Review: 9494 Anakin's Jedi Interceptor

[Masked Builder]

Starfighter. That word is one that is few and far between in my LEGO collection, in fact, this is only my third. Mostly though, the minifigures made this set for me, though I still liked the starfighter, a new Obi-wan and Anakin both from Mustafar. (Which is my favorite scene, I think. ) I was pretty skeptical of fitting a whole Astromech in the wing, while I like the fact that it works, I knew how thick the wing would be. I per-ordered this so I'd get that free poster. Shall we see how the sets looks? Read on!

Name: Anakin's Jedi Interceptor

Set Number: 9494

Pieces: 300

Price: $39.99

Ages: 8-14

Minifigs: 4

Theme: Star Wars

Year of Release: 2012

Bricklink

Brickset

S@H

Flickr Set with all of my lovely pictures.

Fly the Jedi Interceptor™ and confront Obi-Wan on Mustafar!

Now a Sith apprentice, Anakin Skywalker approaches the planet Mustafar in his Jedi Interceptor with foldable wing flaps, opening cockpit and dual flick missiles. Little does he know that Obi-Wan Kenobi is following him. Will he be able to defeat his former friend and Jedi Master on the perilous lava river? Includes 5 minifigures: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Nute Gunray, Security Battle Droid and R2-D2.

Box:

On the front of the box we have the starfighter flying over Mustafar, and the in the lower left corner we have a box with the lava droids. On the right side, we have a little menu showing the five minifigures included in this set. I want to know why there are explosions above Mustafar, that never happened in the movie.

There are so many different panes on the back! First, we have a shot of the fighter landed on the surface with Obi-wan and Anakin dueling, we have Gunray freaking out because of the destroyed droid, several shots of the starfighter's different functions, and a few other shots of Obi-wan and Anakin dueling. Plenty going on on the back of the box, but I like the way it looks.

Anakin is our 1:1 image this time, it gives you a way to see a larger version without opening the box.

Contents:

Inside the box we have four numbered bags, as well as the manual and sticker sheet. No loose pieces or cardboard packaging in this set.

There are 10 stickers for the set, eight of them for the s-foils and the other two for near the cannons the front of the ship. I was tempted to put them on the wings, but couldn't convince myself to do it.

Manual:

As usual with manuals, the art is the same as the front of the box, but with the set information remove. Which I think makes a much prettier manual.

Inside, we have a light bley color scheme along with the tan sub-build boxes common to this wave.

Faded Darth Maul makes another appearance here, notice that he's still in color while the Avengers image is not.

There's a deviation with the color scheme for the set functions page, we get a light blue color with darker blue lines showing the "function boxes." This looks so much like a read-out from the movies.

Minifigures:

Now for my favorite part, the minifigures! We get three new figures in this set, Obi-wan, Anakin, and Gunray, the two droids we have already seen. Obi-wan, Anakin, and Gunray are all some of my favorite minifigures that I own. Anakin and Obi-wan both get new hair pieces, which are much better than their older versions.

The three real minifigures have back print, which really enhances their look. The two Jedi even have items printed on their belt.

Both Obi and Anakin have "mad" faces, Anakin looks more enraged to me while Obi-wan seems more annoyed.

I have both older versions of Obi-wan and Anakin. I must say, both are so far above the first versions, I really don't know how I liked them so much.

Anakin is just about perfect, LEGO has continued his robe down onto his legs this time. Anakin's whole outfit is very dark, LEGO has done an excellent job recreating it.

My personal favorite, Obi-wan! He's very accurate, the only bug I really have with this version is instead of flesh it should be brown below his neck. The new robe print is very likeable and I can't wait to MOC with him.

Parts:

Just a few parts caught my eye, the wing has only appeared in this set in light bley, and the cockpit is totally exclusive to the set, again in light bley. (Though a slight variation appears in the new B-wing set)

There are quite a few spare parts, seventeen in all but, the black 1x1 tiles are the only ones that interest me.

The Build:

First, you build the droid and the lava platform, while both are simple, they do have some fairly interesting parts.

Then you start on the fighter. Bag two takes you through building the cockpit.

Bag three builds one wing.

Lastly, bag four completes the other wing, they're not quite mirror images.

Complete Model:

Overall, the set builds quite a bit surprisingly. I was happily surprised to find that, while it looks rather small on the box, the set as a whole is actually quite large.

Both the droid and the platform match their movie counter parts very nicely. While the droid is actually a bit large, the platform couldn't be better.

I really like how the droid's head is attached, LEGO used a couple of droids arms to attach it rather than make a new piece.

The completed starfighter is much heavier when compared to the older version, it probably has something to do with the thicker wings. It is also very accurate to the movie version, I couldn't find a decent picture, it does have its usual LEGO feel to the set though.

