Among the various Star Wars sets by LEGO, the model of Slave 1, the ship used by Boba Fett the bounty hunter, has been released in six different versions . These versions have ranged from two small, pocket-sized ships to several larger ones that measure more than a foot long. While Boba Fett has just a small part in the overall Star Wars stories, he has captured the interest of many of the story's fans. His ship has also turned into an object of great interest among those same fans.
In the Star Wars saga, Boba Fett, the bounty hunter, plays a role in the story in Episodes V and VI. He's the bounty hunter who is hired by Darth Vader capture Han Solo and to turn him over to Jaba the Hutt. The ship that he pilots, Slave 1, was originally owned by his "father", Jango Fett (actually, Boba is a clone of Jango), who, shall we say, "procured" it during his escape from the prison colony on Oovo IV. The ship was a prototype of an Imperial Firespray class patrol ship that he stole while making his escape.
Calling the ship Slave 1, he began a program of major improvements, and he put a lot of effort into arming the ship. After bringing the ship to the Kuat Drive Yards he had them install their powerful drive engines into the ship. They were a tight fit, as they took up two-thirds of the space available in the hull. The weapons that he added to the ship included double, twin blaster cannons, a pair of projectile launchers, plus two rapid-firing laser cannons. He also added a mine laying system that could deploy seismic charges.
The models of the Slave 1 that have been produced by LEGO include much of this weaponry. The sophistication of the models and the level of detail has increased greatly as different models have been released. The first version, LEGO 7144 was released back in 2000, and although it captured the basic elements of Slave 1's design, it was fairly primitive, as it was lacking a lot of the specialized elements that were added to later models. It looked a lot like something a builder would produce using just generic LEGO parts.
The Slave 1 version released next by LEGO was designated as LEGO 7153. Here, the quality and level of detail began to improve a bit. The cockpit for this ship was a piece of molded plastic with a dark tint. The pieces on the upper side of the landing shoe were also special pieces, which gave it a more finished look. This model was larger, it had more than two times as many pieces, (358), as the 7144 version, which had just 165 pieces. This set also came with mini-figures, unlike its predecessor.
The LEGO 6209 Slave 1 model came next, in 2006. It was again a larger model than the previous one, with 537 elements. It is at this point that the design of Slave 1 as a LEGO set really begins to come into its own. The number of special elements increases significantly, giving the ship a much more polished appearance. The ship incorporates a cargo hatch that opens to allow the Carbonited Han Solo to be loaded aboard. The completed ship included the mine launchers, as well as the missile launchers. The twin cannon arrays are also present. The four mini-figures (five counting the Carbonited Solo) are the largest number to be included in one of these sets up to this time.
LEGO 8097, the current version of Slave 1, is the model still in production. It is once again a larger model than its predecessor, but only slightly - it has 572 elements vs. 537. The level of detail of the model has improved yet again, with more use of special pieces to create a really finished appearance. The cover of the cockpit can be opened, and you can seat a mini-figure inside. This latest set includes three mini-figures, and also has the Carbonite skid. The skid is designed to fit the Han Solo mini-figure, so it can be "Carbonited" for transport, for really great realism. The finish and details on this latest model are very impressive, and the finished ship has a look of gritty authenticity to it.
The other two versions of Slave 1 were small (think pocket-sized) versions of the ship. One, the LEGO 20019, was a promotional item that was sent out with the January 2011 issue of the Brickmaster Catalog. It was not intended for sale in stores. The other small set was actually part of a two-ship combination released in 2003 - it was packaged with a small model of Obie-Wan Kenobi's Delta-7 Aethersprite Class Starfighter. All or these sets are still available in the secondary market, so it's not too late to add to your collection. Get a version of this ship now, before it becomes too scarce.
In the Star Wars saga, Boba Fett, the bounty hunter, plays a role in the story in Episodes V and VI. He's the bounty hunter who is hired by Darth Vader capture Han Solo and to turn him over to Jaba the Hutt. The ship that he pilots, Slave 1, was originally owned by his "father", Jango Fett (actually, Boba is a clone of Jango), who, shall we say, "procured" it during his escape from the prison colony on Oovo IV. The ship was a prototype of an Imperial Firespray class patrol ship that he stole while making his escape.
Calling the ship Slave 1, he began a program of major improvements, and he put a lot of effort into arming the ship. After bringing the ship to the Kuat Drive Yards he had them install their powerful drive engines into the ship. They were a tight fit, as they took up two-thirds of the space available in the hull. The weapons that he added to the ship included double, twin blaster cannons, a pair of projectile launchers, plus two rapid-firing laser cannons. He also added a mine laying system that could deploy seismic charges.
The models of the Slave 1 that have been produced by LEGO include much of this weaponry. The sophistication of the models and the level of detail has increased greatly as different models have been released. The first version, LEGO 7144 was released back in 2000, and although it captured the basic elements of Slave 1's design, it was fairly primitive, as it was lacking a lot of the specialized elements that were added to later models. It looked a lot like something a builder would produce using just generic LEGO parts.
The Slave 1 version released next by LEGO was designated as LEGO 7153. Here, the quality and level of detail began to improve a bit. The cockpit for this ship was a piece of molded plastic with a dark tint. The pieces on the upper side of the landing shoe were also special pieces, which gave it a more finished look. This model was larger, it had more than two times as many pieces, (358), as the 7144 version, which had just 165 pieces. This set also came with mini-figures, unlike its predecessor.
The other two versions of Slave 1 were small (think pocket-sized) versions of the ship. One, the LEGO 20019, was a promotional item that was sent out with the January 2011 issue of the Brickmaster Catalog. It was not intended for sale in stores. The other small set was actually part of a two-ship combination released in 2003 - it was packaged with a small model of Obie-Wan Kenobi's Delta-7 Aethersprite Class Starfighter. All or these sets are still available in the secondary market, so it's not too late to add to your collection. Get a version of this ship now, before it becomes too scarce.
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