Sith Nightspeeder

Combining a highly playable model with rare and unique minifigures, the Sith Nightspeeder LEGO set should appeal to both kids and collectors alike.

From The Clone Wars series, the Sith Nightspeeder is a speeder used by the Nightsisters on Dathmir. Here, it’s manned by Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress.

Asajj was previously available in the Republic Attack Gunship set, but that is no longer available in stores (and if you find one, it will be pretty expensive). So if you want to add an Asajj to your collection, the Sith Nightspeeder set is your best chance.

At the time of this writing, Savage Opress is exclusive to this set. He’s a great looking minifigure, and should please fans of the Clone Wars series.

The included Anakin Sywalker is also new to this set.

Playability Features

The Sith Nightspeeder is very easy to hold and swoosh around with a single hand, making its one of the best LEGO Star Wars sets for kids that I’ve seen in quite some time.

If you look at the product image above, you’ll notice what look like two seats on the Nightspeeder. Those seats are actually speeders, and they slide off of the base when you pull them forward. When you’re finished playing with the speeders, you can just pop them back on. It’s pretty cool, and kids should be happy with three vehicles in the set.

There are also two flick missiles and a little rocket you can eject with the press of your thumb.

Assembly

The Sith Nightspeeder is a quick and easy build. It’s recommended for ages 7-12, but it shouldn’t be a problem for kids a little younger than that.

The only trouble with this set is that it there are a lot of stickers to put on. See all the brown and gray detail on it? Well, most of those are stickers. Younger kids will probably struggle with getting them on straight, so you may have to step in and help out if needed.

Conclusion

If you’re trying to find a LEGO Star Wars set for a young Clone Wars fan, you can’t go wrong with the Sith Nightspeeder. It’s a highly playable set that kids should be able to build on their own and enjoy playing with once they’re finished.

And if you’re a collector, you will probably the new and exclusive minifigures.

Ewok Attack

Not to be confused with the Ewok Attack set that was released in 2002, this version of Ewok Attack is one of the most playable LEGO Star Wars sets to hit the shelves in quite a long time. Though there isn’t a lot about this set that will get collectors too excited, there are two groups of people I would wholeheartedly recommend Ewok Attack to: 1. Kids. This is an easy and rewarding set to build, and it has some cool little features that make it a perfect set to play with. 2. Return of the Jedi fans. If you like to build your own Ewok sets, need some Ewok minifigures, or happen to own The Battle of Endor, then Ewok attack will make a great expansion. If you don’t fit into either one of the groups above, then your money would probably be better spent on a different LEGO Star Wars set. The Ewok Attack LEGO comes with two models to build — a speederbike and an Ewok tree fort. Below, I’ll cover both in detail.

Speederbike

The speederbike included with Ewok Attack boasts a few nice upgrades over previous models. It’s definitely the best speederbike that LEGO has made to date, both in terms of accuracy and playability.

Ewok Tree Fort

As I mentioned before, this is a set that’s meant to be played with, and it does a lot of things well in that regard. There are four key playability features of the Ewok tree fort: 1. A log dropping mechanism. Simply load the two included logs, and they’ll drop out when you lift a brick attached to a hinge. Great for knocking over unsuspecting Stormtroopers. 2. A mini catapult. The catapult shoots LEGO ‘rocks,’ and they really fire a long distance. The catapult is easy for children of all ages to use, as all you have to do to fire it is load a rock and slam down the opposite end with your finger. 3. A sliding log that pops out of the side of the fort. If you want to clothesline a Stormtrooper riding by on the speederbike, this the way to do it. 4. The entire tree fort opens on hinge, giving you access to the inside where there is plenty of space for an Ewok to hang out and wreak havoc on Stormtroopers as they attack.

Assembly

Ewok Attack is a pretty simple LEGO set to build. My five-year-old son was able to build 95% of this set on his own, and needed my help on only a few steps where he couldn’t understand the instructions. If you’re looking for a LEGO Star Wars set that a young fan can put together on this own, Ewok Attack is probably one of the best options out there.

