I recently got this set for my birthday and was so impressed with it that I feel the need to write a review on a four year old set. Before I get started I will say first that the current price simply is what it is, being a retired set. Second, I hope you can follow my trainwreck of thought as I discuss aspects of this set relevant to 2017, today, or both.

This set was one of my favourites to build and certainly to display. Im not sure why I didn't buy it when it was available, but Im very happy to have received it for my birthday four years later. Lego Star Wars sets are so predominately grey, black, or, well, grey. This set just stands out from the rest! It has a unique shape and the dark red, white, and lime green colour is so rare to see in a SW collection. You build the Starfighter first, and theres not much to say about that, only that I appreciated the built in droid body storage, so you can display R4s head on the wing, but also quickly assemble the entire droid without rummaging around in your minifig bin. The stud shooters are disappointing, but don't look too awful without the triggers or green studs attached. But now onto the hyperdrive ring, the reason this set is so good. This is one of only two hyperdrive ring sets ever made, and the other, #7661 is actually quite different. This was one of very few sets I mess up on, but the main technic ring was slightly challenging and I needed to rebuild several areas. Once the panels start going on, it takes shape quickly! I was, however, very disappointed when one of the dark red plates snapped in two. I am quite concerned because this set was only four years old, and was sealed in box. I never thought a piece would break so quickly. I recently built #8019 Republic Attack Shuttle and many pieces broke. That set was twelve years old, and I was expecting it to happen, but this set should not have broken pieces already, Lego is basically selling sets with broken pieces is they break that fast. I am NOT impressed. Anyway, the two massive engines were fun to build and really finish off the look. The Starfighter release function was overhyped, and I was most impressed by its ease of attachment to the ring. Its easy to slip into place, and it stays attached well. The minifigs are quite nice and of course, a major reason for me wanting this set, was Jango Fett. Obi Wan is an okay minifig, just nothing really special. R4 P17, however, is a much more exciting addition, even being a droid. I get so tried of the same old R2 in every other set, and its nice to get a different droid for a change! Young Boba is also rather bland, especially considering his uselessness in this particular set. Like, really, Jango battling Obi Wans Starfighter with only a jetpack is far fetched enough, adding lil Boba to a rowdy fight like that could only end in disaster! Jango is definitely the best minifig in the set. His rareness as a minifig, his popularity as a character, and the overall look of his armour make him a very fine addition to my collection.

In the end, the price of this set is what it is and theres no use in complaining. I will say that if you want this set, you should probably just buy it now before it gets more expensive. Youre adding a unique, colourful set to your collection and an awesome minifig as well. Obi Wan and R4 go well with the set, Jango is excellent for a minifig collection, and Boba can sit around and pester Mace Windu. This set is somewhat playable, but definitely looks great on display. I give the overall set a 10/10. Price is irrelevant, and the worst thing I could think of is an extra minifig. The broken piece might be a rarity, and I sure hope so, because if Lego knowingly makes a piece only lasts four years, than Im not impressed.

Set:

The set itself is a good set that I would recommend to everybody. I think it is the best LEGO Star Wars set from Attack of the Clones.

Price:

This set it a tad bit overpriced. I know that the 2007 model was $60, but this set has about 300 more pieces than the previous model. If you really like the vehicle as a whole, the price won't matter. This set is still worth it, anyway.

Playability:

Taking the starfighter out of the hypedrive ring is a lot easier than the 2007 model. Unlike the 2007 model, you can fly it upside down and around without the ship falling out. It also has spring-loaded shooters, which I am not a huge fan of.

Display:

The set looks great on display! I recommend displaying the set at the same height that you are. It looks strange when you display it too high or too low on a shelf. This set's ring has he same height and diameter as the 2007 model, so they look great together!

Minifigures:

You get Jango Fett, who is slightly more updated than the 2013 edition, a new young Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R4-P17. A pretty unique minifigure selection.

Overall:

Overall, I would recommend this set to collectors and kids who are a fan of Star Wars as a whole. This is the only 2017 set that I actually loved.

