Set ID: 9526 Palpatine's Arrest
Number of Pieces: 645
Year of Release: 2012
Minifigs: 6
Purchased Price: About SGD180
Another scene set from Revenge of the Sith. But this IS the best scene set I have ever built! There were so many positive elements of this set (not that there were no negative ones) that I was already rehearsing my review as I build it.
This set attempts to re-create (and successfully so) the battle scene at Palpatine's "office" where Mace Windu led a number of Jedi to capture / kill Chancellor Palpatine. The other three Jedi hardly survived more than 2 minutes of screen time before meeting their doom under Palpatine's light saber. Mace survived longer to get the upper hand over Palpatine, only to be injured by the defecting (not defected yet) Anakin, and thrown out of the shattered window by the sly Palpatine. The LEGO designer must have watched the scene many times such that he / she was able to emulate many of the elements of that scene in this set. Never have I been so impressed by a scene set before and this has certainly came across as the first one to really win me over.
What's in this set?
This scene set will instantly strike a chord with anyone who remembered the scene from Episode 3. There is a docking bay to house the speeder which carries Anakin to the rescue of the evil Chancellor. I really like the SNOT design for the mounting stand of the speeder similar to that of the recent release of the Rebel Hoth Base set. The vehicle resting on the stand is able to remove easily and can also be rotated on it.
Leading from the docking bay is an aisle towards the main entrance of Palpatine's office. Two sliding doors opened to allow access for the Jedi masters to carry out their mission. The subtle details in the office were what really blew me away. There were two little golden statues that flanked the office, together with three hologram projectors (I think) fronting Palpatine's desk. Once again, the LEGO designer was spot on with the positions and look of these items.
Palpatine's work desk was very well and sleek designed. Instead of using the stud-up approach, the designer cleverly made use of the smooth sides of conventional bricks to re-create the flat desk surface. Palpatine's executive chair was also a nice touch, with close resemblance to the movie counterpart. Two smaller rotating chairs were also included in front of the desk for any visitors.
On each side of Palpatine's chair are two secret compartments that are discretely concealed under the floor board. With a slight compression, each of the compartment will pop up, one holding a light saber and the other containing the electric pulse used by Palpatine. The panoramic glass window that was shattered during the intensive light saber fight can also be found at the rear of the scene set. With a tug of a concealed lever, two of the glass panels will give way, paving the path for Mace Windu to make his last exit from the scene.
Talking about details, there is even a special panel attached to the glass panel dedicated to the use for Mace. With the collapse of the window (not shattered like that in the movie), Mace will be flipped out of the office to his demise. Nice. I mean nice to the design, not the demise. Just when you thought the floor board cannot accommodate any more gadgets or conceal any mechanisms, there are two more flip levers that can be used to toss the Jedi into mid air during the fight.
I rate this set very high for its playability. There are so many elements that you can play with, there is no excuse for a dull moment.
Building Experience
The box for this set is extremely long. For some reasons I cannot explained, the box design gives me an impression of a gigantic 4X1 standard brick, sans the four studs. Five packets of bricks, each responsible for a part of the scene.
There were a large number of small bricks with this set, which explains the high brick counts but rather modest size of the finished product. I have also not had any set that has as many golden bricks as this. Not complaining though as I really like these unique bricks.
Throughout the whole building process, I could not help but to be amazed by what each step was leading me to. I was probably mumbling and smiling to myself countless time as I see each component of the set unfold. Such was my level of satisfaction.
Minifigs
The price per brick ratio for this set is high. But with six minifigs in tow, I am willingly to overlook the price part. For minifigs collectors, this IS the set to buy. Why? The attention to details for this set was extended to the minifgs too, down to the colours of the light sabers! There is such an assortment of light saber variation in this set that it was a joy to pose them for phtotos. Moreover, ALL the characters that were present in the movie scene are also included in this set, unlike in some other scene sets where only a few selected ones included.
Chancellor Palpatine comes with dual face, one really angry one when he was confronted by the Jedi Masters and the other is a sith's. His hair piece looks very much like Joker's in the Batman series, but in a different colour though. Torso piece is printed on both sides with close resemblance to the actual colour schemes. Love his light saber, which comes with a golden hilt and red blade. Palpatine's weapons also include a pair of lighting force bricks which he can hold in his hands when he zapped Mace during the fight.
Anakin's headpiece is new in this set. It has two faces, one with a smirky expression (which I am not sure how it fits into the plot) and the other is a sith face. I start to notice that the printing on the minifigs is starting to move beyond the torso and down the legs, apparent in this new Anakin. One small complaint on the recent minifigs with dual face is that the hair pieces are not able to cover the printing on the chins of the rear faces. It is quite discreet though and cannot be picked up easily.
Mace Windu's baldness dispense the need for a hairpiece. And without a hairpiece, he cannot have a dual face. For this minifig, he comes with a rather nonchalant expression, a little too meek for a fight scene where he literally battled to his death. His light saber is my personal favourite, as it comes with a very rare purple blade.
