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O mighty X-Wing! Prince of Lego sets!...I have just been reveling in one of the
greatest building privileges and experiences of my life...the UCS X-
Wing...greater and more satisfying than both the Whirl and Wheel Super Truck and
the Snowspeeder (1) (2)
A mighty set such as this deserves a mighty review, but sadly, I am but a small
man in the great world of Lego, so with reverence and humility do I offer thee
my meager thoughts...
The blessed event occured this past Monday night...UPS delivered to me the
package, yet...sadly...I only had time to revel in the polybags that night. 19
in all!...and it took me 30 minutes just to open them and to bask in the golden
glow that they shone forth. But, Tuesday night the building began in ernest...
I rushed home that evening, taking little heed for my life in rush-hour traffic,
and immediately embarked on the nose and nose cone...and a building privilege it
was indeed. These sections of the ship are ingeniously designed, and had I but
stopped there, a satisfied man would I have been. Again, a great sadness struck
the land, and my building was yet again delayed.
On Wednesday my sacred endeavors began anew...I spent 5 hours building, but
again, a great disaster and lamentations befell me...Whilst building, the
blessed object slipped from my hands! O cursed fellow that I am!...and 2 white
slopes were scarred. Were my grief not great enough, but my dog (O foul beast!)
chewed 2 pieces that were left lying upon the floor. Then, to my horror, I
discovered that I had incorrectly calibrated the gears, and I was forced to tear
apart the aft quarters of the ship. Then, I was proved a most unworthy fellow
yet again...for, in my haste, I had failed to include 3 pieces that belong
within the bowels of the superstructure. Alas, with shame and despair I
repaired to my quarters, with the heavy knowledge that I had failed heavy upon
my breast...
Yet, hope doth prevail! On Thursday evening my endeavors began yet again, but
with a new purpose in my heart to guide me forth...Before my eyes should close
in slumber, I would complete the X-Wing. With great speed and diligence my
fingers did craft the mighty vehicle, and though my labors were interupted for 3
hours and many long dark minutes, my labors did not go unrewarded...for, at
scarce 10 past the eleven o'clock hour, a great light illumined my face. I
stood back and gazed in wonder, for, before my very eyes, the proud X-Wing did
glimmer upon it's stand. And my wife and I did weep, as did my children, and so
will their children's children as as they gaze upon the X-Wing's wonders in
those days when my hoary beard is long and the good sleep shall bid me follow,
and to my ancestors shall I come...(3)
Indeed, what a mighty set.... I shall not even attempt to catalog all of the
wonderful pieces, but suffice it to say that I have never seen so many plates
and tiles in any set. Who needs LD? Just buy yourself a UCS X-Wing. Most of
the plates are white 1x6, 1x8, 2x4 and 2x6, but there are a number of tan and
yellow plates as well. The craft has a number of white 45 degree 2x4 slopes,
and it even has 2 white 45 degree inverted corner slopes. Of note as well are 4
large wing pieces (the kind used in the B-Wing, X-Wing mini), and 8 classic gray
fence pieces (how many sets would I have to collect until I get 8 of those???)
There are a handful of specialized pieces, but for the most part, this is a ship
solidly constructed from plates of all sizes, tiles, slopes, a few standard
bricks, and technic beams. It bristles with details, and little nooks and
crannies, and the cockpit chair rocks. I absolutely love the printed nose cone
pieces that is over the targeting computer in the fore of the cockpit...granted,
it has highly specialized printing, but I'm sure that a little creativity could
integrate this pieces into a mech or space MOC. Lego did a great job, IMO, of
creating that patchwork look of the X-Wing without going overboard on mismatched
colors. This is a heavy, substantial set that looks fabulous atop its stand.
It is well worth every dollar (and considering that I got it as part of a trade
along with cash), well worth every piece that I gave in exchange for
it...(Thanks, Brian and Cynthia Cour-Palais, O mighty Master Builders of capital
starships and E-Bay predators, for making that happen!)
Do I have any nitpicks...well...not exactly...ok, um, well, one, sort of...
As someone in lugnet.starwars mentioned, the gear system that holds the wings in
place is a little bit flimsy. I definitely appreciate the terrific, ingenious
design of this system, but I'd almost rather just have click-hinges so that the
weight of the wings don't cause stress on the structure over time (I'm actually
going to remove the wings for usual storage.)
No Lego set will ever be perfect, but...this is EXACTLY the kind of set that
Lego should continue to produce. Quality pieces, quality design, quality
construction. Perhaps it could be improved on in some way, but I'm not about to
give it anything less than a 10 out of 10. IMO, this set will be historically
be counted among the greats of all time.
(1) Since I missed out on many great sets during the Dark Ages, my 2 prior
favorites are the Whirl and Wheel and the Snowspeeder
(2) Quote adapted from:
"O mighty Tolkien! Prince of fantasists!…I have just been reveling in one of
the greatest literary privileges and experiences of my life…the
Silmarillion…greater and more satisfying than both The Hobbit and the Lord of
the Rings."
Richard Adams,
Author of the Plague Dogs
(3) Well, none of us actually wept, and I don't have children, but my wife did
say "Good, Honey" and my friend said "Cool." when I showed it to them, so in my
zeal and great joy I interpret those remarks as glowing expressions of due awe
and admiration.
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Message has 5 Replies:
 | | Re: UCS X-Wing Review
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| This set sounds just about perfect. Oh the wonder if I could only own one. But, alas, I need a car, and have no job as of yet. So I must wait (not many 16 year olds find that kind of money in their couch). Unless some generous soul would like to (...) (24 years ago, 24-Jun-00, to lugnet.reviews, lugnet.starwars)
| | | Re: UCS X-Wing Review
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| Hi James, Wow, did you major in English Literature? :) (...) I've never seen the actual gear system, but I've built an X-Wing myself (roughly the same size as the UCS one) and I used technic axles in an "X" formation to hold the wings open. (...) (24 years ago, 24-Jun-00, to lugnet.starwars)
| | | Re: UCS X-Wing Review
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| I had to redo the gearing in the aft compartment more than a few times i feel that model in general is to heavy for the stands and the wings have difficulty staying connected other than that is is a grat model steve (...) the (...) and (...) small (...) (24 years ago, 24-Jun-00, to lugnet.reviews, lugnet.starwars)
| | | Re: UCS X-Wing Review
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| Total snippage of original post... While I love the photos of the UCS X-wing that have been posted on-line, and in the catalog, I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed when I saw the box at TRU in Dallas. The larger photo shows more detail, (...) (24 years ago, 7-Jul-00, to lugnet.reviews, lugnet.starwars)
| | | Re: UCS X-Wing Review
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| People, I feel I must put my two cents in. First I admit that the UCS X-Wing is a masterpiece, and put my own large scale X-wing to shame...however. Picture this set with a good percentage more light grey pieces (or white), for a more uniform look (...) (24 years ago, 8-Jul-00, to lugnet.reviews, lugnet.starwars)
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