3x3PO Parts Fest: Introducing the elements

Not long ago a Jawa Sandcrawler rolled steadily into New Elementary Farm. Myself, Caz and Ben (Davies, not the old Kenobi) needed someone who spoke Bocce, so we got three copies of LEGO® Star Wars™ 75398 C-3PO. 

In the end we lost our interest in speaking Bocce pretty soon, so we demolished the droids to make MOCs. So welcome to the 3x3PO fest, the hottest MOC-building festival in this galaxy not that far away. But before we show you what we made, I'll show you the interesting parts in the set. Be ready for many pearl gold recolours!

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

75398 C-3PO

• Release date: 1 August 2024
• Pieces: 1138

Price: 

• US$ 229.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 179.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 124.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 139.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 249.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 139,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 139,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 139,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 619.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 1899,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 1249.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

As this set was released over 4 months ago, most of its new parts have been added to Pick a Brick. There are individual links throughout the article so you can check if the piece you want is availaible there, or just use this link to see all parts from the C-3PO LEGO set available there (both new and previously existing elements):

Buy individual pieces from 75398 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

New moulds

• 3x Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 2/3 with 1 Cutout in Pearl Gold (6500455 | 5907) 
• 4x Brick Round Corner, Curved 2 x 2 x 1 2/3 Quarter Circle with 1 Cutout in Pearl Gold (6500454 | 5906)

Both of these are considerably more orangish – or bronze-ish, perhaps – than most recent pearl gold pieces and most of the ones in this set. However this issue also appears in several recolours, as I have noted in the lists below. I think some variety is acceptable in pearl colours, but they stand out a bit too much to my liking. I wonder if this was a variance in the supply to one factory, or whether the colour is being tweaked?

Zach already presented these two curved bricks in his look at LEGO Fortnite parts, but I'm giving some extra analysis, as these pieces were specifically designed to form Threepio's head. 

The curve of the new slope, laid on its side as shown above right, is a perfect quarter of a 4x4 circle. This means the outer curve is the same as on the classic 2x2 macaroni brick. The major difference, aside from the orientation of the brick, is that the curved edge doesn't have the small notches present in the macaroni brick. This enables gapless curved shapes; very useful in plastic architecture. Naturally, having only 3 in pearl gold is not enough for such uses.

The radius of the curve is 2 modules. The curve is identical to the older, thicker version of Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top (6005, shown above left, in tan) but not the most current version (92903, in yellow). It is curious that they updated the mould to have a curve that is not the exact circle segment. However, this dichotomy is now obsolete. As TobyMac noted in his recent review of January 2025 LEGO® Friends parts, the mould has now been replaced with a version missing the bottommost plate layer – and matching this new mould 5907 and the 2 x 2 macaroni brick.

It's interesting to now have two new moulds with the same curve but different connection points. The differences are that 5907 doesn't have a 1x1 plate extension on the upper rear end, and the underside has a "normal" antistud at the top instead of a concave curve.

Part 5906 is a quarter-dome version of the same measurements. It measures 5 plates in every direction; how beautiful is that? Very beautiful, as the 5:2 ratio (the height of five plates equals two modules' width) is the most important relation in LEGO math. As a consequence, 8 of these make a perfect sphere, as Rylie demonstrated to the rest of the team. Threepio has only 4. They make me think of boot caps. Another very welcome piece.

The two new curved bricks are available in white on Pick a Brick:

Search PaB for
element 6518954
Search PaB for
element 6518953

Pearl gold recolours

• 3x Plate Round 4 x 4 with 2 x 2 Round Opening (6501301 | 11833)
• 21x Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] (6132827 | 11477)

The 'baby bow' is one of the key parts for organic building, and so it's great to finally have one in pearl gold. The ring plates could be useful as reinforced windows in steampunk builds.

 

• 20x Slope Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 (6498727 | 15068)
• 4x Wedge Plate 4 x 2 Left (6493273 | 41770)
• 4x Wedge Plate 4 x 2 Right (6493272 | 41769)

The baby bow is supplemented by its double version, again in a pleasant quantity. Wedge plates have been rare in pearl colours, so it's nice to have some.

• 15x Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 Inverted (6501308 | 36840)
• 12x Plate 2 x 2 Corner (6501309 | 2420)

I confessed my love of corner plates long ago. However, they are not pieces I expected to see in pearl gold, ever. This is true of brackets as well.

• 6x Slope Curved 2 x 1 with Stud Notch Left (6498742 | 29120)
• 6x Slope Curved 2 x 1 with Stud Notch Right (6498743 | 29119)
• 7x Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Left (6498728 | 24299)
• 7x Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Right (6498729 | 24307)
• 13x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x ⅔ (6134284 |  85984)

More little bits to capture challenging shapes in gold, including the cut corner version of the baby bow.

• 8x Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted (6495648 | 99207)
• 3x Wedge Plate 3 x 2 Left (6498725 | 43723)
• 3x Wedge Plate 3 x 2 Right (6498726 | 43722)
• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Left (6502821 | 80177)
• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Right (6502823 | 80178)

These recolours are numerous, and it's nice to see that many part families – brackets, wedge plates and curved slopes – get multiple types of element.