Minifigures

Ewok Attack comes with three minifigures: a Scout Trooper, and two Ewoks (Logray and Tokkat). All of the minifigures are very detailed, and will be worth the price of the set for some collectors.

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a medium-sized LEGO Star Wars set that’s simple to build and offers a lot of playability, then you can’t go wrong with Ewok Attack.

T-6 Jedi Shuttle

The T-6 Jedi Shuttle is a beautiful LEGO Star Wars set. Maybe I’m just a sucker for sets with red and white color schemes (the X-Wing is also a favorite of mine), but I can’t help it: I just love the way that this thing looks.

At 14 inches wide and 10 inches long, the T-6 is a bigger set than I was anticipating, and it finds just the right balance between impressive size and great playability. The finished set is sturdy, very easy to hold, and holds up well to extended play.

Playability-wise, the most notable feature on the T-6 is the way that the wings rotate between flying mode (vertical) and landing mode (horizontal). To lock the wings into landing mode, you just have to put the landing gear down. To rotate the wings, just fold up the landing gear and turn them. This mechanism works extremely well, and I’m really impressed that the LEGO designers were able to use the landing gear in such a multi-functional way.

The detail on the cockpit window is printed on, which is very nice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t open on a hinge — you’ll have to pop it off and on. This isn’t a big inconvenience, but it does make the set feel slightly less polished. The cockpit interior features a nice printed control panel and seating for two minifigures. If you really want to, you can cram a third minifigure inside, but I’d recommend sticking with two.

Another interesting playability feature of the cockpit is that you can pop it right off of the T-6 and use it as an escape pod. Though it isn’t an amazing feature by any means, it does add an additional level of playability, and I can imagine younger kids getting a kick out of it.

The final playability feature is found on the engines. LEGO has been experimenting with new ways of firing flickfire missiles for awhile now, and they’ve come up with a pretty interesting method here — both of the side engines are actually missile launchers in disguise. Load the missiles on the front side of the engine block, and when you push the side engines forward, the missiles shoot out. The placement is strange and I’m not sure if I like it, but you have to admit that it’s pretty creative.

The T-6 Jedi Shuttle comes with four minifigures: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Saesee Tiin, and Shaak Ti.

Assembly

This is a pretty straightforward LEGO set to build, though the rotating wing mechanism adds some extra complexity to it. Kids on the lower end of the suggested age range (8+) may need a little help, depending on how familiar they are with LEGO.

Given the complexity of the moving parts, this will probably take a little longer to build than other sets of its size. 45 minutes is probably a fair estimate.

Conclusion

The T-6 Jedi Shuttle is a nice LEGO Star Wars set, combining a great design with some unique playability features. Collectors will enjoy the exclusive minifigures, and kids should enjoy the playability features — this is a set that rewards imaginative play, and is best played with rather than displayed.

Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship

Fans of The Clone Wars will recognize the Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship as The Halo, Sugi’s personal transport. This is a great looking set that will appeal to lots of people, but it has a number of shortcomings that you should be aware of before you make the investment.

The cockpit resembles a Transformer head which is pretty cool, and the top of it lifts up to give access to the interior. The cockpit interior is pretty barren, but it does feature a little control panel, and there is ample room for a minifigure to fit inside as well. On the underside of the lid there is a weapon rack that can hold Sugi’s blasters while she’s in flight. The rack is a nice touch, and makes good use of available space.

The panels on the sides of the cockpit open, revealing a hidden cell that Sugi can use to transport those she captures. The compartment is large enough for one minifigure, but you will have to lay it down and remove any accessories to make it fit. The hidden cell would have benefited greatly if it was a little bit larger. It’s a decent playability feature, but as it is, it feels a little bit underdeveloped.

The big engines on the Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship can rotate between flying mode (horizontal) and landing mode (vertical). The position is controlled by a sliding mechanism on the back of the ship: push it forward to toggle into flying mode, and pull it back to return to landing mode. This mechanism works pretty well for the most part, but gravity isn’t a big fan of flying mode, and you will have to apply constant pressure on the slider to keep the turbines fully horizontal.

