7121 - Naboo Swamp

Rating:
Pros: The variety of the set; the great mini-figs; and the pieces
Cons: The battle droids cannot walk; Qui-Gon's hair falls off easily
Contents: 81 pieces, including 4 mini-figs and a clam
Price: $9.99
Reviewed: 15-Jun-1999
Reviewed by: G. M.

AK214 and AL706 had been assigned to guard the northwest section of the primary swamp on the planet of Naboo. Two droids were not nearly enough to look out for signs of a rebellion, but the people of this planet were peaceful. Or so they thought. While scanning the area, AK214's sensors detected a strange signal coming from directly above him. As his visual screen panned upwards, a streak of green light suddenly came down on top of him, splitting him in two. The droid's partner quickly spun around and readied his blaster. Standing right next to the smoking heap of metal that was once his partner, was a man dressed in a cloak, waving an odd green glowing stick in an offensive position.

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The Naboo Swamp, being my first Star Wars set, has given me an overall positive view of the theme. Although the set is small, it has a lot of possibilities, mainly because of its variety: four mini-figs, two vehicles, a small "structure," and a huge quantity of useful pieces. I'll start by describing the structure part.
As you may have guessed, the main part of this set is a swamp. It is very simple; it is made almost completely out of 2x4, 2x2, and 1x2 bricks in brown, green, and dark grey. This is a huge bonus because these colors are very hard to get in such a small set, especially in brick form. These bricks are assembled into two pillars that resemble dead trees through the use of vines and foliage pieces. The entire thing sits on a blue 6x16 plate, which is another big bonus.
The next part of the set are the vehicles: two STAPs. These are small one man hovering vehicles made out of brown plates. An odd triangular plate with a clip also serves as the foot grasp on each vehicle. There is also a dark grey 1x2 plate with a horizontal bar used as controls. Two dark grey lightsaber blades are mounted on top as blasters. The entire STAP is held up by a transparent blaster cannon piece that is new to Star Wars, and a transparent 4x4 radar dish.
The mini-figs that come with this set are just great! They are very good in accuracy compared to the movie. The two battle droids are just plain awesome. They are tan and made of six pieces: a head, two arms, a torso, a leg piece, and a 1x2 tan plate. My only gripe with them is that their legs can not move seperately, so all the droids can do is bend over. The other two mini-figs are normal. The first, Qui-Gon Jinn, has a bearded face and a new hair piece with a pony tail and two other tufts of hai that fall over the shoulder. I am not too crazy about this piece because you can't turn Gui-Gon's head without it falling off. Besides his hair, he also has a tan torso and a brown cape. However, his coolest accessory is his lightsaber. You have to have one in order to appreciate it, but it is the coolest mini-fig accessory ever made. It is two pieces: a silver hilt and a trans neon green blade. Jar Jar Binks is a regular mini-fig with a new head. The head looks like a Gungan's, Jar Jar's species, but it looks a little strange in mini-fig form. But, it is kind of cool. The rest of him is tan, including his hands, a first for Lego.
Overall, I highly reccomend this set to anybody. It is a great source of pieces and relatively inexpensive. It is also pretty fun to play with.