Review: LEGO Star Wars 75286 General Grievous's Starfighter

Today we make a hook by the LEGO Star Wars range and we quickly tour the set 75286 General Grievous's Starfighter (487 pieces - 84.99 €), a box of which we wondered if the advertised public price was not an error before finally realizing that it is sold for 85 €.

It is already the third variation of Soulless One General Grievous at LEGO with a first version marketed in 2007 which has really aged badly (7656 General Grievous Starfighter) followed in 2010 by a new, more modern interpretation in the set 8095 General Grievous' Starfighter. Each new version brings its share of modifications which in principle improves the overall design of this vessel and this 2020 vintage seems to me to be an acceptable compromise of what can be obtained with 450 pieces, knowing that the vessel is about thirty centimeters long. for 17 cm wide.

Even if the final result does not seem to reflect the budget requested to afford the contents of this box, there are some great assembly techniques here, especially at the level of the side fins which house the auxiliary reactors and the essential storage spaces. for the owner's lightsabers.

Each of the two hatches is closed by a clip which prevents unwanted openings, it is well seen. In my opinion, the designer could have done without using flowers on the side of the ship, I always have a bit of trouble with using parts out of context, a bit like the barrels that serve as reactors. It's very personal.

The internal structure of the vessel houses the two alignments of alternating colored pieces of the Dark orange and Dark Tan which create the visible effect between the reactors and the central trunk of the machine. One might think that the two colors chosen are a little bright, but the effect is sufficiently blurred by the pieces which subsequently come to cover this colored solid color.

The cockpit canopy is here based on the same part as in the set marketed in 2010 but it benefits from a new pad printing which visually rounds the angles a little more, even if the result is still not completely faithful to the design of the version seen on screen. The canopy opening mechanism is a classic on slides with two lugs in abutment at the front.

The "keel" of the vessel placed just behind the cockpit can be deployed in flight or stowed in the extension of the cabin when the vessel is posed but the blue pins which serve as axis remain visible in all cases. We will also regret the absence of landing gear on this vessel, two skids at the front would have been welcome.

Le Spring shooter placed under the vessel is sufficiently well concealed not to disfigure the model and it can be removed without compromising the solidity of the construction. It will take a little more tinkering to eventually get rid of both Stud Shooters placed on the wings and replace them with cannons that breathe a little less the children's toy.

Overall, I prefer this version to that of 2010, it offers more smooth surfaces faithful to the aesthetics of the machine seen on the screen and the side motors seem to me better dressed with a storage hatch on a slide that knows how to be done very discreet. The cockpit also takes a little more thickness with the side sub-assemblies which help to give it volume. The lines are fluid, the few visible tenons are not shocking and the whole really looks great.

Note that there are no stickers in this box, the two small side consoles inside the cockpit are pad printed.

As for the minifigs, we must be satisfied with the version of Obi-Wan Kenobi already seen in the set 75269 Duel on Mustafar released earlier this year. The choice is lazy and does not really fit the context of the set, but it will have to be done with.

The Grievous figurine may seem particularly successful at first glance but it is by looking a little closer that we can find some slightly annoying flaws: The two arms which are fixed on those connected directly to the torso seem to me little off topic. The effect is generally there but the realization leaves a little to be desired with two of the arms which do not really come out of the torso of the character.

The pad printing is also very approximate with flat areas of white on a gray background for the torso and the arms which are not dense enough to be really matched with the rest of the white parts of the figurine which are colored in the mass. As often, the official visuals are a little too optimistic on this point and hide these flaws. Speaking of color, I prefer Grievous in Tan (light beige) rather than white, but again it's very personal.

For those who would ask the question, even if it is obviously a new batch of parts, the different elements that make up this figurine are those already seen in 2014 in the set 75040 General Grievous's Wheel Bike and in 2018 in the set 75199 General Grievous' Combat Speeder.

The Clone Trooper minifigure in Airborne version is no surprise and I think everyone would have preferred to have Cody in this box. We will do with this figurine equipped with a variant of the helmet already seen in 2014 on the heads of two of the Airborne Clone Troopers of the Battle Pack 75036 Utapau Troopers. The pad printing of the torso and legs is impeccable, the gray kama in supple fabric is a bit cheap, but the detail is in accordance with the version seen on the screen. The head is the one that equips all the Clones since this year.

As usual when it comes to a reissue or reinterpretation of a ship already seen in the LEGO Star Wars range in the past, there is nothing to rack your brains out here depending on your fan profile: If you are a completeist, you will buy this set to sleep better at night and if you do not have one of the two previous versions in your collection, this new box will largely do the trick with in my opinion the most success to date of the different interpretations of the Soulless One offered by the manufacturer.

In any case, it will be a question of knowing how to show patience to find this set at a reasonable price, the 85 € requested by LEGO being in my eyes really unjustified. The excuse for the presence of the complex Grievous figurine does not hold to justify the prohibitive price of this product, these pieces have been around for many years and were not created especially for this box.

It is right now in Germany that you have to look to find this set at an almost reasonable price: Amazon currently sells it for less than 65 €.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at August 31, 2020 next at 23pm.

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.