Review: 75388 Jedi Bob's Starfighter
Posted by CapnRex101,
7163 Republic Gunship was introduced in 2002, including a generic Jedi Knight. Though initially unremarkable, this character has since become extremely popular. Now known as Jedi Bob, the mysterious hero finally returns with 75388 Jedi Bob's Starfighter!
The updated Jedi Bob minifigure is definitely the highlight of this set, but his starfighter looks excellent too, taking the opportunity to improve upon past Delta-7 designs. There are various fun details to be discovered, but also some missed chances, in my opinion.
Summary
75388 Jedi Bob's Starfighter, 305 pieces.
£34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 11.5p/13.1c/13.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Jedi Bob and his starfighter are superb, but I wish there were more nostalgic details
- Jedi Bob returns!
- Attractive starfighter colour scheme
- Great mix of familiar and distinctive features
- Sturdy design for play
- Potential for more referential features
- Quite expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
LEGO has taken an interesting approach to the Jedi Bob minifigure. Rather than modernising the figure, the graphic designer has remained as faithful as possible to the classic design, only adding some scratches and dirt to indicate its age, similar to Benny's appearance in The LEGO Movie. This is a fun idea, but a clean version would perhaps have been more versatile.
The original features extend to a lack of printing on the back of the torso and using the older hood element, which many fans prefer anyway. Bob's yellow skin tone remains intact as well and the double-sided head even includes his original bearded face, which originates in LEGO City. The other expression, shown above, is more serious.
Unfortunately, the Jedi Knight's chrome silver lightsaber hilt and trans-neon green blade do not return. However, it is easy to envisage the chrome finish being damaged or becoming dull over time, leaving the metallic silver shade used nowadays behind.
Of course, the other major difference between the original minifigure and its successor is the colour scheme. Dark grey and brown shades were swapped for dark bluish grey and reddish brown in 2004, so there is no mistaking the updated Jedi Bob for the older figure, very similar though they are.
Jedi Bob returns in the upcoming Rebuild the Galaxy animated series, residing in the chaotic universe of Jedi Vader, Bounty Hunter C-3PO and an Ackbar Trooper! As its name suggests, this minifigure comprises the standard Clone Trooper arms and legs and Admiral Ackbar's Mon Calamari head, which is certainly an odd combination.
It is appropriately wacky though, not least because Ackbar's head clearly does not fit inside a Clone Trooper helmet. Moreover, the pattern on his head has been updated since the admiral last appeared nearly ten years ago, in 75140 Resistance Troop Transporter. Like normal Clone Troopers, the Ackbar Trooper is armed with a blaster rifle.
A power droid named SR-V0 completes the character selection. I like Servo's unique livery of grey, sand blue and dark blue, which I suspect makes reference to the pearl sand blue Super Battle Droids available in 7163 Republic Gunship. Charming though the figure looks, perhaps the droid should use only Super Battle Droid and Droideka pieces, as though cobbled together from parts in 7163 Republic Gunship.
The Completed Model
Jedi Bob's starfighter is based primarily on the standard Delta-7 Aethersprite-class interceptor and bears a clear resemblance to past LEGO models of the Delta-7. However, the fighter has been heavily modified with additional engines at the front and rear and heavier laser cannons than normal, similar to 75087 Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter.
The engines slung underneath the prow look particularly reminiscent of Anakin's Azure Angel, although the bodywork above is unaffected, unlike on Anakin's starfighter. The resulting sharp profile is attractive and the designer has taken full advantage of the 2x4 wedge plates released a few years ago, mirroring the vessel's angular wings with the pattern on top.
Ice skates form braces inside each engine intake and trans-yellow sliders are attached on the back, with some textured elements in between. These details look nice from the sides and the engines are mounted securely using Technic parts. In fact, the whole starfighter is built sturdily, which is excellent for play.
I love the angled red and white stripes on the vehicle's hull, although I am interested to know why these colours were chosen. Recreating the livery from 7163 Republic Gunship may have been fun, but white, dark red and lime green would probably be too similar to Obi-Wan's vessel from Attack of the Clones, so this is a good alternative.
