[TnB] Preview Review 75087 Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter

Discuss various LEGO themes like Friends, City, Star Wars, Batman and more here.
Post Reply

What do YOU think?

10 - Looks strong enough to pull the ears of a gundark!
1
11%
9
4
44%
8
0
No votes
7
3
33%
6
0
No votes
5 - I have a bad feeling about this...
1
11%
4
0
No votes
3
0
No votes
2
0
No votes
1 - We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 9

User avatar
vynsane
TnB Forum Moderator
TnB Forum Moderator
Posts: 3402
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:38 am
Location: Beacon, NY

[TnB] Preview Review 75087 Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter

Post by vynsane » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:26 pm

Name: Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter
Number: 75087
Theme: Star Wars
Subtheme: The Clone Wars
Release Date: January 1, 2015
Piece Count: 370
Minifig Count: 3
Age Rating: 8-14
Cost: $39.99 USD / $49.99 CAD / £39.99 (estimated) GBP / €49,99 (estimated) EUR

Thanks to the good folks at The LEGO Group and the Community Events and Engagement team who have seen fit to supply us with a copy of the latest offering in the Jedi Starfighter lineup, I present the latest TnB preview review of 75087, "Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter"!

Between Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith lie two animated series that chronicle the battles that raged during the Clone Wars - the aptly named Star Wars: Clone Wars (the traditional animation one) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (the CGI animated one). While I plan to catch up and watch all of The Clone Wars, I am to this day still a huge fan of the Genndy Tartakovsky-helmed "Clone Wars" series. In the very first episode, we're introduced to a new, heavily modified version of the venerable Delta-7 Aethersprite Jedi Starfighter piloted by Anakin Skywalker - the Azure Angel. Featuring extended wings, four huge laser cannons, two enormous hyperdrive-capable engines, and a blue and white paint job reminiscent of the podracer young Skywalker piloted to victory on Boonta Eve, it's obviously been more than tinkered with.

Image

We've previously seen 11 Jedi Starfighter releases - 6 being Delta-7 or Delta-7B Aethersprite models, and 5 Eta-2 Actis class versions. In all, 5 of those have been models flown by Anakin Skywalker himself: One yellow and gray Delta-7B and four Eta-2's - three representations (two being identical versions released in 2005) of the yellow and gray craft he pilots in the opening scenes of Revenge of the Sith and one being a dark green/light gray version from the end of the same movie. With the release of 75087 "Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter" the total number is elevated to 12 Jedi Starfighters, with half of those being piloted by Anakin.

This model is the second Delta-7B variant to utilize the new building techniques used on 9498 "Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter", with the long 4x16 wedge for the nose and removable cockpit with hinged bubble canopy. Previous variants used a pair of smaller half-wedge pieces to form the sloped fuselage. I find the newer design to be more sleek and true to the design of the reference material.

It's interesting to note that, during a time where Star Wars: Rebels dominates the line-up, a vehicle from a relatively obscure corner of the Star Wars universe makes the cut. The inclusion of Asajj Ventress, sith-in-training apprentice of Count Dooku as well as Anakin's torso printing complete with Padawan braid plant this set firmly within the timeframe of the first Clone Wars cartoon. I'm ashamed to admit, however, I overlooked a discrepancy that someone else pointed out on a different forum - for this to be an authentically designed set (to the Star Wars Ubergeek), Anakin should have a gold right hand!


Packaging

The box is relatively square and features the design cues introduced with this past year's Star Wars: Rebels sets - the orange and light gray color scheme featuring a prominent Sandtrooper helmet in the upper right-hand corner on the front. The "Rebels" logo has been removed, naturally, and has interestingly been replaced by the Disney logotype. This is the first time since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm that it has appeared on the packaging of a Star Wars LEGO set to my knowledge.

The front features an action shot of the vehicle being attacked by Asajj Ventress in mid-flight with Anakin seemingly having knocked the canopy from its hinges in order to counter.

A call-out box in the lower left-hand corner features the three minifigures - Anakin himself, as well as the R4-P22 and Asajj Ventress figures, noted as "NEW!"

