A-Wing (#7754, Home One version)

I've had this one done for quite a while now, just haven't got around to posting it until now. Remember way back when I said I'd love to have a green A-Wing fighter? (March 09). Well, it seems Toys R Us had a poll back in 2008 about which of three or four options fans would like to see done as a Lego set. The winner was the Home One ship from Return of the Jedi... Admiral Ackbar, the briefing room, and a green A-Wing fighter.

I wasn't keen on spending $140 on the whole set, so I decided to just build the A-Wing from scratch. There are a couple of minor variations from the official set, mostly because I didn't like the flick-fire missiles.


I thought these guns were a bit more "movie-friendly" than the ones in the set (I know, they're longer than they should be, but they're still better than the flick-fire version). I didn't buy the stickers because I wasn't ready to spend $20-$30 to get the whole sheet from Bricklink when I only needed three.


I much prefer the new engine configuration over the storage bay on the old A-Wing, gives the ship a more authentic feel.


The engine is supposed to slide in and out on flat tiles, but I want my engine staying in place so I used regular plates instead. I can still get the engine out if repairs are needed, I just don't have to worry about it falling out during a dogfight.


It has smaller fins on the underside than the prior versions did. Although it's not as accurate this way, it does work better with the retractable landing gear.

This is my favorite of the A-Wing variants and, in my humble opinion, it has a better "swoosh" factor than did its predecessors.

Slave I (#6209)

Until the new sets come out in August, I thought I'd post a few of my older sets to catch up a bit. The Slave I is a good place to start. This one was actually an anniversary present from my wife a few years ago (saying was from my wife seems a bit redundant, doesn't it? Not like I get a lot of anniversary gifts from other people).


The front view. I think this one is the best one of the three Slave I variants (the original #7144, and Jango Fett's #7153).


Hidden missile compartments... There is also supposed to be a spring-loaded missile launcher in the center, but I sealed it up. I also sealed up the bomb compartment.


Weapon storage in the rear section. This was way before the new pistol & rifle designs came out.


And don't forget storage for Han Solo, frozen in carbonite. The black knob on the side raises and lowers the storage ramp.


Boba Fett's seat stays level as the Slave I goes from horizontal to vertical.

The set also came with Dengar, IG-88, and a Bespin Guard (which I put in the Cloud Car with Lobot). The Slave I has an excellent "swoosh factor" and is great fun when having air battles with the kids.

AT-TE (#7675)

This is the first set since January to have been purchased in-store as opposed to coming from my favorite Lego site ever, Bricklink.com. I cashed in some of my hotel points and gave my wife a long-weekend trip in Great Falls, and she brought this back for me :)


Have I mentioned lately how much I love Clone Wars? Anyhow, here's the front view. Four ball-mounted gun turrets and a top-mounted cannon with a 360-degree turn radius. The four small legs are attached to elastic bands for support. The two large legs in the middle don't really do anything. They're poseable, but don't support any weight.


Rear view... two more ball turrets. The little thing sticking up in the middle is the carry handle which makes this compatible with the Republic Dropship. The rear seems a little exposed...


Flip-top for access to the rear compartment. Seats four in the rear, two up front, plus the pilot and gunner.


The troop seating comes out for easy access to the minifigs and the weapon storage. The set comes with Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, a clone, and Rotta (still in the bag). There's also a battle droid and the third STAP variation. I added the other four clones from my reserves.


Front seating area with a storage compartment behind them.


The pilot slides out, kinda cool.

There are a few comments on the Lego site about this one being hard to assemble, especially the legs. My 10-yr-old son was able to assemble three of the legs just by watching me do the first one. He did the top cannon mostly from the photo on the box (had to check the instructions a couple of times). He would've done more if I'd let him, but it's my toy and I wanted to build it. I don't share my ice cream with the kids either...

AT-AT (#4483)

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love bricklink. You can't beat it for buying (or selling) Star Wars Lego. It's way better than eBay.

I think a small part of my obsession with Star Wars Lego is now I finally get a chance to collect all the Star Wars vehicles and ships I never could when I was growing up. Let's not kid ourselves though, I'd still be doing this even if I had them all when I was younger.