• Wedge Curved 4 x 3 No Studs [Plain] (6288225 | 64225)
• 6x Wedge Curved 6 x 2 Left, Inner Ridges (6498589 | 41748)
• 6x Wedge Curved 6 x 2 Right, Smooth Inner Walls (6512267 | 5711)

I like wedges. The 6x2s have a strong early-2000s vibe, right out of my childhood. It's baffling that the right version has smooth inner walls whereas the left version has the inner ridges of the older version.

 

• 2x Windscreen 2 x 4 Half Dome (6501268 | 81911) - orangish tint
• 5x Brick Special 1 x 1 with Studs on 2 Sides (6501289 | 47905)
• 2x Tile Special 2 x 3 Pentagonal (6343767 | 22385)
• 2x Slope 18° 2 x 1 x ⅔ (6498730 | 5404)  - orangish tint
• 4x Tile 45° Cut 2 x 2 (Triangle) (6286193 | 35787)
• 6x Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 (6493686 | 79389) - Oops, appears in 2 other sets already

Odds-and-ends recolours here, except for my error with the brackets, which were already out when Threepio was released. This is the first time the 4-wide windscreen appears in an opaque colour; I'm happy about that, as I've used opaque versions of its 6-wide counterpart countless times. I hope we'll see it in more colours soon. 

The windscreen and the grateless great cheese slope have this orangish tint; perhaps it affects only parts that are either recent/new moulds or new in non-transparent plastic, which could mean an intentional tweak to the colour or a change of material? Alternatively, it may just be a material supply issue.

Search for all pearl gold pieces from the C-3PO LEGO® set on Pick a Brick

Miscellaneous elements

• Tile 8 x 16 with C-3PO Stats print in Black (6488481)
• Slope Brick Curved 2 x 4 x 2/3 No Studs with Dark Red Lines, Dots (C-3PO plating) print in Pearl Gold (6488479)
• Tile Round 3 x 3 with Dark Red Circles, Hatch Wheel print in Pearl Gold (6488480)
• Tile Special 2 x 3 Pentagonal 'Nexo shield' with Black Rectangle, Dark Red Arrow print in Pearl Gold (6488478)
•  2x Wedge Curved 1 x 2 x 2/3 No Studs, Wing End in Metallic Silver (6513086 | 47458) - a recolour

• Theepio minifigure with dual-moulded Light Bluish Grey leg
• Sticker Sheet

As is usual with adult-oriented LEGO Star Wars sets, we have a info plaque, which is printed this time. There are also three printed pearl gold parts, while the decorations on black pieces are stickers. I suppose this is because stickers would hide the pearl pattern, and the pearl ones are essential for the model: Leaving out the Nexo shield would mean a muted Threepio, contrary to his vocal character. The tummy wiring is less essential. 

Curiously, the metallic silver wing wedges are the only non-gold recolours here. It's another piece from my childhood; welcome in this beautiful metallic silver hue.

This minifigure version of Threepio has only appeared once before, in 75341 Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder, which I reviewed in 2022. This is an odd coincidence, as I've only had 3 LEGO Star Wars sets during my New Elementary career. This photo set of the figure is from that Landspeeder review.

Rare parts

• 2x Bar, Angled with Stud on End (6501270 | 65578) - 1 extra, orangish tint, also in 75683 Glinda & Elphaba's Dormitory
• 3x Plate Round 1 x 2 Half Circle with Stud (Jumper) (6503258 | 1745) - orangish tint, in 2 other sets
• 6x Plate Special 1 x 4 with 2 Studs with Groove [New Underside] (6331739 | 41740) - in 2 other sets
• 8x Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 (6493687 | 99781) - in 2 other sets
  

This set has so many pearl gold recolours that this list of rare gold pieces looks surprisingly bare.

• 2x Technic Axle and Pin Connector Angled #7 - 168.75° in Reddish Orange (6452863 | 4450) - also in 42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 PROFESSIONAL Line (see our review of 42177 by TobyMac)
• Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Left in Tan (6476744 | 24299) - in 2 other sets
• Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Right in Tan (6476749 | 24307) - in 2 other sets
• 9x Brick Special 1 x 2 x 1 2/3 with 8 Studs on 3 Sides in Medium Nougat (6486878 | 67329) - also in 43247 The Lion King (see my review of set 43247)

The huge volume of pearl gold means there aren't many rare non-gold parts. At least all of these are useful or intriguing.

Into the 3x3PO Fest

Each Sunday and Wednesday we'll publish Caz's, then Ben's and finally my MOCs using parts from 75398 C-3PO. 

While this isn't exactly a review, and I did not build the set, I think it has a wonderful parts selection, if you like pearl gold and don't despise some hue differences. On the other hand, £124.99/ US$139.99/ €139.99/ AU$229.99 is very expensive for 1138 pieces and one minifigure, and the ratio is a lot worse than on 75371 Chewbacca which I reviewed a year ago. 

Fortunately, you will be enjoying our golden MOCs for free.

C-3PO on LEGO.com

Buy individual pieces from 75398 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

 

READ MORE: 71837 Ninjago City Workshops revealed by LEGO® NINJAGO®

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