The only other features to mention are the guns on the front of the cockpit and between the turbines. These guns are adjustable — though they don’t add a lot in the way of playability, they’re still nice to have.

The Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship comes with four minifigures: an Assassin Droid Elite, Aurra Sing, Embo, and Sugi.

Assembly

Younger kids will find an appropriate level of challenge when building this set. The moving parts add a little bit of extra complexity, but it should be manageable for anyone who falls within the recommended age range (8+).

There are a number of stickers in this set, but they’re pretty easy to apply as far as stickers go.

Conclusion

The Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship is a pretty good LEGO Star Wars set, but I have to admit that its price tag is pretty hefty for what you get — you wouldn’t be wrong to expect more for $50. If you’re a big fan of The Clone Wars and feel like you absolutely have to add this set and minfigures to your collection, then you’ll probably get a lot of value from it. But if you’re sort of on the fence, you’re probably better off spending your money elsewhere.

The Battle of Naboo

When it comes right down to it, The Battle of Naboo is a LEGO Battle Pack on steroids. Combining a whopping 12 minifigures with a highly playable model, this is a Star Wars set that’s perfect for collectors and kids alike. If you’ve wanted to assemble a Battle Droid army but only recently started collecting LEGO Star Wars sets, this is your chance.

The droid carrier is a nice improvement over the original Battle Droid Carrier that was released back in 2001. The color scheme is perfect, the set is very durable, and at 10 inches long and 3 inches wide it’s the perfect size for play.

Playability wise, the main feature of the droid carrier is the droid rack in the back of the set. The rack can hold eight droids (four on the top and four on the bottom), as well as a blaster for each of them. You’ll probably want to remove the rack from the ship for loading and unloading, and it’s nice that it slides off easily and clicks right back into place when it’s time to put it back on.

On the bottom of the set are what I can best describe as skis. The skis ensure that that the carrier slides well across hard surfaces. The skis work well, and they’re a nice touch.

The Battle of Naboo comes with 8 Battle Droids, 2 Battle Droid Pilots, Jar Jar Binks, and a Gungan Soldier. The two Gungan minifigures are especially great, boasting great detail and nice accessories. Gungans aren’t easy to come by these days, so you should snap them up while you can.

Assembly

This is a very simple set to build, and it’s well-suited for younger kids. Though the droid carrier is the biggest component in terms of size, most of your time will be spent putting the Battle Droids together.

Even though this is a 241 piece set, it’s a very fast build. Most people should have it completed in about 20 minutes.

Conclusion

The Battle of Naboo is a nice LEGO Star Wars set that should appeal to kids and collectors alike. With 12 minifigures and a relatively low price point of $25, this is essentially a huge battle pack that has something for everyone, and it would make a great addition to any collection.

Imperial V-Wing Starfighter

The Imperial V-Wing Starfighter is among the better small sets that LEGO has made in recent years, and it’s a marked improvement over the V-Wing Fighter that LEGO released in 2006.

Like the original version, the Imperial V-Wing Starfighter is something of a throwback set, combining new and classic elements of the LEGO Star Wars line. The visible studs take me back to the early days, but the addition of some nice sleek elements and new pieces leave no doubt that this is a new LEGO set — and a good one at that.

The quality of the Imperial V-Wing Starfighter is excellent. The color scheme and overall design is very nice for such a small set. Though it doesn’t have much in the way of playability features, the V-Wing is sturdy enough and small enough that it’s still a highly playable set. Younger kids especially should enjoy swooshing it around.

The Imperial V-Wing’s cockpit opens on a hinge, which is a nice improvement over many of the recent starfighters with the pop off cockpits. Inside the cockpit, there is plenty of room for the excellent V-Wing Pilot minifigure. Behind the cockpit, there is space for the astromech droid to fit — sort of. My only real disappointment with this set is that you can’t fit the entire droid body behind the cockpit. Instead, you have to pop off his head and mount it behind the cockpit.  This isn’t a huge deal, but it’s a little lame that LEGO couldn’t find a better solution.

