STAR WARS LEGO REVIEW: Naboo Starfighter (75092)

By my count, this is the the fourth time LEGO has produced a full-sized Naboo starfighter. Not only is this the biggest version of the iconic Star Wars: Episode — The Phantom Menace spaceship, but it's also the best.

Clocking in at 442 pieces, Naboo Starfighter is more than 100 pieces bigger than the 2011 version of the ship and 263 pieces bigger than 1999's Naboo Fighter. Not only is the latest version bigger, but it's also sturdier. One of my brothers got that 1999 set for his birthday and — like a lot of Star Wars LEGO sets back then — fell apart all the time.

The 2015 Naboo Starfighter doesn't have that issue. The set doesn't incorporate any Technic pieces, but the increased piece count goes a long way when it comes to locking sections of the ship in place.

Naboo Starfighter costs $49.99 and comes with 442 pieces, which averages out to a little over 11 cents per piece. That's a bit more expensive than a LEGO set should average out to be, but the increased detail makes the price worth it.

Naboo Starfighter comes with one instruction booklet, a small sticker sheet and four numbered bags of LEGO pieces. It's kind of a surprise that a ship this big doesn't come with any larger loose pieces.

The build

The first bag contains the set's accessories: A box of blasters, a cart with extra green missiles and two droidekas. We've gotten droidekas in numerous LEGO Star Wars sets over the years, and the armored droids are still as boring to build as ever.

The second bag pieces together the base of the starfighter. You'll see that in front of that tan 2x4 piece is a three prong piece. That's the core mechanism that allows you to shoot the Naboo Starfighter's missiles from a lever underneath the ship.

In Bag 3, the Naboo Starfighter really takes shape. Unlike previous versions of the ship, this version's tailpiece has a Technic rod running through it and a yellow rod that clicks into place at the end. Your swooshing shouldn't knock the tail off. Pretty much all of Naboo Starfighter's stickers are applied during this phase of the build. (And, yes, I just noticed that the sticker on the right-front side of the cockpit is on wrong. Sigh ...)

The build wraps up quickly with Bag 4. The engines are exactly the same — they just click in on opposite sides. Like the tailpiece, the twin engines make use of a few Technic rods to keep everything locked in place. This version of the Naboo Starfighter also comes with a base to dock the ship on. The base rotates, which is great for both display and play purposes.

Bag 4 also contains the pieces needed to build a fueling device and steps for the Naboo Starfighter. I'm not sure if this is accurate to The Phantom Menance, but it does remind me of similar fueling mechanisms seen in the original Star Wars movie.

The minifigures

Naboo Starfighter comes with seven minifigures: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2, a Naboo pilot, two battle droids and a battle droid officer.

Unlike the original version of the Naboo starfighter, this set comes with a height-appropriate Anakin Skywalker minifigure. Anakin has a double-sided head, with one side bearing a slightly happy face (wizard!) and the other side a bit more concerned. You get both a hairpiece and a pilot's helmet for Anakin.

Like Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi sports a double-sided head. He's both angry and concerned, which makes sense considering this is just the beginning of a lifetime of trouble Anakin will cause the Jedi.

I'm not quite sure why LEGO decided to include an Obi-Wan Kenobi minifigure with Naboo Starfighter. Obi-Wan was busy helping Qui-Gon Jinn battle Darth Maul while Anakin was stealing a starfighter. The company missed an opportunity to give Star Wars fans a new Padme minifig with this set.

Any LEGO set that comes with R2-D2 can't go wrong.

Nice jacket, guy.

Play features

Naboo Starfighter comes with a few play features.

Most Star Wars LEGO ships that incorporate astromech droids these days require those droids to be put in sideways. Naboo Starfighter is no different. The set comes with a mechanism to pop R2 out of his dock, courtesy of a pin underneath.

I like the firing missiles so much better now that LEGO has started building new ways to trigger them while hiding the bulk of the missile at the same time.

Overall

LEGO fans haven't been kind to the summer wave of Star Wars sets. Considering there are several sets based on The Phantom Menace, I can understand why this wave hasn't been well received. As someone who missed out on all the pervious versions of the Naboo Starfighter, I welcome this new set. I'll also pick up the new Sith Infiltrator when that comes out that the end of the summer.

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens LEGO sets hitting stores this September, this wave of Episode I sets are probably going to be the last time we see sets from this era off Star Wars for a long time. If you've missed out on these ships, now's the time to add them to your collection.