The Phantom

While I've been a biased fan of the LEGO Star Wars line since 1999, I have to say that in adulthood I do inspect the products I buy throughout the construction process much more critically than I did in the past. That being said, I felt it was necessary to give the Phantom the credit it is due. The Phantom is considered by some to be a cheap marketing ploy, trying to sell an accessory for a larger set in an effort to promote the larger set itself. While that may be an existing tactic, I really don't mind the separation of the Phantom from the Ghost. I DID wind up purchasing the Ghost, and since its construction the two have been inseparable. However, I often find myself in the LEGO aisle at WalMart contemplating the ramifications of buying a second Phantom merely for the enjoyment of building it. The price at which I purchased the Phantom seemed steep in comparison with sets of similar size, but the value of the money isn't entirely reflected in the quantity or mass of the combined bricks. In fact, I'm quite certain all true LEGO fans have a set that they absolutely adored enough to pay through the nose to get it. So it's undeniable that there's a certain experiential value placed on the set as well. It's a tight-knit set with lots of small parts, good minifigure selections, and overall great design elements. I experimented a little with the geometry of the folding wings, and with the parts selected, it's very hard to perfectly replicate the Phantom's wings from "Rebels" without sacrificing the compact, precise mechanism presented. That it still had room for a small cargo hold and space for Chopper left me happily surprised. When I bought it, I was still dealing with a little remorse because I thought there was no room for a droid on-board, only to have that remorse dashed. The only details I feel detracted from the set were the new spring-loaded missile-launching brick mounted directly on top and the twin barrels on the front. I'm a fan of the spring-brick when it's concealed well enough that it merges perfectly with the design (as with the Advanced TIE prototype and the AT-DP), but the blatant presence of a kinetic component made it hard to enjoy playing with it. I had to be cautious not to launch the missile at inopportune moments. As such I wound up removing the brick and replacing it instead with a solid 1W x 4L x 3H grey brick (Not fancy and not loyal to the show, but it's what I had to work with at the time). Other easily modified detractions were the black connector pegs on the tips of the barrels. The only reason I find this to detract from the set is that they don't match the 4 gun barrels on the Ghost, its direct counterpart, but I can understand the reasoning behind their selection (the lightsaber hilts add another centimeter to each barrel and were longer in proportion to the original from the TV show). Again, it's an easy replacement, but the connector pegs failed to aesthetically unify the sets. Is it fun? Yes Was it a satisfying build? Yes Would I recommend it? Yes Is it a good value for the money? Neutral (I found it to be worth the money, but I value things differently) Would your child enjoy it? If they're a Star Wars fan, yes. Does it stand alone with the wings open? No. At least, not all the time... A stand would be nice. Is it a faithful representation of the TV version? Kinda. It's a faithful representation of the form, but because it's LEGO, it had to be scaled up to include various details, so it also occupies more of the Ghost than in the show. Ultimately, it comes down to an issue of price. For a well-designed, compact set, it's worth it. The intricacies of its production, right down to the selection and physics of the parts, constantly left me impressed. And I feel that's why the price is higher than expected. It's bigger in your hand than it looks on the box. It's fine alone OR as a companion to a larger set. There are many more details than there would appear because it's actually hollow at the core, but it's very sturdy despite this. It's affordable! It epitomizes the adage "Don't judge a book by its cover," and I like it. more less

The Minifigures are rather nice and a quite like the model itself. I do not consider the set a 'must have' unless of course you are intending to purchase 75053 The Ghost, in which case it is naturally the perfect accompaniment. more less

Sadly, I find this set rather unimpressive. The build isn't good, the figure selection is weak, and playability is mediocre. The price is also rather bad due to the small size of the build. more less

There was about a week's worth of time that passed between me building the set and me sitting here writing the review and during that time I was able to distill my feelings down to two coherent thoughts. The two main reasons why I hate this set are: 1) It's ugly and 2) It's not worth the money. more less