Review: 75180 Rathtar Escape
Posted by CapnRex101,
The release of the first eleven sets based on Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now just a little over two months away but there are still scenes and characters from Star Wars: The Force Awakens which have yet to be represented in LEGO form. 75180 Rathtar Escape goes some way to rectify this, depicting the monstrous Rathtars as they rampage through the corridors of the Eravana.
Not only does the set feature two brick-built Rathtars which look brilliant but this is also the first appearance of Bala-Tik and the Guavian Enforcers who travel with him. These bright red soldiers represent one of my favourite character designs from the 2015 movie so to see them as minifigures is a treat. However, with a price of £84.99 or $79.99 this set will have to offer more than a good selection of figures in order to impress.
Minifigures
Han Solo has only previously appeared wearing his Star Wars: The Force Awakens attire in 75105 Millennium Falcon so considerably increases the appeal of the set. The light bluish grey hair piece looks appropriately scruffy and the head includes two new expressions, a frown and an angry grimace, which are exclusive. The eyebrows appear darker than those on the original minifigure and I love the little scar on the chin.
The smuggler wears a dark brown jacket over a wrinkled shirt. This design looks splendid in relation to the source material and the legs are similarly detailed with a belt and a holster. I particularly like the metallic silver buckle which presents an attractive contrast against Han's otherwise drab clothing. As ever, he is armed with his trusty DL-44 blaster pistol.
Chewbacca accompanies Han Solo on board the Eravana and utilises a stud-shooting bowcaster against both the Rathtars and the Guavian Death Gang. This element was introduced in 2015 while Chewbacca himself was updated the year before and now features dark brown hair with medium dark flesh highlights around the face and legs.
I think the minifigure looks marvellous, with intricate eyes and teeth as well as a metallic silver bandoleer which runs across the front and back of the Wookiee's torso. The level of moulded and printed detail is very satisfying but I wonder whether arm printing could also have been included to match that seen on the legs. Nevertheless, this is by far the best version of Chewbacca in my opinion and he is vital to this scene.
Bala-Tik has only a fairly minor role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens but delivers a couple of memorable lines so I am glad to see him in minifigure form. The tousled dark brown hair looks superb and matches his unkempt beard which is printed on both the sides of the head alongside angry and frightened expressions. The shadows around the eyes are excellent as well, recreating the slightly sickly appearance of the character.
The torso and legs are cast in pearl dark grey so appear slightly shiny. However, this is counteracted by the dirty dark bluish grey markings on his leather coat which also includes some round buttons. The jacket continues onto the front of the legs and partially covers a ribbed design. It looks great and I also quite like the stud shooter with which Bala-Tik is armed as he wields a similarly large percussive cannon in the movie.
The set also includes two Guavian Security Soldiers. These cybernetically enhanced enforcers look brilliant in The Force Awakens and I think the detailed minifigures are equally delightful. Each one sports a brand new helmet with a circular broadcasting and sensor dish at the centre and flexible tubing around the neck. The helmet is moulded as a single component and looks perfect in proportion with the rest of the figure.
The torso and legs are printed with even more detail! Not only do the Guavian soldiers wear black gorget armour and utility belts but their dark red suits are decorated with very intricate patterning which is only visible under certain light conditions. It looks terrific and the subtlety of the detail is impressive, as is its accuracy to the film. Like Bala-Tik, the troopers are equipped with large stud shooters with black taps to represent the stock.
Han Solo transports three Rathtars on board his freighter in Star Wars: The Force Awakens but only two are included in this set. Three would have been excellent, of course, but I think this is a reasonable compromise. One is primarily black while the other is dark red, reflecting the colours of the creatures in the movie and providing some pleasing variation despite the fact that the models are constructed identically.
Rendering organic models in LEGO is notoriously difficult and the tentacled Rathtars must have posed a particular challenge to the designers. However, I think they look remarkably impressive, incorporating plenty of detail and matching minifigure scale. The body should be a little more rounded and the mouth should be smaller but the additional play value which this permits is more important than total accuracy.
The mouth is built around an octagonal plate so features eight teeth which can be opened and closed to reveal a red 2x2 plate in the centre. Reddish brown whips form a pair of small tentacles around the mouth of the dark red Rathtar while the other features black whips. They are flexible but will generally revert to their natural shape unlike the maw and the larger tentacles towards the rear, both of which are fitted using clips and can be posed.
Orange 1x1 round tiles represent sensor orbs on the Rathtar's skin. There should be far more than three spread across the creature but there is not room to include any more without the use of stickers. The curved slopes on either side appear fairly organic and the tendril elements are similarly effective in this respect, although there should be far more of them. Ultimately, I doubt that the accuracy of these details could be significantly improved at such a small scale and the present design is perfect for play.
