Review: 75081 T-16 Skyhopper

Set ID: 75081 T-16 Skyhopper

Number of Pieces: 247

Year of Release: 2015

Minifigs: 2

Purchased Price: About SGD 50

A dozen of years can do a lot of differences to many things. My son is already 13 and I can still vividly remember the day when he was born, 5-weeks premature, weighing just under 2kg. Now he stands at almost 1.7m tall and weighing 45kg. Numbers don't lie, do they? 12 years did little to the physiques of the Skyphopper though, not that I am expecting earth shattering changes though, for a craft of this humble proportion.

With less than 100 bricks, the older version (set 4477) was a simpler affair, with very straightforward building technique and of course, some crude designs. Given that my memory of the Skyhopper was only the "toy" that Luke was playing in Tatooine, I didn't quite mind the details then. Fast forward 12 years to today, the new variant has more than doubled the brick count (and price), without really increasing its size. I could only conclude that the increased brick count will contribute more to the detailing of the finished Skyhopper, and during the building process, it was indeed the case.

Building Experience

I noticed that for the new releases in 2015, LEGO seems to have ditched the "standard box size" concept and went with what felt right instead. By that, I mean LEGO has designed the box size just enough to house the 3 packets of bricks, making good use of the interior space. One observation though, that the thickness of the box has increased slightly, making the box a little more "chunky". Personally I do not quite like the box art for 2015 Star Wars sets, but will leave that ranting on another day. A crumpled sticker sheet was also found in the box, much to my disgust.

Content including a crumpled sticker sheet

Hinges aplenty

For a vehicle of this size, I am impressed with some of the building techniques used especially on the interior of the Skyhopper. Even for such a small vehicle, LEGO has endeavoured to include some form of Technics design, which inevitably improve the sturdiness of the finished product. There are quite a number of hinging parts here, using a variety of hinges in the design of the wings and fuselage. A deja vu feeling came upon me when fixing the dorsal fin as the technique used resemble very much of that in the UCS Imperial Shuttle, but in a much much much smaller scale.

There were hardly much spares at the end of the build, which took around 35 minutes to complete.

The New "Hop"

The Skyhopper has room for just one pilot and some spaces for cargo in the triangular shaped fuselage. Entry to the cockpit can be tight as it has a "sunken in" design. Right behind the cockpit is the fuselage where a 2X2 container box is housed, and some cramp spaces where I keep the house mouse that comes with this set. Comparing to 4477, this Skyhopper comes with a couple of covered articulated windscreen (stickered by the way), made up by but the 2 transparent bricks hinged onto the fuselage. The undercarriage provides a sturdy stand to display your Skyhopper at home.

Besides the long laser turret underneath the craft, this new Skyhopper also comes with a pair of wing-mounted spring loaded missiles (yes, again) No doubt playability will up a notch but the long tail of the missiles do annoy me from time to time, especially when they get fired off when you accidentally flip or touch its tail. The housing of the missiles also have the tendency to come off the wings during the more over zealous play time as they are only attached to the wings by 4X1 studs.

Rear view 

Stickers were used at appropriate places on the Skyhopper so I can't really complain much, except for the conditions they were in when I opened the box. I know they won't last a year in the kind of humidity I live with but at least in their 'living years', they provided some nice touches and details to an otherwise boring silhouette. Special mention for the cockpit control stickers for I am happy that some thoughts have been invested to make them more real than the past designs.

Minifigs

In happier times ...

Skyhopper pilot - Honestly nobody can remember how a Skyhopper pilot looks like in the movie. A quick research online reveals only pictures of LEGO version of the pilot when I entered "Skyhopper pilot" into the search window. Nonetheless, putting the new pilot beside the 4477's version, it is not hard to realise how far LEGO has advanced in the design of minifigs. While the older sibling can be passed off as another motorcycle pilot minifig, this one comes with a very detailed pilot helmet, flight suit printed torso and double sided head piece. The translucent visor is printed on one of the faces, revealing his eyes. The other non-visor printed face is less inspirational, and I can't put a word to describe what kind of expression he is revealing. And by the way, he is equipped with a short pistol, for emergency encounters with the Tusken Raider.

Talking about the Tusken Raider, there is ONE included in the set here, and he was featured on the box design, running away from the shooting Skyhopper. This is a brand new design with a much better detailed "spiky" head piece. It certainly scores much higher in terms of movie accuracy but lost a bit of the LEGO-ism which I can't really complain about. A good compromise. The last Tusken Raider only appeared in the 2002 set - The 7113 Tusken Encounter and this new version made good of this 13 year gap with additional torso details and leg prints.

And then there is a mouse ...