The moment the All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT, stepped onto the screen, you knew the rebel forces were in trouble. Heavily armored and virtually indestructable, unless you have a harpoon and tow cable handy. Who would've figured that as being a weakness? High center of gravity, long legs, you do the math...


Here it is... the little yellow pieces sticking out on top are only temporary. There was a slight mix-up in packaging, but the replacement parts are on their way.


For some reason, I've always liked the AT-AT driver, his suit just seems cool to me. But then again, I'm probably not a leading authority on cool. I want to check out the instructions for the motorized version to see if there's a way to retro-fit this one with a head that can go up and down as well as side to side.


Two pull-out crew compartments (one on each side), total seating for four snowtroopers.


Here it is, with the seat pulled out.


There is a snow speederbike which docks in the back. Don't bother rewinding the Hoth battle scenes, you won't see it anywhere in the movie...


Speederbike removed and trooper mounted up and ready to go.

This is a great set, and goes very well with my two snowspeeders and the Hoth playset. I'm looking forward to August when the other Hoth set comes out (Han & a tauntaun, a couple more rebel troopers and snow troopers).

Armored Assault Tank (#8018)

Yet another set from the Clone Wars series. I like this design over the original (#7155, Federation AAT). It is bigger and has improved hinges and swivels.


Here's the profile view. The gun pods on either side rotate up and down. The black guns also double as flick-fire missiles.


Front view. The turret on top swivels smoother and easier than the original version does. Several people complained on the Lego site that the turret doesn't rotate 360 degrees. It's not supposed to, but if you want to make it go all the way around there are only two small pieces you need to remove.


Top hatch opens to view the pilot.


Turret hatch opens for the gunner. This is a nice improvement as well, the old version had notched hinges so it could lock in place. The drawback with that was the hatch lid usually comes off as you try to open it.


Rear view.


The sled folds down...


...and comes out. There is room in the back for the other battle droid.


And Yoda. He looks much better than the original version.

The set also comes with three super battledroids with the "rocket launcher" arms and a clone trooper. It's a great set, nice size, and the right amount of minifigs.

Millennium Falcon (#4504)

This one has been on my wishlist since it came out in 2004. Quite possibly one of the coolest ships ever. I found it on Bricklink for a really good deal because the set was incomplete (missing the figures and a few parts). It has taken a few weeks for the replacement parts to trickle in, but it's finally ready.


"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."


Han and Chewie both fit in the cockpit...


I don't remember this from the movie, but there's an escape pod on one side...


Luke is operating the turrets.


R2 is tending to the hyperdrive engine. I put in a seat for Obiwan and added a couple of clips to hold his and Luke's lightsabers.


Leia and C3PO at the holo-chess table...


A storage compartment (for smuggling, no one would ever think to look there...). The black disks are supposed to have stickers on them like the other two. Unfortunately the sticker sheet is going for about $15 on Bricklink right now, so they may stay black for a while.


The ramp even goes up and down when you pull on the end "thingy".

It's not the built-to-minifig-scale UCS version, but I think it's just the right size to actually play with. Rumor has it there will be a 10th Anniversary edition of the Falcon, but if the leaked photos are accurate, it's smaller than this set and doesn't actually fit any minifigs. Where's the fun in that?? In my book, this is by far the best Lego version of the Millennium Falcon.

TIE Bomber (#4479) - Modified

While I was looking around Bricklink for some parts for the Falcon, I found a few parts I could use to finish off my TIE Bomber. I never liked the spring-loaded missile that came with the original kit. Wasn't a big fan of the little transparent blue "bombs" either. No one likes stepping on those later.


I found a grey dome to use instead of the 6x6 dish I had on the front before.


Oooh, aahh, the back. There are some changes, but nothing that really jumps out...


TIE pilot. I want to improve the cockpit a little, but that'll wait.


The other side opens up now for the crew transport. If you check the databank on starwars.com, you'll see that the bomber was modified to transport crew. There's even a shot in Empire Strikes Back of a bomber being used to transport between star destroyers. That doesn't make me any less of a geek, however. It just means there is some basis for my modifications in the official Star Wars canon.


And here is the crew seating. I could fit one more trooper if I squished them up a bit, but on long flights, a little leg room is appreciated.