Was able to get this set early from a local Canadian TRU. They had two on the shelf so I scooped it at full price ($129 CDN).

My 7 yr old had few issues with the build aside from reversing a few pieces from the hyper drive. The starship lacks left and right wing legs like you see in Episode II and also mounts to the hyperdrive from above not below. I can't blame them for this as mounting from below would be less stable. The wings also appear more narrow than the movie but the overall look is great.

No comment on price as it is what it is. Pay to play.

As for playability, you can swoosh with decent stability and also display easily. The only gripe here is the difficulty my 7 year old has releasing the starship from the hyperdrive. It requires some dexterity or else you are pulling the cockpit or engines or both off.

Minifigs are great getting both Jango and Baby Boba together. R4's head is removed when mounting to starship and his body is stored in a recess in front of the cockpit. I love Obi Wan's head paint

The Jedi Starfighter and its hyperdrive ring instantly became my favorite Star Wars ships since first seeing it in Episode 2. The dogfight scene between it and the Slave 1 were one of the best Star Wars ship scenes in my opinion. I'd like to open by saying that I have held out on previous Jedi Starfighter sets in the past because it is my favorite and I have high expectations for a set representing it. I should also note that I have created MOCs of this very ship out of dissatisfaction with Lego official designs. In addition, I have over 3 dozen Lego Star Wars sets from big to small.

The inclusion of the Hyperdrive Ring and some good looking minifigures finally compelled me to buy a set of this ship. Though, looking at the pictures I still had issue with some of the design choices that carried over from previous versions, I thought overall this iterations wasn't that bad.

First of all, let me just express my disappointment with one aspect of the construction. There are technic axles that go through the middle of Hyperdrive engines. These axles are actually too short to accommodate all of the pieces shish kabob-ed onto them to form the engine. Well to be technical, they are just barely long enough. However,them being just barely long enough is an issue. The pieces of the engine aren't that secure or flush because you have to toy with them to barely get them all on. Honestly that's unacceptable. They should have included longer technic axles, took some of the pieces out of the engine section, or something similar. I am required to potentially modify the design. I do not pay nearly $100 for this kind of nonesense.

Now moving on to the price, it costs too much. I'm starting to get used to this with Lego. Many of you may relate, I've argued with a lot who disagree in defense of Lego. However, this set objectively is over the 10 cents per part average. A more subtle metric, however, is to compare this set to 7661 Jedi Starfighter w Hyperdrive Booster Ring (Eta-2). That set is 575 pieces and features 6 engines instead of 2. It should be noted that the Eta 2 Starfighters are a different design and require fewer pieces. Never the less, I can't help but feel this confirms my suspicions that Lego is inflating costs by inflating piece count using multiple small pieces for unnecessary detailing or in lieu of a single piece that would serve the same function as the multiple pieces used. This set is 250 pieces more than 7661. Keep in mind, 250 pieces is almost as much as it takes to build another Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter (based on the parts counts of recent sets that utilize much the same design as the Delta-7 featured in this set). I would implore you all to search your feelings honestly about whether this set should be so many parts more than set 7661. [A few examples of this are provided in the images]

The booster ring is much the same design as 7661. There are four inaccuracies with this set. The first is that the Starfighter locks in from the top, whereas the in the movies, the star fighter locks in from the bottom. In addition, the Starfighter sits too far forward in the Hyperdrive ring versus how it does in the movie. Understandably, designing the set to get these details accurate would have been much harder. Nevertheless, it is inaccurate. The Hyperdrive engines also are inaccurately shaped. They should be of a wider diameter in the middle where they connect to the ring, tapering to a smaller diameter (in a conic fashion) toward the ends. This set portrays the opposite. In the movie version, you can notice support structure where the ring attaches to the engines. This is completely absent from the Lego set. I feel this is a lazy omission.

Honestly I feel regret buying this set. I love this design from the movies and was eager to finally get a good rendition and I'm ultimately left wishing I had waited for a better future version or designed my own. I may end up trying to modify this one if time permits. I would have given this set a 2.5 if I could. But I felt 2 was perhaps too critical and too low. I do feel that 3 (being average) is too high.