Review: LEGO Star Wars 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Star Wars set 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter, a box of 544 pieces that will be available from August 1, 2021 at the public price of 59.99 €.

Long-time collectors may remember the similar ship from the set. 9525 Pre Vizsla's Mandalorian Fighter released in 2012 and this new variant of the Mandalorians' favorite model does a bit better in terms of finish even if the 33 x 30 cm ship is still not really on the scale of minifigs. Most of the features seen on the screen are there with the possibility of raising the wings in the landing position and orienting the cockpit which is here attached to the rest of the fuselage via a large ball joint. The solution used is childishly simple but it works.

The two wings may seem fragile at first glance, but they are sufficiently reinforced by layers of plates which contribute to the passage to give them a little thickness. the result remains correct except when the wings are raised and reveal a more summary dressing of the back. To choose I would have almost inverted the finish to be able to have a vessel with an impeccable aesthetic on my shelf.

On the side of the defects to be noted on this model: the absence of real landing gears or at least of a section of parts at the front under the fuselage which would have allowed to expose the ship perfectly to the horizontal instead to let the nose hang out on the shelf. Even the Gauntlet of 2012 had these attributes which gives allure to the vessel ... The canopy of the cockpit is not properly integrated and it will be necessary to be content with the two gaping holes on the sides that the stickers do not hide.

The ammunition of both Spring-Shooters placed at the ends of the wings remain visible when they are raised but these two accessories can be easily removed, just like the two Stud Shooters placed on either side of the cockpit. the half-dozen stickers to stick in this box remain reasonable, those which dress the canopy are also almost useless.

The endowment in minifigs is very correct here, it is the interest of the product: Bo-Katan Kryze, a major character of the saga The Clone Wars who are enjoying a resurgence of popularity thanks to the appearance of the character embodied in live action by Katee Sackohff in the series The Mandalorian, Gar Saxon a commander of Shadow Collective seen in the animated series The Clone Wars et Star Wars Rebels and a generic Mandalorian "loyalist".

The three figurines are unpublished and the pad prints are really very successful. the minifig of Bo-Katan is an interpretation of the character of the animated series, we find on the chest the two yellow bands that do not appear on the outfit worn by Katee Sackohff in the series The Mandalorian. LEGO makes the effort to provide hair that allows the character to be exposed without his helmet, but the pad printing of the forehead band on both sides of the head disappears a little under the hair. A new piece directly integrating the headband would have been appreciated.

The helmet used by Gar Saxon will also be that of one of the three upcoming minifigures in the LEGO Star Wars set. 75319 The Mandalorian Forge (258 - 29.99 €), the piece seems successful to me even if the growths may seem a little short compared to the character's helmet seen in The Clone Wars. no additional hair for this character and it's a bit of a shame even though Gar Saxon has very short hair in the series.

The generic Mandalorian has a neutral head under his helmet, you may replace it with any face to give it a little relief.

The three characters are equipped with the WESTAR-35 blaster usually used by the Mandalorians, here lazily embodied by a classic element that lacks a bit of panache. A new, more similar part would have been welcome knowing that LEGO provides five copies of the weapon in this set. The bulk of the effort was provided with really very successful minifigs, only a few suitable weapons were missing.

Unsurprisingly, LEGO continues here to decline some iconic ships from the Star Wars universe in a simplified version that keeps the price of these products at an almost reasonable level. Unfortunately, this is often at the cost of a little petty concessions, especially in 2021, and this box is no exception.

The possibility of exposing the ship with the wings up and the nose straight is not taken into consideration and the lack of a landing gear up front is really unfortunate. An aesthetic effort could also have been made at the level of the canopy of the cockpit. I do not even mention the possibility of a support to present the ship in flight position, it is probably too much to ask.

The minifigs save the furniture thanks to superb, very faithful pad printing, although the generic Mandalorian could in my opinion have been replaced by a more prominent character in the animated series. The Clone Wars. It's not as if LEGO has already exhausted all the supporting roles on the screen ...

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 7, 2021 next at 23pm. For newcomers, know that you just need to post a comment to participate in the draw.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.