Review Review: 7191 UCS X-Wing Fighter

[Rufus]

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

The ultimate X-Wing!

If you think blasting the Death Star is tough, try building the ultimate X-Wing fighter. With more than 1300 pieces, it is one of the most realistic models in the galaxy. From its engine exhaust ports to the tips of its laser cannons, no detail has been overlooked. Built to perfect scale, the X-Wing has an impressive 20-inch wingspan. Comes with a display stand and detailed spec plate. Ages 14+. 1304 pieces.

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.

1. Box, Instructions, Figure
   (this post)
   
   
2. Parts
   
   
3. Build
   
   
4. Complete Model
   
   
5. Wings Open
   
   
6. 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

[Rufus]

The Parts

---

First off, a disclaimer: this is a thirteen year-old set, and has been on display for some years, been dismantled and rebuilt several times, and some of the parts - particularly the white ones - are a little grubby. I've divided the parts arbitrarily by size, and by how I decided to store them last time.

First off, the larger parts:

The set's principal colours of white, red, and tan, are interspersed with old grey and dark grey, and some blue filler which for the most part won't be visible on the finished model.

I've highlighted some of the more interesting parts here:

The large trans-clear cockpit canopy is, of course, unique to this set. My understanding is that the upcoming 2013 edition uses a different mold, but we'll see. The now rather off-white Slope 6x8 us no longer especially rare, but was exciting for me at the time; the 1980's Monorail canopy is unique here in grey, and does not occur elsewhere in a solid colour; the black gearbox will be familiar to anyone who has ever built any X-wing, but is more commonly found in trans-clear.

Most interesting for me are the flowerpot - unique here in dark grey, and appearing elsewhere only in garish colours in Scala and Belville sets; the tread hub can only be found in this set in grey or tan; and the now defunct Technic cylinder makes its final appearance in this set. The tan 4x4 radar is noteworthy only because it has, unfortunately, cracked.

White slopes and grey pieces dominate the medium-sized brick selection:

It's nice to see the eight grey fences pieces in the top right. Some Technic starts to appear, but there's surprisingly little for a working model.

Highlights of this selection include ...

... the two printed parts of the set (excluding R2-D2), the relatively common targeting computer slope, and the unique and beautiful 4x4 printed wedge slope. I've no idea how the timing gear is meant to be used, but it's purely for detail in this set; the black ribbed tube 4L gets rather kinked when the set is built for a time, but I stored it over a Technic axle.

The dark grey spoked wheel isn't escpecially rare, but I wish we saw more wheels like this. The barrel will be familiar to most, but is unique here in grey; likewise the droid body here is the earlier version without the axle holder, and occurs in grey only on this set.

A huge number of tiles and corner plates dominate the medium plate array:

There's also a quantity of 1x4 SNOT brackets, in an otherwise unremarkable bunch. Note the six white 2x2 flag pieces at the front-right; these will serve two very different but equally interesting uses.

Finally, the fiddly bits:

Tiles and grille-tiles are the stand-out parts here. Honorable mentions go to the 'old-style' pin connectors (top left), and the now-defunct but popular finger hinges just below them; but I should point out what is possible the single most important part of the set: the eight blue perpedicular axle connectors - otherwise a common and yawn-worthy piece - play shall we say a pivotal role in 7191.

End of Part Two

Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion

[Rufus]

The Build

---

I've chosen to do a very thorough review of this set, and document the build process in some detail. This may therefore take some time.

Part One - The Nose

We start with the long and rather phallic nose and forward fuselage section. Starting with the rear end, the floor of the fuselage is built first and tapers gently towards the front.

The colourful parts will be well hidden in the final model. Note the hole in the floor, which will be partly covered but persists to some extent - I still don't know why there's a hole there - and the flag pieces at the sides; we'll see what they do shortly.

Some detail is added to what will become the cockpit. In the first frame, two 1x1 cones are added SNOT using the old technique of stud-pins in 1x1 technic bricks, before these were invented.

In front of these, some 1x4 bricks with groove form the X-Wing's proton torpedo tubes. An attractive pilot's chair is made using the finger hinges; a control stick is added, centred with jumper plates. Note the two dark grey 1x2 slopes just in front of these. The other sub-build is the computer console; it is added later but put here for convenience.

