Review: 75362 Ahsoka’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle

The much-anticipated Ahsoka series has begun, providing inspiration for three interesting sets. 75362 Ahsoka’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle is the smallest, although perhaps contains the most desirable minifigures, including Ahsoka Tano herself and Sabine Wren.

Furthermore, the returning shuttle has definite potential to impress, hopefully improving upon 7931 T-6 Jedi Shuttle from 2011. The exterior looks stunning in official images, but I do harbour concerns about the interior, as well as the underside of the wing, not visible in any of the images from LEGO.

This review is spoiler free.

Minifigures

It is perhaps surprising that only four versions of Ahsoka Tano have been produced to date, but this is the fifth. The lekku and montral element is new and made from a rubbery material, rather than the hard plastic used previously. I prefer the hard plastic, but the proportions of this piece are more accurate to Ahsoka’s live action appearances and the printing looks great, although a dual-moulded headband would have been ideal.

Fantastic detail continues across Ahsoka’s attire, featuring a suitable combination of pearl dark grey and dark blue. The tiny beads hanging from her belt are welcome, in particular. Moreover, the minifigure includes printed arms, further corresponding with the onscreen character. These are becoming increasingly common on Star Wars minifigures, which is encouraging.

The double-sided head looks nice too, decorated with intricate markings on both sides. Ahsoka wields two white lightsabers, represented here by trans-clear 4L bars. I think this was the best solution to maintain consistency with previous LEGO lightsabers, which have always included translucent blades.

Sabine Wren repaints her Mandalorian armour a couple of times during Star Wars Rebels, so seeing it updated again for Ahsoka is fitting. Nevertheless, the vibrant splashes of orange and purple are readily identifiable with Sabine, but the lack of printed arms is slightly disappointing, given their presence on other Mandalorian minifigures recently.

Star Wars Rebels has predominantly informed the Ahsoka series, although the influence of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is apparent as well. Professor Huyang was introduced in the animated series, aiding Jedi younglings in assembling their lightsabers. Translating the ancient droid into LEGO form was likely difficult, given Huyang’s slender proportions, but I think using a traditional minifigure is effective.

Of course, the head does require a specialised element, which captures wonderful detail from the original character. Additionally, the printed torso, backpack and legs look superb, but dual-moulded legs would be preferable. While Huyang lacks accessories, Sabine is fully equipped with two blaster pistols, Ezra’s lightsaber, her Mandalorian helmet and an excellent purple hair element.

The mysterious Marrok has appeared in trailers for Ahsoka, bearing a strong resemblance to the Inquisitors active as the Galactic Empire rose to power. However, unlike earlier Inquisitor minifigures, this character wears pearl dark grey armour, including an exceptionally detailed helmet. I love the ridged texture across the top and slits on the front, recalling historic helmets.

In addition, this helmet works perfectly with the shoulder armour, which returns from the Grand Inquisitor minifigure in 75336 Inquisitor Transport Scythe. The T-shaped feature on the front is exactly as shown on the character in the series and a clip is found on the back, where Marrok can keep their lightsaber. The torso and legs are also brilliantly detailed, as expected.

There has been speculation concerning the identity of this character, but the minifigure gives no clues, featuring a plain black head beneath the helmet. Marrok is equipped with an Inquisitor’s double-bladed lightsaber, including the unusual hilt that first appeared in 75082 TIE Advanced Prototype.

The Completed Model

As evidenced by its distinctly Republic-aligned livery, the T-6 shuttle originates from the Clone Wars. This colour scheme of dark red and light bluish grey is appealing, while the semicircular silhouette of the shuttle compares favourably with the original vessel. The wedge plates around the edge form an attractive shape, blending into a curve when viewed from a distance.

Despite containing 210 more pieces than 7931 T-6 Jedi Shuttle, the 2011 model is significantly larger than its successor. The previous design had a wingspan of 35cm, whereas this version measures 30cm across. Unsurprisingly though, the modern shuttle is far more detailed and I think the shape is better on the whole, particularly in relation to the size of the cockpit.

The T-6 shuttle’s defining feature is the rotating wing assembly, which changes orientation in flight, while the cockpit remains level. The function is well integrated here, as the wing rotates around a Technic turntable and turns smoothly, unlike on the 2011 model. This has advantages and disadvantages because the smoother movement is more satisfying, but the wing does not click into position.

Unfortunately, the other side of the wing is certainly a problem. Building with layers of plates is bound to leave one side looking worse than the other because the underside of plates will be visible, but this surface lacks any detail whatsoever. There are no odd colours, at least, but I think the designer could have mirrored the dark red pattern on this side, albeit likely simplified.

Also, the capacity of the shuttle leaves something to be desired. The cockpit looks superb from the outside, including a printed canopy and recreating the conical shape of the source material. The transition between the wing and the cockpit module is impressive as well, integrating grille tiles for mechanical detail.

There is only space for one minifigure inside though, hardly befitting a shuttle. 7931 T-6 Jedi Shuttle could accommodate three minifigures, which is admittedly remarkable, but room for a passenger was essential, either here or in the fuselage. However, the dark tan elements inside look nice, alongside a printed control console.

The fuselage appears substantial enough for a minifigure from the exterior, although much of that space is required for the core structure, understandably. The continued dark red and light bluish grey livery looks marvellous though, interrupted by textural detail and windows. I like the stickered 2×2 round tiles as well, taken directly from the onscreen vehicle.

Flaps open on either side, revealing storage for all the included accessories. Three lightsabers, two blasters and Huyang’s wrench need significant space, but I would have sacrificed that for somewhere a second minifigure could lie down. Modifications are possible though and could easily include a bed, for example.

A couple of blue Technic elements are visible in the storage bays, which would be excusable. Sadly though, these continue to the exterior and the exposed Technic pins look very awkward, as the model is otherwise uniformly coloured. Also, the stickers beside the pins correspond with features from the original vessel, actually highlighting the incongruous colours even more.

Stickers are applied on the wing as well, matching the surrounding brick-built pattern. I am not sure why the stickers were necessary because a combination of wedge plates and tiles would seemingly suffice, although I like the smaller details on these stickers. Furthermore, the ingots and grille tiles show welcome attention to detail, while black 1×1 tiles represent recesses in the armour.

T-6 shuttles were designed as ambassadorial craft, associated mainly with the Jedi. They were therefore unarmed, even during the Clone Wars. Ahsoka’s shuttle has evidently been modified though, as a bubble turret is mounted above the engines and stud shooters are located on the wings, flanking the cockpit. Furthermore, the vessel includes an extra engine beneath the main bank of three, so the model looks good from the back.

The underside is reasonably detailed too, including another clever function. The shuttle lacks landing legs, so would rest on a narrow 1×10 plate. Thankfully, the designer has provided two hinged flaps for additional support when landed. Of course, a method of displaying the vehicle with the wing oriented vertically would also have been fantastic, but doubtless very difficult.

Overall

The minifigure selection is the outstanding feature 75362 Ahsoka’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle, including probably the two most important characters from the Ahsoka series and achieving an amazing standard of detail across the quartet. Moreover, the actual shuttle recreates the essential details of its source material, so looks appealing on display, other than the underside of the wing.

I think the lack of space for passengers is problematic for play, however. Even if there had only been enough room for one minifigure lying down in the fuselage while another pilots, this would suffice. Also, the price of $79.99 or €74.99 in the US and Europe seems fairly expensive, but the UK price of £64.99 is closer to reasonable. Ultimately though, this is a necessary set for fans of Ahsoka.