LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship review

75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is an impressive if unusual set – not least because it’s the latest in a growing number of LEGO Star Wars playsets that actually work better for display.

LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is an excellent if slightly diminutive Republic Gunship, with an obscure colour scheme that will no doubt delight fans of The Clone Wars. A must-have for army builders, the set comes with some mostly terrific minifigures, and its size makes it perfect for those looking to add it to an existing grand clone army of the Republic – but also lends it to easier display than play…

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship set details —

Theme: LEGO Star Wars Set name: 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship Release: September 1, 2023

Price: £129.99 / $139.99 / €149.99 Pieces: 1,083 Minifigures: 5

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— Where to buy LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship —

LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is available from LEGO.com or from LEGO Stores worldwide, and can also be purchased from some third-party retailers.

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship build —

It seems that the dark times for LEGO Star Wars prequels fans may be coming to an end. After an extended period during which there were few if any LEGO sets based on Episodes I through III and accompanying media, the LEGO Group has recently thrown clone fans a few bones, and 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is among the best recent offerings.

Significantly smaller than the Ultimate Collector Series 75309 Republic Gunship, this set is ostensibly designed for play, but will no doubt ultimately prove more popular among army builders; those looking to display a grand clone army of the Republic in full military might.

What makes 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship interesting is that its primary drawback as a set for play is actually something of a selling point for its secondary purpose as a small part of a larger Republic army. The ship’s slender design makes it difficult to actually move its various minifigures around inside the ship’s internal space.

This detracts from the ease with which a LEGO fan might use the set as a plaything, calling back to design choices we saw with January’s 75347 TIE Bomber, but the size is perfect for putting on display – any larger and its wingspan would become awkward, as is often the case with its UCS counterpart. What’s more, keeping the set narrow and slightly compact also means a price point that, while not cheap, certainly could be a lot worse, making it more affordable for those LEGO Star Wars fans who’ll be wanting to pick up multiple copies if only for all the Clone Trooper minifigures.

Anyone who can tolerate a slightly cramped gunship will be perfectly satisfied with this set. The dark red colour scheme makes it different enough from previous gunships to make it feel novel and fresh, and the build is surprisingly sturdy considering that this particular Star Wars ship design is known for featuring more than a few weak points.

While this set isn’t the most complex build in the LEGO Group’s current lineup, it’s very clear that this has been designed with multiple different types of LEGO fans in mind, and given the age bracket that fans of the Star Wars prequels and the Clone Wars cartoon fall into, this is pretty much exactly what the real target audience would want from this kind of set.

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship characters —

LEGO Star Wars sets – particularly those associated with a particular military faction – often live and die by their minifigures. For anyone looking to build up their Clone Army, 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship certainly delivers.

The set comes with two generic Coruscant Guard Clone Troopers, with a fetching red colour scheme that denotes their role as home front troops on the Star Wars galaxy’s capital planet. Both feature Jango Fett clone faces under their helmets, and for many potential buyers, these minifigures will make the set tempting all on their own.

Accompanying them is Clone Commander Fox, notable for a red helmet and red sleeves. This minifigure also sports a Jango Fett copycat face under the hood, and comes with a visor piece.

One minifigure that comes as something of a surprise – and a very welcome surprise at that – is Chancellor Palpatine. LEGO Star Wars has seen this character in many, many forms over the years, but this pre-Emperor, pre-Mace-Windu-duel, pre-lightning-to-the-face version of the character has not cropped up quite as often.

This Palpatine minifigure is one of the best likenesses offered up by the LEGO Group in recent years. A few simple lines to denote Palpatine’s wrinkles and prominent chin make this minifigure look the part without being too complex. The character is instantly recognisable, even if a grey hair piece might have been slightly more accurate (although this is literally splitting hairs in an otherwise picture perfect minifigure).

Somewhat less impressive is the Padmé Amidala minifigure that comes with the set. There have been more accurate Padmés in the past, featuring Natalie Portman’s prominent facial moles to help communicate that this is more than just a generic female minifigure.

In this case, Padmé features long eyelashes, full lips, slightly expressive eyebrows, and nothing more. The minifigure doesn’t specifically look like Padmé – she doesn’t look like anyone. This is the white bread, vanilla standard for female minifigures, and next to Palpatine, it’s a bit disappointing.

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship price —

75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship costs £129.99 in the UK, $139.99 in the US and €149.99 in the EU. This is not by any means a cheap set, and with LEGO prices rising across the board, those who don’t particularly care about this specific moment in Star Wars history may find the set hard to justify.

That said, the price could have been a lot higher, and it feels that every effort was made to keep this set’s piece count low so as to make it a little more affordable for those who might want to get their hands on it primarily for the minifigures.

In a perfect world, the set might have been slightly larger and more detailed, but given the very specific needs of LEGO Star Wars fans, the set is clearly carefully priced, and it’s the best possible price point that army builders could hope for – although a Microfighter version of this ship in future years wouldn’t be unwelcome…

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship pictures —

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship pros and cons —

75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship is a perfect set for those wanting to build up their LEGO clone army, and while it’s ostensibly aimed at younger or less experienced builders, it will probably work better for display purposes than for play. The minifigures are mostly fantastic, and anyone who likes the Star Wars prequels and the Clone Wars animated series will appreciate the unusual colour scheme.

75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship pros	75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship cons
Excellent size for army building	Cramped internal play space
Colour scheme is a fresh take on a familiar vehicle	Padmé Amidala minifigure looks generic
Chancellor Palpatine minifigure looks perfect	Doors can feel flimsy

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship —

The most obvious alternative to 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship would be the Ultimate Collector Series set, 75309 Republic Gunship, which offers a similar craft in a larger size with a slightly different design, at a much higher price point.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, for those who just want Clone Trooper minifigures and nothing more, 75359 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper Battle Pack delivers an extra Clone minifigure at nearly a tenth of the price.

— LEGO Star Wars 75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship FAQs —