The Child (75318) Review

Let’s face it, Grogu – aka: The Child – is the runaway star of The Mandalorian TV show. Since he first perked up his ears on screen, he has become the merchandisable face of the franchise. He is everywhere. And thankfully it’s well earned. He’s an adorable character with tons of personality. Even those that don’t give a Bantha’s behind about Star Wars, love this little green muppet. So it comes as no surprise that The LEGO® Group has delivered they’re own version of Grogu for people to enjoy. With Season 3 of The Mandalorian in full swing, let’s take a look at this slightly older set. Grab a hover pram and let’s check it out.

NOTE: This set was a gift from a close friend of mine. I was a member of his bridal party and this was my thank-you gift. Very appropriate right? For a full breakdown of our rating system, please click here.

SET SUMMARY

QUICK REVIEW

• VALUE: 97% (a great value based on piece count and build time, especially for a SW set)
• BUILD: 72% (good build with nice detailing in the head, but less so on the body)
• ENTERTAINMENT: 75% (cute display piece at an OK size, good for AFOLs and young builders)
• OVERALL SCORE: 80% (A fun build with some personality, great for Star Wars collectors)

VALUE: 97%

The Child (75318) is currently available in-store and online at an MSRP of $109.99 CAD. With over 1000 pieces at your disposal, this translates to a cost/brick of $0.10. For a Star Wars set, that’s pretty great. The average for our reviewed sets in this theme is $0.14 per brick which earns an 80% score. Our little green friend therefore nets an excellent score of 96%. The absence of minifigures or new molds/pieces helps keep the cost lower. Concurrently, this is a pretty great value for one of the pricier IPs.

My build time with Grogu (as we learn his name to be) clocks in at 139 minutes. Using those 1062 pieces, we get a cost/minute of $0.65 and a score of 97%. Once again, some excellent numbers. Taking both criteria together, we get a final score of 97%. We’re off to a great start it seems. And it’s always nice to see some affordability in a licensed set. Something we can attribute to that simpler parts selection and an older release date before price jumps.

BUILD: 72%

The Child (75318) come packaged in a standard box with a bold, large image of the model on the front. Minifig Mando is in the top corner keeping a close watch (as always). Inside the box you will find six numbered bags, the info plaque sticker and a 163 page instruction book. The build proceeds as you expect it to: a technic-focused core with studs-out sub-assemblies that connect to the frame. His adorable head finishes the model along with an info plaque and a tiny mini model for display.

Sturdy Insides

The interior core is well-done and quite sturdy. The usual technic bars, bricks and axles combine for a rectangular-shaped support that is simple but also light weight. Blue connector pegs are found on all sides and allow the outside shell to attach with ease. This type of construction reminds me of the Statue of Liberty (21042) from the Architecture line. The statue itself uses a similar technique. It’s a great approach that allows some nice versatility for the exterior. In The Child’s case, we build 4 ‘slabs’ of stacked plates, tiles and slopes. The end result is good overall but there’s a bit too much chonk and monochromatic blandness.

Fashionable Rags

Each exterior piece combines with the next to create a decently organic shape. The studs out method provides some much-needed texture. Grogu’s cloak is a solid colour so those exposed studs are a simple way to not let it all look too flat. The tile and slope pieces are concentrated at the collar and the bottom so it resembles bunched fabric. That same tiled line down the front is an OK way to represent the crossed over panels too. While I’m glad there’s some variety, the effect doesn’t fully work for me. But I can’t think of any way to really change things and still make it work. With that much tan, it’s inevitable that things start to blend and blur together colour wise.

His tiny little arms look hilarious. The fabric here looks OK but with so much less volume, it’s bound to come across less convincing. Thankfully we get the first uses of sand green for his skin. But again, not much – The Child has some teeny-weeny hands. Light tan pieces as nails are a nice touch, breaking up the green. Adding the silver ball is a no-brainer and smartly adds a little pop of colour too. I know the arms are quite small, but I do wish they could move. Even a simple up and down motion would make for a better model. Thankfully this is not the case with the head.

