Review: ULTIMATE SPACE BATTLE
From Jalassociatecomics
ULTIMATE SPACE BATTLE #7283 (RELEASED 2005)
Lego very rarely ever clumps elements of separate sets together (in their original design) and sells them as a big combo set, so I jumped as this once-in-a-lifetime, cheaper by the dozen opportunity. What is strange about the set is that it was almost not publicized at all, adding the “super special limited edition etc.” feel. It was very rare and was snapped up almost immediately during the limited-edition U.S. release. I picked mine up at the store section of that “Art of Star Wars” exhibit when it came to Singapore recently.
Ultimate Space Battle recreates that dramatic Episode III opening sequence, the pivotal bits anyway. This huge set comprises Anakin’s starfighter, a Droid Tri-Fighter, two vulture droids and a new, never-before-seen feature, Obi-Wan’s red Jedi starfighter, with R4-P17 included (only the head, of course). It set me back S$ 79.90, which is actually unusually generous of Lego, though it might have been a special discount, I’m not too sure.
Minifigs first, as always. Obi-Wan and Anakin, both, happily, without attached light-up lightsabers, are the main figs in the set. The pilot headsets are painted onto the flesh-toned minifig heads. They don’t come with capes, though they should (if you watch the film closely you can notice that). I added my own capes, just to be accurate and plus, they do look better with capes attached. Two buzz droids are added, if you want to count them as minifigs. They look excellent, albeit far too big! If I wait long enough I’ll be able to auction off one of my buzz droids: there is a slight misprint on the dome. R4 and R2 are present, but only the domes and not the rest of them as the wings on which they rest are quite thin.
Component breakdown time! I’ll begin with the prominent JSFs. Quite movie-accurate, except, like all the other ships in this set, it suffers from utilizing FAR TOO MANY STICKERED ELEMENTS! I really dislike stickers, as you can be assured that a few months down the line they’ll be flaking, cracking and peeling off the model. The little wings to the side use a new bar method to move up and down into or out of attack mode, but that downplays certainty. The die-hard fans will want the wings or S-Foils to open up exactly at the same angles on each side. In the past, Lego would have used more efficient click-hinge joints to do the job. Speaking about click-hinge joints, the clip-jointed lading pads, now a common feature in most Lego Star Wars ships, serve their purpose though some critics think they provide insufficient support. Here’s a tip: to photograph your model taking off from the ground or table (seemingly, of course), position the landing mechanisms a-Pointe (on their tips) and photograph from the top, showing some distance below but hiding the mechanisms from view. There’s a little trouble when it comes to the control stick that looks a little like a feeding tube. Altogether quite cool, sleek and very “swooshable”.
Next up (drum roll please) is the droid tri-fighter! An ingenious ensemble of the afore-mentioned click/hinge joints encircle the main dome to create the nice skeletal look. The buzz droid sits nicely in the central dome. Actually, the buzz droids are supposed to be stored in missiles and a droid rain should occupy the dome instead, but that kind of scaling is absolutely near-impossible. The craft is, actually, quite simple in build and, if you ask me, not too worth the money if brought on its own. As part of this set, however, this unmanned ship is just nice.
When it comes to vulture droids, this set features two so you can let your whiny younger brother, jealous best friend or the rare interested parent build one. The other Lego set that comes to mind is the Droid Starfighter from Episode I. While relatively close in design to that craft, the Vulture Droid features welcome improvements. For one, it looks more organic as compared to the slightly angular look of its predecessor. The legs, if you want to call them that, can now close in or open out, pivoting instead of being so rigid. This comes in handy to switch in between “walker” and “flying” modes. The irritating bit is that the “legs” and the head are unable to freely slide in/out and pop up/down respectively, so have to pluck out the elements and reposition them manually. Overall however, it’s a nice, rather indispensable bit of this big set.
There isn’t too much doubt about it, if you see this set, grab it. Please don’t mind if I sound like some advertising guy, but this really is your only chance to grab hold of the coveted and much-sought-after red JSF belonging to Obi-Wan and quite a bargain indeed. No second thoughts when it comes to this set, remember the American limited release. No more stock left in minutes.
RATING: 4/5 STARS
