Set Review ➟ 75059 Sandcrawler: Part 2
Let’s continue with the last 8 building steps of the Sandcrawler.
After the base, the structure and the interior are finished, the rest of the process consists in all the “covers” to give the model the exact look.
On step 9 we include the ramp and the crane to the model. The ramp is retractable and there is a curious way to do it. Instead to use wires or gears, there are two chains which are rolled up in a technic axle and makes an easy way to roll up the ramp quite fast.
The crane is also retractable and is placed just under the cockpit of the model.
Once steps 10 and 11 are built you can cover both sides of the Sandcrawler, but not completely. In each step you build both covers of one side. All covers are made in brown and tan colour and it is possible to open it. They fit to the rear and front side, but not in the middle. There is a gap here which will be filled later.
On step 10 there are also 2 minifigures: Uncle Owen and Luke Skywalker. Both figures have printed torsos in front and rear, as well as printed legs. Being stricts there is one thing that doesn’t fit in the model. Luke should not have the lightsaber. In the film (which I have seen this morning) Luke still has not meet Ben Kenobi, and he still didn’t get the lightsaber.
The following building step make us fill the gaps in the center of both sides, and start the front laterals which fit with the ramp. Those are steps 12 and 13. From step 8 to this step 13 the use of wedge plates is very common. There are tons of them in different sizes. This fact makes that you can “mould” the Sandcrawler to its exact form and mixture of colours.
The next step, the 14th, the cockpit makes its appearance, together with the other 2 Jawas, with different torsos compared with the first ones. The cockpit has the computers to guide the crawler, and a big screen on the rear side where you can see C-3PO and a kind of snake skeleton in the desert. Once the cockpit is placed in the model, and in the same step, the first part of the roof is also built. This will be a fixed part of the roof, just behind the cockpit.
On the last 2 steps, and to finish the model, you should build all the roofs. It is separated in 3 parts. One big central part, covering the front and middle part of the body, one smaller part covering the rear side, and one trapezoidal roof to cover the cockpit. The first two parts of the roof are removable, and the third one is collapsable.
But there’s still something missing: the other androids. They are built in the last steps of the building instructions, together with some other small accessories and the central retractable crane. There are some small surprises I am not going to reveal, just to allow you to have an extra motivation to build the model.
Conclusions
The model is not beautiful, but it is just because the real model of the film also doesn’t. It looks like the real one. Of course the size is small, compared with the model in the film, but I can completely understand it because it should be 2 or 3 times bigger, and it will be impossible to build (and to buy).
The building process is very entertaining. Compared with other big models where you have to repeat the same step tens of times, in this case everything is different, and you should be aware to the instructions all the time because there are plenty of details in each step.
The model is strong and not quite heavy, and you can easily catch it and carry it out. The caterpillars work quite well.
The assortment of characters included is also good, with 4 Jawas, Uncle Owen, Luke and a lot of androids. Some of them are “minifigs” and other are simply built.
It is an iconic model of the first film of the saga, and it is important enough to be reproduced again by LEGO. The use of the stickers is moderated and it looks more similar to the real model, compared with the first reproduction made by LEGO 9 years ago.
Agreements: To LEGO CEE Team, Jan Beyer and Kim E. Thomsen for giving up the set to be reviewed.
2057
