Review:75036 Utapau Troopers/NovaFlare
Joined: December 29, 2006 
№ of Reviews: 17 
№ of Featured reviews: 1
There are three standard-sized battle packs for the 2014 wave, all of which I've found to be great sets, each for their own reasons. 75036 Utapau Troopers is one of those, and probably the one I've been looking foward to the most since first hearing about it.
The set[edit | edit source]
The model in this battle pack is of an Octuptarra droid, a CIS combat droid seen briefly in Episode III. The build comprises of two main parts- the body and the three legs. There's nothing especially difficult or interesting to the build- much of the body is built upon a grey Technic axle, which allows for the flick-fire missiles to rotate around, mimicking the abilities of the droid's blaster turrets. The legs are then attached to the body by a brown 3-way Technic connector, and can each move at three different points. Overall, while very pleased that they included the rotating action of the missiles, the droid's likeness I just don't feel was well captured. Sure, it's a battle pack, meaning there are only limited parts, so it's a very hard thing to do. The shape of the legs seems a little off to me. As seen here, the shape of the droid's legs are very different. To me, this droid seems done more to the likeness depicted in Star Wars: Clone Wars, with an Episode III colour scheme. More significantly, without any sort of face or features, it looks more to me like a stationary turret than anything else. Some printing or even (dare I say it) a sticker could have really changed this and given the droid some personality.
The minifigures[edit | edit source]
- Airborne Clone Troopers
When I heard that we were getting Airborne Troopers, this made my day- I've been wanting these guys ever since I first saw them in the movie way back in 2005. And now I actually have them, I'm pleased to say they didn't disappoint. The detailing on these figures is great, and the newly moulded helmet is as good as it can get. I always get a little worried about cloth kamas- they can tend to not look quite right for me with the way they fold on the sides of the legs, and I always worry about creasing them if I accidentally bend the legs, but it's a very minor point. Also, personally I prefer my clones to have pristine armour instead of any battle scarring (which is present on all the troops in this set), but unlike sand on the Sandtroopers a few years ago, it's pretty minor and doesn't annoy me at all. If anything, it probably actually improves the look of the figures.
- 212th Attack Battalion Troopers
Like the Airborne Troopers, the standard 212th Troopers are also really well designed. The detailing around the helmet and the lower part of the body make it a clear improvement on the 212th Clone Trooper from The Clone Wars, and more importantly, these guys are actually the right shade of orange. A good solid design of one of the more well-known troopers, I can't see how it could be possibly improved upon.
The minifigures in this battle pack, like the other two, come with all-new firing blasters. I know they've received a lot of criticism, but I love them. The studs lock in to the blaster securely, so the only way they're going to come off is if you press down on the firing piece. And when fired, they go a fair distance, unlike some flick-fire missiles which fall straight down when you fire them. You also get an additional six spare studs in the set for extra ammo. Some people have said they prefer the old moulded blaster piece and these look a little stupid compared to it. Personally, I don't think they look too bad mixed in- they still look like guns, just a different model of blaster. These blasters also seems to better match LEGO to me- the weapons actually do something and seem more child-friendly, while they still look like decent blasters to some older collectors (although, as I said, I think I'm in the minority when I say I like how they look). The one thing that does annoy me however is that the troopers make a rattling sound when you pick them up due to the moving firing piece in the blasters.
Overall[edit | edit source]
Like many battle packs, people will be buying this for the clones. The Octuptarra isn't bad, I like that it can in fact rotate and fire missiles, but as I said, the head area just doesn't do it for me. The minifigures on the other hand, are some of the best troopers I've seen so far, and I highly recommend this set to anyone wanting to build up their clone army.
| Model |    3½ / 5 |
| Minifigures | 5 / 5 |
| Overall | 4½ / 5 |
Gallery[edit | edit source]
The central part of the droid's body. The brown Technic piece connects to the droid's legs and can spin freely, allowing the droid to rotate.
One of the droid's legs. The shape of the legs doesn't really seem to match the ones in the movies to me, but that doesn't really take away from the model.
A few of these battle packs can make a sizable 212th Battalion. The 212th trooper from The Clone Wars doesn't match the colour scheme, but that's not the fault of the troopers included in this set.
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