A closer look at Jango Fett’s new rangefinder

Jango Fett has a new design of rangefinder for his helmet as part of 75409 Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship – how’s it different?

Jango Fett’s redesign for the UCS set 75409 Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship includes new leg and torso prints, fancy arm printing for the first time ever, a new dual-sided head in a more character-accurate nougat colour, a new helmet print and, for the first time in almost two decades, a new rangefinder. This rangefinder may be small, but is perhaps the most significant part of the new-look Jango, as it represents a first redesign of a part that has been in good use for 17 years.

The first rangefinder piece dates back to 2008 and, curiously for its association since then with Boba Fett and Jango Fett, it actually debuted with a clone trooper in 7676 Republic Attack Gunship, during the era of The Clone Wars sets. Since then, it has been used across many a Mandalorian’s helmet, from Death Watch-themed battle packs to multiple Mandos following ‘The Way’ in The Mandalorian, select clone troopers and ARC troopers, and almost every Boba and Jango in between. We’ve had it in black, dark red, orange, blue and, most often, in dark bluish grey.

Yet now for 75409 Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship we have a redesign of the piece. It’s shorter, squarer and reshaped at the top for an all-round more thorough attempt at matching the piece’s appearance on screen. And, for the most part, it does achieve this – albeit with the inability to ever move away from that chunkier LEGO look due to just how thin rangefinders on screen actually are. Such a piece in LEGO form would likely be too brittle.

Within the limitations that exist, though, this redesign gives helmets that it is used on – and by extension, characters wearing those helmets – a suitably different appearance to that which the original rangefinder offered. The shorter height is the biggest improvement, whilst the subtle reshape also offers a more interesting and relevant take on what the piece is meant for.

That extends too to the positioning of the eyepiece to the rangefinder. Whilst it will not translate half as well on clone troopers whilst they insist on having holes punctured in their helmets well above the eyeline, this new rangefinder piece nicely overlaps the visor on a Mandalorian helmet, to allow any minifigure wearing such a piece of headgear the opportunity to actually look through the eyepiece as intended. A much welcome upgrade for those in need of better targeting displays.

Hopefully the piece will move into wider circulation across future sets and be recoloured as the original rangefinder piece was, particularly as the light grey colour this comes in doesn’t feel like the very best choice. As a piece, it has a lot of potential for LEGO Star Wars fans and, with the right helmet design, does markedly improve character appearance and accuracy.

It’s also worth noting that three copies of the piece were included in 75409 Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship. If it does move into wider use across other LEGO Star Wars sets, expect to build up a collection of spares in no time.

This LEGO set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes.

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