Review: 8097 Slave I

Set ID: 8097 Slave I

Number of Pieces: 573

Year of Release: 2010

Minifigs: 3 (Excluding the carbonite Hans Solo)

Purchased Price: About SGD150

Some LEGO sets are made for play. Some are made for display. This is made for both. Having this Slave I on the shelf will certainly attract some attention from your visitors. For the Star Wars savvy, it is instantly recognisable that this is the ride of Boba Fett. For the non-savvy, this "weird" looking thing certainly warrants some closer examination. Off the shelf, this is one sturdy and well-built set, being able to be held in one hand without the worry of any falling parts.

The Slave I is another of those flying ships that defy all laws of aerodynamics, being able to zip through space vertically despite higher drag coefficient. Ok. I am just being critical. This IS a lovely set. From the designs of the weapon system, to the rotating cockpit that acts with gravity, this Slave I has certainly set a benchmark for the other LEGO Star Wars sets.

This is the 3rd generation version, launched in 2010. Preceding this were two other versions released 5 (6209) and 10 years (7144) before. This is Boba Fett's Slave I and should not be confused with his father's (Jango Fett) version (7153), which is blue-themed as compared to this green one. 

Surprises await!

Loading Han Solo in carbonite

In landing mode, the Slave I can be accessed from the cargo ramp located at the rear tip. This is also probably the best way to display your Slave I unless you have other innovative way to erect it vertically. I tried leaning it against the side of the display shelf but after numerous slipping and waking me up in the middle of the night, I finally decided to leave it in landing mode instead.

Rapid fire missile compartment

Serving as the workhorse of a bounty hunter, this Slave I comes with an arsenal of weapons to carry out its deadly missions. It has four rotating laser cannons at the rear end, two flick missiles in mid-section that can be concealed when not in use, and another four flick missiles just under the cockpit. These last four missiles are the most exciting weapons to me as they can be fired from a cleverly designed button near the undercarriage. What really makes firing these missiles fun is that, unlike conventional LEGO flick missiles which you have to "reload" after each shot, these four missiles can be fired at quick succession, acting like a magazine of four rounds rather than the single shot as seen in the earlier Slave I (6209).

Having said the above, the most challenging part of building this Slave I was also the firing mechanism of the rapid fire missile launcher. There are quite a fair bit of Technics and small LEGO parts used here, requiring some nimble fingers to put them together. Other than that, it was quite a joy to build this set, appreciating all the details that are put into designing all the mechanisms in the fuselage.

This Slave I should also be complimented for the design of its undercarriage. Many a times, this is the most ignored and underrated part of a vehicle, thinking that no one will be bothered with how it looks since it is out of sight most of the time. But for the Slave I, it does fly vertically so the undercarriage will be exposed. As can be seen from the picture, the well placed orange round bricks representing the rear blasters do break the monotony of grey on the undercarriage. One of the orange brick is actually the button of the rapid fire missile launcher. Very stealthily designed indeed!

Minifigs

Strictly speaking, there are only three minifigs that come with this set - a Han Solo, Bassk (a lizard looking Bounty Hunter) and of course, Boba Fett. Bassk's head is unique to this minifig with a lot of details on its face. As for Boba, the battle damaged helmet added more realism to it and it even has a range finder attached (although a little over-sized though).

The Carbonite Han Solo in this set is a beauty, upgraded from the two dimensional versions of earlier designs. the pop-up Han Solo on the carbonite casing comes with an anguish expression that I cannot help smiling at when I first saw it. Great details! The pleasant surprise did not end here. The casing is actually hollow, allowing Han Solo to be clipped inside with the help of two small pegs. Integrated handle bars at both ends also enable Bassk to have better grip when loading Han Solo into Slave I.