Conclusion

I noticed that many of the millennium kids have very little recollection of the classic Star Wars movies and therefore this set will not resonate much with them. Even for hard core fans, this can easily be passed and re-invest the money into other more prominent sets. With all its merits and improvements over its predecessors, I would only say this is a good-to-have set and for those miifig fans who want to lay their hands on the extremely detailed and exclusive Tusken Raider minifig.

+ Much improved minifigs
+ Nicer cockpit design as compared to previous version
+ Sturdy and zoomable (although you have to be careful of firing off the missiles accidentally)

- Crumpled sticker sheet (may differ from box to box)
- Spring loaded missile design looks obtrusive

Review: 10240 UCS Red Five X-Wing Starfighter

Set ID: 10240 Red Five X-Wing Starfighter

Number of Pieces: 1559

Year of Release: 2013

Minifigs: 1

Purchased Price: About SGD 350

An unexpected surgery was between my last review and this. Actually, there were a lot more. A business trip to Paris and Hong Kong, a family vacation to Tokyo (where I chanced upon a really cool LEGO factory outlet at the outskirt of Tokyo!) and the lethargy of recovery from surgery were amongst the reasons (or excuses) behind the long silence on my review blog. 2015 provided me with an opportunity to kick start my review blog again and it seems like a UCS set is the right catalyst for this brand new year.

Along the way in our adult life, I am sure the word "regret" does resonate with us from time to time, in particular some of the more significant events. A few of these could be life changing, some shaped the way we think, and some are irreversible. One of such regrets created a glaring void in an otherwise impressive collection of my LEGO Star Wars range. That regret, is the 7191 UCS X-wing Fighter, released in 2000. Back then, I was into my second year of collecting the LEGO Star Wars series, and with little spare cash in my pocket, I had to make a painful decision to choose between the UCS TIE Fighter and X-wing. I chose the former, purely from the price point of view. Over the years, I have attempted to acquire the now discontinued 7191, but was regularly deterred by exorbitant price tags. Luckily, and hopefully, this 10240 X-Wing will be able to exorcise that "regret" in me.

My last UCS built was the 10188 Death Star, which was a joy to build, play and appreciate. In fact, very few UCS sets have failed to impress me so far (ok, maybe the disappointing UCS Jedi Starfighter ...) and I am already looking forward to the UCS Slave I and and the rumoured TIE-Fighter in 2015. The only question left for me now is not "Am I going to buy them?" but "Where am I going to display them?" It is a happy question nonetheless.

The X-citing model?

Without the 7191 as a comparison, I am looking at this classic Star Wars vehicle with a fresh and independent perspective, perhaps only clouded by my prejudice against stickers (MORE of that later) It should also never be judged alongside the many variants of X-wings, which vary in terms of details and playability. Dimension wise, this version probably dwarfed the smaller siblings by a ratio of 2:1, measuring slightly more than 55cm in length and 50cm from wingtip to wingtip. With this scale and look, it does look darn good on any display shelf.

The simple looking display stand comes with a specs board and it allows the X-wing to be posed in two different ways. Both ways work just fine with me and I am glad I can have a choice of displaying the X-wing taking off or manoeuvring a bend.

The completed model does feel dense and solid, with exception of the pairs of wings which tend to flop around when moved. This flimsy design is attributed to the rubberised mechanism that holds the wings together. A fully geared mechanism might improve the stability of the wings but could significantly add to the brick count and complexity of the design. In any case, this model is not meant to be swooshable so chances of the flimsy wings being exposed will be slim.

UCS sets of this proportion are seldom known for loads of playable features. This is no exception, unless you consider the opening cockpit canopy and posable wings are "playable". The pairs of wings  can be separated with the turn of a knob at the rear of the X-wing - clockwise open, anti-clockwise close. Despite my preference to see its more majestic X winged profile, exposed studs on the underside of the wings does make it less attractive to look at. Closing the wings does have its other problem too, when the tip of the forward pointing gun turrets do get into each other's way.

Will it be too much to ask for undercarriage to be incorporated into the design too? At least collector can have another option of displaying the X-Wing, without the stand.

The XXXX Sticky problem!

The cockpit is probably one of my favourite parts of this X-wing. The bucket pilot seat, the joystick and HUD aiming scope score high for accuracy and details. The same can also be said of the details of the fuselage and four engine back burners. Then come the disappointment - the cockpit canopy. I believe with the amount of cash that we fork out for a set like this, we deserve a PRINTED cockpit! I believe LEGO recognises the difficulty in applying the stickers (especially in trying to avoid any air bubble), which is why they actually provided with two sets of stickers rather than the usual one. It is not as if you can rip the stickers off and re-apply again when you do a bad job, because every futile attempt to get it right will create some creases and bubbles in the transparent stickers. With my lack of patience, I gave up after 3 attempts, and ended with a rather large bubble on the front canopy panel. Ok, I admit there were some profanities punctuating the building process.

