There is no alternate solution here using pieces from your own collection, since the tow-ball connection is structural. This means that there is a single 1×2 dark gray section at the very front of both edges of the solar panels. One major complaint from a part selection standpoint is that the paired 1×2 tow-ball connection pieces remain “color-locked” (the element only available in one color), in light and dark gray. The only difference in parts between the bags is that the third bag includes the spring-loaded missiles. The cockpit pod includes some key Technic pieces for sturdiness, but in general attaches outer detail to brackets facing outward.ĭespite the parts for the solar arrays being in bags 2 and 3 (thus built in sequence), the left and right panels are actually identical. The TIE fighter has even fewer pieces, which come in just three bags, two of which simply build the identical solar panels. That’s not the case here, with the four wings in particular attached using 3L Technic friction pins to connect to the S-foil mechanism, allowing essentially no looseness in the attachment. Nearly all LEGO sets are modular in one way or another, often connected by Technic pins that sometimes allow a bit too much flex between the sub-assemblies. The sides of the main fuselage are built studs-out with large panels, which provide structural integrity around the S-foil mechanism, which fits over the Technic axles that extend between the cockpit and rear fuselage. The build is similar to the inner functional blocks of much larger all-Technic LEGO sets like the amazing 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, so don’t be surprised if you make a mistake or two - I applied the stickers incorrectly after misinterpreting the 3/4 3D view in the (obviously) 2D instructions. While I appreciate the nose cone built sideways, it also means that there is no bottom half to the nose - it just ends in a flat area that lines up with the underside of the fuselage.Īfter building the forward fuselage, the S-foil mechanism comes next, built entirely from Technic liftarms. The fuselage is much thinner vertically than earlier X-wings, which I’ve described as “chunky” (positively for the classic T-65 Rebel X-wing and less so for the streamlined T-70 Resistance X-wing). One of the first places the lower part count becomes evident is in this forward fuselage and nose. However, previous X-wings have used a Technic axle with half-pins to hold the upper skin, while this version uses regular bricks. The fuselage forward of the cockpit uses the same basic technique we’ve seen in several of the previous LEGO X-wings, with the sides of the fuselage converging toward the nose, and a central core that supports that supports the upper surface of the fuselage. With only four bags for the whole starfighter, the X-wing build goes fairly quickly. Regardless, it seems like a piece that will provide interesting structural opportunities for builders. It will be interesting to see how LEGO uses the piece elsewhere. This feels like a slightly juniorized piece that avoids the more complicated connections between pylons and solar panels on earlier LEGO Star Wars TIE fighters. Received from LEGO in Denmark, our copies of the sets have the European packaging, which typically omits the part count, so the box size was our first clue that these are substantially smaller sets than the two previous versions of the same vehicles.įinally, the TIE fighter includes large, 6×6 modified plates, which have five holes in the middle that support full Technic pins on the underside. The first thing that struck us when we picked up both boxes was how much smaller they are than the fairly large LEGO Star Wars sets we typically focus on reviewing. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews. The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with early copies of these sets for review. We’ll compare these January 2021 starfighters with the 2018 LEGO X-wing and 2018 TIE Fighter. The latest LEGO Star Wars sets move the part count in the opposite direction, with 75301 Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter including 474 pieces with four minifigs ( US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99) and 75300 Imperial TIE Fighter including 432 plus three figures ( US $39.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £34.99). With Ultimate Collector Series and recent 4+ sets for younger builders aside, LEGO Star Wars starfighters like X-wings and TIE fighters have maintained a consistent trajectory of higher and higher part counts (with correspondingly greater levels of detail) over the past 20 years.
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