Review: 75011 Tantive IV and Alderaan
Posted by Huw,
75011 Tantive IV and Alderaan is another Series 4 Star Wars Planet Set that is available in Spain and a few other European countries, but nowhere else much yet.
I had mine shipped over from Amazon.es
The two Series 4 sets I've reviewed so far (B-Wing and Snowspeeder) have been something of a mixed bag: The B-Wing is terrible but the Snowspeeder is one of the best Planet Sets to have been released.
So, how does this one fare. Read on to find out...
Box and contents
The box and contents are just like every other Planet Set. My box was shink-wrapped, like the Snowspeeder, which was either done by Amazon or at Amazon's request, to help protect the planet.
The planet, as you can see, is 'ADU blue' and looks not unlike our own.
The minifig
The minifig is a rebel scout trooper and one that you've probably got loads of from the 2008 battle pack. It's identical to the 2008 version except that this one is smiling. You can see the difference in these two photos. It's the same as the one in the 2012 Advent calendar.
The Tantive IV
Tantive IV is excellent. It uses a lot of SNOT (studs not on top) techniques and rare pieces to achieve the ship's unique shape.
The nose section is made from two white fez hat pieces which are new to this set, as are the four 1 x 1 round tiles in dark red. The rear engine section is built 'studs forward' and attached to the body with a click-hinge.
It's full of small pieces that give it a great 'greebly' appearance.
The completed model
As usual, a stand is provided to display the minifig and ship, and the planet bauble comes with a 'Round Plate 2 x 2 W/Eye' so that it can be hung from the ceiling (or a Christmas tree :-) )
Overall opinion
The Tantive IV is superbly designed with some great pieces and is an interesting build. It's far better than the one in 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer (below, courtesy of DrDaveWatford), that I've just been reminded exists! The minifig is a bit boring, and you probably have it already from last year's Advent calendar.
It's perhaps not the best planet set this year -- that accolade goes to the Snowspeeder -- but due to the quality of the ship, I highly recommend it.
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22 comments on this article
Wouldn't the Tantive IV from 10030 be considered micro-scale? Either way, I think this one looks far better.
I believe the UCS Star Destroyer came with a micro-scale model similar to this although this version is much better.
^ Indeed, I had forgotten about that, as I don't have that set. DrDave has kindly provided a photo for comparison purposes.
Is the figure not the same as the one from Day 18 of the 2012 Star Wars Advent Calender?
Am I the only one to spot the irony of adding extra plastic shrink-wrap to protect the planet..?
And as we all know, the guard is smiling because he's only two days from retirement...
^^ On bo??ocks, another mistake in my review. You're right, not sure how I missed that :-)
I need some proof readers I think: Mind you, if I publish them early enough in the day, you readers in the UK spot my errors before those in the US read the review when they get up at midday :-)
^ Save the planet: wrap it in shrink-wrap...
Love the Tantive model, but the plain rebel trooper is rather disappointing since so many of us just got the exact same one in the 2012 advent calendar. I'd definitely pick this set up if I find it at a discount, but it's not a must-have like a few of the other S3/4 ones.
@Joefish - bwahahaha! I was just going to ask whether the little plastic planet-shaped shell shatters into a thousand pieces?
I like that they're using more advanced building techniques in these models. It certainly makes them much more appealing to me, if not the rest of the AFOL community.
Indeed they are, and indeed it does...
Ah, thanks for including the pic of the corvette from 10030. Saves me the trouble of finding one to compare the two sets to see if I can replace the old version with this one and still be "in-scale"
^^^^^^Hey, I got up before 8:30 today! That's like sooooo early! ;)
Thanks for the review. I actually missed out on the battle pack in 2008 (my boys were not old enough to buy Lego then), so I am looking forward to getting this for the minifigure and the cool ship, one of my favourites from the movies.
Awesome! I didn't realize that there was a mini Tantive IV coming out which is PERFECT because I want one to match my 10198 Tantive IV!
@Zordboy - err - I was actually referring to a wasteful excess of non-bio-degradable packaging being a general downer for our own environment. But yes, Alderaan could have done with some sort of protection. Maybe you can use 75011 and 75008 as a sort of 'before' and 'after' demonstration for 9676.
Clearly a great little model. Apart from the average figure, looks like a good set.
The Tantive is my favorite Star Wars ship and so I'm glad to see such a nice design for this set. I don't mind the extra trooper--those guys are always outnumbered so a few more of them around is a good thing!
Bah Huw, you keep making me want these with your excellent reviews.... :-P
Great review @Huw! But words cannot express how much I loathe the term "SNOT". :/
Hmmm; the way the back part "clicks" on is very creative.
I love the term SNOT, and BURP, and isn't there even POOP? And no I'm not talking about the TMNT sets. ;)
Very nice ship, the planet is an awesome color. The minifigure is lacking, but really brings a new meaning to "turn that frown upside down". :)
Thanks for the review. I actually plan on getting this since I don't already have that figure. I passed on the Advent calendar because it wasn't that appealing to me (even at 50% off) and I don't have any battle packs from previous years since I only got into LEGO SW in 2012. So this has win all over for me. But I agree, the snowspeeder takes the cake.