Review: 75438 Yoda Bust
Posted by CapnRex101,
While certain LEGO sets are beloved as soon as they are announced and others hated, very few are actively mocked. 75438 Yoda Bust therefore managed something fairly unusual, due mainly to the weird rectangular sockets around Yoda's eyes.
This is particularly disappointing because other areas of the model look pretty impressive, such as the sleeves on Yoda's robe and his lightsaber, so this bust certainly had potential.
Summary
75438 Yoda Bust, 399 pieces.
£34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 8.8p, 10.0c, 10.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Yoda's angular eye sockets severely detract from an otherwise good model
- Robes are nicely sculpted
- Some areas of the head look excellent, for this scale
- Yoda's eyes really spoil the design
- Lightsaber hilt is oversized
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
Sets in the Bust Collection are each accompanied by a minifigure, which is not very exciting for this model or 75439 Darth Vader Bust, but could prove important for future sets. This version of Yoda previously appeared in 75360 Yoda's Jedi Starfighter and looks great, with robes accurate to the Prequel Trilogy, which also provides the basis for the bust.
Olive green remains a fine choice for Yoda's skin tone and I like the wrinkles sculpted on top of his head, but the printed hair looks quite basic and I hope it will include some texture whenever Yoda next receives an update. Similarly, I think Yoda's lightsaber should use a 3L bar instead of the standard 4L bar for the blade, considering how much shorter his lightsaber is onscreen.
The Completed Model
Armoured characters tend to be most appropriate for brick-built figures, although I can see the logic in choosing Yoda for the Bust Collection, as a beloved character and one translated quite successfully to a large-scale model before. This iteration has some notable problems, however, centred on those piercing eyes!
The base is nicely designed though, matching the other Bust Collection sets and including the standard printed nameplate, with room for a minifigure on the other side. Alternatively, you can detach the minifigure stand and move the nameplate to the centre, with a couple of extra plates included to swap between formats.
While they make sense individually, 75438 Yoda Bust and 75439 Darth Vader Bust seem like a strange pair to launch this series. That said, these characters definitely look very different and I like their contrasting colours on display, especially with Yoda's lightsaber adding a real splash of vibrancy.
A bust traditionally includes only the subject's head, upper torso and shoulders, but this model features Yoda's arms too. The draping sleeves are sculpted perfectly and attached to the body via hinges and ball joints at each shoulder, which are hidden to avoid any seams. The shape of the robe seems very natural in general.
The lightsaber also looks good, on the whole. Trans-bright green and a white core are effective colours for the blade and I like the 1x1 dome element on top. The hilt seems disproportionately long though, as it should be almost completely hidden when Yoda grips his lightsaber with both hands, without the emitter visible.
Perhaps the texture on the back of Yoda's robe could be better, though the shape of the folded hood looks reasonable. The hair, meanwhile, is excellent. There is a case to be made for white hair instead of light bluish grey, but I think this shade works and the moveable ears look superb too, particularly from the front, concealing the gaps for articulation.
These various positive qualities make the eyes even stranger, unfortunately. I have no idea why the designer decided to build angular eye sockets because Yoda's eyes are hardly sunken at all onscreen. The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural.
You can adjust the eyebrows for differing expressions and an angry configuration helps, as the angular edges become less defined, although it still leaves something to be desired. I am quite satisfied with the shape of the face otherwise, using a click hinge for Yoda's nose and including some wrinkles on his forehead.
Overall
Faces are famously challenging to build using LEGO parts, especially at a small scale. 75438 Yoda Bust illustrates that difficulty brilliantly, as just about everything except Yoda's face looks fantastic, including the sleeves, the lightsaber blade and the hair on the back of his head. The straight lines around the eyes are inescapable, however.
Sadly, these lines really spoil the design as a whole, which is frustrating because I am not sure why defined eye sockets were considered necessary at all. This is one of those rare occasions where one major problem makes it difficult to recommend this set under any circumstances.
76 likes
43 comments on this article
He looks like he seen something and it's not good
" The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found?
@kinggregus said:
" " The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found? "
This one, by the looks of it. They look like 2x2 1/2 domes.
We have a new contender for the next iteration of https://brickset.com/article/126396/what-is-the-creepiest-lego-set
@Huw said:
" @kinggregus said:
" " The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found? "
This one, by the looks of it. They look like 2x2 1/2 domes."
Surely they are 1x1.
This set is a bust
Will there be a Minas Tirith review before release?
As for the yoda bust I don’t see the appeal at all
No Grogu, I am your father.
@kinggregus said:
" "The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found?"
It is only in this set so far, I believe. It is similar to this piece, but with a 1x1 dome at the end, rather than a ball: https://brickset.com/parts/design-67692
the eyes ruin this
Y'know, it looks a hell of a lot better when the eyebrows are adjusted for those sad/angry expressions. This isn't saying a lot though, because it still looks awful lol
We aren’t going to talk about how small these busts are? I saw these at my LLS and was disappointed…I would have been annoyed at buying these and then realizing how unimpressive they are on display.
The slight frown improves the look of the eyes significantly, I’ll be interested to see how folks solve the look by customizing the eyes.
@560heliport said:
" @Huw said:
" @kinggregus said:
" " The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found? "
This one, by the looks of it. They look like 2x2 1/2 domes."
Surely they are 1x1."
Ah yes, the bust is smaller than it initially looks.
Thankyou for the review, its amazing how different the face looks by just moving the eyebrows a few mm. The big question is is there a quick fix for the eyes. Remove a couple of parts, add a couple, replace part a with part b ?
