LEGO Star Wars 2024 Set Discussion - READ FIRST POST!!!

[Alexandrina]

Just now, CloneCommando99 said:

But aside from that, I think I might just have this weird preference for making my OC rebels working class revolutionaries (because history has had such a huge impact on my interests) I often forget that most kids don’t share the same historical influence to imagination as I had.

For what it's worth, even if it hasn't much basis in the canon repertoire, I think it's a really interesting idea (and one briefly touched upon in Andor, too) - there's nothing that says the entire Rebel Alliance has to be one homogenous mass. All they really need to have in common is a desire to be rid of the Empire (not even necessarily because they disagree with the Empire's general goal; it wouldn't be out-of-character for someone who wanted to be an Emperor in their own right to side with the Rebellion as a means to topple the existing status quo). There are bound to be revolutionary elements in the broad coalition of the Rebel Alliance. And for the reasons you've said, a group such as that would probably be a poor choice for a battle pack.

1 minute ago, CloneCommando99 said:

Agreed. Though not as bad as @BrickBob Studpants’s heresy.

I can defend my view on ESB at length if need be - it boils down to it being a very good but still flawed film in a trilogy of very good but flawed films, whose reputation is boosted imo by an all-time great twist and a very strong ending when the first two thirds aren't quite on the same level. Curious to know what this greater heresy is, I'm out of the loop on this thread clearly!

[ARC2149Nova]

32 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

For what it's worth, even if it hasn't much basis in the canon repertoire, I think it's a really interesting idea (and one briefly touched upon in Andor, too) - there's nothing that says the entire Rebel Alliance has to be one homogenous mass. All they really need to have in common is a desire to be rid of the Empire (not even necessarily because they disagree with the Empire's general goal; it wouldn't be out-of-character for someone who wanted to be an Emperor in their own right to side with the Rebellion as a means to topple the existing status quo). There are bound to be revolutionary elements in the broad coalition of the Rebel Alliance. And for the reasons you've said, a group such as that would probably be a poor choice for a battle pack.

This we can agree upon. But when most people talk about Rebel battle packs, they do mean the "homogenous mass" that is the rank and file of the organized Rebellion.

40 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I was talking about the Lothal Resistance Group in season 4. They were a ragtag bunch of freed prisoners, pilots, farmers and workers led by Ryder Azadi.

But those rebels are not what people are referring to when they say Rebel Troopers. We mean the organized Alliance, not outlier groups like the Partisans or some villagers on Lothal.

42 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

But aside from that, I think I might just have this weird preference for making my OC rebels working class revolutionaries (because history has had such a huge impact on my interests) I often forget that most kids don’t share the same historical influence to imagination as I had.

We're talking about the canonical source from which Lego sets are based, not our own imaginations. In the larger Star Wars universe, of course it makes sense for ordinary people to rise up as rebels. But Lego's not making sets about those people. They're making sets about two armies fighting each other.

45 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be Rebel BPs at all. I’m just saying that there’s a reason armoured units are more common in BPs and why it’s a relatively good strategy to sprinkle a couple of rebel soldiers here and there in sets. I think the reason why I’m as against Rebel BPs as I am is because I don’t like the idea of having multiple of the same face print on show in a unit. (This is especially a problem with Rebel Fleet Troopers as there’s currently only a couple of different face prints with the helmet strap.)

There are many reasons why armored units receive most of the battle packs. They're also considered cooler by 90% of the fanbase. Lego can always make more chinstrap faces, or at least they should (AT-ST pilots and that one Navy Trooper chick from the Solo battle pack gave me some RFT options), so I get that, but most of the Rebel uniforms don't have that restriction. I've also had fleet troopers without the chinstrap, so there are ways around that. Besides, the super battle pack gave us a great example of how Lego could do such a pack, should they put their minds to it.

49 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I personally find Hoth Rebels to be my least favourite OT rebel trooper since they aren’t as versatile. Same goes to imperial snow troopers. I still find them cool though.

It always snows somewhere.  Rhen Var for instance, or Mygeeto, Orto Plutonia? Snowtroopers are just Neo-Galactic Marines. 

45 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

I can defend my view on ESB at length if need be - it boils down to it being a very good but still flawed film in a trilogy of very good but flawed films, whose reputation is boosted imo by an all-time great twist and a very strong ending when the first two thirds aren't quite on the same level. Curious to know what this greater heresy is, I'm out of the loop on this thread clearly!

