LEGO Star Wars 75208 Yoda’s Hut from The Empire Strikes Back [Review]

dinsdag, 01 mei 2018

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Although most of the spring wave of LEGO Star Wars sets have been focused on Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Classic Trilogy hasn’t been forgotten. LEGO returns to Dagobah with 75208 Yoda’s Hut. The set includes three minifigures with 229 LEGO pieces, and retails for $29.99 in the US.

We’ve focused a lot of our reviews lately on large sets like 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon and the forthcoming UCS Y-wing (look for our review later this week), so it’s nice to take a bit of a break with a smaller LEGO Star Wars set. Let’s dig in!

The box & instructions

The pieces for Yoda’s swampy abode come in a pair of numbered bags, with the single instruction booklet loose in the box. Our instruction booklet wasn’t creased or otherwise damaged, which is no surprise with a booklet that’s about the same size as the box. We’ve often argued that instruction booklets should come in their own wrapper, and we’re happy to see that more and more in larger sets with sticker sheets. But with no sticker sheet in the set, we certainly can’t object to one less bit of plastic heading to the landfill.

The build

Like other smaller sets, this is a quick build. Nevertheless, there’s significant modularity geared toward younger builders, with sub-assemblies that connect via hinge bricks and Technic pins.

The modules come together to create a sturdy build for the hut itself, with a variety of natural colors.

Yoda’s hut uses a variety of slopes, arches, and corner bricks to achieve the organic shape of the Jedi Master’s residence. The hut is full of details and play features, which we’ll take a closer look at in the next section of this review.

The finished model

The side sections fold inward toward the hut, resulting in a very compact footprint. Various foliage elements spring up from the base and hang down from branches, while the hut itself is built from a variety of tan and brown colors.

The front door is large enough to accommodate Yoda’s short form, and low enough to force the impatient young Luke to stoop as he enters. A round side window reminds me of Bag End from The Hobbit, though curved corner tiles in olive green smooth the shape of the 4×4 round plate with a 2×2 hole in the middle, underneath.

The interior of the hut includes a cooking area with a pot from which Yoda can serve stew, plus a bed that folds up and various storage spaces.

A plate under the small table lifts up to reveal a hidden compartment under the floor, perhaps to store Yoda’s lightsaber — not something that appears in the movie, but a fun detail nevertheless.

The brown section of the base pops off the back of Yoda’s hut and can be attached to the front door. It includes a flip mechanism that pops a minifig into the air, allowing you to recreate Luke’s training scene from The Empire Strikes Back.

Of course, a minifigure is not endowed with the Force, and flipping Luke lands him on his keister, as this animation illustrates. Still, it’s a really fun play feature that’s sure to entertain younger builders.

Similarly, the tree branch on top of Yoda’s hut has another flip mechanism.

Striking the lever flips Luke into the air, though he has a longer way to fall this time.

Handholds are built onto various other parts of the model, including a trans-clear plate with a knob attached to a string so Luke can swing on a vine like Tarzan.

There’s even a trans-clear piece on the ground for Luke to hold onto as he does his meditative handstand.

One of my favorite details is the plume of smoke coming from Yoda’s cookfire. It’s built from 2×2 round plates, and even though I love the sense of movement, I do think other elements might have provided a more natural look.

The minifigures

75208 Yoda’s Hut includes three minifigures — Jedi Master Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and R2-D2. Each minifigure is new and unique to this set, so let’s take a closer look.

Luke wears a tan tanktop with cargo pants, and has a neck bracket to which another bracket is attached, enabling Yoda to ride around piggyback as Luke jumps around Dagobah. Luke’s X-wing (4502) from 2004 also featured Yoda’s hut with Luke in his Dagobah outfit. Luke wore a brick-built backpack, which Yoda could hang onto for dear life. In the movie, Luke carries Yoda in a backpack, and while neither of these LEGO solution seem ideal, I can’t think of anything other than a new accessory that would truly match the movie.

Luke has a reversible face, with a determined/angry look on one side and a meditative face on the other. Given how much Luke whines at Yoda on Dagobah, a petulant face might seem like a better choice than a determined look… Minifigures with closed eyes are rare, so any set that adds a “sleeping” minifig face is a great addition to LEGO minifig parts selection.

Artoo has appeared in scores of LEGO Star Wars sets over the past 19 years, but in relatively few variations (most of them fairly recent). This latest R2-D2 variant has brown mud splattered on both his dome and body, overlying the blue and silver details underneath.

Yoda has had more minifig variants over the years, with three main head versions (the original unprinted head, a Clone Wars TV series version with big eyes, and the latest realistic version) along with several torso prints. Yoda’s torso is new to this set, with a somewhat ragged robe and a blissl flute around his neck.

Conclusions & recommendation

The set’s numerous play features, unique minifigures, excellent selection of natural-colored pieces, and brief but satisfying build all contribute to a really fun set.

75208 Yoda’s Hut is being sold at the same price point as the similarly themed 75200 Ahch-To Island Training, which includes 241 pieces and three minifigs. It feels particularly poignant that Luke Skywalker appears at the beginning and end of his life as a Jedi in two LEGO Star Wars sets at the same time. Neither set is a particularly great value as a pure parts pack, but all its great features make Yoda’s Hut in particular a great addition to any LEGO Star Wars collection.

75208 Yoda’s Hut includes 229 pieces and three minifigures. The set is available now from the LEGO Shop ($29.99 in the US | $34.99 in Canada | £25.99 in the UK), Amazon.com, Target, BrickLink, and eBay.

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.