The Ghost HasLab Review

 First, before I begin this review is a very long time coming, and for many reasons. It's arrival right before Christmas made unboxing and photographing it far down on my priority list. Then getting figures in that I expected a little later, March Madness, and my VC Top 25 took a lot of my time, not including work, and that the 1st 4 months of the year are when 90% of my family's birthdays fall on. As a matter of fact, I waited a long while to open the box up. When I did my first reviews, is when I finally opened it. And then finding a place to display it was a chore as well. But, I found a place that works. For now, anyway. 

So once I opened it, the ship was so massive it was just easier to photograph on my bed. So, after washing my bedspread a couple weeks ago, and with a 3 day holiday weekend where I actually have 3 days off, and not for Dr appointments, I could finally get the shots, and the review done. For some photos, I had to find angles which I couldn't photograph due to the limited space I have to work with. I'll give credit for those photos to those who took it, or own them. 

THE GHOST: TOPSIDE

Photos from Hasbro. As you can see in the top photo, this ship is MASSIVE. The VC/Legacy Millennium Falcon is a midget next to this ship. And there's a lot more play area in The Ghost than the Falcon. The 2nd photo above shows the rear image of the ship. You'll see in my photos below why I opted to use Hasbro's photos to help my review. 

There is an impressive amount of detail on the surface of the ship. You can see some blast marks, grime, and not just from my room but on the ship as well! On the bottom, there aren't any. But there wasn't much detail on the Millennium Falcon's underside either. Overall, I'm pleased with that. But for me, what's important is removing the panels. But first, I'm going to touch on what I'm disappointed with first. The side panels of the ship are hollow, no storage or anything like that. Which makes sense because if it wasn't hollow it would be heavier. There are also landing struts at the bottom that are easy to fit. And I recommend keeping them on for display, and storage. 

THE PHANTOM 2

This is my biggest disappointment. And no, it's not because that it isn't to scale.  I knew beforehand it wouldn't be, as from the promo photos they showed only 1 figure could fit. The Chopper head on the side of the ship can turn, although because the arms are extended, it limits how far it can move. But, that's not my gripe, either. My gripe is it's a pain in the @$$ for me to fit a figure in the cockpit! So, I had to use a 5 POA animated Hera for the photos and not a VC figure. Now admittedly, I have nerve damage in both hands so fitting a VC figure in there was going to be a challenge. It's been a problem for other VC vehicles in my collection, like the Rogue One Tank, and yes, even the VC/Legacy Millennium Falcon, just to name a couple. 

Had the cockpit lid be given a greater range of motion, or was removable, I feel like I could have fit a VC Hera in there. Maybe it is removable and I'm doing it wrong, but spending what I spent to get this I'm not going to risk breaking it. The Phantom does fit well into its socket, and has retractable landing claws that are easy to work. The ship snaps on and off easily, and you won't break anything putting it on or taking it off. I had hoped to get pictures of it on top of something to show the landing gear, but you wouldn't be able to see it. As you can see below, it's easy to take on and off it's docking station. Since I can't fit a figure in the cockpit, I'll just have to use a little imagination. Flying it around my house and making spaceship flying noises is therapeutic! Just like I do with my 2009 Playmates Star Trek (NuTrek) USS Enterprise, even though it is electronic and can make sounds. My money, my rules on how I use my ships! 

THE GHOST COCKPIT 

The top photo is from Hasbro. I can't get the front ramp down, and I couldn't photograph it if I had, so that's why it's there. I attempted to recreate the Declaration of The Rebel Alliance from S3 of Rebels, but did the best I could with what I had. The empty cockpit shot above shows a ladder that can descend to the front landing ramp area. But since I can't open it, I am not putting something I'm unable to remove down there. There's good, not great detail in the cockpit area. The chairs are painted to match where characters sit. The nose turret up front is also an additional seat for either Ezra or Sabine. There's also enough space to display Chopper, and you'll see that photo below. 

Could the cockpit have been more detailed? Yes. Am I pleased with it? Again, yes. For the most part this ship will be closed anyway when displayed. But it's nice enough to use a little imagination. It's easy to fit figures, and I had no space issues, my only regret was that I should have taken more pictures of the main crew. If there is a space complaint, it's that Chopper's cockpit station is behind the co-pilot chair. But, it's okay. He fits, and that's what matters most. It does make for an excellent display/play area. Any figure can fit in the chin gun turret, and it has a great range of motion. You'll have to trust me there, I couldn't get a good picture of it. 

THE GHOST: CREW QUARTERS AND MIDDLE GUN TURRET

This was the area I was most looking forward to when getting the ship, and something I knew would be disappointing at the same time. You have Hera's cabin, which has the curtains in her bunk, and on the other side, you have where Ezra and Zeb can "sleep". But while Ezra is an easy fit, I had some trouble with Zeb. Hera is an easy fit as well, her curtain flaps can be pulled open enough to slip her figure in. I got the best light I could, but you still should be able to see her. 

So what about Kanan and Sabine? Adding 2 more quarters just wasn't possible. For Kanan, I imagine he'd be with Hera. Jacen Syndulla was created there, after all. Sabine would probably sleep in the aft station or the loading ramp area. Or, I can double Hera's quarters for Sabine's and use Zeb/Ezra's quarters for Kanan depending on the situation. So it's all good. For comparison, there is only the single bunk on the Millennium Falcon, and a hatch that can open where Han can sleep, and Chewie can use the bunk. 