Furthermore, the transition between the wings and the fuselage looks good, avoiding an issue with 75333 Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter. There are no droid sockets on board, which is a shame, so Bob instead uses the area in front of the cockpit for provisions, storing a banana and a carton of blue milk under a removable panel.
The laser cannons are connected to brackets on the edges of the wings, with spring-loaded shooters underneath. These could have been better concealed, but placing them beside the elongated cannons seems appropriate. In addition, I like the pearl silver and dark bluish grey accents across the wings, with a couple of stickers applied to continue the red patterns.
There is enough space for Jedi Bob inside the cockpit, although it is a tight squeeze with his fabric cape. The curvature around the cockpit looks perfect and the headrest on the seat is a nice addition too. However, I am surprised the designer did not include an older console, such as the printed 1x2 tile featured in numerous Star Wars sets from 2002 and beyond.
Bob has outfitted his starfighter with yet another engine behind the cockpit, augmenting those situated towards the front and the standard pair at the back. The fin on top has therefore been cut away to a sharp point, further differentiating Jedi Bob's fighter from the conventional Delta-7 and making the model look even faster.
Even though the model rests comfortably on the engines and a support under the cockpit, an adjustable landing strut is also included. This image shows it folded against the fuselage, with clips for accessories on each side. Similar lightsaber storage has appeared many times before and it is well hidden on the vehicle's underside.
Overall
75388 Jedi Bob's Starfighter is a brilliant idea for a set, reintroducing the beloved Jedi Bob, at last. Some fans may have favoured a modern take on the character, but recreating the classic minifigure works too, with added wear to mirror his age. The other figures are fun too, although SR-V0 could perhaps have been a little more creative.
I am pleasantly surprised by the starfighter too. The model strikes a nice balance between the familiar features of a Delta-7 Jedi Interceptor and unique details, as well as being impressively swooshable. Maybe a couple more features from the beginning of LEGO Star Wars could have been referenced and the price of £34.99, $39.99 or €39.99 feels relatively expensive, but I am satisfied with this set on the whole.
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70 comments on this article
Man, I am very much looking forward to the series.
Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!
@Lordmoral said:
"Man, I am very much looking forward to the series."
same!
That starfighter pattern is gorgeous. reminds me of Plo Koon's 8093.
The Ackbar figure reminds me more of Nahdar Vebb from 8095.
I'm also really loving that droid! and bob looks great, too.
Overall I'm liking this new wave.
@woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
He's a generic no-name jedi from that one version of the Republic Gunship, and he didn't actually appear in the movie. The name 'Bob' was applied by fans at the time. That's all we know right now.
Hooray for Jedi Bob's return! Lego Star Wars has really come into its own if they can do parody sets that all look good.
Why am I more interested in the backstory of Jedi Bob than I am the acolyte.
Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes.
Nifty set and I love seeing Jedi bob back in action! Having said that, you're right CaptRex in that the MSRP should be in the $30 range...or this needs a bit more parts/minifigs to justify a $40 price.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
...this from a guy whose username is "MegaBlocks" LOL
@MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Whooooosh!
@woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
As someone said he was a random Jedi figure in the original Republic Gunship 7163. Fans took to calling him "Jedi Bob." But his popularity blew up when the first LEGO Visual Dictionary came out. Where he got his own entry.
"The end of the Clone Wars sees most Jedi killed and the Jedi Temple ransacked, with many records lost. All we know about this Jedi (whose name may have been Bob) is that he once flew on a Republic gunship (set 7163)."
I'm going to be controversial. The highlight of this set is the ship. I couldn't care less about Jedi Bob. The best things about him is that he has a cape and hood that can be used on other figures, along with plain legs that can be used for someone else.
@woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
He is similar to the LEGO goat. He is now just an LEGO Star Wars meme. He is desirable because he is valuable, and he is valuable because he came in one set from a long time ago. Now there is a modern remake, don't expect the new figure to be anywhere near as desirable or valuable as the original. Just like the new goats.
@bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. The yellow colour will match the on screen colour in the LEGO cartoon, but that is only really important if you are a fan of the cartoon. If they had used more realistic skin tones when Jedi Bob first appeared, he would have a more realistic skin tone now. If he had been an actual Star Wars character, he would also have been updated in sets released now. But he isn't a Star Wars character, he is a LEGO character. Star Wars fans need not worry about getting him, as he is not from Star Wars.
@CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. "
Who says Bob is Human?
@Jo3K3rr said:
" @woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
As someone said he was a random Jedi figure in the original Republic Gunship 7163 . Fans took to calling him "Jedi Bob." But his popularity blew up when the first LEGO Visual Dictionary came out. Where he got his own entry.
"The end of the Clone Wars sees most Jedi killed and the Jedi Temple ransacked, with many records lost. All we know about this Jedi (whose name may have been Bob) is that he once flew on a Republic gunship (set 7163).""
I have never seen any evidence of fans calling the minifigure Jedi Bob prior to the LEGO Star Was Visual Dictionary's release in 2009, so I am fairly certain the name originates there.
Amazing set! The Jedi Bob replica is just perfect. $40 is rather steep though, but it might still be worth picking up on at least a 10% discount.
Also, I wonder if you'd be able to put Servo in the lunchbox section? It's sort of where the Astromech socket should be, so perhaps if you removed the feet the Gonk droid could be a stand-in.
@bnic99 said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. "
Who says Bob is Human?
"
Well, not much is known about him. But given that he is yellow and up to the point of his appearance, all yellow skinned human looking minifigures were based on human characters, I imagine the intention was that he is a random human Jedi.
I was expecting Servo to be red and look like a gumball machine.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @Jo3K3rr said:
" @woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
As someone said he was a random Jedi figure in the original Republic Gunship 7163 . Fans took to calling him "Jedi Bob." But his popularity blew up when the first LEGO Visual Dictionary came out. Where he got his own entry.
"The end of the Clone Wars sees most Jedi killed and the Jedi Temple ransacked, with many records lost. All we know about this Jedi (whose name may have been Bob) is that he once flew on a Republic gunship (set 7163).""
I have never seen any evidence of fans calling the minifigure Jedi Bob prior to the LEGO Star Was Visual Dictionary's release in 2009, so I am fairly certain the name originates there."
Nah, I'm sure the name was used before then.
@woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
https://blog.firestartoys.com/who-is-jedi-bob-all-about-the-man-the-myth-the-legend/
I'm in favor of the Nicanas Tassu theory, as the minifig was never billed as "Jedi Bob" when it was released, Tasu plays a brief, but significant role in Ep2 that's closely tied with one of the gunships, and he's one of the few Jedi options that wouldn't have required custom head pieces. It makes sense that the set designers would have been trying to match the look of _someone_ from the film, rather than making a completely random Jedi, and a Tasu minifig would have been more likely to get approval from Lucasfilm than a made-up character.
Bob likes to go really fast, apparently.
@ricecake said:
"I was expecting Servo to be red and look like a gumball machine."
Ah, a gentleman or lady of culture, I see. [doffs cap]
I'd be more excited if it included a metallic sand blue Super Battle Droid remake with the new molds and had the canopy of the starfighter lower - there's no droid socket, so there's no reason for it to be so artificially high...
It'd actually be the perfect time to bring back metallic sand blue; it could get plenty of good use in Zelda sets.
"Charming though the figure looks, perhaps the droid should use only Super Battle Droid and Droideka pieces, as though cobbled together from parts in 7163 Republic Gunship." Throw in a gumball machine, as @ricecake suggested, and I'd definitely buy this set, even if it is overpriced.
Jedi Bob’s real name should be Ric Gener.
Cool build, but an easy pass for me. Plus I’ll stick with the Bob I have.
The fact that he is yellow is so cool and retro.
@bnic99 said:
"Who says Bob is Human?"
Clearly Bob is a Legonian, you can tell by his bright yellow skin.
at that price, two more figures would be perfectly reasonable (and no, brick built droids do not count).
the fact that Bob's torso has this fake-scratched print makes it completely useless for any purist MOC figure. a shame.
