If you want to play with a fighter plane this is probably one the best user friendly models you will ever buy.

Pros

driod decker has a great new design.

Flexible garage cart.

Easy opening cabin.

Model design is amazing.

Cons

Engine tails and tail occasionally snap off.

Sometimes tips on it's stand.

Spinning stand.

I think its one of Lego's best models released yet.It's definately worth every penny.

This is one of the best of these new Summer Lego Star Wars sets, this surprised me as I was not expecting as much from this model as there in fact is. The set itself is quite similar to the previous Naboo N-1 Starfighter, which was perhaps the main reason I was not terribly keen to buy this set, however, recently it has dawned on me how fantastic the Minifigures are, and I am not disappointed at all! Having got my hands on the model I am amazed, while the Starfighter itself shares many features with set 7660 - Naboo N-1 Starfighter with Vulture Droid, it has in fact rectified every problem I had with the previous incarnation! But despite the brilliance of the fighter, it is once again the Minifigures which steal the show for me.

Box/Instructions

The box is probably one of the nicest I have, while I don't buy the set for the box of course, the artwork on it is incredible! The Naboo Starfighter (flown by a young Anakin Skywalker) is flying up towards the assault on the Droid Control Ship above Naboo away from the Theed hangar in which the Jedi and Darth Maul are about to duel, just like in the Phantom Menace! Even the lasers coming from the AAT which we see shooting at Anakin are present, albeit not coming from quite the same place as in the film. The imposing waterfall which flows alongside the Palace can also be seen in the background, along with the obligatory explosion and flick-fire missiles. There is also a small inset picture of a battle taking place in the hangar between the other included figures around a maintenance vehicle which is included. I have noticed that in this image perhaps the Security Battle Droids need a little more target practice as they are shooting way over the head of the Naboo pilot, perhaps they would like us to believe they are warning shots, but somehow I think not. Incredibly this box lacks the 'New' stamp, although there are several new Minifigures!

The instructions were just fine, there were no mistakes and I had no missing pieces.

Parts

In this set there are not many new pieces that I can see, but there is a brand new canopy piece which looks brilliant, especially once you have applied the stickers which add more detail to the set as a whole. There are quite a few slope pieces so they could be useful, there are also many engine pieces which are always nice to have as well, as they always seem to come in handy.

Minifigures

Now, in my opinion, as I have mentioned, the figures are without doubt what makes this set great, I love them all, the young Anakin Skywalker, which featured some very detailed printing on his torso, back and front, as well as a double sided head, one with just his normal face, and one with flying goggles, which I think are really intended for use in set 7962 - Anakin and Sebulba's Podracers. The Naboo pilot is also very good in his striking red uniform, I think it is an improvement on the older one as this one is far more screen accurate. However sadly this figure lacks back printing, which is a bit of a let down but it does include a nice flying helmet with goggles and a fairly generic determined face, which could be useful for other Minifigures. He also includes some handcuffs. R2-D2 is a welcome addition but perhaps my only gripe is that they did not include one more Astromech, to accompany the Naboo pilot, R2 is all very well, but I think he is becoming an extremely common figure, anyway, he is very nice if you do not already have him with very detailed printing.

Onto the enemy, these are the best figures of the set for me, the two security battle droids are exceedingly detailed with red torsos printed with a small area of tan. The heads are also printed with a small amount of red this time. But yet to come is my favourite part of the set, the brilliant Droideka, without the doubt the best of the 3 they have released and an absolute design triumph! This one is the most detailed and is capable of rolling up into ball mode unlike either of the previous ones! If you cannot afford to, or simply don't want to buy the entire set, I would suggest you search for this figure for sale somewhere as it is simply brilliant. Or alternatively, you could contact me through my profile page and I will send you a list of the required parts to make your own, all of the bricks to make it are available from Pick-a-Brick on the Lego Website I believe. I feel this is a Minifigure which everyone should own!

The build

The build is fairly straight forward but for sticker haters out there, there are a huge number of stickers in this set, which do improve its look so it is probably necessary to put them on if you want the model looking at its best. This set actually includes many different building techniques which could make it a nice starter set for younger children to immerse themselves into the Star Wars theme. For instance this set is basically a master class in how to build great looking engines, a common feature in Star Wars, and also incredible bodywork, which is a must if you hope to design your own models in the future.

The completed model

The model is brilliant once completed, it features an ejection button for R2-D2, which is a fun feature to include, a hinged opening cockpit (something the previous incarnation of this fighter lacked) and two flick-fire missiles which fire quite well. The Starfighter is also very durable and Swooshable, another reason why it may appeal to younger children and if you would rather display your set it also includes a sort of stand, which supports the starfighter very well and allows it to turn. There is also a maintenance vehicle of some kind which can be driven by a Minifigure and features a small toolbox with a hammer and a wrench, a ladder for accessing the fighter, and 4 spare flick-fire missiles.

Summary

Overall, I think it is evident that I simply love this set, not just because of the unbelievably brilliant Droideka, but also because of the other Minifigures, as well as of course the Starfighter itself. In fact, because of everything! The only way I can think to improve this set is to include another Astromech droid, but that is perhaps asking a bit too much. The price in my opinion is fair, you get quite a lot of plastic for your money, and even more playability.

Overall - 10/10

A truly great set to build, display AND play with. My one complaint was the price ($59 CDN) but having found this at Zellers on Clearance for 40% off I was very pleased to add it to my collection. .

Box/Instructions

Everything is fairly normal here with the exception of the "special edition" marking along the side of the box.The instructions were bent in the box as was the sticker sheet but no real damage to either.

Parts

A LOT of yellow as you can imagine. Parts were all well used and and the ship comes together very nicely.

