Back in September of 2004, Jake McKee, LEGO's Global Community Relations Specialist, approached a few AFOLs and I to participate in a very unique opportunity to participate in an AFOL product focus group. That wasn't the actual title of our little party, but for all intents and purposes, that was what we were. Group members were contacted, non-disclosure agreements were sent out and returned, and images and information were passed out. One of the sets that we had the opportunity to pick apart and provide feedback on was, you guessed it, 10144 Sandcrawler. We discussed the prototype in detail and Jake prompted us with a challenge. Paraphrased, he said, "What would make the set complete? What's missing that MUST be included? The sky's the limit so have at it." We took the ball and hit the ground running. After a few days of discussion and dissection, we compiled a list of suggestions, many of which I am thrilled to see incorporated into the final model.
The protoype had only 9 minifigs included: 3 Jawas, R2-D2, R1-G4, Treadwell droid, ASP droid, R5-D4, and some other small droid that to this day I can't figure out what it is. The group really pushed for more minifigs. We felt like the set would really benefit by having Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, Luke Skywalker and C-3P0. And heck, since the sky was the limit we decided 5 Jawas would be better. In the end, the set includes Uncle Owen, but no Aunt Beru or Luke Skywalker. I can understand omitting Aunt Beru since LEGO seems to have a bad habit of omitting many prominent Star Wars females as minifigs, but Luke should have been in there. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that the scene is recreating the purchase of the droids. How can everyone's favorite whiny farmboy NOT be included? Tsk tsk.
You also get the nearly inseperable R2-D2 and C-3PO. It was odd Threepio was left out in the prototype, but perhaps the designers were focused on an earlier part of the movie, when the Sandcrawler had not yet picked up the golden droid. We wondered if a new head mold would be possible for R5-D4; being a S@H exclusive, a new mold just wasn't in the works. Instead you get a blank dome top joined to the droid body by a tan 2x2 round plate to simulate that extra height that R5's uniquely shaped head had. 3 Jawas are in this set instead of the much desired 5. Would including more Jawas really have problematic? Probably not, but then again the same question could be asked about the AT-AT and it's bare bones 2 Snowtroopers, so it's not something we're not already used to. Rounding out the droid family, you also get an ASP droid, a Gonk droid, Treadwell droid, and R1-G4. While the final minifig roster is still missing two "must-include" minifigs, the final selection is much better than before, but still not ideal.
The final production model of the Sandcrawler is very close to the prototype. The prototype model had a few elements that were noticeably painted over brown, like some of the wall elements, and others that were left unpainted but were changed in the final production, like the half cylinder elements that make up the greeblies in the back of the sandcrawler. The painting over the elements to make them look brown was probably done because of production issues and element availability (in case you were wondering, you get 16 of the 1x4x3 train wall elements in brown). The paint color didn't quite match the brown in the other elements, and the prototype even had a mix of old and new brown, which gave the Sandcrawler a nice worn look, like uneven rust. As much as I like the idea of mixing up old and new brown in such a large set to make the set look good, it would have been a nightmare trying to print instructions. I have enough of a problem discerning white elements from light grey from sand blue from dark grey from black.
The overall shape of the Sandcrawler is boxy. Well duh. If you thought 7184 Trade Federation MTT was a dull brown box, you ain't seen nuthin' yet. The Sandcrawler is big; it's boxy; it has a nose. Proportionally, the desert roaming vehicle seems a bit wider than it should be for it's length, and the nose doesn't seem to protrude far enough. The general idea is there, and it is instantly recognizable. There really isn't a lot too ooh and aah over, since, y'know, it IS a box after all. The designers did a good job greeblying the back and the top to break up the monotonous brown studs and bricks, and there's enough tan and burnt orange pieces to keep you from getting bored, but not so much that it looks like it was overdone; the amount of non-brown elements that were added is just right in my opinion.
