Directly from Tartavovskij's Star Wars Clone Wars epic cartoon comes this amazing starfighter. Building process was very enjoyable and it took me less than 50 minutes. Let's jump into the details!!

The minifigures are just great. Anakin padawan is the same from the last republic gunship (2013 version), and it's almost perfect (especially his secondary angry face), beside the missing robotic hand, also hairpice is cool but doesn't really lead me to his crew cut. Asajj here is brand new and it's better than the tcw gunship's one that we got long time ago. She's got awesome details and good sabers. There's even an unnamed astro-mech unit, with a striking red head that perfectly contrast the overall colour scheme.

The fighter itself is bigger that i originally thought. It's very long and cumbersome (32cm long and 21cm wide!!), and has a lot of playfeatures. But even just taking a good look is very satisfactory. The shape captures the feels of the cartoon vehicle, and the bright colours really makes it stands out from any other similiar starfighter. Even the internal engines are very impressive, the level of detail is high. The ejectable function that pushes out the droid is pretty good, as for the easly detachable cockpit, which cas work as an escape pod if the main build goes down amids the battle. There are 4 spring-loaded blue shooters, 2 per side, plus 2 more spare which you can stow under the vehicle (or maybe hide your lightsaber). Inside the cockpit it's also possible to attach a microbinocular. Finally let's not forget the frontal retractable landing gear that does his job. There are 6 stickers involved, although they really add good details. So even thought all this features works well, the shooters loaded as well as the overall structure doesn't help you to swoosh it around, so playability suffers a little bit here (there's not really a leg to hold it properly).

As for the price, 50 euros is slightly overpriced, i mean the thing has a good bulky size, nonetheless 40 euros seems more appropriate to me, so if you can i would suggest not to spend too much. Anyway, it's so cool that it's just a minor issue really.

Overall it's a very beautiful set! Not only it's a fantastic starfighter with a unique shape, but it's also carrying the feeling of the story arc with Anakin dueling Ventress from that old glorious cartoon. I'm very proud of having it in my collection.

Anakins Custom starfighter blasts into the Lego Star Wars Galaxy

Box/Instructions:

Now standard Lego Box with action shots on the back. Colourful and impressive. Does the job required.

Parts:

370 pieces so not the biggest set. Mainly blue and white. Has 4 spring shooters. Some technic pieces are used. There is a couple of light blue transparent pieces included, I've not seen this colour used in Star Wars sets that I've built and they are nice to use.

Minifigures:

Set comes with 3 figures. Red Astromech Droid, Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress. The droid, standard astromech and red. Anakin come with his blue blade lightsaber and 2 expression on the head. Asajj Ventress updated figure. My favourite in the set. 2 red lightsaber.

The build:

Good build, 3 bags, build body first then onto the wings, cockpit is built last. Not the hardest set to build and instructions are easy to follow. Comes with stickers. I'm not a fan of stickers but understand why Lego do them as more cost effective, they add to the set especially the engines at the front.

The completed model:

Once the set is complete it looks great. Great colour scheme.

Overall opinion:

I like this set. I think it is worth having in the collection and goes great with the other Jedi Starfighters. It's got great playability. But the inclusion of a very different Asajj Ventress adds real collectibility.

Box/Instructions

I was impressed with the box. It was very square and not a rectangle that I was expecting. Since Disney recently bought Lucasfilm this set was a part of the first wave of Lego Star Wars that Lego released under Disney's name. Disney's logo is very clearly printed on the front of the box. The Rebels style Stormtrooper and orange and brown color scheme provides a stark contrast to the blue and white of the starfighter. It's very catching and I was able to spot it easily in the store.

Parts

I was shocked with the amount of golds and browns that were included in this set. Not all are visible but those that are are nice details and touches to the overall look of the model. I had to reapply the stickers that represent the turbines on the front of the engines several times to achieve perfection. Even thought this set is not called the 'Azure Angel', it was nice of Lego to include a sticker on the right side of the cockpit that featured a highly decorative red A.

Minifigures

I have the newest republic gunship so I was wishing for a slight variation of Anakin Skywalker. Since he loses his robes in this episode of the Clone Wars, it would've been cool to have a different version of Anakin. But it is of no consequence. The Asajj Ventress minifigure is perfect. Lego didn't miss a beat when it came to designing her. The torso and head is spot-on to the character in the Clone Wars. I love her almost distasteful expression that is printed on her head. Lastly the R2 unit. It has no name and is merely called the Astromech Droid. Being red, it is a nice touch to the blue and white of the starfighter. I always enjoy recieving new Astromechs since I do not own the newest V-wing fighter.

The build

This is the only Clone Wars style Jedi starfighter that I possess so I do not know how to compare it's build with the previous versions. But, the build by itself is excellent. I was shocked by how long it was becoming and how Lego incorporated the engine turbines into it. Building the cockpit separately was different for me but was executed properly and I couldn't think of a way it could be improved. Overall an excellent medium difficulty build.

The completed model

I love it. The completed model is just spot-on and without a doubt one of the most fun things I've recently built. the inclusion of four spring loaded missiles is a welcome addition and I cannot complain about really anything in this model.

Overall opinion

Lego aced it. When it was first announced as a set with no pictures I wondered how they would accomplish the wings in the front that flare upwards but now that I've built it, it is awesome. 10/10 from me. Love it.

NOTE: If you don't want to take a little trip down memory lane and see the history behind this set, then skip the next paragraph and read the rest of the review. I do tend to become a little too nostalgic when it comes to my childhood :P

Now if you were like me and watched Cartoon Network religiously while it still had quality shows (Ed Eddn' Eddy, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog), you will remember a little phenomenon known as Star Wars: Clone Wars. Now I'm not talking about the computer animated series that lasted for a number of years and managed to destroy much of the canon novels/comics that had been printed during the period between the releases of Star Wars Episodes II and III. I'm talking about the Samurai Jack styled cartoon microseries that won 2 Emmys for Outstanding Animated Picture. The show was an absolute blast, with each episode detailing the struggle and/or triumph of Jedi and Clone heroes against the evil Separatists. Aside from the great storyline, there were a multitude of wonderful character designs and vehicles that we had never seen before, including the Shark Nosed Republic Gunship and Anakin's Custom Starfighter, AKA The Azure Angel. I always thought it was a shame that Lego had never made any sets based off of this wonderful series, so when I saw this on the lineup for Winter 2015, I became very excited and counted down the days until it was released.

Box/Instructions

It seems that Lego has begun to package their sets in a new manner. The cardboard appears to be a sturdier material, and there also seems to be a lot less air in the box when you open it. In fact, the bags were packed into the box rather tightly, and my instruction booklet was all bent up, even with a small tear on the front page! Luckily I am not one to collect boxes or worry about torn instruction booklets, so it didn't bother me too much. It should also be noted that I received two sticker sheets. I'm not sure if this is Lego's new tactic when it comes to $40+ sets, or if it was simply a packaging error and some unfortunate builder is missing a sticker sheet.

Parts

The parts were all of a very attractive navy blue, bright blue, white, and a hint of gold. There were a lot of pieces I had never even held before, such as the 2x2 Round Tile w/hole, or the brick with the actual brick and mortar design. Of course if you are a scavenger and like to make air/space craft, this is the ideal set for you to cannibalize.

Minifigures

The minifigure selection for this set was very fitting, and I can certainly say I'm glad they aren't styled in the manner of the computer animated Clone Wars.

Anakin Skywalker makes his second appearance in this set, the other being the wonderful 75021 Republic Gunship. He is identical to that one except he comes equipped with a blue lightsaber instead of the borrowed green one he was issued after being taken prisoner on Geonosis. One thing that I've seen on the forums and I was quick to notice was that Anakin's right hand is still flesh colored in this set. He did indeed have his right hand cut off after an encounter with Count Dooku, but it could easily be replaced with a spare hand from a C-3P0 figure.

Asajj Ventress makes her first non-Clone Wars appearance in this set, with her ghostly white eyes and double lightsabers. She is very accurate to the Star Wars: Clone Wars series, as well as the other sources she appears in.

The generic Astromech Droid included with this set is just dandy. He's so dandy he doesn't even need a serial number, he's just "Astromech Droid." He fulfills his purpose in this set, and I won't go into any detail on him except that this is his second appearance in a set, the other being 75039 V-Wing.

