LAAT/i Republic Gunship Star Wars HasLab In-Hand Review

The Star Wars: The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Republic Gunship HasLab is finally in my hands, and calling it a large vehicle barely covers what comes out of this enormous box. Inspired by the Republic Gunship from Attack of the Clones, the LAAT/i arrives with its wings removed, smaller fittings still attached to sprues, loose bubble turrets, long missiles, and two huge sticker sheets. Assembly is a real part of getting this thing together. Once built, though, it is an absolute beast, with a deep troop bay beneath those oversized wings, stacked cockpits at the narrow nose, cylindrical launchers running along the top, and ball turrets hanging from the sides. I have always thought this was one of the coolest vehicle designs of the prequel era, and I love its wonderfully strange shape. The pointed nose, enormous upper wing, and heavy troop compartment should not work together nearly as well as they do. What impresses me most here is how thoroughly detailed the entire gunship is. Fine panel lines, chipped paint, grime, scorch marks, exposed pipes, missile banks, cockpit controls, and finished interior walls make it feel more like a huge model kit than an oversized plastic shell. Even the cramped turret seats and tucked-away compartments have mechanical detail inside them. The side panels are especially fun because they appear on pre-decorated panels representing different LAAT/i gunships from across the Star Wars movies and shows, including the Crumb Bomber. Coleman Trebor, two Clone Trooper Pilots, and all of the included accessories give us plenty more to look at, but first, let’s take a closer look at the LAAT/i itself. Since the HasLab campaign has long since ended, the only way to pick up the LAAT/i Republic Gunship now is through the secondary market on eBay.

Box Design

The LAAT/i Gunship box uses a huge Attack of the Clones illustration of the gunship sweeping into the Geonosis arena, packed with clone troopers as Jedi fight below. The classic Kenner logo and black-bordered presentation are a great fit for a vehicle this ridiculous in size.

The white end panel gives the LAAT/i Gunship a clean line-art showcase, picking out the open troop bay, twin cockpits, and ball turrets in plenty of detail.

The nearly monochrome front skips a window and product photography altogether, giving the LAAT/i Gunship the feel of an old-school illustrated vehicle box.

The top panel mixes Attack of the Clones stills with product close-ups, connecting the LAAT/i Gunship to its Geonosis scenes while showing the clone-packed interior and the vehicle mounted on its display stand.

The package also calls out the LAAT/i Gunship’s nose cannons and the red-and-yellow markings across the upper hull.

The extras include carded Coleman Trebor and Clone Trooper Pilot figures, another bagged clone trooper, and two huge sticker sheets. I love the wild assortment of clone helmet graphics, creature designs, and rows of tiny kill marks.

Coleman Trebor’s card art returns him to the Geonosis arena, while Clone Trooper Pilot gets a large helmeted portrait with gunships flying behind him. I love how cool these figures look on their individual Vintage Collection cards, especially with the Attack of the Clones branding and character-specific artwork.

Coleman Trebor’s bio is hilariously blunt, reducing his brave attempt to confront Count Dooku to being cut short by Jango Fett’s blaster. Clone Trooper Pilot gets a broader summary of the clone army’s debut against the Separatists on Geonosis.

LAAY/i Details

Here’s everything that comes out of the box before assembly, with the main LAAT/i hull, both wings, ball turrets, long missiles, display stands, pre-decorated panels, and a bunch of smaller parts still attached to the sprues. There is quite a bit of assembly involved before you get to the finished Republic Gunship.

Hasbro has already released a full unboxing and assembly video for the LAAT/i, so rather than repeat that process here, we’re going to jump straight to the fully assembled Republic Gunship. And this thing is an absolute beast, with its enormous wings, twin launchers, ball turrets, and massive hull finally all together.

The LAAT/i has a ton of scoring and weathering across the hull, along with small yellow warning markings, panel lines, rivets, and other painted details that break up the off-white exterior.

The open troop bay is just as detailed as the exterior, with a grooved deck, ribbed walls, and a rear bulkhead covered in recessed panels. I love that the interior feels finished rather than like an empty shell.

Remember those two extra panels we saw earlier with all of the parts laid out on the table? This is one of them, and they’re really easy to remove and swap out, giving the Gunship some extra personality. This panel recreates “Service with a Smile,” the Republic Gunship associated with Kit Fisto during the battle of Mon Calamari. The grinning green nose art is a callback to Kit Fisto himself, with the Aurebesh lettering translating to “Service With a Smile” in reference to his trademark grin.

