Review: LEGO Star Wars 75361 Spider Tank

Today we are very quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75361 Spider Tank, a box of 526 pieces vaguely inspired by the second episode of the third season of The Mandalorian series, currently for pre-order on the official online store and which will be available from August 1, 2023 at the retail price of €52.99.

Confusion may reign in the memories of those who watched the third season of the series several months ago as soon as it was made available on the Disney+ platform and the set will then find some indulgent fans who will see it as a beautiful tribute to the concerned scene but all that seems to me all the same very summary and approximate.

The construction oscillates between crab-spider and spider-crab and it is of a relative visual sadness. I will be answered as usual that LEGO has probably worked on very (too) preliminary artworks of the thing but in my opinion this is no longer a valid excuse, especially when you have to pay 53 €.

We therefore assemble here the mechanical spider seen in the episode concerned and which still reserves some beautiful assembly sequences with a body that can accommodate a minifig, a rather correct head, six legs integrating a rubber element which gives them a semblance of cushioning and two movable clamps on Ball Seals. It is however very quickly put together, a little repetitive at times but it is the subject who wants it, and the thing will undoubtedly end up quickly at the bottom of a drawer even among the youngest. Do not look for the mechanism that allows the legs to move when the spider moves, there is none and the six appendages are fixed.

There are two Stud Shooters integrated into the hatch that closes the body of the spider but that will not be enough to save the furniture and justify the price of the product. For the price, LEGO could have at least added some accessories like the cage seen on the screen, just to have a little context around the machine and the characters provided. All it took was a few additional parts to expand the content of the set a little and offer it real playability, not enough to significantly impact the manufacturer's margin.

LEGO could also have made an effort on the color used for the spider, I know that the Star Wars range subscribes to gray but there was perhaps something here to embody the rusty aspect of the machine seen a little better in the caves of Mandalore.

We will probably almost all agree to conclude that this set will only find its audience thanks to the presence of the magnificent new minifig of Bo-Katan Kryze provided. The pad printing of the figurine is very successful and the hairstyle delivered as well as the facial features contribute to perfectly embody the actress Katee Sackhoff, central character of the third season of the series.

The hairstyle used lets the pad-printed headband appear on the character's head, it's perfect. I prefer this version of the character to that of the set 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter which for its part made direct reference to the animated series The Clone Wars, but it's very personal and I need both anyway.

For the rest, the Din Djarin and Grogu minifigures are those already seen many times in sets in the range, and the Darksaber is in my opinion a failure, LEGO contenting itself with using a classic handle and associating a simple black blade. There was probably better to do to embody the weapon in question, but its fate is sealed anyway and we will do with this uninspired accessory.
Those who have seen the episode in question will have noticed that a central character is missing here: the cyborg who controls the spider. One more figure would not have been refused, even if it is a secondary character, to make it easier to pass the pill of the public price of the set.

It is therefore in my opinion not the product of the year, it is too expensive for what it is, the reference to the series The Mandalorian is sloppy and only one of the three figurines is unpublished. Sorry for not crying genius this time, it's much too approximate and summary to convince me to spend the €53 requested. I will make the effort for the superb Bo-Katan Kryze minifigure but I will therefore wait wisely for this product to end up being offered at a much lower price elsewhere than at LEGO, which inevitably will eventually happen.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 11, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

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