Review: X-WING STARFIGHTER

From Jalassociatecomics

Current revision as of 02:54, 18 February 2007

X-WING STARFIGHTER #4502 (RELEASED 2004)

The X-Wing Starfighter is quite an icon, recognized even by the few non-fans around. There probably hasn’t been a Lego Star Wars fan who has not attempted assembling an X-Wing out of the pieces he/she already has, either out of desperation or just for the fun of experimentation. Lego’s last rendition of the classic, I feel, did the venerable set little justice. This one looks way worthier, though there forever will be room for improvement.

As with the earlier-reviewed Millennium Falcon #4504 set which was released at about the same time, the setting of this set varies from the setting of the last one, quite greatly in this case. The year 2000 incarnation showed the X-Wing in a rebel base, along with another pilot and a cargo tram. On the box cover, Yoda is shown in front of his hut using the Force to lift the ship out of a swamp, whilst Luke Skywalker and his astromech droid R2-D2 look on in amazement. However, I feel this box art is among the worst around, as we’d all much rather see the starfighter in fierce battle than covered unflatteringly in weeds. Anyway, what is bad box-art when you’ve got a great set?

There is, very sadly indeed, no orange flight suit included, just the rebel pilot helmet in red print. Luke is decked out instead in his slightly soiled combat training wear that became all the rage in the nineties. Back to the old face, in place of the “angry face” Luke sported during the “Final Duel” 2002 set. R2-D2 is back; it would be crazy if he wasn’t. Yoda, as I mentioned earlier, is in the set too, last seen with Count Dooku in the Jedi Duel set.

The ship itself is a thousand times more accurate in structure as compared to the earlier model, but some fans gripe about the overall white colour scheme which I feel is actually an improvement. I simply marvel at the mechanism which helps “open” up the S-foils: a series of gears, when turned, turn a bar in between the top and the bottom S-foils, prying them open. The previous nose portion had an awkward openable storage compartment, whereas this one is under the ship. Though not completely correct, it is better. An ingenious bit of detail, another feature transplanted in part from the Ultimate Collector’s Series (UCS) version, is the way the nose gets narrower towards the front. Four swing-hinges do the trick. The wings are longer and wider this time round, far better.

Besides the awesome craft, Yoda’s hut is included too. The little hut opens up, revealing a stove, storage bin and his bed, among other sections. You can lift the tip of Yoda’s bed off, revealing a storage compartment for his old lightsaber. A nice touch of detail. The exterior is nicely “furnished” with plants and weeds, the whole thing topped off with a beautifully printed 8 by 8 disc, representing the plant roots that gathered at the top of the hut. In my opinion, a great extra on the whole.

This is a great set, filled with amazing features and good to look at too. A few more modifications on the builder’s part can improve it and add a personal touch at the same time, just like what I did. A 100% must-have!

RATING: 4/5 STARS