@Huw said:
" @560heliport said:
" @Huw said:
" @kinggregus said:
" " The new eye elements alone would have sufficed, but instead they have a jagged box around them, which looks completely unnatural."
I’m curious — in which set can this new eye element be found? "
This one, by the looks of it. They look like 2x2 1/2 domes."
Surely they are 1x1."
Ah yes, the bust is smaller than it initially looks."
That's what I was thinking too. Not only do those eyesockets look really creepy, but the whole thing looks tiny, especially for the price. But that's apparently par for course these days.
@ohrmazd said:
"We aren’t going to talk about how small these busts are? I saw these at my LLS and was disappointed…I would have been annoyed at buying these and then realizing how unimpressive they are on display. "
Kinda my thoughts too....at first glance I quite overestimated the size of it, but then I realized the face is just 4 studs wide. So we're basically looking at a more rounded Brickheadz on a pedestal.
To be fair, I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing, not everything has to be big and apart from the eyes I do think this looks pretty good. But with the price in mind....even when the ppp is not bad (certainly not for SW!), I just don't see €40 of value here. More like €25, maybe €30 if I'm being very generous. And I'd say they could have left out the minifig to keep the cost down.
Looks like a pig (Gamorrean Guard).
Hahahahahaha, no.
This is what happens to a fella alone in Dagobah for so long.
@Lego34s said:
"Thankyou for the review, its amazing how different the face looks by just moving the eyebrows a few mm. The big question is is there a quick fix for the eyes. Remove a couple of parts, add a couple, replace part a with part b ?"
Quickest fix I can fathom is to skip this set altogether.
I may be alone here, but I just don't understand the point of nameplates on these sets. All they do is detract from the aesthetic, while usually stating the very obvious.
Yes, I know including them is builder's choice :-)
Don't think Yoda ever drove for Williams so I'll wait for something a little more interesting!
It does make me think more of a Gremlin than Yoda
@SeparatorGuyChallis: Sooo...the future of "Star Wars"?...:D
Also @Crux: Sort of/almost, but it feels more like: Hahahaha...Oh, you're serious, let me laugh even harder...(Thanks Bender...:D)
The eyes just look like one of those Scooby-Doo paintings where a real person is looking through holes in the canvas
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
Suffering leads to waking up and seeing an email from LEGO.com thanking you for your purchase of 75438 Yoda Bust by redeeming all of your Insiders points and maxing out your last credit card but due to supply limitations any and all possible GWPs are unavailable for this particular order.
Just like Chewy , putting an angle on the eyes turning them so RH the white is 2oclock and the LH white is at 10 Oclock ( A "V" shaping) , it helps a little if only in the angry face look.
It feels a lot like the Shire set, in that so much of it is really, really good, with really clever design choices and sculpting, and then you look at the Party Tree/Yoda’s eyes and it’s like a completely different and much worse designer did that bit. It’s very confusing.
This set is a bust, literally and figuratively.
Are they purposefully destroying the good side sets?
This looks like a $20 set in terms of volume and they're charging double that. I don't understand how someone would want to spend the money on a display piece that's just so small.
@SeparatorGuyChallis said:
"He looks like he seen something and it's not good"
Ketamine, according to the internet.
I must say, I do like the way they did the robes and added the arms and lightsaber. The dome on top of the saber is a nice touch.
That said, I wonder if it might have helped if more budget had gone into the face and the scale had been increased a bit to match. Set 7194 Yoda from 2001 somehow has better eyes and that's because of the clever suggestion of a larger eye in a half closed eyelid with the constraction socket and voodoo ball combo. With today's parts they surely could have done something brick-built like that at a slightly smaller scale, right?
About Capn's description of the eye parts.
As for the new eye part... really? Did we really need a new part for that? Surely the old Nexo Knights bolt (bar with towball) could have been used with a print on it, right? Or just a printed 1x1 tile?
Lego destroys tons of old molds every year because keeping them is expensive, bringing old ones back is too expensive because molds are expensive, minifigs have unprinted legs all the time (especially in Super Heroes) because that's an extra 'slot' the designers have to allocate...
But parts like this are created left and right...?
@Binnekamp I think this new eye piece is bigger than the bar with towball.
@GBP_Chris said:
"Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
Suffering leads to waking up and seeing an email from LEGO.com thanking you for your purchase of 75438 Yoda Bust by redeeming all of your Insiders points and maxing out your last credit card but due to supply limitations any and all possible GWPs are unavailable for this particular order."
Ha, ha, ha, hahahahaha.... so true. (weeps)
[credit to @Crux above for the idea of laughter. Otherwise, it never would have occurred to me.]
"When nine hundred years old you are, look as good your eye sockets will not!" Oh, and Capn, I'm totally with you that they should use a 3L blade.
@Kre_O said:
"No Grogu, I am your father."
Wouldn't *that* be a plot twist?
so ugly, so tiny, so expensive
The eyes don't bother me as much as the lips!
Without the Star Wars branding, it has the DNA of a Botanicals theme set….especially with multiples of those eyeballs.
Does anyone genuinely think this is a nice looking set? I'm honestly curious.
I can't see it.
Is anyone else seeing a bit of the original Episode I puppet here? Even the choice of olive green seems off compared to the sand green used on the last large-scale figure.
@Bagelwolf said:
"Is anyone else seeing a bit of the original Episode I puppet here? Even the choice of olive green seems off compared to the sand green used on the last large-scale figure."
754xx Frank Oz’s Right Hand set announcement imminent…
Yes, I’m seeing that too!
Even the mouth looks pouty, it looks more like the female Gremlin in Gremlins 2 the New Batch than it does Yoda.