Star Wars Jedi Starfighter: R4 Enabled
Written: May 17 '02 (Updated Apr 19 '03)
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Pros: R4 headpiece, Obi-Wan figure, cool wing structure, stenciled ship assembly piece, moveable cannons.
Cons: Lime green pieces, non-functional cockpit canopy.
The Bottom Line: Star Wars fans now have another reason to rejoice, the Jedi Starfighter has arrived in full force at toy stores everywhere!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Star Wars Episode II - Jedi Starfighter 7143 |
Every once in a while Lego puts out a set that far exceeds even my high standards – the Jedi Starfighter just so happens to be one of those sets. No matter how much detail is given to a set, you have to remember that these are still Lego sets so there will be some limitations. The Jedi Starfighter resembles the ship that Obi-Wan Kenobi navigated through the asteroid field in Attack of the Clones but is a little bit wider and longer than the ship featured in the film. Even with the minor error in scale, for being a mid range set in price and element count; it is still a great value.
The Jedi Starfighter
Looking at the completed model you might not be able to fully appreciate the detail of the pieces. The most impressive has to be the ship assembly piece that rests in the middle of the ship in front of the pilots seat. Almost three inches in length, it is stenciled with red, gray, light orange and lime green accents and adds to both the aesthetics of the Starfighter as well as helping to keep it from falling apart. The ship assembly comes in two pieces, so it is essentially split down the middle giving you two symmetrical pieces.
The two dark red wings have limited movement when built according to the instructions – there’s about a ¼ of an inch range of motion that is limited [on purpose] by the internal hinges. If you remove the ship assembly you can increase the range of motion to about three inches. This of course will make the ship look incomplete but if you are going for the functionality aspect over the appearance quality, then you won’t be disappointed. If you play around with the design, there are a number of ways to build the wing structures to either completely immobilize them or give them a greater range.
On the top section of the Starfighter you’ll see the headpiece of the R4 unit. This is all there is of R4 in this set so if you are expecting a full droid you will be a little disappointed. The R4 unit is almost identical to that of R2-D2 with the exceptions being the red color rather than blue and some additional stenciling [a complete gray wrap around the top portion and a few extra buttons]. On the other side of the Starfighter is a white round disc that resembles a barren droid pod. This is a nice touch but if you really want to improve the look of the top of the ship, add another R unit headpiece to it. The R2-D2 headpiece makes it look very cool. These R unit headpieces will scratch easily if tossed into a storage container or banged against other pieces. If you anticipate heavy use, do yourself a favor and give it a coating of clear nail polish to protect the surface and prevent the colors from rubbing off.
One of the biggest complaints I have about the set is the canopy. In most of the Star Wars sets the canopy is at least semi functional. Unless I built this wrong, the canopy needs to be snapped on and off to remove the Obi-Wan Kenobi figure from the cockpit. The inside of the cockpit is plain and has no options or extras but there is a cool little 1x2 black control deck piece that sits directly in front of the cockpit seat. Also located on the top portion of the ship are the two moveable cannons. There are seven different positions that they can be moved to but without some clear nubs placed on the ends of the stocks, they look a little dull.
One of the first things you might notice about the Starfighter is the tacky lime green tail pieces that attach on the back of the seat module right above the rear support frame. Why this color was chosen is beyond me and if you have extra pieces in your stock, I highly suggest that you swap these out for black or gray moldings. These snap into place to two green 2 holed anchor pieces but are not visible when the unit is completed. These are very common pieces so if you have a few sets lying around chances are you might be able to scrounge up a few extras. If you plan on building this for a display model without the two tail pieces, make sure you swap out the lime green anchor pieces for black ones.
The back tail piece attaches to the unit via two pronged pieces that serve to stabilize the back end of the ship. This tail piece does not have a major impact on the construction but if you plan to leave this off, you have to use the pronged flat 2x1 pieces to keep the lime green anchors in place. If this sounds confusing, simple look at the back end of the ship without the tail fins and you’ll see exactly what I am taking about.
There are three separate landing gear stilts under the Starfighter. The front one has the most range and can be locked into four positions with a moveable foot that can also be adjusted to suit the need of the ship. The two read portions of the landing gear are attached to the back thrusters and can be moved into three modes of movement.
When fully constructed according to the enclosed instructions the ship is an impressive 10 and 3/4 inches long, 3 and 1/3 inches high and 5 and 3/4 inches wide – the exception to these measurements is when the back brake flaps are erected or when the ship rests on it’s landing gear. The ship as a whole is pretty sturdy and should hold up to fair amount of play. If anything will fall off or break from the structure – it will be the wing portion of the craft.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The figure that is included with this set is one of the most common. The facial features are detailed with his beard and moustache and his clothing is stenciled with some nice accents around the shirt. He also comes with a lightsaber featuring a silver base and blue light wand. As with all the silver pieces from Lego, this will eventually lose it’s sheen or start to peel off so hit it with some clear nail polish to keep it looking in first class shape.
The Bottom Line
This is one of the most impressive mid range sets from the Episode II film. Given the suggested retail price of $19.99, some people may be hesitant about sending a large sum of money in a single Starfighter. For the amount of movement, the R4 headpiece, Obi-Wan figure and stenciled ship assembly – I think this is a great value. For kids just getting into Lego’s or those that have just discovered the Star Wars line of Lego’s – this might be a set that you would want to wait to pick up until they have shown that it will be something that will be played with on a regular basis.
For those that have a cemented attraction to the Star Wars line of Lego’s – this is a must have for any collector or fan. While it isn’t 100% accurate and fails to really show the detail of the Starfighter in the film, it is impressive nonetheless. There are infinite numbers of construction options with this ship so chances are you will never get bored with it. Considering it has 138 pieces, there’s more than enough to keep the set fresh :]
As with all Lego sets, there are a number of small pieces that could present a choking hazard if ingested. Please use extreme caution of smaller children will be sharing the same play space as older kids.
The Stats
Set Name: Jedi Starfighter
Family Set: Star Wars Episode II
Lego Set: 7143
Number of Pieces: 138
Age Recommendation: 8 - 12
Ease Of Assembly: Moderate
Time Of Assembly: 15 – 20 minutes
Cost: $ 19.99
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Lego Star Wars reviews ...
Jabba’s Prize
Twin-Pod Cloud Car
Droid Escape
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $19.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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