For now, this might be the closest thing we can get to “The Child” in the 3.75” line.

I’ve had this unopened and boxed up in my basement ever since I bought it back in 2013.  I found it and decided to add it to our galleries.  I paid little mind to it when I picked it up, just making sure I added it to my “complete” collection.  I have to say, it surprised me quite a bit.  It’s quite nifty!

Now, I believe we’ve only seen Yoda’s Jedi Starship during some of the later episodes of The Clone Wars.  During the arc in which Yoda went on a sabbatical of sorts to explore The Force, he flew a modified version of the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, which I prefer to call the ROTS version.  To my knowledge, we’ve never actually seen Yoda fly the earlier Delta 7 Aethersprite-class interceptor, which I prefer to call Throat Warbler Mangrove the AOTC version.  Unless I’m wrong about that, it would seem that this is a Hasbro construct.

For whatever reason, Yoda seemed to like to fly tiny starships.  Apparently, in an effort to prove that size doesn’t matter, he made it a point that size matters.  Our little green friend was a wacky one, eh?  Anyway, the fact that this came out during the Dark Times of collecting definitely makes it strange that Hasbro went through all this effort.  Perhaps if it had come out during the 2007-2012 heyday, it would have been more well received, but at a time when there was such a dearth of quality product, this particular choice seems odd. 

The starfighter is a really neat little vehicle.  It’s a smaller version of the popular Episode II version of the ship that Hasbro released in 71 different paint schemes.  Instead of pop off wings, this one has cannons that rotate from under the ship into firing position.  The canopy opens to reveal a cockpit that fits the included Yoda figure.  But, in a feature that surprised me, the “booster” seat is removable, and you can fit a full-sized figure inside.  Neat! 

Another aspect that was a pleasant surprise is that the included droid dome is actually of the Build-A-Droid variety.  It comes off, and can be replaced by any BAD astromech dome that you choose. Again, neat!  Sadly, the droid is not identified, which annoys the OCD in me, but otherwise, it’s a cool feature.

The included Yoda figure Is another surprise, but not quite as awesome. It’s actually a unique sculpt.  And not just the head with the sculpted communicator, but the entire figure.  It’s all new.  Weird!  And I don’t believe it was ever reused down the line.  This Yoda has ball joints at the neck and shoulders, as well as swivel wrists and hips.  He’s got a fully ignited lightsaber which he grips well, as well as his gimer stick, which he grips with less confidence.  Also included is a soft goods hoodless robe.  It’s a little bulky, but he’s super cute, and is the only Yoda figure with the headset.

To finish the set, you get a Super Battle Droid, repainted from an earlier mold which debuted in the ROTS line.  Nothing to write home about, but it’s not terrible, and definitely can be used in a modern display.  For whatever reason, Hasbro likes pairing Yoda with the SBD, as they did so already in the 2002 deluxe set, Yoda with Force Powers.

So, yeah.  I dig it.  It’s a homage to the Kenner off screen mini-rigs.  Sadly, it was released during some tough times in the line, and probably should have come out earlier, or not at all.  But it exists, and if you picked one up, it’s a neat addition to your Jedi temple hangar, along with all the other Jedi starships.  7 out of 10.