The middle turret is without a doubt my favorite part of the ship. As you can see from the top photo above this paragraph, it can be easily removed from the ship. It's the only way you can get a figure inside. Removing the plastic dome is easy, you won't break it. I put Ahsoka in the gun turret since she used it in Rebels. There's a 360 degree range of motion, so naturally it's what I have the most fun playing with. But, if you have the Phantom docked, don't fear! The guns can raise up, plus the Phantom has guns on the nose so you have additional firepower. 

THE GHOST: ENGINEERING STATION AND LOUNGE AREA

The cockpit glass, middle section, and Phantom docking station are easily removable. Which helps when picking how you display the ship. The lounge area has optional furniture: a chair and picnic table. There are also a couple canisters that I put at the back of the ship. There is a closet, which Ezra used to go through the Ghost's ventilation shaft, but sadly it can't be opened. Which is a shame. I mean, the Falcon had an opening door hatch. Anyway, it makes a great display area, with or without the extra furniture. I have Sabine sitting at the Engineering station, but like the nose and middle turret, any figure can fit in the chair. It's an advantage over the Millennium Falcon where I have a hard time getting Han to fit in the Engineering chair. 

Now, the downside is the chair, picnic table and canisters need to be stored outside the ship or if you move the ship around it will rattle and make noises. Admittedly, picking up this ship and making spaceship noises is hard (but fun!). You do get a nice upper body workout in doing so. Plus, there's room for Jedi training once you have all the furniture out. 

That second picture is much better! Don't you think?! I have a couple more to show off, down below. 

SO, ANY REGRETS? PLUS FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE SHIP

I have to admit feeling some natural regret as this is the most money I've ever spent on a toy. And with last year being a disappointing year for the VC I often asked myself what the Hell was I doing?! The original plan was to open the included figures, but once they were all announced on single cards, except for Sabine who is deluxe in both mass retail versions and part of a 2 pack (on Mural Cards so I'm not opening them), I chose to not open the figures. And for a while, my passion for collecting waned a bit. But this year, I got a second wind. No more down collecting time! My biggest collecting regret was passing on the Razor Crest HasLab, and since I loved Star Wars Rebels, I wanted the Ghost. But what I wasn't ready for was the sheer size of it. With the Cantina HasLab arriving later this year, it gives me motivation to get my spare bedroom used for a toy room, where I can display the Ghost, Cantina and store my Millennium Falcon. If I knew the figures would eventually come out, I might not have backed this. But, could I live with missing out on something I could afford again? That would be tough. 

Now, I'm keeping the ship because selling it would be a pain in the @$$ to ship out. But selling the included figures is on the table for the future, if I need the cash. Which hopefully will never happen. I'm not upset it doesn't have electronics, it would add more weight and make displaying it extremely difficult. This ship has a lot of play/display value, looks good, and more importantly: it's rare. So that's the prize. And the advantage for HasLab's in general: they are rare. Would I be upset if Hasbro opened a new window to make more? No. I don't doubt that some people who didn't back it may still want this. But what I would like is getting the included figures, and the Sabine and Chopper 2 pack figures on standard Rebels VC cards, so I can open those figures, and keep my Mural Card figures on their card. But, I doubt they will ever make this ship available again. That's the other part of crowd funded projects: you may miss out on it if you don't back it. My example is the Razor Crest. 

NEEDED FIGURES

You had to know this was coming. The Ghost features in both Rebels and the Ahsoka series, and there are much needed figures from both series that need to be made. Instead of a long, drawn out lists I'll stick to some figures that should easily be coming down the pipeline, and at one time or another helped out the crew. 

Ahsoka Series

There's only 1 figure that's needed: Jacen Syndulla. I know figures of a 10 year old character are not widely made, but Jacen drives a good bit of the show. Plus he's on the Ghost when he helps rescue Ahsoka after her 1st duel with Baylan Skoll. 

Rebels

1. S1/S2 Ezra Bridger. Ezra grew between the 2nd and 3rd seasons of Rebels. But we don't have his younger look, from the 1st 2 seasons. He needs his unique lightsaber and unlit hilt. Plus the scar on his face given to him by the Grand Inquisitor. 

2. Old Man Rex. With Carson Teva coming soon, a Husky sized Rex could be done. He needs a swappable helmeted head, his pistols and large blaster rifle. 

3. Fenn Rau. Mandalorians may be giving some collectors fatigue. But, there are enough bucks out there. Just give him one, preferably one that has holsters and not the Mandalorian Commander which has the right colors but....no holsters. 

4. Rebel Agent Kallus. A sort of unwritten Hasbro rule is once you have one figure, you can easily get another one. See Cal Kestis, and the HasLab Rebels figures as proof. Some kitbashing would be needed, but an Alliance supporting Kallus would be nice to have. 

Thanks for reading! A special thanks to Chris and Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this link in the comments section! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers! 

Coming next week: I will review a figure. Maybe this one. I don't know yet. I have several candidates to choose from. This one among them.