Review: LEGO Star Wars 75215 Cloud Rider Swoop Bikes

Back to business with a quick glance at the LEGO Star Wars set 75215 Cloud Rider Swoop Bikes (355 pieces - 29.99 €), based on the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story.

In this small box, we find something to assemble two machines and three characters: An Arrogantus-X Skyblade-221 ridden by Weazel, a Caelli-Merced Skyblade-330 piloted by Enfys Nest and Tobias Beckett who for the occasion is in the process of 'trying to steal a container of Coaxium.

Regarding the two speeders, nothing to say. It is really very detailed and pleasant to assemble with in particular a nice work on the reactors of the Arrogantus-X Skyblade-221. The two speeders are also easily manipulated without risking scattering parts everywhere. No passenger for the Weazel sidecar, but it is possible to store the small Coaxium container provided there.

Lovers of specific pieces will also find their happiness there with some new pieces including 13 copies of the Plate with 2 open pins and rounded edges delivered here in Dark Gray (6221607), 6 bars with Stop Ring en Dark Tan (6236697) and 6 flags in Dark Tan (6231385 & 6231387).

The assembly experience is accessible to all, including the youngest if they are meticulous. You have to integrate many small parts in each of the machines and stick 13 stickers that dress the front fins of the two speeders and the tail of the Enfys Nest vehicle. Good news for those who like to share their moments dedicated to construction: LEGO has intelligently divided the two speeders into three bags and two instruction booklets that allow assembly as a family.

The Weazel and Enfys Nest minifigs are very successful with a really very successful pad printing and masks really faithful to the versions seen in the film. A little annoying detail: The Clutch Power (nesting capacity) of the two masks seems a little weak to me. These are easily detached from the head on which they are plugged.

The Enfys Nest mask uses the inscriptions in Aurabesh (the language of the Star Wars universe) seen in the film, but here in a slightly simplified version. For the record, it is written "Until we reach the last edge, the last opening, the last star, and can go no higher"on the Enfys Nest mask in the movie and LEGO only kept the end of the sentence,"and can go no higher ", on the mask of the minifig version.

The disappointment obviously comes from the head of these minifigs. Those who have seen the film know that these two characters with the look of aliens are in fact humans (and the good guys in the story) whose faces we discover and the two minifigs are nevertheless equipped with neutral heads. I would have preferred to get the faces of Warwick Davis and Erin Mae Kellyman, the two actors who play the two characters on the screen.

That being said, these two minifigs are very successful with a very successful pad printing and masks really faithful to the versions seen in the film. Enfys Nest inherits as a bonus a two-tone cape with a pretty pattern on the outside.

Regarding Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), the minifigure does the job and it is essential to the action of the scene reproduced here. I'm not convinced by using Mr Incredible's hair in blonde, but I'll do with it. More annoying, we find once again the very unsightly pad printing shift between the torso and the legs which ruins all the efforts of LEGO.

You will understand, this box offers limited playability and it is mainly a complement to sets 75217 Imperial Conveyex Transport (99.99 €) and 75219 Imperial AT-Hauler (109.99 €) which allow, subject to having a significant budget, to reconstruct the scene seen in the film by featuring all the vehicles and characters involved.

It is therefore the ideal extra gift to give to a young fan already well spoiled, provided you find this small box at a reduced price. The set is also currently sold for under 23 at amazon.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before November 18 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.