Review : LEGO Star Wars 75331 The Mandalorian Razor Crest

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75331 The Mandalorian Razor Crest, the newest member of the LEGO Star Wars range Ultimate Collector Series, with its 6187 pieces and its retail price set at €599.99. This derivative product from The Mandalorian series will be available on the official online store and in LEGO Stores as a VIP preview from October 3, 2022 before global availability announced for October 7.

It is therefore a question here of assembling a reproduction of the old ship of Din Djarin, necessarily more detailed than that of the set 75292 The Razor Crest (1023 pieces - €139.99) marketed since 2020. until now, collectors had to settle for the version playsets of the vessel, they will now have the possibility of adding a real exhibition model of the machine on their shelves if the need arises and the budget necessary for the acquisition of this large box is available.

As with many products in the universe Ultimate Collector Series (UCS), LEGO puts the package on the packaging here with pretty visuals printed on the two boxes present in the box. In the case of these large boxes for informed and demanding collectors, the packaging is necessarily part of the "experience" and it is very successful here. The instructions are divided into four separate booklets which allow you to possibly distribute the assembly of the product to several people thanks to the corresponding bags and the modular design of the product.

The designers of the set readily admit it, the scale of the product was determined by the two transparent pad-printed elements which form the sides of the canopy of the cockpit. The two pieces used will not be unknown to anyone who has a copy of the LEGO Ideas set in a corner. 21313 Ship in a Bottle (or reissue 92177 Ship in a Bottle): these are the elements that formed the upper part of the body of the bottle at the level of the junction with the neck of the object. The link between the two pad-printed pieces is ensured here by an almost matching sticker and the result is rather convincing.

You will have noticed since the official announcement of the product, the Razor Crest in the LEGO version does not benefit from any metallic parts, not even a simple border or a few details scattered on the surface of the model. In any case, we shouldn't dream too much, LEGO was not going to deliver us a shiny cabin and we will therefore have to be content with the somewhat sad gray offered. Fans of the LEGO Star Wars range will be on familiar ground, and contrast will eventually be provided by ambient lighting and the resulting shadows.

The 72 cm long, 50 cm wide and 24 cm high product is designed according to the martingale usually used for this type of model with an internal structure made up of Technic beams on which we fix or place sub-assemblies forming the vessel cabin. The adjustments between the different sections are for the most part very correct except for a few areas where the junction seems a little more hazardous to me. The designer is doing pretty well, however, in my opinion knowing that the Razor Crest is a ship with a complex design. The proposed model seems to me worthy of the name Ultimate Collector Series, in any case more than some other recent proposals from the manufacturer with a much less successful finish.

The construction obtained at the end of the assembly is what could be considered modular with the possibility of removing certain sub-assemblies without having to unclip or unhook anything in particular. The removal of these independent sections allows access to the interior space of this vessel which is therefore not an empty shell. This detail may seem trivial, but LEGO could have been content to deliver a product without interior finishes and the presence of some internal fittings and associated accessories greatly contributes to making the assembly of the product a long sequence dotted with winks which will inevitably be appreciated by fans of the series. The objective is no longer to reach the end to enjoy the result, the progression brings its share of satisfying moments.

The large section that covers the rear of the ship can also be removed, but it will have to be unhooked and there is not much to discover under it anyway apart from a pile of Technic beams that overhang the false cylinders of the aft platform of the ship. We will also appreciate being able to open two side hatches which allow you to take a look at the internal layout without having to remove the engines or the two other removable sections placed between them and the cockpit. By leaving these two hatches open, we obtain a presentation effect consistent with many shots seen over the episodes.

Great efforts have been made to offer a layout of the machine that will appeal to fans and the different spaces reserve their batches of references to the series. No question of spoiling the pleasure of those who will spend 600 € in this box, it is up to them to discover what the designers have deemed useful to slip into the passageways of the ship to please them even if the photos that I propose to you here largely reveal certain of these fittings, accessories and other decorations. do not linger too long on these shots if you want to keep the pleasure of discovery intact.

The ship rests on its three landing gears and it is therefore not staged on a possible display associated with the black band which highlights the presentation plate and the figurines provided. The designer of the set justifies this choice by invoking the consequent weight of the model, largely because of the module grouping together the two engines.

The photos that I propose to you are rather explicit on this point, the interior of the engines is indeed made up of many elements and the weight of the module which groups them both via a central section is affected. On closer inspection, we even see that the ship bends a little under the weight of the engines and leans slightly backwards. The three skids are also fixed and cannot be retracted, they serve as a support for the imposing model which cannot therefore be presented in flight position except by modifying it yourself. I'm pointing this out because it's always a bit irritating, an essential part for fixing the front pad was missing in the copy I received. It's not under the desk, I checked.