Seeing a yellow figure in a licensed set makes me so happy. The ship looks great too. I would’ve preferred if they tried to make it look like something out of the early 2000s, but that’s a very minor nitpick considering it looks great with all those new-ish wedge plates and Nexo shields.
I hope this special does well. The wave of sets we’re seeing tie into it are so much more interesting and whimsical than any screen accurate grey box or screen accurate grey field every live action Disney+ show receives.
@ricecake said:
"I was expecting Servo to be red and look like a gumball machine."
missed opportunity, honestly
@Ephseb said:
"at that price, two more figures would be perfectly reasonable (and no, brick built droids do not count)."
Speak for yourself. I demand a CR-0W to go wit SR-V0!
"There are no droid sockets on board, which is a shame"
Well, you could remove Servo's legs and put it in the storage compartment haha. Hard to get back out, but it would be funny.
At this point, I assume "Quite expensive" is just hard-coded into the boilerplate text for the Lego review template.
It's a nice looking ship. I always thought "Aethersprite" was a cool as hell name for a spaceship.
Bob's last name should be "Upanddowninthewater."
I'm going to be internally screaming over Day 1 purchase vs. Wait for Discount. (I held off on Obi-Wan's Starfighter and just found one yesterday clearanced to $23 US, so I bit.)
I'm very happy the head has the classic expression. Although it's a bit weird to see yellow on a bluish gray and reddish brown licensed fig, I'm all for it!
The starfighter looks to be one of the best yet (beside Obi-Wan's one from 2002 of course). Although the ship doesn't really feel like something I would have though Jedi Bob would use. Not generic enough XD
@JDawg5 said:
"At this point, I assume "Quite expensive" is just hard-coded into the boilerplate text for the Lego review template. "
I don't know. The last couple of Star Wars reviews beforevthis have been "very expensive"!
Man, the Star Wars August sets have been hitting hard! (Other than their ridiculous prices)
I'm so excited to get this set!!
Like this comment if you are too!
Obviously, Jedi Bob is from the north pole region of Mars. IYKYK.
@legocrazy1234 said:
"The fact that he is yellow is so cool and retro."
To Star Wars, yes. But to the non-licenced side of Lego afols ignore, no.
I can't fathom a hangup about Jedi Bob being a yellow minifig given that this theme is a deliberately zany non-canon take on the Star Wars lore. This is a LEGO original comedy property attached to the Star Wars IP where Jedi Bob has become his own entity reliant on the retro design, whereas he was originally just a generic hero following the standard. That's all there is to it.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"Man, the Star Wars August sets have been hitting hard! (Other than their ridiculous prices)
I'm so excited to get this set!!
Like this comment if you are too!"
I am excited but only enough to wait for Black Friday or even next year when Amazon clears all of these sets out at a 50% discount or more.
@Ephseb said:
" @Maxbricks14 said:
"Man, the Star Wars August sets have been hitting hard! (Other than their ridiculous prices)
I'm so excited to get this set!!
Like this comment if you are too!"
I am excited but only enough to wait for Black Friday or even next year when Amazon clears all of these sets out at a 50% discount or more."
Out of the August wave, i'm planning on getting 75388, 75394, 75393, and 75385, so I think I too will be waiting for a sale.
Huh. I have that gunship from that time period and it never occurred to me that it wasn’t Obi-Wan Kenobi. I just figured he had a TNG light saber because LEGO was still kinda wacky back then.
I’ve been wondering who this Jedi Bob was this whole time, and now I know! I’m excited that I have the original guy, too.
I only really want Akbar’s head in this set. At least I can put Bob in my city with the rest of the yellow people. ….As a brother to the Goat Herder or something
Is he related to Sideshow Bob? Both are yellow…
"Quite expensive" seems to be on all Star Wars sets these days.
@gatorbug6 said:
""Quite expensive" seems to be on all Star Wars sets these days."
Yes indeed!
Especially the August wave!
Looking at you 75385 in particular.
