This past Saturday was the HasLab Gunship Event at RedFive Toys and Collectibles in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Steve Evans (Senior Design Director for Marvel & Star Wars) and Chris Reiff (Manager of Product Design for Star Wars) from Hasbro came to RedFive with THE LAAT/i HasLab prototype. Fans were encouraged to bring their clones or anything else associated with the Gunship to display alongside it. Huge thank you to Brian & Monica for hosting the event and thank Steve & Chris for taking time to bring the ship out to the western Massachusetts (my home area) for fans to see it. It was wonderful chatting with Hasbro and so great meeting collectors from the Northeast region. It’s wonderful connecting with longtime collector friends, and meeting members of the facebook group, Instagram, and Banthaskull.com comments.

Insights

• Padme Amidala & Shaak Ti PIPELINED! (see gallery below for card backs)
  • Steve started laying down the card backs for the clone pilot and jedi when he laid down a few more which led clusters to gasp with excitement.
• Two sets of nose art decals (see gallery below)
  • Re-positionable
• Phase 1 Clone Army Builder
  • I believe this has a non-removable helmet.
• The ship was redesigned in it’s entirety by LFL during it’s insertion into The Mandalorian show.
  • Hasbro leverage the more detailed updated designs for the HasLab.
  • Includes newly designed cockpit as well. From the seating, cabin, and instrument clusters.
• Hasbro designed areas of the ship to take a part and add customizable LEDs.
  • The pilot instrument panel is translucent to light up if LEDs are added.
  • Wings have two signal lenses that can have light pass through as well with LEDs or fiber optics.

Thoughts After Seeing In Person

I was sold on the Gunship before seeing it in person. There were a few videos and real shots of the prototype at it’s unveiling and then again at the Toronto Convention. Chris Reiff noted at the event that all apps will be there when it moves from prototype to production. He even noted, if there is more budget available towards finalizing it, then they will also add washes to the inside troop transport area. As many of you know, I am a modern collector that upgrades collectibles (mainly figures) when a more definitive version comes out. The Gunship is unequivocally an upgrade over the prior version (that’s 23 years old) in every aspect. From design, to scale, to engineering, and to deco it’s screams TVC, it screams premium collectible, it screams definitive. Witnessing first hand with my own eyes was pure joy; it felt like seeing a studio model, as the team has noted with how they approached it leveraging the latest designs LFL created for the Gunship (for it’s appearance in The Mandalorian). What I said in my prior article What is The Vintage Collection? holds true after seeing the Gunship in person, it is TVC through and through. Back the LAAT/i Gunship here.

Enjoy the gallery and please share if you were there! Also, thank you Tyler AF for sharing photos with me of all your figure scene setups. So great! Follow him here.