Republic Frigate (#7964)

When I saw this one on a Clone Wars episode, I figured it wouldn't be long before it made its way to a Lego set. My one complaint with these larger sets is the scarcity of the minifigs. This one comes with Yoda, Eeth Koth, Quinlan Vos, Commander Wolffe, and a Wolfpack trooper. That's it. No pilot, no extra crew. I would gladly trade in Eeth Koth for another Wolfpack trooper (don't worry, I have already ordered one off Bricklink).

Profile view. That's Yoda and Quinlan Vos with their green lightsabers. That might not be a big deal for many of you out there, but it's nice to finally have the right color.

The front view... I like the design of these cruisers/frigates. There's something about them which is just fun. This one is well-armed and ready for battle. The double-turrets on top swivel, but the ones on the bottom are stationary.

The rear view, not much to see here.

There is a seat for the rear gunner. Fortunately, I still have a few gunners left from the Clone Wars battlepack. The guns double as flick-fire missiles, which doesn't excite me. They still work as guns, so I haven't swapped them out yet.

The cockpit. This clone is a stand-in until I can get another clone pilot.

Another gunner in the weapons bay. There are bombs which can be dropped by pulling on the black lever sticking out.

There's Eeth Koth and an ARF trooper (not included) in the command section. It doesn't show up well in the photo, but the little blue cylinder in the middle is a hologram of the chancellor.

This one has a nice little handle which slides down out of the way when not in use.

The escape pod. Only the two clones with blue markings actually came with the set. The others are from battlepacks. Comfortably seats five, perfect for when you want to take the clones on a little planet-side excursion...

Here it is next to the Republic Cruiser (#7665) for comparison. It's not quite as long and doesn't have as much cargo/crew capacity as the cruiser, but it has more weapons.

In short, I love this set. Excellent playability, it's sturdy, and has room for extra figures. I'd give it a 9/10. With a couple of extra clone minifigs, it would've been a solid 10/10.

Sith Infiltrator (#7961)

When I saw this one on the Lego website, I wasn't quite sure about it. I liked the curved wings of the 7663 version because they were more movie-accurate than the first incarnation (I may end up transferring them to the new one). This is one of those models you need to see in person before you make up your mind. This is the third version of the Infiltrator and I think Lego did a good job on it.

Here is the 7663 version with the new 7961 for comparison. The proportions on 7961 are much better and I prefer the new cockpit section to the old one. This one feels sturdier as well, it doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart when you pick it up.

The minifigs... the first time we've seen Captain Panaka, an updated Padme (haven't seen her since "Anakin's Podracer" set from 1999) with an alternate expression on the back of her head, and a new Quigon Jinn with a green lightsaber (finally).

The hinged cockpit works much better on this model than on 7663 (the back had a bad habit of falling off when opened) and there's a lightsaber storage compartment as well. Much better than having to piece it together from various parts of the ship.

Darth Maul... he comes with an optional horns ring (even comes with an extra one) or a hood which can be interchanged. This new version is very good.

Here's where we start getting onto shaky ground. The front section seems like the designers were a bit rushed and didn't put as much attention here. I'm not a fan of the spy droid deployment system. They're not supposed to drop out of the ship like bombs. I don't have a problem with storing them in the front section, but the bomb levers are a bit silly. An enthusiastic 'meh' on the flick-fire missiles, but I really like the speeder storage...

...and design. It's much more streamlined than its predecessor, and fits nicely inside the ship. But because the   top section of the ship is mounted on Technic hinges, it tends to flip open if you barrel roll the ship, which ends up with the speeder falling out and onto the floor. It's like having the hood of your car flip open as you're driving down the highway, not good.

So I fixed it with a hinged brick for now. If you have it, I would recommend the hinge with a 2x2 plate on top, the standard 1x2 doesn't seem to be strong enough.

Despite a few design shortcomings, this is still a great set. It even feels better when you hold it, 7663 felt almost fragile at times. This version does not have that problem. Overall, I'd give it a solid 8.5/10.

Clone Turbo Tank (#8098)

So, I finally finished my 6-week fitness program, which means I got to reward myself with the set I purchased way back in February and has been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to get my flabby butt into gear. I wanted the Clone Turbo Tank, even though I already had the original (#7261). I'm a sucker for clone troopers, so this one was a natural choice.

Here is the original 7261 on the right and 8098 on the left. The set comes with two clone troopers, Aayla Secura, another Anakin and Ahsoka (they're for sale on my Bricklink page if you're interested), and the bounty hunter Cad Bane. My first thought, and I don't think I'm alone here, was, "I'd gladly trade out Anakin and Ahsoka for a few more clones." They are probably the two most over-used minifigures in the Star Wars line-up. Fortunately, thanks to battle packs and Bricklink, I have a few extra clones and filled in the gaps from my own supply. Aside from the minifig selection, I think 8098 is improved on nearly every detail from the original.

