We review the new LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series (UCS) A-wing Starfighter which was released in May 2020. Read the press release and/or watch the designer video.
Vital Statistics
Theme: Star Wars
Name: A-wing Starfighter
Item: 75275
Price: £179.99 UK/$199.99 USA
Ages: 18+
Pieces: 1672
LEGO Website Description
Inspire memories of the classic Star Wars: Return of the Jedi movie with this cool Ultimate Collectors Series LEGO® A-wing Starfighter (75275) building set! The sleek, arrowhead shape is beautifully reproduced in LEGO bricks and fans will appreciate authentic details such as the pivoting laser cannons and new-for-May-2020 removable canopy on the cockpit.
Cool display piece
A testing building challenge for ages 18+ to enjoy solo or with friends and family, this model comes with a display stand, information plaque and an A-wing Pilot minifigure. And look out for other collectible build-and-display models, including the Stormtrooper Helmet (75276) and Boba Fett Helmet (75277).Universe of excitement!
The LEGO Group has been creating brick-built versions of iconic starships, vehicles, locations and characters from the Star Wars™ universe since 1999. LEGO Star Wars is its most successful theme, with building sets that make great birthday, Christmas or surprise gifts for fans of all ages.• Create a stunning display with the first-ever LEGO® Ultimate Collector Series version of the A-wing Starfighter (75275) from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, featuring a new-for-January-2020 removable cockpit canopy!
• Star Wars™ fans will love authentic details such as the pivoting laser cannons. Also includes an adjustable display stand, information plaque and A-wing Pilot character to complete a striking Star Wars centre piece.
• This A-wing LEGO® set is part of the Star Wars™ Ultimate Collector Series (UCS). Also check out the brilliant Stormtrooper Helmet (75276) and Boba Fett Helmet (75277) build-to-display models.
• This 1,673-piece LEGO® Star Wars™ A-wing fighter building set offers a fun, rewarding challenge for Star Wars fans aged 18+, and makes a fantastic birthday gift, Christmas present or special occasion surprise.
• Measuring 10.5” (27cm) high including display stand, 16.5” (42cm) long and 10” (26cm) wide, this collectible LEGO® Star Wars™ A-wing fighter model is bound to make a big impression displayed at home or in the office.
• This battery-free building set is a peaceful way for adults to unwind after a hard day at work. Forget your worries for a while, find your building Zen and create an incredible LEGO® Star Wars™ A-wing model!
• Thinking of buying this A-wing Starfighter model kit for a Star Wars™ fan who is new to LEGO® sets? No worries. It comes with step-by-step instructions so they can take on this challenging build with confidence.
• There is a huge variety of LEGO® Star Wars™ building sets to delight fans of all ages, whether they want to play out famous movie scenes, create their own epic stories or just build and display the awesome models.
• You won’t need to use the Force to connect or pull apart LEGO® bricks! They meet the highest industry standards to ensure consistency and a perfect, easy connection.
• LEGO® bricks and pieces are tested in almost every way imaginable so you can be sure that this cool Star Wars™ A-wing fighter building set meets the highest safety standards on planet Earth (and in any galaxy!).
Review
The A-wing Starfighter was one of the few vehicles which had not been represented in LEGO form as part of the Ultimate Collector Series (UCS), but thankfully that has now been rectified as the RZ-1 A-wing has finally landed (set #75275). The latest UCS set is also the first new vehicle we have seen in the series since 2015’s TIE Fighter (set #75095), as most releases over the last few years have been modern interpretations of earlier sets. This is also the first UCS set to feature the new adult orientated 18+ theming that LEGO introduced earlier this year, in an attempt to lure more adults to the premium brand. The A-wing depicted on the box from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, is shown on a simple black background, highlighting the sleek look and smooth designs of the fastest starfighter in the Rebel fleet, and it compares favourably with the onscreen design.