The build

The build was highly entertaining for me, as the last Jedi starfighter I built was 7669 Anakin's Jedi Starfighter in 2008. The build was very different from the usual sets I build, as I can usually guess what is going to happen next. Not this set. I was surprised by the different techniques employed to achieve the unique angles and shapes of this starfighter. My favorite part would have to be the fact that the cockpit itself was built separately from the rest of the starfighter, and was stuck on at the end. It allows for a much more smooth look and if you really wanted, would allow for Anakin to eject in case he lost in a dogfight!

The completed model

The Azure Angel looks wonderful when completed, and easily fits in with my other collection of spacecraft and starfighters. I am a little disappointed that Asajj Ventress' Fanblade starfighter wasn't made as a separate set to compliment this one, but it is nice that it was printed on the control panel for The Azure Angel. This set does come with 4 of the new spring loaded launchers, but I find them much too sensitive to keep loaded, so I just put the "lasers" in a bag and leave them unloaded. The massive turbines blend in very well, and don't look like they were just quickly thrown on at the end. The sticker count was considerably low for a starfighter of this size, with the only real tricky one being the long one that goes across the front.

Overall opinion

I absolutely love this set! It brings back memories, it's solid, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I know a lot of people are underwhelmed by this wave of Star Wars sets, but I think that this set stands out from the others, as it has never been done before, and it comes from source-material that has been almost completely forgotten for at least 8 years.

Pros:

Wonderful design

Great minifigures

Decent price

From the ORIGINAL Clone Wars series

Double Stickers!

Cons:

Very tight packaging

Bent up instructions

I HIGHLY recommend this set, and if you haven't seen the original Clone Wars series yet, all three seasons can be played back to back to back for FREE on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVk9lPotcW4

Perhaps I'm going a touch soft in my old age, but I've really come around to the pointy-nosed Jedi fighters from the Prequel era. In an absolute jungle of dull grey lumps (looking at you The Twilight), flat heaps of nothing (Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader) or ugly grey flat heaps of nothing (just watch yourself Pirate Snub Fighter), the Jedi fighters are cheerful, colourful and individual.

And while time was that these were being fired out of Lego's factory at such a rate that fatigue with the design was definitely working against them, 2016 saw the king of the bunch shine through - from a no-longer-canon source, no less.

(tasty sandwich not included)

Ah but yes, this fine specimen comes from the 2003 2D Clone Wars cartoon, as opposed to the later 3D one. As such, it predates the idea that yellow would be Anakin's colour of choice for his space-vroom-vrooms, or that he'd be attached at the hip to bankable character favourite R2D2. Instead, he gets a spicy red version, guaranteed to live a long and happy life as Annie's copilot.

I really love the design. There's something very believable in the idea that the teenage Anakin Skywalker would be the space equivalent of one of those boy racers that slap extra spoilers and custom paint jobs on a Ford Focus, make the engine extra-noisy and drive it round and round the town centre of a Wednesday night.

The space equivalent being ridiculously huge engines, an even pointier pointy end, extra fins (very important in space), twice as many guns and even an escape pod. Seems Anakin picked up his hydrospanner and just never put it down again. He'd still be twiddling with it today if the entire show hadn't been stricken from canon like that.

Problem is, this is Lego, and even at the top of their game the designers had to eventually admit defeat. The underside of the ship has no actual bodywork to it - with most Jedi fighters this is less of an issue as the wings make most of the shape anyway. But here, the blue-and-white striped hull plating should go around the bottom of the big engine thingies (I know, I know they're the hyperdrive, stop your foaming), but it just doesn't.

Is it a problem if you never look at the underside? Well, kinda, yeah. You don't swoosh your ships around? You're dead to me, friend. Yeah, the lack of a proper bottom is the one black mark against an otherwise stellar design.

Wait, not quite the only black mark. The gun fittings are a bit low-effort, if we're being honest.

What makes this really stand out is when you put it next to any other pointy Jedi fighters, in particular the recent #75333 Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Fighter. Suddenly Anakin's fighter just radiates charm and vibrancy, setting itself apart as being quintessentially Anakin.

The boy racer that became a magic space wizard. Brings a tear to your eye.

Oh! And Asajj Ventress is there too! Miss you, gurl.