This is one of the first sets from Star Wars: The Old Republic (online multiplayer game). Rumor has it the 2013 Star Wars Lego line is going to include Old Republic battlepacks, so we might be seeing more TOR sets coming out in the future. So far, the only exposure I've had to the Old Republic is watching the game trailers online. Darth Malgus is the big bad and he's fighting against the Jedi (I hope I didn't just spoil the plot for anyone...). Anyhow, my point is you don't have to know what's going on to see this is a cool ship.
It comes with three minifigs, Darth Malgus (center) and two Sith troopers. I'm not sure how they see out of the helmets, but it seems to work for them.
The top view. I love the design of this ship. The angle of the wings, the "hooks" on the ends, the folding rear wings... very "swooshable"
Front view...
The canopy opens for access to the cockpit. Malgus gets a comfy chair and the computer panel swings out to make it easier to get in and out. One tiny drawback, there's nowhere to put the lightsaber, so I tucked it in behind the seat.
The back hatch also opens for access to the troopers...
...and the compartment slides out for easy access. It has guide rails and clips back into place when you push it in. The poor guy in the back has to stand up for the whole flight though.
...and with the rear fins extended. The wings were fun to assemble, there's some nice mechanics at work here.
A closer look at the "hydraulics" on the fins. The bottom fins click into place when folded down so they don't swing down during flight.
Side view, looks pretty sleek from this angle... The flick-fire missiles are a bit goofy as projectiles, but not bad if you just leave them in as wing-mounted guns.
Hallelujah! The instruction booklets are FINALLY sent in a plastic bag with a cardboard backing to keep them from getting crumpled as everything bounces around inside the box. This also keeps the stickers from prematurely peeling off the backing. Nicely done!
This made me stop for a second during construction. What happened to steps 9, 10, and 11?? Will this compromise the structural integrity of the ship?? I finished building and didn't have any unusual pieces left over, so apparently this made it past the proof-readers.
This one was probably one of the most fun I've had on a build in a long time. The wing mechanics were the right amount of challenge to be "this is pretty cool" instead of "A pox on the designers and their posterity!" The back lid can be a little fragile sometimes, one of the drawbacks when using the hinged pieces, but overall the set is very sturdy. I dare anyone to hold it without being drawn into aerial combat moves with it. It's such a cool design you just can't help but swoosh it. The only drawback now is there aren't any timeline-friendly opponents worthy of it. The Republic Striker-class starfighter really doesn't seem like any competition at all. It's smaller and not very intimidating. Oh well, I'm sure the ARC-170 could hold its own in a dogfight. The V-19 Torrent or the X-Wing might do okay too.
This one was probably one of the most fun I've had on a build in a long time. The wing mechanics were the right amount of challenge to be "this is pretty cool" instead of "A pox on the designers and their posterity!" The back lid can be a little fragile sometimes, one of the drawbacks when using the hinged pieces, but overall the set is very sturdy. I dare anyone to hold it without being drawn into aerial combat moves with it. It's such a cool design you just can't help but swoosh it. The only drawback now is there aren't any timeline-friendly opponents worthy of it. The Republic Striker-class starfighter really doesn't seem like any competition at all. It's smaller and not very intimidating. Oh well, I'm sure the ARC-170 could hold its own in a dogfight. The V-19 Torrent or the X-Wing might do okay too.
