By Marick Hornsveld (SAFOLs Member, Founding member of CapeLUG – The Western Cape LEGO User Group. Loves Technic, Creator vehicles, and dragons.)
The build starts with the inside base around which the body is to be built. I really like how regular bricks and pieces are combined with studless and studded Technic beams in this set. All LEGO pieces, no matter what theme they are from, are part of the LEGO universe, and I therefore think that combining Technic with regular bricks and pieces makes sense, despite some fans’ resistance.
The set contains a number of interesting pieces (and some great Technic parts) that have lots of potential for use in MOCs, especially if you are planning to build in white or orange.
SNOT techniques are used to great effect in this model to create an organic bird-like shape that looks interesting and is aesthetically pleasing from all sides. The way that the feathers are created is also fantastic – it looks very real.
The build itself is uncomplicated, and aside from the clever use of SNOT techniques and feathering, the build offers no interesting or surprising techniques. I spent just over two hours putting the set together, and all in all it was an enjoyable build.
Different techniques are used around the body, so the build doesn’t feel repetitive.
The final model is quite sturdy, although I won’t recommend it as a toy for kids. This is mainly a display model. It does make a good companion to last year’s BB-8 droid, especially because their colours match. They are also similar in size, which does mean that the scales of the two models are vastly different if compared to the movie characters.
Pressing on the tail of the Porg makes the mouth open and wings flap, although the wings don’t return to their original position entirely. Moving the mouth does give the Porg a cute facial expression.
At the current retail price, given the piece count, and despite some of the nice pieces the set includes, it is a bit on the pricey side and would therefore appeal mainly to Star Wars fans looking for a nice display model to add to their collection, rather than a purchase for parts.
The Star Wars franchise has received criticism for ‘creating’ the Porg, with fans saying that it is purely a mechanism to sell merchandise. Whether or not that is true, the island where The Last Jedi was filmed has a very large colony of Puffin birds. Rather than trying to digitally remove the birds from the film, the producers digitally altered the Puffins, turning them into Porgs, and even giving them a small storyline.
To summarise: 75230 Porg is a quick, easy build, with some interesting parts, but isn’t a bargain. It makes a nice display model.