Fair enough, I love Empire for Hoth and "I am your father", the rest of the film is a blur. 

There are forumers among us do not like the Jade which is Mara. It is a dead tauntaun which has been beaten senseless.

[Alexandrina]

8 minutes ago, ARC2149Nova said:

There are forumers among us do not like the Jade which is Mara. It is a dead tauntaun which has been beaten senseless.

Ah, poor Mara - doomed from the moment she became Luke's wife. The books were never going to be able to kill off one of the movie cast after the Chewbacca reception, so really it was a matter of time before they needed a major death to up the stakes - and it wasn't going to be Jaina, holding the torch for the next generation.

Mara's chance was of making the jump to the sequel canon, where she would almost certainly have survived the trilogy and (as the only Core 4 member to still be alive) would be indispensable moving forward. Fwiw, I actually reckon preserving nothing from the books other than 'Mara Jade is Luke's Jedi wife' would have fixed 80% of the issues with the sequels. You could even still have Luke being in exile - it would take, what, an hour's work to think up a solid way to knit the threads of 'Luke in exile' and 'Luke being married'.

But this is straying from the Lego side of it, just a little! Though we're getting some good minifigures this year which seemed impossible not too long ago (Cal Kestis, Thrawn, Jedi Bob, Darth Jar-Jar). Perhaps Lego will throw us book-heads a bone next year 

[Flawless Cowboy]

It’s important to remember that the intended target audience for battle packs (kids) overwhelmingly get one of each set. Most people don’t buy multiples of any set, they get enough to stage a “battle” between a handful of good guys vs a handful of bad guys. Buying troops en masse is limited to rich kids and AFOLs, and Lego is aware of this, hence why they’re not afraid to include named characters in these sets. Taking this further, I find it funny when people claim that stacking a hundred clones on a baseplate a la Solidbrix is “not real army building”. It’s Lego. More importantly, it’s Star Wars. Troop deployments and unit composition were never accurately captured or even attempted to be captured in the films or Clone Wars show. I’d love to see George Lucas’ reaction if he were asked why sandtrooper unit commanders appear in near-equal quantities as enlisted troops in ANH. I imagine he’d have a very Harrison Ford-esque response. 

Edited October 9, 2024 by Flawless Cowboy

[CallumPears]

2 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I was talking about the Lothal Resistance Group in season 4. They were a ragtag bunch of freed prisoners, pilots, farmers and workers led by Ryder Azadi.

But aside from that, I think I might just have this weird preference for making my OC rebels working class revolutionaries (because history has had such a huge impact on my interests) I often forget that most kids don’t share the same historical influence to imagination as I had.

While this is true, the issue for me is that we also don't have many civillian options to make such ragtag Rebels as customs. In fact, I usually end up going the other way and using figures from the 2016 and 2017 Rebel battle packs as civillians. 

[ARC2149Nova]

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

It’s important to remember that the intended target audience for battle packs (kids) overwhelmingly get one of each set. Most people don’t buy multiples of any set, they get enough to stage a “battle” between a handful of good guys vs a handful of bad guys. Buying troops en masse is limited to rich kids and AFOLs, and Lego is aware of this, hence why they’re not afraid to include named characters in these sets.

I myself can find usefulness in repeats of named characters, so including them in battle packs doesn't bother me, even as an army builder. I have a lot more Jedi robes (and black skirts for non-SW figs) thanks to Ki-Adi-Mundi and Barriss Offee.

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

I find it funny when people claim that stacking a hundred clones on a baseplate a la Solidbrix is “not real army building”.

It's an army. It's built. I'd say that's the definition of the word. 

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

Troop deployments and unit composition were never accurately captured or even attempted to be captured in the films or Clone Wars show.

The 3d show, sure. Real Gs know that Tartakovsky captured the very spirit of the large scale battle. 

In all seriousness, army building is quite subjective to the one building the army. For instance, say you built the 144 troops necessary for a proper clone company. Who replaces the deceased? You'd need at least six more to properly account for this oversight. 

19 minutes ago, CallumPears said:

While this is true, the issue for me is that we also don't have many civillian options to make such ragtag Rebels as customs. In fact, I usually end up going the other way and using figures from the 2016 and 2017 Rebel battle packs as civillians. 

Counterpoint, any sci-fi and some fantasy minifigure elements can make for decent Star Wars fodder. You just need to know where to look. I've used LOTR Elves and such for rebel attire at times.

[PreVizsla]

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

 I find it funny when people claim that stacking a hundred clones on a baseplate a la Solidbrix is “not real army building”.

Building an army is like being a chef who has spent time mastering the craft, following the recipe while adding their own flair, carefully selecting the finest ingredients, understanding every flavor, and perfecting the technique to create art, a masterpiece. Even something as small as 9 x 332nd troopers with an officer from the 501st battle pack with a switched helmet from an extra Captain Vaughn has more soul and life in it than anything Solid Brix has done since he made his channel.

He lifelessly spends $3,000 on 1,000 clones, stacks them on a baseplate, mixes in troops from different phases and legions, and throws in some Senate Commandos aimlessly, calling it an army. That’s like ordering sushi and claiming to be a gourmet chef. One technique takes skill, dedication, and respect for the source material, while the other is lazy, thoughtless, and completely misses the point.

That said, everyone should enjoy building their armies and collections however they want! This is just my personal philosophy, and I honestly think many people do it the way they do because they haven't even heard about another approach and just copy what clueless youtubers do.

[Coryo]

18 minutes ago, PreVizsla said:

Building an army is like being a chef who has spent time mastering the craft, following the recipe while adding their own flair, carefully selecting the finest ingredients, understanding every flavor, and perfecting the technique to create art, a masterpiece.

The penultimate scene of Episode II and its consequences... 

[Flawless Cowboy]

25 minutes ago, PreVizsla said:

He lifelessly spends $3,000 on 1,000 clones, stacks them on a baseplate, mixes in troops from different phases and legions, and throws in some Senate Commandos aimlessly, calling it an army. That’s like ordering sushi and claiming to be a gourmet chef. One technique takes skill, dedication, and respect for the source material, while the other is lazy, thoughtless, and completely misses the point.

I respect your detail-oriented mindset when it comes to this, but I personally can’t help but feel that massing hundreds of minifigures and then attributing meticulous, real-world prescriptions on troop compositions and formations when the creator of Star Wars himself would likely shrug at such a notion, is fundamentally funny. It’s Lego. We forget that first and foremost these figures we’re massing are mainly enjoyed (in MUCH smaller quantities) for imaginative kids. If a kid wants to thoughtlessly stick twenty mismatched clones in a battle and call it a battalion, it’s a battalion. That’s the spirit of Lego. 

Edited October 10, 2024 by Flawless Cowboy

[ARC2149Nova]

2 hours ago, PreVizsla said:

He lifelessly spends $3,000 on 1,000 clones, stacks them on a baseplate, mixes in troops from different phases and legions, and throws in some Senate Commandos aimlessly, calling it an army.

So, just like a certain dark lord spending unlimited credits on 3,000,000 clones with different legions and phases, and somehow calling that an army? Say it ain't so.

1 hour ago, Coryo said:

The penultimate scene of Episode II and its consequences... 

How, on the surface level, is that any different from SolidBrix @PreVizsla?

Our clone armies include all our clones, no matter where they're from, or how many of each type there are.

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

I personally can’t help but feel that massing hundreds of minifigures and then attributing meticulous, real-world prescriptions on troop compositions and formations when the creator of Star Wars himself would likely shrug at such a notion, is fundamentally funny.

I mean, if that's what one wishes to do; I think it's more interesting that way. Wookiepedia gives a detailed breakdown of the GAR's unit structure. I've always wanted to see a Lego army that's organized accordingly, as like a passion project. It's a cool way to integrate realism into the collection. I personally bought 2020's 501st set until I had roughly a platoon's worth (36 troopers). That was intentional, my goal was to have a platoon of 501st troopers. I prefer that to saying 50 troopers is a platoon. But, if someone wanted 50 clones instead of 36, or 20 instead of 36, then that's their prerogative.

Lego is for kids, yes, but some of us are just geeks.  We enjoy our meticulousness.

Edited October 10, 2024 by ARC2149Nova

[PreVizsla]

1 hour ago, Flawless Cowboy said:

I respect your detail-oriented mindset when it comes to this, but I personally can’t help but feel that massing hundreds of minifigures and then attributing meticulous, real-world prescriptions on troop compositions and formations when the creator of Star Wars himself would likely shrug at such a notion, is fundamentally funny. It’s Lego. We forget that first and foremost these figures we’re massing are mainly enjoyed (in MUCH smaller quantities) for imaginative kids. If a kid wants to thoughtlessly stick twenty mismatched clones in a battle and call it a battalion, it’s a battalion. That’s the spirit of Lego. 

