Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser (75315)

Product Information

The torso has the same printed details as the shoulder armour, which means that you could have the figure without the shoulder armour if you wish. Ultimately, the sense of value can be best demonstrated in the surprise we felt when lifting up 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser when complete – it’s far heavier than we anticipated. That surprise, though, is a negative reflection of the how really it does not seem like 1,336 pieces of LEGO have gone into the set. It has the appearance of a set with closer to 800 pieces. Lots of Technic pins on the inside, lots of large grey panels on the outside. Thankfully, there aren’t too many strange colors that stand out, which is often a problem that plagues large LEGO Star Wars ships. The only ones that look a bit out of place are the blue Technic pins on the side walls. It’s definitely a bit disappointing that a ship this large has so little usable space, but that’s partially due to the design of the in-universe cruiser. It’s not particularly fun to play with, as the TIE only launches a few centimetres, and the feature only works with the top of the ship open so it looks rather odd. I’m not sure this play feature was an effective use of parts.

However, the detail along both flanks looks wonderful, potentially rivalling 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer! Numerous grilles and equivalent elements are employed to outstanding effect here, capturing the superb texture which appears on many command vessels. The pronounced dark bluish grey spoiler components near the centre demonstrate particular accuracy. Further, it is the subtle extra lift in that shoulder pad piece, combined with the placement of the eyes on the helmet slightly higher than that of a regular minifigure’s eyeline (put the helmet on any other head, and their eyes won’t reach the holes) that gives the Dark Trooper minifigure extra menace in its appearance, and some extra height where otherwise the LEGO Star Wars design team don’t like to offer it. Nevertheless, these weapons are an enjoyable addition and two larger turbolaser turrets are positioned atop the hull. These can rotate and the barrels are individually articulated which is welcome, although the whole turbolaser structure elevates during the television series. I think recreating that movement would have been challenging here, particularly since spring-loaded shooters are situated between the barrels.I'm not too bothered about the inaccuracies compared to Arquitens. I'm sure this is simply a problem with the designers reference material, as even in universe the distinction between Arquitens and Gideon's ship is a little unclear. This play feature is supposed to make it look like a TIE Fighter is being deployed from the front of the ship, but in my opinion this feature is entirely superfluous. And on both what’s on the outside and the inside, 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser delivers. The unique, striking shape of the cruiser is perfectly captured in proportions and detail around the exterior, thanks to a slight Technic-frame construct on the inside. The all-grey colour scheme works against highlighting the subtle angles that have been recreated in the model, but it all still comes together effectively at the end as the reason why your eye so easily accepts the authentic nature of what’s in front of you. It is still excellent though, with a brand new helmet mould that fits over a minifigure head, and simply looks gorgeous. It has a printed shoulder armour piece and some nice torso and leg printing. The side view of the ship is great, and the length is certainly a standout feature: The ship measures around 58cm (22.5″) long, which is a couple inches longer than the 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer set, and certainly looks impressive on display.

Both arms are printed with Beskar armour detail which looks excellent, and is what makes this figure really stand out. It’s always nice to see arm printing on a Star Wars minifigure.Unfortunately, that shoulder armour obstructs the Dark Trooper's blaster rifle, so another rifle would have been appreciated instead. The armour can be removed though, revealing exactly the same design underneath. Additionally, the Dark Trooper's head features remarkable detail and I can imagine this component proving useful for fantasy creations. Heavier models typically include carrying handles and 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser maintains that convention, although the method is unique. Rather than including a Technic handle which folds away, the entire bridge superstructure is supported by an internal Technic frame, offering absolute rigidity. Gripping this vehicle from here is therefore recommended, but the whole rear section feels exceptionally strong. With Bag 3, we have an ongoing mix of technic elements, as well as plates – several rectangles, as well as 8×8 45º wedge plates. The tan elements will undoubtably ultimately be buried with the structure. A variation of the LEGO Minifigure baby, Grogu has appeared in 4 sets now, appearing the same each time. It is one of the most adorable minifigures I have ever seen, from the sand green rubbery head to the infant’s torso. While not unique, it is good to see it here. The Build As well as the plates, we also have a collection of sloped elements, going towards building up the conning tower, as well as the rear upper plating. Between the upper and lower plating, we set up some greeblling and front

There's great playability options too, five minifigures including The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda as well as mounted turrets with spring-loaded shooters feature in this build. There's also a bridge that doubles up as a handle, two mini TIE fighters and a hatch to access the cabin, so you can have your own adventures in a galaxy far, far away. This vessel closely resembles the Arquitens-class Command Cruiser, integrating an identical notch towards the prow. The shape here looks reasonable and I welcome this mixture of light and dark bluish grey colours. However, several blue Technic pins are clearly visible inside the notch and these look awful, which is particularly disappointing because they could easily have been concealed behind tiles.Despite displaying detail in certain sections 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser leaves considerable potential for improvement. The model is certainly substantial and the exterior seems relatively attractive, although some inaccuracies are inexcusable in my opinion. Moreover, the functions are remarkably scarce and more could have been provided, perhaps including somewhere for Dark Trooper deployment.

Includes 5 LEGO minifigures: The Mandalorian, Cara Dune, Fennec Shand, Moff Gideon and new-for-August-2021 Dark Trooper

Overall

There’s a 2×2 round red piece on the inside of the interior that you can press, which pushes an axle that launches out the TIE Fighter. It’s still a decent figure, with good head, torso, and leg printing, but I wonder if another more interesting figure could have been included instead, since this minifigure already appears in another set. For what it is as a vehicle, it doesn’t open too many areas for play on the exterior, but the designers have still worked in a couple of fun ways to interact with the model – including the storage hangar for the TIE Fighters towards the rear of the ship, and a launch mechanism built into the front so as to send them out into space. Somewhat unfortunately, you have to have the panels of the ship open so as to activate that feature. While their shaping appears impressive, viewing these engines from behind reveals another significant issue. While the three primary nacelles are present, four auxiliary thrusters should appear between them. Instead, the vessel has seemingly taken inspiration from the Arquitens-class Cruiser which includes three engines. Inaccuracies which enhance play are reasonable, but instances like this one remain disappointing.