All The Cuteness

Let’s talk about the head because that’s where the money is. The finished result is a great bit of brick sculpting. It’s easily the best part of the build. A technic/brick core (just like the body) creates a frame for the sculpted panels to attach too. Happily the head employs a SNOT finish for a great, smooth texture. Those ears though. They’re an excellent facsimile thanks to the light tan inside and sand green outside. And they move up-and-down. So unlike the arms, we do get some motion where it’s most necessary. Grogu’s ears make all the difference in his ‘acting’ so I’m happy that the same effect happens here. Super simple, but super effective.

His eyes are the other stand-out feature. Here we get a stock 2×2 circular printed eye. What I find most effective is the use of tiles on the back: two 1×1 plates and two 1×1 quarter round tiles. Combining them makes an almond shape behind the round disc and I have to say it makes a huge difference. It adds just enough realism and expression. The entire head can also tilt to a small degree and the mouth can be opened as well. These small bits of motion are what give The Child that ‘cute puppy’ effect that works brilliantly in the show. This attention to detail is the best selling feature of an otherwise blocky build that suffers from some monochromatic dullness in spots.

Sticker Time

The inclusion of the info plaque and mini model of The Child keep things very consistent with prior and current releases. Mini Grogu is the same figure first released with 2020’s The Razor Crest (75292). It is now found in 7 sets. The only variation is the pretty adorable Christmas sweater version from the 2021 Star Wars Advent Calendar (75307). Nothing too crazy to report when it comes to the info plaque. The angled display gets the big sticker treatment and there’s a small 2×2 jumper tile for mini Grogu. Placing that big sticker is always a bit of a dice roll but I did pretty well this time around. Overall I’m giving the build a final score of 72%.

ENTERTAINMENT: 75%

The Child (75318) is a very sculptural build, and it falls nicely in line with other sets in the ‘character collection’. Take a look at 2018’s Porg (75230) or 2019’s Yoda (75255) and you will see some nice consistencies in build technique and display. These non-droid characters are nicely done, taking advantage of new pieces and better construction methods. All that’s to say that The Child is a good display piece that will look lovely beside the other sets in this sub-theme.

AFOLs are the target market for this set, but young builders will definitely enjoy it as well. There’s a bit of a challenge to the build, but nothing too advanced. Given the popularity of Grogu to even non Star Wars fans, this one can be a fun gift to a bigger audience. Don’t underestimate the appeal of cute, dog-like characters that make cooing sounds. It’s just science. I recently reviewed BD-1 (75335) and the end result was very similar: adorable display piece with personality. But in the end, I feel the droid characters are just more convincing and accurate as models. Which isn’t a big surprise since organic shapes are just tougher in brick form. Concurrently, I scored BD-1 higher thanks to better accuracy and a nicer colour palette. My final score for Grogu is 75%.

OVERALL: 80%

The Child (75318) is a good set, but not something I would rush to get myself. It’s a great gift and I’m happy to have it in my collection. But as I’ve already stated, I think the droid character builds currently work better as models. There’s no denying the final build is super cute and easy to love. Those moving ears are a lovely feature and work perfectly with those big eyes. Consequently, this will make a fun present for hardcore and casual Star Wars fans. A few more moving parts and some colour mixing in the body would have brought the score up. As it is, The Child gets a nice final score of 80%.

Q U I C K R E C A P

Random fact, I couldn’t find the body of the mini Grogu anywhere as I was building. I only had the head which is just creepy on its own. About 30 minutes after finishing I finally found it. It was wedged into the back of the brick separator. And to think I nearly threw it out (we all have too many!). So let that be a warning to never throw those out.

And that’s a wrap on The Child. What do you guys think? Did you snag this when it first came out back in 2020? Do you love this muppet as much as most of the world seems to? Do you have any of the other character builds in your collection? Drop a comment in all the usual places to let me know your thoughts. Thanks as always for reading and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱

– Frank

Want to support True North Bricks?

If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok for regular content. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links below. As an affiliate of those retailers, we earn from qualifying purchases. These earnings come at no extra cost to you but help to keep the content at True North Bricks free. Thanks for your support!