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Lego Star Wars: Emporer Palpatine
by benlepensive
Star Wars Lego...whatever next! Well believe it or not, there is a lucrative Star Wars market in the Lego department. Playsets and single figures allow children and adults alike to build scenarios with all the versatility of Lego bricks. The good thing about the Lego sets is that they are a little more affordable than some of the Hasbro ... playsets, which come in quite dear in price.
Lego have produced this much in demand figure, the evil Emporer Palpatine, who made his debut in 'The Empire Strikes Back.' Trying to get a likeness on a Lego model is obviously going to be quite hard, as the figure is bare on an inch in height. Lego also have to strike a balance between a look which matches the character in the film and a look which won't scare younger children too much! As a die-hard collector, I can see that the likeness really is not very good at all. The face seems to be have drawn up in a matter of moments and could be any old rogue. The Emporer has what appears to be freckles or some kind of facial scarring, but it does not very authentic. Given that the Emporer's face in the films is pale, this yellow face looks odd too.
The clothing is bit better, a well sculptured cloak brings an air of importance and mystery and there is relatively good detail on the chest of the character. As with all Lego people, you can move him at the arms and legs and also twist the head. I would have liked to have seen a robe which covered the whole body, rather than exposing a pair of trousers, but for a less discerning collector, he is not a bad toy.
Hardcore Star Wars fans would be better sticking with the Hasbro toys, but for younger children, this chap might be worth a look.
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Lego 6212 Star Wars: X-wing Fighter
by pmcds
So, with the advent of Lego Star Wars for various video game stations last year, and the subsequent hit for the Lego Indiana Jones game, followed more recently by Lego Batman doing the rounds, Lego have also released a number of constructable Lego toys based on these computer games.
One such toy is this one, the Lego Star Wars ... X-Wing Fighter. My 5 year old son really enjoyed playing the game on the Wii, and has now watched the majority of the 6 Star Wars films (not the inappropriate or really scary bits), and before Xmas could not stop going on about how he had seen a Lego X Wing Fighter in a shop and how he wanted one for Xmas. So, come Xmas Day, we were round at my mum and dad's for lunch and the afternoo, and apparently 'Santa' had been and left something for a certain little someone. He raced into the front room, ripped off a load of wrapping paper, and there it stood in all its glory: a Lego Star Wars X Wing Fighter!
Of course, it was the project of the day, and what a project it is. I now have the utmost respect for the people at Legoland who build the huge constructions - they must have the patience of Saints! The X Wing Fighter is made up of hundreds of tiny Lego pieces, each intricately designed to combine together to form the X-Wing you see on the picture above. There are just over 400 pieces, and although they say it takes around 40 minutes, to build, in reality, on Xmas Day with a full house and an over-excited 5 year old boy (4 at the time), I can tell you it took the majority of the afternoon!
The age recommendation is 8-12, and as none of us were within the range, Mummy decided to grab the bull by the horns and follow the instructions on how to construct it. It weighs over 1.5 kilos and when built is probably between 30 and 40 centimetres long. It is quite tricky at some points to build, and easy to get frustrated unless you really take your time.
Once constructed, I suppose an item like this should really stay built, ready to display somewhere and to play with......gently. However, William being 5, this isn't a possibility. He is so keen to construct his own little planes and boats out of the X Wing lego that we gave in and let him take it apart a few days after it had first been built.
With the X Wing Fighter itself, you get a few figurines, all typical lego size. You get a version of Han Solo (costume-wise), and one of Princess Leia. You also get an R2D2, a Luke Skywalker, and one Wedge Antilles (X Wing pilot in the films). And, to cap it all off, you get a Chewbacca as well!
William absolutely loved this present. The instructions are clear and concise, using diagrams to make it easy to build no matter you first language. The Lego is good quality, and the possibilities are endless if you want to make your own thing out of it all afterwards. The Lego 6212 Star Wars X-Wing Fighter is available in many places. It is currently available from amazon.co.uk for £64.22, although LEGOshop.co.uk currently have a 'Hot Offer' with it priced at £39.15. It's a Lego item well worth having, but as you can see it can cost quite a bit unless you get a good discount price. Either way, it's a product I recommend.
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