Review:75187 BB-8/Brikkyy13
Brikkyy13
Country: Australia Gender: Male
Joined: December 30, 2012 
№ of Reviews: 15 
№ of Featured reviews: 0
Building Experience: Lifelong
Hello everyone! Today I am reviewing 75187 BB-8, one of the seven new sets from the new The Last Jedi range. This set retails for $99.99USD/£84.99GBP/$159.99AUD and contains 1106 pieces. My apologies in advance for the quality of photos, they will be a bit different to the photos I usually take for my reviews, also I wasn't really planning on reviewing this one until I started building the set :P. I promise you my next review will look better. Anyway, is this set worth picking up? Read on to find out!
Box and contents[edit | edit source]
The box is quite big and stands out on the shelf in the store. The both sides feature BB-8, with the back showcasing all his features.
The side also shows BB-8 in a style that hasn't been seen on LEGO boxes before, like all of the new Episode VIII sets (if you haven't seen the box for 75189 First Order Heavy Assault Walker definitely check it out, the side has a very nice image of the set that isn't used anywhere else).
Included in the box are 7 bags, six numbered 1 to 6 and one for the instruction manual and sticker sheet. It can't be seen very well in the photo, but it's nice to see that the plastic used on the bag for the instruction manual has been changed so it's easier to open.
Build[edit | edit source]
Bag 1 builds the base of the droid. The build is relatively straight forward, albeit repetitive. It's nice to see the use of blue and yellow bricks on the inside to indicate which side is the front and which is the back. This strategy is used all throughout the build.
Bag 2 builds the internal mechanisms for BB-8. It's a very interesting mechanism which was quite fun to build. I did take more photos of it, which will be included later.
Bags 3 and 4 build the top and side panels respectively. This is where the build starts to get really repetitive as the two side panels are almost identical, except for the detailing on the circular parts in the center.
Bag 5 finishes the body of the droid, and bag 6 builds the head and stand.
In the end, it was a fun build and it took me about 2 hours to complete. The most interesting part, and by far the only real challenge, of the build was the technic portion in the heart of the model. The rest was mainly stacking plates, but it was done slightly differently each time to the extent where it never felt boring.
The completed model[edit | edit source]
There he is! The spectacular model stands about 20cm/8in tall (without the antenna) and looks absolutely fantastic. The completed build is quite heavy as well, as the droid himself contains a part count just shy of 1100 pieces.
The set also includes a BB-8 minifigure. The figure has appeared in 8 sets (including this one) since his initial release in 2015 and hasn't been updated yet. That's ok, as the minifigure is fairly accurate as is and looks fine. It's nice to see his inclusion in the set, but I think most collectors would have him by now as he's starting to become as recurring as R2-D2.
The set includes a stand for the droid along with an info plaque much like the sets included as part of the Ultimate Collector's Series line of sets. There is some debate as to whether or not this set is a UCS set. The simple answer is that it's not as LEGO has not marketed it as such, but in the hearts of many collectors this has been included as an honorary member. In my opinion the UCS label is exactly that, a label, and it is relatively meaningless. The value is in the eye of the consumer.
In other images I saw of this set, I did not like the look of the stand at all, it seemed a bit big and like it would get in the way. However, in person it is much different and seems like a perfect fit. However, I would have preferred a separate card (like the one included in 10225 R2-D2. More on him later ;) ) rather than a full on stand as I feel it serves the model better.
BB-8 looks equally impressive off the stand as he does on it. Due to his design, he is able to stand flat or diagonally. His body is accurately detailed with each side showing different designs. Studs face out on all sides of the body. I quite like the studded look as it is part of the LEGO charm, but I know some people are not fans and it's a perfectly valid opinion as it can detract viewer's attention away from the model.
Here's a better look at each side. The one on the far right is from the bottom of the build. As you can see, it's built to be flat so the droid has a base to stand on. You might have noticed in one of the photos that a couple of the orange 1x2 slope parts have moved around. I myself didn't notice that until looking at the photos later. The parts are only attached with 1 stud so they can move around, and they do move when handling the model.