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, box front by vynsane, on Flickr

The back shows a large image depicting the model on a landing pad while a duel between Anakin and Asajj rages, seemingly the culmination of the three comic book type panels to the right. Various call-out boxes spotlight the action features: an Astromech ejector, removable cockpit with opening canopy, and new spring-loaded missile launchers.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, box back by vynsane, on Flickr


Parts, Instructions, and Stickers

The set includes one instruction booklet, one relatively small sticker sheet and three bags of parts, numbered 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bags, instructions and stickers by vynsane, on Flickr


Build: Part 1

The parts in bag 1 are used primarily to construct the central fuselage of the ship as well as the Asajj Ventress minifigure.

Notable pieces include the large 4x16 wedge in blue, previously available in only two sets - Alien Conquest's "Jet-Copter Encounter" and Ultimate Spider-man's "Spider-Helicopter Rescue" which already makes this set well worth it. The two matching 3x12 wedge plates in dark blue have only been found in a handful of sets, most recently a few Chima Eagle vehicles. Asajj's unique curved lightsaber hilts are only found in five other sets previously, and there's a spare thrown in here. Of course her head and torso are both unique to this set. Then there are some pieces that, while having appeared in numerous sets, are notable for their usefulness like the 2x2 round tiles with the center hole, the 2x2 plates with two studs on the side, the 2x2x2 bracket in white, 2x2 inverted tile, or the 1x4 inverted curve brick.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 1 notable pieces by vynsane, on Flickr

The purpose of bag 1 is to build the foundation to which the wings, engines and cockpit are attached, and as such it's little more than a 4-stud wide stick that's adorned with the 4x16 wedge. A long sticker is applied to the forward slope of the 4x16 wedge and two smaller ones are affixed to the rear portion. I will most likely attempt to remove these stickers after the pictures are taken, as this piece is a rare commodity.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 1 mid-construction by vynsane, on Flickr

Note the Technic ball joint jutting out from beneath the 3x12 dark blue wedge plates, these will come into play later.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 1 mid-build by vynsane, on Flickr


Build: Part 2

Bag 2 contains the parts to build the Astromech droid, R4-P22, the starboard stabilizer wing, the starboard "front fender" and both engines. Notable pieces include the dome and body of the droid, the two 4-stud-wide curved slopes in blue, the two round 2x2 cones in light gray, 1x4 plates w/2 studs (I think there are actually four in this bag, but only three are pictured), the 2x2 curved slope in dark blue, one 1x2 (Mixels) plate with small ball joint on the end (not pictured), and the 2x2 inverted tile in white. Other useful pieces include two inverted 2x2/1x2 brackets (one pictured), 2x2 inverted tile in dark gray, and the 1x4 spring-loaded shooters.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 2 notable pieces by vynsane, on Flickr

From the standpoint of past building experiences, the process here is not symmetrical. While Bag 1 built the frame of the fuselage, Bag 2 builds only one wing and both engines. I didn't realize it previously, but I've apparently grown accustomed to a certain way that LEGO set construction is ordered and this set seems to step out of that paradigm. I have to admit, it was jarring. I don't know if that says more about me or about LEGO set construction order predictability. Thinking back to the construction of the aforementioned 9498 "Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter", the cockpit was constructed first, then the fuselage stick, then finally each wing, with each distinct segment having its own bag for a total of four. This model, however, packs an additional 120+ pieces into one less bag!

The construction of those enormous engines is intriguing:

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 2 mid-build by vynsane, on Flickr

At the end of Bag 2 we have about half of the craft complete. The paint job is conveyed by stacking of blue angled plates on top of white ones, which is admirable when stickers could have kept the piece count down and frustration level high. The design is effective, although not entirely accurate to the radiating lines shown on the vehicle in the screenshot above.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 2 complete by vynsane, on Flickr


Build: Part 3

Bag 3 finishes off the model with the parts to build the port-side stabilizer wing and "front fender" and removable cockpit.

