Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

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Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby BrickBob Studpants » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:22 am

After hearing that the new SW sets were already available in German TRUs, I thought that the Swiss TRUs might have them as well so I went to the most nearby TRU last Saturday and as expected, there were plenty of them (apart from the Podracers set, which really annoys me as that's the one I wanted the most :twisted: ). As I have to prepare my semester exams right now, I'm not able to do full reviews, so I do a mini review of all the sets instead ;) Let's start with 7956 Sith Nightspeeder (aka Dathomir Speeder):

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I think it's a pretty weird looking speeder, mainly because of the huge part on the right (the two other parts can be taken off and be used as separate speeders, as can be seen on the following picture)

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As you can imagine, the set contains a huge DSS, but fortunately also some printed parts (that is to say the smaller wedges). Three flick-fire missiles are included as well, but that shouldn't come as a surprise :D

Now the minifigs:

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Because this set is obviously based on season 3 of TCW, Anakin has (finally) received a new torso. I like the new one a lot better because of the dark brown arms (which are a nice touch) and the less static looking robe; Asajj Ventress on the other hand still looks ugly. Anyway, the main attraction in the minifig sector isn't either of them, but rather the bad guy with the most subtle name of all time, Savage Oppress 8-)

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As I've already mentioned in the SW thread, his headpiece is included twice, which is a nice bonus (though I'm not really sure what it could be used for apart from being kept as a replacement part). The body armor mould is the same as the CM hockey player one, except in black and with different printing. Overall, I really like this minifig I have to say, and his head looks a lot more threatening than the one his "brother" has to deal with :?

Next on our list: 7957 Ewok Attack

Another set with our favourite killer teddy bears and a perfect add-on for 8038 Battle of Endor. The tree is among the best I've seen lately, the colour scheme and parts choice fit perfectly IMO. The speeder bike is a nice inclusion, but I wonder why the'yre making so many different versions of it :? By now we're getting a new one every year (at least since 2008)...

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And here's the teddy gang:

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How could you resist such cuteness? I know I can't :D I really dig the new Ewoks, they go so well together with the other ones as you can see on the picture. The details on these figs are just stunning, especially those on Logray.

7959 Geonosian Starfighter

This set is a little pricey but still worth the money because of its cool minifigs and slick design. I also took some comparison pics as I happen to own the old 2003 version too:

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I prefer the new version because of its sleek design and better accuracy. The cockpit on the new one is far superior too I have to say ;)

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As I've mentioned, the set also doesn't disappoint minifig-wise, Ki-Adi looks cool (the new mould and head are a controversial topic, but I like 'em anyway) and the new Geonosian looks a lot more like its movie/TV series counterpart than the old one did. The lack of wings is my only gripe here...

Let's proceed by taking a look at 7877 Naboo Fighter.

This one is part of a trio of remakes of 2007 sets (I think that's enough "ofs" in one sentence :D ), the other two being the SI and the Republic Frigate (which technically isn't a remake because it's not based on the same ship, but the similarity is striking). Again, I took some comparison shots, so decide for yourself which version you prefer:

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Whereas the 2007 one contained a Vulture Droid (or Droid Fighter), the new one includes a newly-designed droideka and a carrier. The latter also includes flick-fire missiles... Seriously, these things are starting to pop up everywhere, I wonder how long it takes till we see the first minifig with build-in flick-fire missiles :D

Speaking of minifigs, here are the stars of this set:

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All of them look great IMO, especially Ani and the printed BDs. I'm not sure whether I like the old or new droideka better, they both have their strengths, so maybe a mix between those two could be appropriate ;)

7961 Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator

A very nice set I have to say and way better than the two previous versions. For one thing it's a lot bigger than it's predecessor and it also feels more accurate. Like the other versions it includes Maul's speeder and of course Maul himself, even though he doesn't look as menacing as he should. But that doesn's make him a bad minifig IMO ;)

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Qui-Gon, Padmé and Panaka are all awesome, and it's great to finally see Padmé again. Isn't it sad that there's been only two versions of her so far? It's 12 years since she's been seen in a Lego set, that gotta be a new record. It's really odd because after all, she's one of the main characters in both the PT and TCW... And it's rather ironic too, because in the show and the films she changes clothes every five seconds and so far we've seen only one outfit for her minifig counterpart :D BTW, she's got the same double-sided head as Hermione, but that doesn't bother me since it fits really well ;)

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Next set: 7964 Republic Frigate

This one is almost a remake of 7665 Republic Cruiser (with emphasis on "almost" ;) ). Once again, I prefer the new version, in this case I find the colour scheme more appealing as well as the minifig selection. You also get three of the new trans bright green lightsabers, which are in all ways superior to the old neon green ones.

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The minifigs are amazing once again, the new clones are among the best we've seen so far (that's at least what I think) and it's good to see our small green friend again :D Quinlan Vos finally has decided to show up in a set after he'd stood us up in January 8-) Eeth Koth also looks great and it's nice to have two new Jedi to add to your collection, along with Ki-Adi. Now there aren't many important Jedi left to be released in sets...

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And now the final set in this mini review (which turned out to be a little longer than originally planned :roll: ), 7965 Millennium Falcon. Again, I happen to own its non-UCS predecessor, and in comparison, I prefer 7965. The interior on the new one is a lot more accurate (e.g. the computer screens and the engine part) and so is the exterior. The front parts are a little longer and the colour scheme with bits of dark tan is also more appealing to me. We also get more figs than we did in 2004 (although C-3PO and R2 are both missing).

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Too bad we don't get any new figs, but three redesigns do make up for that IMO. I didn't take pics of DV, Han and Obi because they're the same figs as before just with the new heads that were introduced last year. Luke and Leia on the other hand got new hair pieces and Luke a new double-sided head. Both hair pieces look far better than everything we've seen on their heads before and I'm glad we finally got an angry facial expression for one of the main protagonists :evil: The training helmet also looks accurate and so does the droid (even though it's enormous, but it would be pretty hard to build a smaller one unless you use a printed minifig head). Leia's got Tamina's head, but that seems to be a genetical thing (at least Luke gets spared this time :D ).

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I only have one complaint with this set: why has there to be flick-fire missiles beneath the ship? Sure they're a little hidden, but when you place the set on a shelf as I do, you can see them pretty easily (especially because they're red) :twisted:

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I now conclude my review by saying that I can highly recommend all of these sets, the new ones are great and the remakes or redesigns are all superior to their predecessors and the minifigs are simply wonderful (as always). If you're a strict OT fan, you only have two sets to get, but they're both worth it and there are still two TESB sets to come. If you like everything about SW (like I do 8-) ) there's a lot to choose from, so save up your money :D
Last edited by BrickBob Studpants on Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby RomanticWarrior » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:13 am

Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Im changing my mind on the Frigate. It is a cool set and I'll probably pick up a cheaper, figless one on BL. Maybe I'll also pick up the Geonosian fighter, despite my initial thoughts.
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby JPS97 » Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:44 am

Thanks for all the reviews. I think the Wolf Packs are my new favorite clone.
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby indyman09 » Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:51 am

Wow, what a great review! Thanks BBS :geek:
All the sets look amazing, and the minifigures too. But everything is overpriced, I know it's normal to Star Wars. But this year it's insane.
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby xwingyoda » Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:57 am

Ah a huge cheers BBS for that great multiple reviews :geek: And many thanks for including all the comparison pics, those really are great ;)

I really like that wave - even the redesigns are sweet (Falcon, SI). Not really interested in the N-1 because I have 3 of the old one - I'll probably have to get it at some point though :D

For me the weakest sets in terms of design are the Ewok attack & Dathomir (never liked that speeder). But the figs included are really great: lov the new Ewoks, great to have another scoutie and I love the new Asajj torso and that Savager is amazing !!

All the other sets are must have unfortunatly for my wallet and shelf space :D
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby BrickBob Studpants » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:14 am

Looking at the new minifigs, I thought it would be nice to add two family pics:

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Aren't I a show-off :D
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby xwingyoda » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:43 pm

BrickBob Studpants wrote:Aren't I a show-off :D

:D but don't incite Mutley there :geek: :D
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby Vader » Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:01 pm

Bob is there printing on the torso of Savage Opress? I have seen a few pics that show him with a printed torso yet none of the pics are that great :ugeek:
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby BrickBob Studpants » Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:51 pm

@Vader: Here you go: 8-)

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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby mutley777 » Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:55 pm

Thanks for the review BrickBob! :geek:

I had just typed ot a huge post with details on every set and I hit the back button by mistake and lost it! :x

So all i will say now is, I love the frigate and want 3! :geek:



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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby Vader » Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:20 pm

BrickBob Studpants wrote:@Vader: Here you go: 8-)

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Thanks Bob, that torso is superb :geek:
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby BuzzLightyear » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:09 pm

Fantastic group photos of the minifigs with action pose. :)

Captain rex is looking too serious. :D
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby captaintau » Fri Jun 03, 2011 11:17 pm

Thank you!
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Re: Mini Review of 7956, 7957, 7959, 7961, 7964, 7965 and 7877

Postby xwingyoda » Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:58 pm

I just finished building my SI and I think the ship is really better IRL than on the pic ;) Like Maul I have to say, sure its not the perfect Maul, but in real it looks better ;)
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