Customer Reviews

Star Wars Episode 1 Electronic Naboo Royal Starship Blockade Cruiser Playset

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent playset/vehicle recreation of the Star Wars ship. A few drawbacks you should be aware of. 1)The landing gear is popped on and off every time it "flies" anywhere, rather than being stored on the ship a la The original Millenium Falcon. 2)The top won't close all the way when figures sit in the cockpit seats.3)The various battle damage panels and landing ramp tend to fall off in flight as they are not connected at all. 4)It is HUGE! There is just no weildy place to display this, Star Wars fans. It's ONE YARD LONG! 5)It's kind of thin flimsy plastic due to it's size. I thought I would break it every time I picked it up. On the other hand, the sound effects are killer, and the IR battle droid fighter action is the coolest idea Hasbro has come up with yet. You hit the ship with an Infra red blast 3 times and the panels (and little red droid) blow off and sirens wail. Way cool! Amazon's price tag is the best offer anywhere, even with shipping, you save off what you'd pay at Target or Walmart. So get crackin' and pick one up! Little Anikin is waiting on Tatooine!

I personally had the honor to buy this Royal Starship Set and I must say that the detail quality in the ship is truly maginificent. From the controls of the Royal starship to it's "battling" sounds, it's truely a very detailed ship. You can probably fit more than seven action figures in the ship. It comes exclusively with a red R2D2 action figure which is a plus also since it's going to be a highly collectible item in the Episode One series. But i must say for any star wars fan, this is a really good collectible ship even though it will take a lot of space in your present Star Wars collection, so make room for it if you decide to buy it!

The Starship is really cool in theory, but the translation toplastic doesn't always go smoothly. As mentioned below, the panels ofthe different portions of the ship (it comes in 2 pieces, plus separate tail fins - and the nose portion sags, due to gravity) don't always match up well. The 97 (!) stickers can be quite a pain to apply, even as Star Wars stickers go. The droid lift is jerky, and the floor of the main passenger hold feels a bit flimsy. Flimsy, too, is the included Trade Federation droid fighter. Also, the Lazy Boy recliners that the passengers and crew sit in must be almost horizontal if one wants to put the top back on.

Also, the ramp, unlike the Millennium Falcon's, isn't secured into place, which makes lowering and retracting it more of a task. Granted, it's not moving mountains, but it's something. In addition, the hyperdrive is tossed in a corner of the ship (unlike in the film), as though Hasbro realized that they had 4 square inches of space over there, and decided to include something else as dressing, which makes it kind of a non-event.

Now, the oft-recited claim to fame of the Naboo Royal Starship re: its coolness is that it's long. So's the list of Nazi war crimes. That doesn't make it cool. The front third of the ship is essentially useless, and a reject from the Kenner cruisemissile trooper fiasco of a couple years ago takes up all available space in that sector. Also, large as the ship is, the droid hold which in the film stocked 6 droids now has the capacity to hold just 2 - and only one harness is included. And it's a bad one. You're better off substituting R2-B1's harness.

Now, the ship doesn't completely stink. The included R2-R9 is cool - the first time that Hasbro's ever made an astromech (and everybody loves astromech droids) that isn't either R2-D2 or R5-D4. His head is even frosted, like the booster rocket R2-D2, but unlike the unfortunately/unrealistically chrome-domed R2-B1 that's since been released. And his head clicks, a la the 1977 R2-D2, which is a great touch. I just wish that I didn't have to pay to get this guy. But there's no other way.

Another high point is the sounds. The ship has a million and one different sound effects, from 8 or 9 different buttons. And they sound good, too (though some might be familiar to owners of other electronic Star Wars products), unlike the Commtech chips.

Also, in the sad, sad world of Star Wars playsets (a doomed realm since the original Power of the Force line, it seems - the Ewok Village of old would never be made today) this is one of the better ones. Maybe the best. But to paraphrase Dennis Miller, that's sorta like being valedictorian at summer school.

Basically, the whole thing just leaves you wanting...more. More space. More included figures (the cheaper AT-AT had two, remember?). The ship comes with a (hollow, with no bottom or back) throne for the pseudo-Queen to sit on, yet no such figure exists or is currently planned. Why didn't Hasbro include her? Also, a 12" scale R2-A6 has been in stores for some time; why not take the two seconds required to repaint the 4" astromech mold and toss him in as well? (And, really, why not the white G8-R3, too? - he perished at the same time as R2-R9, so his presence makes sense, and the power of the statement "Includes three droids!" on the side of the box would be great indeed. Surely enough to encourage more people to buy the thing, which, looking at the aisles of the toy stores near me, is a department in which the Starship could use some help) Why not include a new Ric Olie figure to pilot it, with articulated knees and cloth tunic? Why is the ship not covered in Hasbro's chrome effect that they use on the Transformers Beast Wars series? The $30 Naboo N-1 fighter doesn't have it, either; couldn't we get the coolest aesthetic element of the ship from the film in a $100 vehicle?

In short, the Naboo Royal Starship's not a bad item; it's just not what it could be, not what it should be, and not what you deserve when plunking down bones for...a toy. END

Tired of flying coach to Coruscant? Nosy Imperials questioning your travel arrangements? Sith Lords taking up whole rows by using the Force to "help" you realize that "you really don't want to sit next to them?" Avoid all that hassle & get your very own Royal Starship! To keep my Star Wars collecting to a sane level, I orignally limited myself to Micro Machines, but larger scale Star Wars ships inevitably found their way into my collection: A/Y/X-Wings, Naboo & TIE fighters, even the (formerly-thought-to-be) large & still-impressively detailed Millennium Falcon BUT *nothing* really prepared me for the sheer "impact" of obtaining this beauty; it simply eclipses the other items I've collected across the board - for sheer size (instant eye-catcher in ANY collection), sound FX (still haven't heard them all!) and simple enjoyment (large interior playset area & interactive infra-red droid fighter - very original!). ... The interior is very interestingly detailed (w/flashing lights), and the droid lift adds to the overall fun. Topped off with your very own R2 action figure (included), only one word is needed for this toy: FUN! Just the anticipation of receiving the Royal Starship makes you giddy, then you actually receive it, open the box and realize just how impressive she really is. Enjoy it in the spirit of fun & adventure, just as Star Wars was meant to be enjoyed a long, long time ago when your local theater first darkened and the magic began in 1977...

This is definitely one of the best produced vehicles to come from Hasbro in years. The size and scale is unprecedented. Some improvements could be made, however. For one, I was expecting a retractable loading ramp that could be pulled out from the main hull, instead, the ramp just kind of "rests" flimsily in place. The "yellow submarine" looking escape pod craft which is another of those bizarre Hasbro conceptual features (like the pointless big fat spring-loaded missle launchers that they seem to include with EVERY vehicle! ) is to be desired, but hides perfectly inside of the sleek chrome fuselage so I don't have to look at the lame craft. The red astromech figure included as an exclusive figure isn't much of a selling point either, although it is a cool feature that it can be "blown off" from the hull of the ship like in the movie. I would have prefered an exclusive "Return to Naboo" Queen Amidala figure in the purple dress included instead as an alternative, or possibly even an additional figure, but that is merely wishful thinking outside of the box. At least Hasbro actually produced another large scale vehicle and hope that they will continue this trend. This playset is BIG and has BIG value and will make an incredible display for your collection. Overall, you will not be disappointed!

What can I say the fine folks at Hasbro/Kenner, have really outdone themselves this time! I have been a closet star wars collector for years (yes even in the times when star wars wasn't cool) and for my buck this is the coolest vehicle/playset this side of the galaxy since the classic Millenium Falcon! Great sounds, great play value, and not to mention great price! The engineering behind this toy will keep kids busy for hours on end, and will be the prime piece in anybody's collection. Great fun, and thats what every toy should be. MUST BE OPENED! to cool to keep in the box!

This is definitely the coolest star wars vehicle ever made (the old school millenium falcon is a close second). It's a great playset as well as a great looking ship. It comes with a cool red astro tech droid and a droid fighter.

This is a great item for star wars enthusists. It's bigger and better than the millenium falcon and with more cool features. There hasn't been a star wars playset this great since "The Death STar" playset in '77, and you get a free astrodriod. I'm sorry that they are sold out because everyone should enjoy this. Thanks amazon.com!

A massive toy, with tons of fun features and until recently an exclusive red artoo, this was probably the best Toy Hasbro made in the modern era as regards ships. It's a shame the high price tag made other such ventures unlikely, and displaying something this big can be a hassle, but this is a classic toy, lovingly and exceptionally rendered.

I originally bought this because I thought it would look cool sitting on my shelf. But I was totally blown away by all the features that it has. The sound effects are top notch and the exclusive R2 unit is a nice touch, but the clincher is the "battle damage" feature. A "must have" for all toy enthusiasts.