Jedi Starfighters

It's been over a month since I last posted on the blog that no-one reads!  I need to message the blogger.com admins and work out why I'm not getting found on google searches (I've allowed robo mappers!).  

Anyway, most of what I've done has been relatively boring deconstruction of sets I've already talked about, though I'll go back through a couple of builds and sets I've not talked about in a bit.  Today, though, I pulled all of the Jedi starfighters off the shelf to deconstruct.  By this I mean the Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor and not the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor that Lego generally terms "Jedi interceptor".  Except when that one is called a "starfighter"...  It's confusing!!!

Anyway, Lego have released 9 of the starfighters to date, by my reckoning and, having put them all side by side, I come to the conclusion that they are, as a package, things of beauty! There is a great range of colours and decor and the use of stickers is at its best in these sets.

My list is:

  • 7143 from way back in 2002.  This one is in Obi Wan's livery and pretty much sets the mold for the coming sets, except for the fact that the wings are at a pretty shallow angle.  While the colours are pretty interesting and the I love the printed parts rather than stickers, looking back, the remaining decoration is somewhat less detailed than on later sets.
  • 7669 from 2008.  After a gap of a few years, the next one on the list is in Anakin's livery.  There's a bit more detail on the wings and the deeper body gives space for a full astromech minifig (all future sets now come with one and actually, the range of these is also a joy in these sets).
  • 7751 from 2009.  This one comes with a droid fighter and two buzz droids and is in Ahsoka's livery.  Getting a bit more fancy in terms of the decoration but definitely settling into a pattern.
  • 8093 from 2010.  One a year - in the groove.  Plo Koon this time and the best wing decor until 2012.
  • 7868 from 2011.  Something odd going on with the numbering now but with Mace Windu's livery this time.  I particularly like the astromech with this one and the TX-20 tactical droid (which makes this set rare and expensive - indeed it was one of the last into my collection).  That said, the fighter itself is a bit dull!
  • 9498 from 2012.  This one is the first to radically change the design and sets a new template for the subsequent models.  The cockpit is much further back and is now a rounded design and the rear fin is composed of two 4x4 tiles rather than a large flag.  I also like the way that the wings are better patterned with the use of various wedge and curved plates
  • 75087 from 2015.  It's a bit of a gap until this one and Anakin's modified starfighter (Azure Angel) is taken from the Clone Wars series.  There is a distinct resemblance to Plo Koon's livery but heavily customised.
  • 75191 from 2017 is Obi Wan's starfighter but with a hyperdrive ring as featured in the Revenge of the Sith.  Probably my favourite of the sets here due to the added interest of the ring.
  • 75214 from 2018.  Anakin's standard livery again, but with more detail.  That said, the version that is 10 years older stands up well in comparison! 

 So, some photos:






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