For me, recreating the lore and following specific compositions adds depth and purpose to the hobby. It gives me a clear, small goal that grows over time, making the experience even more fun. I am not taking away from the spirit of what LEGO is, I am just pushing the limits of what it can be.

I agree that kids should enjoy their sets however they want be it mismatched clones, sharpied clones, clones with stormtrooper helmets, it’s all part of the fun. But when it comes to LEGO designing sets, they could consider giving kids the freedom to be imaginative while also providing something for teens and older fans who invest time and money in it and care about accuracy. For example, the BARC speeder from a $30 battle pack is just something very lazily made. You can create an accurate version that pleases both casual fans, kids and those who care about details. This is premium product of a multi billion dollar company after all.

Even better example, I had two Rebel battle packs as a teen in 2010, and it's only now on this forum, 14 years later, that I have learned one of the characters was Zev Senesca. To me he was Luke. Do kids even know or care who Vaughn is? They are probably just using all the accessories so all their clones look like Vaughn. Maybe none of them are Vaughn, maybe they are undercover Jedi or whatever kids are into nowadays skibidi toilet. But for someone who cares about accuracy or is going to buy hundreds of them, it really matters if you get that Vaughn figure right or not include a named character at all.

[Mandalorianknight]

3 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

I myself can find usefulness in repeats of named characters, so including them in battle packs doesn't bother me, even as an army builder. I have a lot more Jedi robes (and black skirts for non-SW figs) thanks to Ki-Adi-Mundi and Barriss Offee.

But I bet you also have either a lot of unused cones or a strangely large Cerean population in your lego collection.

I don't mind named characters if they're generally generic-y, like Zev, but the jedi one I was not a fan of. If it had been, like, Bariss's head on Ki-Adi's robes, it would have worked better because it's a more populous alien species with generic robes, but as-is they put in a jedi from a species that's lore is it's on the brink of extinction and a jedi wearing unconventionally colored/textured robes

2 hours ago, PreVizsla said:

Building an army is like being a chef who has spent time mastering the craft, following the recipe while adding their own flair, carefully selecting the finest ingredients, understanding every flavor, and perfecting the technique to create art, a masterpiece. Even something as small as 9 x 332nd troopers with an officer from the 501st battle pack with a switched helmet from an extra Captain Vaughn has more soul and life in it than anything Solid Brix has done since he made his channel.

He lifelessly spends $3,000 on 1,000 clones, stacks them on a baseplate, mixes in troops from different phases and legions, and throws in some Senate Commandos aimlessly, calling it an army. That’s like ordering sushi and claiming to be a gourmet chef. One technique takes skill, dedication, and respect for the source material, while the other is lazy, thoughtless, and completely misses the point.

That said, everyone should enjoy building their armies and collections however they want! This is just my personal philosophy, and I honestly think many people do it the way they do because they haven't even heard about another approach and just copy what clueless youtubers do.

Not that I am at all a fan of the baseplate youtubers, but gatekeeping the concept of army building is WILD. I think I get part of what you're trying to say- you try to do it in a lore accurate fashion, whereas most of the baseplate youtubers are just flexing- but some kid's collection of mixed-phase, mixed-legion clones is just as much army building as someone's hyper lore accurate 501st legion with ancillary staff.

[ARC2149Nova]

36 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

But I bet you also have either a lot of unused cones or a strangely large Cerean population in your lego collection.

I don't mind named characters if they're generally generic-y, like Zev, but the jedi one I was not a fan of. If it had been, like, Bariss's head on Ki-Adi's robes, it would have worked better because it's a more populous alien species with generic robes, but as-is they put in a jedi from a species that's lore is it's on the brink of extinction and a jedi wearing unconventionally colored/textured robes

I have lots of unused figure parts, the cones don't bother me. and Barriss' robes have found their way into civilian clothing (alt/goth/punk style). I think people limit themselves unnecessarily. Those parts are still incredibly useful.

Also, by the time Mundi was done, I doubt they were on the brink of extinction. 

