Star Wars Collection IIII - The Meanies
Written: Sep 02 '02 (Updated Apr 19 '03)
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Pros: Excellent attention to detail, impressive selection of characters, all from The Dark Side.
Cons: Almost flawless - almost.
The Bottom Line: The final set in the Mini Heroes Collection ensures that the series goes out with a bang!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection IIII |
The final installment in the Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection features three of the biggest, baddest characters – Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul and Darth Vader. I was more than enthused when I saw this at the Lego website because the Lego designers finally managed to create a “power set” that carried the same theme. While the other sets in the Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection were nice, none of them offered the serious collector a set that was actually worth buying in bulk.
Some of my Lego cohorts trashed this set saying that the figure selection was poor, that it needed to be a little more balanced between the good and bad characters - that’s the beauty of the set – you get all the meanies in one convenient set. This make it attractive for collectors as well as fans of the films and Lego addicts will flip over the lightsabers! For me this was a must have to complete the mini series – Darth Vader might be a meanie but he has one hell of a lightsaber!
Darth Maul
I never got into this character in the film, for some reason he seemed too wimpy for me. If you are going to be bad, then be bad, don’t walk around like you have a sore tooth – kill someone already. Mauls’ greatest asset is the double-sided lightsaber that has become a highly collectible item on its own. The silver hilt holds two sabers of equal length [in this case both red] and can accommodate any of the lightsabers from the Star Wars sets or any of the solid colored ‘magic wands’ from the Harry Potter collection. While it is an impressive sight to see, Maul becomes a little hard to move around or pose with the double-sided saber so it’s best to find a spot for him and leave him be.
The most unique feature to Maul has to be is black and red stenciled face. Available in only 4 Star Wars sets, Maul is a necessary figure if you want to have a well-rounded collection. I have several of these and the last time I checked they were all in perfect condition with no fading, peeling or signs of wear. It helps to keep the head inside the provided helmet / head covering to preserve the detail. Be careful when assembling Maul, he and The Emperor have similar looking head covers but Mauls’ is slightly larger.
The detail on the torso is minimal but effective. Since the design is very close to that of The Emperor you can take your pick as to how you construct this figure. However, if you want this to be an authentic figure you have to use the torso piece that has the waist belt instead of the sash that runs across the mid section. To complete Maul, his black hands add the finishing touch to the figure – this helps to give the piece and overall dark and sinister appearance.
Emperor Palpatine
Maybe it’s just me, but The Emperor looks like a monkey. His yellow head has a nice amount of stenciled detail to it but – and this is just my own personal opinion – it seems like overkill. His squinty eyes, red groves in his face and contorted eyebrows give you the feeling that he’s a meanie but with so much going on it the facial department it takes away from the rest of the figure.
Palpatine comes with a solid lightsaber element – it’s not really a lightsaber folks – it’s just a walking stick. In other sets he’s been featured in I often questioned why this element was even included. Even with my dislike of the ‘walking stick’ it is nice to position it as a weapon. I took some creative liberties and coated this in silver metallic paint – it looked good but when combined with the other two figures in this set – it stood out like a sore thumb.
The Emperor features a stenciled torso that can easily be confused with Mauls’ outfit so be sure to look at the two torso elements carefully if you wish to build them correctly. As previously mentioned, the head covering has a striking resemblance to Mauls’ so you’ll need to check the photos on the box to see which one is correct.
Darth Vader
Darth Vader, the original meanie. Darth is a very impressive figure – even without the highly detailed and almost authentic design on the torso. His helmet is more than likely the first thing that you will notice when you open this set. It is extremely detailed and almost puts the rest of the figures in this set to shame. This is one figure that you really need to see in person to fully appreciate the amount of detail and depth put into creating it.
Darth comes with a single sided lightsaber [transparent dark red] that can be held in either hand and easily positioned to do battle. Two Jedi points for the first person that can tell me [via the comment section] – was Darth Vader left handed or right handed after he joined the dark side?
While there is no detail on the legs of Darth Vader, the torso more than makes up for it. Again, this is something that you need to see in person to get the total grasp of detail. The small colored buttons, the draping of fabric and the way the fins carry over from the mask are simply awesome. If only all the figures in this set – and the series as a whole – were made this way
Display Stands
As with the other sets in this mini series, the three stands that come with this set feature the Star Wars logo etched into the front portion of the stand. The back section features a grooved area into which the information cards slips. One side of the card has a description of the figure and the reverse side has the photo that serves as the background for the figure. If you are going to use these display stands inside plastic containers make sure you take into consideration that you not only need to measure the base but the height of the figure as well.
Things To Know
Each of these three figures comes with a cape, but these are packaged away from the regular set in a small white box. Make sure you find this box before you start tossing out the plastic wrappers and assorted junk or else you might be digging through the trash to retrieve them. The capes are one of my biggest pet peeves about the Star Wars line – they simply refuse to cooperate and no matter how much you play around with them, they are still stiff as a board.
I found a solution that is simple but a little dangerous to some of the capes. If you have a cape that doesn’t have a design on it [that leaves the Harry Potter collection out] you can iron them on a low heat setting – don’t just slap the iron on top of it, put the cape between a wash cloth or thin towel and check it often. Do this at your own risk – some capes might scorch or shrivel from the heat. I suggest the lowest setting possible but I will assume no responsibility if you try this for yourself.
The Bottom Line
As with all the sets in this series, I felt compelled to purchase them as a collector, as a Lego junkie and to have a completed Mini Heroes Collection series. These figures look exceptional when positioned on their display stands and even more so when placed inside small plastic display boxes. These can be picked up at craft or doll accessory stores and are the same size used for Teenie Beanie Babies.
As a set, these are three powerful figures that can’t be beat. I’m glad that I had the chance to pick them up – not just to complete the series but to have a few tucked away for when the brood get older. If you have a Lego lover or Star Wars fan in your family – these sets make excellent stocking stuffer – because you know it’s never too early to start shopping for the holiday season.
The Stats
Set Name: Star Wars Collection IIII
Mini Heroes Collection
Family Set: Star Wars
Lego Set: 3340
Number of Pieces: 18
Age Recommendation: 5 and up
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 - 10 minutes
Cost: $4.99
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection I
Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection II
Star Wars Mini Heroes Collection III
End Note: This review marks a personal milestone for me :] This is my 100th review of a Lego set and also the end of my Lego reviews. That’s right, no more Lego reviews.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $4.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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