The new wheels are a nice improvement, and the new suspension system is a lot nicer. It gives the tank a higher clearance, even though the two models are roughly the same height.

The rear-view. The turret is nice and simplistic, no need to get overly fancy with it.

The rear hatch opens to reveal seating for two. These clones are from the battle pack, not the tank. I always like having extra clones on hand.

Where the engine compartment was located on the old model, this one has a removeable weapons storage rack for two pistols and two rifles.

I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want another pull-out troop rack like I installed on the 7261. It's nice being able to carry the scout walker, but I still think the tank should be carrying more troops. The walker with green accents came with the kit, the other one I put together because I like the scale better than the 7250 version.

To the front... room for two at the controls. I'm thinking about putting a third seat in the middle somewhere. Anything to fit in more troops...

The front guns were handled much better on this one than on the original...

Around to the other side, there is a mobile command center which can be stowed on the opening side panel. I think someone at Lego figured they needed to put something on this side to even it out.

While not much of a handle, this slides up and down and is compatible with the Republic Dropship (10195). The adjacent gun turret is actually a flick-fire missile, complete with the obligatory "you'll shoot your eye out" warning symbol in the instructions. Which leaves me to wonder just how much force is necessary and how close does one's eye need to be in order to inflict sufficient damage.

Hoth Wampa Cave (#8089)

I have had this set for quite a while now, but somehow missed posting it. Bad me. This is a good addition to the Hoth line-up. You get Luke in Hoth gear, the Wampa, and Zev Zenesca (which doesn't mean much if you have the Hoth battlepack), and a(nother) snowspeeder.

A photo of the set...

Here's a close-up of the cave. Luke gets to hang upside-down and reflect on the merits of not chasing meteor sightings without backup. I thought the mystery ribs were a nice touch. The lightsaber launcher is okay, it's fine as a holder but if you're trying to actually launch the saber, it only works about half of the time.

Your friendly neighborhood Wampa. His left hand will hold a minifigure rather nicely. Some of the movie "purists" are complaining the arm should come off. I say, "get over it."

Here's the snowspeeder and Zev. Personally, I would've included a different pilot considering Zev is available in the battlepack. If you have the Hoth Rebel Base set (#7666), there are only a few minor differences between the two versions. A slight change to the engine design (they're not built to come off either)...
 

...the harpoon gun on the back uses the classic megaphone/pistol instead of the double-handle on the previous version...

...orange sloped bricks instead of light grey, and a few more stickers.

Unless you stocked up on the snowspeeder when it came out on its own (#4500), this is the cheapest way to add one to your collection. Your other alternative is to get it off bricklink, you can usually find just the ship by itself after the seller has removed the minifigs. There really isn't anything I don't like in this set. A few things I would've done differently, but nothing I'd consider a deal breaker. It's always nice to have another snowspeeder, and the price/feature is pretty good too.

Bounty Hunter Gunship (#7930)

This one is the Bounty Hunter Gunship, or the Halo as it is called on Clone Wars. I wasn't sure if I wanted this one, but then I saw the episode again and changed my mind. If you're familiar with the set, you'll notice the black assassin droid is conspicuously absent from the photos. That's because I didn't think it was worth the effort to put it together. I don't think anyone would've missed it had Lego not included it in the set. Anyone who wanted one would've purchased the battlepack.

Here's the ship from the side. Both side panels swing open to give access to the cockpit up top and the prisoner compartment below. It would've been nice to fit more than one figure in the cockpit, but we deal with what we have. Aurra Sing is in the driver's seat, Sugi and Embo (with the big hat) are the other two bounty hunters. The geek in me says I should point out the writing on the nose art sticker. It's supposed to say "Nice playing with ya", but as near as I can tell, it actually says, "gaig fshtgho". It seems something got lost in the translation... Maybe they thought no one would notice.

The front view. I do like the looks of the ship, the front looks intimidating. There are a few stickers with this kit, so be careful when putting them on. Most of them are pretty big, which means unless you're really good at pealing them off, you only get one shot at it.

The back hatch opens to show the prisoner compartment. Instead of including the cheap assassin droid figure, it would've made more sense (to me anyway) to include someone who could be used as a prisoner.

The engine pods in flight mode. Sliding the rear section of the tail will move the pods back and forth between flight and landing modes. As you can see, unless you're holding the back of the ship, the weight of the pods is enough to pull them down slightly. The first design flaw in the set.

The second flaw is the lid to the cockpit. If you tilt the ship more than 90 degrees, the lid flips open. This could be somewhat embarrassing during combat. Either the clips need to be notched or the lid needs to be secured when closed. Since there are no studs along the top of the cockpit, notching the hinge seems to be the best bet.

There is a concealed storage compartment when in flight mode. The little blue thing is supposed to be a Jedi holocron.

