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That's right folks, it's the old one, not the new one. But didn't you review that one already, Rufus? Ummm... no. Are you sure? Not even here? Oh... that one. It wasn't very good. The Incom T-65 Starfighter - better known as the X-Wing Fighter - is perhaps the second most iconic of all the Star Wars ships, with only the Millennium Falcon besting it. It is, of course, the ride of Luke Skywalker himself, and appears prominently in all three of the Original Trilogy movies. As the headline act of LEGO's nascent Ultimate Collector Series, it seems the ideal choice; four SYSTEM versions have appeared, and it seems rather incredible that it has taken thirteen years for TLG to release an updated UCS version. But before the new one hits the shelves, let's take (another) look at the 2000 original. Yes, I've reviewed this set before: in fact it was my second review here on Eurobricks, before I joined the Reviewers Academy, and by today's standards the review could be a whole lot better. Plus, the pictures got degraded by my attempt at batch-resizing, and I failed to keep the originals. So, it's about time I brushed the dust off this old classic, and gave it the RA treatment it deserves! And with a new UCS X-Wing on the way, could there be a better time? Review: 7191 Ultimate Collector Series X-Wing Fighter Set Information Name: X-Wing Fighter Number: 7191 Theme: Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series (Original Trilogy) Release: 2000 Parts: 1300 (Source: Brickset, Bricklink) Figures: 1 Weight: 1400 grammes (model) - 516 grammes (box) 288 grammes (instructions) Price: GB £109.00 | US $150 Second Hand: Used from £222 | New from £590 Source: legostarwars.wikia.com Links ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron ... LEGO Star Wars Wiki Note: This is a big review. I've split it into several sections, in case you want to skip forward or have to come back to it. Box, Instructions, Figure (this post) Parts Build Complete Model Wings Open Conclusion The Box Click the picture for a larger full-frontal image Measuring H 428 x W 590 x D 68 mm, this is a big box. It's also quite stunning in its simplicity: the X-Wing is pictured here at slightly large than life-size, and captured at a dramatic angle, whilst tastefully rendered in black and white. The image is also slightly embossed, and has a glow which makes it leap out at the eye. Behind the picture is a 1:1 scale line drawing of the ship in plan view, perhaps to silence any Trades Descriptions complaints! In these days before standardisation of the logos on Star Wars merchandise, the SW logo competes a little too well with LEGO's own emblem, but given the LEGO-Star Wars relationship was yet in its infancy, this may have been quite deliberate. Somewhat unusually for UCS and Exclusive sets nowadays, this set was available elsewhere: I bought this off the shelf at Toys R Us for what seems like a pittance. Another glorious image graces the back of the box, this time in full colour but not embossed: Click the picture for a larger image Here we get to admire the set for the amazing display piece it still represents, replete with brick-built stand - an innovation at the time. Small insets highlight the model's various features: the wing-opening mechanism, the opening cockpit canopy, and, of course, the Astromech Droid. We'll talk about him later. Some factoids about the real - fictional - fighter accompany scale and size information in the bottom right-hand corner; you can click through to larger sizes if you want to read these. My box is rather battered, and a little squashed, and you can see it has been sealed and re-sealed several times, but on the whole I think it has done well for a thirteen year-old set that has moved house several times. The box has a lifting lid, with a diagonal cut-away at the sides; some other views of the model cross the flaps: Here are right and left sides respectively. TRU's bar code sticker rather spoils the view of the right side, but note how the front image wraps around to the side here. A small X-Wing flies straight out of the box top at you ... ... whilst on the bottom, Yoda's ghost reminds you that this set is for adults (or at least people over the age of 14). Thirteen years and I had never noticed little Yoda before. A dead link no longer takes you to the Ultimate Collector website; a bajillion languages warn the world of Small Parts. No cardboard-ripping is required to open this box: just lift the lid! Inside, we see that the sides of the box are reinforced, and the parts fit quite nicely. I'm afraid I cannot recall the number or assortment of polybags in the new set, but this was before the days of numbered modules. There is quite a lot of excess space here, though: I was able to store all the parts in a much smaller box. The Instructions The single booklet weighs a meaty 288 grammes, and its cover replicates the box front almost exactly ... ... as does its rear the box back ... ... although the LEGO and Star Wars logos are conspicuously absent - the latter replaced by web addresses and copyright information. This was, perhaps, a little ahead of its time - I certainly didn't even get dial-up until 2001. What did I do with my time back then? Opening the booklet, we find that the construction is indeed rather modular, with page references for the various subsections in case you couldn't build it all in one sitting. Given the size of the set, that is quite likely. Click the picture for a larger image Remember, we're adults now, so there's no need to sort the pieces carefully on a flat table prior to construction. The first time I built this was on a crumpled duvet on the bed, rummaging through all the bags for the individual parts. This is quite true - you never forget your first UCS. The instruction steps are clear, with part call-outs, and sub-builds demonstrated well. Important technical issues are given special prominence, such as this crucial step in the wing mechanism: Builds stand out against the dark blue background, but colour differentiation can be an issue - as was often the case - between grey, dark grey, and black. I recall accidentally using a dark grey 2x4 plate instead of black the first time I build this, a mistake I didn't discover until building the stand at the very end. A lot of effort went into making this instruction booklet. Some considerable research resulted in this information page, towards the rear: Click the picture for a larger image Some suspension of disbelief may be required to accept that a 4x6 red tile-plate represents 'reserve power cells', but you have to admire the intent. Certainly less effort goes into today's Exclusive sets, perhaps because the range has proved successful; only the Architecture booklets go further. Remember the days of alternative models? Here's a suggestion for 7191: Good luck building that from the picture. I'm not convinced it's worth the effort, personally, although I applaud its inclusion. Be prepared for a trip down Memory Lane, as we move toward the rear of the booklet: Click the picture for a larger image Remember these dudes? I still have the Destroyer Droid: one of the hardest builds I've ever encountered! The Battle Droid was a work of genius. SYSTEM-Star Wars was in its infancy back then, and it shows: Click the picture for a larger image Still, I have some fond memories, particularly for the 7130 Snowspeeder. I think it was 7130 and this set which pulled poor Rufus back out of his dark ages. Decal Sticker Sheet Two sticker sheets accompany the set. The larger is printed on transparent plastic: Whew, this is busy. Apart from the cockpit canopy stickers, there are decals for the engines, the body sides, the wing tips, and the wing front edges. Many are STAMPs: protesting against their destruction when you take the set apart, I chose not to apply them in the first place, and they've stood the test of time well. The UCS display plaque sticker - also a STAMP - is printed on glossy white paper. These wonderful decals have become a tradition, and exist with similar designs in today's Star Wars Exclusives, even after the demise of the Ultimate Collector Series title itself, and I note that UCS-scale MOCers often make their own. In this case, mine is a little scratched, but mercifully still intact and flat! The Minfigure Yes, it's R2-D2. He's the one in the middle, in case you were wondering. This is merely a small selection of the R2-D2s I have. We'll comment on the wisdom of inluding a minifigure-scaled R2-D2 in this UCS set later. There is one point it its favour: this early R2 - although otherwise identical to all later R2s before the 'bley head' introduced in 2008 - has no axle hole in the body, allowing you to add a 'third leg' without resorting to cutting pieces. End of Part One Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion
