Box/Instructions

Looking at it, you can hear the screams of the hundreds trees who gave their insignificant lives to make the cardboard used for that box.
The instructions consist of an 80 page booklet. Nothing to say except this recurrent problem: due to the ink color, it's sometimes hard to make the distinction between dark grey and black parts.

Parts

I bought this set because I'm a new AFOL. I haven't built anything since 2006 and I needed to get familiar with the new parts. Also, I wanted to build and X-wing or at least a Z-95, and I saw some interesting parts to do so :
- 6005069: Left Shell 3X12 W/Bow/Angle and its sister 6005098: Right Shell 3X12 W/Bow/Angle
- Four 6075221: Pallet 1.5 Mm 5X6 W. Forks, always useful if ever I decide to build a Jedi fighter.
- Four 6006541: Flat Tile 1X1, Round "No.10", a thermal detonator.
- Two 4650628: Cockpit 4X6X2 W Front Shaft, which is the successor of my old A-Wing and Naboo Starfighter canopy.
- 4179872: Right Brick 2X4 W/Bow/Angle, which I wouldn't have dared dream of as a child!
Enough parts to make two big engines.

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The negative point is the use of stickers. Even the round tiles with the Republic logo aren't printed. I just hope these stickers are resistant enough to last.

Minifigures

The other good reason to get this set : Four awesome minifigures, exclusive to the set. I don't know their background, but three of them could be from the canon stories as they have this "original trilogy look".
We have a Clone/Jedi, with a trans-blue arm and laser eyes. He could be a decent Bounty Hunter or a nice Clone Commander if you replace his blue arm.
The Ithorian Jedi master : so cool to have a non-human jedi! With a bodyswap, you can use his head, for example to make a Cantina customer. The quality of the material is really high: it is hard plastic with a precise print. The body is nice too, but you won't use it for a human jedi, as the neck color fits the Ithorian skin.
An Astromech droid : I love R2 units, and this one has beautiful colours. He reminds me one of the Astromech we see in The Phantom Menace when all the droids tends to repair Amidala's ship.
A protocol droid : I'm a bit disappointed by the head, completely grey. They could have painted his eyes in gold or something... The body saves the minifigure as the print is nice, with some silver damage.

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The build

It's quite a big set, the building isn't too fast and is really entertaining.The fact that there are stickers force you to build it in a steady place.

The completed model

I was surprise by the nice look of the model when built. This is not a ship you can see in the movies, not even in any Legends material. It was conceived by Lego to fit in the Star Wars universe and the designers did a really good job. It looks fast and deadly, but also elegant. There is a lot of playability with a turret, a storage compartment, and an emergency pod. There is enough space for two minifigs back to back in the cockpit, and an place for the Astromech droid. Due to his big head, it's quite hard to fit the Ithorian Jedi in the cockpit, but it's no big deal.

Overall opinion

I'm really glad having bought this set, as it contains a lot of interesting parts and four awesome minifigures to collect. Using only parts from this set, I was able to build a decent Z-95, which is what I was looking for. Oh, and did I mention that I got a discount on it?
I definitely think the Jedi Scout Fighter is a must have for any new AFOL. If you don't like the ship and consider it doesn't fit in your canon collection, you should still get the set for its minifigs and its parts.

The Jedi Scout Fighter set comes from the LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles mini animated series. Admittedly I’ve never seen the Yoda Chronicles – what I wanted from this set was just the Ithorian Jedi Master. The other three minifigures looked nice, especially the droids, so that was a plus. I was completely – and happily – surprised to find that the Scout Fighter itself is a fabulous ship, both fun to build and play with.

PROS:

Appearance: This set is very visually appealing with sleek lines and a nice white, dark red, and gray color scheme. And while the color scheme is nice it's neutral enough that the fighter could be a part of any fleet or group (if the round insignia pieces are removed). The tilt and size of the wings, pointed nose, and two sets of moveable rear fins make the Scout Fighter suggest it’s fast and maneuverable enough to handle any mission.

Sturdiness: The Scout Fighter is a surprisingly durable set. Most noticeably, the long, thin wings are much more solid than they look. LEGO made the wings with three layers of tiles to create stability and strength while maintaining the sleek profile. LEGO used to take shortcuts with their wings (noticeably on the old B-Wings) making them thin with no thought to strength. There’s no such problem with the Scout Fighter.

Cockpit: The cockpit has two functional canopies and seats two minifigures back-to-back. The interior is fairly roomy and easy to access. Due to his larger head the Ithorian Jedi has to lean back in order to sit in the cockpit, but not so much that it looks strange. Minifigs with standard heads and helmets can be placed more upright inside. The cockpit also detaches and can be used as an escape pod, which is pretty nifty.

Storage: A panel directly behind the astromech droid socket lifts up to reveal a large storage area with a removable “hover cart.” The cart carries two boxes, each holding one holocron. There’s also enough space to stash the minifigs’ weapons alongside the cart. With a little modification I’m sure more things could be put into the cargo area.

Minifigures: As mentioned above, my primary motivation behind buying this set was to get the Ithorian Jedi Master (silly, but the truth). The Ithorian minifig is great, with nicely printed Jedi robes and a newly made “hammer head.” The astromech droid is done in a cool dark blue and silver paint detail. The protocol droid is dark gray and silver, with a head that reminds me of a droid seen on the Death Star in A New Hope. Jek-14 is a pretty slick minifig, too, although I don’t get much use of him since I haven’t seen the series.

