Review: 9516 Jabba’s Palace

[Brickmamba]

INTRODUCTION

It is no secret that I am a huuuge OT fan and when this set was announce I had a good feeling that this would be a must buy not only because of the new mini figures featured but also because I had missed out on the original palace set during my dark ages. Once I got hold of this set I just had to build it ASAP and decided that I will also do a review. With that aside, on to the review, note review is split up into 2 parts

Set Number: 9516

Name: Jabba’s Palace

Theme: Star Wars

Year of Release: 2012

Pieces: 717

Minifigs: 9 (10 if you want to include Hans carbonite chamber)

Price: US$119.99, AU$199.99 CA$149.99, €144.99, ?GBP

PART 1

BOX

First thing that hit me was the size of the box, it seems big for a set of this size. Maybe LEGO wanted to make a statement given the significance of a re-released OT set.

Box Front

Box Back

Box Edge - featuring the star cast

Next to UCS R2D2, as you can see 9516 is a big box, same width and length but about half an inch shorter in depth

CONTENTS

You will find inside 7 bags numbered, 1 small bag exclusively for Jabba and 2 instruction booklets

MINIFIGURES

This set is choc full of mini-figures and the main reason why most people will buy this set

Lets start with the less exciting figures, Han Solo, Han in Carbonite and Chewie

Front View

Back View with the Han figure in the Carbonite and showing alternate face expression with eyes closed

B'omarr Monk - not much to say about this guy really

Front View

Salacious B. Crumb - rather pleasantly suprised how Crumb has turned out, he is made out of the softer rubber type plastic but is well detailed both in it's form and face print. He has a 1 stud hole on the bottom which allows him to be fixed in place.

Front, Side and Back View

Bib Fortuna - Similar to 4475 Bib, this new version sports a new more vicous looking face, a more skin tone colour and a slightly different print to the body

Front View - Left New Bib, Right Old Bib

Back View - Left New Bib, Right Old Bib

Oola - Same mould as Aayla Secura but in a shocking fluro green which makes her really stand out, very nice printing front and back

Front View - Left Oola, Right Aayla Secura

Back View - Left Oola, Right Aayla Secura

Front View - Oola with alternate face

Gamorrean Guard - One of my favorite OT henchman and minifigures, this set has seen a huge overhaul for the Gamorrean, the detail is just fantastic and is light years ahead of the original figure

Front View - Left New Gamorrean, Right 6210 Gamorrean

Back View - Left New Gamorrean, Right 6210 Gamorrean

Jabba - Like the Gamorrean, Jabba too has had a major face lift, a completely new mould and face print which is very faithful to the movie character. Things to note, the new Jabba is around 1cm shorter than the old and has traded his moveable tail for a stiff tail but gaining a rotatable head.

Front View - Right New Jabba, Left 6210 Jabba

Back View - Right 6210 Jabba, Left New Jabba

Bottom View - The old Jabba had raised stud pad which makes him more placeable on most plates but the new Jabba is flat on the same surface as the tail which will make him not so placeable without additional plates

Leia Organa in Boushh Disguise - I left the best to last, this figure is (for me anyways) the star attraction in this set. TLG have done a great job with this figure, the helmet is one of the most detail I have seen with a figure, the mould, the printing is top notch and is consolidated with printed legs and accessories like the thermal detonator and jet pack which makes this one awesome package.

Front and Back View

Front View with helmet off and Back View showing alternate face and backpack off

PART 2

INSTRUCTIONS

We get 2 instruction booklets, one landscape form and one portrait

Couple of shots of the instructions, pretty standard, I had no issues following these for the build

The second to last page of Book 2 shows a nice pictorial summary of the play features

and the last page a short 3D modeled comic strip

JABBA’S PALACE BUILD

Bag 1 you will find Boushh, Chewie and the pieces to build the tower base

Halfway through building tower base

Finished tower base, front and back shots

Bag 2 you will find Gamorrean and the pieces to build the gate and tower

Tower entry gate, a printed 1x1 round flat is used for the gate watcher, definitely prefer the old 4475 print on sphere

Shot of the entry gate where it is inserted into the tower base, the gate can be opened and closed via sliding mechanism

Halfway through building the upper tower.

Upper tower almost done with a shot from the inside, you will see blasters stored away, this tower is battle ready

Finished upper tower attached to the base front and side shots. From the side shot you can see the hinge that is used to hold open the gate as an added function. You will also see the 2x1 technic blocks used to attached to the main palace shown later on

Bag 3 and 4 - you will find Bib, Oola and Han, Han in Carbonite and the pieces to build the palace base

Base with sliding trap door

Finished base with the floor on

Bag 5 - you will find the rest of the pieces to finish the main palace

Forming the arches and columns for the palace

Main palace done, I like the addition of all the little things like cups, fruit bowl, coins, and the frog tank which injects more life to the palace

Bag 6 - you will find the pieces for the back wall of the palace and Jabba's platform

Base for the back wall

Back wall done, attached to the main palace with the hinge allowing the back wall to be opened and closed. A sliding tab with a grill for cooking is used to push Jabba's platform over the trap door

Another shot of the palace with the back wall closed

Jabba's platform

Jabba and Crumb chilling on the platform. The platform is placed loosely in the slot and can be slid across the trap door via the sliding tab on the back wall

Bag 7- the last bag you will find the pieces to build the roof for the palace

Base of the roof

Putting together the flick missile sandwiched in the roof

Finished roof

Roof on the palace, sits loosely in place

We are pretty much done, shot of the tower attached to the palace as one would see from the outside

Left over pieces, no idea what that orange tab is for

There we have it, the completed palace with all the mini figures!

RATINGS & CONCLUSION

DESIGN 8/10 - This palace is no doubt an improvement over the old 4480 set which looks very 'airy'. The dark tan pieces mixed in with the tan gives it that classic Tattooine feel. The palace is one solid looking building from all angles especially when the tower is attached. I did find the throne room a little compact, definitely no room for Max Rebo band so maybe this could have been bigger.

BUILD 8/10 - Rather straight forward build, nothing tedious, each part of the palace can be built in quick succession, took me roughly 2 hours including taking pictures

MINIFIGURES 9/10 - At the end of the day this set will be purchased exclusively for the minifigures and there are plenty of them. Bib and Gamorrean will be welcomed by those that missed them from older sets. Oola and Boushh look fantastic and are a must for anyone's OT collection. The printing on Jabba is very accurate and being able to rotate his head are nice improvements over the old version.

PLAYABILITY 8/10 - Play features include being able to pull the tower off, lift off the roof and swing open the back wall. Sliding the gate, the trap door and Jabba's platform are good features and well implemented, though the sliding trap door really goes nowhere when opened, hopefully this flaw is by design for a possible future expansion dungeon including Rancor, fingers crossed.

PARTS 8/10 - The majority of bricks are tan and dark tan, great for Mos Eisley MOCs. There are also a crap load of 1x1 snot bricks, 22 in fact and we can never have enough of those. Extra little accessories like fruit bowl, cups, 1x1 round flat gold pieces and blasters round off the goodies in this set

PRICE 7/10 - 717 pieces for US$119.99 gives a price-per-piece ratio close to 17c, it's not flash especially when you compare that to something like 8038 The Battle of Endor with 890 pieces priced at US$99.99. Undoubtedly a lot of that $ goes to the figures but it is this aspect about the set that will scare off most people.

OVERALL 8/10 - I'm bias to OT sets so it's my duty to give this an above average score . It's a 'good' set with 'great' figures. In my opinion, a great addition to any OT collection especially if you don't have the original, a must buy if you can find it on sale

Thanks for reading, time to introduce the new fella to the crew...