It is unfortunate that the Rathtars cannot consume a minifigure in its entirety but the teeth can be closed to grip items, as shown below. The general articulation is quite impressive and the models are surprisingly sturdy so offer a great deal of play value, although when compared with the source material there are a number of obvious inaccuracies which must be acknowledged.
The Completed Model
A large section of the freighter's interior consumes the majority of the 836 pieces. Its design is remarkably faithful to the appearance of the vessel in the film, with angular corridors and an array of dark colours punctuated only by yellow markings on the doors and the orange glow of the prison cell. For this reason I think it looks pretty good on display, at least in relation to other location-based sets.
The structure consists of three modules which can be reconfigured fairly easily. Each of the corridor sections include Technic pins on all four sides as well as clips underneath and both systems allow you to fit the modules together in several different ways but the variety of possible configurations is surprisingly limited. Nevertheless, this is ideal for display as the single long corridor shown below could fit onto even a shallow shelf and you could expand the scene considerably by purchasing multiple sets.
The first module includes a vertical sliding door and a hatch in the floor which allows minifigures to climb out of the service ducts and into the main corridor. This structure measures just over 15cm in height so is quite imposing but smaller details have not been lost. I like the trans-clear mugs which are clipped to the wall and represent lights, although it is difficult to view them as anything other than mugs!
Turning the dial shown in the image above will raise a small platform hidden beneath the floor so a minifigure can pop up through the hatch. I was initially uncertain about the dark tan parts but in person they look fine, breaking up the uniform colour scheme and suggesting a grimy environment which certainly seems appropriate. The circular doorway looks great too and the flame yellowish orange designs on the front are faithful to the film.
The rear view is far less satisfying, revealing the simple mechanism by which the door is opened. It slides between the posts and can be held in place by catching the Technic liftarm on a red plate. This is a very rudimentary system and it leaves the door at a slight angle but the mechanism works well as you can drop the door suddenly by hitting the lifting the light bluish grey liftarm. A more attractive Technic assembly would have been welcome though.
The main corridor section is equally detailed and features two printed consoles mounted on click hinges along with a pair of corridor wall supports. These are built using Technic liftarms so appear unfinished but I think that works perfectly given the industrial nature of the Eravana. The maintenance duct underneath is large enough for a minifigure to crawl through and there is not room for them to stand up, just as in The Force Awakens.
Four clips are arranged around the service duct and these are used to secure the final section which is my favourite of the three. This armoured cell is used to hold a Rathtar during transport and is almost identical to those which appeared in the movie, with a horizontal slot allowing you to view the creature and some dark red details on the door. I love the tan and dark tan colours which contrast with the rest of the set and the angled edges look superb.
The sides of the cell are enclosed by trans-orange wall panels and incorporate a new 2x6 slope in tan. I am not convinced that these pieces are really necessary here given that they already exist in many other lengths but they will doubtless have been created for a good reason. The hold looks as impressive from this angle as it does from the front and I like the shaping of the roof on top too.
Rey accidentally releases the Rathtars while resetting a fuse panel in an attempt to trap both the Guavian Death Gang and a group of enforcers from Kanjiklub. This detail has been delightfully recreated using a series of yellow Technic bushes, three of which can be pulled out with no effect. However, retracting the third fuse will cause the cell door to open and free the Rathtar inside!
I absolutely adore this function and it works very well on the whole, although removing the Rathtar through this doorway is very difficult. Thankfully, you can also access the chamber by taking off the roof, revealing a red bucket and a bone from the Rathtar's last meal inside. It is also worth noting that the door slots down perfectly into the passage underneath so you could also imagine that a couple of minifigures become trapped when the door opens.
There is just enough room to tuck one Rathtar inside the prison cell. A little more space would have been ideal but you can replace the roof on top with the beast inside so this is sufficient in my view. This is by far the most detailed area of the model so it and the figures are the highlights of the set from my point of view. On the other hand, the rest offer some play value and it looks pretty good on display as a whole assembly.
Overall
Images of this set did not capture my attention to the degree that many of the smaller ones achieved but it has actually been quite a pleasant surprise. The minifigures and Rathtars are excellent, as is the prison cell, while the rest of the set provides a nice, albeit unremarkable, backdrop to the action. Some of the major characters from this scene are missing, most notably Rey, Finn and BB-8, but that can be resolved if you already own 75105 Millennium Falcon which includes those figures alongside Tasu Leech and Crokind Shand from Kanjiklub.
