So now we have Sheng Yuan (previously seen in this blog making superhero minifigs) dipping its toes in the SW line (the Clone Wars timeline, in particular). Pricing is as per usual, so that's PhP 27.50 per minifig when bought as a set of 6.
What's included in the set?
- Clone Trooper
- Captain Rex
- R4-P17 Astromech Droid
- Yoda
- Anakin Skywalker (emo Hayden Christiensen version) <--- more on this later
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
This is one of the rare times when SY released a 6-minifig set. They usually make 8 minifigs for each set. Nothing of great importance, though, I just thought I'd point that out.
There are a couple of surprises to this set, though, as you'll see later on. Let's take a closer look at the minifigs, shall we?
Clone Trooper
I don't have any original SW minifigs, but in my eyes, this looks good. You've got a lot of nice details going on, and even though some of the black outlines aren't fully inked inside the lines, it's not a real cause for concern. Even the helmet has some good details going for it. We're off to a good start.
The minifig does look different from the box art slightly, but that comes with the territory when you dive into the world of bootleg minifigs - always look for the actual minifig photo inset on the box art. Also, each minifig box comes with trading cards (a staple with most bootleg makers) - not really sure who'd trade with you for those, though.
Also of note are the patented SY feet design, as mentioned in previous SY set impressions. Could be a deal-breaker for some.
Captain Rex
I don't watch Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, so I have no personal knowledge or empathy towards him. I just know that his minifig has a nifty cloak thing, but SY doesn't provide directions on how to affix the cloak and, uh, kilt-like thing on his waist, so I had to Google how those should be put on. Other than that, a generally good minifig, but it does fail somewhat with the painted details on the helmet. It might be a bad production run on SY's part and subsequent batches may have better details. The torso paint job is pretty good, though. There's a lot of detail there and SY mostly does a good job of painting those on.
R4-P17 Astromech Droid
I also don't know this particular droid. Obviously, the only Astromech Droid I know is R2-D2 (surprise!). In any case, there's some good detail on this minifig, and some misses as well. The body portion - good. It's with the head piece that some details look suspect, especially with the misaligned black circle on the back. If you can look past that, though, this is a pretty decent minifig to have. I placed this minifig alongside Rex in one of the photos so you have a good idea of the size ratio between this droid and standard-sized minifigs in general.
At this point, you've probably noticed how bare the backs are for these minifigs. Yup, SY seems to have chosen *not* to provide back details. Whether it's one of those intentional decisions made to lower costs, I have no idea. But it's buyer beware just the same.
Yoda
Well, this Yoda isn't looking too hot. The head piece really bring this minifig down, and it's has a sort of rough finish. While I'm aware that Yoda isn't exactly known for having Nivea-protected silky smooth skin, what I'm referring to in this case is the hard edges and holes where the head piece was connected to the frame when being molded. The material itself feels quite different than the rest of the minifig, as if it's made of a different type of plastic altogether.
If you're fine with that, or you can't spring for an original Yoda minifig just yet but you feel that you have to have one right now, this minifig will do for now. Otherwise, feel free to steer clear.
Anakin Skywalker... ?
So you're all pumped-up and ready to rip into the box, wanting to get at that Anakin Skywalker-y goodness within. You eagerly open the box and then...
SURPRISE! YOU GOT HAN SOLO INSTEAD!
Whether this is an intentional troll job by SY or simply just a miscommunication between the manager and the artist making the box art, know that you're not getting an Anakin in this set. That could be a good thing, though, depending on your feelings about Clone Wars and/or Episodes 1 to 3.
Disappoinment/elation aside, this is a pretty solid minifig. The details are there, if not perfectly painted (still good, though, from regular viewing distance). Plus the blaster weapon is actually appropriate in this case, as opposed to the forced inclusion of those in SY's Batman set.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Here's the other surprise SY sprung on me. I opened the Obi-Wan box, and found only his head, arms, hands, and light saber (along with the stand) in the sealed packet. Gruesome! I shook the box upside-down, hoping the other pieces may have just escaped being sealed along with the dismembered parts.
No dice.
I actually didn't feel bad when I saw this egregious lapse. I laughed hard.
Again, these are the random things that come with the territory when dealing with bootleg makers who, to keep costs down, employ less QC measures than Lego does. And retailers here (at least in Divi) are reasonable enough to allow you to exchange these incomplete sets for another, as long as you keep the packet sealed.
In my case, though, I got a kick out of it, so I kept it around and opted to just get another sample. Here's the complete set:
That's a pretty spiffy minifig, don't you think? Good details, clean paint job, and get this: BACK DETAILS. Why SY made a special exception for Obi-Wan, I have no idea. Maybe someone in SY management really likes Obi-Wan and we're all better off for it.
All told, this is more of a mixed bag than is normally the case with SY sets, owing mostly to the suspect Yoda minifig and the lack of back details in five out of six minifigs. The "unique" SY feet, I think can be overlooked, but lack of details may bother some.
I'll leave this as a judgment call for potential buyers, as I can't fully recommend it without hesitation.
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