BB-8's head looks quite good, however I think it could have been done better. It's not as round as the rest of the body (and is a bit smoother as well). Additionally, it doesn't look as good from some angles as it does others. Builders who have also built 10225 will notice some similarities in the head construction, as some techniques have been borrowed for the detailing.
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The model has two main features, both activated by the side panels. The first one, activated on the panel on the right side of the build, controls BB-8's head movements. Not surprisingly, the head can rotate a full 360 degrees. The surprising part is that it can also move forwards and backwards at the same time. Both movements are controlled by the same mechanism so it can be a bit random, but there is a way to control the forwards/backwards movements without significantly affecting the rotation of the head.
It didn't turn out very well in the above pictures, but if you look closely you can see the head has moved between each one. Slightly moving the dial one way or the other will cause BB-8's head to rock along the secondary axis. This allows for some very dynamic poses and it is very fun to play with.
The second feature, activated by the dial on the left of the model, is BB-8's famous lighter that he used to give Finn the "thumbs up" during The Force Awakens. I saw The Force Awakens eight times in cinemas (yes, I am a nerd) and every single time BB-8 did the action the theater erupted with laughter, so it's a welcome addition. I would have loved to see a second arm like this one on the other side of the model, but I understand that space is an issue and it's alright that one isn't included.
When the dial is turned, the lighter will push through a hatch and extend outwards. Unfortunately, the hatch doesn't close automatically when the arm is retracted. i have a feeling that this might be solved by a rubber band mechanism, but I haven't played around with it myself. It's still such a cool feature so I can't complain.
This is the ingenious mechanism used on the inside of the model. Kudos to the designer because I could not have come up with this if I tried.
The section that controls the lighter is on the left and is just a straight up gear turning gear action. The axle turns the big beige gear, which turns the black gears which push out the arm.
The mechanism for the head is a bit more complicated. The attachment for the head rocks back and forth on the big grey brick, which moves as you turn the axle. The axle also turns the set of gears which turn the head.
Everything is held in place by a rubber band, so it returns upright when you're done playing with the mechanism.
And finally, here he is with R2-D2 (which is one of my personal favorite sets of all time). As you can see, BB-8 is almost exactly in scale] with R2, which is very nice to see. I, as I'm sure many others will be doing, will be displaying the two alongside each other. Hopefully we see a C-3PO soon to round it out.
Final thoughts[edit | edit source]
Honestly, when there were first rumors of this set, I didn't believe them. Someone casually mentioned the word "sphere" and everyone just ran with the idea of BB-8. I honestly never expected this set to make it to the light of day. Then, when it was revealed I was shocked to find that it was actually real - and it didn't seem that appealing at first. But over time, I grew fond of it, and I was sold when other people started putting out their reviews.
Overall, I believe this is a fantastic set. It's a great build with excellent display value, and with over 1100 pieces it has an excellent price per part ratio. Obviously, it is lacking in play features, but when compared with other display models I believe that is excusable. BB-8 has a lot of personality in The Force Awakens and it is reflected very well in LEGO form.
The model is not without its flaws though. The head shape could be improved and extra features would have been welcome. It would have been nice if the second range of head movement was controlled separately as well. Ideally, the head would stay upright and BB-8 would be able to roll, but that would only be possible if the body was completely hollow and some extremely strong magnets were included. As shown above, the model is able to balance on an angle as well. It would have been excellent to see a second connection point for the head too allow for a more dynamic pose. Something easily concealed, such as the way used in this very impressive MOC] by Eurobricks member Anio, would have been welcome.
I definitely recommend this set to any collector as it is quite impressive, and it is the first display model based off of the sequel trilogy. However, if you are looking for a good play set, this is not the droid you're looking for. The play value is pretty poor, especially for the price. In conclusion, this is an excellent addition to the collection of display models and I can't wait to see what we get next. Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts on this set? Let me know in the comments below!
| Overall |   4½ / 5 |
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