39 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Not that I am at all a fan of the baseplate youtubers, but gatekeeping the concept of army building is WILD. I think I get part of what you're trying to say- you try to do it in a lore accurate fashion, whereas most of the baseplate youtubers are just flexing- but some kid's collection of mixed-phase, mixed-legion clones is just as much army building as someone's hyper lore accurate 501st legion with ancillary staff.

I like lore accurate army building too, but an army's an army.

[CloneCommando99]

3 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

I prefer that to saying 50 troopers is a platoon. But, if someone wanted 50 clones instead of 36, or 20 instead of 36, then that's their prerogative.

Lego is for kids, yes, but some of us are just geeks.  We enjoy our meticulousness.

50 Troopers is half a company I’d say. 


All Troopers are equal. But some Troopers are more equal than others. (In coolness)

Exactly. Shall we put the ragtag rebel discussion to rest as in the end it comes down to our own personal preferences? Though it has been interesting.

 

I’m now interested in how everyone does army building individually. I personally use the British Army ORBAT as reference. 4 Troops in a fire team, 2 fire teams in a section (squad), 3 sections in a platoon (plus support section made up of troops like artillery and scout troopers), 4 platoons in a company (though I haven’t made it that far) and eventually 4 companies in a battalion.

Commandos like Death Troopers get individual fire teams, whilst Stormtroopers usually get assigned into larger platoons or sections. Does that make sense?

Edited October 10, 2024 by CloneCommando99

[ARC2149Nova]

29 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

50 Troopers is half a company I’d say. 

*Ahem*

In the Grand Army of the Republic (Clone Wars Edition) the following unit structure is adhered to:

Squad: 9 Troopers, led by a Sergeant (Never explained if this is 8 Privates + 1 Sergeant, or 9 Privates + 1 Sergeant, ditto for the following groups)

Platoon: 4 Squads, led by a Lieutenant (36 men)

Company: 4 Platoons, led by a Captain (144 men)

Battalion: 4 Companies, led by a Commander (576 men)

Regiment: 4 Battalions, led by a Regimental Commander (2,304 men)

Legion: 4 Regiments, led by a Senior Commander (9,216 men)

Corps: 4 Legions, led by a Marshal Commander (36,864 men)

This is the army structure I use when doing serious army building, or when crafting stories set in the Clone War Era. Numbers are subject to change based on a number of factors, including casualties, reinforcements, non-combat personnel, amd non-army divisions (aka gunners, pilots, and naval officers)

38 minutes ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I’m now interested in how everyone does army building individually. I personally use the British Army ORBAT as reference. 4 Troops in a fire team, 2 fire teams in a section (squad), 3 sections in a platoon (plus support section made up of troops like artillery and scout troopers), 4 platoons in a company (though I haven’t made it that far) and eventually 4 companies in a battalion.

Commandos like Death Troopers get individual fire teams, whilst Stormtroopers usually get assigned into larger platoons or sections. Does that make sense?

For the Empire (and less defined armies, like the CIS and Rebellion), I'm a bit more arbitrary. Stormtroopers are organized according the needs of a mission. What I mean by that is, each major Imperial villain (Vader, Thrawn, Moff Gideon) has their own troops, with their own structures. Elite units are built to ratio with the Stormtrooper Corps (like 1 Scout Trooper for every 10 Stormtroopers). I also army build crewmen and navy personnel, their numbers are completely random.

Stormtroopers: Squads of 10, 5 Squads to a Platoon, 5 Platoons to a Company, 4 Platoons to a Battalion (1000 men)

Biker Scouts: 2 to a Patrol, 4 to a Squad, 40 to a Platoon, 200 to a Company (attached to a Stormtrooper Battalion)

Elite Forces (Death Troopers, Shadow Troopers, Etc.): 6-8 Members to a Fireteam. For Elite Stormtrooper Squads, 4 Stormtroopers (At the rank of Corporal and above), 2 Scout Troopers (At the rank of Specialist and above)

The Empire lends itself to more fluidity thanks to having near constant recruits, making a strict system near impossible.

Battle Droid Platoons: 50 B1s, 10 B2s, 6-8 Droidekas. Battalion strengths are around a 1000 B1s.

Rebels are also organized arbitrarily, but the typical army squad is around 12 members.

It should be worth noting, I use these numbers mostly for story purposes, I've never gotten close to Company strength or above for any of my armies.

