Review: LEGO 75200 Ahch-To Island Training

December 18, 2017 | 16

With The Last Jedi out in cinemas, it’s really hard not to get caught up in the Star Wars frenzy. I couldn’t resist picking up 75200 Ahch-To Island Training for a review as it contained all my favourite bits from the movie – Master Luke Skywalker, Rey and of course a LEGO P0rg!

We got lucky here in Australia as retailers started selling these early (the official release date is 1 January 2018) and I picked one up from my local Toyworld. If there’s one The Last Jedi set to buy, it’s definitely this one!

This is my first review in like, 3 months, so I hope my photography and writing hasn’t gotten too rusty! Read on to find out what I think about the LEGO Star Wars 75200 Ahch-To Island Training set!

Name: Ahch-To Island Training
Set Number: 75200
Pieces: 241
Price: AU$49.99 | US$29.99 | £25.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [AUS] [USA] [UK] [Amazon]
Exclusive to: N/A
Minifigures: 3
Porgs: 1
Theme: Star Wars
Release Date: 1 January 2018

I’m not the biggest LEGO Star Wars collector – while I love the movies, I don’t have the biggest collection as I find the sets possessing quite poor value. I only selectively buy Star Wars sets, focusing on sets that contain important characters, or iconic ships/settings.

75200 Ahch-To Island Training ticked all the boxes for me – with 2 main characters, including Master Luke Skywalker who is exclusive to this set, the female protagonist Rey and a Porg, it’s one of those rare Star Wars sets with absolutely no filler.

In a theme that is made out of 95% ships, vehicles and battle packs, it was also a breath of fresh air to build a set that is location-centric.

Ahch-To is the name of the planet that Luke Skywalker spends his exile in. The island that he dwells on is also home to the first Jedi Temple, which is where the Jedi order was founded.

The star of the set (and arguably the movie) is the Master Luke Skywalker minifigure, depicted here as the old, wizened and wise(r) Jedi who we last saw in Return of the Jedi and the end scene of The Force Awakens.

Luke is dressed in his Jedi robes with a prominently large silver belt buckle and comes with a caramel-coloured cape. The printing on his torso and legs is razor sharp, and they continue on fairly seamlessly on to the legs.

The material of his cape is made out of thick fabric and is a lot larger than regular LEGO capes. He comes with a staff which is made of a grey rod, and a tan telescope piece.

His face features plenty of facial hair, and I especially love the greying bits peppered across his face. Luke comes with a new hairpiece which looks amazing, with plenty of tousled hair textures and a great overall design.

This is quite possibly one of the best male hairpieces ever created and I can’t wait for a black version which I can use to enhance my Aragorn minifigure.

Removing the cape reveals the printing on the back of his torso.

Here’s another look at the details of his hair from the side, as well as his dual-sided face which has a slightly angrier look. One of the nice little details of Luke Skywalker is his grey right hand, which signifies his robotic arm.

This version of Rey has her dressed in her Jedi robe-inspired top, and tan vest. The design isn’t the most accurate, as one of the defining features of her outfit are the bands that encircle both her arms, as well as her three-quarter pants.

I think LEGO were a little lazy here, printing on her arms and legs would’ve been nice but it doesn’t detract from her look.

Rey has the same hairpiece as her previous incarnations (in Rey’s Speeder for example) which has signature 3 buns tied to her back and her face is still the same with freckles and a small smile. Here, you can also see the back printing on her torso.

Rey is armed with Luke’s old lightsaber, and her quarterstaff. She also has a dual-sided face with a face that has a slightly annoyed expression.

The updated Rey is nice enough to own as an upgrade, but again, I do wish her look was a lot more accurate to the movie’s depiction.

Rey and Luke may be cool, but who am I kidding, the Porgs were the ones that really stole the show in The Last Jedi. Only half-kidding, these penguin-puffin hybrid thingies are cute as heck and will probably net Disney a billion dollars in merchandise alone.

This set is the first time that LEGO Porgs have been made available outside the UCS Millennium Falcon, which is fantastic as I didn’t really fancy dropping AU$1300 on a LEGO set just to get me some brick-built Porgs.

The LEGO Porg is simple and charming, built out of a mix of tiles, slopes and studs with a printed dome “BB-8” head. It’s pretty damn cute and while I would have loved an extra in the set, I’m pretty glad that LEGO included a Porg in a relatively inexpensive set. Can’t wait for the heads to go on sale on Bricklink.

The set is a simple but effective diorama, containing one of the ancient stone huts that Luke lives in and a small section for Rey’s training.

The stone huts from the film are recreated fairly well – the shape of the huts in the movie are quite rounded, but the clever mix of slopes does a decent job of making it look rounded – which is quite a challenge in this medium!

