Hi there!
Today we’re taking a look at a truly nostalgic LEGO Star Wars set from 2002. It’s the LEGO Star Wars 7119 Twin-Pod Cloud Car from *Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back*.
And this particular set is even more special to me. Fortunately, I own the set with its original box, original instructions, the poster that came with it back then, and even the original plastic bags. Of course, the set itself is also complete.
I got all of this last year from my good friend Dr. FlipLife. He had found it at a flea market, thought of me right away, and sent it to me later.
But as for why this set has been with me for so much longer—we’ll get to that later.
Let’s start by taking a detailed look at everything step by step.
Let’s get started!
The Original Box
Let’s start right away with the box.
On the front, of course, we see the Twin-Pod Cloud Car itself. In the background are the silhouettes of Bespin, along with this beautiful vintage box design from the LEGO Star Wars sets of that era.
The age recommendation of 7 to 12 years and the set name are also still printed in the original design.
If we take a look at the sides of the box, this style continues. There, among other things, we find the StarWars.comlogo from that time, as well asthe usual legal notices.
Things get particularly interesting on the back.
Here, of course, the actual set is shown once again, but there’s also advertising for other LEGO Star Wars sets from that time, including the 7146 TIE Fighter and the 7190 Millennium Falcon.
And here’s something I really miss about the new LEGO sets: they used to show alternative models that you could build using the included pieces.
For example, you could use the Twin-Pod Cloud Car to build a sort of droid hunter or an alternative small spaceship for Lobot.
On top of that, there’s an advertisement for the Star Wars Fan Club from back then.
On one of the pages, we also get a closer look at Lobot, and—what’s particularly interesting—the old price tag is still on my box.
It says 27.36 DM or 13.99 euros.
A really nice little piece of history.
Even the old plastic bags are still there
When we open the box, it makes it even more special for me as a collector.
After all, even the original old plastic bags are still inside.
Of course, you could say: They’re just some old, empty plastic bags.
But especially with a set that’s over 20 years old—and which is otherwise still in its original box, complete with instructions and a poster—those little details are just part of the deal for me. I definitely won’t throw them away.
I’m really happy to have the set so complete—almost exactly as it was when I bought it at the store.
The 2002 poster
Another highlight is the poster that came with it back then.
On the front, we see a beautiful starry background. In the center is a large “LEGO Star Wars” logo, and behind it, you can make out the silhouette of a Jedi.
In the upper right corner, we see Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter. At the very top, the words “2002” are prominently displayed.
The poster is thus clearly inspired by *Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones*, which was also released in 2002.
If we flip the poster over, we’re taken on a real little journey back in time through the LEGO world of that era.
Here we find, among other things, advertisements for LEGO Racers, LEGO Alpha Team, and, of course, LEGO Bionicle.
There are also the computer games from that era— LEGO Island 2 and LEGO Racers 2 —as well as advertisements for LEGOLAND.
A truly beautiful poster and, especially today, a great piece of LEGO nostalgia.
The Original Instructions
Of course, the original assembly instructions are still in the box as well.
For such a small set, the instruction manual is actually surprisingly large and also features the typical LEGO Star Wars box design of that era.
The back side is interesting again, because there, too, we find advertisements for other sets from that period.
Among other things, we see:
- LEGO Star Wars 7200 Final Duel I
- LEGO Star Wars 7201 Final Duel II
- LEGO Star Wars 7203 Jedi Defense I
- LEGO Star Wars 7204 Jedi Defense II
Four small sets that are absolute classics for me as well, and that I’d really love to add to my Collection someday.
But enough about the packaging, instructions, and poster.
Let’s finally get to the actual set.
The Twin-Pod Cloud Car
Standing before us is the bright red Twin-Pod Cloud Car with its brown and gray accents.
From today’s perspective, the design is, of course, extremely simple.
We have the two distinctive cockpits, which are connected via the center section. Both sides are built almost identically.
The side doors can be opened, and the cockpit window on each side can also be folded back. This makes it easy to place a Minifigure inside or take it out again.
Inside, there is room for exactly one Minifigure and a small printed control element.
That’s really all it takes.
The middle connector can also be folded up. In theory, you could even store a few small items there.
Everything is very minimalist and simple in design—typical of many LEGO Star Wars sets from that era.
Lobot
One minifigure is included, and of course it’s Lobot.
From the front, the figure could hardly be any simpler.
