Review: 6967 Mini ARC-170 Starfighter

[Inconspicuous]

The Mini ARC-170 is a very interesting and overlooked set. I bought mine off of Ebay, after knowing nothing of its existence and then falling in love at first sight. What lured me into this rare set was its stunning accuracy. For a while, I became quite obsessed with the model, and I even created lame board games based on it. But is the set still fascinating, even five years later? Let's take a look at this fantastic little ship and find out.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Mini ARC-170 Starfighter

Set Number: 6967

Number of Pieces: 42

Minifigs: 0

Price: MSRP unknown, now worth about $15 USD New

Theme: Star Wars / Mini (Episode III)

Year Released: 2005

Notes: 65771 Episode III Collectors' Set included either 6967 (Mini ARC-170) or 6966 (Mini Jedi Starfighter).

RESOURCES:

Brickset

Peeron

Bricklink

Flickr

THE REVIEW:

POLYBAG:

Front:

First up is the little polybag, adorned with lava, lasers, and Darth Vader. The photo is very basic, and the set information is limited to the age suggestion, set number, and name. There's isn't too much room inside, but the small size is relieving in this modern time of gigantic Brickmaster bags.

Back:

The back has the usual logos, languages, and warnings. Like many bags, there's a clear strip in the middle through which the pieces can be viewed.

Polybag:: Thoughts: A cute little polybag. I'm not quite sure why I kept it, but I'm glad I did.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Folded:

The instructions fold up into a tiny little stack of paper. When we unfold them we see...

Front:

A set of very basic and to-the-point directions. There's really nothing complex about the set, and that's certainly reflected in the instructions. Note the orange glow at the bottom- they give an odd feeling to the instructions, like someone dipped the bottom in orange juice.

Back:

The backside has no extra fluff- not even a parts inventory! The orange "stain" on the front appears here too.

Instructions:: Thoughts: Very concise and to-the-point, with absolutely no ads.

PIECES:

Pieces:

Here is the small array of pieces, which were extremely easy to spread due to their scarcity. You can see that there are a total of four- count 'em four- colors in the set, dominated by white. The selection is quite basic, but contains a few useful parts like the white fins and the dark red.

Pieces of interest:

There's not much of a variety, so the more "interesting" pieces are quite basic. The red modified plate is pretty cool, and I can never have enough jumpers.

Pieces:: Thoughts: A decent selection for a small set, but nothing mind-blowing.

THE BUILD:

Build:

In 11 fast steps, the ship is constructed. There's a lot of nifty jumper techniques and overlapping plates. It's a very fun but short experience, and the ship is quite sturdy throughout. Definitely one of my favorite mini-models to build.

Build:: Thoughts: A very fun build, considering it's a mini-model.

COMPLETED PRODUCT:

The Whole Set:

And we have our completed set! Pure mini goodness, without a flick-fire in sight. It seems to be quite accurate, compared to this picture:

(From this site)

However, the guns should be even bigger, and the nose shorter (it could be modded with a 1x3 tile). Also, the engines should be way bigger. Last, the plate extends too much in the back. Otherwise, it's pretty good.

Side:

The side view shows how glaring that one stud gap at the front is. Otherwise, it looks pretty bulky in the middle, but I believe that's accurate.

Back:

The back view is relatively uninteresting, save for the s-foils. You can see that the bottom ones actually go an angle, which is probably inaccurate, but kind of cool.

Front:

The front view is also quite uninteresting. The only new addition is the two engines. They should really be much bigger. Two fezzes might work instead.

Top:

From the top view, it's apparent how far the nose juts out. You can also see its impressive wingspan, which is definitely captured well. Note that the clear cockpits turn an ugly gray, due to the color of the bricks behind them. This is a major downside for me.

Open:

Much like the actual ship, the s-foils are capable of opening. The designers did a really good job with this, despite the tiny size they were working with. It's by no means as impressive as the transforming Mini V-19 Torrent, but at least it's something.

_______________________________________________

Totals:

Design: 8/10 It loses a few points for the flaws I pointed out earlier: the extended nose and tail, and the short guns. Otherwise, it's pretty darn accurate for a mini. I wish Lego made more sturdy and efficient models like this.

Parts: 7/10 Nothing amazing, but not a bad selection considering the size of the thing.

Build: 10/10 A truly incredible if short experience, with lots of jumpers and cool flaps.

Minifigs: N/A

Playability: 8/10 You can open the s-foils and swoosh it. It's much better to crash this one than the full-sized thing! That's where the minis really shined.

Price: N/A (By today's price, it's really only a collector's item)

Total: 33/40 Overall, a decent set. It's quite pretty even if it isn't 100% accurate, and is good for swooshing and crashing. I'm very proud to own it, and if you too just fell in love with it, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Bonus:

Size matters not?

Thanks for reading!

-Inconspicuous

Edited April 16, 2010 by WhiteFang
Indexed

[Big Cam]

I gave it an above average, it missed the outstanding vote simply because (and I know this isn't fair) I can't help but compare it to the two most recent mini's that are much more colorful. The white seems a little overpowering.

I know the ship IS mostly white, but for some reason that bothers me.

The review is spot on though As if we'd expect anything less from you!

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'Inconspicuous' for this review - I must say why did they use 1x1 transclear slope pieces for the cockpits and plate it then to the right shape ?

Aw well it was 2005, just look at these mini sets now eh ?

I'm a conformist! everyone !

[Brickus]

Good review, great set by the looks of it.

[drdavewatford]

Great review !

This is one of my favourite 'official' minis - given the low piece count, I think LEGO have done an excellent job with the design.

I also got mine from eBay - not sure whether they were initially given away as part of a promotion or what, but I've never seen them at retail.

I was planning to review this set myself to fill a gap in the reviews index, so thanks for saving me a job !

Dr. D.

[def]

I'd like a copy of this, but I'm generally over my love of minis (meaning I don't hunt them down in auctions), but this is still pretty sharp looking. Thanks.