A couple weeks back I was lamenting the absence of prequel sets in the Winter 2016 LEGO Star Wars sets wave, with only Obi-Wan’s Jedi Interceptor being a mass release item. But there is another (prequels set)! It’s a store exclusive and won’t be sold everywhere, but the LEGO Star Wars 2016 Homing Spider Droid 75142 set will also be available in just a few short weeks!

Ah, the Trade Federation Homing Spider Droid. We’ve seen this little piece of Separatist tech released in brick form several times now, and pretty much every release has ended with the poor droid being discounted and put on clearance just to get it out of stores. It’s to the point where even though it was on the rumor list of LEGO 2016 sets, I totally forgot it was supposedly coming at all!

The last time we got a LEGO Homing Spider Droid was set 75016 back in summer 2013–and well, if I didn’t know better, I would have to that the set released in 2013 basically is this set!

Seriously, comparing photos of these two Separating Homing Spider Droid sets, I am having an exceptionally difficult time distinguishing differences between the droids aside from the addition of a multi-stud shooter on the cannon of the 2016 iteration. I’m sure the builds are otherwise slightly different, but those differences sure aren’t apparent to me!

What is totally different, however, is the Minifigures selection with the new iteration of the Spider Droid.

Whereas the previous set included a generic Clone Trooper, two Super Battle Droids and rare Jedi Stass Allie, this time out we get an Elite Corps Clone Trooper, two regular Battle Droids and a Yoda Minifigure. None of these characters are new or exclusive to this set, but I suppose it’s always nice to have a lightsaber-wielding Yoda minifig in circulation, right…?

There’s also a brick-built mini Spider Droid included, just as there was with the previous Spider Droid set released, although this one has a stud-firing “nose” that the last version didn’t have. Are these minor changes enough to sell this similar set to collectors again…? Not for me, but I imagine the set still might do okay with prequel fans just now becoming LEGO Star Wars collectors.

While the 2013 Spider Droid was comprised of 295 pieces, the 2016 version ups that to 310 pieces. Not coincidentally, at least 15 “firing” translucent red studs are included with this set–exactly the number of pieces making up the piece count difference between this set and the prior incarnation. Hmmm!

We don’t know the MSRP on this set yet, but if it’s anything over $29.99 (and I suspect it will be) I’d expect this to shelf warm terribly, as all previous versions of the Homing Spider have.

The 75142 LEGO Star Wars Homing Spider Droid is scheduled to be officially released on 1/1/2016, and will be available at the branded LEGO Stores and Toys R Us exclusively in the United States. I’ll post an update here and to the Bricks and Bloks Twitter and Facebook pages once the set actually arrives in the U.S., so watch for it if you’re on the hunt for this robotic arachnid.

Anyone out there excited about getting a new(-ish) release of the Homing Spider Droid? If you don’t like this set, what other prequel sets would you like to see get reissued in upcoming waves?