We get a pair of gray pants and a simple gray torso with a hint of a vest. At first glance, the face is also pretty unremarkable.
It’s only when we turn the figure around that we immediately recognize who we’re actually looking at here.
On the back of his head are Lobo’s characteristic cyborg elements—or rather, his implant.
As an accessory, he’s also given a walkie-talkie.
By today’s standards, of course, it’s an extremely simple Minifigure, but that’s exactly what makes up part of its charm for me.
After all, this is the very first LEGO version of Lobot ever made.
Later, we saw the character again in 2012 in the Planet Set 9678 Twin-Pod Cloud Car & Bespin, among others. Nevertheless, Lobot is definitely not one of the characters that LEGO constantly re-releases.
Technical Details
Name: Twin-Pod Cloud Car
Set Number: 7119
Parts: 118
Minifigures: 1
MSRP: $10
Price per piece: about 8.5 U.S. cents
Recommended age: 7–12 years
Estimated construction time: about 10 minutes
Release Date: January 1, 2002
EOL: December 31, 2003
Current resale value: approx. 25 euros
Current replacement cost: approx. 65–75 euros
My personal story with the set
Actually, I’ve had this set for quite a while now.
My best friend from childhood had been given the Twin-Pod Cloud Car as a gift at some point.
Even though—in terms of construction techniques—it certainly wasn’t a huge or particularly complicated model back then, I just thought this thing was super cool.
And yes—I was pretty jealous of it.
So at some point, I kept checking to see if I could buy the set myself. Sometimes I was too stingy, and other times I simply forgot to check my bids on eBay, and eventually the set slipped completely from my mind. Until last year.
My good friend Dr. FlipLife found the set at a flea market, along with some old Star Wars cards, stickers, a medallion, and other items.
He immediately thought of me and was kind enough to send it to me.
And that really made me incredibly happy.
Mainly because it’s in really great condition. The box is still in excellent shape for its age, the instructions and poster are included, even the old plastic bags are still there, and of course the actual model featuring Lobot is included as well.
As a result, this little set now holds double the personal value for me.
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My take—how good is a LEGO Star Wars set from 2002 today?
If we compare the Twin-Pod Cloud Car to today’s LEGO Star Wars sets, there’s obviously no need for a long discussion:
By modern standards, the implementation isn’t really accurate.
The real Twin-Pod Cloud Car has much rounder shapes, while the LEGO model looks quite angular and clunky. The proportions aren’t quite right either, and the building techniques of the time result in fairly large gaps around the cockpits.
And then, of course, there’s the color.
The vehicle from *The Empire Strikes Back* actually has a much more orange hue. At the time, LEGO opted for red instead and added brown elements as well.
Interestingly, many years later, LEGO designer Hans Burkhard Schlömer explained—in connection with *Betrayal at Cloud City*—that the original Cloud Car model was painted in a shade known as “Box Car Orange.” Dark Orange would have been the closest match at LEGO, but at the time—and even later—there weren’t enough of the necessary elements available in that color. Red was therefore a practical alternative.
And this is exactly where, in my opinion, we need to be a little fair.
We’re talking about a LEGO Star Wars set from 2002.
When you compare the Twin-Pod Cloud Car to other sets from that era—such as the Millennium Falcon from back then—I actually think this little model has held up pretty well.
Given the parts available at the time, the design is instantly recognizable, and the vehicle does exactly what it was meant to do back then: You could put Lobot inside, open the cockpits, and then fly the thing around the kids’ room.
That was really all it took in 2002.
And that’s exactly why I still like this set today.
It’s small, simple, and incredibly nostalgic. Its bright red color also makes it stand out immediately in a LEGO Star Wars Collection, and it takes up hardly any space in the display case.
I also like Lobot, despite his extremely simple design. Precisely because he’s the first version of the character—and because Lobot wasn’t exactly one of the most common LEGO Star Wars characters afterward—the figure has a charm all its own for me.
I can therefore recommend this set to any LEGO Star Wars fan who’s nostalgic for the past or to collectors of older sets.
And since it comes with the original box, instructions, poster, and even the old plastic bags, my copy holds a very special emotional value for me anyway.
Now it’s your turn: Do you maybe even still have the LEGO Star Wars 7119 Twin-Pod Cloud Car from your own childhood?
What do you think of the model today?
Or would you still buy it for your Collection?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
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Author: Dante