The wings on the Imperial V-Wing Starfighter rotate between flying mode (vertical position) and landing mode (horizontal position). The wings also have foldable segments, giving you even more control of the set’s appearance.

A small clear stud on the bottom of the set keeps pressure off the wings when you set it down. I’d have preferred if the ships natural shape didn’t require the stud, but it’s still a nice touch.

This LEGO set comes with 2 minifigures: an Imperial V-Wing Pilot, and R2-Q2.

Assembly

This is a pretty easy set to build — even younger kids shouldn’t have any problems putting it together. The instructions are top-notch as always, and the two-tone color scheme keeps sorting time to a minimum.

At 139 pieces, experienced builders will fly through construction, while young kids will feel adequately challenged (but not overwhelmed).

Conclusion

The Imperial V-Wing Starfighter is definitely one of the better small LEGO Star Wars sets of 2011. Not only is the set itself nice, but the V-Wing Pilot is one of my favorite minifigures in quite a long time. It’s an enjoyable set to build, and younger kids should get a lot of value from it. Pick it up if you have the chance.

Mandalorian Battle Pack

Up until now, there haven’t been a lot of ways to get LEGO Mandalorian minifigures. Sure, you could pick up a Boba Fett here and there, but he was always in expensive sets, which isn’t a great way to build an army. Thankfully, LEGO realized that Clone Wars fans were dying for an easier way to build up a Mandalorian army, and they released the Mandalorian Battle Pack.

The Mandalorian Battle Pack comes with four Mandalorian minifigures, each of them identical. This is a departure from form for LEGO, as they have historically included a variety of minifigures along a central theme in their battle packs. With that said, including four of the same minifigure is not a bad thing — in fact, I hope it’s something that they do more of in the future, because it makes building an army of grunts even easier.

In addition to the minifigures, this LEGO set also comes with three small models: a turret station, a tripod gun, and a speeder. All of the models are small but well-made, and I actually think that including three smaller models instead of a single vehicle (as with Clone Trooper Battle Pack) is a nice change of pace, and they arguably provide more value when creating a massive LEGO battle.

Assembly

At 68 pieces, this is one of the smallest LEGO Star Wars sets you’ll ever find. All of the included models are very simple to build, and even young kids should have no trouble with it. Most people will be able to put the set together in less than 10 minutes.

Conclusion

The Mandalorian Battle Pack gives us a way to cheaply and quickly build up a nice Mandalorian army, which isn’t something we’ve ever been able to do in LEGO Star Wars form. All of the included models contribute nicely to the value and playability of the set, and I would recommend it to kids and collectors alike.

Clone Trooper Battle Pack

If you’ve been looking for a cheap way to add some additional Clone Trooper minifigures to your LEGO Star Wars army, then the Clone Trooper Battle Pack is the set for you.

In addition to the minifigures, this set also comes with a BARC Speeder. The speeder is a nice little model. It’s well-designed, sturdy, and great for swooshing around.  If you have the Battle for Geonosis set, the speeder will be familiar to you. With the exception of the color scheme, they’re exactly the same. It’s just about impossible to ever have too many small vehicles in a LEGO Star Wars collection, so this is a great set for both collectors and kids who might be picking up their first LEGO set.

The Clone Trooper Battle Pack comes with four minifigures: an ARF Trooper, a Clone Trooper, and two Bomb Squad Troopers. All of the minifigures are well-designed, and should please fans of The Clone Wars.

Assembly

The Clone Trooper Battle Pack is a quick and easy LEGO set to put together, and it would be a great first set for a kid making the transition from DUPLO. At only 85 pieces, experienced builders shouldn’t need more than 10 minutes to put it together.

Conclusion

The Clone Trooper Battle Pack is exactly what you hope to get from a LEGO Star Wars Battle Pack: four nice minifigures and a good small model. I would recommend this set to any LEGO Star Wars fan.