[MKJoshA]

11 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

No. You're just wrong. Even the Lothal cell had uniformed soldiers (notably the crew aboard Phoenix One and those in the Quasar), Andor's team still had a consistent look amongst them (like even modern day Special Forces), and revolting factory workers are not Star Wars rebels. The Rebel Alliance is the Rebel Alliance, the OT depiction takes highest priority as it is the very essence of Star Wars. All other depictions are derivatives or outliers from the central Alliance. Even the games understand this, from Sullust to Jakku, the soldiers of the Rebellion maintain a uniformed identity.

You're entitled to your opinion, but so are the others. Perhaps a better way to put it would be "I would say you're wrong." Personally I disagree with your argument. I think the Rebels had uniformed portions, but overall were ragtag.

9 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

This we can agree upon. But when most people talk about Rebel battle packs, they do mean the "homogenous mass" that is the rank and file of the organized Rebellion.

But those rebels are not what people are referring to when they say Rebel Troopers. We mean the organized Alliance, not outlier groups like the Partisans or some villagers on Lothal.

I don't know about most people, but when I think of a great Rebel battle pack I think of the Rogue One BP with clearly ragtag soldiers.

Sure, the Alderaanian soldiers had uniforms. And a battleship like the Phoenix One would need to have uniforms for their crew. But the nature of a rebel/gorilla group of fighters is a need to not stand out to the enemy. Clear-cut uniforms would be a dead give-away to the Empire. Sure, you need rank plates when you've got forces gathered together like on Hoth or Yavin. But there's no way the Rebellion could have required a uniform for most scenarios. Just my opinion and built on years of reading the EU books.

Overall a fascinating discussion. And while technically on topic, it's taken up a lot of pages in the past few days. Feel free to respond to me comments, but let's give it a break for a little bit after that shall we?

[ARC2149Nova]

14 minutes ago, MKJoshA said:

You're entitled to your opinion, but so are the others. Perhaps a better way to put it would be "I would say you're wrong." Personally I disagree with your argument. I think the Rebels had uniformed portions, but overall were ragtag.

Sure, the Alderaanian soldiers had uniforms. And a battleship like the Phoenix One would need to have uniforms for their crew. But the nature of a rebel/gorilla group of fighters is a need to not stand out to the enemy. Clear-cut uniforms would be a dead give-away to the Empire. Sure, you need rank plates when you've got forces gathered together like on Hoth or Yavin. But there's no way the Rebellion could have required a uniform for most scenarios. Just my opinion and built on years of reading the EU books.

All fair points. My only counter is that even the Rogue One soldiers could clearly be identified as Rebel personnel due to share uniform elements. Like helmets, blasters, choice of clothing (even if the colors didn't match), etc. Even real world guerilla fighters share elements of design among the ranks (VC, Confederates, most terrorist groups), even if just hastily cobbled together. RO's flak jackets and SpecForce buckets (both the turtle shells and Hoth/Endor caps) I'd argue still makes that group uniform.

24 minutes ago, MKJoshA said:

I don't know about most people, but when I think of a great Rebel battle pack I think of the Rogue One BP with clearly ragtag soldiers.

Many of the prints across RO's Rebel minifigs were often color swaps of the same base print, namely the vest and pants.

I'd say the Rebellions tactics worked more towards disguising them than any uniform, or lack thereof. They'd become relatively easy to spot when engaged in military operations (or when clearly snooping around where they're not wanted).

There is room for both interpretations. I think George's lack of military knowledge strikes again, as his Rebels have more unique equipment than logic would dictate. Disney and the EU tend to skew more towards the ragtag opinion. I like the Rebel uniforms, I think Lego should make more of them.

26 minutes ago, MKJoshA said:

Overall a fascinating discussion. And while technically on topic, it's taken up a lot of pages in the past few days. Feel free to respond to me comments, but let's give it a break for a little bit after that shall we?

Already done, Cap'n.

[PreVizsla]

4 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Not that I am at all a fan of the baseplate youtubers, but gatekeeping the concept of army building is WILD. I think I get part of what you're trying to say- you try to do it in a lore accurate fashion, whereas most of the baseplate youtubers are just flexing- but some kid's collection of mixed-phase, mixed-legion clones is just as much army building as someone's hyper lore accurate 501st legion with ancillary staff.

