As with many aspects of the Star Wars universe, iconic moments from the original trilogy of films have gained new lore thanks to the prequels and animated stories. Long before it pursued the Millennium Falcon and transported a Carbonite frozen Han Solo, Slave I belonged to famed Bounty Hunter Jango Fett. It’s that version of the ship which acts as inspiration for the latest LEGO® Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set. Despite the ship changing hands from Jango to his ‘son’ Boba, it has always been known as Slave I. However, its original name appears to have been quietly scrubbed from the Star Wars data banks. This set and other recent LEGO versions of the ship have been simply referred to as a Starship. Even StarWars.com doesn’t have an entry for Slave I. To confuse matters further, the product listing for the set adds ‘Firespray-class’. For this review, I will refer to the ship as the Slave I. Here’s a preview of the latest LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set.
Product Details
Set Name: Jango Fett’s Starship | Set Number: 75409 | Pieces: 2970 | Theme: Star Wars
Number of Bags: Bags x 23 + loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: sheet x 1 | Characters: Jango Fett & Young Boba Fett
RRP: £259.99/299.99€/$299.99/499.99AUD/379.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online May 1st (Insiders), May 4th (General)
Regardless of its moniker, Slave I is commonly associated with Boba Fett, with the ship first appearing in The Empire Strikes Back. Here, it’s the vessel used by the mysterious Bounty Hunter, Boba Fett. With the release of the Prequel Trilogy, we learn that the ship originally belonged to Jango Fett. Upon the death of Jango during the Battle of Geonosis, the ship passes to his unaltered clone, Boba. The ship’s history is fleshed out further during the second series of the Clone Wars. A young Boba with fellow Bounty Hunters Aurra Sing and Bossk use Slave I during their misadventures. Almost all previous LEGO versions of the ship are based on Boba’s repainted variant. This makes this set’s colour scheme quite unusual, and oddly, it’s an unintentional callback to some of the earlier LEGO Star Wars sets, which wouldn’t always match the colour scheme of the source material.
As an Ultimate Collector Series set, it’s a highly detailed build. Much of the detail is packed into the ship’s base/back. This large oval-shaped section makes up most of the ship and also acts as the base to add the body of the ship. This is where the ship’s propulsion engines are located. They are shown as yellow transparent sections, I did find the long yellow strip can easily be dislodged, as it’s only held in place with a couple of studs. But this is mostly an issue when you handle the set as it’s being built.
The cockpit area of the ship is unique due to the configuration of the ship. There are several seats in this section, three of which can be found on a control platform. This part of the cockpit can be removed, offering better access to it. You will need to remove Jango’s jetpack to allow him to be seated correctly. This area of the ship is covered with a unique canopy piece. Thankfully, this is packaged separately from other elements, so it shouldn’t pick up any nasty scratches. There are a few stickers dotted around the ship; most are found in or around the cockpit. They are used for screens, adding a white strip to the edge of the cockpit canopy
The set does feature a couple of working features. The most obvious is the ship’s fin-like wings. These sit on either side of the ship and rotate purely through gravity. They tilt with the orientation of the ship. The other feature is a little more hidden. There’s a sloping platform near the rear of the ship, which can be raised and lowered by pushing it down and flipping it back thanks to a small lever. You’ll also find a seismic charge nestled in the base of the ship
There is no getting away from the fact that Slave I is an unusually shaped ship. When in flight, the ship tilts forward so it’s vertical, which is also how the ship can be displayed. Using a selection of Technic beams and pins, the stand easily takes the weight of the ship, as well as holding the printed display plaque.
The ship simply slots over the two arms near the top of the stand. This is enough to hold the ship in place. The stand also reduces the footprint of the set, although it will still require enough room to perfectly showcase the set. Thanks to the stand, the ship sits at a nice angle, as if it’s in flight. As you build the stand, pay close attention to the instructions, as it’s very easy to place the pieces in the wrong holes, causing the set to sit at the wrong angle.
The set features two minifigures, Jango Fett and his ‘son’ Boba. These are based on the character’s appearance in Attack of the Clones. Young Boba Fett has only appeared in a couple of past sets, with his latest appearance being in 2017. This new version is unique with a different torso design and a less menacing face. The character’s skin tone has also been tweaked to better reflect Daniel Logan’s appearance. Jango Fett has had a surprisingly limited outing in minifigure form. This new version is the most detailed yet, with print detail on the arms and the rest of his armour neatly recreated over the minifigure’s torso and legs. You’ll also notice Fett’s helmet sports a new range finder. The original element was introduced in 2012, where it was often packed in with visor pieces. The new version is a shorter, singular piece and is a much better representation of the accessory. It still slots into the iconic ‘helmet holes’. Despite the advances in LEGO elements, Jango still includes the retro ‘hose’ blasters, which I quite like.
It would be easy to simply release another UCS version of Boba’s ship. After all, this is the most common take on the iconic ship. I quite like the different colour scheme of Jango’s ship. However, this isn’t merely a recoloured version of Boba’s ship. The build is different enough from the 2015 UCS Slave I, whilst also having similar traits. This makes the set a worthy addition to the Ultimate Collector Series range. It does have a couple of minor issues, but none to dampen the overall experience of building it or the ability to display it. Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship, aka Slave I, will be available for Insiders from May 1st, before it’s available to all from May 4th.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com 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.