However, as a child I would have been inclined to set aside the corridor structure and play with the figures separately. The corridor is open so can be accessed easily but its small size limits play. Furthermore, the price of £84.99 in the UK seems rather high and the US price of $79.99 is only a little more palatable in relation to the content of the set. Nevertheless, 75180 Rathtar Escape depicts a memorable scene and includes some outstanding minifigures so I would recommend it, although only once the price has been reduced.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
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28 comments on this article
Thanks as always for the spectacular review, I think you've sold me on it!
I wanna get this now.
Nice review. A descent set, but not one I would consider buying
I like it, but there are other great sets LEGO released this year (70618, 70620, 75191) so I won't buy it. Nice review anyway!
I got it the first day it came out and quite enjoyed,the minifigures do have suburb detail
Thank you for doing the review! Thanks for the photos. I have already watched JANGBRiCKS' video review and was hoping for Brickset's opinion. Hoping to buy this by Christmas.
The one thing I love about this set is there are multiple connecting points so you can buy 2 or 3 of these to make the scene much larger. I wish Lego would do something similar with their other location based sets such as Battle on Takodana.
I really enjoyed this set. I would like to get a second set, if I can find one at a reduced price, and create a Doctor Who playset. The corridors are shaped perfectly for Daleks!
This scene was so un-Star Wars... from the Irish accent, to the weird red ball head costumes that belonged in some cheap, inferior sci-fi, to the generic tentacle monsters... While I generally enjoy location based sets, I can't fathom why anyone would want this.
Thanks for the review Capn! Great and helpful as always!
If you bought multiple of these and made all the doors, hallways, and chambers connect, you could make a EPIC scene
KANJIKLUB!
Sorry, someone had to do it : / The Death Gang figures are some of the coolest, and scariest, Star Wars figures I've ever seen! A shame the Rathtars don't appear as they do in LEGO The Force Awakens, oh well. Cool set, though!
I'm skipping this one for now. There's too many nicer sets to get this year.
I'm waiting for a decent discount before buying this one, but I agree, it looks like a nice play set and the minifigs are a must-have.
@J0rgen - Scottish ;-)
They should have called this "Tell That To Kanjiklub"
2 months to go to the TLJ and only 3 of 7 sets have been leaked so far (3 of 11 if you include the buildable figures).....saving my pennies for what will be an expensive September
Thanks for this review.
I think I'm gonna buy it but when it will reach a lower price.
An espectacular set indeed but it's not in my alley (I will take a few building techniques to use them myself).
I like the minifigs and the build. There are some nice play features, but I find the Rathtars awful. I would have done 1 good rathtar instead of 2 underbuilt ones. They just don't look like rathtars to me.
It's got Technic pins. Is it a modular?
good playability and good selection of minifigs & aliens.. it will certainly be great to have more than one prison as there are 2 Rathtars. steep pricing in Aus ($130) perhaps a good one to have movie scenes filmed from it..
If you paint those Guavian Death Gang soldiers white, you got yourself some pretty good Combine Elites from Half-Life 2. :)
This is a pretty good set with decent minifigures, but I do wish the rathars where bigger... they look much more menacing in the film. However, the price is what really discourages me to buy this set. $80 translates to 700 SEK, but in Sweden it retails for 1000 SEK (which means a 30 % increase in price). C'mon Lego!
I do not like the looks of the set at all. It looks incomplete and hodge-podge. The price is a joke, too. If on a discount, I will buy one for the parts, but at that price point there are certainly more complete and well-rounded sets available.
Thanks so much for this review. I was on the fence about purchasing it $$ but I do love those Guavian Security Soldiers & Older Han Solo is a must for my collection!
I'm glad I bought this set for a reduced price from the employee shop on my inside tour because £85 is sky high for a set of this size - £60-£65 would have been fine for UK RRP for me, similar to the Mos Eisley cantina from 2014 (though that was better).
To the people saying that they thought the scenes weren't memorable or 'non-Star Wars' in the movie, I really enjoyed the Eravana scenes - they introduced the 'new' vibe sadly mostly lost for most of the rest of the film, occupied with a Tatooine that isn't Tatooine and a Death Star III that isn't called a Death Star. At least it looks like Episode VIII is thinking outside the nostalgia box. Just my personal opinion, but then I was 6 when Episode I came out so I also like the Prequels.
It says a lot when I enjoyed the Rahtar levels in the video game much more than I did the scenes in the movie. I'm afraid the set is not going to be tremendously popular, especially not for 90€. They're having a hard time with Ep. 7 playsets already, Takodana and especially Jakku were like 40%-50% off for a long time, still sold slowly. I love my SW playsets (Cantina, Endor), but Ep. 7 doesn't seem to translate well.
Pretty cool, but I think the Rathtars could have looked a little cooler.
Great Review!