Space Verdict
Fun and affordable, the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron miniature ships are a must have for any fan. They can be a bit fiddly due to their small size, but the beautiful painted details make it worth it.
Pros
- +
Amazing detail
- +
Great for those on a budget
- +
Fun play features
Cons
- -
Sometimes a bit too small
- -
Hard to take out of packaging
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In recent years we’ve seen a flood of fantastic Star Wars toy merchandise, including these Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron miniature ships from Jazwares.
There are also many incredible Lego sets out there, as well as Hasbro’s various Black Series, Retro and Vintage Collection action figures. For the dedicated Star Wars fan this all requires plenty of room to display, but what do you do if you don’t have lots of free space?
Places like Wicked Brick offer stunning bespoke display solutions (and not just for the best Lego Star Wars sets), but sometimes space is at a premium and that’s where the new Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron line comes in.
Produced by toy company Jazwares, who are also known for Roblox and Fortnite figures, Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron is a line of miniature spaceships measuring just a few inches across, with even tinier figures. So, now you can recreate the Battle of Yavin on a single shelf!
If you're looking for the best space gifts for the Star Wars fan in your life, these might be the droids you're looking for. For other Star Wars gift ideas, you can also check out our guide to the best lightsabers too.
Now, let's dive into the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron range.
Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron review: Range
- Huge range of ships and vehicles
- We've tested models from each category
The ships of Jazwares’ Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron come in a range of size classes, from pocket-money ‘Scout Class’ blind-packs to the epic ‘Assault Class’ Millennium Falcon. In between is the: ‘Starship Class’ featuring The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest and Boba Fett’s Starship; ‘Transporter Class’ consisting of an Imperial Troop Transport; and ‘Starfighter Class’ including Luke Skywalker’s Red 5 X-Wing, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter, and Moff Gideon’s Outland TIE Fighter.
Finally, there’s the ‘Light Armor Class’ with an AT-ST, a regular TIE Fighter, and Asajj Ventress’ Ginivex Starfighter from The Clone Wars animated series. There’s also a variety of chase sets and limited-edition ships spread across the range, from an X-Wing with a Jedi Luke figure to a white TIE Fighter.
For this review, we got our hands on a selection of spaceships and vehicles from across the range, specifically the Millennium Falcon, Luke’s X-Wing, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced, the regular TIE Fighter, an AT-ST, and three Scout Class blind-packs.
Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron review: Design & build quality
Millennium Falcon
We begin with the biggest and most expensive set of the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron range so far: the Millennium Falcon. This ship, of course, needs no introduction and the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron Millennium Falcon is a fantastic rendition of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy and arguably one of the coolest spaceships in sci-fi. Ten inches in length, it comes with a surprising variety of play features including four one-inch figures, an opening cockpit with a quartet of seats and flight controls, and an opening back panel that reveals the interior of the Falcon.
Inside you’ll find the dejarik (holo-chess) table, hidden smuggling compartments, a rotating gun turret with a seat, and a panel with can be unscrewed to insert three AAA batteries for the lights and sound effects.
Yes, that’s right, the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron Millennium Falcon comes with working lights and sounds, and they are fantastic! Once batteries are inserted, you can switch the lights and sounds on by pressing one of the circular solar sensors on the top of the ship. Press another button and it activates the sound of the gun turret firing on an attacking TIE Fighter.
Hold down another button and you can hear the sound of the hyperdrive engine kicking in as the engine glows blue. Even better, by tipping and tilting the Falcon this way and that, it changes the pitch of the sound effects to create the distinctive noise that the vessel makes as it swerves through an asteroid field. All that’s missing is John Williams’ score!
The four figures – Han Solo, Princess Leia and Obi-Wan Kenobi in their A New Hope garb, and Chewbacca – are tiny but very well detailed and nicely painted for their size. Their arms are on rods so that they rotate as one, and they have a hip joint that allows them to sit at the Falcon’s controls. The figures come in a small, detachable plastic case with cardboard backing, so you can safely store them when not in use so that they don’t become lost or broken.
That’s not to say the Millennium Falcon is perfect. To start with, we found it quite difficult to get it out of the plastic tray in the box it came in (the packaging for these ships looks superb, with space-battle backdrops for you to display the ships against, but wrestling them out of the plastic tray was a recurring problem). Almost everything is stiff and difficult to open up – you’re going to need some good, long fingernails to lift-up the cockpit canopy, the back lid, or to lower the ramp. The latter locks in place with two little plastic tabs, and given how stiff it is we worry that these tabs might break.
The one play feature that could really do with being stiffer is the landing gear. These fold out neatly, but you only need to apply a little pressure to the top of the Falcon and the landing gear inadvertently, and somewhat annoyingly, fold back in.
The entire ship is very well detailed, with rivets, panels, fuel tanks, and electronic sensors aplenty. A dark wash has been liberally applied to replicate the griminess of the ship, but this is a bit splotchy and overdone in places. Han could really do with taking the Falcon through the car wash!
Jazwares’ Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron Millennium Falcon is about the size of a small dinner plate, which is a size that is eminently swooshable, particularly when the lights and sound effects are switched on. This is great fun and we strongly recommend it!
Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter
Of course, you can’t have Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon without Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter. While it doesn’t have any of the gizmos that the Millennium Falcon has (the Falcon is the only ship in the range with lights and sounds), the X-Wing does come with retractable landing gear that, unlike the Falcon, does lock stiffly into place, and an opening canopy in which to insert the included Luke Skywalker figure. Joining Luke is a tiny R2-D2, who slots into the back of the X-Wing (and doesn’t fall out if you tip the ship upside down, a huge plus when you’re whizzing the X-Wing around the room). The wings (or ’S-foils’) can be pulled up into their distinctive X-shaped attack mode or pushed back together for flight mode. On ours, the wings didn’t sit flush together in flight mode, which was a little annoying, but since we’re going to display it in attack mode most of the time we can live with it.