Edited June 6, 2012 by Brickmamba

[Solscud007]

Very cool. Ouch that price is a bit steep. But I will be getting it too. I have the original Jabba, from a Trade, but I like this one's extra articulation at the waist. Cant wait to see more.

[Big Cam]

I am so looking forward to this set.

Great comparison pics so far, the price makes me sick for the parts count but I must have it.

I look forward to more.

[Mr Man]

Gamorrean Guard - One of my favorite OT henchman and minifigures, this set has seen a huge overhaul for the Gamorrean, the detail is just fantastic and is light years ahead of the original figure

Front View - Left New Gamorrean, Right 6210 Gamorrean

This image just shows what's wrong with TLG now. Adding a bit of colour onto the old mould, say the eyes, mouth, and cross belts would be fine, now we end up with a stupid over sized and over detailed action figure . Boushh's helmet is an example of too much detail making the helmet too big. The old stormtrooper helmets where the perfect size as well as been detailed enough, this helmet is far too big.

Good fig review though , I like the comparisons, though I don't agree . I also think it's great they reused the head tail mould for Bib .

[Artifex]

Thanks a lot for this review!

This is one of the sets that I'm lookikng forward too this year! (which is one of the best years to be into Lego!!!)

The minifigs look awesome and they are the main reason I'm getting this set. I hope the palace look just as good, but if it's up to the preview and expo pics I'll be just as glad.

Thumbs up for this set!!!

[TheBrickHitHouse]

This image just shows what's wrong with TLG now. Adding a bit of colour onto the old mould, say the eyes, mouth, and cross belts would be fine, now we end up with a stupid over sized and over detailed action figure . Boushh's helmet is an example of too much detail making the helmet too big. The old stormtrooper helmets where the perfect size as well as been detailed enough, this helmet is far too big.

Are you for real?! I sometimes wonder if no matter how stupid the idea, someone will hold it to be true

Instead of what could be generously described as a half finished design we get something showing real care and attention, something of beauty

Lego gave us lazy designs and worse minifigs in the star wars theme for years - I applaud their new found respect for us and the source material

[Mr Man]

Are you for real?! I sometimes wonder if no matter how stupid the idea, someone will hold it to be true

Instead of what could be generously described as a half finished design we get something showing real care and attention, something of beauty

Lego gave us lazy designs and worse minifigs in the star wars theme for years - I applaud their new found respect for us and the source material

I apologise for my stupid idea .

However I have no wish to revive the what is too detailed and what is not Lego debate here.

It's my opinion, you are welcome to yours.

Lego is about imagination, not action figure like quality.

[pong0814]

I'm assuming there's actually printing on Bib Fortuna's torso that's just hidden by the shadows on the picture above? (The box art shows that he has some sort of printing.)

Edit: Nevermind. It seems the brightness setting on my monitor at work is darker than what I have here at home. I can see the torso printing now.

Edited June 4, 2012 by pong0814

[vriverajr3]

really good review so far. cant wait for part 2. ive been on the fence about this set for a while but leaning towards getting it just because how awesome it looks and for great figs

[Catanas]

Looking forward to part 2!

Thanks for the clean and crisp pictures. Very glad to see the printing is decent, as I've had a few less than happy prints of late. :(

This and the skiff are the two sets I've been most looking forward to since jumping back into LSW and your review has helped seal the deal! :)

[Bilbo Baggins]

I really liked this set. I specially think that Jabba was a great improvemenet.

[Ceroknight]

Thanks for the review!

I really want this! Can't wait to find it in Canada

[Vindicare]

Great start to the review. The pictures are excellent and I like the side by side comparisons. Bring on his palace!

[prateek]

Very nice pictures. It's a shame the price is so high on such an awesome set. Can't wait for part 2!

[Brickadeer]

Are you for real?! I sometimes wonder if no matter how stupid the idea, someone will hold it to be true

Instead of what could be generously described as a half finished design we get something showing real care and attention, something of beauty

Lego gave us lazy designs and worse minifigs in the star wars theme for years - I applaud their new found respect for us and the source material

Thanks for the review!

