The Good: Wonderful detailing, Great playability, Decent resculpting
The Bad: Still not quite to scale, Not all of the playability options
The Basics: A decade after it was first released and the Jango Fett’s Slave I toy is still worth investing in!
As I work my way through many, many boxes of Star Wars toys, I occasionally come across something that is a lot of fun that I truly enjoy writing about. Don’t get me wrong, the action figure reviews are fun, but they get repetitive after a not too little while! So, when I take the time to write a thorough review of one of the vehicles or playsets, sometimes that is a lot of fun.
Today, that means taking a pretty close look at the Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I vehicle toy. While the Slave I was seen in both Attack Of The Clones and The Empire Strikes Back, there were significant cosmetic differences between the ship in the two movies. The Jango Fett’s Slave I toy represents the Attack Of The Clones version and it is easy to imagine it, as it was in the movie (reviewed here!), soaring through the asteroids firing upon Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter!
Hasbro has since resculpted Jango Fett’s Slave I, but the 2001 Attack Of The Clones remains worthwhile (and worth buying!).
Basics
Jango Fett’s Slave I is a full-sized (almost) vehicle playset from Hasbro’s 2001 Attack Of The Clones toy line. I write “almost” because while it does hold three figures, it is not exactly to scale (it’s just a little smaller than that). The ship, made entirely of hard plastic, is lightyears better than the Power Of The Force or Shadows Of The Empire Slave I release because it does not simply reuse the mold from the original (early-80’s) Slave I toy. As a result, Jango Fett’s Slave I is much, much closer to a real, vital vehicle toy with all the playability options one might want from the vehicle. And it comes very close to being perfect.
Measuring out at 13” long by 13” wide by 6" tall (when the aft guns are pointed down, 7 1/8” when the guns are raised), Jango Fett’s Slave I is a flying fortress of death. Cast in blue and gray plastic, Jango Fett’s Slave I features an incredibly detailed sculpting. The ship, which is roughly made to look like a snail with side fins, looks exactly like it does in Attack Of The Clones, both for coloring and for the sculpt.
One of the big changes between Jango Fett’s Slave I and the prior sculpts is the quality of the side fins. The side fins on Jango Fett’s Slave I feature two supports (instead of one) to connect them to each side of the vehicle. In addition to added realism, this makes them more stable and the coloring detailing on them is nicer as well. Hasbro also seemed to realize that fans might want to put the toy back in the box and the fins are easier to remove and snap back on.
This version of Jango Fett’s Slave I features a rotating pair of turrets on the aft stalk of the vehicle. These are cast in monotonal gray plastic, but they look all right on this ship.
Jango Fett’s Slave I also features a clear plastic cockpit cover, so one may easily access Slave I’s command center. This version of Jango Fett’s Slave I allows you to have three figures in the cockpit, one in the forward position, two in the aft positions.
Accessories
Unlike some of the later versions of Jango Fett’s Slave I, the Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I does not come with any action figures for accessories. All the Jango Fett’s Slave I comes with are two (or twelve, depending upon your perspective) accessories: missiles and mines. The missiles are 2 13/16” long red plastic projectiles with rounded heads. They are exclusively designed for use in Jango Fett’s Slave I and fit in the missile launcher on the dorsal fin. Jango Fett’s Slave I comes with eight of these missiles, four for in the launcher and four that may be stored on the underside of the ship with convenient clips that are found there.
The mines are also made out of clear red plastic and are essentially hollow plastic spheres with some texturing on the outside. At 15/16” in diameter, they may be dropped from the bottom of the dorsal spine to lay waste to your figures or ships below!
Playability
Playability is where the Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I really shines. This toy gives consumers a lot to play with and it excels in that regard. In addition to the cockpit which holds up to three figures – a task made much easier with the new Vintage Collection figure line! - Jango Fett’s Slave I features a handle on the underside of the vehicle. The handle gives one greater control over the vehicle for flying it in its natural “upright” position, which would leave the characters in the cockpit standing, as opposed to laying down. The handle is a firm plastic handle that is attached to the base of the vehicle by screws and can be removed if one wants to make a more precise display. However, for play, this is real handy as it allows great control with one hand while the other accesses the other playable features!
The primary cool feature for play is the missile launcher. On the underside of the ship, there is a wheel that, when turned or pressed in opens the secret hatch on the dorsal fin. This exposes four missiles and when the wheel is pushed in, they come to the top of the fin. Turning the wheel launches each of the four missiles in turn. After a decade of pretty active play, the missiles in my Jango Fett’s Slave I still launch about a yard!
Right below the missile launching wheel is a sick-looking olive green button. Pressing this button releases a latch that allows the mines stored within the dorsal fin to drop one at a time or all at once. This is a mildly cool function, but it serves as a decent surprise during play with someone who does not know to expect aerial bombardment in addition to focused missile attacks!
The side fins turn up or down in unison.
The aft turrets rotate in unison.
There is also a small piece on the base of the ship that rotates. After properly applying the stickers, rotating the panel reveals nothing, then the presence of a Jedi tracking device or a small explosive, then a burned-out spot where the explosive blew up. This can be fun to create realistic play damage to add a sense of attrition to your play, even though the stickers stand out.
Collectibility
At the time of its release, the Jango Fett’s Slave I toy seemed expensive as it was released in the $35 range. As a result, many of them were clearanced (I recall fondly the day I finally got mine at Ames, as it went bankrupt, for a mere $19.99 + tax!). They have since appreciated quite a bit in the secondary market, which is something of a surprise (or perhaps not). In the latest Clone Wars line, there is an entirely new, to-scale Slave I toy. While that is more expensive – over a hundred dollars – it has not led to a price decline in the Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I. I suspect this is because fans like me were not wild about the Clone Wars-themed figures that came with the toy/playset.
If the newer version suddenly causes a price drop in the Attack Of The Clones Slave I, I would say then it is a good time to buy; this is a solid, cool toy that will rebound!
Overview
Sometimes, it is harder to recommend older vehicle toys or playsets. With the Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I, this is not one of those times! This remains one of the best vehicle toys Hasbro released in the Star Wars line!
For other Star Wars vehicles and playsets, check out my reviews of:
Vintage Collection AT-AT Imperial Walker
30th Anniversary AT-AP Walker
Power Of The Force Death Star Escape Playset
8.5/10
For other toy reviews, be sure to visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the toys I have reviewed!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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