75156 Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle review

The flagship set of the LEGO Star Wars Rogue One wave, 75156 Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle showcases a completely new vehicle in a galaxy far, far away with aplomb. Director Krennic will be most pleased…

Price: £79.99 / $89.99 / €99.99 Pieces: 863 Available: Now

It wouldn’t be a Star Wars film without some kind of villainous shuttle, right? Rather than the dull grey of last year’s 75104 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle, the LEGO Group has wisely opted for a far sleeker black for Imperial Director Krennic’s brand new shuttle class. And brand new it most certainly is – when was the last time you saw a pyramid with wings flying across the screen?

Don’t let 75156‘s odd shape put you off, though: in the brick, this is a thing of absolute beauty. The build is understandably rather repetitive, with symmetrical wings and side panels to construct. But the layering of tiles on plates is surprisingly satisfying; a fact aided by just how huge the final product is. As per the source material, the movable side wings are more than twice the length of the central dorsal fin, coming in at 37 studs each.

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The shuttle is huge, dwarfing its crew.
The shuttle is huge, dwarfing its crew.

In fact, the set’s accuracy to the real, fictional ship is impressive on the whole – particularly compared to how much 75104 got wrong. Most likely, the LEGO Group’s designers had far better access to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story than they did for The Force Awakens. And choosing black, rather than grey, makes for a much more imposing vessel.

While the shuttle doesn’t have the most aesthetically pleasing of interiors, being comprised mostly of Technic in order to give it a sturdy frame, there’s plenty of room to seat twice the included pair of Death Troopers. A few stickers also lend it more of an Imperial feel, with a design reflecting the walls of the Death Star. It’s a neat touch that adds a little extra detail to an otherwise haphazard interior.

Krennic pilots his own shuttle. You just can't get the staff these days.
Krennic pilots his own shuttle. You just can’t get the staff these days.

Krennic himself, meanwhile, is thrust into the cockpit, which reuses that of 8095 General Grievous’ Starfighter. It’s hard to imagine that he’d have to pilot his own shuttle in the film, but a microfighter of the same craft released next year will fill the missing gap there – it’s just a shame it wasn’t included in the set as standard. We’ll also have to wait for the film itself to find out just whether the scale of the cockpit has been captured accurately, with merely a single seat, or whether it should be more akin to that of the Lambda-class shuttle, with room for multiple characters.

The wings stretch a massive 37 studs long.
The wings stretch a massive 37 studs long.

Pretty much every panel you see on the ship can move, making access to the interior relatively easy – as long as the wings are in flight mode, or at least resting flat. The front panel lifts to reveal a short boarding ramp, while the sides come down to access the interior seating. Underneath, there’s some decent retractable landing gear, which serves its purpose well and isn’t too visible with the ship in flight mode.

Much like last year’s 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium, the entire set can be carried via the dorsal fin, which – particularly considering the shortened version here – is testament to its strength. In fact, it’s actually a little fragile during the build, with plenty of 1×1 grey plates adding textural detail to the mass of black, but once everything’s pinned in place along the supporting Technic beams, it’s about as sturdy as they come.

Krennic is elegant in his simplicity.
Krennic is elegant in his simplicity.

Every single included minifigure is unique to this set (at least for the moment). The eponymous director proves that sometimes, simplicity is the key, with plain black legs and a soft white cape making him instantly recognisable. The Death Troopers get a dedicated helmet mould, and are just as imposing as the craft itself in all black. While next year’s battle pack will help bolster your ranks, these particular versions may well remain exclusive to 75156 thanks to their pauldrons.

Pao's screaming face is priceless.
Pao’s screaming face is priceless.

On the rebel side of things, the main ensemble is rounded out with Bodhi Rook and Pao, both of whom make for great minifigures. Bodhi gets goggled and non-goggled face prints, both of which offer a pretty great likeness for Riz Ahmed. His plain legs don’t work quite as well as Krennic’s, however, and could perhaps have used some printed detail to really complete the figure.

Pao, meanwhile, has what is possibly the greatest face print of all time, perfectly capturing the moment the amphibious Drabata will run into battle screaming ‘Sa’Kalla!’ (at least according to the recently released character bio). Topping off the rebel contingent is K-2SO, reportedly one of Rogue One’s most highly-anticipated characters – so it’s no wonder the LEGO Group left him for the largest set of the wave.

Something about K-2SO feels a little off.
Something about K-2SO feels a little off.

The detail on the droid is superb, right down to the Imperial logos on the end of the shoulder bars, but the form isn’t quite there. Compared to the promo shots released for the film, he could definitely stand to be a little taller, and his head is particularly undersized next to a regular minifigure. At the moment, it doesn’t feel like K-2SO’s LEGO version is imbued with quite the same personality we’ve seen from the character in the footage released so far, but perhaps watching the film will change that.

Krennic’s Shuttle will knock your socks off for its sheer size alone, and at only £79.99, it’s not going to break the bank like 75104. There’s a great selection of minifigures, it’s a satisfying build and the result is awesomely imposing. What more could you want?

75156 Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle is available now from shop.LEGO.com. You can support Brick Fanatics’ work by purchasing through our affiliate link. And don’t forget, there are plenty of deals to be had this weekend in celebration of Force Friday.

This product was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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