During the opening moments of Revenge of Sith, a battle is raging above the planet of Coruscant. General Kenobi and General Skywalker are battling against the Droid Army, backed up by a fleet of ARC-170 Starfighters, piloted by Clones. These spray-wing fighters were the Incom Corp-built predecessors to the iconic X-Wing ships. Officially known as the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170, the ship was crewed by three Clone pilots along with an Astromech Droid. The latest version of the ARC-170 ship arrives on January 1st, here’s what you can expect to find in the new release.
Product Details
Set Name: ARC-170 Starfighter | Set Number: 75402 | Pieces: 497 | Theme: Star Wars
Number of Bags: Bags x 2 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: sheet x 1 | Characters: Pilot Odd Ball, Clone Pilot Jag & Clone Pilot + R4-P44 Droid | RRP: £59.99/$69.99/69.99€/109.99AUD/89.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailer from January 1st
The ARC-170 Starfighter debuted in Star Wars Episode III before appearing in several episodes of the Clone Wars animated series. In Revenge of the Sith, an Arc-170 helps the Jedi board the Invisible Hand to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. Later in the film, after Order 66 is activated, an ARC-170 downs Jedi Master Plo Koon. It’s a good-looking ship to build from LEGO bricks and one which loosely links the Prequel and Original trilogies.
The ARC-170 has minimal screen time in Episode III but the moments it does appear show that it’s a nifty ship which is reminiscent of the X-Wing. Just like its Original Trilogy successor, the ARC-170 has split wings. These comprise a larger fixed wing l, spanning each side of the ship and two smaller wings which sit above and below the fixed wing. Just like the X-Wing, those smaller wings can be moved from sitting flush to the main wing to being spread diagonally. The mechanism to do this is far simpler than some other ships have been. A Technic beam sits in the under section of the ship. Moving this from side to side causes the secondary wings to open and shut.
The ship features three compartments, which can each hold a minifigure. These are each covered by a curved canopy element. The detail on these transparent pieces are stickers and the white strip sections appear washed out, which is a shame. Especially as there have been similar canopy pieces with print detail. Flipping up the mid and rear canopies allows access to the gap where the Droid can be slotted. Once in place and with the canopy lowered, the Astromech’s head peeks above the rest of the ship as they often do. The ship’s weaponry can be found on the rear of the ship and on the larger wings. It’s also here where can can find the deadly bolt blasters. A simple flick of the green bolts causes it to be ejected at furious speed.
The set features three minifigures and an Astromech Droid. That Droid is R4-P44, a green-domed Astromech who was assigned to General Kenobi. The same droid was featured in the 2010 ARC-170. Both are extremely similar in design, with this version having slightly tweaked print detail. It lacks print detail on rear section of the body drum, it seems this is only reserved for certain versions of Artoo. The three Clone Pilots all use the same heads and flight suits. Their design is similar to previous versions but drops the light blue detailing in favour of light grey. Print detail also extends to the legs. I think dual-moulded legs would have elevated the minifigures further. Despite the three Clone Pilots having matching heads, legs and torsos they each have unique helmets. These use an almost exact version of the helmet feature on the Clone Pilots from the most recent, past sets. The minimal helmet belongs to Clone Pilot ‘Odd Ball’, the one with the blue detail is Jab’s and the yellow and red striped helmet is a generic pilot. The same style helmet was used for the Clone Pilot in the ARC-170 Microfighter set.
I know the LEGO Star Wars fanbase is passionate almost to the point of obsession and I’m sure this set and its minifigure will be picked apart. It’s worth remembering LEGO sets are not Hot Toys or similar highly detailed models, they are playsets aimed at younger LEGO fans. This set provides a fun build and an interesting ship, which looks like it’s source inspiration. Its play function is simply implemented and replicates the same ability of the ship. I quite like the minifigure, the helmets are quite cool, especially with the orange visor printed on the head. It’s certainly not perfect, it uses an odd mix of stickers and printed pieces. It also lacks a landing gear but if mounted on a compatible stand this turns into a positive and it makes a great display piece. The ARC-170 Starfighter can be pre-ordered now ahead of its release on January 1st.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz.com by the LEGO Group 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.
