"I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters."
With those words, Luke Skywalker accomplished two things: he psyched up his buddy Wedge Antilles for the attack on the Death Star, and he established himself as a sadistic hunter of space rodents.
Flash forward to modern-day Earth, and the T-16 Skyhopper mentioned by Luke represented our first foray into building an unpackaged Lego Star Wars set that we had never built (or owned) before.
Checking in 247 pieces, the T-16 was an easy build. The hardest part was tracking down the requisite pieces from the buckets of Legos passed down by a cousin. Once these were secured, the set was a surprising and clever addition.
The Skyhopper features a cozy pilot cabin, with adjustable wings that offer access to an interior department that includes a detachable storage box that can hold ammunition or other small items.
The different wing configuration possibilities were a highlight, as the T-16 can be aligned for flight, battle, and landing. The spring-loaded shooters and laser cannon gave the airspeeder a more intimidating look.
Luke learned to fly on this vehicle, taking advantage of its light design and maneuverability to navigate the canyons of Tattooine. He's also seen playing with one as he cleans R2-D2 and C3PO soon after their purchase in "A New Hope."
The set also comes with a Skyhopper pilot and a Tusken Raider (including gaffi stick), marking this as a legendary throwback to a beloved Star Wars reference.
Alas, we could never find the womp rat. Some of the galaxy's mysteries must always remain mysteries ...
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