Review: LEGO 75345 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack

December 19, 2022 | 8

The 2020 501st Clone Troopers set was one of the most highly anticipated and most popular LEGO Star Wars sets in recent years, so it’s no surprise that LEGO has come out with a ‘sequel’ to that set.

Enter 75345 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack, a smaller, cheaper version with more specialised Clones, launching on 1 January 2023. Is this set worthy of the hype? Let’s find out!

This is a guest review from our resident LEGO Star Wars correspondent, vaderfan_2187. Check out Vaderfan’s previous reviews, 75323 The Justifier, 75342 Republic Fighter Tank, 75336 Inquisitor Transport Scythe, and 75333 Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter, and be sure to follow him on Instagram, or read some of his other guest reviews.

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set for review.

75345 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack Set Details

Set Name: 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack
Set number: 75345
Pieces: 119
Minifigures: 4
Retail Price: US$19.99 [USA] / AU$32.99 [AUS] / £17.99 [UK]
Theme: Star Wars
Release Date: 1 January 2023

Unboxing 75345 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack

The front of the box shows off the 501st Clones fighting in a battle, and displays the logo for the 20th Anniversary of the Clone Wars show on the bottom left corner.

Hopefully this means more Clone Wars-related sets for 2023!

The back of the box shows off an alternate view of the set, plus its play features.

Inside the box is a tiny instruction manual and three bags of parts, including the Clone Accessories (rangefinders, visors etc) in a perforated bag.

75345 501st Clone Trooper Battle Pack Minifigures

The first minifigure in the set is a 501st Clone Officer. All four figures in the set use the updated clone helmet mould (with the extra helmet holes), and this one gets a rangefinder.

Other differences from a regular 501st trooper include a blue belt, smaller blaster pistol, and a printed kama waist cape. Unfortunately, it seems as though the days of cloth LEGO waist capes are in the past, which is disappointing as the figure looks a little weird with the waist cape being only printed on the front.

Here’s what the officer looks like from the back – the blue-coloured belt continues back here.

Unfortunately, there is a mistake – be it intentional or unintentional on the box art. All images on the box show the officer with his rangefinder inserted into the lower helmet notch, which is accurate to the in-universe design.

However, the actual helmet mould does not have a hole for the bottom notch, and so the rangefinder has to be placed higher up, in a more inaccurate spot.

It’s a bit disappointing that the box art images have been seemingly edited to correct this, but the real figure still has the incorrect positioning.

The next minifigure is a 501st Sniper Specialist, defined by his yellow markings on the chest an a unique white visor piece.

This visor is a new element for this set and the shaping is good, although the lack of printing does make it look a bit unfinished.

Unsurprisingly, the 501st sniper is armed with a long blaster rifle. I like the blue arms too – I honestly wish all the 501st minifigures had them.

Finally, two 501st Heavy Troopers are included. These figures have unique helmet printing, a blue visor, and ammo pouches printed onto their torso.

They wield double-barrelled guns which is pretty unique in the Star Wars theme.

These troopers also have a printed 1×1 tile with the Galactic Republic logo for a backpack. I like this inclusion, as the neck bracket element gives them a little extra height.

Overall, these four minifigures are great – they might not be as massable as the generic 501st troopers included in the original 2020 set, but these specialised clones are excellent supplements to an existing LEGO clone army.

The Build

The build in the set is a four-legged cannon, but it isn’t any random cannon – it’s actually a mini version of the Republic AV-7 cannon, that previously appeared as a 2014 set!

Despite being shrunken down, the general details are present, and I like the mix of grey, dark red, and yellow in the color scheme.

Placing a minifigure in the control seat does make it look really undersized, but it’s nice to get a battle pack build that’s based on an actual in-universe vehicle rather than a made-up one.

Here’s the side view of the build – as you can see it rests on a 2×2 round clear brick for extra stability.

The cannon can be angled up and down – here it is shown angled all the way back. Unfortunately it doesn’t rotate side to side, although I’m not sure if it does in-universe – its bigger cousin in 2014 didn’t either.

The four legs are attached via clips, so can be moved closer together to look narrower.

…or splayed wider apart for extra stability.

Here’s the model from the back – there’s no backrest for the operator, but I do like the curved shape approximated by the use of a 1×2 curved slope and a couple of wedge plates.

If you haven’t noticed already, the cannon itself has a spring-loaded shooter which fires off a red missile, while the actual cannon barrel is mounted slightly higher up.

It may be small, but it’s still a pretty fun turret to pose and aim.

Comparison between 501st Battle Packs

Just for fun, here’s how the newer 501st Battle Pack stacks up against the older one. Do note the previous version cost US$10 more, and also came with two battle droids.

The older troops (on the right) were more generic and thus better for army building, but I really do like these newer, specialised troops (on the left), and I feel they have more detail and character.

That said, the 2020 set beats the 2023 one in the builds department – the BARC Speeder and AT-TE, while oversized, dwarf the new model despite only costing 33% more.

Final Thoughts

What I liked:

• Detailed, unique minifigures
• Figure selection complements any LEGO 501st army well
• AV-7 Cannon model is cute, albeit undersized

What I didn’t like:

• Not as good for army building as the previous version
• Misleading box art regarding officer’s rangefinder
• A bit expensive

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’d say this new 501st Battle Pack is still a success. US$20 is a little steep considering the size of the final model, but the quality of the four minifigures included is great, and honestly that’s the number one priority when you buy a battle pack.

I can definitely see this set selling well when it hits stores in January, and I think it’s a worthy addition to any LEGO Star Wars fan’s collection, although waiting for a small discount might be wise.

Build [3] – Not very good, but as far as battle pack builds go, is pretty decent and is based on an actual in-universe cannon.
Minifigures [5] – Excellent figures, small quibbles here and there but, as a whole, I can’t complain.
Real Value [3] – The figures do help to justify the price, but it’s still kind of expensive.
Innovation [2] – Nothing really innovative in terms of set design, but it’s nice that LEGO are going with more massable minifigures and interesting builds in battle packs again.
Keepability [4] – The original 501st Battle Pack was an instant classic, and I feel like this supplementary set will carry over some of that set’s iconicity.

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for this review

Thanks for reading! 75345 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack will be available from LEGO.com, or your local LEGO Store and most toy stores on 1 January 2023.

Let me know your thoughts on this new battle pack – will you be picking it up? Which 501st Battle Pack do you prefer? Comment below!

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