Our only other gripe is that, like with the Falcon, the paint on the X-Wing is overdone – the ship looks downright filthy! Otherwise, everything about this X-Wing model is fantastic.
Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced & TIE Fighter
Pursuing Luke’s X-Wing is Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced. This has always been an ungainly ship, but Jazwares have done it justice, even if it does seem slightly undersized. We were a little concerned when removing the TIE Advanced out of its plastic tray as the solar array wings were snagging as we pulled it out and we were worried they would break off.
The only play feature that the TIE Advanced has is an opening canopy to insert Darth Vader into the pilot’s seat. Speaking of Vader, his sculpting is excellent on a figure so small.
If we’re going to have Darth Vader in his TIE Advanced pursue Luke’s X-Wing down the Death Star trench, then we’re going to need a couple of regular TIE Fighters to be Vader’s wingmen. Fortunately, Jazwares have included the regular TIE Fighter in their range, and even though it’s part of the lower cost ‘Light-Armor Class’, it paradoxically feels larger and more substantial than the more expensive TIE Advanced.
The solar-array wings are sturdier, with paneling that’s lovely to the touch. The canopy opens in the same way as on the TIE Advanced to seat the included TIE-Fighter pilot. If this is one of your favorite scenes in the movie, then you might want to get your hands on the Lego Star Wars Death Star Trench Run – it’s a gorgeous little diorama that’s fun to build and display.
AT-ST
Joining the TIE Fighter in the ‘Light Armor Class’ range is the AT-ST, for protecting the Death Star 2’s shield generator and shooting pesky Ewoks. Standing three inches tall, the AT-ST has articulated legs, a swivel neck to rotate the cockpit/head, hinged cannons, and an opening cockpit that can seat the single included driver (unlike in the movies, where they have two drivers). The articulation means that you can find a variety of poses for the AT-ST. However, the plastic on the AT-ST does feel a little softer and more insubstantial than the other models.
Scout speeder & AT-RTs
Finally, opening up our three blind-packed ‘Scout Class’ sets, we were pleased to find inside one a Scout Trooper with a speeder bike from Return of the Jedi (to go with our AT-ST), and two AT-RTs with Clone Troopers. Not bad, especially for filling out the ranks. Other ‘Scout Class’ sets available include Darth Maul’s hoverbike, various design of speeder bike with Ahsoka Tano, Cobb Vanth, IG-11, and the Mandalorian, and a much sought-after chase set – a Scout Trooper with a kidnapped Grogu from The Mandalorian.
Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron review: Price
- Assault class = $44.99/£39.99
- Spaceship class = $29.99/£29.99
- Starfighter Class = $16.99/£17.99
- Light-Armor Class = $12.99/£12.99
- Scout Class = $5.99/£4.99
The range of size classes comes with a range of prices. While it could be argued that some of the sets are over-priced for what they are, they’re all still far less expensive than most other offerings from Lego or Hasbro, which can often reach hundreds of dollars for one ship.
The Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron’s most expensive ship is the Assault Class Millennium Falcon at $44.99/£39.99. Considering that you get lights and sound effects as well as four figures, a ton of play features and a beautifully crafted ship, we think it’s well worth the money.
We didn’t get to review any of the ships from Spaceship Class, but these are fairly large sets costing $29.99/£29.99, though they lack the lights and sounds of the Millennium Falcon. Starfighter Class costs $16.99/£17.99, Light-Armor Class costs $12.99/£12.99 and the least expensive vehicles in the range, the blind-packed Scout Class are $5.99/£4.99 (these aren't currently available on Amazon). These latter vehicles are eminently in pocket-money or stocking-filler range, the downside being you don’t know which vehicle you’ve got until you open it up. Overall, the ships of the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron are great options for parents and collectors working to a budget.
Should I buy the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron?
We give Jazware’s Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron a big thumbs up. Excelling in design and detail, winning in price, and providing ample amounts of play features, there’s not a lot wrong with these miniature ships – assuming you’re able to wrestle them from their tight packaging without breaking them!
But once they’re set free, you’ll spend hours swooshing them in dogfights around your living room. Even the occasional disappointing set, like the AT-ST, isn’t too bad, especially if you can pick up a squadron of Scout Troopers on speeder bikes to go with it.
The accompanying figures are perhaps a little too tiny to do much with, but Jazware’s Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron isn’t really about the tiny figures, it’s about the ships of the Star Wars universe, and it does them ever so well.
With a second wave of ships, including Luke Skywalker’s Snowspeeder and a Republic Gunship with two Clone Troopers, soon to be hitting shops, then it’s clear to see that the Force is strong with Jazwares’ Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron.
If the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron isn't for you
Collectors will love the three Lego Star Wars diorama sets available: the Death Star Trash Compactor, the Dagobah Jedi Training swamp, and the cheapest being the rather impressive Lego Star Wars Death Star Trench Run diorama. Fans of Stars Wars will also like the Star Wars helmet series, such as the iconic Boba Fett Helmet and Darth Vader Helmet.
If you're looking for something a little bigger then the classic Lego Star Wars TIE Fighter, Lego Star Wars AT-AT, and Lego Star Wars X-Wing are all great fun to build and display.
Those with cash to splash will absolutely adore the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser and, of course, the fan favorite Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon.
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