Battle for Geonosis

The Battle for Geonosis LEGO set is a good supporting set, and this is what I mean by that: if you have a few Clone Wars sets already, then you’ll probably get a lot of value out of it. But if this is your first Star Wars set, or if you don’t have any complimentary sets or minifigures, then you’ll probably be better off picking up a different set instead. There isn’t a whole lot you can do with the Battle for Geonosis set on its own, and you really need other sets for this one to reach its potential.

The bulk of the pieces in this set are used to build the Separatist Proton Cannon. The cannon is very well-designed on all fronts. Not only does it look fantastic, but it’s very sturdy, has some nice playability features, and holds up extremely well to play.

The legs on the cannon are adjustable, but you’ll quickly find that the best position is the one that you see on the box (where the legs are in a square formation). The position of the cannon itself can be adjusted as well by turning a technic gear on the front of the set. In my personal experience, this placement is pretty awkward. If you’re comfortable making a slight modification to the set, I’d recommend moving the gear to the back — it’s really much more accessible that way.

The cannon has a nice missile firing system that’s controlled by lifting a small level behind the main section. When lifted, a missile fires out from just below the cannon’s barrel. This mechanism works really well, and represents another step forward for LEGO.

There isn’t a cockpit on the cannon — instead, there is an exterior seat and control panel where you can place the included Battle Droid minifigure.

In addition to the proton cannon, the Battle for Geonosis set also comes with a speeder. The speeder is nice, though it’s almost identical to the one that comes with the Clone Trooper Battle Pack (the only difference is in the color scheme).

Battle for Geonisis comes with five minifigures: two Battle Droids, a Super Battle Droid, Luminara Unduli, and Captain Rex.

Assembly

This is a pretty simple set to build, though because of the Technic pieces involved in the legs and missile firing mechanism, I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids.

It’s worth noting that there are quite a few new pieces in this set, so if you’re into designing your own sets, you may find something new and exciting here.

Conclusion

The Battle for Geonosis LEGO Star Wars set makes a good addition to an existing Clone Wars collection. The proton cannon is well-designed, sturdy, and has some nice playability features. In the end, fans of The Clone Wars should get a lot of enjoyment from this set.

Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter

Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter LEGO set packs four nice models into a single package. It comes with two STAPs, a speeder, and of course, the Jedi Starfighter. While none of the individual models are incredible, they combine with the five excellent minifigures to create a fantastic LEGO set for kids.

As you’d expect, most of the pieces in this set will be used to build the Starfighter. The color scheme is nice, the structural design is great, and the set is sturdy enough to withstand vigorous play. The only weaponry on Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter is four flickfire missiles on the bottom of the ship, and they’re implemented nicely here. Rather than have to flick them with your finger, you push one of two rods. Each rod fires two missiles, and the mechanism works nicely.

The Starfighter has retractable landing gear, and on the back of the ship there is storage for Mace Windu’s lightsaber. While it’s nice that LEGO included storage, it’s a little disappointing that you have to remove the blade from the hilt to make it work. It’s a minor annoyance, but still worth mentioning.

The cockpit on the Starfighter pops off, and there is ample space for the included Mace Windu minifigure to fit inside. In front of the cockpit is a slot for R8-B7.

The speeder looks fantastic, and it really is a nice addition to the set. The overall design is very nice, and it’s a very sturdy little model that’s well suited for play. The only negative point is that there are 7 stickers on the speeder, and they aren’t the easiest to apply.

The two STAPs are identical to the ones that came in LEGO’s 2008 AT-TE set. The STAPs come with clear plastic stands to create the illusion of flight.

Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter comes with five minifigures: two Battle Droids, Mace Windu, R8-B7, and TX-20.

Assembly

All four of the models in this LEGO set are easy to put together, further cementing this as a great LEGO Star Wars set for kids.  There are a lot of stickers in this set, and that’s the one area where some parental help will probably be needed.

At 313 pieces, it will probably take most people 1-2 hours to put this set together.

Conclusion

Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter is one of the best LEGO Star Wars sets for kids that I’ve seen in quite awhile. All four of the included models are very well-suited for play, and the minifigures are top notch. I would highly recommend this set for Clone Wars fans of all ages.

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