Star Wars LEGO Review Set 10198 Tantive IV

The Tantive IV is one of the most iconic sets of the Star Wars saga. It is the very first ship you see in the series, if you count the original trilogy first, as it blasts through space being perused by a monolithic Star Destroyer. Also known as the rebel Blockade Runner for this very reason the set has been released once before in Lego in the large Ultimate Collector Set format.

This set is the regular Lego scale and comes with four minifigures. A C3PO, R2-D2, Princess Leia (With hair bins) and a first time release figure of Captain Antilles. While the other 3 figures have been seen before in other sets, the Captain Antilles is exclusive to the set and Lego have done a great job of distinguishing him from other rebel troopers by the color of his uniform and the rather unfortunate expression on his head.

Like many figures these days the Antilles headpiece has two expressions, one on either side of the head. As Captain Antilles is notorious for being the first person Darth Vader chokes on screen in the opening moments of A New Hope his alternate expression reflects his fear (in a cute Lego kind of way). Additions of a Darth Vader and Stormtrooper minifigure would have rounded out the set nicely but that is a small complaint.

Obviously, the ship itself makes up the significant portion of the set which rounds out at 1400 pieces. The Tantive IV measures 20.5" (52 cm) long, 7.5" (19 cm) wide and 5.5" (14 cm) tall so it is quite a large ship. Inside there is a small amount of playing area, a desk, escape pod and large cockpit for two figures. Swooshability factor is fairly low as it can't be picked up easily, so it is recommended more for playing on the ground.

For ardent Lego fans there are no stickers in this set at all. All the detailed pieces are printed parts, including the large cockpit screens, which makes the set highly appealing. On the outside there are lots of details on the external fuselage which is a nice touch. Priced at $149.99 this is obviously not a set for everyone but Lego has done a great job in replicating this iconic ship in a minifig size.


Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous life she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. You can see her latest website which helps parents to sort through the rubbish and find the best quality fire truck toys for kids who like to play fire heroes. The website is at http://www.firetrucktoys.org/.