Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter - TSC - Vehicles

A Jedi Master and a man of peace by nature, Mace Windu was nonetheless a fearsome warrior, slow to engage in violence, but unstoppable in battle. As skilled a pilot as any in the Jedi Order, Mace flew this customized Jedi Starfighter into many successful skirmishes against the droid legions of the Separatists.

It’s flabbergasting how the chances of a vehicle getting produced exponentially go up when a sculpt already exists which can be utilized to create the new vehicle via a simple repaint. Did any of us truly expect Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter ever to be produced for the basic figure line, had it not been the same style ship already in the lineup? This “blink and you’ll miss it” vehicle in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series only had a few moments of screen time, but the signature brightly colored starfighter and accompanying astromech droid were instantly memorable because of their association to Mace Windu and the color purple. So Hasbro takes a big risk and decides to release Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter as part of The Saga Collection’s mainstream mid-size vehicle assortment. Honestly, the vehicle is a breath of fresh air, but we’re not so sure how well it will capture the attention of collectors who just aren’t into any vehicles not based on the films. Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter does serve a purpose however, and we admittedly have a fondness for it already and are very happy to add it to our ever-growing vehicle collection. Nothing new is brought to the table here. After all, it’s just a straight repaint. So that’s where you’ll have to focus your attention. That being said, Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter looks pretty darn cool and it’s the first time we have a dedicated vehicle for one of the most popular Jedi Masters in the entire Star Wars saga.

Based on 2005’s ROTS Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter, Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter is every bit the same as the previous year’s vehicle except for the paint operations. And what stunning paint operations does this new vehicle have! We never expected this vehicle to look so smashing in a purple color, but it does. Mostly colored in a medium gray shade, the opening panels on the wings boast multiple shades of violet as well as the area that encircles the cockpit. The canopy is beautiful as well. The seat is cast in a metallic gold color and the details that accentuate the features of the cockpit are also beautifully painted as well. And the inclusion of decals helps to add additional detail and color to bring the vehicle to another whole level. Even the underside of Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter has been given the purple color treatment as well. This is a very nice looking vehicle indeed. With Hasbro already utilizing this sculpt a half a dozen times (and counting) already, it appears that their intention is to utilize this sculpt as many times as possible. And at nearly $25 a pop for the mid-size vehicle assortment, Hasbro should rake in the cash rather easily. Besides, this vehicle can hold its own quite well. With so many Mace Windu specific things we’re getting (and including the 2006 TSC Mace Windu’s Attack Battalion Battle Packs set), you’re quickly going to amass a nice selection of purple items for your collection.

The droid socket houses a “half of an astromech droid”. In this case it’s R4-M6. As an alternate solution or for extra play value, you can also interact 2007’s TSC R4-M6 (Mace Windu’s Astromech Droid) (SAGA 074) figure with this vehicle as well. Granted, the full size R4 unit is too large to fit inside of the droid socket properly, but we don’t think many will care about this. While flying the vehicle around, make use of the droid accessory. When parked or displayed, utilize the complete action figure. Or do whatever you want to do with your toys. Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter is particularly special to us because we absolutely adore the Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro-series. For us, there really has been no better supplemental multimedia event in the history of the Star Wars line that has so thoroughly engaged us as collectors and fans. So anything Hasbro makes based on this property is very exciting for us. Sure, it’s almost a no-brainer for Hasbro to reissue almost every starfighter in every color. That’s how they amortize costs because sculpts are very expensive in the toy line. Mace Windu’s Jedi Starfighter allows collectors and kids to be introduced to Mace’s vehicle in an intimate fashion, and it’s one of the ways that we learn more about our favorite Star Wars characters. But most importantly, this is a great vehicle and we’re happy to see it manufactured. It may have succeeded better as an exclusive however.