LEGO Star Wars 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station review

It’s not a battle pack nor really a LEGO Star Wars set, so what is 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station and is it worth the money?

40558 Clone Trooper Command Station is branded as a minifigure accessory pack and comes with three Clone Trooper minifigures – two regular clones and one yellow-coloured Clone Commander (which, if you ask the LEGO Group, can also double up as a Clone Pilot – it doesn’t, actually).

Releasing as part of the January 2022 mini wave of LEGO Star Wars sets, it will retail for £13.49 / $14.99 / €14.99. For reference, that’s the same price that up until last year a four-minifigure battle pack cost in US and European markets, and it is actually £1.50 more than battle packs cost in the same period in the UK market.

Given battle packs up to 2020 registered piece counts closer to 100 pieces and had four minifigures included, there’s certainly a first impression here that 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station offers far less value, with three minifigures included and a piece count of just 66. Is that a fair assessment, though?

lego

— Set details —

Theme: LEGO Star Wars Set name: 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station Release: January 1, 2022

Price: £13.49 / $14.99 / €14.99 Pieces: 66 Minifigures: 3

LEGO: Available now

— Build —

Yes, of course it’s a fair assessment to say 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station offers far less value. You are getting one less minifigure and almost half as many LEGO bricks in a non-boxed LEGO set, at the same price in the US and Europe and for more than 12.5% additional cost in the UK.

Its contents are great and wonderfully effective for really how simple they are, but there’s no getting around the fact that 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station represents yet another step down in value for LEGO Star Wars as a theme. Every few years this happens, it always stings, and the compromise always feels like it’s on the consumer’s side.

Price aside, 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station is a great little starter set for those just getting into LEGO Star Wars and wanting to kickstart their minifigure collection, just as it is for any of us with too much LEGO Star Wars at this point looking to add to our armies.

The character selection was the point of many rumours that in turn sparked a lot of reactions both positive and negative. At one stage it was suggested that we could be seeing a phase one Commander Cody and Captain Rex included, and in another, simpler time, it was even believed that these packs would come with four minifigures.

Instead, it is three and the two standard clones are certainly the most appealing, for how collectible they are. You can never have enough standard clones guarding your latest LEGO build. But, how many Clone Commanders do you need? One. Just one. So, where this set feels a push to be priced as it is the first time you buy it, if you want to get a second copy of the set, then you’re down to just the two useful minifigures per pack.

Beyond the price, the inclusion of that Clone Commander is really the only fault in the set. The mini builds are both charming and functional as accessories, much like they would be if this was a battle pack.

— Characters —

40558 Clone Trooper Command Station is all about the three minifigures included – two regular clones and one Clone Commander. The two ‘regs’ are where the value and collectibility of this set are most keenly felt, and both feature the kind of detail and design we have come to expect from such multipliable characters.

The Clone Commander is a great design and it’s great to have one included too (unless you bought 75309 Republic Gunship, because you’ll probably feel a little short-changed). However, for the functionality of 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station as an army builder, the Clone Commander is a hindrance. Expect many, many Clone Commanders popping up on eBay and BrickLink as people try to do exactly what you are now thinking of doing…

— Price —

Price is a real point of contention with 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station. The Star Wars accessory packs are priced the same (or more, for the UK) as the now-phased-out battle packs that ran until 2020, and for that you receive one minifigure less and about half as many pieces. It’s hard to find the value in that scenario.

It’s also worth considering that we’ve not seen these minifigure accessory packs on sale outside of LEGO.com and the LEGO Store, so don’t expect to find them ever reduced by 33% or even 50%.

— Pictures —

— Summary —

40558 Clone Trooper Command Station contains three Clone Trooper minifigures and a neat collection of accessories that just speak to any LEGO Star Wars fan’s heart. One copy of this set is costly, but great for what it is and just about justifiable.

What should have been a great army-builder, though, is nothing of the sort due to the high price and the poor overall choice of minifigures. And for that, 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station feels like a missed opportunity more than something innovative.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO through one of our affiliate links.

How long does it take to build LEGO Star Wars 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station?

It only takes a few minutes to build 40558 Clone Trooper Command given how few pieces there are in it.

How many pieces are in LEGO Star Wars 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station?

There are 66 pieces in 40558 Clone Trooper Command, which is to be expected with a set that is branded as a minifigure accessory pack.

How big is LEGO Star Wars 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station?

If you stand two of the minifigures a metre apart, then 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station could measure about a metre in length. As it is, though, it’s a tiny set, with the command post the biggest thing at 8cm tall, 8cm wide and 7.5cm deep.

How much does LEGO Star Wars 40558 Clone Trooper Command Station cost?

40558 Clone Trooper Command Station is priced rather expensively at £13.49 in the UK, $14.99 in the US and €14.99 in Europe.

Author Profile

Rob Paton
As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

Rob Paton

As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

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