@bnic99 said:
"Who says Bob is Human?"
He obviously isn't. Neither is any other minifigure; just look at the proportions, the claw hands, the lack of noses. Okay, except for Timmy, who must have taken one too many trips through the time machine.
So no, minifigures aren't humans. They're Legonians. And like on Star Trek, many of the aliens in their galaxy look curiously just like them. The Blacktron homeworld? Yellow legonianoids. The Krystonians? Yellow legonianoids. The Spyrius people? Yellow legonianoids.
The Star Wars/licensed figures, if you deign to canonize them—which I don't, I just sell them—can only be interpreted as actors with weird skin color make-up attempting to impersonate aliens for some space opera show. As such, they're quite useless, and best re-homed on eBay.
@Graysmith said:
"Clearly Bob is a Legonian, you can tell by his bright yellow skin."
Hello, fellow countryman! I have been telling the proud story of Legonia since the 1980s—their monarchs, their crises, their heroes, their villains, their sprawling interstellar exploration. How about you?
In my youth, I gave my imaginary country a flag, national colors, and geography. I try to make regular references to them in my present-day MOCs, even though nobody will recognize it but me. It's my favorite detail, because it brings back so many happy memories and ties together past and present.
@AllenSmith said:
"Hello, fellow countryman! I have been telling the proud story of Legonia since the 1980s—their monarchs, their crises, their heroes, their villains, their sprawling interstellar exploration. How about you?
In my youth, I gave my imaginary country a flag, national colors, and geography. I try to make regular references to them in my present-day MOCs, even though nobody will recognize it but me. It's my favorite detail, because it brings back so many happy memories and ties together past and present."
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who made his Lego stories into a nation as a child. Mine was the LEGO Empire (no, not THAT Empire!) and I had hand-drawn maps, planetary diagrams, and even a national symbol stolen from Star Wars. (OK, maybe it was closer to the Galactic Empire than I originally said!) Happier times, those were...
@CapnRex101:
Even if that book was the source of wider recognition for the character's name, there's a good chance that the author had been referring to him by that name before, and slipped it in as a joke.
@Studnotontop:
TLM and TLM2 were both licensed themes. There are several characters that were borrowed in from other IP, but even the original characters like Emmet and Wyldstyle are co-owned by WB and used under license.
@peterlmorris said:
"Huh. I have that gunship from that time period and it never occurred to me that it wasn’t Obi-Wan Kenobi. I just figured he had a TNG light saber because LEGO was still kinda wacky back then.
I’ve been wondering who this Jedi Bob was this whole time, and now I know! I’m excited that I have the original guy, too. "
That's...a really weird admission to make. Obi-Wan has always worn brown over tan, at that point in the story he had a brown beard, and he was already on Geonosis when the gunships landed. I could see thinking that after just a glance at the set, but not after watching the film and building the set.
@gunther_schnitzel:
Minion Bob...though he doesn't fit the legal definition of a minifig.
@Murdoch17 said:
"I'm so glad I'm not the only one who made his Lego stories into a nation as a child. Mine was the LEGO Empire (no, not THAT Empire!) and I had hand-drawn maps, planetary diagrams, and even a national symbol stolen from Star Wars. (OK, maybe it was closer to the Galactic Empire than I originally said!) Happier times, those were..."
Ah yes, I had all those too, except for the Star Wars references. I had to tear the house apart a few years ago to find the map, as it was apparently the one artifact I forgot to digitize when I documented everything, and I desperately needed some names for western forests for signage in a MOC I did of a camping scene. But my most enduring reference material is the ruler, which I have used for making a number of MOCs to scale.
https://allenmonroesmith.bitbucket.io/LegonianMeasurement/
I spent the most effort on the history, which traced events from the medieval period to the present to a spacefaring future. Classic Space was the earliest national exploration program after inventing FTL propulsion; subsequent themes included the fallout from making contact with the extremely genocidal Blacktron Empire, including Blacktron's internal upheavals over the elites' (Blacktron II) fear of losing control of their robotic armies (Blacktron I). I had to fabricate some other aliens who were important to the storyline by augmenting some minifigures with clay and paint. Many a time have I wished I could send Space Police III aliens back in time to young-me, because they would have been the most exciting toys I ever got.
