Now that we're done with the Bionicle 2015 set reviews (unfortunately), it's time to turn our gaze elsewhere. Today we're going to take a look at 30275 TIE Advanced Prototype, a cute little polybag set from the Star Wars Rebels theme. Should you give in to the impulse to pick up this little set, or should you pass it over for something else on the shelves? You'll have to read and watch on to find out!

Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

The set comes in a plastic polybag clearly branded with the Star Wars and LEGO logos. These two properties have been working together for so long now it's hard to tell them apart at times. The set takes up a majority of the front, along with the other expected information. The back has all the normal disclaimers as well as a coupon for a free kids ticket to LEGOLand with the purchase of an adult ticket. What a deal!

Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

With only 47 pieces, this set isn't going to take you long. It's a neat build though, in that the bottom is actually built upside down and then attached to the top. It was a pretty clever technique that I enjoyed seeing, and it keeps the otherwise short build interesting.

Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

The only somewhat-rare part here is the 3x3 light bley curved plate, which is only available in five sets. Most of the rest of the pieces are also light bley, with some dark bley, black, and others to round it out. Nothing too exciting, but a decent variety.

From a coloration perspective I think they did a pretty good job, but after that it all kind of falls apart. The technique to attach the bottom half upside down is clever, but the resulting fuselage is much too thick when comparing it to the on-screen counterpart. The TIE Advanced Prototype should essentially look like a TIE Fighter with curved wings, and the set we get actually has more in common with Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 from A New Hope. The designers were certainly limited by what they could do in such a small scale, and I think they do get the idea across. For a kid more familiar with Rebels than the Original Trilogy, they probably won't care, but I do find it leaves a little something to be desired.

Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

Being a small polybag set, there are no real play features to be found here. The wings can fold in, just like the show, and the model itself is very sturdy and swooshable. Since it's the only Star Wars Rebels mini set so far, you can't really buy other sets to roleplay with it, but nothing is stopping you from making your own mini Ghost and Phantom to battle it out in space with the TIE Advanced Prototype.

Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

Pros What's to like? Interesting build for a small set Good color scheme Decent part selection Cons What's not to like? Doesn't capture the on-screen look well

I picked this set up for about $5 at Toys 'R' Us, and while I think it was a little on the pricey side I'm satisfied with my purchase. It's a cool little ship that I can swoosh around at my desk and when I'm done with it, there's some useable parts to add to the pile. If you're a Star Wars fan it's not a bad addition to your collection at all.

Thanks as always for reading and watching our review. We appreciate any comments or feedback you might have - feel free to share in the Talkback topic. Until next time, keep checking out BZPower for all the latest LEGO and Bionicle news!

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