BoX

With the premium pricing that was paid for a UCS set, I would like to see better and more impressive box design. Although it was almost 14 years ago that the 7191 was released, I do prefer the box design then, more subtle and collector-like, shrouded in a mist of mystery, peppered with a taste of class. There is nothing "wrong" with this new box design I have to say, but a tasteful distinction between UCS and their lesser cousins will be a welcomed change.


The box art primarily follows the green Yoda theme predominantly found in the sets released in 2013.  Besides the picture of the actual X-wing zooming through space, there is also a small technical perspective with the dimension of the finished product. I guess the designers are well aware that most buyers would want to know this piece of information so that they can make space to accommodate it.

The rear is another picture of the completed X-wing, now propped onto the display stand. The other smaller pictures highlight the playable features (which are not a lot) and the famous battle scenes where Luke's Red Five single handedly took out the Death Star.

Building eXperience

Inside the box holds 10 packs of bricks, three instruction booklets and sticker sheets (yes, plural). Cardboard backing for the stickers and booklets is always a welcome sight.


The first half of the building process started well, full of admiration on the design and good choice of bricks. The fuselage section was especially interesting with most details and movable parts committed here. Then the fun goes downhill from there. Not a fault of the designer, but just due to the  fact that the X-wing is a highly symmetrical vehicle. This is the part where my son will always make himself useful to assist with the repetitive set. And I'll do my part to fix them to the main body. Easy.

Conclusion

I really find it hard to conclude if this X-wing resides on my good or bad book. Perhaps I am too attached to the 7191 X-Wing that I never had (think in terms of the girl / boy whom you idolised in school but not having the courage to be together with him / her) Perhaps the sticker on the canopy, or rather, the bubble, really pissed me off, I am more inclined to say "nay" than "yeah". But without denying also that the completed X-wing looks really darn good on display, and therefore managed to earn some points with that.

+ Size and scale are impressive
+ Details all around, especially the cockpit
+ Dual positioning display stand

- Flappy wings
- BLOODY CANOPY STICKER (Yes, I am damn pissed!)

Review: 75058 MTT

Set ID: 75058 MTT

Number of Pieces: 953

Year of Release: 2014

Minifigs: 12

Purchased Price: About SGD 180

This set is released as a TRU Exclusive here in Singapore (am not sure if it is the same anywhere else in the world). Regardless, I chanced upon it as I was walking past a TRU near my office after a heavy lunch. With a $20 discount thrown in, there is no reason I am not getting this set. In a swift move lasting less than 10 minutes, I was happily lugging the MTT in my hand, with a new City polybag thrown in as part of the promotion, which I gave away to a colleague's kid. It has been some years since the MTT made an appearance in the Star Wars collection. Well spaced out over the last 14 years, the first MTT was released in 2000 (set 7184) and the second was the fantastic 7662 released in 2007. Of the three versions, this latest interpretation of the MTT would probably earn a silver medal, pipped by its immediate predecessor. This should not take away the credit that this latest set is joy to build and play, for it does have its merits too.

The under-designed droid rack

MTT stands for Multi-Troop Transport. By the word "multi", I believe there should be a sizeable amount of battle droids to fill the void within the massive interior. Unlike the 2007 version (which comes with 21 battle droids and very movie accurate), this MTT has compromised its scaling by adding playable features in place of droid carrying capacity. As a result, it can only deploy a miserly six droid every time it opens its front hatch. Imagine this, the MTT arrives at the Battle of Naboo in its usual majestic movement, and when its hatch opens, ermmm .... six droids came rushing out. Now, if I am with Jar Jar Binks and Co. confronting the enemy, I would probably died laughing than fighting...

That's probably all I can complain about. The rest of this MTT have brought more pleasant surprises - in a very swiss army knife way ...

The MTT Swiss Army knife

MTT on wheels! Fake levitation but who cares?

The MTT now comes with wheels! As with some of the latest vehicle sets, this MTT comes equipped with six transparent wheels well concealed at its bottom. The MTT was initially designed like a battering ram, which explains the rounded design of its front, and although the LEGO version does not fully exude the appropriate rounded profile (its made of bricks after all), the wheels do help with any battering movement it was intended to.

Playable features are aplenty in this compact MTT. What's "aplenty"? Starting from the front ...

