With less than a month to go until the release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars continues to dominate our leisure time. As well as enjoying watching Episodes IV – VI in anticipation, checking out trailers, speculating what may happen in the new movie (my daughter already predicts that Kylo Ren will get both hands chopped off), we’re also working our way trough the six season Clone Wars animated series. So it was great to receive two terrific LEGO sets that encompassed these strands of the saga.
Rey’s Speeder
Appearing early on in the very first trailer for The Force Awakens, this was one of the first new vehicles to be revealed.
Its blocky, lo-fi, junkyard style design quickly became a fan favourite.
This LEGO version is a lovely little set to construct.
This was one of my favourite looking ones from The Force Awakens line (admittedly, the iconic , far larger, and more expensive Millennium Falcon just edged it). The suggested age is 7-12, but my 3-year-old daughter put it together with minimal supervision.
Rey is clearly a central character to the new saga, so it is great to have a minifigure of her. My daughter loves the fact that she is another female Star Wars character to play with.
The minifigure has the usual two faces, though the expressions are a fairly subtle ‘wry smile’ and ‘displeased frown’. The freckles are a nice detail, that reflects some of the close up pics we have seen of Rey so far. She also has a mask with goggles, as seen in one of the more recent trailers.
The set also comes with a second mini figure, the hooded and mysteriously named Unkar’s Thug.
How much the speeder features remains to be seen, but it already feels like one of the more iconic new vehicles of the new saga and is a great addition to our LEGO Star Wars collection, that that my daughter frequently plays with already.
General Grievous
We are also currently watching the Star Wars cartoon The Clone Wars, which is set between Episodes II and III of the prequel trilogy. Whatever your opinion of that set of movies, their existence is entirely justified by the fact it led to this show being made. We are only on season 4 of 6. It is full of thrilling space fantasy action adventure, with (IMHO) much more rounded characterisations of the main characters, than the movies the show is sandwiched between.
General Grievous originally appeared in Revenge of the Sith (2005), and it was pretty widely accepted that for such a cool looking character, he was a bit wasted.
However, he is a major recurring character in The Clone Wars, and here he finally gets his due (though he’s still a bit of a tool).
This set is part of the recently released six buildable LEGO Star Wars figures. We have previously reviewed the Darth Vader figure, which was a fine set – but even then I could tell that this General Grievous figure was the one that suited this format best.
The skeletal construction pieces suit Grievous’ robotic structure perfectly. The sculpt on his head is great. This is basically an awesome General Grievous figure that you put together yourself!
Unlike Rey’s Speeder, this set (recommended age 9-14) was totally out of my 3-year-old daughter’s ability to put together – but not mine 😉 I had a great time putting it together – albeit with expert supervision from my daughter. She loves playing with it though, and one of the first things she wanted to do was stage a fight between Grievous and Darth Vader.
If you have a young Star Wars fan in your life, then two things they probably should be are a) Fans of The Clone Wars cartoon, and b) Excited about The Force Awakens. Given that, either of these sets would perfect gifts for them.
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Both of these sets are available from Amazon.
Or if you fancy your chances, how about entering our General Grievous giveaway?
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Disclaimer: While I was not paid to write this review, we did receive these LEGO sets free of charge.
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These sets are based on the Star Wars prequels, cartoons, and the forthcoming sequel. Do you or your little ones have a Star Wars preference – originals, prequels, cartoons, or new series?
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my son loves the cartoons but i love the originals
My boys and girls both love the cartoons but I love the originals!
My son is Star Wars mad, he can’t wait for the new film to come out.
Originals.
We like the new series
I don’t have any children but would love to win this prize to donate to charity, to go to Romania.
I don’t mind the new ones but my OH likes the originals
we all like the originals
we love the originals 😀
we love the originals
Originals are good but prequels also entertain
The Originals for us
My son loves it all. He cannot wait to see the new movie
We all love the origional 🙂
cant beat the originals!
The originals are the best for being trailblazing masterpieces and awesome intergalactic love stories, the prequels are best for illustrating that even George Lucas can’t get it right every time and the cartoons are best for keeping the kids out of mischief for a few hours.
We all as a family love the originals
our grand-kids like the cartoons
we like the originals
we love the Star Wars prequels it explains how it all got started.
The Cartoons – but love it all really
my boys and i love the original movies, but they love the pod racing too
The originals for me
i love originals
my son loves the cartoons best
My son loves the cartoons, his dad the originals …and they are both going to see the new movie at Christmas.
kids love the cartoons I love the originals
Me and my son love the originals
the originals for me but my son loves them all
everything that is star wars but he loves the originals
the whole family is star wars mad
ORIGINALS BEST
Original for me, cartoon for my daughter.
The originals are the best
We all love the new series
Kelly Ellen Hirst
She’s only seen the originals so far 🙂
I love the originals by far the best
Originals for us!
Has to be the original
My grandson is having a meltdown trying to choose
We love the originals!
The Originals
Originals are always best
Definitely prefers the originals
We all love the originals in our house, too.
