BB-8

The one irksome side effect of having an inverted 4×4 radar dish on the bottom is that the stud makes balancing a tricky affair. BB-8 will have a tendency to lean on one side. And because of the curvature and the top-heaviness of the model, BB-8 will tip over easily. But despite that, it's a nice little model. The proportions are a tad off, but considering the similar buildable R2-D2 from last year also has weird proportions. So when they are next to each other, they look just right. And also considering LEGO minifigs have odd proportions when you compare them to regular people, these buildable droids could not be more LEGO-like. There's a certain charm to them that's cartoony and playful. more less

If you like BB8, you'll like it! Anything you don't enjoy about this is probably a "first-world" problem or over-critique. You can find the size pretty easily by looking at youtube videos of it in someone's hands. I think it's neat how his head can bobble back and forth a bit, and he's pretty sturdy. more less

BB-8 is one of my favourite characters from the Sequel Trilogy and this is a superb rendition of the Astromech droid. His body looks tremendous when compared with the films, featuring detailed printed designs on every surface as well as a surprisingly accurate spherical shape. The shape does result in a stability issue but that is easily rectified with the addition of a single 2x2 round tile to the base. more less

At minimum, a better display solution should have been included in the set. But despite the poor display potential and play value because of these problems, each of these issues is easily solved with pieces that most builders will have readily accessible in their collections. more less

Overall, the LEGO Star Wars BB-8 (40288) polybag is a decent one that fits nicely to last year's build. I also understand that some fans prefer the exclusive minifigures much more than the builds. The scale of BB-8 looks great especially when it sits next to R2-D2. more less