Review : LEGO Star Wars 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City

Time to take a quick look at the LEGO Star Wars set 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, which becomes with us Betrayal at Cloud City, with its 2812 pieces, its 18 figurines and its public price set at 349.99 €. An entire program.

Fans of the Star Wars universe who also love LEGOs were impatiently waiting for the manufacturer to offer us a new interpretation of the mining complex that floats in the atmosphere of the planet Bespin and which is the scene of many scenes that have become cult for a whole generation.

Let's be honest, the set 10123 Cloud City marketed in 2003 did not leave an unforgettable memory to the fans who for the most part today seek only to obtain the exclusive minifig of Boba Fett delivered in this playset without great interest, even for the time.

So it was about time that LEGO gave us a slightly more exciting take on Cloud City. Mission accomplished or not, everyone will have their opinion on the subject. As far as I'm concerned, I'm disappointed, but I like it. It is complicated.

I had undoubtedly a little too idealized what could be a Cloud City set in 2018 sauce, the fault among other things of the many very successful MOCs which circulate on flickr and which had given me hope for a reproduction with the small onions of the station. spatial.

Where the sets 10188 Death Star (2008) et 75159 Death Star (2016) are acceptable compromises because they try to preserve as best they can the general aspect of the place concerned, the set 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City doesn't even make that effort. The distribution and finish of the different spaces is debatable, with a landing platform for the Twin-Pod Cloud Car which probably did not deserve to occupy so much space and a somewhat minimalist reception room with its chairs placed on the floor. ...

I note that young fans aged 14 and over will be able to "have fun" re-enacting Han Solo's torture scene in the small, carefully furnished room. Even if the smuggler won't tell them anything because Darth Vader asks him absolutely no questions, they can simply give free rein to their sadistic impulses without their parents worrying more than reason.

I'm a little disappointed with the overall look of the set, in places it almost looks like a play space cobbled together by a young LEGO fan who hasn't yet mastered the art of finish and geometry, let alone the three-dimensional aspect of a reproduction. It's a bit flat, a few smooth plates are missing in some places, and there are way too many studs noticeable for my taste. at 350 € per box, I think we could legitimately expect a slightly higher level of finish.

Note that it is impossible to move the whole in one piece, the platform for the Slave I and the freezing chamber are not fixed to the main structure. It is practical to store everything, a little less to move the City of Clouds in order to make dust or try to raise it a little by creating a single support that would be positioned in the center under the construction ...

No big surprise during the construction phases, the set rests on a brick-based cross and is stacking dotted with the laying of plates and the assembly of small elements that come to furnish the different spaces. You don't have to wait until you're 14 or be a masterbuilder to take advantage of this box. Go even if you're too young for LEGO or have big fingers ...

So here I am with a slightly misshapen playset that is content to pile up references to the various scenes that take place in the places. No removable panels that would cover the whole and reveal a particular scene depending on the mood of the day, it's a shame.

Le fan service wreaks havoc here, as if LEGO was afraid of forgetting something and missing sales ... The designers certainly watched the various scenes in slow motion so that they could reproduce every detail and not then be blamed by a horde of bloodthirsty fans the possible liberties they might have taken. So much the better for all those who are sensitive to this fidelity down to the most insignificant detail.

Despite everything, you need a little imagination to recognize the City of Clouds with this assembly which does not take up its general form, nor architecture, nor the external appearance if we do not count the small set of parts placed symbolically. at the center of the construction.

Should we also use the name playsets for this box, the only real functionality being the mechanism which makes it possible to immerse Han Solo in the carbonite? I'm not counting the few movable doors and the secret hatch in the hangar, let's not exaggerate either.

And this is where the attention to detail takes a hit. Upon closer inspection, we can see that LEGO didn't even bother to update Han Solo's figure in the carbonite sarcophagus to make it consistent with the hairstyle on the two minifigs provided, just us deliver the version already seen in the sets 8097 Slav I (2010) 9516 Jabba's Palace (2012) 75060 UCS Slave I (2015) et 75137 Carbon Freezing Chamber (2016). It's mean.

The mechanism which allows the minifig to be retracted and the sarcophagus to appear is well thought out, it works, it's fun for five minutes and it's less laborious than the system delivered in the set 75137 Carbon Freezing Chamber.

In the description of the set, LEGO guarantees that "... Air combat between Boba Fett's Slave I ship and the Cloud Car Twin-Pod can be replayed with this set ...“I may have a bad memory, but I don't remember a clash between the two ships.

That being said, LEGO delivers two very compact interpretations of the ships in question here. You have to be careful to install their respective drivers. do not ask me why, LEGO insists with the red color for the Twin-Pod Cloud Car while the machine is obviously orange in the film.

On the one hand, the Cloud Car driver is a little cramped and on the other you have to orient the antenna of Boba Fett's helmet in the right position to be able to close the canopy of the Slave I. Some will find it cute and Chibi, others will find it barely acceptable. Tastes and colors cannot be discussed and we will do with it. Those who want a Slave I on a more consistent scale just have to invest in the set 75060 UCS Slave I marketed since 2015 and still available at € 219.99.

On the minifig side, the fan service comes into action again in a very beautiful way with a slew of characters including Leia and Han Solo delivered in two versions (Hoth and Cloud City, we often change in Star Wars). Collectors will be in heaven, although in my opinion those who just line them up in Ikea frames should instead be getting their favorite retail characters on eBay or Bricklink.

Once again, at 350 € a box, it's hard to gargle only on Lando Calrissian's pretty cape, Han Solo's legs with two-color molding, Lobot's new face, or the helmets of the Twin-Pod Cloud pilots. Because. These minifigs are great, but they don't do everything in a LEGO set of this stature. A good point, the inventory is rather complete, there is something to have fun and / or vary the staging.

We will also notice the significant difference in color between Leia's torso and the bottom of her outfit or C-3PO's off-center eyes. Too bad that in 2018, a manufacturer whose job it is still does not know how to solve these problems.

Luke Skywalker is delivered here with his right hand, you can obviously remove it to really replay the final scene of the duel (and put it back afterwards, it's LEGO, that's why).

The duel scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker deserved better than to be placed with forceps in a playset at 350 €. I hope that LEGO will deign one day to market a more affordable standard set reproducing this central scene of the saga. Other scenes, some of which are really anecdotal, have already had this honor ...

The specifications are respected here: This set brings together almost everything that makes the City of Clouds such an important place in the Star Wars saga. Perhaps it would have been more judicious to market several modular sets allowing to gradually reconstitute a City of the Clouds according to the desires of each one and the available budget.

LEGO has chosen to put everything in the same box, probably to get rid of the subject once and for all, at least for a few years. Many fans including yours truly will find their account there, exasperated that they were anyway by so much waiting to be able to finally declaim "No, I am your father"before knocking Luke down on the living room floor.

In the end, I say yes because it was about time that LEGO offered a new interpretation of Cloud City. While the set isn't the reproduction I dreamed of, it's an acceptable and comprehensive digest of what makes Cloud City such a key part of the Star Wars saga.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before September 26 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. I won't be relaunching from now on. No response within the time limit, it's lost.