LEGO Star Wars 9490: Droid Escape

At a rrp of about £20, this is a good set for mini figures for collectors. You get 2 sandtroopers, R2D2 and C3PO, an escape pod and a sand-bike (which is almost a mini-build). The 'sandtroopers' are stormtroopers with a back pack and distressed sand print, they also have different coloured shoulder epulettes (sand and white)- and that's quite a cool little detail; (we put ours with the sandtrooper from the 'Landspeeder' set, who wears a black epulette). C3PO is also a new print, with some of his 'parts' showing in his midriff, so he is different from any other C3PO's. I agree that for 20 quid there didnt seem to be that many bricks (the box seems a little light and a brick short of a £20 lego kit)- the main part of the pod is built from 2 large pieces. You only get to build the interior 'seat' and the rockets and deco on the outside. There are also quite alot of tricky stickers. It is a real quick build - 10 minutes at the most. Our 6 year old did most of it himself, but some bits require stronger more experienced hands (ie. fitting the rocket cowels and stickers).

Overall we like the set as it helps us act out the "Star Wars" story. Much more fun when mixed with other sets. We put it with the land speeder set that comes with Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi, for extensive Tattoouine action! And several lego miniguys are currently playing extras in our 'Cantina' scene (eg green alien, grey, cyborg and galaxy girl). Our boy likes to stuff it with clones and Yoda, to send them on a mission to the Toydarian coral planet (He said you can fit more in if you take the seat out - good luck).

137 pieces for the Lego RRP of twenty pounds isn't exactly an earth-shattering deal, but in tandem with TLG's clever product line, this is a very easy way to get four good minifigures and two small models.

And that is likely the way TLG consider products such as this; the build[s] within the set are not as important as the minifigures, which are what many die-hard fans want. As such, if it's playability that you're thinking of, then put your money towards something else, because there's little to get excited about in 9490. Both the Escape Pod and the Sandspeeder are excellent little models, but it's difficult to maintain a story when the Escape Pod (A) had such little screen-time, and (B) has no significance other than to be buried in sand or to be propelled into orbit. The interior of the pod would seem to exist purely to build up the value of the product, because it has little relation to the Escape Pod from the movie. Obviously I can understand the design hurdles that would need to be overcome, but it's good to see that the engines/funnels are so well thought-out.

The Sandspeeder is a nice mini-build, but again, just looks out of place without a creative solution for the sand dunes. In fact, this Sandspeeder wasn't even in the original movie. I won't complain too much as it's actually a good looking bike, and was most likely based on original production artwork/concept drawings. Either way, it definitely fits into the Star Wars universe.

But it's the minifigures really steal the show. R2-D2 has cropped up numerous times and this is still the cheapest way to get him in a Lego set, while C-3PO, although following a similar trend, now sports a new print on his torso. It contains the wiring around his 'belly' and as such looks a lot more authentic. In addition, his eyes now have yellow iris spots so that they glow similarly to how they do in the movies.

Our two 'Sandtroopers' are unique to this product; they have sand stuck to their helmets and body. Great! They also have the backpacks, weapons, and one has a metallic artefact that represents the "Look, droids!" line from the movie. A nice little touch.

In all, for Amazon's price this product is worthy of a purchase when you consider the saving involved - it has four excellent minifigures and a really nice 'looking' Escape Pod that is most likely suited to display rather than play. The build requires six stickers, but these enhance the look of the pod greatly.

Probably not! But it is a good set none the less. Original price may be a little high but as always with Amazon when it is on offer it is a good price.

Easy to assemble, the escape pod does not really keep together very well so be carefull when wooshing it around, or you may spend time looking for parts or just not finding them at all - mine now only has 1 booster on the top instead of 4.

The new Storm Troopers are a nice pair with accesories to match and C3 and R2 are classic figures to say the least.

All in all a nice set for the money, especially given the stupidly high prices of some of the larger sets, get this and get the new Desert Skiff set (when on offer of course!)