Rare and/or notable pieces include those used to construct the Anakin minfiigure, the slew of translucent dark blue spring-fire missiles, another 1x2 Mixels ball joint plate, another pair of the four-stud-wide curved bricks, four 2x4 curved slopes in dark blue (two pictured), and a pair of 1x2 curved slopes in dark blue as well as a bunch of 2x2/1x2 inverted brackets and a pair of 1x4 spring-loaded missile launcher bricks.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 3 notable pieces by vynsane, on Flickr

A cool nod to the Clone Wars cartoon is the computer readout display showing the silhouette of Asajj Ventress' Ginivex Class "Fanblade" Starfighter, which was featured in an intense space dogfight scene.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bag 3 computer screen by vynsane, on Flickr

Another action feature is the ejection mechanism for the astromech droid socket. While simply constructed of a Technic axle with a flat stop end and a single Technic half-bushing, it's effective in dislodging R4-P22 with enough force to truly 'eject' the droid. However, again, it's unclear as to the intent of this action feature. It's too hard to activate when the craft is landed, as the Technic axle extends as far as the clearance provided by the landing gear, so it can only be activated when held aloft. Also, as the droid is naturally not equipped with tiny little rocket boosters, the effect looks more like an explosion than it does an intentional exit, with the droid crashing into whatever is in the way of its fated trajectory (be it the nose of the craft, the cockpit, the ground, or the cold vacuum of space).

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, astromech ejection by vynsane, on Flickr


Build: Complete

Once complete, the final package definitely exudes the lineage of the Delta-7B design while incorporating the cues that were introduced as Anakin's customizations. The most notable difference is the protruding engine housings towards the front, and the custom "fenders" that partially cover them, interrupting the distinctive "delta wing" shape.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, top 3/4ths by vynsane, on Flickr

The inclusion of a the 1x2/1x2 bracket and a pair of 1x1 cheese slopes in white at the very front manages to inch ever closer to the triangular design of the craft, where previous iterations featured a flat 2x2 nose.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, top front by vynsane, on Flickr

From the side, the engines yet again demand attention. You can just see how far the "Ejection Seat" Technic axle extends beyond the bottom of the fuselage here.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, side by vynsane, on Flickr

Both engine "intakes" feature a Technic 3x3 disc with a sticker applied to the front, to convey the cross-brace design. It's tricky to apply them at the proper angle and spacing to say the least, but it looks really good if you get them correct enough.

Image
Anakin'a Custom Jedi Starfighter, front by vynsane, on Flickr

The only problem is the Technic axle in the middle, as the actual design has the cross-brace uninterrupted across the entire housing:

Image

I can't think of a legal-connection way to achieve that through bricks as opposed to the sticker approach, though.

This is the second time the Delta-7B has gotten the "removable cockpit" action feature, and I'm not quite sure why. If I recall correctly, the box for 9498 "Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter" featured a comic panel style narrative on the back that showed him using the cockpit as a sort of escape pod, though I don't know if this ever happened in any of the various books, comics, or TV episodes.

It is up to the imagination, then, how to utilize this feature and therefore I don't discount its inclusion - it could be an escape pod, battle damage, or a swappable module for use on other Jedi Starfighters. That said, the construction of the Technic connection points on this model are reversed to those on the previous version, which is an odd oversight. It can easily be rectified by swapping the pieces involved on either model, though I can only surmise that the pins and holes will line up between the two models, as my 9498 is already sorted into the parts bins. Personally, I think the Technic pin brick being attached to the cockpit (as is the case in 9498) makes them look something like small blaster cannons which would naturally be useful to defend yourself when not attached to the main craft.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, detachable cockpit by vynsane, on Flickr

From the top, the "paint job" is a passable representation of the source material, though the angles are not nearly as radiating as they are in the cartoon. The middle set of blue angled plates (in front of the droid socket) should be at a more forward-sweeping angle, here they look a little too parallel to those behind them. In comparison to the shape of the craft in the cartoon, the nose on this model extends farther beyond the "fenders". This could either mean the engines and thus the fenders are not as far forward as they should be, or the nose is too long. I'm still not sure which case is more accurate.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, top-down by vynsane, on Flickr

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, top rear by vynsane, on Flickr

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, rear by vynsane, on Flickr

From the bottom, you can really see how far the droid ejection feature extends beyond the bottom of the fuselage. It's easy enough to remove or never include in the construction. You can also better see how the engines are connected to the fuselage (not the wings) and the extra missile holders that are integrated into their construction. A glaring omission on this model (probably due to the engines) is the lack of rear landing gear - the inverted slope bricks with the 2x2 inverted tile are all that stand to keep the craft stable when not in the air. The result is a bit of back-and-forth rocking, where previous offerings are much more stable.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, bottom by vynsane, on Flickr

The instructions show the positioning of the "front fenders" as angled high enough for the two facing edges of the angled plates to touch:

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, fender position 1 by vynsane, on Flickr

