Review: 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium
Posted by CapnRex101,
We are entering another season of set releases so we can start bringing you some reviews of the brand new Summer sets. The Star Wars wave is relatively small as a result of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII sets, consisting of only six sets, but it nevertheless includes some highly anticipated models.
75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium is one such model. The Lambda Class Shuttle is an instantly recognisable vehicle but it has not quite achieved the iconic status of the X-Wing, Death Star or Millennium Falcon and has therefore not been recreated at this scale since 2005's 7264 Imperial Inspection.
Set design has advanced enormously in the past ten years and it really shows here, so I am delighted to see an updated version, particularly since five superb minifigures are included to crew this stolen ship.
Box and Contents
The box is square in shape and looks great, contrasting the bright white shuttle with the dark green of the Forest Moon of Endor while the Death Star II leers over the scene from the background. I like the grey and orange of the Star Wars Rebels branding running along the top, although it is not very well suited to this set which is based on the Original Trilogy.
On the back a number of play features are demonstrated and we can see what the shuttle looks like when landed. There are also some nice rendered shots of the set in action which are a welcome addition to Star Wars set packaging this year.
Inside the instruction booklet is packed with the sticker sheet and there are six numbered bags. Interestingly, two of these bags have a slightly adjusted design with a new font for the number and a white stripe running across the packaging. Presumably the old font is being phased out as I see no reason why bags two and four would need to be marked out against the others.
The Build
Construction begins with the base of the fuselage. Technic pieces form a strong frame for the model but are covered by plates and bricks to conceal any unsightly pin holes which might ruin the appearance of this famously elegant craft. The fuselage is continued in bags two and three with lots of SNOT building and greebling to provide some detail on both the inside and outside.
The enormous dorsal wing is built using parts from bag four, using a mixture of Technic liftarms and bricks along with some white slopes. This is very reminiscent of how 10212 Imperial Shuttle is built and the wing on this set is easily strong enough to support the weight of the entire shuttle, although it is easier to hold the model from the back when flying it around.
Next to be constructed are the folding wings which are built using plates so from the underside they look rather messy, although it is certainly a sturdy structure. At last the model is finished with the addition of the cockpit section. This is one of the most interesting parts of the build as it features a nice combination of Technic pieces, slopes and angled plates to form a very unusual shape. Although this shape is not entirely accurate to the film it uses some nice building techniques.
It took about two hours to assemble the entire model and there are a plethora of part types and construction methods used along the way so it is very enjoyable from start to finish, certainly more so than some Star Wars sets.
Minifigures
The five minifigures included are all excellent in my opinion and four of them are exclusive to this set. Chewbacca has appeared before in 75042 Droid Gunship, although I'm sure some collectors will not have this latest version. The detail has been vastly improved with printing on the combined head and torso component as well as on the legs. The dark tan designs are not quite accurate to the films but I think they look good here and certainly improve upon the original figure. As ever Chewbacca is armed with his bowcaster.
Princess Leia in Endor fatigues is probably my favourite minifigure in the set, mainly as a result of the detailed poncho with fits around her neck.
Otherwise the figure is quite similar to that in 8038 The Battle of Endor, with the addition of some extra detail on her torso. A blaster pistol and cookie are included with her for fighting Stormtroopers and winning over the local Ewok population.
An Endor version of Han Solo has long been absent from the Star Wars minifigure selection but at last this has been rectified here. The head and hair piece are the same as usual but his torso and legs receive new camouflaged printing which looks great.
Unfortunately the design has been washed out a little on the legs as it has been printed on a relatively dark surface. Hopefully this persistent issue will one day be corrected as it does detract from the figure somewhat.
The Endor Rebel Troopers first appeared in 2009 but have since undergone a number of revisions. These minifigures wear the same helmet as they have since 2009 but their torso designs are brand new, with lots of detail on the front and back.
A new bearded head print has been created to represent Nik Sant, a member of the Strike Team seen quite prominently when the Rebels take control of the shield bunker in the movie. He wears a jacket over a sand blue shirt while the other trooper wears full camouflage gear. They share the same leg printing and are each armed with a blaster.
The Completed Model
Although the finished Imperial Shuttle is not a particularly large model it is nevertheless impressive. The exterior is well detailed and looks fairly accurate to the film, while the interior is nice too considering how little room there is.
The model is very sturdy and swooshable, with an appropriate mixture of visible studs and smooth surfaces in my opinion. The guns in particular look great and can be hinged to adjust the trajectory. Two firing missiles are well hidden beside the gun barrels and there are a further two missiles stored inside.
The wings must be raised and lowered manually and look to be about the right length. There is no stand included so you will need to build your own should you wish to display the model with the wings folded down. Unfortunately I don't have many parts with me so had to make do with stacked 1x2 bricks to show off the model in flight.
One of my more significant complaints about this set regards the underside of the two folding wings, which are a bit of an eyesore as a result of the various plates used to strengthen them. These are arranged fairly randomly and they therefore detract from the model's appearance when in landing mode.
The cockpit can fit two minifigures, one offset behind the other, quite comfortably and there is even space for Chewbacca's bowcaster to slide into place behind the pilot. This is a huge improvement over the older cockpit designs which consisted mostly of a printed windscreen panel, although the nose of this set is too long in comparison with the rest of the shuttle.
In the main storage bay there are three seats, a box full of thermal detonators and an equipment rack with clips for two guns and a backpack. On the back wall a rather nice sticker shows the forest moon with the Death Star II in orbit.
The loading ramp is located in the floor of this section, rendering it almost totally inaccessible when the shuttle is landed as you can see. However, I think it would have been very difficult to place it beneath the cockpit where it should be, so I think the designer is justified in his decision to place the ramp here. The landing gear folds up for flight, but not quite all the way into the fuselage so it is still visible from some angles.
The back view of the Imperial Shuttle is my favourite and I think this set has captured it very well indeed. The curved bodywork around the engines is constructed brilliantly and the two rear guns add a nice bit of detail to complete the model.
Overall
It is impossible not to draw comparisons between this set and the excellent 10212 Imperial Shuttle. Although the UCS model is still the definitive version of the shuttle as one would expect, this set certainly has great appeal as a more affordable alternative. The play value is enormous and some aspects of the model look as good as the much larger set, most notably the fuselage and blue-tinted thrusters.
However, the inaccuracy of the cockpit is disappointing and I would like the underside of the wings to look tidier as they will often be visible when the ship is landed. The addition of Luke Skywalker in Endor garb would also have been welcome, although I suppose adding a helmet and Leia's camouflaged poncho to another Luke minifigure would be easy enough.
I think this is a good set on the whole. Although it is not a perfect representation of the vehicle from the movie it captures the general silhouette well and most inaccuracies are justified in an attempt to increase playability. For £79.99 or $99.99 I am quite satisfied with the value as the model is impressively tactile and has a decent weight to it. For fans of the Original Trilogy this set is simply a must have.
The set will be officially released on the 1st of June but has already arrived in some North American stores. You can buy it now from Amazon if you are in the UK.
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34 comments on this article
Nice review, Rex. Could we please get some pics of Leia without the poncho?
Very good set. A lot of detail packed into a reasonably sized model. The back view looks nice, as you said. :)
Nice model and even nicer minifigs, but I already have 10212, so I'll pass.
This is excellent. Great review. I had no idea that someone somewhere had named one of the Rebel troops on Endor (Nik Sant), but it should come as no surprise to me! I love his beard print.
Great to see a review. I don't have one of these ships so this is definitely a must buy for me. It seems like "The Build" narrative is implying there are pics of the wings and cockpit during the build process, and it would be great if they were included.
