Jedi Starfighter - CW - Vehicles

Begun the Clone War has!" – Jedi Master Yoda
On the remote planet of Geonosis, the growing conflict between the Republic and its foes explodes into all-out war. The Republic's Jedi Knights lead a massive Clone Army into battle on hundreds of planets. The Separatists, led by the powerful Dark Lords of the Sith, fight back with their own formidable droid armies. As this terrible conflict rips across the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi are swept into the turmoil of war and the rising shadow of the dark side.

The Jedi Starfighter is a unique, wedge-shaped craft capable of quick maneuvering. It looks like a standard scout vehicle on the outside, but is outfitted with hidden defense weapons in case of attack, as well as flight stabilizers. The Jedi Starfighter's pilot can cruise along on scouting missions with the flight stabilizers closed, then deploy the stabilizers to increase its maneuverability and make full use of the craft's power. The fighter's design and logos hint at the vehicles that the Imperial forces will employ for their oppressive purposes in the future. While the fighter is well-equipped, Jedi pilots do not rely solely on its technological features – they use the Force to take full advantage of the fighter's capabilities.

It’s good for collectors when Hasbro designs a sculpt of a vehicle that can serve as a template for different future vehicles. All it takes to make them different is new deco. There are so many Jedi Starfighters that Hasbro can produce throughout the Star Wars saga, and it’s wonderful to see Hasbro follow through and produce them frequently. With the tooling of a single toy, Hasbro can produce countless releases based on that sculpt by simply adjusting and changing the deco. The case in point of this is 2002’s Star Wars [Saga - Phase I] Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter vehicle. It was a fantastic vehicle when it was first released, and thanks to clever repainting, it’s once again great thanks to a fresh coat of paint. Part of the Clone Wars line, this blue-colored Jedi Starfighter is visible in the opening moments of the Clone Wars first season (along with some other colored Jedi Starfighter vehicles). And at the moment, this vehicle belongs to an unnamed Jedi. The Clone Wars line has introduced a couple of unfamiliar characters and vehicles into the line, but this might be the first and last “generic” Jedi Starfighter where the ownership is unclear.

Like most products released in the Clone Wars line, the Jedi Starfighter gets its inspiration from Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series. Fans of the Cartoon Network show are going to be happy with this vehicle’s release. And like Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter, this Jedi Starfighter comes with a unique astromech droid. Designated as R2-C4, this R2 unit is from The Phantom Menace and utilized for Naboo starfighters. It comes with a yellow dome with blue and silver details. It accents the vehicle nicely. If you know what makes up the 2002 release of this vehicle, then you know what to expect here too. The Jedi Starfighter is a fantastic vehicle because Hasbro has developed a wonderful product here that is as simple as it is clever. Between the removable wings and articulated stabilizers to the functioning landing gear and cockpit canopy, there is much to appreciate here and it will stay young-looking in the toy line. From the articulated pieces inside of the cockpit area to the colorful and detailed decal sheet, Hasbro beautifully breathed realism into this smaller-sized vehicle. Once assembled, or transformed, the Jedi Starfighter brings an incredible sense of realism to the Clone Wars toy line.

The Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter comes with a beautiful base paint job too. Sure, the decals help to bring detail where a paint job is unable, but if you decided to leave the labels off of the vehicle, a stunning Star Wars vehicle toy remains regardless. You’ll find yellow, black, white, and other colors mixed with “dirt” sprayed in certain areas to give the vehicle a battle-worn appearance. Hasbro gave the underside of the vehicle as much attention as the top side. They didn’t hold back on the quality of this vehicle and ensured it looks as good as it does. With all items in the Clone Wars line, the Jedi Starfighter focuses on the huge multimedia event this storyline is. And it feels like this vehicle is genuinely part of events that transpired after the Battle of Geonosis. On the back of the box we get a synopsis of what the Clone Wars are about, and it goes into detail about the Jedi Starfighter’s purpose. These vehicles zoom past the “camera” at breakneck speeds in the Clone Wars television show, so be sure to pay attention. We hope future Jedi Starfighter vehicles are forthcoming in the Hasbro toy line. We’ll take one in every color, please.