It is a fairly well accepted fact that the republic frigate was one of the best sets from 5 years of clone wars sets. The frigate was released back in 2011 and wasn't slightly outdated then, yet the ship itself is almost identical to this. This set's structure was a tough and remains hidden from the outside while still being able to maintain itself after a drop of around 4ft where the only damage was external, only on the detail.

The choice of ship itself is rather odd, due to it only having a small amount of screen time, only the first scene in episode 1. I think that we are also unlikely to get another version, due to Disney trying to reduce the prequel trilogy sets, especially such a minor ship which would cost around £120-£130 if it were released today. However, it has a very distinct shape, which paired with the bright red colour-scheme has a striking appearance perfect for the ambassadors or 2 jedi knights.

Inside, the ship has a generous space inside which has a computer terminal, droid bay, cargo bay, 2 hidden missiles and a small speeder bay, which is covered by a removable plate section. The droid bay, cargo bay and computer terminal are all very simple with just a small bricks and tiles put together. They all work however do leave an impression of only being there to take up the space. In contrast, the missile bay is space efficient and has 2 large missiles which can be launched from behind an foldable panel. They can even be fired from outside the ship. However, the speeder bay seems unnecessary as there isn't even a suggestion of an exit and the speeder itself seems ameteur-ish and a waste of pieces. This could perhaps have been replaced with something more useful, such as a missile bay or a meditation chamber.

Just behind this, there are 2 simulated escape pods which fill an awkward space between the crew quarters and engines. The engines are large and have a light, hollow build with 4 quarter cylinder panels which allows a central weight distribution and optimizes the use of the handle. The handle on the ship is one of the few negating factors of the set as it can't lift, which for collectors can be a issue as it takes much more skill to move it, which for children will also limit it's playability. The highest point on the ship is the communications array, which has many large radar dishes which are attached on from a variety of connection points, which creates an aesthetically pleasing look.

At the front, the cab is a simple design which has space inside for 1 pilot, which is a shame as if it fitted a second, then people could reenact the scene at the start of the film, especially with the two pilots, who are otherwise useless. However, it is very movie accurate and has a seamlessly integrated into the build. The entire cab section can also be pulled forwards to release the escape pod. This escape pod holds the 2 jedi, including capes, hoods and lightsabres. It can easily be split in half to fit the figures on the seats.

The set contains 5 figures; 2 republic pilots, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gonn Jinn and a green astromech droid. The astromech was the first of it's kind as it was one of the only astromech droids, which weren't R2-D2 at the time. The 2 jedi are nothing special however were definately necessary so are justified additions. The 2 republic pilots had the same plain legs, smiling faces and printed torsos. The torsos have a simple yet effective print and this is fine for the figures. One has a simple haircut and the other has a cap. This could have also been improved with the addition of the tc-14 astromech.

Overall, the set is very appealing to children and collectors alike. It was extremely good value at only£69.99 when it was new as well as occasionally coming up cheaply online if you know where to look, going as low as £50. It is for these reasons that I believe that the set is very high quality and one of the best episode 1 sets ever released.

I grabbed this gem of a set recently on ebay, winning an auction from an AFOL selling off his collection. First off this is the first *100%* complete set from ebay that was actually 100% complete. It is also in immaculate condition, the pieces look like they just came out of sealed bags. And that just started the joys of this fantastic set.

Pros

• Pro 1: The Republic Cruiser doesn't get much screen time, but it is instantly recognizable. You can tell the model creators wanted to make a predecessor to the Correllian Corvette, and they did a good job. LEGO took those few minutes of screen time and made a detailed set, it looks exactly like the ship from the movies. From the shades of red to the general shape, to the antenna dishes all over, lots of detail on this set.
  
• Pro 2: The build was a lot of fun. You start out with the center hull, then the front, then the rear sections, then back to finishing off the center. The ship is held together smartly with Technic pins and bricks. Quite a clever way to build and hold the pieces in place. The colors used are great, bright reds, dark reds, whites, and splashes of grey and black. So many Star Wars ships are dark grey and light grey, its cool to have a brightly colored ship in my collection.
  
• Pro 3: This is also a very sturdy ship. When I first got it I thought there would be problems with the hull plates coming off, but nope, it all stays together. The tail is held together with plates and the front with bricks. The set has some heft to it, but it actually is balanced pretty well.
• Pro 4: Playability! This set is full of it. First off it is swooshable. But there are some really cool features in it. The cockpit opens; the pod underneath drops out when you slide the cockpit section forward; the pod itself opens up and there are a couple of seats for our Jedi; the hull has a removable top which exposes the interior, one side has a weapons locker and a small swoop-craft while the other side has a spot for the R2 unit and a navigation station, the sides also have extending cannons (no flick fire missiles!); back in the rear you have rotating dishes and nicely detailed engines. Oh, and landing gear! The gear looks exactly like in the movies and articulates well.
• Pro 5: Five minifigures, the perfect amount for this set. You get Qui-Gon, Obi-wan, a pilot, the captain, and a green R2 unit. All are great additions to a collection, though the pilot and captian are exclusive to this set. And as I said before they all actually fit inside the ship. Nicely done, LEGO.
  

