As we work our way through the new LEGO Star Wars sets for March, today we’re taking a hands-on look at the new Dark Trooper Attack set. Entering as the latest creations based around The Mandalorian, the new build stacks up to over 165 pieces and delivers one of the more unique builds as of late from a galaxy far, far away. But does that mean it’s worth the $30 price tag? Let’s check it out.
Hands-on with LEGO’s new Dark Trooper Attack set
Entering as the sixth LEGO Star Wars set themed around The Mandalorian, the new Dark Trooper Attack set just joined the lineup for 2022 back at the beginning of the month. Marking the most affordable set from the wave at $29.99, you’re looking at 166 pieces alongside the inclusion of four minifigures. While those included characters are going to be the star of the show for many, the build itself delivers a pretty unique take worth some attention.
Utilizing most of those 166 pieces, the set is comprised of just a single build. Drawing inspiration from the Disney+ series’ season two finale, the Dark Trooper Attack set recreates one of the more iconic Star Wars scenes as of late. Taking place in the hallway of an Imperial Light Cruiser, this vignette-style kit lets you assemble the showdown between Luke Skywalker and three of the Imperial droids.
Built into the hallway are some pretty nice details like control panels using different colored bricks, as well as plenty of stickers to sell the design of a spaceship’s interior. Though the most interesting aspect has to be the play features, which are blended quite well into the actual build. Normally affordable LEGO Star Wars sets will suffer from eyesores like stud shooters and the like that stick out from the builds, but the Dark Trooper Attack set actually does a good job of hiding things in plain sight.
The first of these is a rotating elevate for Luke to come up in and enter the hallway. While it doesn’t actually move vertically, the cylindrical entryway has a knob on the top to spin around and bring the Jedi Knight into the action. Then there are two other more action-oriented features built into the floor. First is a little section for Luke to stand on that spins when you rotate the wheel underneath. It gives off a neat little feature for him to swing his Lightsaber and actually engage with the Dark Troopers. And building off of that, there’s a plank to set one of the droids on that, when pulled, will imitate it being hurled back with the Force.
These are all quite simple techniques, but they have such novel executions that make the set better. And of course, there are the bonus points of still fitting in with the rest of the set, for older builders like myself to enjoy.
But then there are the minifigures. The LEGO Group likes to play much the same tune with its kits from a galaxy far, far away of making brick-built characters be a focal point of the builds, and the Dark Trooper Attack set certainly keeps up that trend. In total, you’re getting four minifigs this time around, three of which are identical.
First up is Luke, who comes rocking a new design based on his appearance in The Mandalorian. It’s a pretty similar look to the Return of the Jedi version we last saw in 2021’s Imperial Shuttle, but with some visual tweaks most defined by the use of the more modern hooded cloak piece. There’s not too much to say other than that it’s a great figure, and if you somehow don’t have Skywalker in your LEGO collection yet, this is as affordable as you’ll find to bring one home.
To go up against the Jedi and give this set its name in the first place, you’re also getting three of the new Dark Trooper figures in the LEGO set. This marks only the second appearance of the droids in LEGO form to date, and it’s a much much more affordable option compared to the single minfigure included in last year’s Imperial Light Cruiser. Each one has the same design as last time around, which is to say a pretty slick one at that, and it gives you a chance to amass an army of them on the cheap.
9to5Toys’ Take:
Arriving as the most affordable LEGO Star Wars set from the March 2022 lineup, the new Dark Trooper Attack kit is about as straightforward of a build as they come. Even with the what you see is what you get focus, this is going to be one of the more contentious creations released this year. Part count often gets thrown around as the end all be all of a set’s value, and the 166 pieces included for $30 is going to be a sore point for a lot of builders out there. But after actually assembling the set I am here to tell you it’s irrelevant.
I won’t say that the value is perfect this time around, but the delivered minifigures really do make for a much fairer take. That’s even more the case if you consider just how rare these figures have been since launch, only appearing once before in the Light Cruiser. Going from having a single figure included in a $160 set to three in a $30 kit really goes a long way to make these more accessible.
In much the same way that the Dark Trooper value makes the set worth considering in the first place, whether or not you specifically should buy it comes down to whether you want those figures or not. Don’t get me wrong, I do very much like the hallway build for what it is. But I don’t think that alone is going to justify the $30 price tag for many.
All that said, I would say unless you’re keen on bringing more Dark Troopers to your LEGO Star Wars collection, this set isn’t worth your time. It’d be better to save your cash towards one of the new buildable helmets that were just released or buy any of the other kits from a galaxy far, far away that hit store shelves earlier in the year. Not to mention, we’re expecting the summer 2022 lineup be quite notable come August, too.
Other LEGO 2022 reviews:
- Review: LEGO Ideas’ new 2,600-piece Globe is out of this world
- Review: LEGO’s Architecture Skyline series makes a comeback
- Hands-on with LEGO’s Boba Fett Throne Room, the largest Star Wars 2022 set so far
- LEGO Clone Trooper Command Station review: So good you’ll buy more than one
- LEGO’s new Hoth AT-ST headlines the Star Wars 2022 lineup with an old school design
- LEGO Snowtrooper Battle Pack review: Army building at its finest
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