Set ID: 7656 General Grievous Starfighter
Number of Pieces: 232
Year of Release: 2007
Minifigs: 1
Purchased Price: About SGD48
There are two versions of the General Grievous Starfighter released by LEGO so far. The latest one being the 8095 version which I did not possess due to the fact that it is released as the Clone War range (which I am not a fan of and therefore do not collect). This is the movie version, released in 2007, without much peripheral elements or frills. Just the vehicle and its pilot. As I am not able to do a comparison review of the two versions, this review will just be focusing on 7656, the older of the two.
The Starfighter in the movie looks chunkier and wider than this one. Curve is never a strength of LEGO design (no doubt it is getting better over the years) so it is unfair to judge this Starfighter against its movie counterpart. I tried to not look at it from a 2013 perspective, but instead, appreciate it from the angle of 2007. It doesn't feel bad at all. There are no fancy bricks in this set, untilising just very basic LEGO elements, mostly dark grey ones.
The shape of this Starfighter does bear a huge resemblance to the Naboo Starfighter. In fact, many of the vehicles in Episodes 1-3 tend to emulate this design to a certain extent. Think Pod Racers. Two front mounted engines, single seater and anti-aerodynamic design. Someone must have ran out of idea or it is an excuse that all the ships then look the same. The Starfighter is only lightly armed, with two laser cannon hinging on its wings. I am not too sure why the need for the hinge though, perhaps to allow General Grievous to swing the cannon 180 degrees towards his blind spot behind.
The cockpit is a let down. There is absolutely NO effort to detail the cockpit at all. Just a "hole" in the vehicle to house the pilot. There is no control panel, no joystick and no room for Grievous to move his four arms. In fact, his arms will have to be tucked inwards in order for him to fit into the cockpit. A darkened canopy is loosely attached to the cockpit's front. You will have to remove it totally to allow any access. A hinged or sliding canopy will be much more appreciated.
Grievous' four colourful light sabers are mounted on a saber stand which can be attached to the Starfighter's undercarriage. I am still not able to comprehend a rationale behind the design of the hinged rudder at the rear. The only reason I can muster is that it is for supporting the rear when displaying the vehicle. If there is a better justification for the hinging, I will like to know.
Building Experience
Fuselage, cockpit, laser cannons, left wing, click, right wing, click. Time check. 35 minutes. Done. No numbered packs, no problem. After building many of the sets released in the last 2 years, I need some time to get use to the 'classic' instruction booklet. By that I meant with each step, there is no reminder of where and what are the new additions so you will have to scrunitise the diagram carefully so as not to miss a step. For 233 bricks, this is not too painful. To build anything more than 500 pieces this way will be quite unbearable.
In the early stage of the construction, the manual indicated that the 4 light sabers should be mounted to the undercarriage, I guess for the ease of carrying them around. However, throughout the next few steps, my hand will inevitably dislodge the light saber while building the other parts. In the end, I remove the light saber stand totally and only fix it back after I completed the vehicle. On a positive note, I was rather impressed by the design of how the snort is attached to the fuselage. Instead of the typical stud-on-stud approach, the snort was actually built with a groove and slip towards the cockpit, finally attached via a clip. I am not sure if I describe it well enough but you will have to personally build it to understand. Clever.
Minifigs
There is only one minifg in this set, the owner of the Starfighter - General Grievous. There were only 2 General Grievous minifigs that were ever released (besides the Clone War one, which in my opinion, is more detailed), and this is the later one, in total white. If I can make a wish list for the design of a future General Grievous minifig, I will like to have a more detailed head piece and posable legs. if I can push my luck further, I will like it taller, similar to that in the movie. Although he is equipped with a laser blaster, General Grievous looks best with all the 4 light sabers in hand. Without other minifigs in the set to steal his limelight, he certainly ace the pose!
Conclusion
A pretty solid set once completed, though not one of the most impressive (I have to say very little vehicles from Episode 1-3 can impress me). A "can have", if you have room for it.
The Starfighter in the movie looks chunkier and wider than this one. Curve is never a strength of LEGO design (no doubt it is getting better over the years) so it is unfair to judge this Starfighter against its movie counterpart. I tried to not look at it from a 2013 perspective, but instead, appreciate it from the angle of 2007. It doesn't feel bad at all. There are no fancy bricks in this set, untilising just very basic LEGO elements, mostly dark grey ones. |
| Hinged laser cannon for what? |
The cockpit is a let down. There is absolutely NO effort to detail the cockpit at all. Just a "hole" in the vehicle to house the pilot. There is no control panel, no joystick and no room for Grievous to move his four arms. In fact, his arms will have to be tucked inwards in order for him to fit into the cockpit. A darkened canopy is loosely attached to the cockpit's front. You will have to remove it totally to allow any access. A hinged or sliding canopy will be much more appreciated.
Grievous' four colourful light sabers are mounted on a saber stand which can be attached to the Starfighter's undercarriage. I am still not able to comprehend a rationale behind the design of the hinged rudder at the rear. The only reason I can muster is that it is for supporting the rear when displaying the vehicle. If there is a better justification for the hinging, I will like to know.
Building Experience
Fuselage, cockpit, laser cannons, left wing, click, right wing, click. Time check. 35 minutes. Done. No numbered packs, no problem. After building many of the sets released in the last 2 years, I need some time to get use to the 'classic' instruction booklet. By that I meant with each step, there is no reminder of where and what are the new additions so you will have to scrunitise the diagram carefully so as not to miss a step. For 233 bricks, this is not too painful. To build anything more than 500 pieces this way will be quite unbearable.
In the early stage of the construction, the manual indicated that the 4 light sabers should be mounted to the undercarriage, I guess for the ease of carrying them around. However, throughout the next few steps, my hand will inevitably dislodge the light saber while building the other parts. In the end, I remove the light saber stand totally and only fix it back after I completed the vehicle. On a positive note, I was rather impressed by the design of how the snort is attached to the fuselage. Instead of the typical stud-on-stud approach, the snort was actually built with a groove and slip towards the cockpit, finally attached via a clip. I am not sure if I describe it well enough but you will have to personally build it to understand. Clever.
Minifigs
There is only one minifg in this set, the owner of the Starfighter - General Grievous. There were only 2 General Grievous minifigs that were ever released (besides the Clone War one, which in my opinion, is more detailed), and this is the later one, in total white. If I can make a wish list for the design of a future General Grievous minifig, I will like to have a more detailed head piece and posable legs. if I can push my luck further, I will like it taller, similar to that in the movie. Although he is equipped with a laser blaster, General Grievous looks best with all the 4 light sabers in hand. Without other minifigs in the set to steal his limelight, he certainly ace the pose!Conclusion
A pretty solid set once completed, though not one of the most impressive (I have to say very little vehicles from Episode 1-3 can impress me). A "can have", if you have room for it.
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