Introduction
2024 is officially here and LEGO has kicked off the new year with a new set, 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack. When it was first announced, this set received a lot of buzz and it is easy to see why.
Battle packs have been a cornerstone of LEGO Star Wars since their inception in 2007. Their army building capabilities are the biggest selling point for fans of all ages. In 2020, LEGO released the first battle pack that had over 200 pieces. This set, 75280 LEGO Star Wars The Clone Wars 501st Legion Clone Troopers, was a great success and a good value.
75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack is the second 200+ piece battle pack and a worthy successor. With balanced minifigure selection and a variety of builds, this set could exceed the lofty standards of its predecessor.
Details
Set Name: Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack
Item Number: 75280
Piece Count: 215
Price: US $29.99
Release Date: 01/01/2024
Minifigures
The set includes a whopping nine minifigures! The first two minifigures are the standard B1 Battle Droids that we are all familiar with. They both carry gun-metal gray blasters. One battle droid has a single stud clip on its back to hold the blaster while attached to the STAP vehicle. That same battle droid has two curved arms in order to clip to the STAP's handles. The other battle droid has two straight arms so that it can hold its blaster in standard fashion. There are spare arms to swap around for each droid.
The next group of minifigures are three standard Phase 2 Clone Troopers. It has been a few years since there have been multiple plain clone troopers in a battle pack. Two clone troopers carry a standard black colored blaster. The other clone trooper carries a sniper rifle. All three figures include detailed chest, torso, back, leg, and feet printing. They all use the standard clone trooper heads.
The other clone trooper in this battle pack is the Shock Trooper. This is the same minifigure that we received in 2023's 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship. This trooper has the standard clone head. It has the distinct Shock Trooper red markings on its helmet. The Shock Trooper has chest, torso, back, leg, and feet printing with red accents. This minifigure carries binoculars and a blaster pistol.
The last three minifigures are perhaps the most anticipated. The B2 Super Battle Droids have finally returned after almost a decade. They sport a gun-metal coat with chiseled details around its head, arms, and torso. The super battle droids retain their towering height and wrist blasters which would intimidate any clone trooper.
Builds
The set includes four total builds. Two builds for each factions. We'll consider the builds for the clones first.
The first build is a defense post with a turret. The turret is a rotating stud shooter. On the defense post there are two shield pieces that offer protection. These shields can also be carried by the clone troopers for mobile protection. The post includes two clips to hold blasters or the binoculars. There is a box accessory that can be used to store a thermal detonator.
The second build is an original speeder bike. It has two seats. One for the driver who can use the handlebars. The other seat faces back so that the trooper can use the dual blasters. The speeder bike has dual blasters in the middle and two stud blasters on each side.
The third build is a Single Trooper Aerial Platform or STAP. The design is very faithful to the source material. It has standard dual blasters at the top and engines on each side. There are handle bars that allows the battle droid with the two curved arms to attach easily. The STAP sits upon a translucent pole and base to make it look like its hovering in the air.
The last build is the Octuptarra tri-droid. As its name suggests, the tri-droid sports three long and poseable legs. Each leg has a flick fire missile that is unobstructed and works well. The tri-droid has three blasters with a red eye attached to each one. These blasters and the head is rotatable while the rest of droid stays stationary. Inside the tri-droid's head is a sparkling purple cylinder piece that is the brain or CPU.
Overall, the droid builds impresses me more than the clone builds. Both the STAP and Octuptarra tri-droid' s designs and colors are great representations of their counterparts in the Clone Wars TV show. The only thing that would be a nice cherry on top would be the Separatist emblem printed or applied as a sticker on the STAP.
The clone builds are practical, but feel like they could have improved with a few more pieces. The defense post would have benefited by being bigger. If you unclip the shields for two troopers to hold it leaves the turret exposed. Republic emblem tiles would have been a nice addition to the shields. The speeder bike feels incomplete. The back seems to run out of detail and depends on the blasters as part of the design. The stud shooters on the sides are partially obstructed by the triangle shield pieces on the front facing blasters. Added depth and width would help this build's design.
Ratings
Minifigures (5): Honestly, you can't go wrong with this selection. Nine minifigures is a lot for a set of this size. The minifigure selection is balanced for both clones and droids. There are no named characters. The Super Battle Droids return with improved designs. The Shock Trooper provides variety for the clones. This is the perfect army building battle pack.
Builds (3): This was tough. The STAP and tri-droid are near perfect representations in LEGO form. The clone builds are hurt by small piece counts which leaves them a little lacking. Overall, the amount of builds provide a solid play experience.
Value (5): The amount of minifigures alone makes this set a great value. Adjusted for inflation, this set has a good argument to have the best value of any battle pack to date.
Playability (4): There isn't many playable features besides the stud shooters and flick fire missiles. However, the variety of builds and amount of figures will provide a lot of fun for kids. The balanced amount of clones and droids makes it perfect for siblings to represent each side of the battle.
Collectability (3): This score is a mixed bag. Serious army builders should buy several copies of this set. The minifigures, STAP, and tri-droid are great resources. This may not be the best set for collector's who want something to display. The multiple figures and builds may appear disjointed on a shelf. There are no unique minifigures that would stand out on their own. The Octuptarra tri-droid on its own may be the most displayable part of the set.
Verdict
4/5 The Clone Wars in a box
This set embodies what a battle pack should be. Most battle packs in the past only focused on a single faction. Other sets that include clones and droids skew the advantage to one side. The 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack provides an evenly matched conflict right out of the box.
I was personally excited for the return of the Super Battle Droids and they did not disappoint. The quality of the Octuptarra tri-droid and the STAP impressed me. Getting some standard Phase 2 Clone Troopers is a nice change with the last few battle packs including specific legions.
The $29.99 price point makes this an immediate buy. You get twice the content for only $10 more than the other available battle packs. LEGO has knocked it out of the park with their first two $30 battle packs. I can't wait to see what the next $30 battle pack will bring.
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