NAME: Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser
LINE: Star Wars
# of Pieces: 789
MSRP: $139.99 CAN
As most of you know, this set was the Toys R US Fans Choice set. The fans were given the opportunity to vote on three sets, and this was the winner, beating out sets called "The Arrest of Palpatine" and a cloud city landing platform.
Based on the online reaction when this set was revealed, I think most (if not all) were expecting something more than what they got. Especially considering the price. I wasn't going to get it, but back in May, Lego had a May the 4th sale, and I bought it. Didn't get it assembled until now however.
The front of the box. The box by the way, is pretty large, even for a set of this many pieces. You can see two of the three play areas, the briefing room where the rebels plan their assault on the Death Star II and the Hanger Bay with an A-Wing. The third area, the bridge, is behind the briefing room.
The back of the box. Shows the play features of the set in more detail. The bottom points out that the set can be separated into 2.
The contents of the box. Two instruction booklets, bags numbered 1, 2, or 3 (plus one bag not numbered) and the stickers. (BOO)
The instruction books.
A random page from the instruction books.
The sticker sheet.
The bags numbered 1 give us the mini figures, and the A-Wing. First the mini figures. There are six of them, 5 of them are completely new, and the last one, the A-Wing pilot may be slightly different then the last one that came out a few years back, but I'm not sure since I never got that set. Admiral Akbar has been subsequently released in a magnet set. In addition to the Admiral we have a Mon Calamari technician, General Lando Calrissian, Rebellion leader Mon Montha, and General Madine. As far as my rapidly deteriorating eyes can tell, the tech and Akbar have identical heads, but then again, like most humans, all Mon Calamari look the same to me. ;)
Only Akbar has any printing on the back of his torso. My daughter thought I should show the Pilot with his helmet up. These figures are all very nice, and as far as I'm concerned, the best part of this set.
The A-Wing. This is the second best part of the set. Unlike the other two, A-Wings which were white with red, this one in white with green. It is also slightly different in design. Here it is near the beginning of the build.
At this stage, notice the section right behind the pilots seating area. Those white pieces are folded in to hold the engine in place. More on that later.
And the completed ship, complete with what I assume are the universes most complicated flick fire missiles. A very nice A-Wing.
The extra pieces from bags numbered 1.
Bags numbered 2 and the non-numbered bag are used to make the hanger area. An early step in the building process.
The mechanism in the center here it to move the A-Wing. More on that later.
And the completed Hangar. The mechanism at the top gets in the way of the A-Wing moving, but other than that, not a bad design.
The extra pieces from bags numbered 2.
Now, the main play features of the Hangar. Set the A-Wing on top of the yellow box mechanism seen earlier.
By moving the long black beam back and forth, the A-Wing moves back and forth as well. You can also turn the knob at the end, and the A-Wing turns too. Someone should have geared it down a bit though, you can seriously whip that pilot around at what must seem like Mach 12.
Once you have the A-Wing positioned correctly, you can open the engine covers, and attach the overhead mechanism. This mechanism slides back and forth, and the arm bends for added maneuverability.
The engine is removed from the ship for repairs.
Day two of the build (my sons woke up from there naps at this point so we had to put the Lego away for the day) sees us open bags numbered 3. These bag build the briefing room and bridge. I did not put stickers on this part of the model. Here is the bridge being assembled. LOTS of white pieces.
Behind the bridge is the briefing room. Here it is nearly completed.
And the completed section, with mini figures in place. If you look towards the right side, you can see Akbar sitting in his command chair.
Like the hangar, Akbar's chair moves forward and back, and can be spun around. Pretty cool actually.
"ITS A TRAP!" Sorry, couldn't resist.
The extra pieces from bags numbered 3.
The bridge/briefing room attached to the Hanger.
Final thoughts. Being one of the many who was expecting something more substantial, when I saw what it was, I was disappointed, especially considering the price. Had it not gone on sale, I wouldn't own it. But, judging it on its own merits, and not on what I was hoping for, its not a terrible set. Yes, its expensive, but its a Toys R Us exclusive, so nothing new there. The mini figures are great, the A-Wing is really nice, and there some really nice play features to the set. If you only bought it for the figures and the A-Wing, there are a lot of nice white pieces in the set, which is nice, considering most of the sets in the Star Wars universe are gray. I would give this set a 7/10.
!!
I can't remember what board I saw it on, but someone has as their signature "I build it, so you don't have to."