I realize I should have been clearer in my point. I’m not trying to gatekeep army building, everyone should enjoy it however they want. My main criticism nd signature is purely directed at influencers who prioritize flexing over quality and accuracy, especially when they have the resources to do better. It’s even more frustrating when they constantly talk about accuracy and hold LEGO to certain standards that they don’t hold themselves to.
 

2 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I’m now interested in how everyone does army building individually. I personally use the British Army ORBAT as reference. 4 Troops in a fire team, 2 fire teams in a section (squad), 3 sections in a platoon (plus support section made up of troops like artillery and scout troopers), 4 platoons in a company (though I haven’t made it that far) and eventually 4 companies in a battalion.

When it comes to Clones and Death Watch Mandalorians:

Squad: 9 troopers of the same kind, led by a sergeant/officer
Platoon: 36 troopers of the same kind, led by 4 sergeants/officers and a lieutenant
Company: 144 troopers of the same kind, led by 16 sergeants/officers, 4 lieutenants, and a captain

I don't build higher than a company, as 661 Clones from the same legion/Death Watch troopers is a bit much.
P1 clones have both sergeant and lieutenant figures available, but the only Phase 2 clone sergeants/officers are Hunter and the 501st officer, so you can get creative, add shoulder pads or whatever to make other legions leadership.
Mandalorian Loyalists serve as my sergeants for Death Watch squads in one platoon, while I also have Maul's Super Commandos as sergeants for the other platoon and Gar Saxon is one of the lieutenants. Bo-Katan is the captain, leadership then goes Savage Opress<Maul<Pre Vizsla.

When it comes to vehicles like tanks and AT-TE walkers, I count gunners, drivers, and other crew members as support attachments to the squad, and I don't include them in the squad total of 9 plus sergeant/officer.

For Stormtroopers, First Order, and Sith Troopers, I follow the same structure as above, but the squad consists of 10, the platoon has 40, and the company has 160. The First Order is straightforward, as you already have squad leader and officer figure, and for imperials 2 stormtrooper sergeants and officers.
Structure depends on the particular thing I am building it for
For Endor, I love a platoon made up of 3 squads of Stormtroopers, 1 squad of Scout Troopers, and a bunch of support personnel, including technicians and extra officers, as well as AT-ST drivers. If I am preparing to board Tantive I am going for all stormtroopers. I should just stop as I can yap about this for hours.

[CallumPears]

3 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

 (Never explained if this is 8 Privates + 1 Sergeant, or 9 Privates + 1 Sergeant, ditto for the following groups)

Wookieepedia says that the officers are indeed extra, so a squad is 9 troops + 1 sergeant, a platoon is 36 troops + 4 sergeants + 1 lieutenant, etc. 

7 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

I don't mind named characters if they're generally generic-y, like Zev, but the jedi one I was not a fan of. If it had been, like, Bariss's head on Ki-Adi's robes, it would have worked better because it's a more populous alien species with generic robes, but as-is they put in a jedi from a species that's lore is it's on the brink of extinction and a jedi wearing unconventionally colored/textured robes

Yeah this is my issue with that set. I think Barriss and Ki-Adi are literally the worst possible choices they could have gone with. Both have very unique robe designs and distinctive heads which aren't easy to reuse (and Barriss has the eyes ). Plus, both of them had already been made in cheap sets previously and weren't exactly hard to get hold of even years after those sets had retired.

I would have preferred Ep2 Anakin and Obi-Wan honestly. Both of them have generic robes that can be reused, and faces that aren't too distinctive. Also Anakin is a pretty hard-to-find figure, especially considering he's a main character, so it would've been good to make him more widely available. 

 

Of course a better choice would've been 3 troopers and a lieutenant but I'm going on the assumption that the set is inherently flawed and we had to have Jedi at all.

Edited October 10, 2024 by CallumPears

[ARC2149Nova]

27 minutes ago, CallumPears said:

Wookieepedia says that the officers are indeed extra, so a squad is 9 troops + 1 sergeant, a platoon is 36 troops + 4 sergeants + 1 lieutenant, etc. 

Interesting.

28 minutes ago, CallumPears said:

Yeah this is my issue with that set. I think Barriss and Ki-Adi are literally the worst possible choices they could have gone with. Both have very unique robe designs and distinctive heads which aren't easy to reuse (and Barriss has the eyes ). Plus, both of them had already been made in cheap sets previously and weren't exactly hard to get hold of even years after those sets had retired.

