my LEGO star wars rebels ghost crew (so far)

Ghost Crew

In Star Wars Rebels, the Ghost Crew has proved to be a formidable force against The Empire. In brick form, Spectres One to Six are exactly the same...

But I'm two Spectres short. I was not able to rediscover LEGO and Star Wars on time to collect the first LEGO Star Wars Rebels sets. And that includes The Ghost [75053], the only set (for now) wherein you can get Zeb Orrelios. 75053 has already retired, and I haven't seen a justifiable price yet, so I'm just counting on a re-release. But I was able to get the Microfighter version [75127] though, and that gave me the ship's pilot, Hera Syndulla. It may not be accurate but it was designed very cutely, that's why it's one of my favorites.

The Ghost [75127]

My latest addition to the Ghost Crew is its leader, Kanan Jarrus. My ever-loving wife gave me Kanan's Speeder Bike [75141] for our anniversary. For me, the final build looks like it came out straight from the TV series. I love (mostly) every detail, especially the hover effect. I'm just not really a big fan of stickers.

Kanan's Speeder Bike [75141]

And of course, if you have read my review on the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017, you'll know that I got my Chopper and Ezra Bridger minifigures from there. What a cheap and easy way to get them? Now, all that's needed is Ezra's lightsaber-blaster hybrid. A binoculars piece will easily solve that.

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017

And that leaves me with Sabine Wren. She's easily obtainable, but she ain't cheap. So far, Sabine is part of three sets, two of which are big and expensive. The other set, Ezra's Speeder Bike [75090] has a reasonable retail price, but it's already retired! Isn't it ironic?

One day, I hope that I'll be able to complete the whole gang. But now that I've thought of it, I realized that I have a greater desire when it comes to LEGO Star Wars Rebels, and that's having an official Loth-cat minifigure...

LEGO star wars annual 2017 review

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 has just been released, and it looks way, way better than last year's.

When I first came here in the United Kingdom, I bought a copy of the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2016 in Poundland for £1. It's a kiddie activity book with some free bricks. To be specific, it came with three 1x8 and three 1x4 white plates to represent lightsaber blades. That doesn't really make any sense. But I'm not really complaining, I got the book for only 1/8 of the retail price (paying the full price is not worth it). Apparently, annuals are a thing here. But what exactly are annuals? In my previous post I mentioned that annuals are books published shortly before the end of each year, and are aimed at the Christmas market. They are generally large hardcover books centered on sports, toys, celebrities, films, TV series, and so on, featuring various contents like text articles, comics, puzzles, etc. And since LEGO is quite popular here, it's not surprising to see LEGO Annuals. For 2017, three books were published. One is about LEGO per se, the other centers on Ninjago, and the remaining one focuses on, of course, Star Wars.

Imagine my excitement when I saw the preview of the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017. Instead of senseless bricks, the new book includes not only an Ezra Bridger minifigure, but also a C1-10P, AKA Chopper. Even the LEGO Star Wars Magazine is yet to release an issue with free minifigures. So, when I saw a copy in my local WHSmith with a buy one get one for £1 promo, I decided to buy it (but not right away). I studied first if that was the current best deal. The book is actually cheaper in Argos for £3.99 (RRP £7.99), but it's out-of-stock in all the Argos near me. That alarmed me a bit. If it's selling fast, I don't think stocks will be left to be dumped into Poundland and be sold at a low, low price. Good thing there are still a few copies left in my local WHSmith. I immediately grabbed a copy (and a Ninjago one for my little sister) and found relief.

I was still in the shadows when the first Star Wars Rebels sets came out. So I missed The Ghost [75053], and The Phantom [75048], and all the minifigures that came with them. My first Star Wars Rebels set (that is not a polybag) is The Ghost [75127] Microfighter. Now my Hera Syndulla minifigure is no longer alone. She now has Ezra and Chopper in her crew (I'm just not sure if they'll all fit in the microfighter ship, haha).

Ezra Bridger

The minifigures included in the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 are not really exclusives. They are the same Ezra and Chopper that can be acquired in The Phantom [75048], Rebel Combat Frigate [75158], Ezra's Speeder Bike [75090] (for Ezra), and the San Diego Comic Con 2014 exclusive The Ghost Starship (for Chopper). I think the Ezra minifigure will be updated in future sets based on the show's third season, with his new look and all. I was just a little disappointed with Chopper's matched appendages. I was kind of expecting mismatched struts, but I guess that can be easily arranged. Now that I think about it, I think Chopper is quickly becoming one of my favorite droids ever!

C1-10P (Chopper)

For the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 book itself, it still is a kiddie activity book. It is recommended for children aged seven years old and above. The art is colorful and cute as always. The puzzles and activities are also quite similar. What's remarkably new is the inclusion of The Force Awakens characters and story line. It's always a delight to see BB-8 in whatever form.

The LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 is a good enough of an annual with great minifigures and fun activities. It's a perfect book to add in any collection, or to give away this holiday season. Just make sure to buy it at a discounted price.