The front of the Sandcrawler has a cockpit at the very tip so a Jawa can sit inside and pilot the massive vehicle. The focus group wondered if there would be such a space since the prototype images didn't make it clear and it's good to see our fears are allayed. The inside of the cockpit features two 1x2 trans yellow bricks to simulate windows for the Jawa. I don't think that was really necessary since the exterior part of the cockpit uses bricks and, to my dismay, stickers. It's quite possible to use 1x1 brown headlight bricks and 1x1 trans-yellow tiles; the group even suggested it. I think that would have been a MUCH better solution than the stickers. On the bright side, there isn't a whole lot of stickers (two more being used in the workshop) and alternative brick and plate methods can be easily substituted.
The front loading ramp, or the "tongue" as I like to call it, went through a slight re-engineering of parts. There was only a 2x4 plate at the very end of the ramp. A group member raised a concern over the plate since it appeared that with enough downward pressure, the torque would make the plate pop off. Now there's a 4x6 plate instead which you can see in this picture. You can see some of the gaps in the front section of the nose, which can be expected given the challenges the angular shape provides in the reconstruction in brick form. Nothing major, nothing like the escape pod from the first Falcon. There's a slight problem with the tongue and how it hinges open and close, but more on that later.
The group suggested that instead of the crane assembly you get in the set now, that you get a suction tube of some kind. Unfortunately, I guess that was too tall of an order, 'cause the final model ended up getting a crane assembly. The crane assembly stores neatly inside and actually provides a lot of play value, despite the hideous design. After you extract the crane out from the front, you replace a removable panel from the roof and replace it with the crane assembly like so. With a little attachment you place on top of R2-D2's head, you can hook the crane hook into the assembly and lift away! While not exactly a suction tube, the crane works well for the Jawas to scavenge for runaway astromech droids and load them easily into the Sandcrawler via the side door or even through a removable hatch on the roof. Poor R2.
I would have loved to have seen magnets, like those found in the LEGO Star Wars Magnets set, incorporated into the crane assembly and in some of the droids. It would sort of give the illusion of suction and kick the fun factor up a notch or two. I don't know what it is about them, but magnets are just plain fun. But seeing as to how the magnet set wasn't available til earlier this year, it might not have been option. Had the Sandcrawler come out in another few months, who knows...
In addition to the crane assembly, there is also a removable workshop. I have mixed feelings about this so-called workshop. For one, once you remove it from the Sandcrawler, you're left with this gaping hole on the vehicle. It should be noted that in the prototype, the workshop module rested on a row of plates, instead of mostly tiles like it does now. Another observation that the designers took notice of and fixed. Score another one for the AFOL group. There really isn't much to the workshop as you can see, but I have to remember that LEGO is ultimately a toy for kids, and having such a feature really adds play value. You could load up the droid through the side door and then remove the whole deal and play with the workshop alone. Also, once you remove the workshop, you're left with a pretty cavernous interior, where you can store the rest of the droids, and even throw in some more elements as junk. Just make sure you don't get anything in the way of the steering mechanism.
Yes, steering mechanism. You'll notice a little Technic gear knob on the back of the Sandcrawler. You use it to steer the direction of the rear tread assemblies. The steering is actually quite smooth requiring little effort to turn. Since the Sandcrawler features rear-wheel steering you actually have to turn the knob in the opposite direction you want to go in order to navigate correctly. You'll notice that the tread assemblies have two sets of tracks each. In the prototype pictures we were given, there was only 1 set of track for the outside, the side that would be seen, and wheels for the inside. One of the members of the group ran an experiment where he rebuilt the assembly using his own parts based on the images. He determined that they were built with wheels because rolling it on a flat surface, like a kitchen table or hardwood floors, the wheels would actually turn, making the treads move. Had there been two sets of track instead of the track/wheel hybrid, the treads would not move on the flat surface and instead just slide. The group pushed for a two track assembly and wondered if it was possible to insert wheels in the middle, sort of a "best of both worlds" approach. The final model has no such wheel "spine" and comes with two sets of track for all four assemblies. After building all four assemblies, I rolled one around on the table and it indeed just slide. After I attached the assemblies to the Sandcrawler and pushed the beast, the treads moved! It may not sound like a big deal, but It was quite thrilling for me to see yet another one of our suggestions be incorporated. I guess the weight of such a massive model gave the treads enough traction against a flat surface to have the treads move. I marvelled at the clack clack clack. I guess the experiment that the group member ran didn't take into account the weight of the Sandcrawler, and that the prototype didn't either. In the end, we are all treated to a very accurate 8 tracks of tread goodness. It's one of those details that really adds to the authenticity of what a LEGO Sandcrawler should be, and had it been any other way, it would have been, in my opinion, a very large point of contention among fans.