Inside the Box
The set is comprised of 1,673 pieces and these are broken down into eleven numbered bags which correspond to the stages of the build. The two-hundred-and-seventy-page manual starts out with an introduction to the LEGO Star Wars design team, given by Creative Director Jens Kronvold Frederiksen. We then learn a little bit about the A-wing before we get a brief interview with Frederiksen and the designer of the set, Hans Burkhard Schlomer. Inside the box there are also two sets of stickers, something I have suggested to the LEGO Star Wars team for many years, so I am delighted to finally see this addressed here. Printed elements for a UCS set would still be the preference though.
The Build
The build starts with the construction of the fuselage, mainly from Technic components to give the vehicle the strength and integrity required. Bag two adds more Technic elements, along with the starfighter’s singular seat and control column. The printed console piece form Poe Dameron’s X-wing (set #75723) is also used here.
The next bag builds the prow, constructed from two sets of panels joined at the nose and attached to the fuselage using Technic pins. The resulting assembly feels rigid and strong and it is here that we add the first two stickers to the front nose.
The build continues by adding curved elements to each flank and the beginnings of the engine area behind the cockpit. From here the build starts to get a little repetitive as almost everything is built twice, mirrored, for each side of the starfighter. The engines are added in bags four and five, and they are attached to the main assembly using just a couple of Technic pins. The connection of these sub-assemblies feels relatively weak compared with the rest of the structure so far. Stickers are added to each of the engine’s nacelles.
Bags seven and eight add angled elements to the fuselage connected using ball joints and 3L bars to hold the pieces in place. This is the trickiest part of the build but also the most rewarding, showcasing some unusual building techniques. Two more stickers are added to each side of the starfighter’s prow.
Bag nine sees us adding the new canopy piece, around which the set was designed. In discussion with the LEGO team at Fan Media Days, in May, we learnt that it would not have been possible to print this element, as it would have difficult to print so close to the edge and also to ensure the canopy lines matched up. Therefore, stickers have been employed, and you have been given two sets to allow for mistakes. This stage also sees the addition of the dorsal stabilizing fins.
The penultimate bag, ten, builds the requisite display stand that allows the A-wing to be displayed in two different ways. The stand is relatively bland and continues the tradition of those supplied with UCS sets over the years. The 8×16 plaque requires a sticker, as it has since 2000, and as is usually the case, you can pick holes in the stats listed. It is difficult to determine who is to blame for these inconsistencies as we would presume that Lucasfilm signs off on these.
Once the starfighter has been elevated, bag eleven adds the ventral fins, the swiveling laser cannons and the set’s only minifigure, an unnamed A-wing pilot who we assume is based on Arvel Crynyd from Return of the Jedi. The minifigure features uniquely printed legs and a dual printed torso, but the supplied head has been used several times before. The helmet is new too, featuring metallic grey elements with blue and red highlights – it looks splendid.
Overall
The final build is impressive and almost accurately depicts the curvaceous nature of the A-wing starfighter as we see on-screen, however, the cockpit is situated too far forward, and the prow should be longer and sleeker.
Other intrinsic designs aspects of the ship are captured well including the towing slot at the front of the prow, the area surrounding the exhausts between the engines, the way the engines narrow towards the front, and also the stabilizing fins.
The dark red and white colour scheme looks great, and this is punctuated using grey elements around the starfighter adding to the authenticity of the build. Turning the A-wing over, no unsightly gaps are seen and the colour scheme continues here. It is a shame that landing gear was not included, but perhaps that would have interfered too much with the integrity of the design.
LEGO has decided to make the laser cannons swivel, although this was not seen in the original films. This has been achieved by connecting the guns together through the fuselage. Unfortunately, the resultant implementation means that the cannons cannot be positioned in parallel to the main fuselage, with them pointing upwards slightly. When we asked the team about this, they told us that having this feature seemed more important that having static weapons.
Notwithstanding the above, the designer should be applauded for succeeding in bringing the A-wing to life and capturing the aerodynamic details of this complex ship. The price of £179.99 ($199.99 in the US and €199.99 in Europe) is expensive when comparing with other UCS sets, and a more favorable price of £149.99 would have been my preference.
However, I would not hesitate in recommending this build to others, and it will look great on display with the other UCS vehicles from the Rebel fleet, although it is not necessarily in the same scale.
We thank LEGO for proving this set for review. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
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