However, I feel this is too high and opt for a lower-profile angle, even if this means an unsightly gap between the angled plates:

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, fender position 2 by vynsane, on Flickr


Minifigures

Finally, we present the three minifigures in the set: Anakin Skywalker, R4-P22 and the all-new, non-Clone Wars version of Asajj Ventress. We've seen this version of Anakin before, but only once, in 75021 "Republic Gunship". The printing for the body of R4-P22 seems new and the head is similar to the one found in 75006 "Jedi Starfighter & Kamino" but in Bright Red instead of Dark Red, making this semi-unique. Asajj has been seen before, most readily available in 7957 "Sith Nightspeeder", but this is the first time she's been represented with 'normal' printing, as opposed to the much-derided Clone Wars design motif. She looks awesome here, with a sneer of contempt and cold, white eyes.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, minifigures front by vynsane, on Flickr

Both Anakin and Asajj have printing on the back of their torsos and heads. For Asajj, it's a continuation of the lavender line patterns (natural? tattoos? IDK) but for Anakin it's a second, angry face. R4-P22 has printing around the entire dome.

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, minifigures back by vynsane, on Flickr

FIGHT!

Image
Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, duel by vynsane, on Flickr


Ratings

Design: 7/10
While the new design paradigm that started with Saeesee Tiin's starfighter is closer to accurate and definitely more sleek than any that came before it, there is still room for improvement. The lack of rear landing gear is a detriment to stable display.

Authenticity: 7/10
The shape and coloring of the vehicle are close, but no cigar. Asajj Ventress is nearly perfect, but Anakin's flesh-colored right hand knocks off 0.000001 point ;-)

Build: 7/10
There are no real surprises here aside from the cool usage of the Mixels joins for the "fenders". Other than a small tweak here and there and the colors, the general build is nearly identical to 9498 "Saeesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter".

Minifigures: 8/10
This version of Anakin is relatively rare, having only been in one set previously, and Asajj is all-new and all-different! Who doesn't love Astromech Droids? I want to hug them.

Playability: 9/10
For a smallish set, there's a lot to do - include rapid-firing four spring-loaded missiles and then reloading with two more stashed beneath the engines, not to mention the swooshing! The removable cockpit and droid ejector both work for multiple scenarios, and of course you then get to (crash?) land and have a lightsaber duel with Asajj Ventress!

Parts: 9/10
There is quite a bounty of rare and useful parts in this set, including the glorious 4x16 wedge for the nose.

Price: 6/10
At 370 pieces for $40 (USD), the ratio is not great - even taking into account large pieces like the nose wedge. There's just not a lot to account for the price other than the "license tax".

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Well, what do you think?
ALL HAIL THE BLACTRON EMPIRE!

Flickr Photostream | Dropbox - LDD files and instruction archive

Umbra-Manis
Noble Citizen
Noble Citizen
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:32 pm

Re: [TnB] Preview Review 75087 Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfigh

Post by Umbra-Manis » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:44 pm

Great review! The printing on her head is tattoos. I would have liked to see a bigger eye print on Assaj, because in the cartoon she had eyes that covered half her face.

User avatar
vynsane
TnB Forum Moderator
TnB Forum Moderator
Posts: 3402
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:38 am
Location: Beacon, NY

Re: [TnB] Preview Review 75087 Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfigh

Post by vynsane » Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:06 am

Umbra-Manis wrote:Great review!
Thanks, glad you found it worthwhile!
The printing on her head is tattoos.
Thanks, wasn't sure - as I said, I only really know her from the first Clone Wars cartoon, where there wasn't much time for backstory.
I would have liked to see a bigger eye print on Assaj, because in the cartoon she had eyes that covered half her face.
I don't necessarily recall her having "eyes that covered half her face" though they were definitely large (and didn't have pupils) in the original "Clone Wars" but were actually much smaller in "The Clone Wars". As we've never really seen Asajj represented by a flesh-and-blood actress, they did their best to tone down her design to a more naturalistic level. That said, between the two cartoon series and representations of her on novel covers and comic books, there are some major discrepancies in her over-all design. Some make her look much more human, while others not so much, so I think they did their best to meld some of those into a recognizable hybrid.
ALL HAIL THE BLACTRON EMPIRE!

Flickr Photostream | Dropbox - LDD files and instruction archive

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests