LEGO UCS X-Wing review: Third time's the charm

As it tends to always do on May the 4th, the LEGO Group celebrated Star Wars Day with the launch of its latest collectible kit. Joining the Ultimate Collector Series for 2023, one of the most iconic vehicles in all of the galaxy is getting the display-worthy treatment. Not the first time we’ve seen a UCS version, we’re taking a hands-on look at the latest LEGO X-Wing Starfighter to see if it really was worth a third attempt.

Hands-on with the new LEGO UCS X-Wing Starfighter

Having officially hit the scene on May 1, the LEGO Group launched its latest brick-built version of the X-Wing Starfighter. We’ve seen the iconic ship get the LEGO treatment time and time again. It’s made the cut as everything from playscale sets over the past two decades to Microfighters, polybags, and even the UCS kits like we’re reviewing today.

But even when it comes to these Ultimate Collector Series builds, we’ve seen the LEGO Group try its hand at the starfighter before. Twice, in fact. The first launched back in the early 2000s, while a second version was released in 2013. Now a decade later, the company is back for round three, hopefully proving that the third time is, in fact, the charm. So on top of looking at the set on its own at the $239.99 price point, I’ll be talking a bit about how it fits into the LEGO Star Wars catalog as a whole.

Out of the box, the new UCS X-Wing Starfighter arrives as LEGO set number 75355. It stacks up to 1,949 pieces, making it the largest LEGO X-Wing we’ve seen to date. The previous model from a decade ago clocked in with 400 fewer pieces, showing that the company has been able to pack in even more detail to a similar form factor.

The set comes with the usual Ultimate Collector Series flair, arriving in all-black packaging that helps separate itself from the more colorful box art on store shelves meant for less-dedicated builders. In total, you’ll find ten numbered bags within the box, which pairs with one of the typical 18+ instruction booklets that, on top of guiding you through construction, also packs some behind-the-scenes details about how the starfighter came to be and its references to its on-screen counterpart.

Actually building the set feels fairly straightforward, with some fun techniques to arrive at the final model. I wouldn’t say anything is too difficult, and the repetition is kept to a minimum with the assembly of the four wings, but the assembly process did feel somewhat short. I am not sure if it’s just my recalling how intensive past UCS sets like the massive AT-AT were, but I was able to assemble this in about 3 hours. It was an all-around fun build to piece together, though, with results that really do speak for themselves.

Once the last of those 1,949 pieces have been clicked into place, you’re left with as resounding of a LEGO model as we’ve seen over the past few years. The entire model measures over 22 inches long with an 18-inch wingspan. Its white exterior looks as worn out and battle-damaged as you’ll find, with hints of grey, tan, and some other accent colors to bring some age to this workhorse of the Rebellion fleet.

There aren’t all too many greebles on the ship, with the build largely sticking to a clean aesthetic despite the worn-out paint look.

My biggest gripes with the LEGO UCS X-Wing are the wings. Some of the more vocal pain points for the ship are the heftier body, but I find that the main cockpit area and the rest of the ship have such a good look that I can look past what is likely a slightly too bulky hull. After all, it does nail the angles of the ship in a way that really hasn’t been done to this degree of perfection.

But then there are the wings. They’re ultimately just a bit too stocky to go with the rest of the proportions of the set and give the vehicle a look that’s just ever so slightly off. It’s something that can really only be noticed at specific angles, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t get it out of my head. I really wish the LEGO Group made the wings maybe two studs longer; it would have helped so much and led to an even more perfect set.

Not all of the inaccuracies are off-putting, though. In fact, some of the artistic liberties that the LEGO Group took when crafting this set actually make it a better model. The clearest example of this is also one of my favorite parts of the build, with the flashback suppressor on the laser swapping out the iconic C shape in favor of some more exciting parts. There are some flipper bricks that make up that little element of the ship, and while not 100% authentic to the actual vehicle, it delivers such a fun look to the model.

Alongside the ship itself is a black display base, which is also a staple in just about every Ultimate Collector Series set. In this case, the design harks back to the original version of the UCS X-Wing, paying homage to the now 20-year-old version of the iconic starfighter. On top of looking to the past, the stand is also taking a step forward to finally do away with the maligned sticker that used to be applied for the display plaque. It was one of the worst parts of the whole UCS experience, and now the LEGO Group is finally printing all of the details onto the flat brick.

Staying true to the May the 4th UCS formula, the new X-Wing set also features a pair of minifigures. In this case, there’s a pilot and their companion droid, with Luke Skywalker fittingly making the cut alongside R2-D2. Both characters are the most accurate versions of their respective selves that we’ve seen from the LEGO Group to date, though this version of R2 has appeared in some sets before.

Skywalker, on the other hand, is getting an entirely fresh design for this year’s UCS set. Pilot Luke is a character we’ve been seeing in LEGO form since the dawn of the theme, all those years ago at the turn of the century, so it’s very refreshing to see that the company can still deliver something new and exciting.

The dual-molded legs are really the star of the show, with the same attention to detail applied to the rest of Luke. This minifigure really gets as close to being too detailed as I would like for a brick-built character before starting to get a bit too realistic and losing some of that iconic LEGO-ness – which is to say that we have a new gold standard for these UCS-caliber minifigs.

9to5Toys’ Take

This time around for May the 4th 2023, there are so many elements of the latest collectible set that could make this build go either way. It’s the first spring Ultimate Collector Series set to arrive since the price hikes launched last fall, meaning that there’s going to be even more needed to justify the new $239.99 price point. It’s also the third time we’ve seen the LEGO Group launch an X-Wing set, making this hardly anything new for the company.

But believe me – there is so much to be excited about.

My biggest takeaway is that photos of the UCS X-Wing really don’t do it justice. It’s such a marvelous set to hold in hand and have up on display. Since I finished building it earlier in the week, I’ve just been staring at all of the details and soaking in the build. It has such a great presence to it when on display, especially amongst some of the other UCS sets of previous years. Comparing it to last year’s Landspeeder doesn’t feel the slightest bit fair, and even some of the kits from previous years that I have adored, like the A-Wing, fail to deliver anywhere close to as eye-catching of a build.

That alone is worth the $240 price point for me. I’ve moved past including the price-per-piece breakdown in my LEGO reviews, opting to focus more on what you get as a final package. And believe me, the UCS X-Wing really is a great example of how the whole is greater than just the sum of its parts.

Sure, it’s not 100% accurate to the in-universe starfighter, and it isn’t even a perfect LEGO model, either. But it is the closest we’ve seen to Luke’s iconic ship on either front. If anything, the artistic liberties that the designer took make this an even more exciting model than if it was entirely spot-on. I am all for straying here and there from the source material if there’s good reason, and the final build of this year’s UCS set really nails that for me.

All said and done, I am thrilled that the LEGO Group took the opportunity to release yet another UCS X-Wing. It might not be the most exciting of the kits we’ve seen, but it gives builders like myself who weren’t actively collecting LEGO Star Wars a decade ago a chance to score one of the franchise’s most iconic starfighters.

And with rumors that the upcoming fall UCS set will be the long-awaited Venator, it doesn’t seem like Star Wars fans who already have an X-Wing in their collection will be suffering either. Back when the LEGO Group changed the UCS Star Wars annual release schedule from one set to two, it really opened the door for the company to release new takes on fan favorites like the X-Wing, while also catering to some never-before-scene models, too.

This year’s May the 4th release is as clear of a reflection of that sentiment as possible. It’s easily one of the coolest sets that the LEGO Group has released in some time, at least amongst the UCS kits in that $200 or $240 price range. There’s nothing more iconic than an X-Wing, and hopefully, this will prove for good that the company has delivered not only the best version of the starfighter to date but a definitive final edition. And if not, at least a future model arriving in the early 2030s won’t be hogging the year’s only chance at a display-worthy model.