Nobody here thought of Mirialan Rebels? Or Sarrissa Jeng? Or even a Cerean Rebel pilot? Random old man (with hair to cover the back wrinkles)? Those are fairly decent reuses for the Jedi, not to mention the navy cape and solid black skirt, even the navy hood has its uses. Those two have given me a lot of customization options, more than another set of (presumably human) Jedi would have.

33 minutes ago, CallumPears said:

Of course a better choice would've been 3 troopers and a lieutenant

Oh what could have been. That's the last we'll ever see of the realistic troopers, too.

[CallumPears]

1 hour ago, ARC2149Nova said:

Oh what could have been. That's the last we'll ever see of the realistic troopers, too.

Yeah I only try to collect realistic Clones so I've had basically no interest in any made since 2020 for that reason. 

Honestly not sure what I dislike more between the new Clone artstyle and the new Stormtrooper helmets. 

[Flawless Cowboy]

9 hours ago, PreVizsla said:

For example, the BARC speeder from a $30 battle pack is just something very lazily made. You can create an accurate version that pleases both casual fans, kids and those who care about details. This is premium product of a multi billion dollar company after all.

Yeah I strongly agree with this, I don’t get why Lego butchers certain sets when they could be more accurate, more proportionate, and equally playable. The funny thing is, they’ve done a good job elsewhere, like the speeder in the snow trooper battle pack, but then they flub their BARCs and AT-RTs. Like, just shrink it, and if you haven’t hit your piece or MSRP quota, add side builds. Everyone’s happy. 

7 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I’m now interested in how everyone does army building individually

I Lego-fy mine. Lego sells battlepacks in groups of four figures, so that’s the squad size. 

[Tariq j]

3 hours ago, CallumPears said:

Yeah this is my issue with that set. I think Barriss and Ki-Adi are literally the worst possible choices they could have gone with. Both have very unique robe designs and distinctive heads which aren't easy to reuse (and Barriss has the eyes ). Plus, both of them had already been made in cheap sets previously and weren't exactly hard to get hold of even years after those sets had retired.

I would have preferred Ep2 Anakin and Obi-Wan honestly. Both of them have generic robes that can be reused, and faces that aren't too distinctive. Also Anakin is a pretty hard-to-find figure, especially considering he's a main character, so it would've been good to make him more widely available.

Anakin and Obi Wan would have been good choices. Come to think of it I wouldn’t have minded some generic Jedi (like Jedi Bob). Similar to how the HP line often does generic students. 

[Alexandrina]

13 hours ago, PreVizsla said:

mixes in troops from different phases and legions

Let's face it, though, the different legions are functionally meaningless. They're all just a slightly different paint job with a random three-digit number assigned, to make another figurine to sell to kids. If every clone trooper in all Star Wars media had the same plain white armour except for commanders with the gold strip, it would change nothing at all about the world or the narrative on a functional level

8 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said:

I’m now interested in how everyone does army building individually.

I haven't done any army building in the conventional sense for years at this point - back then, I was limited in what I could afford so my armies were 'every figure I owned'. For clones, I occasionally swapped arms to different colours, because the combo looked cool rather than because of any arbitrary designation.

Nowadays I'm more interested in making films than gathering armies, and all my parts go in the relevant storage bin when they're out of use, so an 'army' can be any arbitrary number I pick. I normally go for squads of about twelve to eighteen, plus a commanding officer and two subordinate officers (both in Star Wars and other media) but usually wouldn't show all of these at the same time, and if I needed a bigger battle I'd just have a larger army

[ARC2149Nova]

4 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

Let's face it, though, the different legions are functionally meaningless. They're all just a slightly different paint job with a random three-digit number assigned, to make another figurine to sell to kids. If every clone trooper in all Star Wars media had the same plain white armour except for commanders with the gold strip, it would change nothing at all about the world or the narrative on a functional level

Never have I been more offended by something so true.  And it's not always random three digit numbers...sometimes it's a random two digit number!

In Legends, some battalions were specialized by mission type, so the unit designations mattered a little more, it would be similar to stormtroopers wearing different armor depending on the battlefront. It also serves some narrative function, namely the Jedi's affect on the clones, and contrasts nicely with the sterile color palette of the Empire. IRL, various battalions in several militaries display unit identifiers, to set them apart from each other, it helps soldiers take pride in their unit. (Not sure about the UK, but it's common in the US)