper, and I have a lot of them, so I may one day do a piece on the change in their looks. The detail on this figure is amazing and really matches what we see in the movies. I suppose I could do without the tan highlights that represent sand, but overall the look works well. The scowl on his face also looks rather menacing, a feature that could've been left out since most people would use the sandtrooper without his helmet. The minifigure also comes with a long rifle and staff (both of which are pictured with the Dewback) and his backpack.
Finally, we have the Dewback. It's a good-sized figure that only moves at the mouth. The back consists of studs which can either be covered by four rounded plates or the Dewback's saddle. The saddle is pretty neat, designed to look as if it's draping over the animal's back. There are also two holster on the saddle to hold the rifle and the staff when not in use by the Sandtrooper.
Now that that's out of the way, lets talk about this minifigure. This isn't the first time we've seen Greedo, as he was part of the Cantina set I mentioned above, but this is the first time he's been released in almost a decade, so I'd consider him a new figure. Greedo is a solid design, despite not completely matching the movie counter part. The blue is a little bright for my tastes, and I'm disappointed he doesn't have the yellow stripes running down his arms and legs. But it does work as a facsimile, because it'll be hard to look at this figure and not know it's supposed to be Greedo. The head is well sculpted, I like the belt printed on his legs, and I think the vest looks great. Greedo also comes with a standard blaster pistol.
Next up is the Cantina Band. You get three identical minifigures, and while it wouldn't hurt if Lego had decided to make slight differentiations around the torso, ala the Ghostbusters, I can't fault them because the characters are supposed to look identical to one another. I like the way they turned out, and the sculpt of the head is fantastic. Two of the three come with accessories: a wind instrument and what I think is a microphone. The third band member is supposed to be the drummer, and his drum kit is part of the Cantina build.
This is definitely the most detailed version of Luke Skywalker in his Tatooine outfit that we've seen to date, although whether this is a good or bad thing might depend on your personal preference. I like the outfit. It has a lot of detail, and I like the printing on the back. What I don't much care for are the use of excessive lines on Luke's face. It's supposed to look more detailed, but really just makes the figure look older. Not that I'm not a fan of detail, I just think it takes away from Luke's youthful appearance if he looks world-weary before he even goes off-world. Luke also comes with his blue lightsaber and a pair of binoculars. And if you were keeping track, this is the same figure that came with the UCS Sandcrawler.
Since we're on the topic of too much facial detail, Obi-Wan Kenobi looks rough. The extra lines on his face makes him look more haggard than he needs to be, as if I couldn't tell he was supposed to be an old man by looking at his gray hair and beard. The two-tone beard is a great touch, but I wish Lego would update his hairpiece. Or this hairpiece in general. Obi and Han have had the same hair since 1999, and I think it's time for a new do.
As far as Obi-Wan's body goes, I think it looks fantastic. I was shocked it didn't come with a cape, but integrating his Jedi robes into the printing really works well. The printing on the back is very detailed, and the front looks even better. It's funny that this is both the best and worst Obi-Wan has looked. He also comes with the blue lightsaber pictured. And of the three main minifigures, Obi-Wan is the only that doesn't come with a double-sided head.
If we have a Cantina set featuring Greedo, then of course Han Solo isn't far behind. And he looks pretty damn good. As far as I can tell, this is the same minifigure that came with the 75030 Microfighters Millennium Falcon (which is worth the $10, btw). The detail on the body is well done, I like the belt on his legs, and unlike Luke, I think the extra detail on his face makes Han look the part of the smuggler we all know and love. There isn't much else to say, other than he also come with a blaster pistol.
As great as the other minifigures in this set are, the Sandtrooper stands out as being the best. It's great to see the evolution of the Stormtrooper, and I have a lot of them, so I may one day do a piece on the change in their looks. The detail on this figure is amazing and really matches what we see in the movies. I suppose I could do without the tan highlights that represent sand, but overall the look works well. The scowl on his face also looks rather menacing, a feature that could've been left out since most people would use the sandtrooper without his helmet. The minifigure also comes with a long rifle and staff (both of which are pictured with the Dewback) and his backpack.
Finally, we have the Dewback. It's a good-sized figure that only moves at the mouth. The back consists of studs which can either be covered by four rounded plates or the Dewback's saddle. The saddle is pretty neat, designed to look as if it's draping over the animal's back. There are also two holster on the saddle to hold the rifle and the staff when not in use by the Sandtrooper.
The Landspeeder
From what I can tell, this is the fourth version of the full-sized Landspeeder released by Lego, and the second released in this color, which closer matches the movie version.
The Landspeeder is a solid build that feels good to play with. I like the additional detail the stickers on the engines and hood add to the build, giving it a more used and beat-up feel. The use of nine clear slide shoes on the underside of the vehicle also gives it a floating appearance and allows it to slide around without worry of hooking on to something on you table or base plates. The top engine is removable, revealing a storage compartment to house Luke and Obi-Wan's lightsabers and binoculars.
Now there's nothing wrong with this build. I think it's well done, but ultimately my problem with this Landspeeder is that it was a well done build when it was released four years ago.
I just don't think enough has changed between these two builds to warrant a second release so close to the original (especially since I already owned it). And since the is a Mos Eisley Cantina scene, the Landspeeder isn't necessarily integral to this set. As much as I like this vehicle, I would much rather have preferred more minifigures, maybe the bartender and other patrons to fill out the scenes this set represents: Obi-Wan slicing that dude's arm off, the Han/Greedo shootout, and the first meeting between Han, Chewie, Luke, and Obi-Wan. Actually, this could've been a perfect opportunity to gives fans of the Original Trilogy the newest version of Chewbacca, since it's only currently available in a set based on Episode III.
The Cantina
As you can see, the Cantina scene itself is pretty big. And what I love the most about it is that it can be folded up to be stored compactly, if space is a problem (which it is for me). When folded, it kinda looks like a building from the outside. Along the back, there is a trough for the Dewback, and what I think is a power converter. Whatever it is, it looks cool.
On the interior, you get the bar, some seating, the stage for the band, and the domed entrance of the Cantina.
The bar comes well stocked, with a few pieces acting as glasses and beer mugs, which is a nice touch. It also comes with what appears to be a cash register and has a couple drawers to hold all the coins being tossed at the bartender to clean up all the grisly murders. The stage is also well done, able to house all three members of the band (although they won't all fit when the set is closed up), along with their instruments and the drum kit. The table and chairs are there to recreate the showdown between Han and Greedo. Now a great built in feature is the stage and the showdown scene slide out of the Cantina, which allows you to easily position the minifigures in place. Great forward thinking on Lego's behalf.
The last room in the entrance of the Cantina, which has a dome that can open and close, and a sliding door. The door is neat but kinda pointless since the entrance is completely open on one side, two if you leave the door folded out.
The Verdict
When I first bought this set, I wasn't expecting much. But after I built it, and spent some time with it, I've realized how much of a value you get with this set. It's true that you're getting a little over 600 pieces for $70, but when you break it down, you're getting eight minifigures, a regular-sized figure, a vehicle, and a playset that has plenty of features.
And as far as gripes go, almost all of them stem from how this set compares to other sets I own. If this is first Star Wars set you've purchased, or you only recently started collecting, you will be getting a hell of a deal. This is a fantastic set, and you shouldn't be disappointed by it.
So to wrap this up, I'll sum up my review in three words: GO BUY THIS!
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