I think this choice was the right one: in my memories, the best views of the Razor Crest over the various episodes of the series in which it is present are those of the ship landed on one planet or another. The presentation sticker is there for the form and to affirm the belonging of the product to the universe Ultimate Collector Series, Few facts techniques listed there are, in my opinion, of little interest. You know it if you follow, LEGO confirmed that these plates will be printed one day and it is good news for all those who despair of seeing their sticker peeling off and getting damaged over time.

In terms of notable defects, it's always the same old story: the light gray color is not exactly the same for all the parts, there are some large matt patches with their central injection point scattered on the surface of the model and the yellow tint of the stickers is not totally consistent with that of the parts.

I still insisted on these matte plates and the designers willingly admit to being too sometimes annoyed by the lack of finish of these elements. They point out, however, that LEGO is not currently able to inject plates of this format through the edge as with other smaller parts and that injection through the center of the plate guarantees an even distribution of the plastic. in the mould. Of which act.

Regarding the presence of stickers on a high-end product intended to end its career exposed on a shelf, the answers obtained are less convincing even if the designers claim to do their utmost to use parts when it comes to reproducing simple patterns. and that the use of stickers is only considered as a last resort. This does not explain the manufacturer's inability to provide matching colors between parts and stickers and the Razor Crest suffers from this defect in the yellow surfaces printed and placed on the sides of the cabin.

The two carbonite blocks provided are also covered with stickers and LEGO could have made an effort on this specific point. These stickers should resist the onslaught of time a little better than those placed outside the model, but their design seems a bit crude and dated to me for a high-end product marketed in 2022. The reference to the series is however there , so we'll go with it.

As for the four figurines provided, that of the Mandalorian is similar to the minifig delivered in the sets 75254 AT-ST Raider (2019) et 75292 The Razor Crest (2020) with bonus stamped arms and a slightly more detailed helmet than usual under which hides the face of Din Djarin, a piece already delivered in the set 75325 The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter (2022). The combination of these different elements results in a really very successful figurine that should appeal to collectors.

The minifig of the Mythrol captured by Din Djarin seems a little disappointing to me, LEGO having not seen fit to create a new mold for the character's head. The side vents are therefore simply stamped here and it will be necessary to be satisfied with this minimalist interpretation of the creature even if the outfit is generally consistent with that seen on the screen. the character however loses the characteristic attributes which make it easily identifiable, it becomes in my opinion here a generic figurine not very inspired.

The Ugnaught Kuill minifig, on the other hand, benefits from a molded head with complex pad printing that I find really very successful. We will probably see this figurine again in another set from the LEGO Star Wars range based on The Mandalorian series, I think that LEGO will not have created this mold with helmet and integrated glasses just for a single box, even if it was a set from the range Ultimate Collector Series.

The blurrg ridden by Kuill is not molded, it will have to be assembled and the result seems a little rough, especially when the creature is associated with the model which benefits from a very accomplished finish. Opinions about this interpretation of the creature will undoubtedly be very divided, between those who consider that it is LEGO and that the designer's choice to draw inspiration from the side of creatures seen in the universe of microfighters is totally justified and those who would have preferred a more faithful and molded figurine.

The Grogu figurine is the one already delivered in several boxes, the head and the hands are still not the same green and nobody seems to really complain about it. All supplied figures can be installed in the ship if you want to do without the display. Even the blurrg can be stored in the hold of the ship, it is planned for.

The most observant will have noticed the presence of two elements of armor belonging to Boba Fett at the rear of the ship, these elements, the helmet and the jetpack, are those already widely available and are not new.

To conclude, I think the Razor Crest has quickly earned the right to become a full member of the line. Ultimate Collector Series despite his career relatively limited to two short seasons of a series broadcast only on the Disney + platform. The ship immediately became a major player in the series and even if its fate is sealed definitively, this model remains in my opinion welcome.

Many fans will be content despite everything with the more compact and less detailed version already marketed, I can understand their lack of enthusiasm especially when it comes to paying 600 € when the year has already wrung out many of us with a series of boxes for adults sold for several hundred euros and marketed in the space of a few months.

This set could have been essential if it had been THE only very big (and very expensive) box of the year, but we have all already been very stressed financially in 2022 and we have to make choices. And the year isn't even over...

The fact remains that I find this Razor Crest frankly successful and that it fully deserves its integration into the range. Ultimate Collector Series. The product offers a very entertaining assembly experience despite some somewhat repetitive phases, the interior of the ship has been neat, the various and varied nods to the series are there and the end result is convincing even if it takes settle once again for a big gray ship that will seem a little bland to some. The mission is in my opinion accomplished, so I will make the effort.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 8th October, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.