Turbo Tank Comparison

Today's build was the 8098 Clone Turbo Tank which I finally got second hand from Ebay.  I was reasonably pleased with the condition of this one but managed to find 4 or 5 broken or seriously damanged pieces and another 10 or so missing.  Fortunately, I've managed to replace all the parts from my spares, though the replacement Ahsoka minifig (which the seller was clear was missing) is still in the post.  

The build was pretty fun but not the best I've ever done.  The first section did the various extras - a mini AT scout walker, a gun rack and a command post. 

The next section then did the main structure of the tank (including the wheels) and the final section did all the side panelling.  The finished tank looks pretty cool:

In particular, I love the way that all of the extras can be stored securely inside - I don't recall seeing anything like the approach used here on any other set!

This set also has two of the super-rare scala dishes which I want for a MOC.  [I was going to ask if anyone knew why these were called "scala" dishes but I have found out the answer... there was a whole range of lego that fell into my "dark age" which looks pretty hideous in hindsight.]

Having built the set, I thought I'd see how it compares to the other CTT I own - the earlier 2005 7261. It's interesting to see what changed over the five years between these two sets... and what didn't change!

Looked at side on, it's pretty clear that these share a basic structure that's very similar in design: both are near identical height and width, though the 7261 version is perhaps fractionally longer (one stud?). However, the level of detail on the 8098 version is massively ramped up and makes the earlier version look pretty sparse by comparison.  It's also interesting to note the increased use of tile plates on the newer version - a SNOT trend that has continued to accelerate.  

The two versions have quite different additional elements - 7261 includes a turret (hidden inside, sorry) and a speederbike (this didn't come with the set when I bought it from ebay and took me months to source the rare parts!).  I also like the flying trooper that comes with this set.  On that note, the two have quite different philosophies on minifigs - the earler set concentrates on clones and droids with only Mace Windu to break that up.  8098 meanwhile provides a whole set of Jedi and is clearly inspired by the Clone Wars, given the inclusion of Cad Bane.  Unfortunately, it dates from the era when Lego decided to put large faces on minifigs - glad that they've stopped this.

Before I got 7261 down from the top shelf it's been stored on, I had it in mind to try and compare them to source material and see which is more accurate.  However, as they are so close in design, this is somewhat redundant!  

I like the wheels better on the 8098 and there is a pop-up bar which allows you to steer the model around.  However, I like the pearl dark grey "axles" on the older set.  Neither has huge "playability", if I'm very honest. Which is better?  I really don't know... I will reserve judgement until I've managed to acquire 75151!