Presenting the Republic Attack Shuttle from the Star Wars Clone Wars toyline.If you haven't seen it in the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon, this is a Nu-class Attack Shuttle.
Developed by Cygnus Spaceworks, the Nu-Class Attack Shuttle was meant to be a long-range alternative to the more popular Rothana Heavy Engineering LAAT/i.
It was originally meant to replace the LAAT/i however the Republic Attak Shuttles lacked the LAAT/i's firepower and ability to carry up to 4 speeder-bikes in the back.
So while the Republic Attack Shuttle may have been better armored and faster than the LAAT/i, it never really replaced it and found it's way instead into the diplomatic core. The designers of the Republic Attack Shuttle would later be pirated by Sienar Fleet Systems and they would go on to integrate the fold-down wing design into the Lambda-Class Transport that we can see in the Star Wars films.
Here's where things get tricky. The Hasbro Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack shuttle is not a shuttle per-se in the real world. To begin with it's really much, much smaller than it should be - we'll get into more of that later. It's supposed to be able to take on 30 clone-troopers, it won't. It will take two pilots, that's it. The real-world LAAT/i at least takes on around 12 people plus a speeder bike.The difference between the Nu Class Attack Shuttle and the Hasbro Republic Attack Shuttle is that the Hasbro version transforms into a playset - a makeshift battle station to be exact, complete with an aerial scout.
No. it was never designed to do that.
WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE STAR WARS CLONE WARS REPUBLIC ATTACK SHUTTLE?FIRST: It's a playset. True it would have been really radical if Hasbro decided to make a cartoon accurate vehicle, but it would have been really big since the entrance/exit of a Republic Attack Shuttle is in the front nose cone, right underneath the pilots. Waaay bigger and harder to realize in the real world than the LAAT/i.
As a playset you have the wonderful opportunity to.... well, play. Forget the fact that this transforming base has zero tactical value - we'll discuss that later - given the lights, and sound-effects of the Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle, it is a fine opportunity to teach and share Star Wars with a younger audience - so great if you have kids (If you don't, do remember that adults do play with toys too :) )
SECOND: The Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle has three forms. First one is how it looks here: A landed shuttle with its folded wings raised up high:
You can clearly make out the dorsal communications array and the two forward mounted medium laser cannons on the wing mounts, and the two double light laser cannons on both sides of the cockpit.
The Hasbro version adds another pair of lasers immediately after the cockpit, and - if you fold them out - another pair of lasers on each wing-tip.
As with the cartoon Republic Attack Shuttle, there are two pilots, but the Hasbro playset only came with one Star Wars Animated style Clone Pilot wearing Phase 1 Clone Trooper armor. We replaced him with a pair of Clone Pilots in Phase 2 armor.
We love how the dashboard of the pilot can be raised when you open the cockpit to help facilitate in the positioning of the action figure. Unfortunately because these are our dreaded Animated series figures, they tend to rock around the cockpit no matter what you do - simply because they are so.... thin.
The forward ramp that on the real Nu-Class Attack Shuttle would be the ingress/egress point for 30 Clone Troopers or an entire Republic Senate delegation still exists here, but it doesn't do much more than serve as an access port to help you position the pilot.
The second form involves the Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle taking flight. Here the massive wings swing down underneath the shuttle and we are big fans of this form ever since we saw a Lambda Class Shuttle do it.
It's just so predatory.
The Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle's third form is a holdout base. As earlier mentioned, the NU-Class Attack Shuttle DOES NOT DO THIS! In essence, the Republic Attack Shuttle lands with its engines facing the enemy and lowers it's wings till they are flat on the ground:
The wings then open up to reveal a weapons storage area and to form blast shields for Clone troopers; The shuttle's body opens up to reveal a command center and two Clone operated turrets, and; the Shuttle's spine rises up to form a sniper's eagle's nest and the communications antennae folds in to reveal a cannon.
The two cowls covering the turrets are spring operated and they spring to face the front of the Shuttle. But honestly they belong at the back where all the other guns are facing - but you can actually mount them on any of several other hard-points on the Shuttle's wings. The cockpit then lifts off, a sublight engine drops down along with a pair of wings, a Clone trooper pops into a now revealed gunner's seat, and you have a reconnaissance vehicle. Removing the cockpit also allows you to extend a personnel ramp.
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THIRD AND FOURTH: The Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle comes with a ton of sound-effects that change based upon the form of the shuttle AND check out all the detailing inside the Republic Attack Shuttle! We love the command center, the eagle's nest, the pegs where you can mount/store DC-15A blaster rifles.Clone Trooper effects are:
- All Cannons - fire!
- Approaching drop zone
- Blast 'em!
- Clankers!
- Defensive formation
- Droid fighters incoming
- Enemy closing to zone 6
- Enemy ships are entering our sector
- Enemy ships closing...
- Fall back! There are too many of them.
- Fire!
- Full power, now! Now!
- Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal.
- Great shot!
- Guns, check!
- Hahaha!
- Hold your fire... until they're in range
- Intensify deflector shields
- Keep fighting
- Launch the recon fighter
- Lower the tower!
- Missile closng
- Oh no!
- Power core steady.
- Raise the shield.
- Raise the Tower!
- Red light - stand by
- We're on course and all systems are green.
- Roger that, sir
- Rollers, inbound
- Scrap 'em!
- Shield regeneration on standby
- Shields, check
- Sound the alarm
- Steady.... Steady...
- Systems green
- That's a lot of clankers
- That's givin' it to the clankers!
- The clankers have sent reinforcements
- The guns are overheated
- There are too man of them
- There are two patrols coming in on foot
- They're gearing up for another assault
- They're right on top of them
- There are two patrols coming in on foot
- They're gearing up for another assault
- They're right on top of us
- Those droids are getting close
- We'll have something for them
- We are leaving!
- We're coming out of hyperspace
- We're going in
- We're hit!
- We're losing our shields
- We're not gonna be able to stop them
- We're okay
- We're surrounded
- We're under attack!
- We've got company
- We've got to hold out
- Quickly.... ready, aim, fire!
- Blast them
- Fire, fire, fire!
- Ow!
- Prepare to fire
- Roger, roger
- Surrender, Republic dogs
- We caught them by surprise, aright
- Whoa!
Let's take this point to note that we love how you can remove the platforms from the gun-turrets and from the tower to make adding an action figure easy with little to no stress to the Republic Attack Shuttle.
With many thanks to the 442nd Siege Battalion of the Republic Clone Army.
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE STAR WARS CLONE WARS REPUBLIC ATTACK SHUTTLE?FIRST: Forgetting the fact that this is a fun friend or family building playset, this is one of the dumbest tactical ideas we've ever seen. It's a sitting duck waiting to be shut apart.
To begin with: See what's facing the enemy? The Republic Attack Shuttle's red-hot fuel filled engines. One blaster bolt straight up any of those engines and on to the fuel source and BOOM!!!!! This is not the side you wish to face an enemy with.
SECOND: Despite the plethora of guns added - especially the ones that pop out of the engines - most of these do not swivel, they just fire straight. True the Clones like to march in line, but do we have to lift the entire ship to sweep the line?
THIRD: It's sad that the lading gear of the Republic Attack Shuttle does not lift up and out when the Republic Attack Shuttle takes flight.
Still the pros outweigh the cons and we do hope that fathers out there use playsets like this to share their love of Star Wars with others.
This particular Republic Attack Shuttle was purchased on sale at retail unfortunately for a price that we can no longer remember. However a brand new one on Amazon will set you back US$ 57.49 (Roughly PhP 2,587.05 plus shipping which should be pricey as the Attack Shuttle is quite heavy). We're sure we paid less for it though.
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