I had been somewhat oblivioius to the Clone Wars for many years, and it was only during the lockdown last year that my son started to introduce me to the rich tapestry of characters and stories in the series. It almost had me appreciating Revenge of the Sith in a whole new light.
75310 Duel on Mandalore is the smallest of the LEGO Star Wars sets to be released with the new wave, and while it might only contain 147 pieces, the $19.99 USD. (AUD 32.99) price tags suggests that this set is about far more than the build.
The duel between Sith Lord/Crime Lord, Darth Maul, and Jedi Dropout Ashoka Tano takes place in Season Seven of The Clone Wars, as part of the Seige of Mandalore story arc.
These two characters are highly desirable in minifigure form, and it is good to see them in a relatively inexpensive set. This continues the trendof key characters available in smaller sets, a key example of which would be 75299 Trouble on Tatooine – released earlier this year – which gave us the Mandalorian, the Child and a Tusken raider for 44.99 (AUD).
Back to the topic at hand: The elements in Dual on Mandalore are relatively unremarkable, and there is a sticker sheet – printed on transparent plastic – my favorite type!
The build consists of two components: the relatively simple Mandalorian vault, used to imprison force sensitive individuals, including Maul after his defeat at the hands of Ahsoka, and the Mandolorian throne. The throne is backed by some transparent orange elements, with stickers applied, giving them the appearance of stained glass, with a mandolorian motif. This part of the build can fall backwards, simulating the windows being shattered during the battle between Maul and Tano. There is also a small drawer under the throne, which reveals a hidden blaster.
The builds are essentially dark and medium stone grey, with the exception of the transparent orange bricks. The way they break up the colour is appreciated.
The Mandalorian vault is able to contain the Darth Maul figure, and while his head is at the correct height to look through the slot in the sticker, it was difficult to capture that detail in a photo. I do appreciate the detail provided in the stickers, for the front and side of the cabinet.
But you probably don’t buy this set for the building challenges: it is all about the minifigures.
Continuing on from Trouble on Tatooine, released earlier in the year, the Duel of Mandalore provides a number of desirable minifigures in an entry level set. This version of Ahsoka Tano has only previously appeared in the AAT released in the second half of last year, while the torso of Darth Maul is a new print (the head appearing in a Book cover exclusive last year).
Ahsoka is nicely decorated, with leg and torso printing lining up, both in dark blue, metallic gold and silver. The facial decoration, as well as the head piece are well decorated. The height of the montrals (horn like projections on the top of Ahsoka’s head), and length of the lekku (head tails) might not be entirely consistent with a Togruta of Ahsoka’s age. The element was originally designed for Shaak Ti, and older, more venerable member of the species.
The Darth Maul figure is titanium grey in colour, with black and red printing, with grey detailing the belt at the junction between Maul’s mechanical legs, is nicely decorated. The head appeared last year, and was the first with a serious expression for a few years. The mechanical details printed on the legs are well appreciated. The ‘crown’ element emphasises the cranial horns, and lines up with Mauls’s tattoo’s, although I found it to be easily dislodged and malaligned.
Ahsoka is armed with two transparent blue lightsabers, and Maul has a dual bladed weapon, although the handle is the same length as Ahsoka’s
Overall, I appreciate this set for what it is: a relatively inexpensive way to obtain two popular characters from the Clone Wars/Rebels/Age of Prequels. Allowing for this, I would certainly not like to see sets like this one being any more expensive at this time.
I give this set 3.5 Arbitrary Praise Units out of 5. I really enjoyed the figures, and found the detail present to make photographing them a joy, but was relatively unimpressed by the simple build , although it includes a few neat features.
75310 Duel On Mandalore goes on sale August 1st. Consider using these affiliate links to support the Rambling Brick
I hope you have enjoyed this review. I will have a few more Star Wars sets to review over the next few weeks: be sure to follow the Rambling Brick to catch all of them!
Until next time…
Play Well.
This set was provided by the LEGO Group for Review Purposes.All opinions are my own.