With the double VIP points being offered from LEGO Shop at Home, I took advantage and bought a few sets. Once again I have a backlog of sets to build and review, but that's a good thing. Anyways, one of them included the Star Wars Hoth Attack - #75138. It is from episode V, The Empire Strikes back. With 233 pieces and priced at $24.99 it's $0.107 per piece which actually isn't too bad for a Star Wars set. It has 3 minifigures and an Imperial Probe Droid (not sure if you can count that as a minifigure or not).
Here is the box. The front shows the final set in action with the 3 minifigures on the bottom right. I'm not sure why a picture of Kylo Ren appears in the upper right, but whatever.
The back shows some of the play options and by favorite, the weapons included in the box. I don't recall Han Solo throwing snow at the Imperial Trooper with a shovel, but it has been a while since I've seen the movie.
Next up is the contents. Nothing special here, just 2 brick bags labeled #1 and #2, a small sticker page (thankfully), and an instruction booklet that was crammed into the box so it is nice and creased when you go to open it (Come on LEGO! You can fix this!).
Bag one contains the Han Solo minifigure and then some of the build. The build isn't too out of the ordinary although for the play factor the option to have a smaller base as shown or a line as shown on the back of the set box isn't a bad idea. If you're someone who likes to recreate scenes on your own, this might not be a bad set to get you started and then you can expand. Here's the end of bag #1's build.
Bag 2 finishes up the set and has the remaining minifigures. It includes an Imperial Snow Trooper and a Rebel Trooper. It also has a Imperial Probe Droid and a weapon that can be set up and a large rifle for the Snowtrooper to fire. For those who want to play with the set, you can put a minifigure into the cannon, it has the spring loaded shooter device, and the cannon rotates as you turn the rounded brick on the bottom.
Here are the minifigures. They are Han Solo (I'm not really sure how you can tell it is Han Solo or not), a Rebel Trooper with a rifle, back pack, and a helmet with goggles that can be on the helmet or across the eyes, and then a Snowtrooper with a blaster as well.
Here is the final set with minifigures.
Overall what did I think of this set? For those who want to play, it's not bad. There are a number of features that make it good for kids (to include us older kids) to recreate a scene from the Empire Strikes Back. In terms of the build, there isn't anything special about it. No really challenging techniques, but a few good pieces that could be used elsewhere. I think it's a good set for those who want to add their own pieces to expand it. I often build a set and then add my own pieces. Usually this is with LEGO City sets where you only get the front of a building and I'd like the back of the building to be included too. If all else fails, the minifigures in this set are worth it for your collection. As mentioned, it's hard to tell that the Han Solo figure is really Han Solo, but the Rebel Trooper and Snowtrooper are pretty good. Since the set is just out, I haven't seen any discounts yet, but the double VIP points sale at LEGO Shop at Home might make this a good time to buy (sale ends 22 March). Have you bought this yet? Leave your thoughts in the comments if you have.
If you're looking for more LEGO minifigures, you can check out my store here:
-Episodes I-III minifigures
-Episodes IV-VI minifigures
-Clone Wars minifigures
-The Force Awakens minifigures