CONS:

Absence of Landing Gear: When the Scout Fighter is placed on the ground, table, etc. it sits partially on its wings. I wouldn’t advocate adding fancy fold-down landing gear, but a few pieces on the bottom of the hull could lift the wings off of the ground and reduce stress.

Spring-Loaded Shooters: I feel like this is going to be my constant dislike of new Star Wars sets. The missiles launch much easier, faster, and longer than their predecessors. This can be cool, but they can be very sensitive if you leave the launchers loaded. One misguided tap could send a missile flying across the living room and hit a sleeping family member.

Again, the Jedi Scout Fighter surprised me at how good of set it is, and I’m happy to have it in my collection. It’s fun to build and has some really great features. The sturdy design gives it lots of playability. While this set is probably even more enjoyable for fans of the Yoda Chronicles, it’s a great addition to any Star Wars collection.

One of the greatest aspects about Star Wars is that it takes place in a vast, imaginative galaxy (albeit now a slightly smaller one, with the recent Disney decree). And while the Jedi Scout Fighter does not exist within the canonical Star Wars saga (Yoda Chronicles not -withstanding), based on this model it is a ship that certainly could exist. With it's sleek design, formidable armament, and motley crew of characters, it is always a pleasure when LEGO offers something outside of the box that can stand confidently with the classic characters and vehicles we've come to love.

Box/Instructions

The box nicely shows off all of the playability and functions the set has to offer. Along with the action packed announcement of "spring loaded" missiles (I prefer to think of them as laser bolts) there is also a graphic informing us that this is from "The Yoda Chronicles", almost as a disclaimer that you are entering Expanded Universe territory.

Parts

The parts are more or less what you would expect for a Jedi Starfighter. Plenty of sloped pieces of red and white color indicating this is a Republic ship. Some interesting "engine" pieces and bright green "laser cannon" tips adorn the model to add some flair. Also included are the new "spring loaded" launcher bricks, which blend in well and allow for the missile-launching action.

Minifigures

I'm a sucker for distinct and special Star Wars minifigures. When the new Mos Eisley Cantina was announced as coming with 3 Bith musician figures, I couldn't resist. I have twenty Luke Skywalker figures and thirty Han Solos, so those are never a big pull for me. The Jedi Scout Fighter has 4 unique figures included that you won't find anywhere else (unless you count last year's "Jek-14's Starfighter").

Jek-14 is the main "protagonist" as far as I can tell from not actually seeing any Yoda Chronicles episodes. Apparently, he is a Force-sensitive clone (something that has been explained as futile in the EU as cloned Jedi always go insane...). Nonetheless, his design is unique. He is donning some specialized clone armor with an interesting helmet design. The printing on he legs, torso (front and back) and helmet is superb and detailed. His left arm is an interesting translucent blue with lightning printing, indicating Force powers ready to be unleashed. He has the usual double-sided head we have come to expect - one side the normal demeanor, the other sporting a twisted scowl and Force lightning crackling from his eyes. Overall, a very well executed minifigure, if only a bit similar to the previous version, which sported more color. Jek comes with a white hilted lightsaber.

The second "main" character is the Ithorian Jedi Master, a welcome addition to the Star Wars Lego universe. The "hammerhead" is well done, molded from hard plastic as opposed to the softer alien heads we've seen in the past. The orange and brown robes printed on the torso and legs are well done, simple but effective. He also comes with a standard green lightsaber.

Our next character is the RA-7 Protocol droid. I believe we have seen this model of droid before in the interior Sandcrawler scenes from "A New Hope", one of the hapless droids to be scavenged for scrap by the Jawas. This particular droid has seen better days as his torso and leg printing have some silver accents against the overall gray color scheme implying he's been banged up a bit. The head mold is nice, though it would have been great to have some printing on the "optical receptors" to add some contrast.

Finally we come to the plucky "astromech droid" - no other name given. I'm not sure how many unique astromech droids LEGO has churned out over the years, but I never tire of them. Sporting a dark blue and gray color scheme, this droid will fit in nicely in the astromech line-up.

The build

Not an overly complicated build needing only a single instruction booklet. Build the fuselage first, then the side "stabilizers" and finally the engines. There are many familiar techniques used if you've made a LEGO Star Wars model before. It actually seems to borrow many of the same build designs as the "Sith Fury-Class Interceptor" model, with it's curved wings and rear cargo hold features. Another nod to the shadowy Sith influence and subterfuge on the ailing Republic?

The completed model

This is a fun ship! Swooshable and filled with numerous playable features. The dual-seated cockpit is great to put Jek-14 and the Ithorian Jedi Master in to pilot. There is an escape pod function where the cockpit ejects from the fuselage of the fighter (though leaving the poor astromech droid socketed-in fending for himself). There is a handy storage compartment in the rear to house a repulsor-sled carrying two Holocrons (blue and green!) the Jedi's lightsabers and some thermal detonators if the heroes really get in a pinch.

In terms of weaponry, the Jedi Scout Fighter is packing some heavy duty fire power. Four blaster cannons, two (spring-loaded!) missile launchers, and a dual laser cannon that can rotate a full 360 degrees and pivot up and down for complete coverage make this ship armed better than your standard X-wing! The spring-loaded missiles work very well and shoot quite far. However they can go off with the slightest amount of pressure applied to them.

My one minor gripe is a wish for landing gear. Without it the ship sits flat on a table and the two "fin" arrays near the back get knocked out of place. I like my starships to have angular symmetry!

Overall opinion

This may not be the set for the Star Wars purist, and the idea of Jek-14 is a bit hackneyed, but I think it offers some great playability, unique characters, and wonderful diversity to the Star Wars universe!