One of the free giveaway sets in the with the UK's Daily Mail promotion, this model was a must have from the moment I first caught a glimpse of it.

Parts

A couple of interesting pieces, but nothing too special.

The completed model

A fairly good representation of the Star Wars ship we see briefly in Episode III, and throughout other Clone Wars media. The one issue I have with the model are the wings. This was something I noticed when I compared it to the previous poly-bag release, way back in 2005 (set no. 6967).

In the film, and the first poly bag model, the wings taper forward, towards the nose. In this model however, presumably to accommodate the newer engine design, they taper back towards the rear of the ship. If you're familiar with the original design of the ship, you'll see that it does look slightly odd.

Aside from that, it's a good model and definitely has a 'swooshable' quality to it.

Overall opinion

Well worth getting hold of, even if the wings do seem like a bit of a step backwards from the previous incarnation. Plus, as part of the giveaway, it works out at £0.60 overall which is always a bargain; I suppose one shouldn't complain too much...

Set #30247 ARC-170 Starfighter: I do enjoy these Star Wars Polybags, they often have some nice microship designs. Not as large as the Microfighter designs, however very enjoyable and collectible. Fans of polybags will often find solid builds and models in these sets. There are a few that suffer, however let’s check on the pros and cons of this polybag and see whether you should track it down.

Pros:

• The design of the model here captures the vehicle fairly nicely for such a small build and incorporates some nice use of parts. Particularly the two blank dark red minifigure heads which some may wish to use for statue MOCs or special characters with faceless masks.

• This model is fun to play with and makes a great desk toy.

• The build is solid and parts don’t come flying off if you happen to drop it, not much of a pro I understand for some people, however I felt I’d mention it here.

Cons:

• Honestly, about the only con I can see on this set is minor cosmetic issues. Some fans may not like the design of the wings for this ship strictly due to the SNOT fans out there. With most of the model using plates to cover up the studs, the fact that the main wings still have three on either side might upset a few people. Not me, but some people. (Even then the side wings cover up two of them so they aren’t visibly noticeable on display.)

Overall opinion

Overall I’d have to say this is a solid offering from LEGO polybag designers yet again. Some ship designs are just too awkward or not very fun when brought down to this scale. The ARC-170 isn’t one of them. And polybags help flesh out Brickfilm scenes when used. I recommend finding this set if you still can, picking it up and enjoying it. Try and get multiples if you can, like with all polybags the piece count can often be hit or miss when it comes to price per. However you can rarely go wrong with Starfighters.