BB8 (75187) Final Thoughts Already!

Like I said, this was a quick and easy build.

Mom really liked the colors - her biggest complaint about Star Wars sets is that they seem to be primarily gray and she isn't wrong. So the fact that this little guy is orange and white with only hints of gray was very satisfying for her. She also very much appreciated the "cuteness" factor of the set.

It has decent heft to it for a relatively small physical footprint and certainly isn't something that is going to go rolling away on you. It balances fairly well on its own but the set includes a mounting frame for it to sit on. The frame also has the classic UCS placard attached and really elevates the elegance of the model.

It also comes with a BB8 mini-figure which sits below the model.

The only "wish list" item I have for this set would be the orientation of the welding torch. As previously mentioned, when fully extended, it sits at an angle towards the torso instead of being fully vertical. It would also have been nice if retracting the torch automatically pulled the access panel shut as well. As it stands, the hatch must be shut manually.

Nonetheless, these are very minor critiques in what is otherwise a very solid and fun build that results in a splash of color to the Star Wars sets.

BB8 (75187) - Building the Body

The body was an uncomplicated build - essentially repeating the same thing 6 times with the only differences being cosmetic ones to show different buttons on BB8's various surfaces.

It came together very rapidly, which explains the small number of update posts. Below is a closeup of the torch in extended position - it is extended and retracted by turning the center of the surface to the right.

The head is able to swivel a full 360 degrees and also has a little play in the "neck" so that it bobbles back and forth when you swivel it. The swiveling is controlled by another turning plate built into the right side of BB8.

BB8 (75187) - Back to Star Wars!

We decided to return to Star Wars with our next build - the cute little droid we all love ... BB8!! This was a relatively small build in comparison to the usual large scale projects we take on.

It was a relatively simple build. The internals of the sphere are comprised of some technique pieces that allow for the 2 movement functions - the extension of the welding torch in the "thumbs up" sign and the swiveling of the head.

Here is the torch in its extended position. I really wish that it could go further so that the flame would be fully upright instead of angled in towards the torso.