While the all-track tread assemblies are more accurate, and work well under the weight of the Sandcrawler, I did notice a drawback with the tongue. When you're rolling the Sandcrawler on a hard surface, the vibration caused by the clack clack clack can cause the tongue to open. I'm pretty sure that the friction pin hinges and joints can be replaced with click hinges for a more stable closed position, either that or some other kind of locking mechanism. I can see this as getting annoying, especially for long treks across the great expanse of your bedroom floor.
It's funny how a group of AFOLs can pick apart images, noticing fine details and then make comments and suggestions, and yet for whatever reason, did not notice the huge gaping holes on the either side of the Sandcrawler. Cue forehead slap, play Homer "D'oh!" sound byte. I was quite puzzled at the open doorways and wondered if the model in the movie has such openings. I'm inclined to say no. Looking over the notes I handed back to Jake, I still can't believe we missed it. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have added a small comment on maybe putting in a few doors or sliding panels. Yeah, sliding panels would have worked wonderfully.
10144 Sandcrawler is not perfect: it is slightly disproportionate even for a big brown box, is a bit boring to look at, has odd crane and workshop features, has a lack of key minifigs, has stickers for the cockpit, and has holes in the hull. I take full responsibility for the last part, that's something that should have been addressed.
Don't get me wrong, despite the list of flaws, the set has merit as well. I may have commented that the crane and workshop features were weird, and they are from an accuracy standpoint, but those are things i'm sure children will enjoy. You do get Uncle Owen, a relatively minor character in Episode IV, but he IS a unique and named LEGO Star Wars minifig, and every addition to the LEGO Star Wars minifig universe makes it that much greater. Jawas are also new and while getting three isn't exactly worth writing home about, it could have been worse; we could have gotten two, like the Snowtroopers in the AT-AT. The selection of droids is pretty nice, can't have too many of them now can you. Out of everythig discussed, I am most happy about the treads. There are no wheels anywhere, and it uses the conveyor belt links. It really couldn't have been done any other way, not even with those crappy rubber band treads. And it has a steering wheel to boot!
Maybe another reason why I like this set so much was the opportunity to provide feedback on the set, and see some of our comments and suggestions make it through to the final production model. It gives us a vested interest in the process and the product. It also validates the success of this experimental group, the value of the feedback that we as AFOLs can provide, and a level of trust that exists between the LEGO company and the AFOL community. Jake had a lot riding on this. It was his suggestion from the get go to involve community members with LEGO Shop@Home and collaborate. It's a huge feat if you think about it, seeing as to how this was done for a licensed product.
I could keep speculating on the reasons why I like this set, but I don't think I'd ever shut up and this review is already long-winded as it stands now. My reasons are varied and my experience is quite different than what the average consumer might go through. There are lots of reaons to pick one up for yourself, which I've done my best to detail here. But there's also that extra intangible factor that words can't really describe. And in that is where I put the weight of my recommendation. You need to own at least one.
Price/Parts ratio: 9/10
Parts Selection: 9/10
Minifigs: 8/10
Construction: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Crawl Factor: 10/10
Reviewer's Tilt: 9/10
Final Score: 8.6
Images used in this article:
