Review: 75096 Sith Infiltrator
Posted by CapnRex101,
Appropriately, the release of 75096 Sith Infiltrator seems to have passed under the radar of many LEGO Star Wars fans. It strikes me as odd that the set has only just been released, long after the initial summer wave of Star Wars sets in June but before those based on Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens which will be out in September. The poor timing of the release does the set no favours and neither does the reputation of the Sith Infiltrator as a relatively forgettable Star Wars craft.
This is the fourth version of the vehicle at minifigure scale and it is also the most expensive yet, priced at £84.99 or $89.99. It almost goes without saying that the price is absolutely ridiculous given that the set only contains 662 pieces. I suspect that alone will be enough to put off most potential buyers, although this is the best model of the Sith Infiltrator released yet so it should not be completely disregarded if you are interested in the vehicle.
Minifigures
The Darth Maul minifigure has been updated a few times since he first appeared in 7101 Lightsaber Duel. The latest version would easily have been the best yet were it not for the ludicrous grin printed on his head This would be well suited to the cackling character of Darth Sidious but it's totally inappropriate for Darth Maul, a Sith driven by purely by hate.
However, the new designs on the torso and legs look superb and are nicely complimented by the black hood and cape. A horned head attachment is included for when Maul's hood is lowered which lines up nicely with the printing on the face, although I still can't look beyond his silly smile which would be more at home in a Juniors set.
Qui-Gon Jinn is my favourite of the five minifigures, although even he is not particularly interesting. The reddish brown hair piece is the same as that on the figure in last year's 75058 MTT while the head features new designs on both sides.
I am pleased that the torso and leg pieces maintain the prints of the previous Qui-Gon minifigure as they look fantastic. However, the torso design is obscured by a dark tan poncho which matches his Tatooine garb in the film very closely.
This latest version of R2-D2 appears for only the fourth time in this set. Mine is slightly misprinted as you can see. The pearl silver dome is decorated with a variety of dark blue highlights as well as a few photoreceptors while his body is detailed with vents and panels. I am hoping that the back of these cylindrical pieces will be printed at some point but this one is plain unfortunately.
Anakin Skywalker appears in 75092 Naboo Starfighter and the same minifigure is included in this set with tousled hair and a double-sided head. One side is printed with a smile while the other looks rather nervous, just as one should when a Sith Lord is flying by on his speeder bike.
The torso features a fairly detailed design considering how simple his tunic is in the movie. As well as a dark orange belt and some wrinkles in the fabric you can also see his simple necklace around his neck which is a nice touch.
Watto last appeared in 7962 Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba's Podracers just four years ago, so his inclusion here is a little premature in my opinion. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic minifigure which is moulded and printed with rich detail. The combined head and torso component is excellent, representing the character seen in the film almost perfectly thanks to the extensive printing all over the combined head and torso component.
Underneath is a plain sand blue torso and a pair of short legs. The only change made to the figure since its last appearance is the colour of the hands, which are now tan rather than dark bluish grey as they were in 2011.
Five minifigures is not nearly enough for a set costing £84.99, particularly when the characters have all appeared before. Shmi Skywalker plays an integral role in Anakin's defection to the Dark Side, with her death driving him to commit his first truly evil act as he slaughters the Tusken Raiders in Episode II. A Shmi Skywalker minifigure would have made a brilliant addition to this set so excluding her seems like a missed opportunity.
The Completed Model
Although the minifigure selection is thoroughly disappointing, the Sith Infiltrator itself is not. This is by far my favourite version of the craft released to date with an improved shape and a greater level of detail than ever before.
Below you can see a comparison shot of all four models, arranged in reverse chronological order of release.
The cockpit section is a little larger than on previous models and captures the spherical shape quite well using a variety of curved slopes. The rear profile is slightly inaccurate as the rectangular thrusters are far too small on this model but this doesn't bother me very much. To access the interior the roof hinges open and the rear section lowers to form a ramp just like the one seen in the movie. The sides are hinged as well which makes it even more accessible.
Inside there is a rotating seat, several control panels and two clips for a pair of macrobinoculars and another accessory. Unfortunately only Maul's lightsaber hilt will fit here and it is not explicitly stated where the blades should go, although there is room in the forward section of the craft with the Probe Droids.
The folding wings are not quite as rounded as they should be but the eye is deceived by the curved slopes placed on the outside of each one. I don't like the spring loaded missiles here as they have not been incorporated into the bodywork very well, but they do offer some additional playability and can be easily removed if you wish.
Darth Maul's speeder bike, the Bloodfin, has appeared in all four Sith Infiltrator sets. The latest version is rather oversized but it is by far the most detailed. It could be significantly improved though as the colour scheme is a complete mess and the Sith Lord doesn't fit very well in the seat unless it is reclined.
The speeder slots into the central section of the ship and can be accessed by opening three panels. Three Dark Eye Probe Droids are situated at the front and they can be released via a trapdoor located beneath the fuselage.
I am always impressed when some effort has gone into the design of the underside of a model and that is certainly the case here. The combination of plates and inverted slopes looks excellent, as does the landing gear which folds away neatly when the Scimitar is in flight.
Overall
I truly sympathise with the designer of this set. The Sith Infiltrator itself is well crafted, playable and closely resembles its on screen counterpart. However, any appeal the set holds disappears as a result of the price point which has been set far too high for a model of this particular ship, something which is not under the control of the set designer.
It will be interesting to see how well this set sells as I cannot imagine many scenarios in which somebody would buy it. With sets like 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium available at around the same price it seems unlikely that anyone would choose this set in favour of others.
Unless you are a huge fan of Darth Maul and the Sith Infiltrator I would save your money for the time being, especially since it is now just a month until the release of the Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens range. Hopefully that will produce much better sets than this one.
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44 comments on this article
Darth Maul looks like Ross in the Friends episode where he gets his teeth whitened.
Great review, item such a miss!
I don't know why, but for some reason I like this version less than the 2011 version. Although in hindsight, that one's price to piece ratio was just as bad as this one, somewhere around 460 pcs for $70. It was a good sized set though
One for die-hard Star Wars collectors only by the looks of things...
I've wanted Maul's ship for a while now, and this is the best looking LEGO version to-date to my eyes. I took a hit on the high price point to have another great looking Sith ship to join my Fury Class Interceptor, TIE Advanced Prototype and others. I very much agree that it is mispriced, but it doesn't make me like the ship any less. I wonder if this review would have had a different tone if it had been $15 or $20 cheaper. Value is always a big consideration for LEGO sets, and LEGO seems to be failing at that with more and more sets these days.
^ Until the inevitable 40% price drop on Amazon anyway...
There won't be a price drop on amazon because it is a TRU exclusive. Partially explains the high price. Oh, and if you think 89.99 is high... don't bother looking at toysrus.com or your local TRU location... the price is higher, trust me.
True that it's a crazy price, but it's the best looking version to date. Shame about the selection of mini figs though....
Great review, especially showing how it compares the previous ones.
This set's price shows that LEGO is really greedy with the SW releases, and also tells me to expect that this set will be on 'sale' often at sites like Amazon for around 49.99-59.99 USD.
Though Watto being included tells me that they are trying to justify the wild price as Watto has no business being in this set IMO.
Wouldn't it have made more sense to include Padme and or Obi Wan instead of Watto? How does Watto tie in with this vehicle? Even R2 seems like a weird choice although I guess he was there. I hate that movie, so I'm going on memory.
Very nice review. I appreciate the comparison of previous models. This feature should be included in similar cases too. Thanks for that!
I have so many R2... Like the old one more the this one.
So now with the randomness of the Summer sets done, we have almost every ship in Episode One getting a redesign, and still not one Royal Naboo Starship in Pearl Silver.
…Want Watto but will wait for another set.
^ Yeah, if there is one prequel ship that deserves a good model, it's the Royal Starship. I know that it would be a challenging design, but it could be done.
I think the Minifig face is a reference to the grimace he does a few times, not a grin:
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/galleries/2011/Review_DarthMaul12InchFigure/Review_DarthMaul12InchFigure_stillA.JPG
I fail to see Watto's purpose in this set. Should have been Panaka or Obi-Wan. And Darth Maul never smiled in The Phantom Menace.
Maybe it's just me but I have the impression that R2-D2's dome is not printed correctly. It seems a little out of balance...
^ Happens with every set I get, with about 25% of all of the minifigs. It's getting incredibly annoying.
Anyways, 90 euros would still be a little pricy but it would still be fitting for an infiltrator that's a little bigger than the 2011 version. However, 110 euros is ridiculous. If it were 90, had a better Maul face, had a Shmi minifig instead of R2 and had the back door and engines and speeder colors fixed, it would be pretty great. Though a Naboo Royal Starship would've been so much better than this remake.
@ chuxtoybox - They often throw in a character unrelated to the scene or vehicle in question to draw in people who really want that minifig. Pretty sure Queen Amidala never hopped in a Gungan sub in her ceremonial dress, but that probably sold a substantial portion of the sets.
R2 looks a bit tipsy.......
Darth Maul makes a point of showing his teeth in the film, but they are a hideous yellow/black. And he definitely did not show them in a smile. I thought it looked strange and was hoping it wasn't going to be how he looks.
This review made me go from "it's terrible" to "eh, it's okay". The model looks good, better than the other disastrous versions, but the disappointing figures and Darth Mauls stupid grin ruin it a bit. That price doesn't help either.
"It almost goes without saying that the price is absolutely ridiculous given that the set only contains 662 pieces."
And this is where we hear that no, there's no mark-ups or price-hikes on Lego's various licensed sets ... Not being a huge SW fan, was this vehicle really popular enough to keep on warranting new versions (that steadily increase in price every time)? It seems odd.
I don't understand the grin either. And it would be neat of they included the green arrow/wyldstyle hood piece in black for when he had his horns showing...
The set looks great. The minifigures are decent, but the price is high enough I'll pass. And seeing the new maul I'll pass on picking him up on his own based on that smile.
I think this is just a way for them to keep get a little more money from a few desirable characters. I think Darth Maul is a character a lot of kids like so I'm sure they wanted one last hoorah with him. I never got Watto because I wasn't collecting when he last hit and didn't like the Pod racer sets anyways so while I don't think he fits the set, I'm glad I finally got him. I like the ship and I only had the original so I added it. Although, I buy the whole line each time no matter how much I like or dislike a set. I think Disney licensing just costs more because all their lincensed sets seem to run a bit higher just like everything that says Disney on it.
On a different note, how bout a set or at least a battle pack with some Tusken raiders and a Bantha!
I was 12 when Episode 1 came out, and i wanted the original Lego Sith Infiltrator more than words could ever describe. Never got it, but the recent surge of Episode 1 sets have been fantastic for me!
I don't own a previous Sith Infiltrator, so this set has some appeal to me, but my money's low and I've been very focused on another theme, and my SW priorities are both ROTJ-related. Stil, I'm not too interested in TFA stuff, so maybe down the line...
Considering the effort in providing all the models for a comparison shot I suggest showing more than one photo.
@bok2 - I don't know how else I could have compared them fairly. It would be unreasonable to compare the structure of today's model to any of the older ones as the building techniques are inevitably going to be more advanced. They are comparable in size though, hence I included that photo.
The Darth Maul minifig reminds me of this guy
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQCKsTQkMY
If there is ONE Phantom Menace set I'm interested in getting, this might be it. None of the ships from that movie are particular memorable to me, not even this one. That said, it would look great among the other Sith and Imperial ships. I'm thinking it will hog shelf space at TRU for a couple years before hitting clearance at $49.99 (like the Jedi Defender-class Cruiser).
Agreed that Watto really does not fit this set.. But the sole purpose is to draw people wanting to get him then I guess I can see the "logic" behind the decision.
And yes, R2-D2's head is definitely misprinted :/
You summed it up well--at that price, for this ship, this set is pretty much DOA. I expect to see it at 50% off next season. Too bad because it is a nice rendition. I always appreciate folding landing gear, and I love the trans red windows.
Also, I agree with others--comparisons to previous versions should be standard for a SW set review, well done!
This set is a total mixed bag for me. The price is completely ridiculous, $90 for a 600-piece set that already looks dull is guaranteed to keep this one squarely on the shelf. The color blocking on both ship and Bloodfin is horrendous. Having a decent underside is nice, but the whole front end is stretched out of proportion with the curved bricks. Ditto for the speeder thing. Watto STILL doesn't have proper blue hands, and the other updated figures just look wrong. Especially Maul's face. That would be perfect for insane Maul in TCW, but totally out of whack here.
I do very much like the interior of the cockpit, and Maul's outfit and Watto look great. The landing gear finally feels like, you know, they actually tried to work it in properly.
All in all, I still prefer the crappy 2011 version. That one had better minifigs, was cheaper, and looked way better.
@Gruffy1987 you might be right! I can't say that the set appeals to me but the Maul figure does. He grimaces in the film, and outright smiles in that LEGO DVD and in Clone Wars (albeit, an evil smile). Good on LEGO for trying something different rather than yet another grumpy Maul figure. Minifigures are far less happy on the whole than they used to be and it's a little sad.
I would assume Watto is in here because one of the last stops Qui-Gon and Anakin had before leaving was with Watto. I recollect that one of Maul's droids floated by Qui-Gon when he was wrapping up with Watto.
Great review - thanks a lot for this! I have to admit I did fall in love with this a bit, as I always thought Maul was the coolest part of Ep. I. So every new version of the ship makes me think about getting it, and this is by far the best version so far. But 100€ with no discount for this, while I could get the Shuttle with much more pieces and discount makes me choose the Shuttle, as strange as it sounds. I prefer this ship, but the overall package (and that includes the price I pay) makes me buy another.
That's a lot of money for just a few more grey pieces. I suspect that anybody with a handful of other Star Wars sets will already have most of the parts to build this. Swap out what's missing for a few alternatives and there's your ship, built for a rather more reasonable $0.
Wow, comparing this to the first version, it really shows how LEGO's design has evolved. So much more emphasis on detail.
I guess for Maul they were going for this look? http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140322172243/starwars/images/e/eb/Ep1_OST_TUE.png
Didn't quite translate to his cylindrical head.
Anyway, the ship looks pretty great, but the price point. :\
agree the price of this set is ridiculous! Watto and R2 are included- why? As if to justify the cost increase New Maul is OK- don’t like his crown of horns as much as the older versions.. I guess another Qui Gon is welcomed. Spring loaded missiles I could do without on this set. I do like more details and functions throughout.
I did purchase this set as I am a Lego SW collector – but only after redeeming the $15 via LEGO VIP points… that made the set $75- which was far more reasonable to me… that and my free classing Pirate mini set made it worthwhile to add to my childhood Lego pirate collection.
Otherwise wait till you can get this set on sale!
For the Maul just replace the head with the one that was in the 2012 Advent. that way the goofy one is in the Santa outfit and the serious one is in the set.
Looks like an okay set. Definitely won't be buying though.
I think R2's misprint appears in all copies of this set; hopefully Lego will correct this at some point.
I'm ready to wait for this to go on sale. Hopefully R2's head print will be rectified by then.
P.S- I feel that the 1999 head was the best.