LEGO Star Wars 75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive review

It has been some time since the LEGO Group last visited this vehicle, now once again Obi-Wan can head into hyperspace in his Jedi Starfighter

Price: £89.99 / $99.99 / €109.99 Pieces: 825 Available: Now

In the second Star Wars prequel, or the fifth Star Wars film to be released (isn’t confusing casual fans fun?), Obi-Wan Kenobi must go on a solo mission to track down Moana’s father – sorry, Jango Fett. To do so he must head into hyperspace to travel the distances needed, but cannot do so in his Jedi Starfighter – the ship must be flow into its docking ring in order to make the jump. This LEGO set includes both Obi-Wan’s first on-screen Jedi Starfighter and its associated ring.

Considering just how many excellent and expensive sets there are available right now it can be a downright relief to encounter one that is an easy pass. If your wallet is feeling strained then look no further than 75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive to find a LEGO set that you can wave to as it passes by. I would love to know what metric indicated updating 7661 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive Booster Ring from 2006 was a good idea. Fun fact, that metric was wrong. Aside from a couple of decent minifigures, how easy this set is to avoid its best attribute – probably not what the LEGO design team was going for.

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75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive Booster Ring-1

Drawbacks can start being found even getting into the physical set itself. With this model the LEGO Group seems to have forgotten their own business strategy. Historically, Jedi Starfighter sets have served an important function in the LEGO Star Wars product catalogue – vehicles for extracting cash from fans in return for cool and unique Jedi figures. Traditionally priced right around the £25.99 / $24.99 / €26.99 mark or sometimes a little higher, Jedi Starfighter sets were just low enough to justify forking over the credits to acquire Plo Koon or Saesee Tinn. Putting a Hyperdrive ring around what is otherwise a fairly standard Jedi Starfighter piloted by a common character like Obi-Wan does not cut it.

Building the set does not improve its prospects, it is both boring to construct and dull to display. Repetition abounds with identical sections to create the ring around the Jedi Starfighter. The fighter itself is well built, but that is expected considering how many iterations have come before. Upon completion the narrow profile means that the set just sort of disappears if it is not viewed from exactly the right angle and looks ugly to boot thanks to numerous exposed pins. Kids wanting to play with it are going to quickly abandon the ring for the starfighter alone, which is why historically these ships have been stand alone sets – the ring adds virtually no play value despite being responsible for more than doubling the set cost. Those that do actually try to swoosh it around though will not be disappointed as it is surprisingly sturdy thanks to a handle and retractable pin system that holds the starfighter securely in place.

The only aspect of this set that saves it from scoring under two stars is the minifigures, specifically young Boba Fett. This is only his third appearance, he was last available as part of the 2013 Advent Calendar. While not the most sought after of figures, he is nevertheless a key part of Attack of the Clones and will be appealing to many who do not own one of the previous two versions. It may be better for such collectors just fork over the cash on eBay to get him; skip the set.

Boba Fett’s presence here is also a reminder that the LEGO Group has only released a single version of Slave I as it appears in Attack of the Clones. Perhaps 75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive portends a new version of that ship or the long absent Kamino set many have hoped for. Should the blue Slave I be released, that may increase this set’s appeal so that fans can re-create the asteroid chase scene.

Skip this set, pick up the minifigures on the aftermarket if you must, or at least wait until 75191 goes on sale. The only fans who should pick up this set are those who are really determined to own every aspect of Star Wars in LEGO form – the pedantic will note that this is the first Attack of the Clones style Jedi Starfighter with the ring. For everyone else, bask in the fact that you can breathe easy and skip this set.

This product was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive is available now at shop.LEGO.com. You can help support Brick Fanatics’ work by using our affiliate links.

Author Profile

Daniel
When I was 3 years old my dad bought home 6659 TV Camera Crew as a gift — he had no idea what he had just unleashed. Three decades and no dark age later, I am still going strong. My love of LEGO led me to a career in Civil Engineering and I am now raising three budding LEGO lovers with my lovely wife who is, bless her, a huge supporter of my brick addiction. When not writing for Brick Fanatics or fulfilling my duties as the U.S. Editor of Blocks Magazine I enjoy collecting, MOCing, exhibiting, as well as running, climbing and home improvement.

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Daniel

When I was 3 years old my dad bought home 6659 TV Camera Crew as a gift — he had no idea what he had just unleashed. Three decades and no dark age later, I am still going strong. My love of LEGO led me to a career in Civil Engineering and I am now raising three budding LEGO lovers with my lovely wife who is, bless her, a huge supporter of my brick addiction. When not writing for Brick Fanatics or fulfilling my duties as the U.S. Editor of Blocks Magazine I enjoy collecting, MOCing, exhibiting, as well as running, climbing and home improvement.

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