This panel recreates the Crumb Bomber, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lead Republic Gunship during the Clone Wars. The nose art features a Kowakian monkey-lizard clutching a missile, with the Aurebesh above it translating to “Laugh This Off.” I love that Hasbro included something with this much history, especially since the Crumb Bomber appeared throughout The Clone Wars and its nose art later popped up again in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance.

The side turret is basically a tiny bubble cockpit, with the Clone Trooper Pilot seated inside the clear shell. This is actually the first time we’ve had a Republic Gunship where a 3.75-inch figure can fit inside the ball turret, which is something I’ve wanted to see for a long time.

Opened up, the bubble turret reveals a tiny tan-backed seat and compact control yoke, making the cramped little gunner station feel surprisingly complete.

The bubble turret’s controls include twin black-gripped handles and a tiny ribbed panel below, with molded mechanical detail continuing across the floor.

The wing-mounted bubble turret has its own internal cannon and yellow markings, a tiny detail that could easily have been left as a simple clear dome. Above it, the twin cylindrical launchers stretch nearly the full length of the wing.

Between the LAAT/i Gunship’s twin cylindrical launchers are two tightly packed rows of missiles surrounded by pipes, recessed channels, and layered panels. Even better, the missile chamber rotates by hand and makes a satisfying clicking sound as you turn it. Little mechanical features like that are something I really miss with modern toys.

I absolutely love the design of the LAAT/i from the front, with its tandem cockpits stacked above the narrow nose and the two forward cannons sitting below. It’s such a distinctive look, and seeing the Republic Gunship from this angle reminds me why it has always been one of my favorite Star Wars vehicle designs.

Opening the canopies reveals two fully detailed stations with tan armored seats, green control panels, and thick ribbed hoses running along both sides. I love that each cockpit feels like its own compact little workspace rather than one repeated seat cavity.

Clone Trooper Pilot nearly fills the narrow cockpit, squeezed between the seat and ribbed hoses on either side. His orange helmet panel and tiny chest markings stand out nicely against all that gray.

With both canopies closed, the LAAT/i’s two-tier cockpit arrangement becomes clear, with one clone seated directly above and behind the Clone Trooper Pilot.

The LAAT/i’s closed rear is streaked with grime, while black scorch marks gather around the wing roots. Above it, a slim rear cannon projects from a square, riveted mount beneath two dark gray access panels.

Beneath the raised upper hull panel, two tightly packed banks of missiles sit in circular cradles, with smaller missiles tucked underneath. I love that this whole loaded compartment is built into the LAAT/i rather than simply molded shut.

A pale blue cable plugs into a circular socket beneath the LAAT/i’s large dark gray access panel. The twin ribbed recesses, rivets, vents, and bundled piping give this section a great chunk of exposed mechanical detail.

The wing-mounted bubble turret sits almost flush with the upper hull, its clear dome crossed by thick gray braces that meet at a dark circular hub. The construction has a great old model-kit look to it.

The underside of the wing carries another exposed bank of small missiles beside the bubble turret, all surrounded by recessed panels and narrow vents. I love how little of the LAAT/i’s surface is left without some kind of mechanical detail.

A closer look at the LAAT/i shows a tiny red lens set inside a raised white housing next to the long recessed vent. There’s also a ton of scoring and weathering around it, especially across the dark red panels.

Here’s the LAAT/i displayed on the included “Hover Mode” vehicle stand, which raises the Gunship slightly off the surface to recreate the look of it hovering above the ground.

The LAAT/i’s rear compartment includes a compact dark gray seat and a large cage-like rack beneath the upper hull, two wonderfully specific fittings tucked among the heavy structural braces.

With the rear ramp lowered, the LAAT/i has a clear passage into the troop bay, and the ramp itself is finished with broad recessed panels and fine horizontal grooves instead of being left as a plain slab.

The exposed side wall is packed with raised pipes, angled braces, and an oval vent panel, with even more pipes running diagonally toward the front of the LAAT/i. You can also see one of the small missiles loaded into the cannon, and Hasbro included a couple of extras so you can display the Gunship with the cannons firing.

A narrow underside hatch opens to reveal a surprisingly detailed recess, with ribbed walls, a row of small pegs, and angular floor panels. Even this tucked-away cavity gets the same model-kit attention as the rest of the LAAT/i.

Here’s a closer look at one of the two Clone Trooper Pilots included with the LAAT/i. I love that the figure pays homage to the Clone Pilots as they appeared in Attack of the Clones, and he comes with both a long blaster rifle and a smaller blaster.