Anyway, at least I have something to review now, right?
Slave 1 (2010)
The Package
It's what catches your eye as the set lies on the shelf, and is the selling point.
Well, this box is certainly eye-catching. The latest version of the Slave I flies out at you from a Cloud City background, shooting flick-fire missiles (included, even if they don’t shoot like that) and CG laser beams (not included). The new, somewhat movie-realistic Boba Fett minifigure sits complacently inside the bare-bones cockpit, and all is well. Except for the sheer size of the box, which is ridiculously wide for any LEGO Slave I.
Little inset panels in various places on the box showcase the fact that it includes new minifigures and can hold a new Carbonite-bound Han Solo in a cargo panel (as well as repeated images of the ship itself). Oddly, the header theme of the box seems to be the same as Clone Wars sets, showing the clone captain Rex. Is this some kind of anachronism? Even the sets in the back ads are Clone Wars sets. Hmm.
The Instructions
Are they easy or hard to build from?
Sorry, no pictures for the instructions.
However, you can probably guess what the two manuals show. You build the minifigures, you build a Slave I, and you’re instructed to WIN.
However, the instructions do have one possible difference. Captain Rex is again displayed on the top right of the front of the instructions. But on the inside of the manuals, a partially opaque Darth Vader helmet is shown in the upper right of every page. Hmm.
The Pieces
The most important part of the set, and what I buy them for.
There are a fair amount of interesting pieces in the set, but most are duplicates of each other. You get a lot of dark red cutout slopes, a couple of dark green slopes, a clear windshield, some paneling, gray wall slopes, and many other things, some of which are highlighted above. The windshield, unlike any previous LEGO Slave I, is clear rather than transparent black. You also get several bluish gray wing-style plates, which are used as the base for building the entire ship. Oddly, an array of dark bluish gray accessories for a clone officer is also included.
And then there’s the minifigures themselves.
Included are a new Boba Fett, Bossk, and a new Han Solo. I’m not terribly fond of the new Han Solo except for the head and torso, and only then for using in my own minifigures. The new head is similar to, if not as distinctive as, the old version. The new torso is possibly more distinctive than the old version, but the rampant gray wrinkles on it just end up looking odd to me. The legs and hair are plain reddish brown.
Bossk includes a new mold of head, with orange eyes and white teeth printed on it. The sides of the head are smooth and patternless, but it’s reptilian enough overall. The torso is yellow with sand green hands, and has an interesting armor/tube pattern.
The new Boba Fett is quite bluish when compared to the previous version(s), and includes a cloth pauldron. The legs are now sand blue with a reddish brown waist, and the new torso has sand blue arms with sand blue printed wrinkles. However, the torso printing is dark green, and the helmet and jetpack (now separate) are sand green.
The battle-damage printing on the helmet is quite detailed, and works fairly well. On the other hand, the jetpack is smaller than the old one, is separate from the helmet, and has only a tiny missile attached. Though the new jetpack may be more versatile than the old (indeed, the new jetpack has also been used on clone troopers), I would personally have preferred to see a recolored version of the old jetpack.
Indeed, the new Boba Fett minifigure has a more complex build (as much as a minifigure can be complex, anyway), and certainly has more pieces.
The Finished Set
This is what it's for, people. The finished product of your labors.
The completed set is impressive, at least in appearance. Its design is extremely similar to the previous LEGO Slave I versions, with various areas that have been streamlined or refined. The wings still turn automatically to adjust to flight or landing positions, and Boba Fett can sit as complacently in the cockpit as he does in the box picture.
The middle flick-fire missiles actually fire using a button on the back/bottom of the ship (though the lower flick-fire missiles still refuse to be fired with a single flick – more like three). The rocket and turbine details on the back/bottom are also nice. However, it’s difficult to hold the ship without breaking off one of the track pieces on the back.
Final Thoughts
All in all, is the set worth the purchase? Or should you have kept the money?
Even the entire set with minifigures and ship is sadly small for its $80 MSRP. The similar previous Slave I versions sold for $50 or $60. Almost all new pieces in the set are from the minifigures, though the ship has many interesting and possibly useful recolors.
Pros:
Lots of dark-color and gray slopes
Useful and detailed minifigure parts
Continuity in design of LEGO Slave I versions
Cons:
Difficult to handle or play with
Hollow internal structure
Perhaps too much imitation in LEGO Slave I designs
Exorbitant price
I would certainly recommend this set if you can get a better price on it. By now, some stores will probably be having a sale on it. But $80 is too much.
So I hope you enjoyed this somewhat late review of the latest version of this iconic Star Wars ship. However, it may be fortunate that it's late, because by now, you might be able to find a sale or deal on it at a local store.
And as always, please leave a comment/some feedback if you can. Your input (or review of my review) is very welcome.