Cons

• Con 1: Its hard to make a perfect set, but looking at this one I can't say I'd do anything differently. Others have commented about the tail being heavy, but the set sits just fine on a table. The interior is packed with features, so nothing to add there. I gave this 5 bricks because I don't think there's room for improvement.
  

The original RRP was about $90 US, which is pretty good considering how many pieces this set has. I was able to grab it for WELL under that, so I have to give this set 5 bricks for value (not easy with a Star Wars set). If you're on the fence about getting the Republic Cruiser I say take the dive and grab one while you can. This is a fantastic set, great playability, and cool minifigures.

Set #7665 Republic Cruiser: My first ever large scale LEGO Star Wars vehicle and the last Episode 1 set I have left to review. (Yes I am going in chronological order by episode for my reviews.) I was so glad that I managed to pick this beauty up, here's hoping it won't be my last.

The Republic Cruiser is a massively scaled vessel built up with mostly red and grey parts with a few other colors thrown in for variety's sake. The construction is time consuming, it won't be done in under five minutes that's for sure, but it is very satisfying as you get to see all of the pieces coming together to form the vessel seen briefly at the onset of Episode One.

This ship is loaded with tons of fun little extras. First of all it has landing gear that can be folded up to simulate the vessel in flight. Secondly it includes two little detachable sections that include some interesting play features. There is a miniature little ship that any of the Mini-Figures can pilot, probably used primarily by the crew to check over the exterior of the vessel and conduct repairs, considering how large this vessel is. There is a weapons storage case, two blasters and a pair of macrobinoculars are stored inside. On the opposite side you'll find a small computer terminal and a docking station for the Astromech droid. On top of that these two sections have laser weapons that can be popped out of hiding to do battle with cowardly Trade Federation Vulture droids.

The cockpit only seats one, but it is a very clever design, the ships engines and rear assembly is also extremely clever looking and I enjoy the overall design aesthetic used to create the ship. Ah yes, the top panel is removeable to get into the interior, I neglected to mention that. There is also one final gimmick, you can put Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon into the round circular pod (presumably the Escape Pod) and you can simulate launching it by pushing forward on a hidden gimmick activating Technic rod.

The Mini-Figures included with this ship are two Republic crewmen, an Astromech droid and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon the Jedi. I have heard that this set involved a factory error in which Qui-Gon had Obi-Wan's Episode Three head by mistake. I'm not sure how widespread it was, but mine also had this problem and I was fortunate enough to be able to recieve the piece through LEGO's site. I am not sure if this practice is still in effect, considering this ship is unfortuantely no longer widely available.

Overall I'd have to say I was highly satisfied with this set, it is a large and impressive looking ship, the colors are all very cleverly chosen and the selection of Mini-Figures is excellent, if there is only one thing I would have changed for this set, it would be the inclusion of an extra Qui-Gon hairpiece for the Qui-Gon Mini-Figure. But as it stands, this is a strongly recommended set and a decent looking starship for your LEGO Star Wars display.

This set was a very interesting set. I really liked the minifigs, mainly Qui-Gon.
Now on to Pros and Cons! :^D

Pros:
Awesome minifigs:
Qui-Gon Jinn
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Captain
Pilot
Green droid;
Flesh Qui-Gon head!
Nice red parts and other details
Salon Pod removable

Cons:
Not interior play room
breaks when not handled with care;
(if you read another review of mine on the Star Destroyer saying breaks when handled with care, I meant breaks when not handled with care, sorry)
I got 2 light blueish gray dishes instead of 2 dark red( because I got it on eBay :^( )

Other than that a great set!

I like the fact lego did a different colour droid other than the red one seen in other sets like 7259 and 7658. it shows lego is not lazy.

figures
pros: droid, pilot, captain, obi wan and qui gon are all found in this set (obi wan and qui gon have hoods and are not yellow which makes them different to the older figures of them), droid is green not red
cons: none

space speeder mini-vehicle
pros: wings fold up for storage in the ship
cons: none

cargo containers
pros: can store equipment
cons: none

ship
pros: has a opening cockpit, has hidden guns, satillite dish can rotate, has landing gear, roof can be removed, escape pod can be "launched" and opened
cons: hard but possible to seat the pilot, not 100% airtight

pieces
pros: hoods
cons: none

build
pros: strong
cons: sort of hard (could also be a pro)

price
pros: worth it
cons: expensive

I recommend this set to any star wars fan but not to young kids because as I said before this set is sort of hard
I hope you found my review helpful