The other three Jedi masters had very little screen time in the movie but they are no mean any lesser in my "like" list of minifigs. Kit Fisto is not new, having made appearances in 2007 and 2010 before in other sets. His head piece is moulded from rubber instead of the usual plastics, allowing more details to be reflected in the design, a necessity especially with Kit having so many tentacles on his head! Saesee Tiin and Agen Kolar made their debut appearances in this set. Both have incredible details on their head pieces.
Conclusion
Best scene set ever? If not, it is close. My expectations for scene sets released so far have never been too high, but this set has indeed changed my impression and set the benchmark for the future scene sets to follow. Minifigs lovers will shoot themselves for missing on this set too.
+ Details, details and details
+ Accurate reenactment of the movie scene
+ Nice unique gold brick pieces
+ Superb array of play elements
+ Unique minifigs
- Mmmmm .... Expensive?
Leading from the docking bay is an aisle towards the main entrance of Palpatine's office. Two sliding doors opened to allow access for the Jedi masters to carry out their mission. The subtle details in the office were what really blew me away. There were two little golden statues that flanked the office, together with three hologram projectors (I think) fronting Palpatine's desk. Once again, the LEGO designer was spot on with the positions and look of these items.Palpatine's work desk was very well and sleek designed. Instead of using the stud-up approach, the designer cleverly made use of the smooth sides of conventional bricks to re-create the flat desk surface. Palpatine's executive chair was also a nice touch, with close resemblance to the movie counterpart. Two smaller rotating chairs were also included in front of the desk for any visitors.
On each side of Palpatine's chair are two secret compartments that are discretely concealed under the floor board. With a slight compression, each of the compartment will pop up, one holding a light saber and the other containing the electric pulse used by Palpatine. The panoramic glass window that was shattered during the intensive light saber fight can also be found at the rear of the scene set. With a tug of a concealed lever, two of the glass panels will give way, paving the path for Mace Windu to make his last exit from the scene.
 |
| Only Mace Windu left standing ... |
I rate this set very high for its playability. There are so many elements that you can play with, there is no excuse for a dull moment.
Building Experience
The box for this set is extremely long. For some reasons I cannot explained, the box design gives me an impression of a gigantic 4X1 standard brick, sans the four studs. Five packets of bricks, each responsible for a part of the scene.
There were a large number of small bricks with this set, which explains the high brick counts but rather modest size of the finished product. I have also not had any set that has as many golden bricks as this. Not complaining though as I really like these unique bricks.
Throughout the whole building process, I could not help but to be amazed by what each step was leading me to. I was probably mumbling and smiling to myself countless time as I see each component of the set unfold. Such was my level of satisfaction.
Minifigs
The price per brick ratio for this set is high. But with six minifigs in tow, I am willingly to overlook the price part. For minifigs collectors, this IS the set to buy. Why? The attention to details for this set was extended to the minifgs too, down to the colours of the light sabers! There is such an assortment of light saber variation in this set that it was a joy to pose them for phtotos. Moreover, ALL the characters that were present in the movie scene are also included in this set, unlike in some other scene sets where only a few selected ones included.
Chancellor Palpatine comes with dual face, one really angry one when he was confronted by the Jedi Masters and the other is a sith's. His hair piece looks very much like Joker's in the Batman series, but in a different colour though. Torso piece is printed on both sides with close resemblance to the actual colour schemes. Love his light saber, which comes with a golden hilt and red blade. Palpatine's weapons also include a pair of lighting force bricks which he can hold in his hands when he zapped Mace during the fight.Anakin's headpiece is new in this set. It has two faces, one with a smirky expression (which I am not sure how it fits into the plot) and the other is a sith face. I start to notice that the printing on the minifigs is starting to move beyond the torso and down the legs, apparent in this new Anakin. One small complaint on the recent minifigs with dual face is that the hair pieces are not able to cover the printing on the chins of the rear faces. It is quite discreet though and cannot be picked up easily.
Mace Windu's baldness dispense the need for a hairpiece. And without a hairpiece, he cannot have a dual face. For this minifig, he comes with a rather nonchalant expression, a little too meek for a fight scene where he literally battled to his death. His light saber is my personal favourite, as it comes with a very rare purple blade.
The other three Jedi masters had very little screen time in the movie but they are no mean any lesser in my "like" list of minifigs. Kit Fisto is not new, having made appearances in 2007 and 2010 before in other sets. His head piece is moulded from rubber instead of the usual plastics, allowing more details to be reflected in the design, a necessity especially with Kit having so many tentacles on his head! Saesee Tiin and Agen Kolar made their debut appearances in this set. Both have incredible details on their head pieces.
Conclusion
Best scene set ever? If not, it is close. My expectations for scene sets released so far have never been too high, but this set has indeed changed my impression and set the benchmark for the future scene sets to follow. Minifigs lovers will shoot themselves for missing on this set too.
+ Details, details and details
+ Accurate reenactment of the movie scene
+ Nice unique gold brick pieces
+ Superb array of play elements
+ Unique minifigs
- Mmmmm .... Expensive?
I saw this on Ebay for only £32! I'm definitely getting it, thanks to this awesome review ;)
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