We take a look at three new for 2021 LEGO Star Wars sets where the design team have decided to reimagine and resize these classic Star Wars vehicles, releasing them at a much more affordable price point, albeit with a reduced number of elements. Did they succeed?
Luke Skywalker’s X-wing Fighter (#75301)
Over the last twenty years we have had numerous examples of the original X-wing, and in most cases each build has got more complex adding on new elements, leading to an increase in price too, with the last release of the classic X-wing before this year coming in at $79.99, £89.99, 99.99€ (#75218). Many of us have been somewhat aghast at the continued price increase considering the original X-wing released in 1999 (#7140) cost just $30.00.
For the 2021 release of the X-wing (#75301), LEGO took the decision to reduce the number of pieces, down by 257 since the last release, and with it the price, down to $49.99, £44.99, 49.99€. This is a substantial saving, but was it all worth and does size really matter?
The shape remains authentic and some of the same building techniques from previous releases are repeated here. The size is actually very similar to #75218 which came before it, being reduced by just 3cm, to 31cm in length, with a corresponding reduction in the wing span.
Some of the compromises include landing gear that does not retract, a new nose cone, the removal of proton torpedo tubes around the cockpit, and a general lack of complexity. In addition a new wing opening/closing mechanism is present which combines numerous TECHNIC elements to great effect, unfortunately though this new mechanism remains somewhat exposed. Due to less pieces being used on the wings, they are able to open/close with relative ease, with a switch enabling them to be help open during flight.
The number of minifigures stays the same at 4, and includes Princess Leia in her white dress, also in the much more expensive Tantive IV (#75244), R2-D2, a new version of Luke Skywalker in X-wing gear, and for the first time ever General Jan Dodonna — LEGO have not skimped here at all.
Whilst some comprises at this price point are inevitable, LEGO have done a great job at bringing us a version of the iconic X-wing at a much more manageable price point (still with requisite sticker sheet), perhaps saving the detail for the more expensive UCS sets. This is a great purchase at a fantastic price point.
Imperial TIE Fighter (#75300)
An X-wing fighter needs an adversary and what’s more perfect than an Imperial TIE Fighter. The last release of the Imperial TIE Fighter (#75211) was from Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it was made up of 519 elements, had four minifigures, and was priced at $69.99, £64.99, 69.99€. The 2021 version of the Imperial TIE Fighter (#75300) contains 432 elements, down by 87, three minifigures, and costs $39.99, £34.99, 39.99€, a saving of over 40% in all territories.
For a start, all three of the minifigures here are currently exclusive to the set, with the Stormtrooper and TIE Pilot having unique facial expressions, whist the Protocol Droid NI-L8 gets its first release.
The cockpit module remains almost unchanged from previous releases with a few compromises. Space remains for the pilot in the cockpit, and printed elements are supplied for the access hatch and viewport. The connection point between the cockpit module and the wings/solar arrays has been vastly simplified, whilst the hexagonal wings themselves are much smaller than previous sets. The centre of the each of the wings still incorporates a good level of detail replicating the power converters.
Like the X-wing, compromises have obviously had to be made to take into account the new price point, although the fighter still looks fantastic and represents good value for money.
Imperial Shuttle (#75302)
The last Imperial Shuttle was released in 2015 (#75094) and featured 5 minifigures in Endor garb, contained 937 pieces and cost $99.99, £79.99, 99.99€. Jump forward to 2021 and the new Imperial Shuttle (#75302) contains 660 pieces, down 277, has just 3 minifigures and costs $69.99, £69.99, 79.99€. Whilst cheaper that the previous version, this new set does not seem to offer as great a saving as the X-wing or TIE Fighter, let’s take a closer look.
Minifigure wise, the set contents for this year includes Luke Skywalker as Jedi Master, a new version of Darth Vader along with a new Imperial Shuttle Pilot (wrongly referred to an Imperial Office on the box).
The Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle looks impressive and comes in 4cm shorter that the 2015 version, at 26cm, and is 23cm in length, 2cm shorter that in 2015. Whilst the cockpit is more in proportion to the body of the shuttle, it looks unsightly mounted atop the ship’s TECHNIC structure, with lots of noticeable gaps too. Obviously a lot of compromises have been made here to reduce the piece count and looking inside the cockpit there are no controls present.
The wings are moved using a click hinges which work remarkably well, and the proportions between these and the dorsal stabilizer look great. Again, using these hinges does result in some gaps around the wings. You are even able to pick the shuttle up via the dorsal stabilizer. The rear of the shuttle is using trans-blue tiles to represent the engine and the design here looks remarkably similar to the 2015 set.
With the fuselage open, there are just two seats in the interiors which is always somewhat lacking. Landing gear is created using some TECHIC elements, omitting the landing skids completely from the previous set.
Of the three sets we have looked at here, the Imperial Shuttle seems to have been compromised the most, with unsightly gaps in the cockpit area, and around the wings. There is also a distinct lack of detail in the cockpit and internal areas. If I had a choice between this version and the 2015 release, I would undoubtedly chose the latter. However, it still represents good value for money and fits in with what LEGO are trying to do by bringing out smaller and more competitively priced vehicles.
We thank LEGO for proving these sets for review. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
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