@AllenSmith:
Since a minifig foot is very close to the size of a 1x1 plate, and each stud measures 5/16”, I’m guessing you defined an “unshod minifig foot” as being slightly smaller than a clothed one? Unfortunately, this would run into problems when minifigs started wearing swimsuits or underpants with no pants. I wonder how your measurement system compares against skeleton feet. Not that I’m currently readying an adamantium skeleton for a display next week…
I need me that Jedi Bob.
@PurpleDave said:
" @AllenSmith:
Since a minifig foot is very close to the size of a 1x1 plate, and each stud measures 5/16”, I’m guessing you defined an “unshod minifig foot” as being slightly smaller than a clothed one? Unfortunately, this would run into problems when minifigs started wearing swimsuits or underpants with no pants. I wonder how your measurement system compares against skeleton feet."
Skeleton feet are shorter, so they're very close to 1 foot. And yes, one must accept the artistic liberty that unclothed minifigures are exactly the same dimensions as clothed ones. I prefer to imagine that the clothing is normal, and the body inside the clothes is slightly smaller.
That said, the tale about the length of feet is just pseudohistory to create atmosphere. The real reason I picked (and kept) that scale is that I wanted something that made minifigures close to 6 feet high (and not higher) and was easily reproducible. College-ruled notebook paper was just about perfect. It's exactly 9/32", so easy to make more of, and it nails the height perfectly.
The range of 1:42 to 1:44 is the sweet spot for minifig scale. Less than that and large objects will start looking weirdly big. More than that, and they start looking small. One common alternative, 1 stud = 1 foot, is too short at 1:38. Train builders have favored 1:48 (O scale) because it gives them 8-wide trains and they like that, but the results look noticeably smaller than real trains would.
Minifigures have long perplexed AFOLs who want to build to scale. Their anatomy is extremely non-human. But height is really the only reasonable choice. Humans interpret the size of objects by comparing height before anything else. The objects we interact with are all calibrated primarily to human height range. If you build an object to minifigure height scale, it will *look* correctly-proportioned, even though you can fit fewer minifigures into it than you could scaled-down humans. But that's okay. Minifigures don't like to be cramped; just look at the popularity of single-seat vehicles. The more one understands them as an alien species with their own culture and customs, the more one can embrace these idiosyncrasies.
@ElephantKnight said:
"I need me that Jedi Bob."
Same
@peterlmorris said:
"Huh. I have that gunship from that time period and it never occurred to me that it wasn’t Obi-Wan Kenobi. I just figured he had a TNG light saber because LEGO was still kinda wacky back then.
I’ve been wondering who this Jedi Bob was this whole time, and now I know! I’m excited that I have the original guy, too. "
I read "TNG lightsaber" and I immediately flashed back to the days of Playmates Star Trek: The Next Generation action figures where for some reason the toy company decided to mold accessories like hand phasers with permanently-attached "beams" coming out of them, which would occasionally lead photographers who were uninformed about and/or apathetic to the franchise to misinterpret the accessories and produce advertisements that appeared to show the characters having lightsaber fights.
@AllenSmith:
When seated, height is hard to gauge. Two minifigs sitting side-by-side in a 6-wide vehicle looks far more normal than a single-seater 4-wide. Side-by-side seating (particularly of the bench variety) has also been shown to be more conducive to propagation of the species. Just look at how many more minifigs there have been since the advent of 6-wide vehicles.
Compared to the width of the track, trains would be most accurately built to 12-wide, but that becomes difficult to power around the tight curves produced by stock LEGO track. It also makes 4-wide vehicles look ridi-hi-hi-hi-hi-culous, to borrow a phrase from Dr. Cox.
@Andrusi:
I remember the permanent, and often warped/twisted beams, but I don't recall ever seeing ads showing them being used like lightsabers. Must be envy, going up against a franchise where they can chop limbs off in the blink of an eye, when all you can accomplish is to make rocks glow with a sustained beam.
