imperial assault hovertank [75152] review

Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152]

Fresh from the Rogue Friday event, the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is ready to take on the spiritual warrior-monk Chirrut Îmwe, or is it?

Not considering the buildable figures (sorry, not a fan), the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is easily the obvious Rogue One LEGO set choice due to its price. It's the least expensive among the latest Star Wars sets, retailing for UK £29.99 / US $29.99 (I wonder if there's a pricing error here).

Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] Box

The packaging is very nice, with a Death Trooper ominously peeking at the upper right hand portion of the large box. I always love it when the box is big enough to fit the final build without disassembling it. Fortunately, that is the case with set 75152.

The set includes three minifigures, specifically Chirrut Îmwe and two Imperial Hovertank Pilots. Not much has been revealed yet for the Rogue One characters, but based on the trailers, Chirrut Îmwe is a blind warrior-monk who strongly believes in the Force. I think that was captured perfectly in minifigure form. His eyes were painted white to reflect that he is sightless, but that did not leave him with a blank expression. The minifig head has double sided looks of seriousness and smugness. He also carries two weapons, a wooden staff and a bowcaster. And for the last detail, LEGO was generous enough to give Chirrut Îmwe a cloak made of fabric instead of just printing it on the legs.

Chirrut Îmwe (Front)

Chirrut Îmwe (Back)

In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of new Stormtrooper types introduced in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailers. And they are represented in the different LEGO sets. What a perfect time to be a Stormtrooper fan (not so if you're a completist on a limited budget)! The set's Imperial Hovertank Pilots are great additions to anyone's army collection. They look very menacing in their detailed armor prints. But the best bit here is that new molds were used for their helmets.

Imperial Hovertank Pilot Unmasked

Imperial Hovertank Pilots

The build per se was a lot of fun. The Imperial Assault Hovertank, with its heavy-armor detailing and multiple guns, is the ultimate urban patrol vehicle. The concealed placement of the dual spring-loaded shooters and the subtle manner to activate them is a genius idea! The vehicle also has a hover gimmick by utilizing transparent wheels. The two Imperial Hovertank Pilots can board the transport via the opening two-minifigure cockpit.

Imperial Assault Hovertank

I think the model looks very similar to the hovertank in the trailers. Even down to the bright orange cargo (which loudly screams STEAL ME!). Inside it was another blaster and electrobinoculars. I wonder if it's the same in the film. Could it contain the secret Death Star plans? The missus suggested that it might be a flight recorder.

Cargo

Bonus points added on the absence of stickers. I don't know about you, but I'm not really fond of painstakingly putting stickers on my bricks. However carefully I do it, I always manage to unevenly stick them. Thank God for my ever-loving wife, who always saves me from this sticky task. But there's no saving needed this time.

Overall, with a fun build, detailed minifigures, and reasonable price, I think the Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152] is a great starting set to go rogue this season. I can't wait to see the live version in action in the big screen soon!