With LEGO Star Wars 75342 Republic Fighter Tank due to retire soon, this might be the last chance to add three purple Clone Troopers to your collection.
Initially rumoured back in late 2021 and then first revealed in March 2022, 75342 Republic Fighter Tank has proven to be an odd choice for a LEGO Star Wars model for sure. There had been two previous iterations of the obscure Clone Wars-era vehicle released, plus a tiny 21-piece version included with 75213 Advent Calendar in 2018.
An adaptation of the TX-130 seen in EA’s original Battlefront games, the craft has made very few appearances in the wider Star Wars universe, making 75342 Republic Fighter Tank a puzzling candidate for a third such LEGO Star Wars set. However, the solid build does also include four exclusive minifigures, and that's reason enough for you to pick it up before it finally retires later this year.
75342 Republic Fighter Tank is a sturdy enough model, although it won’t take you very long to complete the 262-piece craft. The set features an opening front cockpit, plus top and rear hatches, two elevating spring-loaded shooters and hidden wheels underneath to simulate a hovering effect.
The LEGO Star Wars build cleverly reuses a repurposed, reversed and opaque X-wing cockpit for its sloped hull, one of many pieces in the set that requires a sticker applying to it. While some may baulk at yet another model with so many stickers, they do manage to add plenty of additional detail to the vehicle in just the right places, which helps reflect the accuracy of the tank's source material.
In our review of 75342 Republic Fighter Tank, we mentioned that the set was a ‘beefy (if brief) build’ and that definitely remains the case over a year later. The LEGO Star Wars model still seems designed more for play than display, although there’s one key selling point that should convince fans to add the set to their collections.
For such a relatively-obscure vehicle, 75342 Republic Fighter Tank includes four must-have minifigures, plus two B1 Battle Droid minifigures. One of the character highlights of the set is Mace Windu, the most detailed version of the Jedi Master released to date, one that even trumps the minifigure included with the much more expensive 75309 Republic Gunship. This latest iteration boasts new arm printing, with white armoured gauntlets designating Windu as a general during the Clone Wars, as well as his trademark purple lightsaber.
Speaking of that particular hue, it’s the three Clone Trooper minifigures included with the LEGO Star Wars set that are likely to be the main draw for fans and they’re certainly a unique selection. 75342 Republic Fighter Tank includes a 187th Legion Clone Commander and two 187th Legion Clone Troopers, each of which is decked out in impressive white and purple armour. The minifigures seem to be based on a 2007 Hasbro action figure pack, as 187th Legion troopers in Star Wars canon are more dark red than purple.
The helmet, torso and leg printing on the three minifigures is striking to say the least, and they represent the only such LEGO 187th Legion troopers released so far – and given how obscure they are, it seems unlikely we'll see them again any time soon. For that reason, it's reasonable to assume that once 75342 Republic Fighter Tank does retire, the price of the model on the secondary market may increase quite rapidly for those looking to build out their clone armies – making the purple Clone Troopers even scarcer.
We’ve already seen this happen with rare Clone Troopers or versions of the minifigures that have only appeared once in LEGO Star Wars sets. For instance, 75046 Coruscant Police Gunship includes two red and white Clone Shock Trooper minifigures, with BrickLink currently listing an average price of £90.09 per minifigure new. Likewise, 75045 Republic AV-7 Anti-Vehicle Cannon is still the only model to come with a Phase II 104th Battalion ‘Wolfpack’ Clone Trooper, which has seen the price of that soldier skyrocket to an average of £73.41 new.
At the moment, the 187th Legion Clone Trooper Commander commands an average price of £10.41 on BrickLink, while the 187th Legion Clone Trooper costs an average of £11.39 new. Those prices could be just the beginning, though...
Frustratingly, 75342 Republic Fighter Tank was originally priced at £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 when it was first released, but that’s now increased to £39.99 / $39.99 / €44.99. However, we reckon it's still worth the cost, albeit just for the opportunity to grab four exclusive minifigures that you won’t be able to obtain any other way for the foreseeable future (and which together would cost more than the set itself on the aftermarket even now).
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