75353 501st Battle Pack suggests the LEGO clone trooper is evolving

The next rumoured LEGO Star Wars battle pack – 75353 501st Battle Pack – has several points of differentiation from similar LEGO sets.

LEGO Star Wars has proven a stalwart of the LEGO product line, with several new products being released every year. 2023 will also (if Promobricks is to be believed) see a brand new battle pack land in the theme. 75353 501st Battle Pack includes more LEGO clone troopers from the 501st legion, who have appeared in LEGO form on several occasions.

The most recent appearance of these troopers was in the popular 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers (pictured below) which is scheduled for retirement by the end of 2022. 75353 (if it exists) seems poised to step into that set’s shoes, reflecting the popularity of these characters amongst LEGO fans.

Assuming the rumours we have are accurate, there are a number of changes between these new clone troopers and the previous ones. While 2020’s clone pack takes its cues from the Clone Wars TV show, these new clones appear to take inspiration from Star Wars Battlefront II: a video game released in 2017. This means a wider variety of clone classes, with more visual differences between each one than before.

The two heavy troopers reported to appear in the set have white arms, while the specialist’s arms are blue – and yellow markings appear on the latter’s torso. Of greater interest is a potential new macrobinocular element for the specialist, which may slot over the recently redesigned clone helmet. The heavy troopers rely upon existing, removable visors for additional detail.

The officer, meanwhile, is differentiated by a helmet rangefinder and a new leg design. This apparently features a printed kama – a skirt which protects its wearer from injury during battle. This stands in stark contrast to previous LEGO minifigures, who used fabric elements for the kama instead.

In short, there’s a clear break in design features between these clone troopers and previous versions. From that perspective, most LEGO Star Wars fans won’t struggle to justify a purchase – assuming these sets actually exist.

Until the LEGO Group reveals them, it’s best to contain your excitement for the moment. However, they’re scheduled to release on January 1, 2023 – so if there is a set to reveal, it should appear in the next few months. Make sure to check out the other rumoured releases in the 2023 Star Wars line.

If you can’t bear to wait until 2023, 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers is currently in stock at LEGO.com within the UK, US and Europe.

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