Set Review - Umbaran MHC 30243

Thanks to Halloween and Target I was finally able to wrap up the Star Wars polybags for 2013.  I found a small handful of these Umbaran MHC polybags in the seasonal aisle right next to the mega big bags of "Fun Size" (hardly) candy.  The seller in me wanted to grab them all but the father in me only took half.  I feel good about that decision.

It's hard to tell from the package but this thing looks like it has four legs.  Only when I spilled the contents out into my building tray did I realize that there were six.  I'm really surprised that this isn't called something closer in name to an insect.  I'm even more confused that the Spider Droid really has four legs when it should have eight.  This particular set looks much more like a 6-legged spider what with the back end of the body raised up.  Or maybe an experimental scorpion.

Nonetheless I tried to redeem some of my nerd cred for not knowing how many legs an Umbaran mobile cannon has by attempting to build the set without instructions.  Now I know there's only 49 pieces but it was a challenge all the same.  First was realizing that there are six legs.  In fact, those six legs use up half the pieces of the set.  That actually made my challenge much easier.  One potential red herring piece is the black 2L axle which should have no point whatsoever.  The only pieces it could fit on clutch together very well.  Apparently some Danish play tester was afraid that the transparent stand for this little beastie could snap apart and the cannon would fall down under its own weight.  I'm here to tell you that that should not have been a concern.  The rig is in fact very stable and balanced and can perform many feats of strength.

Of more concern to me is the firearm itself.  A bar with the very tip inserted into a clip is not very strong.  A cone does not make it stronger.  Nor is the connection given any grace when it is further connected to a very tenacious little mechanical arm.

As far as my nerd cred goes, I don't know much about the Clone Wars.  All I know is that this thing is a wonderfully aesthetic match for the AT-RT of which I parted out a couple of dozen.  (If you are interested in a boatload of blue 2x2 dishes, I know right where to go).  So there's not a whole lot of pop culture referential enjoyment here for me.  And the play value is somewhat OK what with the pop-off cannon.  But the poseability of this little critter is beyond cool and had me entertained for hours.  That alone is worth the price of admission.

Can't find this set at your local retailer?  I've got several available for sale with at-cost shipping.

For the full size version, click the pic to go to LEGO.com: