#Sentinel class landing craft series#

The fuselage opens up like a clamshell, and all of the panels are on hinges, making the entire structure rather wobbly.

While the overall shape of the shuttle may largely reflect its inspiration, itвЂ™s not without its flaws. This photo also shows one of the stickers, affixed to a 2Г—4 white tile, which I think doesnвЂ™t add much to the look of the finished model. The wings flip up and down on click hinges, which keeps them secure even while swooshing.

The rear view in particular highlights the rounded engines where the wings attach. But as a minifig-scale recreation of the source material, the finished landing craft isnвЂ™t half bad. So, in LEGO form, this set already has a number of marks against it, through no fault of the LEGO designers themselves. The bulbous shape of the fuselage and the stubbier wings donвЂ™t recommend themselves either, compared to the sleek, angular lines of the Lambda shuttle.

#Sentinel class landing craft series#

As one of the first вЂњimprovementsвЂќ made by George Lucas back in 1997, this vehicle hasnвЂ™t received much love from Star Wars fans, but itвЂ™s been incorporated since then in numerous other media, from the Rebels TV series to various video games over the years. Indeed, Star Wars is no stranger to the concept, with vehicles like the Republic Gunship, Resistance Troop Transporter, and U-wing Gunship. The idea of an orbital dropship or space-worthy troop transport is a common concept throughout science fiction, from the Cheyenne dropship in Aliens to the D77-TC Pelican dropship from Halo. Wedge plates then sandwich the wing, attached to the bracket bricks, creating an incredibly sturdy structure that can safely be lifted without worrying about the top flying off in your hands and the rest plummeting to the floor below. Although the Sentinal-class landing craft and the Lambda-class shuttle share many design elements, the new landing craft uses a different LEGO design for its upper stabilizer, incorporating long Technic beams to strengthen the wing (much like the Tydirium), but also bricks with studs on both sides. With the otherwise excellent 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium released in 2015, the reinforcing Technic beams didnвЂ™t extend all the way to the top of the stabilizer, and IвЂ™ve personally dropped my Tydirium several times, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth as it nearly smashed apart on the floor. ItвЂ™s tempting to lift a vehicle like the Imperial Landing Craft or Shuttle Tyderium by the large vertical wing that extends up from the fuselage. Bag 5: Includes Ben and Artoo, completing the build with the top sections of the fuselage and cockpit.Bag 4: Attaches the vertical stabilizer (discussed below) and both wings to the fuselage.Bag 3: Adds layers to the main fuselage and extends it backward for the engines.Bag 2: Includes the Imperial Shuttle Pilot and extends the fuselage forward for the lower section of the cockpit.Bag 1: Includes the two Sandtroopers, along with the parts for the basic structure of the main fuselage, featuring lots of bracket bricks for attaching the large fuselage panels.ThereвЂ™s very little thatвЂ™s noteworthy in the build process other than the vertical stabilizer, which weвЂ™ll discuss in a moment. The sticker sheet includes several identical stickers for panels, and I would argue that theyвЂ™re unnecessary for the finished look of the model - if we werenвЂ™t building this set for a review of the product as designed, I would likely have left off the stickers, saving both the unstickered parts and the unused stickers for my own custom creations. The parts also come in just five bags compared to the six for the X-wing, reflecting the inclusion of larger parts like panels and wedge plates used to build the fuselage and wings. In spite of the $90 price tag, the Imperial Landing Craft comes in a relatively small box, taller and more square than the rectangular box for 75218 X-wing Starfighter in the same wave of new sets. This latest LEGO Sentinel-class landing craft set includes 636 pieces and 5 minifigs (counting Artoo) and retails for $89.99 in the US ( $109.99 in Canada | ВЈ79.99 in the UK). The recent release of 75221 Imperial Landing Craft marks the second time LEGO has produced a version of this vehicle, despite very limited screen time - the first 7659 Imperial Landing Craft was released in 2007. The Imperial Landing Craft was added to the Star Wars canon with the 1997 вЂњSpecial EditionвЂќ re-release of Star Wars: A New Hope.