[Review] Darth Revan polybag

[Elrond]

Darth Revan, probably one of the most (if not THE most) famous and beloved characters in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. For those of you who are not familiar with the EU, Revan first appeared in the hit role-playing video game Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) released in 2003. Acclaimed by both the critics and the fans, KotOR is still to this day considered as one of the best Star Wars video games ever made.

Unfortunately it is quite difficult to talk about this character without revealing too many spoilers, so let's just say Revan and his friend Alek were Jedi and war heroes during the Mandalorian Wars (between 3976 and 3964 before the Battle of Yavin). After the defeat of the Mandalorians during the Battle of Malachor V, Revan and Alek pursued the surviving enemy vessels into the unknown regions of the galaxy and disappeared. When they came back a year later, they were leading the forces of the Sith Empire as Darth Revan and Darth Malak...

If you want to know more about this character, I suggest you watch this video (watch out, it contains spoilers) or simply play the game...

Following the 2013 Hoth Han Solo minifig, this year's May the 4th promotional polybag is most definitely a great and surprising choice from LEGO.

Basic Information

• Set name: Darth Revan

• Set number: 5002123

• Ages: 6+

• Number of pieces: 7

• Minifigs: 1

• Theme: Star Wars / Expanded Universe (EU)

• Price: Free (offered as part of the "May the 4th" promotion with every LEGO Star Wars purchase of at least 55€/75$ between 28/04 and 04/05/14)

• Year released: 2014

The Review

The polybag

Let's first take a look at the polybag itself.

The front features the same logo design as the regular 2014 movie sets. If I'm not mistaken, the background in front of which Revan appears is based on the corridors of the Invisible Hand, the separatist command ship from Episode III.

There isn't much to see on the back aside from some multilingual words of caution and a picture of the minifig's actual size. Unlike some of the older polybags, the back isn't translucent, which makes it impossible to see any of the pieces it contains.

1 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

Here it is now compared to an older polybag. As you can see, Revan's bag is slightly bigger although the difference is barely noticeable. However, due to the small amount of pieces it contains, the polybag does look quite large and feels a little empty.

2 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

The minifig

The bag only contains 7 pieces. Unlike those found in bigger sets, the cape is not protected by the usual little cardboard box. As you also probably have noticed, the parts are made of Chinese plastic (which is pretty much the norm now for the polybags).

The minifigs comes with one single accessory: a regular red lightsaber with a silver hilt.

3 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

There is no printing on the back of the head (which is normal since Revan never reveals his face) but there's also no backprinting on the minifigure's torso. Even though some details on the back would have been nice, I suppose it is not really a big deal considering he always wears a cape.

4 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

And here's a nice look at the complete minifigure in all its glory... Revan definitely looks better in person than on all the other pics I've seen. The details on his torso look fantastic.

5 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

6 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

The fallen Jedi next to other Sith lords of the Old Republic era. Definitely a nice addition to any EU/KotOR/TOR fan's collection.

7 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

And errr... well this is for those of you who always wondered what's behind the mask...

8 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

9 par Elrond Half-elven, sur Flickr

Ratings

Let's admit it, rating this polybag isn't easy. You can't really evaluate the quality of the build or its price. I also imagine your opinion on this minifigure will probably depend on whether or not you enjoy the EU, and more precisely the Old Republic era. If you don't, I can understand why you can't find anything exciting about this figure, unless you plan on using some of the parts for a MOC minifig... or unless you want to sell it.

For those of us who do enjoy it however, this exclusive minifig appears as a unique opportunity to get a LEGO representation of a fan-favourite character. This is probably the only chance we'll have to get a Darth Revan minifigure (unless Disney decides to adapt KotOR at some point but for now this seems rather unlikely) and I believe those who like the character should seize that opportunity.

The minifig is nothing special as far as parts are concerned. It doesn't have any special or new fancy armour piece like Malgus but it still looks great nonetheless.

I'd give it a 8/10, the only real disappointment being the lack of backprinting.

[Slurpifier]

Thanks for the review! Make's me want to get him even more!

[Blondie-Wan]

Swanky! But how did you get it so soon?