The inclusion of a lunch compartment on the starfighter feels extremely appropriate for a silly set like this. When I built MOC starfighters from loose Lego bricks as a kid, I always made sure to include a compartment for the pilot to store a packed lunch.
@BrickAnomie said:
"The inclusion of a lunch compartment on the starfighter feels extremely appropriate for a silly set like this. When I built MOC starfighters from loose Lego bricks as a kid, I always made sure to include a compartment for the pilot to store a packed lunch."
The inclusion of a banana for a yellow licensed character named Bob also seems appropriate.
@PurpleDave said:
" @BrickAnomie said:
"The inclusion of a lunch compartment on the starfighter feels extremely appropriate for a silly set like this. When I built MOC starfighters from loose Lego bricks as a kid, I always made sure to include a compartment for the pilot to store a packed lunch."
The inclusion of a banana for a yellow licensed character named Bob also seems appropriate."
BANANA!!
KING BOB!
@CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. "
Who says Bob is Human?
"
Well, not much is known about him. But given that he is yellow and up to the point of his appearance, all yellow skinned human looking minifigures were based on human characters, I imagine the intention was that he is a random human Jedi."
It must be absolutely crazy to think there was a time that maybe perhaps all the minifigures (including SW humans) were yellow...
@Maxbricks14 said:
"BANANA!!
KING BOB!"
I’ve made a King Bob. But he doesn’t have a banana. He has a sword. And Poochie.
@BlackFalconBirdman said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. "
Who says Bob is Human?
"
Well, not much is known about him. But given that he is yellow and up to the point of his appearance, all yellow skinned human looking minifigures were based on human characters, I imagine the intention was that he is a random human Jedi."
It must be absolutely crazy to think there was a time that maybe perhaps all the minifigures (including SW humans) were yellow..."
"And it was all yellow"
@PurpleDave said:
"Compared to the width of the track, trains would be most accurately built to 12-wide, but that becomes difficult to power around the tight curves produced by stock LEGO track."
The track argument does not sway me. We still look at the size of trains by their height, not by their rail width. If you visit the 2-foot railroads in Maine, with their adorable miniaturized equipment, they still look teeny-tiny even though the equipment is roughly scaled down to the rail width. It's because because the humans standing next to it are so much bigger in comparison.
Also, there are other track gauges in the world than 4' 8½". Lego track is perfect for Irish gauge (5' 3"; Ireland, Australia, Brazil), and very close to Russian gauge (5'), Indian gauge (5' 6"; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Argentina, Chile), and Iberian gauge (5' 5 21/32"; Spain, Portugal). Ultimately, it's close enough to standard gauge to look decent. And this is another one of those times I accept that Lego people, not being humans, must have just chosen Irish gauge as their universal standard.
@Maxbricks14 said:
" @BlackFalconBirdman said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @CCC said:
" @bnic99 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Avoid. This set has a primitive yellow minifigure in it, which does not fit in with licensed themes."
Does Thrawn not fit in because he is Blue?
or Yoda for being Green?
What about Maul? he is Red and Black.
or Ahsoka? Aayla? Kit Fisto? Jabba the Hutt .......
This is Star Wars, a species with Yellow skin is really not that much of a stretch."
Those colors all closely fit with their on screen characters in the movies. Whereas yellow does not fit with the human characters in the movies. "
Who says Bob is Human?
"
Well, not much is known about him. But given that he is yellow and up to the point of his appearance, all yellow skinned human looking minifigures were based on human characters, I imagine the intention was that he is a random human Jedi."
It must be absolutely crazy to think there was a time that maybe perhaps all the minifigures (including SW humans) were yellow..."
"And it was all yellow""
"Wait, it's all yellow?"
"Always has been"
@woosterlegos said:
"Can somebody explain the backstory for Jedi Bob? I can infer a lot from this review, but a concise history on why he is so desirable would be helpful to us newbies.
Thanks!"
He came out back in when the first AT-TE came out as a nameless Jedi