The build

This set was my first 2022 set, so I was surprised to see a progress bar at the bottom of the instructions. I thought that only existed in juniors sets! The build is pretty simple and straightforward at the start. The rotating 'fuel tank' that is not a 'fuel tank' was connected with an axle/pin on each side which is satisfying to connect on the rest of the ship. Then, you suddenly make some weird subassembly with a big windscreen on the front. It looks like a small boat or flying vehicle, and I don't remember that kind of thing advertised on the box! You make two of them. They get attached to the sides of the ship(Galactic Explorer). Boom. There are many clear-backed stickers in this set, and I recommend that you leave some of, especially the ones near the spring-loaded shooters.

The completed model(s)

The minifigures

- Mei: Nice head print. It's good to get the dragon-blade.

- Monkie kid: Cool dual-molded hair piece.

- Mr. Tang: Kind of cool just getting a Mr. Tang, even better to get him with three chopstick pieces, including the extra. I'm still not sure about the grey eyes though.

- Robot Mo: Cute little build. Not too interesting, although it does include four of the useful 1x1 plates with bar on one side.

- Rumble: Nice jetpack. (The good guys get one, too!)

- Sandy: Disappointing to see a Sandy that's not a big-fig. Looks kind of awkward, but it was a compromise that had to be made to fit him in the ship(Galactic Explorer).

- Savage: even less interesting than Rumble.

The builds

- 6-wheeled buggy. Looks kind of silly, but It's playable for younger kids, or people with young minds.(like me!) Good for rolling over rough terrain. It also has a nice print, which is one of the few prints in the set! Looks really...classic?

- landing station(?) what do you call this.... It has a nice use of space, hanging four helmets on a single wall. Nice reference to Octan, by the way! Some nice parts here, too. Here are the bad things about this: no obvious ladder to get up to the platform. And when your minifigures somehow manage to get up there and cross the bridge-thing without any railings, there’s no way to get into the ship(Galactic Explorer)!

- The Galactic Explorer. It's really eye-catching, with bright colours, unique shapes and weird cloud-shaped things. The use of the painted, shiny gold colour is nice. But then, it's also one of the things I dislike about this set. You see, some painted gold ingot pieces are used on the back(bottom) of the model, around the thrusters. When you stand this thing up and move it around, they get scratched. Mine are already tan-ish. The interior is really nice, with a weapon rack and nicely detailed screens and consoles.(stickers, but I think these add a lot.) The use of space where the fire ring-thing is stored is disappointing. On the other side, however, there's an excellent use of extra space, with two clips to hold onto Monkie kid's iron bar and an extra spring-loaded shooter. The 'whiskers' sure flimsy and weird, so are the 'clouds'.

Price: to high! Maybe just a $100? Nah, I'm asking for too much, I would recommend that you get it at 10% discount.

Overall

Pros

- Satisfying build experience

- Good figures, especially for play.

- Excellent ship(Galactic Explorer) and use of space, mostly.

- Great play AND display value.

Cons

- Parts will get damaged when moved upright

- 33 clear-backed stickers.

- The station thing does not add much to the set. Should have been smaller.

- inefficient use of space in storage compartment for fire ring

Hope this review was helpful and helped you decide whether to buy this or not!