I do not like the stickers in the set. While they do create the illusion of the bricks used in Luke’s hut, there are only 4 stickers in the entire set, so as you can see above, it looks kinda half-complete.

I was so close to not applying my stickers, but for the sake of build accuracy for this review, I did anyway. I regret that choice. Either give us more stickers, or none at all.

I do like the mix of light and dark grey elements punctuated with tan bricks here and there to give it an organic, weathered look. I also like the use of a fabric curtain for the door – it gives the hut that extra tattered look, and the cloth material contrasts brilliantly against the grey plastic.

Ahch-To Island Training is a very effective playset and display model. It has just enough island terrain around the hut for you to place Luke, Rey and the Porgs in different positions.

I also like the use of cheese slopes and studs to break up the green base and give the entire model a believable craggy and rocky look.

Attached next to the hut is a small enclave where Rey does her training. If you’ve watched the movie, there isn’t a specific location like this, but Rey does get a bit of training done near a rock so I guess this is close enough.

You can place on a disc-shaped pedestal which swivels and allows you to knock the boulder off its perch with relative ease. It’s an unassuming play feature that works as advertised, and doesn’t compromise the build in any way. Younger builders will no doubt get a kick out of this.

You can crack open the boulder to reveal a crystal inside. This definitely didn’t happen in the movie, but it’s probably an allusion to kyber crystals, the stuff that powers lightsabers.

Here’s the back view of the hut which has an exposed back very much like a dollhouse. This allows you to easily access the interiors which is a nice touch.

You can also see a small lever, which contains the second play feature and knocks out a small section of the wall. A bit boring, but it does reference a specific part of the movie which I thought was pretty neat.

Here’s a look at the cramped interiors of Luke’s hut. As an interior designer, he definitely takes after Master Yoda what with the eclectic mix of furnishings and paraphernalia.

To one side of the room is a table with space for a cup, a candle and even a mirror, which cleverly uses a pearl grey frying pan affixed to the wall.

On the opposite side of the room, we get a basket which contains a fish, a brown plant piece, what I hope isn’t a toilet (it has a black stud in it. Make of it what you will) and a bed. 

The table opens up to reveal a bunch of green cherries. 

And that’s it for this edition of MTV Cribs: Star Wars edition! Tune in next episode for Snoke’s boudoir. 

The hut is kinda cute and doesn’t waste any of the little space it has. I do like all the quirky furniture that that designers managed to squeeze into the tiny hut as it gives it a lot of personality, while at the same time doesn’t take itself too seriously.

What I liked:

• Master Luke Skywalker
• Cheap way to get a Porg!
• Location-based LEGO Star Wars sets are always a treat
• Set makes for a tight display model

What I didn’t like: 

• The set while affordable, still feels quite expensive
• Stickers could’ve been improved

Final thoughts: There’s a lot to like about 75200 Ahch-To Island Training. It’s one of those rare Star Wars sets that don’t feel like you’re getting fleeced by a intergalactic smuggler thanks to its mid-ranged price, and inclusion of 2 fantastic minifigures and a Porg.

Master Luke Skywalker is the highlight and sole reason most fans will pick up this set and he doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. If you’ve watched The Last Jedi and collect LEGO Star Wars, this set is a no-brainer after watching Luke do his thing on the silver screen.

Rey and the Porg are great supporting characters, although Rey’s minifigure design could’ve been improved in a myriad of ways.

The hut and “island training” setting by itself makes for a fun build, and works incredibly well as a small display model. The hut’s design works particularly well, staying quite true to the rocky huts you see in the movie.

The interiors are also decent, with plenty of fun little accessories that younger builders can enjoying playing with. For most adult collectors like me, as you’ll probably display the set, you likely won’t see the insides at all.

As a fan of the movie and a casual LEGO Star Wars fan, you simply cannot go wrong with this set, especially if you’re able to snag it a discount. Kmart Australia is currently selling this set for AU$39 and is so far the best place to pick it up.

I’m just glad that LEGO didn’t decide to stick Luke Skywalker into a $200+ set and instead made him as accessible as possible. That’s a win for fans and makes it so easy for me to recommend this set.

Rating: 4/5

You can purchase 75200 Ahch-To Island Training from LEGO.com, Amazon or your local toy store. At the time of publishing, they’re out in most Australian toy stores and have been spotted at Toys R Us in the United States.

Thanks for reading! I had a blast getting back into reviews and am already working hard on my next one as soon as I hit the publish button. I really hope that you enjoyed this set – I don’t think I’ll be doing any more LEGO Stars Wars reviews except for maybe the Boba Fett constraction figure, but keep a lookout to see what my next review will be!

Don’t forget, you can find many more reviews in the Jay’s Brick Blog Review Hub. To stay up to date on the latest posts, you can follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page or subscribe to receive email alerts for new posts!

Thanks for reading!