Review: LEGO Star Wars 75380 Mos Espa Podrace Diorama
April 30, 2024
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The LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection was introduced two years ago but is still going strong, and a new addition joins the lineup this year – 75380 Mos Espa Podrace, which will be available from 1 May 2024 alongside a whole slate of LEGO Star Wars sets for May the 4th 2024.
This is the first set based on the Prequel Trilogy, commemorating the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace and the LEGO Star Wars theme as a whole.
It takes a page out of 75329 Death Star Trench Run Diorama’s design language by featuring a microscale scene with no minifigures, but at US$80 / AU$120, that might be a tough sell for LEGO fans. Let’s take a closer look and see if this set deserves a spot on your shelf at home!
This is a guest review from our LEGO Star Wars correspondent Vaderfan. We’ll be taking a look at the entire May 2024 LEGO Star Wars wave on the blog! Check out his latest reviews below
Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for review.
75380 Mos Espa Podrace Diorama Set Details
75380 Mos Espa Podrace Diorama
Set Number
75380
Set Name
Mos Espa Podrace Diorama
Minifigures
N/A
Pieces
718
Retail Price
US$79.99 / AU$119.99 / €79.99
Theme
Release Date
1 May 2024
Unboxing
The box uses the sleek black design tone consistent with other LEGO 18+ sets, but has an extra metallic blue border at the bottom to commemorate the LEGO Star Wars theme’s 25th anniversary. The front of the box showcases the model from a front 3/4 angle, along with the set name and a logo of Tatooine’s twin suns.
The back of the box shows the model from a slightly different angle, along with a graphic displaying its dimensions and a comparison to the in-universe scene.
Inside the box are 6 numbered bags, an instruction manual, a small sticker sheet, two loose 16×16 dark tan plates, and an unnumbered bag with some mechanical parts.
The sticker sheet only has 8 stickers which is reasonable, though for a premium-styled set like this it would’ve been nice to get all prints. The unnumbered bag has some specialised mechanical-looking pieces; this bag of accessories was previously used in the Super Heroes theme.
The manual has some extra information about the movie scene and the design process which is always nice to see.
Construction Process
Bag 1 builds the black base for the model and incorporates the two loose 16×16 dark tan plates.
Bag 2 starts adding the rock formation, utilising lots of studs-not-on-top pieces.
Bag 3 adds the curved slopes completing the far rock formation.
Bag 4 adds Anakin’s podracer to the model…
…while bag 5 adds Sebulba’s podracer.
Finally, bag 6 adds the arching rock formation which completes the model.
Completed Model
The finished build looks quite good, especially with the black border at the base which makes it look sleeker and cleaner on display. The model measures around 29cm (12″) in width and 15cm (6″) in depth, which frankly isn’t very large for an $80 set but should fit well on most shelves. The podracers are also mounted at nice angles which helps to convey a sense of motion despite the model being static.
The rear of the model is also finished off reasonably well for a camera-unfriendly angle – no unusual or obtrusive colours present.
Lots of small pieces are used throughout the base to create varying sand and rock textures, and helps to obscure the uniformity of the 16×16 base plates.
The printed 1x4x3 25th Anniversary brick makes an appearance here, although you can remove it if you do not like how it looks. A pair of printed tiles are included which have the LEGO Star Wars logo and a quote from Qui-Gon Jinn, which maintains uniformity with the other sets in the Star Wars Diorama lineup.
The podracers can be removed to take a closer look at the base itself. It does look pretty good considering it is meant to replicate organic/naturally occurring rock formations, although it does use a lot of pieces.
I am particularly a fan of the way various curved slopes were used to create a sloping sand texture that still looks authentic and believable to the mesa rocks of Mos Espa.
The podracers can be detached to take a closer look at – here is Anakin’s podracer, which sports a light grey and yellow colour scheme.
It is bigger than the previous polybag variants and has a pretty good level of detail considering its small scale, although that does make it slightly fragile. A pair of stickers are used at the back for the cockpit area, and a 1×1 gunmetal grey stud represents Anakin.
While the connection between the two podracer engines is surprisingly secure, the cockpit is only connected via a pair of angled bars, which does mean the cockpit can be easily misaligned.
A couple of clear pieces and a 2L bar piece are connected to one of the podracer’s engine assemblies; this allows the podracer to connect to the base.
The bar slots into a pair of 1×2 plates with hollow studs, ensuring a stable and secure connection when the podracer is displayed.
Up next is Sebulba’s orange podracer, which is accurately bulkier and has a nice cross-shaped assembly for its engines.
This shape is recreated thanks to some hinge plates and ingenious LEGO techniques, although the cockpit suffers from the same issue as Anakin’s and can be easily misaligned.
Sebulba’s podracer uses six stickers for some of the orange and black paneling, and the two stickers on top have his racing logo.
Despite its small scale, I quite like how this model looks and it is mostly accurate apart from a slightly oversized cockpit.
Sebulba’s podracer connects to the base via this 1×2 plate with hollow studs, which plugs into a pair of bar connections on the display base.
This ensures the podracer is connected securely while still being mounted at a slight angle to make it look like it is in motion.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot to like for the adult Star Wars fan here – the model does a nice job recreating the podrace scene from Episode I, and both Podracer builds do a good job demonstrating some nifty microscale building techniques. Even the rock formations were quite interesting to build thanks to their varied design and part usage.
However, this set does have a few major issues. Despite the high level of detail, it’s hard to shake the fact that it’s fundamentally two microscale podracers attached to a very detailed rock formation for US$80. The 700+ piece count makes the price seem reasonable on paper, but it is somewhat inflated by the incredibly high number of small elements in the set.
I also feel like the scaling between the podracers and the rock formation feels off – in the movie, the mesa formations at Mos Espa are huge, absolutely dwarfing the podracers, and while I recognise it’s not possible to have a huge display base, the LEGO podracers do feel too large in relation to the surrounding rock face. Perhaps if the podracers were scaled down and more than two were included, it could help to convey the sense of scale better (and look more like a race).
The model itself is honestly done pretty well, but the high price points of the diorama series really limits the appeal of this set – the price of US$80 is really quite hard to justify. I would only recommend it on a major discount or if you’re particularly a fan of the podracing scene or The Phantom Menace.
Final Score
4
Build
Despite the podracers being slightly finicky, the model is done well and has a nice level of detail.
3
Display Value
It looks quite good on display, but the podracers feel oversized in comparison to the rock formations.
2
Real Value
US$80 is a tough ask considering the dimensions and general value of the final model. There aren’t even any exclusive minifigures that may sway diehard collectors.
4
Innovation
Some ingenious build techniques are used throughout the model – microscale building is always a treat.
3
Keepability
The diorama collection are quite iconic, but I do think this is one of the weaker sets in the lineup.
Audience rating
Thanks for reading! 75380 Mos Espa Podrace will be available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO toy store starting May 1st.
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