I consider myself a big fan of the franchise in general, including much EU, but not much of most of the material taking place millennia before the movies, and I've never played the games from which this character sprang, so it doesn't carry much meaning for me, honestly. However, it's a nice enough figure, and any LEGO is worth having for something. I do think I'll be getting stuff during this year's May the Fourth promo anyway, so I should wind up with one. If I don't think of a use for it soon I may save it for use as trading fodder.

Thanks for the review!

[SinWolf89]

Thank you very much for the review! I'm still considering to buy it or not but this review of yours definetly pushed me in the "buy" direction

[TheLegoDr]

Thanks for the review. It definitely makes me want one. The question becomes do I order something to get it or buy him separately...or both? I'm trying to cut back on LEGO spending this year, so it definitely will be tricky on what to cut out to get this figure. I don't know much about him, although I did have that game. I wonder if I still have it..

[Just The Doctor]

Great review! Makes me want one, but I won't be able to get one :(

[Mr Man]

I'm still not sure about that grey head, black would have been so much better.

[CaptainCRO]

Nice review and a nice minifig.

What has shocked me is the fact that the plastic is Chinese. Is this serious?

If so, that's a very lame and cheap move by LEGO. This really pissed me

of as I know how bad the quality of Chinese legos are.

Even more since these promo figs are my favourite part of collection.

[Lord Vladivus]

Ah thanks for the review! Will definitely be trying to pick at least one of these up!

[CroGo]

Thanks for the review, will definitely get one of these.

[McDuder]

Thanks for the review. He looks glorious.

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

Thanks for the Darth Revan review. I'm looking forward to adding him to the collection. Less than 2 weeks to go.

[Darth Malgus]

Like S.B.A above, cannot wait to get him!

[Elrond]

Thanks a lot for all the positive comments, guys. I really appreciate it, especially considering this is my first review.

Swanky! But how did you get it so soon?

It's already been available in some American and European online shops for like 1 or 2 weeks.

I'm still not sure about that grey head, black would have been so much better.

Yeah, I wasn't a fan either at first but I guess it's due to all the black details on the mask.

Nice review and a nice minifig.

What has shocked me is the fact that the plastic is Chinese. Is this serious?

If so, that's a very lame and cheap move by LEGO. This really pissed me

of as I know how bad the quality of Chinese legos are.

Even more since these promo figs are my favourite part of collection.

True, but I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of the promotional/exclusive figures offered in polybags are now made of Chinese plastic.

[Brickmamba]

nice early review, not many sith figs on offer compared to jedis so pretty much a must pickup for most collectors

[Andeh]

I don't think I can afford one of these via the offer, so I was wondering how much these exclusive figures usually go off for on eBay and Bricklink? Darth Revan has always been my favourite Star Wars character, and your review makes me even more sure about getting my hands on one!

[Elrond]

I don't think I can afford one of these via the offer, so I was wondering how much these exclusive figures usually go off for on eBay and Bricklink? Darth Revan has always been my favourite Star Wars character, and your review makes me even more sure about getting my hands on one!

For the time being, prices on eBay generally vary between 20 and 40€. It's hard to tell if it will become cheaper in the near future considering how popular the character is.

[grymg]

I don't think I can afford one of these via the offer, so I was wondering how much these exclusive figures usually go off for on eBay and Bricklink? Darth Revan has always been my favourite Star Wars character, and your review makes me even more sure about getting my hands on one!

Well using the latest Martian Manhunter as a comparable, it went consistently for around $14 shipped during the promotion period and slowly rose after it was sold out. Am expecting the same for this fig.

I'm not getting the Sandcrawler, At-At, Mos Eisley, nor any other SW sets this year so I will likely go the ebay route to get this one.

[BJM]

I really enjoyed the review - your first one and completely spot on. Also, thanks for putting in the comic at the end. Keep it up please.

I read the Old Republic novel Revan, and I really really would recommend this to anyone that can read, you surely will want a Revan if you do.

Still feel a bit sick at the cost of the Sandcrawler - somehow my wife always finds out how much these things cost...

[Brickfan]

Thanks, nice review! I will be sure to pick one up.

[punkkid364]

I ordered one on ebay, since the threshold to get him on the 4th is pretty steep for me right now. Should be here next week!

[Microdragons]

If only they made an HK-47 for him. Oh well.

[Lynx]

Ah, I can't believe I missed out on my favourite Star Wars character. Simply didn't expect LEGO to ever create him! Thanks for the review - I'll have to chase him up on bricklink.