Minifigures

Nothing too special here:

2 droids

Boy Anakin

R2D2

Naboo Pilot

I was pleased to see the inclusion of the Naboo Pilot as I prefer to have the ship displayed with him in cockpit.

Something is off with Anakins hair IMO. Stands a little to tall off of his head or something. There is also a missed opportunity here to have second facial expression for Anakin that would have been nice. The extra helmet and goggles are a nice touch so you can display Anakin w/ hair and his helmet and goggles in hand.

The Build

Nothing too complex. The turbines can be a bit repetitive but they are very easy to complete and best to just build them both at the same time.

The Completed Model

The ship comes together nicely. Initially there seemed to be some strength issues during the build but once everything was in place the ship is very solid w/ the exception of the 3 "tails" on the back end.

The small stand that comes with this ship is perfect to display the ship in the manner in which it is first viewed in this scene... parked. The small tram/train w/ the ladder can be placed in close proximity to the ship and Anakin can be posed climbing the ladder w/ his helmet and goggles in hand.

I also think there's another missed opportunity here by not including some translucent blue pieces that could have been added to represent some thrust near the back end of the turbines for when the ship is in swoosh'ing mode. However, as mentioned above the scene in which TLG were recreating here is the hanger scene so it is understandable why this ship appears in 'park mode' when displayed on stand.

I personally have the ship displayed as though it were in flight and prefer it staged like the image below.

Summary

Despite not particularly loving the movie or the scenes in which this ship is featured I REALLY enjoyed putting this set together and the completed model looks fantastic.

The only real complaint with this set is the cost. At $59.99 CAD we land just shy of 20 cents per brick. Even at the US price of $49.99 we are still a little too high IMO. If you can find this set at a good discounted price (at least 20%) I would recommend it. It’s got a great display set up right out of the box and has some great play features as well.

The meat of this set (the ship) is very nice. It is a well known ship from the prequels and any kids (or un-jaded adult fans of the prequels) you have around the house are sure to enjoy it.

I would give it as high as an 8/10 or even 8.5/10 if it weren't for the price. Unfortunately for teh asking price it gets a 6/10 or 6.5/10.

This is my first review - mainly because there is only one for this set and I was so pleasantly suprised by it.

I wouldnt have bought this normally - since I rediscovered lego last Christmas I've only bought a few 'classic ship' sets, and only when I can get a good deal. But i had a 6 year old nephew coming, and at short notice £31.49 discounted in Toys r us seemed reasonable.

Sure enough he was delighted. from a childs point of view he loved the fact young Anakin was in it, Loved the droids, and loved the look of the ship. On that last point we can agree. Im not a huge fan of the proliferation of new vehicles in modern star wars, but the naboo fighter from Phantom menace is very stylish and retro, and is successfully recreated in this set.

The Set

As already mentioned, the ship itself is, I think, superb in terms of the look. it doesnt do much - just an ejector for R2D2 (which i dont remember being something that happens in Phantom Menace) and a couple of hidden flick fire missiles. Without wanting to be pedantic, it did seem odd to me that R2 can eject but not the pilot. Im not keen on sets where the piece count - and therefore the price - is bumped up with unneccessary extras. In this case, the ship comes with a small stand, as it has no feet of its own, and a small service vehicle. Also, there is a 'droideka' battle droid which doesnt really count as a minfigure, but bumps up the piece count, and 2 normal battle droids, as well as a naboo fighter pilot. As noted below though, in this case these extras might not be a waste of time...

The Minifigures

Personally, I find the whole 'Young Anakin' thing a bit teeth grinding - but it serves its purpose, and I do like the helmet and goggles. The 2 standard battle droids are pretty straightforward - Ive never had a set they come in before, and they dont really do anything for me. Like young Anakin I pretty much hate the droids from the films anyway. The naboo pilot is a little odd. I like the figure, but he comes in a russet coloured uniform. im sure in the film the outfit was beige/sand. It actually reminds me of the B wing pilot outfit. The battle droid isnt really a mini figure, but it was a pretty clever design, using lots of the same piece to create the structure. Definitely a worthwhile addition.

Playability

I must say that from a childs perspective, those extras increase the appeal of the set enormously. the vehicle, and droids provide real playability, and really change it from 'just' a ship into a playset. From my point of view, these would probably stay in the box, but the Naboo pilot means you dont have to use young Anakin if, like me, the whole concept of the child in the ship irritates you. The stand, i must say, was a real bonus - the ship looks EXCELLENT sitting in this on display.

Value for Money

In summary I suppose the extras in the set can be a bonus for a child more than an adult, but if you can get it discounted the value for money is not bad at all. I wouldnt pay £40 though.

The Build

For an adult this was pretty straightforward, no real WOW moments in the build, and although the 2 engines were repetitive, they dont take long to do. the set is aged 7+, so perhaps unsuprisingly my 6 year old nephew found some of it fiddly. There are a few stickers, but I didnt find them difficult to put on straight.

Overall

As an adult, I loved the ship on the stand, and I will buy it again for myself if i can find it in the sales for less than £30 - i might even just buy it from Amazon for £30.49. As a child, my nephew LOVED the set and played with ALL of it all weekend. Fair play to lego for understanding better than me what will appeal to a child.

alright, to start off, i have the original Naboo Starfighter. I also have the 2008 or '09 version ( i forget which year it was). this set seems to be a replica of the most recent version, but with a few piece changes. I love how the little tram-like vehicle can actually move around and has a ladder to get to the cockpit, and I love how it comes with a drodikea.

the one thing that I hate about this set, and utterly cannot stand, is the fact that it has the red battle droids. I know that they were in the scene, but i feel that by releasing these, it completely ruins the value of that minifigure, seeing as how it came out so many years ago.