LEGO Star Wars 75359 332nd Clone Trooper Battle Pack helmet controversy isn’t as bad as fans fear

If you can get past the helmet holes, then LEGO Star Wars 75359 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper Battle Pack makes for a great army-building foundation.

Formed to support Ahsoka Tano on Mandalore, LEGO Star Wars 75359 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper Battle Pack features soldiers with distinctive printing on the helmets, inspired by the former Jedi’s own facial markings. In a rarity for battle packs like this one, which usually feature generic characters, it includes a prominent named character with Captain Vaughn, making his debut in the world of LEGO.

Ahead of the set’s release on August 1, here’s a look at what reviewers are saying about it after getting their hands on early copies of the battle pack.

Don’t worry too much about the helmet holes

Solid Brix Studios Helmet Comparison 1024x518
Image: Solid Brix Studios

While including holes on the sides of trooper helmets, so that you can attach visors and rangefinders, is a controversial design decision that means some LEGO Star Wars fans deem such minifigures as not worth buying, the majority opinion from these reviewers is that you’ll be able to get over the addition of the holes pretty quickly.

“I didn’t even realise these Clone Troopers had helmet holes until I went to look for it,” said Solid Brix Studios. “While I’m not saying it looks good (it doesn’t look good at all), it’s an annoyance at [worst] and it’s not a deal-breaker to me personally.”

Even for those who actively dislike the design, such as Brickset, it’s not proving to be too much of an issue: “These holes have affected the shape of the helmet, which is less rounded than before. Initially, I found the update quite jarring and I still prefer the 332nd Company Clone Trooper from 75283 AAT (Armoured Assault Tank), but the revised helmet is growing on me.”

Captain Vaughn makes a lacklustre debut

Brickset LEGO Star Wars 332nd Battle Pack 1024x1024
Image: Brickset

As noted above, this battle pack is slightly unusual in that it includes Captain Vaughn as a named character, marked out by his ranking stripes on the torso and, as the LEGO Group put it, “special helmet”. While all three reviewers appreciated his inclusion, they also all quickly highlighted that the differences are so slight, you could easily demote him to focus more on army-building.

Indeed, some of the details that mark Vaughn out don’t quite go far enough to make him stand out from regular Clone Troopers.

“Ideally, the pattern would continue onto the visor, but this element has not been printed before. Also, the minifigure lacks a stripe on the chin,” notes Brickset. “This helmet therefore only differs from the standard Clone Troopers because of the visor.”

The swamp speeder is an odd but welcome addition

Solid Brix Studios LEGO Star Wars 332nd Ahsokas Clone Trooper Battle Pack 1024x673
Image: Solid Brix Studios

Solid Brix Studios also points out that the blue swamp speeder is not accurate to the show, with no depiction of the 332nd using such vehicles.

“It’s a strange addition to the set, but the build is nice and does improve on the previous battle pack swamp speeder,” the YouTuber admits. “It’s a little more sleek-looking and just as fun to play with.”

Brickset agreed that the swamp speeder is an impressive build, breaking the mould for battle packs in another way.

“While the minifigures are undoubtedly the highlight, I think the Swamp Speeder looks great too, which has not always been the case for Battle Pack vehicles,” writes Brickset.

The battle pack makes for a strong foundation for army-building

Brickset LEGO Star Wars 332nd Battle Pack Critics Review 1024x626
Image: Brickset

With the minifigures all including an impressive level of detail and enough accessories to fine-tune them to your desire, all three reviewers recommend picking up 75359 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper Battle Pack if you’re keen to build out a large army for a LEGO Star Wars display or custom build.

“The minifigure selection is excellent and avoids focusing too much on officers or other characters unsuitable for army building,” writes Brickset.

“Despite the named character, all four figures are generic enough to help swell the ranks of your own Clone Army should you wish to build one,” agrees Bricks Fans.

However, if this is your plan, there could be a potential spanner in the works…

Despite its pros, the price of the battle pack is a major con

Bricks Fanz LEGO Star Wars 75359 Battle Pack Critics Review
Image: Bricks Fans

All three reviewers note that the price has increased once more, with X selling for £18.99 / $19.99 / €20.99. While they all applauded the details of the set, they also unanimously advised those planning to build an army to wait for the inevitable discounts.

“The price does feel relatively expensive,” writes Bricket. “Ultimately, I consider this a worthwhile purchase, but any duplicates should probably wait for a discount.”

“I certainly wouldn’t mind the higher price point of a Battle Pack if it gave us something a little more unique,” adds Bricks Fans. “This particular set offers an interesting array of minifigures and the speeder is unique, I’m just not sure it warrants the even higher pricing.”

However, Solid Brix does also acknowledge that this battle pack makes 332nd troopers much more accessible, especially when compared to buying custom minifigures or searching them out on BrickLink and eBay at high prices.

LEGO Star Wars 75359 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper Battle Pack will be available to buy from August 1, selling for £18.99 / $19.99 / €20.99.

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Rachael Davies

I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.

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