Review: 75528 Rey
Posted by CapnRex101,75113 Rey was released at the beginning of 2016 and proved popular with fans of the Buildable Figures range so I was a little hesitant when it was revealed that the Star Wars: The Last Jedi selection would include an updated version of the heroine. There are many other characters we have yet to see in this form and improving upon an impressive existing set always presents a difficult challenge for LEGO designers.
Fortunately, 75528 Rey seems to improve upon the few issues that there were with the original figure, making use of some printed elements which considerably enhance the level of detail. Hopefully these improvements will prove worthy of the increased price point.
The Completed Model
Rey stands just over 24cm in height which feels appropriate in relation to other figures. Her attire is almost entirely grey and brown so looks somewhat drab at first glance, although it is distinctive within the range and matches the movie very nicely. Combining fabric components with plastic shells is often difficult due to their disparate textures but it works well in this instance, just as it did on 75113 Rey in 2016.
The structure of the new figure is quite similar to the original, as one might anticipate. The fabric element has been simplified so now wraps around Rey's waist and does not cover her torso. Instead, the fabric strips crossing her chest are printed so look more realistic than those on the 2016 figure, although the previous design was a little more creative. On the other hand, comparing them today highlights the detail which was lacking from 75113 Rey and I think the revised figure is a definite improvement.
Human faces are notoriously difficult to depict on Buildable Figures but I think Rey fares well as the shaping is much softer than it has been on previous models. The printing is somewhat reminiscent of Daisy Ridley, although a few freckles would have more accurately replicated the complexion of the character in the films and her skin tone is too pale in my opinion. However, the hair features some lovely texture which is particularly apparent from the rear.
Turning the model around also reveals a dial which controls Rey's right arm, allowing you to swing it up and down. This function works well and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it does not interfere with the ball joint at the shoulder at all. Ball joints are also found at the neck, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles so you can create some really dynamic poses.
A feminine torso shell was introduced for 75119 Sergeant Jyn Erso last year and appears again on this occasion. The printing looks great when compared with the source material and it lines up beside the textile component nicely. The panels covering the upper arms are also printed with a series of bands as well as some exposed skin around the shoulders. This has been cleverly matched with a pair of light flesh beams underneath the shells which have not appeared in this colour before and help to represent Rey's bare shoulders.
Rey wields a blue lightsaber with a metallic silver hilt as well as an LPA NN-14 blaster pistol, the latter of which also appeared with 75113 Rey from 2016. Its colour scheme has certainly been improved as light bluish grey pieces now dominate the accessory, matching the weapon in the movie. However, I think the angled grip of the original blaster was superior so would be inclined to combine the designs. It is worth noting that the light bluish grey globe component beneath the barrel is new in this colour and may prove useful in other models.
Overall
75528 Rey is not particularly outstanding among other recent Buildable Figures but it has certainly surpassed my expectations. Its design is very faithful to Rey's attire in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the new head piece has the potential to be useful for your own Constraction creations as we have never seen a generic female head like this before. However, the price point of £19.99 or $24.99 is a little disappointing in my view as the original figure contained the same number of pieces but cost just £14.99 or $19.99.
75529 Elite Praetorian Guard remains my favourite of the four new figures but I would recommend adding 75528 Rey to your collection, particularly when it is discounted. The articulation is extensive so it offers a great deal of play value and the figure looks marvellous on display when clashing with 75117 Kylo Ren.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
You can read reviews of the other Star Wars: The Last Jedi Buildable Figures here:
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12 comments on this article
Good review! My feelings on this figure were a bit mixed after reading the BZPower review, but this review shows it in a much better light (quite literally — you took some great photos)! It's excellent to finally get a female head piece without any sort of headgear, since that was my main gripe about the previous version of Rey. I'm not sure the textile piece here is quite as effective as the one in the previous Rey set, nor is the torso build quite as creative. But the new torso shell introduced for Jyn is a fantastic shape and works a lot better with this new fabric print than it did with Jyn's jacket print. The printed arm shells that show off the character's bare shoulders are a huge improvement on the previous version of Rey, as are the System curve pieces on the back of the legs.
A lot of people don't like the human face sculpts, but I like that they're more expressive than the faceless trooper helmets, and more versatile in non-Star Wars MOCs. I agree that this one would be improved with some freckles! The protagonist sets also tend to appeal to me more than many of the antagonists since they tend to have more varied outfits instead of monochrome armor (although there have been a couple antagonist sets with more elaborate color schemes, namely Jango Fett and the Scarif Stormtrooper).
Admittedly I haven't done nearly as much MOCing with these Star Wars figures as I'd like to, partly because I made the mistake of leaving all of mine at home when I went off to college last semester. Hopefully when I go back home for Thanksgiving break I can bring some of those back with me.
It defnitely is an improvement. I look at the TFA Rey and I can't help but get the, well, the "yellow pants effect"...
It's true the Constraction range lends itself wonderfully to armoured characters, but this figure and Chewbacca are proof that TLG is advancing to make organic-looking Buildable Figures a sure possibility.
Which colour are 11946 and 11947 panels used at the back - DBG or LBG?
I got this about a month ago, and I do think it's a slightly superior figure to the first one.
Lego have also fixed the main issue of last year's buildable figures, which was the lack of necks on the figures! This one has a neck, and it looks a lot better for it.
Although the pictures have been around a while, I'm impressed with the usage of flesh parts in this figure. Should be great for constraction fans that want to build more human models. The waist fabric could also be repurposed for system perhaps.
Good review
Don't know where i can put this but...
https://www.toysrus.com/product?productId=112936966&rrec=true
they are selling R3-M2 at toys R us!
Karate chopping action!
@MrFlame: Yeah, I found those a couple months ago... as they were taking them off the shelves due to a mistake on the release date...
The Horror! The Horror!
These sets are plain ugly. Borderline uncanny valley.
I'm on the opposite. From pictures, I really like this figure. Much better than the original one. I even like the face/head, I think it's quite good for what it is. Maybe in next May there will be a May the 4th discount for this buildable figures in my country so I can buy them along with others which are missing from my collection (Stormtrooper, Scouttrooper, Chewie).
Good set, but I'll stick with regular sets.