Unlike Mr. Man, I wouldn't go so far to say that something is "wrong with TLG now". To me, there is no "level of detail issue". But I would agree that the heads of Boushh and the Gamorrean Guard are a bit oversized, and that I would have preferred them to be a bit smaller.

Lando's helmet in 9496 on the other hand has the right size.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Brickadeer

[just2good]

The review looks great so far, 'Brickmamba'!

Like I've said before, these 2012 Star Wars sets look fantastic. I really like this one especially, but $120 seems a bit steep for me.

[Brickmamba]

I'm assuming there's actually printing on Bib Fortuna's torso that's just hidden by the shadows on the picture above? (The box art shows that he has some sort of printing.)

Edit: Nevermind. It seems the brightness setting on my monitor at work is darker than what I have here at home. I can see the torso printing now.

Actually the pictures are a bit on the dark side, have re-shot most and updated and yes, there is printing on the body of Bib, it is a charcoal color a lot darker than the old print

[Hartfan]

Thank you for great pictures. I love this set. Cant wait to get it !

[Ash]

I love the Boushh figure. It was always my favourite action figure as a kid. Unfortunately I can't justify buying the whole set for it and I shudder to think how much the single figure would cost on the secondary market!

[TeufelHund]

I like the set a lot - it doesn't look too much like the actual Palace but there's only so much you can do without the price getting out of hand (sorry...more out of hand). There are some nice pieces for Mos Eisley/Desert MOCs and some of the minifigs are beautiful - Oola and Boush probably being the best of the bunch, with the Gamorean Guard a close runner up.

Frankly I love the new detail on minfigs - the old Gamorean Guard and Jabba for instance are painfully primitive in their execution.

[Masked Builder]

You know, I think I'm starting to like this set. Thanks for the review, it's made me want this now. (Which is a good thing)

[wokajablocka]

This image just shows what's wrong with TLG now. Adding a bit of colour onto the old mould, say the eyes, mouth, and cross belts would be fine, now we end up with a stupid over sized and over detailed action figure . Boushh's helmet is an example of too much detail making the helmet too big. The old stormtrooper helmets where the perfect size as well as been detailed enough, this helmet is far too big.

Good fig review though , I like the comparisons, though I don't agree . I also think it's great they reused the head tail mould for Bib .

I'll have to agree with you Mr Man, he looks like his head is too big and he is going to fall over under its weight. The original fig looks much better in size comparison. Just add printed details to the old mould and I would have been happy.

Leia's helmet dose look way too big and the plate for the backpack isn't helping with the height.

Anyway still and awesome set for the new figs and will be defiantly getting this but from somewhere other than Australia, $199 is too much, ouch !

[JackJonespaw]

Nice review, Brickmamba! I love Han's new face - it's perfect for so many other things. The minifigs are what I expected it to be - perfect!

[Praiter Yed]

Thanks for the review so far Brickmamba

These figures look great! The Boush disguise has got to be the highlight for me and I don't mind the oversized helmet. I was previously unsure of the redesigned Bib Fortuna but imo it is an improvement on the older version (which I still think is a good figure). I must admit that although in general I am a fan of the more detailed figures of late, I think the Gamorean Guard is a step too far and is losing some of its Lego charm.

I'm looking forward to part 2 of this review...

'snip'

Lego gave us lazy designs and worse minifigs in the star wars theme for years - I applaud their new found respect for us and the source material

I'm not sure they gave us 'lazy designs' - I feel it's more a case of improvements in technology allow TLG to give us more detailed print, more complex moulds and the ability to print on those moulds all at a more reasonable cost than would have been previously possible.

[Lyichir]

Actually the pictures are a bit on the dark side, have re-shot most and updated and yes, there is printing on the body of Bib, it is a charcoal color a lot darker than the old print

Bolded for emphasis.

Anyway, I can't wait to see the rest of the review!