Galaxy Squad 70703 Star Slicer - Review

[Algernon]

70703 Star Slicer

• 311 Pieces
  
• $39.99 USD
  
• 3 minifigures
  
• Ages 8-14
  

Hi folks! I don't review sets very often around here, since they are generally a massive time sink and I don't have the best equipment for it. But I had a nice day off today to mess with all of my holiday loot, and I'm happy to bring you a review of the 70703 Star Slicer (originally the Space Mantis). A small disclaimer before I begin: as I do not claim to be a professional photographer, I lack a studio of any kind. Further complicating matters is the complete lack of any large, flat, clean surface in my house after it was decimated with toys, pets, and sugar-crazed youngins. Because of this, our epic intergalactic confrontation will have to occur on a soft and comfortable surface that absolutely isn't my bed cushion.

Now that I'm done lowering your expectations, ladies and gentlemen, the Star Slicer!

As always, we'll start with the minifigures. I'm happy to say that the selection, while lacking in quantity, is very satisfactory in quality.

First up is the Squaddie. I know he has an official name, but I haven't kept up with any of the lore. Today, he'll be Steve.

Steve here has some fantastic printing indeed. I'm particularly fond of the ribbed look to the back printing. It reminds me a bit of the Mass Effect armor.

Best of all, Steve's head printing is boss. The targeting reticule and respirator make for a pleasing look. The head is double sided, but the other side only removes the respirator.

Next is the android. I absolutely love the concept of these guys, and this particular android is one of my favorites. The unique head mold is killer.

For some reason, the pictures of this guy came out a bit unfocused, which I'm only now noticing. Oh well - I did say I was an amateur photographer didn't I?

You'll notice that the printing on both the torso and legs of this android is unique from Steve. The difference is slight, but still present. That attention to detail is why we love LEGO!

Now for the most exciting figure from this set, the alien. This minifigure is exclusive to the Star Slicer. He is identical to the alien from the Space Swarmer, but as you can see, he is red!

The head piece is absolutely fantastic, especially from a side view. The contours makes for a very alien-like design. It's great to see such a sinister enemy coming to LEGO Space.

You won't be surprised to know that the alien also sports back printing. Absolutely killer minifigure.

One more shot, just because. Look at that BAMF. Oh yeah. Just don't make eye contact.

And now, on to one of the more attractive Galaxy Squad vehicles, and the surprise star of this set.

(Disclaimer: I apply stickers. Why? Because I don't have the dexterity of a drunken squirrel. Sheesh, you guys. They're really not that bad)

I really like this little truck. It's compact, attractively contoured, and unoffensive. No flick fire missiles, either.

A lot of people commented on this little beauty when pictures first leaked, and rest assured, it lives up to your expectations.

Now for the "play feature". As you probably know by now, the idea with Galaxy Squad is that each vehicle splits apart into two smaller vehicles.

I actually like how the truck looks without the back section. It's simplistic, but it works.

However, I can't say the same for the other "vehicle", which appears to be little more than a weaponized armchair.

As much as I like Galaxy Squad, I'll have to admit that the "splitting" feature is not the greatest. It works okay sometimes, but it seems like a wasted effort.

And now on to the Star Slicer!

As you can see, the model is a little skeletal, but it compliments the "insectoid" aesthetic.

Personally, I like the stickers. I think they add a lot of attractive printing that wouldn't otherwise be possible. Of course, I prefer prints, but it's not a perfect world.

Speaking of prints: Introducing a brand new printed tile! It's theme-specific, but it's still quite cool.

The arms are probably the weakest element of the design. Shameless use of technic, and the joint placement is a little wonky. Still, you get some cool soft-plastic swords.

There's a Zamor launcher mounted beneath the head/cockpit/what have you. It's not the most offensive use of a Zamor launcher that I've seen, but it's hard to call it a plus.

A better shot of the frame. The set has a lot of girth, but it's mostly due to the long and spindly appendages.

There's a purple containment pod mounted on the back. Again, not the worst placement I've ever seen, but not the greatest.

The pod itself is quite cool. The trans-purple looks nice, and it has a lot of potential for MOC-ers.

The pod is made from two identical pieces that click together. Sneaky, LEGO. Sneaky.

One last shot of our friend, the BAMF, and his ballin' ride. Keep rollin brotha.

And finally, the money shot:

So, how does this set stack up? I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Star Slicer. While it is far from perfect, and it would be easy to nitpick, the general look of the model is pretty pleasing. It definitely nails the insectoid aesthetic of the theme. You get a lot of nice lime-green parts, as well as some interesting technic pieces. The exclusive minifigure is a nice bonus, as well. Another good point of the set is the Squaddie vehicle, which is great, even with the superfluous splitting function.

However, if you're easily turned away by technic-heavy construction, stickers, and skeletal designs, you could be forgiven for passing this one by. Galaxy Squad has a lot of better sets to choose from, and at a $39.99 price point, you would be hard-pressed for a good reason to pick this over the fabulous 70700 Space Swarmer (ringing up at a mere $11.99 USD). I would only recommend this set to Space aficionados, or someone with a particular inclination to the Insectoid side of the theme.

Minifigs: 9/10

Parts: 7/10

Price: 5/10

Design: 8/10

Conclusion: 7/10

Thanks for reading, folks!

Edited December 27, 2012 by Algernon

[Masked Builder]

I like the way this set looks. And that alien in dark red really appeals to me however, it just doesn't seem worth it for the money to me.

[Vindicare]

Good little review. Photos aren't bad at all, despite YOUR bedspread. I'm of the same opinion of "Steves" vehicle being better than the weapon chair. It reminds me of that electric vehicle(jewel?) that Chrysler made a few years ago. That mantis is pretty awesome, despite the plague of Technic.

I like the placement of the purple pod of doom.

[1974]

Nice review. Your pics are actually the very best among all the new space reviews; not shopped, oversaturated and set against white background. Much preferable, imho

Edit : Better pics than the recent LoC reviews as well

Edited December 27, 2012 by 1974

[Algernon]

Thanks folks. I also got the Vermin Vaporizer, and if I have the time, I'll go ahead and review that one as well!

[ZO6]

Thanks for doing this review, Algernon!

Upon seeing that initial blurry picture of this set, I was skeptical. However, with better pictures (and reviews such as this), and seeing the set in person, I've come to really like the Star Slicer. The design is really neat and out of the insect faction reminds me perhaps the most of something from the Insectoids theme. I'm really digging the colour scheme of the insects too. Also, it's great that the buggy isn't some throwaway vehicle - it's actually well designed and has a cool play feature. The large quantity of technic parts is a bummer, but the construction of those limbs would have been a lot trickier using traditional system elements.

[Ceroknight]

Thank you for the review!

I'm still hesitant of the Slicer itself, but the addition of fantastic minifigures, and an awesome human vehicle might be enough for me to get this on a sale

[Lord LOLrus]

Excellent review!

I sympathize with your lack of flat surfaces - the only reason I was able to take any pics for my most recent review was because we did a lot of clean-up in preparation for Christmas.

The Galaxy Squad vehicle looks a lot better than I had thought previously. The windshield looks awesome, and your description of the robot's vehicle as a weaponized armchair seems very apt .

Question: is the windshield printed or a sticker? 'Cause I seem to have the dexterity of a drunken squirrel...

[DraikNova]

Looks a bit nicer than I thought it would. Nice to see that the Buggoid has four eyes inside each of it´s four eyes.

[rongYIREN]

Cool review! I think that alien is the best of of the bad guys.

[Algernon]

Excellent review!

I sympathize with your lack of flat surfaces - the only reason I was able to take any pics for my most recent review was because we did a lot of clean-up in preparation for Christmas.

The Galaxy Squad vehicle looks a lot better than I had thought previously. The windshield looks awesome, and your description of the robot's vehicle as a weaponized armchair seems very apt .

Question: is the windshield printed or a sticker? 'Cause I seem to have the dexterity of a drunken squirrel...

Yes sir, it is indeed a sticker. Not many printed parts to be had here, unfortunately.

[Lyichir]

The insectoids are split between the Mosquitoids with proboscises and the Buggoids without. But there's no naming distinction between the different colors. For this reason, I hereby propose that we canonize the name BAMF (Buggoid Alien MiniFigure) for the red one.

Decent review. While not quite as professional as those from the Reviewer's Academy, it's plenty of fun and gives a good well-rounded perspective on the set. I hope to see more reviews from you in the future!

[TimH]

Nice review Algemon.

[Bricknblue]

Nice review. I'm debating on buying it for 30% off ($28USD), but I don't like the big insects, so I'm not sure I want to spend $28 on the cool little human vehicle.

[zero1312]

I mostly agree to you, but there's one thing that annoys the heck out of me. It's how the head is attached to the neck.

LEGO could've a bit more creative to create a less wobbly way. Is it just me or is LEGO always doing the easiest and

most simple way on the new modells?

[Gryphon Ink]

Very nice review. I still don't like the mantis. The overall shape isn't too bad, but the fact that the model is completely unposeable just wrecks it for me. The mantis is a natural shape to build a ferocious alien "walker" assault vehicle, looming over the puny hu-mon defense forces to sice them open from above. Instead we got this sad thing that slides along on its abdomen, with outriggers.

The Squaddie vehicle really is the star of the set. I actually like both parts of it. If you think about it, the concept of a "weaponized flying armchair" makes a ton of sense, given that its pilot is a robot. The dude is armored and doesn't need life support, so there's little need to build anything around him except for engines and weapons. Air support on a budget. It's actually one of the most sensible vehicles in the theme, IMO.