The original trilogy
You cant get any better than originals
I would go original, I know grandson would go cartoon
It’s got to be the originals. My son tried to watch one of the new cartoon series but it was really dull
We both enjoy the originals more but my son hasn’t really watched the new movies yet.
Cartoons x
It has to be orignials for the Dolatowski family!
I love the old ones my son loves the new ones x
The Originals are always the best!
My son likes the new ones!
definitely the originals for me
new
originals are always best!!
son likes the new ones
Originals
We Love originals
my son is a huge star wars fan. takes after his grandad
Has to be the originals
My grandson loves The Empire Strikes Back x
We love the originals x
The originals
Definitely the originals in this house 🙂
Originals
my little one loves empire strikes back!
We love them all! Excited for the film!
Cartoon fans in the family here.
we love the originals
prequels!! But we are so excited for the new movie!
I prefer the originals, but my daughters love them all.
Originals, of course! Psyched for the new ones, though! 😀
My kids love the originals.
We love the new ones 🙂
He likes the computer games! The originals I think, great post. #triedtested
Originals
The kids love the cartoons.
We love the new series
Have to say we like the originals 🙂
love the new ones
The originals for our Grandaughter, her favourite line she does in the Darth Vader voice is, “Sister, so you have a twin Sister”
I like the new ones
I love the originals .. but my kids love the cartoons
new series
I prefer the originals. Interested to see how the new ones compare.
definitely the originals!
My roommates loves general Grievous!
The munchkin is two, the movies are a bit beyond her &the clone wars are too but are entertaining enough for her to watch with us.
Definitely already working on her lightsaber skills though
I’ve always been one more for the original films. I’ve not got excited about this one because until I know what rating it will be I don’t know if I can go and see it with the kids!
I know what you mean – don’t know what I’ll do if it’s rated 12! Signs aren’t good (it’s PG-13 in states).
My boys love the cartoons 🙂
The original movies for sure.
We love the original
Oh the originals!
The originals are the best for me.
still young at moment so cartoons are the fav at the moment
Originals
my little ones love the originals
my little ones love the originals
I like the originals
Love the originals but also excited about the next sequel.
I like it all!
You can’t beat the originals
The originals for sure! Although the Yoda fight scenes in the prequels were pretty epic
Has to be the Originals.
I personally love the originals but my girls love the Cartoons best 🙂
Me and my son love the original and are counting down the days till we can go and see the new one.
I love the originals
I love the Originals Star Wars Movies
It’s a no-contest! Originals were by far the best.
The cartoons. They think the movies are for adults!
Husband likes the orginals best but me and the kids like the new ones!
We all like the originals
Would make nice gift for Arya.
Always the originals in our house! so good! but the clone wars cartoons are pretty amazing!
The originals are the best
The originals are classic
the original films are best
My boys love the originals & are getting in to the cartoons
We love the originals x
new series
The Originals can’t be beaten =D
Love the originals but optamistic about the future sequel after all it’s Star War
The Originals are our favourites
Got to be the old classics although I have high hopes for the new ones!
The originals are the best
The originals are the best
We like the originals
My son loves anything new, he gets really excited when there’s a new release
My 2 year old is obsessed with the originals!!
My 5 year old thinks the new series is awesome, but I’m still a softie for the old movies xx
My son loves the new series and I like the originals
We love the orginals
Originals across the board in this house
The Originals are far better
I prefer the originals, but my son prefers the prequels
Originals, thats where the magic happened
daughter likes the originals but is also looking forward to the new one, son likes the lego series ones.
Cartoons r a must in our house
no preference they love them all
My 6 Year old prefers the cartoons while my 10 year old favours the originals
As a family we all prefer the originals
My oldest loves originals as he sees it as retro lol my younger two love cartoons
we like the originals
The original films are looking a bit dated, the prequels lost the plot somewhat, so I’m pinning my hopes on the new film!
Originals are the favourite in this house
I love them all! The original movies were way ahead of their time, the prequel trilogy was great (the films don’t deserve the criticism they get), the animated Clone wars cartoons were brilliant & the CGI Clone wars film & series were superb. Very excited for the release of The Force Awakens! 🙂
WE ALL PREFER THE ORIGINALS
the originals xx
My daughter loves the original
My grandson is Star Wars and Lego mad! Lives and breathes it! Originals for him although he does love them all!
We love the originals, our girls do too but they enjoy the cartoons more!
They like the cartoons
Cartoons
we love them all. no preference
My kids love both the cartoons and originals
We all love the originals
I prefer the prequels
The originals
The originals are the best
Definitely originals!
No real preference – he loves them all.
We love the original ones.
We like the originals
we both like the originals
They prefer the orignals
the grown ups love the originals (obviously!)
the youngsters aren’t as educated yet and prefer the prequels!
Originals!
My son loves them all but prefers the originals – he loves retro stuff
we like the new ones
my boys love anything star wars related.my partner prefers the originals
Originals for us x
we love the originals x
We love the originals
Original
my son loves every part! cant get enough
cartoons 😀
My dad took me to see the original when it first came out in 1977. I was 7 and it will always be one of my favourite memories.
originals in our family xxx
My hubby prefers the originals and is teaching our children to appreciate them too!