LEGO Star Wars 7913 Clone Trooper Battle Pack (2011)

Fans of LEGO Star Wars Clone Wars rejoice, there’s a new set of clones in town. Gone are the plain, white troopers and clone gunners of packs past. The 2011 LEGO Star Wars Clone Trooper pack is here, it’s more colorful, has a new figure (the ARF trooper), and the set’s vehicle is pretty nice, too.

LEGO 7913 Star Wars Clone Trooper Battle Pack

This is another early bird set offered through Toys R Us online, and also in the retail LEGO Stores. This battle pack comes with 85 pieces which includes four Clone Trooper minifigs. It retails at the LEGO Store for $11.99. Toys R Us offers this set online for $14.99. I was able to use my LEGO VIP points on this (and the Mandalorian Battle Pack), so I got it for a little under half the price! The LEGO VIP program is very handy, especially when buying the new stuff no other store has.

By the Numbers:
Set: 7913 Clone Trooper Battle Pack (Star Wars)
Year of Release: 2011 (Released in Dec 2010)
Type: Minifig/Battle Pack
# of Pieces: 85
# of Extra Pieces: 1
# of Minifigs and what kind: 4 Clone Troopers
Stickers? No
Price: $11.99 US
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete: Less than 15 minutes

Box Art:

LEGO 7913 Star Wars Clone Trooper Battle Pack

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LEGO at Barnes and Noble

I’m always interested in how LEGO is portrayed and sold in other stores outside of the official LEGO retail stores. I’m lucky enough to have had a LEGO retail store open up in my area in the past year, which means no more sporadic trips to the LEGO stores in Houston or Dallas when I’m visiting family and friends there.

Now of course, I’ve got plenty of Targets, Wal-Marts, even Sears, in my area, with plenty of LEGO sets to choose from. I can’t forget Toys R Us as well – have a couple of those.

There is one place that has quite a few LEGO sets available, as well as some nice displays, that often gets overlooked, and they happen to carry LEGO-related items that the other non-LEGO retail stores don’t necessarily carry.

I’m of course referring to Barnes and Noble. I visit the one in south Austin occasionally, and this time around I decided to take some photos of their LEGO sets and displays, because I don’t think most people realize what all they have – they aren’t just selling books, magazines, food and movies/music. They’ve been adding a toy and hobby section, and the one I visit has quite a bit of LEGO-related items. The store I’m referring to, they obviously have put some effort into the LEGO displays – I’m not familiar with other stores, but I am impressed with this one.

Some notes/observations:
* The main LEGO display was fairly prominent – it had it’s own little dedicated section in the middle of the toys and hobby section.
* The LEGO alarm clock/flashlights were in another part of the toys & hobby section.
* The LEGO games and the LEGO Architecture displays were next to one another, however they were off in the game section of Barnes & Noble and weren’t near the main LEGO display. They were still easy to find.
* I did a really poor job of taking photos of the LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Star Wars stuff!

LEGO items and lines I saw:
* LEGO Architecture – Empire State Building, Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, Fallingwater, Guggenheim Museum, White House
* LEGO Games – Pirate Code, Robo Champ, Magikus, Minotaurs, Ramses Pyramid, Creationary, Race 300, Dragon, Harry Potter/Hogwarts
* LEGO Accessories – flashlights, nightlights, alarm clocks, pens, keychains
* LEGO Books – Minifig stickers, Star Wars Visual Dictionary
* LEGO Atlantis (a nice mix!)
* LEGO City
* LEGO Creator
* LEGO Kingdoms
* LEGO Star Wars (both original and Clone Wars)
* LEGO Technic
* LEGO Toy Story
* The beginner LEGO tubs
* Duplo

Anyways, here are some photos of the various LEGO displays in our favorite B&N. I apologize for the poor picture quality – I’m not using a flash in a store, and I’m not the steadiest of hands when it comes to photo taking. You can click on any of them to take you to a larger version at flickr.

LEGO Displays at Barnes & Noble (South Austin)

LEGO Displays at Barnes & Noble (South Austin)

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Amazon.com Running a Buy One, Get One 50% Off Sale

Amazon.com is running a Buy One LEGO set, get one 50% off, of selected sets. If you notice a trend among the sets listed below or at the link, it is similar to a lot of sets that are on sale at offline retailers. It looks like they are clearing … Read more

LEGO 30050 Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle – Review

Following on the heels of the LEGO 30001 City Fire Chief review and the LEGO 30002 City Police Boat review, comes this review of the 30050 Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle in MINI-scale. These are related – these three sets plus the 30051 Star Wars X-Wing are all exclusively available through Target stores in the US, as part of an Easter promotion. You’ll find them in the Easter section rather than the toys/LEGO aisle. There are a few key differences – the City sets are minifig-scale and $2.99 while the two Star Wars sets are MINI-scale and are slightly more expensive, at $3.49. The extra $0.50 gets you a few dozen pieces more, although it’s a trade-off since the two City sets each comes with a minifig.

LEGO 30050 Star Wars - Republic Attack Shuttle (Clone Wars)

In my view, the 30050 and the 30051 are both really cool sets that are meant to be displayed on a shelf or on a desk – there should have been a small stand included (the one you see below was quickly improvised).

By the Numbers:
Set: 30050 Republic Attack Shuttle (Star Wars)
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Mini-scale or polybag (Target Easter promotion)
# of Pieces: 60 (6 extra)
# of Extra pieces: 6 (see photo below)
# of Minifigs and what kind: No
Stickers? No
Price: $3.49 at Target (USA)
Ages: 6-12
Time to Complete:

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LEGO at the London Toy Fair

Update: February 14, 2010: Photos of the 2010 LEGO Harry Potter sets are available. Huw over at Brickset attended the London Toy Fair today to look at LEGO’s upcoming offerings. No photography was allowed unfortunately. Huw made plenty of observations on the displayed sets. A few notes on Huw’s observations: … Read more