LEGO Star Wars’ new battle pack could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back

The latest LEGO Star Wars battle pack includes fresh Clone Troopers, shiny new pauldrons and this year’s revised rangefinder, but all anyone’s talking about is the price – and with good reason.

Unveiled overnight, 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack marks the modern debut of the yellow-tinted legion, 20 years on from 7261 Clone Turbo Tank just as that set’s successor hits shelves in 75413 Republic Juggernaut. Included in the box are 258 pieces, which comprise four identical 327th Clone Troopers, three Super Battle Droids, an AT-RT and a Dwarf Spider Droid.

On paper, it sounds pretty similar to the composition of 2024’s 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack: some Clone Troopers, some droids, a few builds, and a similar number of pieces. But where that set retails for just £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99, 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack will cost a staggering £34.99 / $44.99 / €39.99 when it launches on August 1.

As you can probably imagine, that price tag isn’t going down well with the LEGO Star Wars community, echoing concerns shared around the rest of the August wave earlier this week. Redditor Solid-Lynx9725 summed up the situation pretty well: “I think they have Mr. Krabs in their board meetings.”

Other choice adjectives used to describe the price of the 327th battle pack include ‘insane’, ‘offensive’ and ‘absurd’. What’s most interesting about the reactions to this set are that they’re pretty much universally criticising the price tag, where for most LEGO sets you can find at least some fans on the other side of the argument. But nobody is out here defending a £10 / $15 / €10 increase in only 18 months.

Even next to recent smaller battle packs, 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack comes up short from a value perspective, and that’s almost entirely because droids are not equal to traditional minifigures in the eyes of most collectors. For instance, 75412 Death Trooper & Night Trooper Battle Pack includes four regular minifigures and 109 pieces for £17.99.

75431 is twice the price, includes a little more than double the pieces – but zero additional standard minifigures. And what are you buying a battle pack for if not first and foremost the minifigures? Last year’s 40755 Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder offers another relevant comparison, coming in at the same price in the UK and EU (and $5 cheaper in the US, which we can probably chalk up to tariffs).

That LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary set includes six standard minifigures and a bonus astromech droid, along with 383 pieces (or 125 more than 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack). No matter which way you look at it, there’s very little to justify the retail price of this summer’s battle pack.

So… will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for LEGO Star Wars? Hardcore collectors typically snap up enough Clone Trooper battle packs that it’s almost little wonder the LEGO Group feels confident in charging £34.99 / $44.99 / €39.99 for 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack, but will the same hold true when a single pack costs this much?

We’ll only know once it debuts in August, but you don’t need to look far among online circles to see the word ‘boycott’ floating around. Whether that’s a vocal minority or the general sentiment of the masses may be the key to the future of LEGO Star Wars battle packs…

LEGO Star Wars sets confirmed and rumoured for 2025

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO using our affiliate links. Thanks!