Opened missile chamber

1) The MTT is protected by its thick brown armour and a pair of front facing cannons, mounted on ball sockets. These are more posable than playable. However, how can LEGO miss an opportunity to throw in a pair of spring loaded missiles too? They are loaded on the side of the cockpit and can be deployed by flipping the missile hatch open, that is, if you can get them opened. The hatch doors are (too) flushed to the contour of the MTT that you will find it hard to find a grip for the hatch door.

2) The pilot droid is able to control the MTT via the elevated cockpit. It is a single seater with a sliding cockpit platform. Pilot can access the cockpit from any of the left of right hatch doors. Cockpit design is a simple affair with a joystick and stickered control panel.

3) The main playable feature of the MTT is always the droid deployment rack. This version has a rather underwhelming rack, only capable of accommodating a single storey of 6 droids. If I have to be specific, the droids are also placed in the wrong direction as compared to the movie version. Deployment of the rack is cool though. Using a elongated row of Technic gears, the rack can be pushed out from the front by a simple turn of a knob. The droids are arranged on a sliding deck that should be removed first before "peeling" the droids off it.

Knob for droid rack deployment

4) Towards the rear of the MTT, there are two more opening hatches on the sides, one for the gun rack and the other for the PK-4 droid.

5) Amongst the half dozen or so hatches in this MTT, the most spectacular one is probably the flipping hatch at the rear. Flipping it open reveals the compartment where a Droid scout scooter is hidden! The innovative sliding design allows the scooter to be secured effortlessly. Talking about the scooter, there are quite a fair bit of bricks committed to its design, therefore creating a rather detailed and good looking vehicle.

Building Process

It was a sea of brown when I opened this box. What do you expect?

The bricks are distributed over six numbered packs, sharing the box with a cardboard backed pack of instruction manual and sticker sheet. All the above fill the box nicely with little void remaining. Good use of space! The same principle was applied to use almost the entire space on the back of the box to showcase all the playable features of the MTT.

The playability map on the back of the box

Following the recent trend of construction technique, the MTT is also built around a primarily Technic frame. This probably explains the inflation of the brick count despite the seemingly smaller body as compared to the other 1000+ piece vehicle sets.

The completed model is really sturdy, even when you hold it in your hand for some swooshing action (not meant to be though). This is most likely attributed to its heavy use of Technic parts that made up the main frame of the vehicle. One thing that LEGO has constantly been improving and innovating is the design of the hinges. The new generation hinges have somehow moved away from the old-school clicking mechanism but still retained the stiffness to allow doors and hatches to be opened to various degree.

Put aside 2 uninterrupted hours to indulge yourself on this set.

Minifigs

Despite the large number of minifigs included in this set, this section should not get too long as most of the head counts have been attributed to the generic Battle Droids, eight to be exact. This is not to say that they are homogeneous. Of the eight, the pilot droid comes with a blue torso and the scooter rider has a pair of similar arms (the others have different left and right arms for the purpose of holding their gun in the right way). The inclusion of the PK-4 worker droid in this set still baffles me as I am almost certain that it did not reside in the MTT in the movie (or at least I did not see its existence in the movie) The designer has done a good job with the droid from waist up but the heavy leg section makes it look more like on a roller than on its feet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn did not excite me too much. The zero marginal utility law has applied to these two minifigs some years back when the headcount reached ten or so. For the sake of differentiating them from their predecessors, let me see what sets them apart?

The young Obi-Wan has a double face and just enough details on these faces, i.e. no over elaborated lines and wrinkles / dimples. His torso is printed with braided hair and a very detailed belt. his tunic design also extends beyond his torso onto his leg piece. Qui-Gon Jinn also comes with two faces, which honestly look like replicant of each other. If there is a chance to print two faces, why would anyone design both to look so similar to each other??? His dual tone leg piece looks unique to me as I suspect it is the first Qui-Gon minifig to have such a design.

The Naboo Security Guard is brand new, and a nice one too. If I can choose to ignore the inaccurate yellow colour used for his arms and legs, the other details are pretty spot on and movie accurate, down to the intense expression on his face and logo on his peak cap. Thanks to LEGO for keeping his face 'simple' too.

Conclusion

I am a self-confessed Episode 1 "hater", and that sentiment does overspill onto the sets that were released with the Ep 1 label. It didn't help with the primitive looking sets released in the early years of LEGO Star Wars (think Sith Infiltrator). But this MTT, is a nice game changer, a pivotal moment in my biased opinion of all the Episode 1 sets.

+ Colour accurate
+ Multiple playable features
+ Sturdy and swooshable (although not recommended)
+ Fake levitation using smooth concealed wheels

- Should have more droids (MTT is their bus to work, isn' it?)