LEGO has revisited the way the engines are built, I really don't like the way they look now, but they are a bit more to scale with the larger fighter.

You can see how thick the wings really are it ends up being about three bricks thick total. One side R2 fits in the droid socket, to keep it somewhat symmetrical, LEGO has placed flick-fire missiles on the other side. The thickness of the wings eliminates the need for landing gear.

Functions:

The cockpit opens and you can seat Anakin in it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that when you spin, the cockpit doesn't flop open. (Which it did in the last few iterations of the set.)

Of course, you can open the S-foils. There's no real way to open each to the same angle, you just have to eye-ball it.

Final Thoughts:

Really, I think this is one of my favorite Star Wars set this year, you get three new minifigures, a good starfighter, and a decent price. I can't really ask for more from LEGO. The new color scheme of the fighter, though it's accurate the the movie version, really strikes a chord with me. I usually end up drooling over the minifigures anyways, but these guys are some of my favorites ever. Overall, this may be my favorite smaller Star Wars set. It's that good.

Ratings:

Playability: 10/10 There's plenty of playing you can do with this set, from flying the starfighter to killing Gunray, to fighting with Obi-wan. There's plenty to do in this set.

Design: 7/10 LEGO did an excellent job of putting the astromech in the wing using the smallest amount of parts, but it's still to thick for me.

Price: 8/10 I'm happy with the price, sure there are 300 pieces, but it sure builds a good set.

Minifigures: 10/10 I really can't see the minifigures being any better, LEGO has done an excellent job.

Parts: 8/10 The selection is quite nice, dark green parts are few and far between in my collection.

Total: 43/50 I'm very happy with my $40 investment.

"I am NOT Chuck Norris!"

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[Clone OPatra]

Thanks for the in-depth look, Masked! I'm still a bit on the fence myself about this set. Obi-Wan and Anakin look great, as does the fighter, but it still doesn't feel like $40 to me. Maybe there will be a sale before long.

[Bilbo Baggins]

Great review, too bed this set has stickers though

[XimenaPaulina]

Thanks for the review Masked, I really loved the comparison pics of Anakin and Obi-Wan figs with their movie reference material, just goes to show how they really resemble the actual characters! I do agree this is a nice set to pick-up at the price point, considering the Eta-2 hasn't been released for quite some time now so it's a good chance to own this for those who missed the previous versions. And I really liked how they included the Mustafar elements so we could recreate one of the most dramatic scenes in the trilogy ("You were my brother Anakin, I loved you.." - a combination of ).

[LuxorV]

Thanks for the review, Masked Builder!

I really like how this new version of the Jedi Interceptor, except for R2's 'cradle', which makes the wings look somewhat too bulky, imo.

[The Penguin]

Thank you for such a great review, MB!

I really love the set. The figures are perfect and the Gunray one has instantly become one of my most favourite ones. A security droid is a nice addition as well. Plus it's always great to get a non-CW faces for customizing purposes. )

Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

[Brickadeer]

Personally, I think it is a great set. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that the droid's torso isn't the same as in 7877.

@KDM: Maybe the scene wasn't played too well, but it clearly is a key scene. The point is that Obi Wan didn't kill Anakin despite the fact that Yoda told him to do so, and that he couldn't kill Anakin because of his personal feelings, be it love, friendship, compassion, whatever. As Dave Filoni pointed out, that makes Obi Wan responsible for all future actions of Darth Vader, a responsibility Obi Wan had to take. In the long run, it turned out that Obi Wan was right to give in to his personal feelings, since Vader was the only one left with the capability to kill Sidious, while Yoda was wrong (again). In that regard, not killing Vader created the opportunity for the "Return of the Jedi", that is the return of Anakin Skywalker. But the fact that he was right doesn't remove his responsibility: on a large scale, Vader's death wouldn't have changed anything since Yoda failed to kill Sidious. In a certain sense, however, Obi Wan so to say determined who'd pay concretely for his decision not to kill Vader, making him personal guilty for every single person killed by Vader's actions.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Brickadeer

[Ki-Adi-Mundi]

Thank you for this very good review on this great set.

It features one of the most crucial scenes of the PT and luckily isn't any clone-warified. I got it a little cheaper and think it's worth the money.

There's not too many stickers and the fighter even looks good without them being attached. I only wonder on the colour scheme of the ship itself. Wasn't Anakin's ETA-2 Actis Interceptor yellow? The ship he used to get to Mustafar had this dark green, yes, but IIRC it more looked like the ship in 9526?

[Brickadeer]

I only wonder on the colour scheme of the ship itself. Wasn't Anakin's ETA-2 Actis Interceptor yellow? The ship he used to get to Mustafar had this dark green, yes, but IIRC it more looked like the ship in 9526?

He used a yellow Eta-2 in the opening scene of RotS, yes. And, as you said correctly, a green one later.