When will i be able to buy this?
yes please, some pics of Leia without the poncho
Only $100? Well someone finally priced this at well value then considering the cost of license under Disney, I am very tempted to buy this had this had a few Stormies. I hope Lego makes a well priced Imperial Troop Transport ship (ala an Acclamator Ship known as Slave Ships during the Imperial Era in the now Legends universe) for the Empire lovers here, or we could replace the figures with our own Troopers :)
Wow, that is a very nice looking set. Even though I don't usually go for OT Star Wars sets--because there are too many and if I get one, I'll want them all--I would really like to have this, even more than a Millenium Falcon probably. It just has an elegance about it. The out-of-proportion cockpit does not bother me, as I appreciate that this one is designed to be playable with the minifigures. Very cool.
Umm... why no Luke in camo?
Does anyone know how many pieces it is?
Very nice review, looks a great set and a fun build. But I'm surprised no one's commented on the front of the box yet - the Death Star is flipped!
Looks like Lego have used the original shooting model as a reference, rather than how it appeared in the film :)
Yeah, this set is brilliant. I know what I'm getting for Christmas...
This looks brilliant! For some reason I had it in my head that the cost was £99.99. It was on the list (along with the Final Duel), but now I know it's £79.99 I can't wait.
The only slightly disappointing thing is the position of the ramp as I was looking forward to doing an Imperial Inspection type scene. Not a problem though, especially after buying so many stormtrooper battle packs around May the Fourth!
Kinda weird but kinda cool.
Waiting to see what sort of modifications people do to this set... especially the front. It looks really weird to me.
going to be using those rebel's torso's and legs for WWII moc's :D
Wait, are Leia's legs printed, or not? It doesn't look like it from the pictures.
Yikes, they did the same with the T-16 Skyhopper, no stand to use when wings are deployed. I know this kind of sets are primarily designed to be swooshable, but a little stand with 10/15 pieces would make the difference. Other than that, the set looks accurate enough. How many pieces has it? Not sure if it will worth the 99$.
Agree with an earlier comment about mods. Get a few tiles from Bricklink and see what can happen! This would probably fit my shelf better then the previous model and look great in my imperial scene.
£80 Is a decent price considering how much I have in points and gift cards ready and waiting.
O i want this one i will buy it double i think !!
I have already bought too many Star Wars sets this year but this one is definitely a must for me.
Thanks for this very good review Rex.
This looks great,despite the few flaws being talked about. I missed all the others during my 'dark age' and the UCS was too expensive, so this will do fine for me - day one purchase! Do we know when it'll be available?
Thanx CapnRex101!
Great review.
This set was also discussed on the Bricksetforum where someone posted a video review from youtube, but having a proper written review with lots of pictures zooming in on all sorts of details is indispensable.
I already mentioned this on the forum, but I will do it again here: it is a great set! The only things I would have liked better is Han Solo having printing on the sides of his legs, since a fabric trench-coat for this minifig might be impossible to create. And two or three imperial minifigs would have been a welcome addition too.
I really wonder why they didn't make two-tone legs for Han and then print the coat on the molded color... I'm sure they're capable of doing this, and the look of the figure would be drastically improved. What's the use of including exclusive figures to increase sales if the figures don't look decent?
Thanks for the pic of Leia. That printing is quite nice.
I have to say, I wasn't originally going to get this set, but your review may have convinced me otherwise.
This is a maybe. I have little interest in the set, but it seems the figures look like good purchases and I'm sure they will go for a pretty penny without the ship, so I might as well get the set. But I think the set itself looks decent on top of it.
The Han mini makes this set a must have for me...
Woo Hoo! Just got this today - went in my local store on the off chance and they had just had a delivery!
Pretty nice!
Built mine this morning, and it was pretty interesting. My main complaint is that the cockpit doesn't fully close with Han and chewie sat in it.
Shame I had a piece missing from bag 1, but thanks to brickset I found I had the piece in my b-wing, and it didn't mean taking it completely apart.
Nice review, pls do more reviews on the summer Star Wars sets!!
What's not to like?
I went out and bought this solely based on the review. I have almost every version of the shuttle, but the minifigs pushed it over the top. This will look great next to the UCS version.