69 replies to this topic

[Kernow]

Out of nowhere this set appeared at my local TRU.  Hadn't been expecting this one for a while, so a nice surprise.  *sweet*

Firstly the box.  Nice pic on the front.  Good selection of minifigs.  The officer and pilot look cool with their dark blue trousers.  A new R2 unit as well.  Don't remeber this in the film, but great to have one in a new colour.  *wub*



Back of the box shows some of the ship's nifty features.



First thing you notice when you open the box, is the awesome selection of bricks.  This makes a for a great parts pack.  Loads of unusual red and dark red pieces.  It's so refreshing to see a Star Wars set that isn't predominantly grey.  There are also two instruction booklets.



As soon as you open the first booklet you hit an error.  Why would I want two Obi-Wans?  :-|



It's also at this point that you come across a big disappointment.  On the box you get a flesh Qui-Gon.  What is actually in the box is an EpIII Obi-Wan.  Come on LEGO - why change it?  |-/  All the figures look impressive in the flesh despite the BIG mistake.





Once I started the build it progressed rapidly.  Red pieces seem to be a lot easier to find.  Lots of clever techniques.  Quite a few Technic elements get used at the start.  It reminded me of building a Technic set from the 80s at times.  Here is the main body half way through the build.



The landing mechanism is a nice touch.  Its not fully retractable, but still folds away nicely.  You find the ship keeps tipping over as you build it despite the feet, as it's only at the end thay it all becomes evenly balanced at both ends.  Here the feet are extended.  You can also see the yellow knob that rotates the radar on top of the ship.



Landing gear up viewed from the front.



Here are the radar.  A great collection of dishes.  They spin easily with little friction.



Here is the ship at the half way point.  The front works well with the top flipping up to squeeze in the pilot.





More to come...  :-)

[Bonaparte]

You're second post on this forum and already you bring us this great review.
Thanks for making this !!

[Piranha]

Thanks for this great review  *y*  :-)
And Welcome to eurobricks

*n* Whats with the obi wan head???
Darn TLC........

Piranha

[CopMike]

Kernow, on Jul 22 2007, 10:48 PM, said:

A new R2 unit as well.  Don't remeber this in the film, but great to have one in a new colour.  *wub*
It's also at this point that you come across a big disappointment. On the box you get a flesh Qui-Gon. What is actually in the box is an EpIII Obi-Wan.
More to come...  :-)

Nice review and I can�t wait to see part II :'-)!
The "Qui-Gon" incident is just plain stupid >:-(!
Nice to have a new droid *y*!

Part II Wait On

copmike

[Hinckley]

What's up Kernow!!?? Nice review. Thanks for sharing. Welcome to Eurobricks, I hope you have fun here!  :-D  X-D

That Qui-Gonn thing is weird. Come on LEGO! Someone is just asleep at the wheel over there with quality control. Missing pieces, injections molds, slipping quality, ice cube trays...IMO, that's a huge thing to miss. The mini-fig on the box doesn't come in the set=false claims.

Anyway, the ship looks beautiful and I wanted this set when I first saw it and your review confirms that it is very cool. Thanks again! X-D  X-D

[Kernow]

7665 Review Part 2

The second half of the build goes quicker than the first.  Once you start to add the engines, the ship really begins to take shape.



The main body of the ship has a few surprises hidden away under a removable cover.  Inside you get some retracting guns, a storage box, a little shuttle and space for a droid and figure.



Here is everything you can fit inside.



The guns are concealed behind the side vents.  Pushing them forward causes the vents to open.  Closed:



And open:



The final feature is the passenger area/escape pod.  Inside is plenty of space for two figures.



The pod cleverly attaches by pushing the front section of the ship forward, sliding the pod in, then returning the front.  Everything locks together and is held securely in place by an elastic band.  :-)



Here's a couple of pictures of the final model.  It's not the most beautiful creation ever, but it is an excellent representation of the ship from the film.  The angular shape actually suits a LEGO build well.





There's one more useful feature.  The whole ship can be safely and comfortably picked up by two ball ended Technic pins towards the back end.  It balances well at this point and does allow you to swoosh the ship around much more easily.



This was the most enjoyable Star Wars build I've had in a long time.  Everything progresses nicely with almost no repetitive bits.  The ship looks good and is also HUGE!  *sweet*   Compare it to the 6211 ISD and you'll see it's only fractionally smaller.



When I first saw pictures of this on the internet I thought it looked OK.  Once you see it for real it is much more impressive.  For �69.99 in the UK I'm not complaining.  It's the best value Star Wars set of the year so far.

To conclude:
Pieces: 9/10
Minifigures: 7/10 (would be a 9 apart from the stupid Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan head error)
Playability: 8/10
Originality: 9/10
Set Design: 8/10
Overall: 8.2/10

The box says this is a Limited Edition set (whatever that means).  So if you're planning to get it I'd suggest you grab it at the first opportunity.  I'm glad I did!  X-D

Edited by Kernow, 22 July 2007 - 10:56 PM.

[CopMike]

Kernow, on Jul 22 2007, 11:36 PM, said:

7665 Review Part 2
There's one more useful feature. The whole ship can be safely and comfortably picked up by two ball ended Technic pins towards the back end.
It balances well at this point and does allow you to swoosh the ship around much more easily.

Yeah, nude swoosh On X-D!

Excellent review! This looks like a very nice piece of LEGO-enginereing *y*!
Like you I think it looks like the original. I did think though that it was supposed to be a un-armed ship but I can defenitly live with that X-D!

The escape shuttle looks roamy enough, a bit dull though but it could have a PS III stached away somewhere, but the other shuttle :-| - come on!
Is it for Mini-me when he needs to go and get some burgers & fries?

Getting at least two On

copmike

[Bionic-Sun]

Good review, the set looks nice. About the Obi/Qui head thing, I think that is more likely to been error at quality control. Either that or it is a "Striking Venom's Mecha One's legs" situation and the first editions all have this mistake. I can't see why they would have an actual Qui-Gon head, in the fleshtone, on the box but not in the box.

Still, good work!

Edited by Bionic-Sun, 22 July 2007 - 10:52 PM.

[sam89]

Quote

Whoops. Have just realised that I've titled the review 7655 Republic Cruiser. it is actually Set 7665

Changed ;-)

And an excellent review! The sets looks great!

[Kernow]

Thanks Sam89!  :-)

[Corvus]

Quote

There's one more useful feature. The whole ship can be safely and comfortably picked up by two ball ended Technic pins towards the back end. It balances well at this point and does allow you to swoosh the ship around much more easily.

It's a small surface to hold onto, and with two fingers? Am I detecting some accidents here.  >:-)

Darn, now I actually have to get this set!  >:-(   :-D Anyway, great reveiw. This set is much better than I thought it would be. It actually has room inside!  X-O  I was expecting a  hollow area.

Still, if they have the face on the box, not all is lost. We should be able to call in and get the real head...

This looks like it will look very good on shelves! 8-� Other than mine, of course...



Clash on!

[Doctor Sinister]

Wow, what a great review!  I'm dead impressed that the whole thing can be picked up from that central point - awesome...and I never realised how BIG it was!

Dr. S.

[Sinner]

Great review.  *wub*  I wanted this set already for the dark red parts but I want it even more now! I don't really care about the Qui-Gonn head problem; I haven't got Obi-Wan either.

[Legoman]

great reveiw thanks, must get this set, shame bout quigon though, hopefully just a error that will be fixed soon by lego.thanks again

[Lt. Col. Thok]

My god.  This... now i understand why the Lego company is the number one of  it's kind.  Damn, I used to think that this set was ugly, but now....  the only downfall is that it is $150 CAD... good-by, King's Castle Siege.... But by God, that is a beautiful set.

[Mofo Jones]

Excellent review!  I'm definitely sold on this set.  X-D  Thanks for the review, Kernow!

[Timento]

Excellent review  *y*
I won't be getting this one however... To costly for me :-/
With 69.99 GBP that's about 110 EUR...

[Big Pete]

Timento, on Jul 23 2007, 08:18 AM, said:

Excellent review  *y*
I won't be getting this one however... To costly for me :-/
With 69.99 GBP that's about 110 EUR...

I'm so tempted to see if my local TRU has this ... and if so, buy it and cancel my order in the US (to be picked up in person later in 2007) ... but, I first need to find out how much the Hoth Base will be in the UK.

Two sets in the USA came to �81 incl sales tax.  If this is �70 already, I can't imagine the Hoth Base being �10 to equal the price.

Anyone got a confirmed price for the Hoth Base in the UK ?

[Kahgarak]

Shame about that Qui-Gon fig, but man, that ship is beautiful!

The little flyer that comes with it is cool too- reminds me a bit of the Imperial shuttles.

[xwingyoda]

Kernow,

Let me first bid you welcome in our cosy little home  ;-)  and secondly thank you for this really neat review  ;-)

I just went to TRU this morning to check on new sets but came home empty handed  >:-(

This ship is better and better each time I some some pics of it  8-�  I like all the little nifty features that really increase playability, really a nice touch !!

Regarding the Qui Gon incident (which remoinds me of my Batman Rims problem  >:-( ), have you tried and called Lego direct to inquire about that ? Do you think its a production mistake for that series or just a stupid head switch ? Anyhow this really aggravates me (like the black hands on those guards on set 6212 !!)

I'm really looking forward to add this baby to my collection hehe

*yoda*

[Ras 74]

xwingyoda, on Jul 23 2007, 01:11 PM, said:

1. I just went to TRU this morning to check on new sets but came home empty handed  >:-(

2.Regarding the Qui Gon incident (which remoinds me of my Batman Rims problem  >:-( )

1. He he, know that feeling, never funny...

2. Oh Jesus... How long will it take for you to get over this? 1 year... 2 years??

Welcome to the boards Kernow!
And what an entrance as well!
Comming with a review on a ship that many really would like to own right now.

Thanks for the review as well.
I never doubted that I was gonna get this one, but now I want it even more.

-Ras-

[xwingyoda]

Ras 74, on Jul 23 2007, 11:25 AM, said:

2. Oh Jesus... How long will it take for you to get over this? 1 year... 2 years??

Never  >:-)   X-D

*yoda*

[Kernow]

Thanks for all the positive comments!  :'-)

I've been visiting Eurobricks for a couple of year now, but never quite got round to taking the plunge and joining.  However when I stumbled across the Republic Cruiser I really didn't feel I could keep it to myself.

Anyway I've phoned LEGO customer service and they say they'll send the correct replacement head for Qui-Gon.  Just got to wait for it to arrive.  Unfortunately I'm on holiday at the end of the week, so they need to get it to me quick!

Edited by Kernow, 23 July 2007 - 12:09 PM.

[sam89]

Good news that they have the Qui-gon heads in stock. I thought they might considering that the set is out so early.

[Sinner]

Kernow, on Jul 23 2007, 09:08 PM, said:

Thanks for all the positive comments!  :'-)

I've been visiting Eurobricks for a couple of year now, but never quite got round to taking the plunge and joining.  However when I stumbled across the Republic Cruiser I really didn't feel I could keep it to myself.

Anyway I've phoned LEGO customer service and they say they'll send the correct replacement head for Qui-Gon.  Just got to wait for it to arrive.  Unfortunately I'm on holiday at the end of the week, so they need to get it to me quick!

Wahoo, free heads!

Doh, slow postal service!