[Hartfan]

When I saw for the first time pictures of this set I new its a "must have" for me. Love design and minifigs in it. Thanks for nice review.

[Ki-Adi-Mundi]

He used a yellow Eta-2 in the opening scene of RotS, yes. And, as you said correctly, a green one later.

Ah, thank you for the reminder. My memory failed me - the depiction in the set is perfectly right. There still was the airspeeder Anakin had used to reach Palpatine's rooms on my mind.

[Brickadeer]

Ah, thank you for the reminder. My memory failed me - the depiction in the set is perfectly right. There still was the airspeeder Anakin had used to reach Palpatine's rooms on my mind.

Yes, Anakin seems to have the nasty tendency to show off with all the nifty tools he has at his disposal.

[XimenaPaulina]

@KDM: Maybe the scene wasn't played too well, but it clearly is a key scene. The point is that Obi Wan didn't kill Anakin despite the fact that Yoda told him to do so, and that he couldn't kill Anakin because of his personal feelings, be it love, friendship, compassion, whatever. As Dave Filoni pointed out, that makes Obi Wan responsible for all future actions of Darth Vader, a responsibility Obi Wan had to take. In the long run, it turned out that Obi Wan was right to give in to his personal feelings, since Vader was the only one left with the capability to kill Sidious, while Yoda was wrong (again). In that regard, not killing Vader created the opportunity for the "Return of the Jedi", that is the return of Anakin Skywalker. But the fact that he was right doesn't remove his responsibility: on a large scale, Vader's death wouldn't have changed anything since Yoda failed to kill Sidious. In a certain sense, however, Obi Wan so to say determined who'd pay concretely for his decision not to kill Vader, making him personal guilty for every single person killed by Vader's actions.

Oh don't get me wrong, I do love that scene! I actually find the dialogue touching and I may even have been teary-eyed watching that the first time. The bunch of emoticons was just a summary of various reactions to that part of the movie, as I've heard those who found the dialogue cheesy (I don't, I actually love it!)

[K-Nut]

Wonderful review, Masked! I picked this set up just for the figures (to replace my CW faced ones ) and I must say, the set itself is great as well! I can't say I didn't think about that last shot before, either.

[Ferrik]

Great review, but this set does feel a tad expensive for $40, but there are detailed minifigures...

[Masked Builder]

All of your feedback makes all the hard work worth it, thanks guys!

I really like how this new version of the Jedi Interceptor, except for R2's 'cradle', which makes the wings look somewhat too bulky, imo.

I completely agree, it's way to large.

I can't say I didn't think about that last shot before, either.

Nothing wrong with Chuck Norris.

[jmagaletta]

Still one of my favorite sets. Hell it promted me to make my own in yellow, red, and black.

[DFOL]

Thanks for this great review Masked Builder! I've never been a huge fan of the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, so i still haven't added this set to my collection. But that doesn't mean i consider it a bad set at all. At the contrary, i think this set packs some nicely designed models and the minifig selection isn't bad either, so i might pick it up if i come across it at an appealing discount.

[AMC]

I would love to get this set, but I don't have any cash/credit to use.

I have a ton of money in my Amazon account though, is it worth paying close to $60 on Amazon to get it?

[DFOL]

I would love to get this set, but I don't have any cash/credit to use.

I have a ton of money in my Amazon account though, is it worth paying close to $60 on Amazon to get it?

It's a $40 set, do you really want to pay $20 extra? Seems a bit unnescessary to me, i would just be patient and pick it up cheaper at a later time.

[AMC]

It's a $40 set, do you really want to pay $20 extra? Seems a bit unnescessary to me, i would just be patient and pick it up cheaper at a later time.

I would only pay the extra $20 because it's hard to find where I live. Being a target exclusive they never ship in big numbers to stores.

[Masked Builder]

I would love to get this set, but I don't have any cash/credit to use.

I have a ton of money in my Amazon account though, is it worth paying close to $60 on Amazon to get it?

I would, if it's rather hard to find near you.

[wctan4444]

Great review. My son will sure love it.

[WhiteFang]

Ok Masked Builder, you had definitely convinced me to get this. I wasn't sure of getting it... especially when I don't recall owning the entire collection of Starfighters or whatever, but the EP3 sets are quite near to the end of the CW, and this Jedi Interceptor is a good way to acquire at the opening of the SW EP3 movie battle scene.

It is a pity that TLG didn't make a real Mustafar scene, otherwise it will be even better to see the control room. Still, my personal take of getting this set, if reasonable, is all due to the minifigures variety. I am quite fond of it.

[Im a brickmaster.]

He may not be Chuck Noris but you could use him as Chuck Noris!

Nice review, Ive been waiting for this set to go on sale before I get it, 40

bucks is a little high.