Second review, set 9496 Desert Skiff.

Box and Instructions: Box art was fine I guess. Nothing too special. The instructions have 59 pages. The instructions have a couple of comics too.

Minifigures: There are 213 pieces in this set. There are four minifigures in this set, and they really are the stars of the show. First the bad guys in this set. Boba Fett (Head Beard Stubble) and Kithaba. Both are unique to this set. Then the good guys. Lando Carlissian - Skiff Guard, Tan Hips and Luke Skywalker (Dark Bluish Gray Jedi Robe). Also, they are unique to this set.

Parts: There are some good parts in this set for example: Sand Yellow Cockpit 4x8x2 3.2 and Facet Brick 3x3x1.

Complete Build: The overall set is just fantastic. I just like the playability of it, and the minifigures are fantastic. The sarlac pit has some wonderful pieces and so does the skiff itself. There is a great mechanism in the skiff that launches Boba Fett into the air I think. But overall this set is definetly a must-have if you are a Lego Star Wars collector.

PS. (spoiler! More reviews coming today. Thanks for reading!

So Boba Fett has to be one of the most expensive readily available minifigures on the second hand market. I also didn't have any Tatooine sets from Return of the Jedi, which made this set very tempting. When I saw that I can pick up this set for less than the original price I had to get it. Sure I paid a bit extra for shipping, but I would have had to pay tax in the store so it's a wash. Anyways, I couldn't be happier with this set.

Minifigures

Obviously Boba Fett is the star and he is beautifully detailed. A wonderful addition to my collection, although he is technically my 2nd copy of him as I have the child version of him with Jango's Slave I. Hopefully the rumors about him appearing in season 2 of the Mandalorian will be true and I'll be able to place him in my Razor Crest once it arrives.

Next up is Lando disguised as a guard. He too is another minifigure that can be hard to come by, the only other one I own is with the Kessel Run Falcon. Sure, he is in costume, and it must be paining him not to have a cape, but it is an excellent looking minifigure that I'm glad to have.

The other unique one is Kithaba. Overall I'm not too impressed with him, aside from his skin color, he doesn't really look like an alien. In fact, he could fit in as a criminal in a police set.

I don't know if this is a unique version of Luke, but given that I have quite a collection of Luke's, this one isn't too exciting unless you don't have one dressed in black. The hair is the old boring version which has been much improved recently. However given the importance of him in this scene, you got to have him.

You don't get Han or Chewie, but no doubt you probably already have enough of them and there is plenty of room to include them on the skiff as well.

The Build

The first bag is the sarlac. It's a rather simple straightforward build, but it does the job.

The next two bags build the skiff. I didn't expect anything too exciting given the number of parts, and of course nothing too exciting is what you get with this build. But there's nothing wrong with a nice quick build, and you wouldn't really want this set to be any bigger anyways.

The Model

I must say I'm awfully impressed in how well everything looks. The sarlac looks great, and while his head is a little too enlongated, it is very easy to feed minifigures to it, Boba Fett can even keep his gun. It would be nice if the Pit of Carcoon was built up a bit more, and I can certainly see creating a play feature that would allow the sarlac to emerge and close its mouth, but that of course would make the sarlac a set in itself, I think it will be something very fun to figure out how to MOC myself.

The skiff too looks great. Lego did as great a job as you could expect of them in making the curves and I love how it sits up high on a clear base. It has plenty of room for all the minifigures, and like I said, Han and Chewie could easily be added to the mix. The plank that swings out is also a very nice touch, allowing it to cross the desert, and then extend the plank. While it is too low to feed anyone to the sarlac, it wouldn't have made any sense to have a taller base, as it is it can tip over a little too easily. It is impressively large for a set with so few parts. It also has two other play features, storage for blasters in the center bench, and a flick fire missile underneath. Obviously those blasters will come in handy for Han and Chewie, although the flick fire missile is definitely out of place. Luckily it is completely out of view and could always be removed if it bothers you that much.

Overall I would say this an excellent set, and the minifigures make it an absolute bargain. Given it's very small part count, you would be hard pressed to find a better set of similar size. I highly recommend getting this set if you have the chance. The only problem is it's gonna make you want to get the sail barge to go with it.

When I first saw this set, I wasn't sure if I wanted it or not, but after closer inspection, I realised just how cool it was. The skiff and the sarlacc pit are vastly improved from the 6210 and 7104 versions. I especially love the extendable gangplank, I thought that was very cool. The rest of the skiff is average, with controls, moveable steering vanes and a weapons storage box which is very cool IMO. There's also some flick fire missiles, which you can remove from the skiff if you wish.

I got this set yesterday at my local Target, where it was on sale for 3 dollars off. I could have had a better sale, but the set was well worth it in my opinion, even at full price. The set features a lot of playability for younger ones what with all of the weapons and minifigures included, and the set looks a lot like the actual ship in "Return of the Jedi". Without further ado, let's move on to my pros and cons list and discover what makes or breaks this set.

Pros

• All of the minifigures on display in this set really make it a worthwhile play set for younger ones, as well as including main characters from the film to show some nice display for adults.
  
• The best play function ever is also here; the bridge of death! As though the actual design of the ship wasn't amazing enough, the way that the plank is built in is just a little cherry on top (or in-between in this case).
  
• Due to the limitations that a set this size imposes, the Sarlacc has to be sacrificed. It's not full scale for sure, but it still looks very recognizable and realistic.
  

Cons

• I gladly would have paid an additional five bucks for a more detailed and/or larger Sarlacc because this one feels small-ish.
  
• The combination of the tan and dark brown pieces feels a tiny bit off; it doesn't matter too much, but I do want it to be a bit less common.
  
• The instructions are very nice; they are printed on much thicker paper, they are significantly heavier, and have a more quality feel to them. However, this could raise prices, and these are only found in this set. If it becomes more common, however, I will reconsider this tiny detail.
  

This set depicts one of the best scenes of the Star Wars saga in a perfect light; it's small, inexpensive, and sleek. It's relatively sturdy and recognizable. If you have a chance, get it when you can. Disappointed you will be not.

As Jabba's Sail Barge rolls up upon the deadly Sarlaac, the Desert Skiff comes from behind to feed prisoners into the hungry creature... The Desert Skiff is a great set for all Star Wars fans.

Parts

Minifigures

The completed model

Skiff: The final model has a cockpit area in the back and a compartment in the middle for 2 guns. There is a flick fire missile in on the bottom side.(Go Figure...) And the other side has a board that comes out to feed prisoners to the Sarlaac. To the sides of the cockpit are opposable wing like structures probably to give balance to the Skiff. The Skiff is held up by transparent cylinders.

Sarlaac: The Sarlaac has 2 movable tentacles and a mouth big enough to swallow a whole minifigure. The sides of the Sarlaac are covered in spikes that prevent victims from escaping. The Sarlaac is built from a 1 round flat piece.

Summary

The Desert Skiff is an obvious buy for any collector. From great minifigures to rare pieces the Skiff is a great set. Let's hope that the Sail Barge comes out next year to go along with it...