So, this was an interesting build. Nothing too difficult, but I liked how they managed the engine pod mechanism. This one has a good swoosh factor, but would be even better with improvements to the pods and the lid as mentioned. It's still a fun ship and I'd recommend it for any Star Wars Lego fan.

Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter (#7868)

I've been watching for Mace Windu's starfighter ever since January when, for reasons unknown, it was released in Europe but not the rest of the world. So when it showed up on the Canadian website, I was very excited. Every time I had a trip to Calgary I somehow managed to find myself in the Lego Store. Unfortunately, the store is about two and a half weeks behind the website on product availability. When they finally did get the new kits in, they didn't have Mace's starfighter, but were nice enough to order it for me and have it delivered to me (thanks Zach and Troy!).

For those of you who, like me, have the other three Clone Wars Jedi Starfighters and possibly even Obi-Wan's Episode II fighter, you may wonder why you should get this one. I think Lego may have anticipated this. Unlike Plo Koon's (#8093) and Anakin's (#7669) starfighters, this set comes with some battle droids to round things off a bit.

The TX-20 Tactical Droid and speeder is a nice touch, and exclusive to this set. I'll be trolling Bricklink for a couple more of these...

Two battle droids and STAPs (Single Trooper Aerial Platform), these are not so exclusive. These are the same build as the one found in the AT-TE set (#7675) and fairly close to the battlepack version (#7654).

Here are Mace Windu and his astromech droid R8-B7 in front of the fighter

I don't know why Lego is using flat tiles for the cockpits now. The minifigs just don't sit right unless there's something holding them in place. If you have the spare parts, replace the 2x2 tile with a 1x2 studded plate and a 1x2 tile as shown here. This will hold Mace firmly in place while still keeping it easy to get him in and out.

I was so excited with Plo Koon's starfighter because it didn't have any flick-fire missiles (the goofy ejection system is another discussion). Mace's fighter comes with four missiles on the underside. Each push rod will fire two missiles. As far as flick-fire missiles go, these are relatively easy to access so if you like missiles this will be a plus for you. If you don't, the missile compartment comes off very easily with the only down-side being that it leaves the ship looking off-balanced without it.

The front view of the fighter. Noticeably absent are the wing-mounted guns each of the other variants have in one form or another. I guess they figure having four missiles underneath must make up for it. Some reviews have criticized Lego for using so many stickers. Personally, I don't see a problem with it. I'm sure if it were cheaper to preprint the pieces, Lego would be all over it. If a few stickers keep the price down, I'm all in favor.

The rear view of the ship. There are two clips on the back of the wings to hold Mace's lightsaber (one for the hilt, the other for the blade). I like the transparent blue pieces in the engine pods, they look better than their plain predecessors. I'll be retro-fitting the engines on other Clone Wars fighters to match these.

So, is it worth buying yet another version of the Jedi Starfighter? If you didn't pick up the Republic Attack Shuttle (#8019) and don't already have the Clone Wars version of Mace, then that's a pretty good reason right there. It's nice for Mace to have his own starfighter so he doesn't have to ride around in the shuttle everywhere he goes. Sure, he could hitch a ride in the Jedi Shuttle (#7931), but sometimes it's nice to travel alone. Even if you already have all the other Jedi Starfighter kits and Mace Windu, I would still recommend this set. The droids are a nice addition and the starfighter is just fun to play with, and in the end that's the point behind Lego.

Geonosian Starfighter (#7959)

At first I wasn't too sure about this set, I put it on my list because it came with Ki-Adi Mundi. But once I had it assembled, it really grew on me. It's very difficult to hold this one and not swoosh it.

It comes with three minifigs: a Geonosian, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Commander Cody. I thought Ki-Adi's head would be one piece, but it's a standard minifig head with a "hat".

The ship's gun rotates from side to side... Not really an astounding feat of engineering here. I like how the top and bottom fit together to keep the stud-sides facing out.

The rear view. There have been some comments on the Lego site from people who don't really like the engine module, but I think it works.

The bottom flap opens to drop a bomb. It does a good job of staying closed in flight, so you don't have to worry about premature deployment.

I like the new canopy design with the clip bar instead of needing the hinge brick. It's nice not having to leave a space in front of the hinge to allow it to open.

Do yourself a favor when you're building the cockpit. Take out the two 1x3 grey tiles and put in a 1x2 plate and a 2x2 tile instead. This will keep the pilot secure while still making it easy to get in and out. The pilot does tend to rattle around a bit during flight without having the plate to keep him in place.

So, I ended up liking this one more than I thought. The only problem I have with this set is why they included two very specific figures in such a generic kit. I want to get another starfighter, but I don't need another Ki-Adi or Cody. At the same time, I probably wouldn't have added this to my list were it not for the Ki-Adi figure. I'll probably turn to my trusted Bricklink to find someone selling just the ship and the pilot.