With the latest series of The Mandalorian currently streaming on Disney+ each week something new is introduced to expand the ever-growing Star Wars universe. The show has now become an important source of inspiration for the LEGO Star Wars theme. Some of those new characters and ships have already inspired a couple of new sets including the upcoming Pirate Snub Fighter. Before the set drops out of Hyperspace on May 1st, here’s an early look at the latest Mandalorian LEGO Star Wars set.
Product Details
Set Name: Pirate Snub Fighter | Set Number: 75346 | Pieces: 285 | Theme: Star Wars
RRP: £29.99/$33.99/43.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 2 | Instructions: Paper + Builder App | Minifigures: Vane & Snub Fighter Pilot | Stickers: Sheet x 1
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail from May 1st
During the opening episode of the third season, Din Djarin and Grogu return to Navarro. Soon a gang of space pirates led by Vane arrive and cause the sort of trouble pirates are known for. As Mando continues on his journey he soon faces Pirate King Gorian Shard’s pirate fleet and takes out a few of his crew’s Snub Fighters. The pirates return later in Season 3 and this time they have a gang of Mandalorians to contend with. Although it’s only appeared on screen a couple of times, the Snub Fighter continues the unique offerings of crafts from a galaxy far, far away.
The actual ship is similar in configuration to such ships as the A-wing or Jedi Starfighter. So it’s a single pilot craft, built for speed and with limited weaponry. It’s best described as being in the shape of the number 8, so it has a section at the rear, which features the engines. The narrow midsection featuring the cockpit and the wide front of the ship, which includes a couple of laser blaster guns as well as a couple of stud shooters. The design of the ship doesn’t really scream ‘pirates’ so there aren’t strange nautical flourishes on the ship. In LEGO form, the ship is built upon a narrow central strip, with the winged panels on both the back and front sections of the ship added to that central base.
To achieve the detailing on the ship a mixture of stickers and elements is used. Some of the stickers can be a little tricky to apply, especially on the two fins connected to the side of the ship. I particularly like the details around the cockpit canopy, the various small elements give it the greebled surface commonly used to break up the large greyness of Star Wars sets. In fact, the layering of elements adds a lot of detail across the whole set, despite its small size.
There are a couple of functional details in the set, these include a pair of stud shooters mounted under the front fins of the ship. There’s also the canopy, which opens to access the cockpit seat and controls. The other is actually hidden within the build of the ship and can be found behind the cockpit. It looks like part of the ship, but the 1×4 grey plate can be removed to access a 2×2 crate. Within this is a thermal detonator.
The set includes two minifigures, giving you the choice of who can pilot the Snub Fighter. In The Mandalorian, the pirate fleet all use the same ship, so when the craft first appears on screen, Vane and his crew mates of random alien rogues all pursue Din’s N-1 Starfighter in Snub Fighters. So the fact there are two characters makes sense even though only one can be placed inside the ship at a time.
Vane is a member of the Nikto species, who are known for the horned spikes surrounding their face. The pilot featured in the set has the same head, suggesting he is also a Nikto, this is a shame as during the pirate dogfight, a number of different species are shown to be part of the pirate crew. Both characters have decent detail on their torsos with the design also spilling onto their legs. Vane uses a bald headpiece surrounded by a head scarf, which is similar to those used for more traditional pirates, although the colour of the top of the head is slightly different to the actual headpiece. The pilot is sporting an X-wing pilot helmet, coloured to match his mustard yellow flight suit.
Overall
I do like it when the Star Wars theme breaks away from the same group of ships. Sure it’s nice to continue to get updated versions of classic Star Wars ships and vehicles, but the universe has vastly expanded in recent years. This has been mostly fuelled by the Disney+ shows, in particular, The Mandalorian. It’s nice to see stuff featured in the latest episodes already get the LEGO treatment. Even those the pirates have only featured a couple of times during Season 3, they are expected to also be a focus of the upcoming Skeleton Crew Star Wars series. So it’s a set which will have an appeal beyond The Mandalorian. The minor letdown of the set is the two minifigures, both are great and offer something new, but I’d have liked a different alien species used for the pilot, using the same head for both characters does seem a little lazy. The LEGO Star Wars Pirate Snub Fighter will be available from May 4th and can be pre-ordered now.
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This set was provided by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
