In 1983, Return of the Jedi marked the end of Star Wars. The Empire was defeated and the Rebel Alliance celebrated their victory with singing bears. Although it was the end, it was actually the beginning of something much greater. Since 1983, Star Wars has grown to create a vast collection of stories, told across books, games and TV series. None of these expanded stories has had such a greater impact on the Star Wars lexicon than the animated series Rebels. The crew of the Ghost has become much-loved by Star Wars fans and despite Rebels ending in 2018, some of the old members of Phoenix Squadron are set to return in the upcoming Disney+ series, Ahsoka. Ahead of the first episodes of Ahsoka, here’s a closer look at another set inspired by the series – The Ghost and Phantom II.
Product Details
Set Name: Ghost & Phantom II | Set Number: 76264 | Pieces: 1394 | Theme: Star Wars
RRP: £149.99/$159.99/169.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 13 | Instructions: 1 x Paper booklets + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 2 | Minifigures: General Hera Syndulla, Lt. Beyta, Jacen Syndulla, First Officer Hawkins & Chopper (C1-10P)
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail from September 1st
This isn’t the first two both of these Rebel ships have been available in LEGO form. The Ghost along with a separate set featuring the Phantom were both released in 2014. Although released as two sets, they could connected together in a similar fashion to the animated series. A second version of the Phantom was released in 2017. The latest version of the ships, sees the Ghost and the replacement version of the Phantom included in the same set. With Hera, Chopper and Sabine all returning in Ahsoka, it’s no surprise that the iconic Rebel ship has also made a comeback.
The build begins with the Phantom, not only have there been two sets inspired by the ship, there have also been two ships featured in Rebels. For those who have watched Rebels, you’ll know the ship is replaced during Season 3. So this new version is more similar to the 2017 version. It’s a little smaller and certainly more compact. It’s lost the ability to locate Chopper behind the cockpit but does feature a container at the back for a couple of accessories. The Phantom II can be mounted to the Ghost by connecting it to the gap in the rear of the ship between the engines. I did find myself knocking a few elements off when placing the Phantom onto the Ghost.
The Ghost is a rather unique ship, for one it ditches the often-used grey base for a more colourful design. This makes for a far more exciting LEGO build. This updated version of the Ghost is similar in size to the 2014 version and although its appearance is obviously fairly similar, the build is a little different. It has more of an interior than the 2014 set. Although there’s not much happening within the ship, it provides enough room for all the set’s minifigures to be stowed aboard. The interior is accessed by removing the section trimmed with red elements on the top of the ship. The front section of the ship, where the domed canopy is located, can also be removed offering a better way to add a minifigure pilot.
The exterior of the Ghost makes great use of new elements to help craft its outer shell. A few recoloured pieces also add to the detail of the ship’s exterior. One thing I really like about the new set is the edging used between the sloped bottom and the top of the ship. Studs and jumper plates are mounted backwards along a strip and this offers a great finish as well as covering up the gap between the two sections of the ship. Another new feature is the blaster bolts. Although they were a feature of the original set, the way they are integrated into this set is way more fun. A Technic beam runs across the bottom, moving this not only causes the front blaster gun to move, but it also fires the two green blaster bolts.
Although it’s basically the same set and is similar in size to the 2014 version, the integration of the Phantom is way better. Thanks to the smaller size of the companion shuttlecraft, when it’s mounted to the rear of the Ghost it blends in much better and feels less like a random ship has been stuck to the top of the Ghost. It’s easy enough to connect and remove the Phantom, but as mentioned it’s also easy to accidentally dislodge some of the elements on the smaller ship.
This is another set inspired by Star Wars: Ahsoka which has an impressive line-up of minifigures. Each is unique to this set, with a couple of returning characters getting a design update compared to their previous versions. Hera has previously featured in a handful of past LEGO Star Wars sets. The minifigure uses the same Twi’lek head tails element but the print detail has been changed to match the brown flight cap she wears in Ahsoka and Star Wars Squadron. The same can be said about her outfit, this matches her live-action design and the print detail is great. I’m not a fan of her angry face, I know Hera can get annoyed but her alternate face looks far too menacing. Hera is joined by her somewhat faithfully Droid, Chopper. This Droid has a similar design to an R2 unit, but is a shorter unit and has an angular ‘head’. The updated version is very similar to past versions but the body has been switched from grey to white and you’ll be pleased to know it features print detail on the front and back. Jacen Syndulla briefly appeared in the finale of Rebels and is the son of Hera and Kanan Jarrus. Oddly, the character had green hair in the show but his minifigure has brown hair. It’s tricky to compare the minifigure to the character as he’s not been featured in any trailers.
The main characters are joined by two more generic minifigures. They include another New Republic pilot. The Mon Calamari pilot Lt. Beyta wears the blue flight suit which is a similar design to the OT X-Wing pilot uniforms. The minifigure uses the Mon Calamari character head element but it has a more detailed print design. Another member of the New Republic is First Officer Hawkins. This character is wearing a basic officer outfit. Both have briefly been featured in trailers and comparing the minifigure to that, they are decent recreations.
Overall
For those who missed out on the ship the first time around, the set offers another chance to add it to your collection. It’s also different enough to offer something new compared to the original set. Although the Phantom is much smaller than the previous sets, this makes it easier to add it to the Ghost and once mounted it blends in with the larger ship much better. The minifigure line-up is great, with Chopper being my favourite of the bunch, without seeing any episodes of Ahsoka, it’s difficult to compare some of the others. It’s not all great, there are far too many stickers. Yes, they had extra details but some should have been printed pieces and others are added to awkward places. There’s also the pricing, the original Ghost was £69.99/$89.99 this set is £149.99/$159.99. But it’s worth remembering it also features the Phantom, with the 2017 version of this ship sold as a second set for £39.99/$29.99. So it’s not a vast increase and the set offers plenty of improvements and extra detail over the previous Ghost.
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The LEGO Group provided this set for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
