I’m
sure Hasbro had this on display somewhere at Toy Fair, but I don’t
remember seeing it. The first time this adorable little starship came
to my attention was when I saw the box in a Target. At that point I
vaguely recalled seeing something about an assortment of
smaller-scale, lower-priced vehicles. But I don’t think it occurred
to me that the elder Fett’s Firespray (soon to be the junior
Fett’s) would be among them.
But
anyway, I saw this Slave I at Target. I was curious as to just how
big it could be given the size of the box. Obviously it wasn’t the
mold I referenced above. It couldn’t be the older Power of the
Force Target Exclusive either. I didn’t even think the original
mold Slave I would fit into that little box. I was baffled. Surely
Hasbro wouldn’t have created an all-new mold just to sell at a
lower price point?
But
I already own five or six 3 ¾” scale versions of this vehicle and
certainly didn’t need another one. Definitely
not a smaller, inferior version.
But
I kept thinking about it. And like a catchy song, the thing just got
stuck in my head. I wanted to see for myself just how big it was and
how it had been made. The amount of detail, how the cockpit worked,
the assembly. It’s not often I get obsessed with a mass market tot,
but this thing had me.
It
wasn’t at that Target the next time I stopped in. We saw it at Toys
R Us, but it cost five bucks more and twenty bucks is pretty much my
limit for a curiosity buy (with the rare exception). Then I found one at the worst Target in our area the
other night and I decided I had to have it.
First
Glance:
Having other Hasbro Slave Is to refer to, I knew that this box was
tiny. And once I opened it up and pulled the pieces out, I was
shocked. Yeah, it was very small, but it looked good. Very good.
Moving
Parts:
This isn’t just a chunk of plastic. There are some moving features.
As many as you need, really.
Opening
canopy
Pivoting
wings
Pivoting
forward guns
Spring-loaded
firing missile
As
any good nerd knows, that is not how the Fetts enter their ship. Even
the original Slave I got that right. But it really doesn’t matter.
Everything else looks good and it wouldn’t be realistic to have the
front thatch the other versions feature.
The
wings are a little tough to move, but they do. These are actually
modeled after the second version of the vehicle rather than the
original. It would have been easy to fake it with one point of
connection, but they went ahead and put the support struts on as
well.
The
forward guns simply plug into place. They are also a bit tough to
move, but better that than if they were too loose.
The
missile fires really
far for
a modern toy. I was surprised. But you do have to be sure and load it
correctly or it won’t stay in. There are three ridges near the top
and you have to load the missile with one facing toward the front of
the ship or it won’t click into the mechanism properly and will
just fire on its own.
Sculpt:
I wasn’t expecting the level of detail present on this toy. I don’t
know exactly how to term such things, but the primary and secondary
levels of detail are all present. By that I mean that all of the
panels and major ridges and wires are here. Enough of the tooling and
parts to look correct. I was honestly expecting a minimum of this
sort of thing, but there’s plenty to examine.
Even
the bottom of the vehicle has a ton of sculpting.
The
shape is obviously correct and is simply a scaled-down version of the
ship. When comparing it to other modern versions, it is almost just
like looking at one from further away – the smallest of the details
just aren’t visible.
The
cockpit has ten times as much stuff going on as any of the original
vehicles. Plenty of panels and displays and whatnot.
We put a Vintage
Collection Jango Fett and an (Movie Heroes?) AOTC Obi-Wan in there
and they both fit just fine. The canopy fits very snugly in place,
but snaps open easily enough. It has two open positions – one that
is wide enough to get a figure in and out but requires support, and
one that is vertical from the ship and clicks into place.
The
spot where the missile is seated could have been an eyesore, but the
way it is sculpted and the depth at which the missile sits actually
makes it another interesting visual. It isn’t accurate, but it
isn’t instantly recognizable as an action feature, which is usually
the failing of action features. If they don’t blend smoothly into
the sculpt, I hate them with a passion.
What’s
interesting is that without reference or visual cues you really
wouldn’t know that this is such a small ship. But as soon as you
put a figure near it:
Well,
there you go.
Coloring:
Just like the amount of sculpted detail, I was surprised by the paint
job on this thing. There are at least eight colors present and a lot
of it is paint. It is all applied cleanly and matches the idea
of the Slave I, is not the exact deco. It matches up quite nicely
with the Clone Wars Slave I.
This
vehicle comes with three stickers that I had to apply. Two went in
the cockpit in slightly hard-to-reach spots and one went on the nose
of the ship. These are nice-looking, detailed stickers that honestly
weren’t even necessary. But I’m glad they were in there. They
provided that little something extra.
I
personally really like the dark canopy. It was the first thing I
noticed about the ship that was a major difference from the other
models. It looks good and draws the eye. I also like that it is flat
rather than glossy. It goes with the rest of the ship, which has
nice, interesting colors but is subdued.
Accessories:
The only true accessory is the missile. It looks neat and has a more
involved sculpt than is strictly necessary. I almost get the feeling
from this toy that the designers knew
they were making a cheap-o version of something and wanted to do the
absolute best possible job they could on it.
Packaging:
It’s the standard Star Wars slim vehicle box. The front features
the new Yoda graphic.
As
much as I like this graphic, I don’t know that Yoda is the guy I
would have chosen to represent the toy line. He’s certainly iconic,
and he spans all of the media. But there’s just something about him
that utterly fails to say “Action and Adventure!”.
The
other vehicles in the case with the Slave I are a Jedi Starfighter
(not sure it’s specified as Obi-Wan’s) and (other thing). I like
that the Starfighter is worked into this one’s box art.
Value:
I was dubious at first, but I have to say that Hasbro has crafted a
fine vehicle for $20.
Overall:
If you’re me you’re going to want a larger version, but if you’re
a kid or just want to have a neat Slave I this one will do just fine.
As a matter of fact, while we were taking pictures for this review
Lil’ Troublemaker – who knows I already own several Slave Is –
told me he’s really like to have this one and asked if I was going
to keep it. My original plan had actually been to give it to him, but
I like it so much I had to think about it. I might have to buy
another one.
5
out of 5
Hasbro
did a fantastic job on this little toy. I never would have imagined
it could surpass my expectations in the way that it did. It’s fun,
it fires a missile and holds Jango Fett, I don’t know what more you
could want out of something to play with.
While
I wouldn’t be as happy with it at Toys R Us’ $25 price point, I
recommend you buy one if you see this at Target or Walmart for $20.
Great
job, Hasbro!
-Phantom
I've also been very curious about the size after repeatedly selling this on sale for $13 or $15 at various places. I guess it's neat as a novelty, but as far as small Slave I's go, I think I just prefer the Micro Machines Action Fleet version.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's pretty much what this is - a novelty. But if you're a Fett collector then this one is well worth it. I'll be reviewing the new Amazon Exclusive Boba Fett Slave-I soon, so stay tuned.
DeleteGreat review, I'll be buying this for my son's 7th birthday!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks