Republic Dropship (#10195)

Sweet mother of pearl!! I just saw this on the Lego website and was awe-struck, I can't be completely certain, but I'm pretty sure I heard angelic choirs in the background. Available on March 30th with a pricetag of $350 CDN ($250 US), which means it won't be making it on my wishlist any time soon. You've got to admit it's cool though! The images below are from the Lego site...


Even if it wasn't cost-prohibitive, I have no idea where I'd put it... This is not a small model by any means.


The engineering on this set is truly impressive! The wings are huge, there is a pop-up handle on top to make it easier to carry, the docking mechanism has to be solid in order to carry the AT-OT (All Terrain Open Transport). I'm guessing the nose art on the side is a Wampa??


The set comes with six clones and two clone pilots. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like there is seating for six additional clones in the forward section as well as the six shown in the rear.


According to the Lego site, the dropship will also carry the AT-TE (All Terrain Tactical Enforcer). I'd have to let Dawn go away on her own for a month to even get close to enough the brownie points it would take for this one. I think this set is even more awesome than the USC Millennium Falcon (1/2 the price too).

Republic Gunship, Modified (#7676)

Because I can't leave things alone, I modified my gunship to accommodate more troops.


I took out the speederbike and dock, then added a couple of white plates in the middle. Now, instead of only holding about 5 minifigs, I have room for 9. I also added a weapons rack at the rear of the crew compartment. Lightsabers for Kit Fisto and Plo Koon (can't really see him in the photo, but he's there) and weapons for the pilots and wing gunners.



Here's the original, unaltered version just so you can really appreciate the life-altering adjustment.

Republic Fighter Tank (#7679)

I was so excited when I saw this on the Lego website. I first saw it in the Battlefront games, then it made it's way over to the Clone Wars. It must've been more popular than expected because it never hit store shelves and after a couple of weeks it was on "sold out" status. I managed to track one down on Bricklink.


Front view: It's a little larger than I had expected. It has four wheels underneath that help it look like it is hovering.


There is a pretty cool pop-up seat for the gunner. It's rigged up to an elastic band, and the back door holds the seat down. The turret rotates side-to-side and can also raise up and down.


There is a flip-up compartment on each side as well as the flip-up flick-fire missiles.


The engine compartment on the front flips up. I'm not sure exactly what mechanical problems one could have, but it'd be easy to fix.


The top comes off to allow access to the driver. You can also see the pop-up mechanism for the gunner's seat.


Here's a view from the rear. The guns on the side rotate up and down.

This one lives on my desk, and not just because I haven't found room on my shelf yet. It's very distracting because it practically begs to be played with. And who am I to refuse?

Separatist Spider Droid (#7681)

This is a very easy set to build with not a lot of pieces, but it sure looks cool when it's done. It comes with Commander Fox (red markings), a 'regular' clone, battle droid, battle droid commander (yellow), and super battle droid.


The gun on top rotates 360° while the one on the bottom moves up and down.



I found it's a bit wobblier than I had anticipated, and it tends to lurch forward or backward if not balanced just right. Still, lots of fun.

Modified A-Wing (#6207)

The original version is the red one on the left. Thanks to Bricklink.com, I pieced together a Gold-Squad A-Wing fighter (mostly because I couldn't find any other color variant that had all the necessary pieces).


I used the stickers from set #7668 to decorate the new A-Wing a little.


Profile view of the fighter, including the pilot and the storage container for the rear compartment. I also got custom heads for all my rebel pilots instead of the generic smileys.


A view from the side/rear. I'd like to do other variants, but the cylinders in the back don't come in very many different colors.

Republic Attack Shuttle (#8019)

I was very excited when I saw this set was coming out. It's one of my favorite Clone Wars vehicles. I would've liked to have seen a larger cargo area in the back, but I'm not complaining.


I modified it and removed the flick-fire missiles. If you like that sort of thing, it has an 8-missile clip with a pretty cool firing system. The clip falls out the bottom after you have fired all 8 missiles. I didn't really like the way it stuck out the top, among other things.


This is the second set to feature the clone pilot (still about $20 on eBay/ Bricklink). The cockpit opens on the front and back for easy access to the minifigs.


By removing the flick-fire missile system, I was able to fit two more clones in the back. It just didn't seem right to me that a shuttle could only carry one passenger. There is a gun holder in the back that also has a clip for Mace's lightsaber. The green & yellow things are bombs that drop out the (one at a time) bottom by pressing knobs on the back.


The view from the back with the wings folded up. I like that they used axels instead of the hinge bricks for the top. It's much more stable and has a smoother opening. There are locks on the front to prevent the top from flipping open when playing.

Darth Vader's TIE Fighter (#8017)

My sister somehow found this one before it was released today and gave it to me for Christmas. I imagine some dark alley meeting late at night, using her legal connections for blackmail or extortion...

Anyhow, I don't really care how she found it. I'm really happy with the design. It fixed a lot of what I felt were shortcomings on the original design.

First, I'm so glad they moved away from the black and blue color scheme. Darth Vader's chest piece has a slightly new design as well.


Second, the cockpit swings open for easier access, and it is easier to get Vader in and out. I think the hinge mechanism they used for this one is a lot better than the old style.


Third, a clip to hold the lightsaber. It doesn't get in the way like Grievous' clip does on his starfighter.


And finally, better detailing on the rear section. There are also little tabs on the back to launch the flick-fire missiles (which surprisingly get a pretty good range on them).

The set is a bit bigger than the old version and is lighter as well. It was an easy build and holds up well to aggressive aerial maneuvers.