Republic Gunship (#75021)

I wasn't overly excited about this one when it came out. Sure, it made it on my wishlist, but it was down at the bottom. I wasn't going to spend the money for what looked like another rehash of the gunship. Granted, the second version (7676 in 2008) was better than the first one (7163 in 2002), but what could they do to this one to make it worth buying again??

Then I was given a gift card to Best Buy (sounds familiar, doesn't it) which meant I only had to pay $25 for the set. Well, that's a different story. I don't mind spending $25 for a set like this, even if I have the previous version. So, let's take a walk through some of the features...

The set comes with the 7 figures posing outside (all the others I supplemented from battle packs): Padme with her torn shirt, Obi-Wan, Anakin (all three have alternate facial expressions), Clone Pilot, Clone Captain (the red one), and two super battle droids.

The cheesey swoop bike slides into the back hatch. Take a good look because this is the last time the bike will ever been seen with my gunship. I'm putting in a small rack to store the lightsabers instead.

Here's a view of the rear turret and weapon storage compartment.

The inside seems a bit bigger than it was on 7676.

The wing-mounted turrets are a bit nicer on this version. My only gripe is that the laser dish is on top of the dome instead of the front where it's supposed to be. The domes on 7676 were closer to being correct, so I may have to find a couple of extras on Bricklink.

I'm really glad they put these turrets back on. Because they used Technic pieces instead of hinges, the turret pods can swivel up and down as well as swing back into the ship. I may have to look at retro-fitting 7676 with these.

Instead of the mobile command post in 7676, the front storage compartment on this model holds a few refills for the flick-fire missiles. The field bacta tank was removed as well, so there's more reclaimed space. I was a little sad that the nose-art had been removed, but the model is based on the Episode II version rather than the Clone Wars.

The canopies are much nicer on this version as well. I found the ones on 7676 had a tendency to come off if you didn't open them just right.

Flick-fire missiles are pretty much the same as 7676, but these ones have the small colored pieces added in.

There's also a storage box for a Jedi holocron.

This small little handle is genius. It makes carrying the gunship so much easier.

For those who are curious about how this one stacks up compared to the 7676, here they are side-by-side. This one is a bit shorter than the last one and not quite as long.

Here they are from the top.

So, those of you who don't already have a gunship, or who have 7163, should save up empty cans and bottles or whatever it takes to get one. For those who already have 7676, let me speak to you for a moment.

Anyone who doesn't already have one of the prior versions won't truly appreciate the improvements in the design and build as much as you will. You know that frustration you get every time you pick up 7676 and you have to check which pieces are coming loose due to the weight of the ship? Having to constantly push everything back together unless you somehow find a way to hold it from the bottom? Well, those days are gone, my friend. This one is incredibly sturdy, thanks to the Technic frame inside which supports and distributes the weight of the model evenly. The engine pods on top don't even rotate like they do on 7676. Lego tacked down and secured everything.

I give this one a whole-hearted 10/10 for all the improvements Lego put in. Now that I've actually seen it in action, I would've happily paid the full price for it. Sure, Anakin's face looks a little goofy, but you probably already have 17 different versions of him anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me, the gunship has to go rescue some Jedi from the Separatist forces...

HH-87 Starhopper (#75024)

This set was featured in roughly eight episodes of Clone Wars, most prominently in a brief story arc  in which Obi-Wan fakes his death and goes under cover as a bounty hunter named Rako Hardeen.

The set comes with Obi-Wan/Rako Hardeen, a Nikto guard, and the second version of Cad Bane. There's also a nice little speeder bike which gets stored under the ship.

Here's a photo of the 75024 Cad Bane on the right and the 8128 version on the left.

Here's the side view. Twin cannons/ flick fire missiles on each side and the angled stabilizer wings.

In the episodes (and the Wookiepedia article), the cannons stick out a bit further, so I modified it to match.

Rear view... You can see the speeder sticking out a bit from underneath.

In landing position with the wings folded up...

Here's a close-up of the cockpit, just in case you were curious.

And a view from the bottom to show where the speeder tucks away. There's a "button" on top which will deploy the speeder. There's actually enough room to stow the speeder with a minifig still seated on it.

 It's a pretty basic set, but still fun to build. I was impressed with the extra support and reinforcement they put into keeping the wings in place. You can see in the last picture where they used the brown technic axle to reinforce the wings and keep them in place.

One drawback to this model is there's no place to store Rako's sniper rifle (standard long rifle with a black lightsaber hilt on the end of the barrel). I had to attach the hilt to the rifle handle, rather than the barrel, in order to get it to fit in the cockpit.

I'd give this one an 8.5/10. It lost a few points for inadequate weapon storage and flick-fire missiles, but it is well designed and holds up to normal play. If you're a fan of the bounty hunters, I think this one is a must-have.