LEGO Star Wars Bootleg: Imperial Troop Transport

It’s been a while since I’ve covered a bootleg review of LEGO. My last encounter with the bootleg Microfighter Millennium Falcon was rather well received that I scoured for a new release to make a comparison.

Enter the bootleg version of the LEGO Star Wars Imperial Troop Transport. Storm Troopers have been a relatively rare commodity before the release of 75078 Battle Pack and they were pretty hot off the shelves. Now, with a new bootleg set which I was able to get for around SGD$5, perhaps maybe that Storm Trooper army that you’ve been lusting for won’t cost you that much.

I showed my friend the box art and he remarked that the reproduction was spot on. He figured that due to the high quality box, the manufacturer must have somehow access to the same layered files as LEGO.

Apart from box size, the only differences here is that “Star Wars” has been replaced with “Space Fights”. Not that it matters much.

Turning it over to the sides, the rear box art is identical and the parts breakdown is now found on the box itself.

Busting both boxes open, there seems to be no specific packing order for the bootleg Imperial Troop Transport. As always, LEGO packs theirs nicely with the smaller packs in a separate bag.

Here’s pretty much what everyone has been waiting for – minifig comparisons!

The bootleg LEGO Storm Trooper on the right has darker lines as compared to the legit one. But otherwise, from is distance it’s hard to distinguish the two.

A concern for bootleg LEGO minifigs has always been the legs. It would appear that there are no more such issues of odd looking leg pieces. However, there is visible and additional traces leftover from the plastic mold used.

Taking a close look at the helmets would be the biggest giveaway. The paint for the bootlegs are not consistent but there was one in the box that made it hard to distinguish.

Popping the helmets on we see the sculpt is not exactly the same. Bootleg LEGO Storm Trooper here looks like an old man with the thick lines that make it look like pronounced eyebags. The shape of the helmet is not identical as well.

If you’ve noticed, the helmet for bootleg Storm Trooper does not sit as deep as the original giving the bootleg a small height difference.

As I proceeded to build both bootleg and original troop transport at the same time, each step was a identical all the way. There were not much issues placing the parts together though the bootleg did not fit as easily as the original.

Brick quality wise it wasn’t impressive as well.

Mid build break and we see that the bootleg troop transport has a deeper colour for their bricks as compared to the original.

And the completed build it’s rather hard to tell them apart if not for the LEGO imprints.

Here’s another angle. Guess the bootleg?

The dead giveaway is the difference in cannons right at the top.

The biggest issue with this set was the new blasters that were supplied. The bootleg blaster does not work as it would not allow the stud to be pushed in.

This gives the legit LEGO Storm Troopers a big edge over the bootlegs. He who controls the ammo rules the galaxy.

Costing at least 6 times the price lower than the original, the bootleg LEGO Imperial Troop Transport would be a tempting option for those on a tight budget. We must not forget that Star Wars is a incredibly valuable IP and LEGO would have paid a significant amount to Disney in order to produce their sets.

If you’re looking to get a second hand Storm Trooper minifig off the second hand market right now, it would prove wise to be prudent and double check it before purchase.

Related articles:
LEGO Movie Bootleg: Emmet
LEGO Star Wars Bootleg – Millennium Falcon Microfighter