The following technique will be familiar to anyone who has ever build an X-Wing, with the exception of the first one (7140). This was the first time it was used, in Star Wars, at least:

Notwithstanding that I've built the closer one wrongly , this slanting wall technique can also be found in both Sopwith Camels 3451 and 10226, and the Red Baron 10024. Note the 1x5 Technic plate, the rounded ends of which prevent the corners snagging on the fuselage body when the two are attached ...

... like this:

Two more mysterious flags grace the sides at the rear.

Now the bulbous nose is built. It is five studs wide, and attached to the body at a half-stud offset via a technic pin, with an interposed tile to prevent it twisting:

The two are secured via a 2x2 plate with hole. It's a clever use of a part which has been in existence since as early as 1966, and shows incredible foresight for a piece originally designed as a train coupling.

The top of the fuselage is a simple tapering construction of plates. It is attached to the body at front and rear, and also to the tapering sides via a single stud:

This connection deserves a note. The taper of the sides is so gentle that the single stud can connect to the top section comfortably within the tolerances of the plate design, but I'm sure LEGO Digital Designer would consider this an illegal connection. Not that I've tried.

And the section is complete!

Now we can see the flags in their final position, creating a vague hexagonal shape to the fuselage here.

Part Two - Body and Mechanics

The real meat of this build comes now, and we get to find out how the ship's wings get to achieve their 'X'. Surprisingly little Technic is employed.

10L axles are threaded through white Technic beams mounted perpendicularly to the body, in two layers, one for each wing. The blue cross-axle connectors mentioned earlier will form the attachments for the wings. Two 16-tooth gears on each layer will eventually intermesh, but are initially placed apart. A slight oddity of the instructions is apparent here: in the right-hand frame, the bare ends of the top axles will have to be threaded through two 1x4 Technic bricks, requiring you either to push the axles toward the rear, or partially deconstruct the model.

These parts are added now, and I've reversed the nascent build to show how blue 1x3 plates are used to add vertical bracing.

Now pay attention, 007. The 16T gears are now intermeshed, and as pointed out in the instructions page I showed earlier, you have to ensure the blue connectors are angled correctly: a slightly counter-intuitive angle, as it turns out. What the instructions don't tell you is that to mount the black gearbox with its transverse axle, you have to push the longitudinal 10L axles back half a stud.

Some minor greebling is found on the rear end, which is built separately and threaded over the central axle.

A clever use of 2x3x1 wall panels fills the gaps along the sides without interfering with the gears. The modern version of these parts has strengthened sides, and wouldn't work here. Two red arches will support the roof; the rear arch isn't necessary as it isn't arching over anything much, but hey.

Look at the blue connectors again. In the first frame, they are in the 'closed' position; in the right-hand frame, in the 'open' position. In each case, their travel is limited by the tan plates, which prevent you over-extending the wings either way. Simple, but clever. Their slightly odd angle is necessary to allow for the weight of the wings, which will pull them into the desired position. I'm a little uncomfortable with this; one might assume that, over time, the weight of the wings will cause undue strain, but 13 years have passed and mine seem to be fine.

The largest plate in the set forms the roof. The blue jumpers will be where R2-D2 is placed.

Roof bricks will smooth the sides, and some nice detail in dark grey is added.

Finally, the canopy is added:

Note how little Technic is visible from the outside. The two visible gears will be hidden by the wings.

Part Three - Body Underside

From here on in, there's still a lot to build, but the pace picks up somewhat. The body underside is formed of a simple sandwich of colourful plates, rounded with inverted slopes. See here for the intermediate steps.

The monorail cockpit cover is inverted, and forms the fighter's cargo hold; just behind this is a 2x2 hole which will accommodate the stand. Of note are the two black ribbed tubes at the rear, which have to be forced into a curve; the two 1x1 technic bricks they are attached to don't like this much.

Part Four - Wings

Two pairs of identical wings come next. The instructions direct you to build each wing separately and completely; this involves considerable repetition, and I find it saves time to build them in batches:

Note how the old-style fence pieces are mounted SNOT to create the appearance of vents on the underside.

Here's a matching pair, with the long slopes added. A small glimpse of vent remains visible from the top surface.

Red tiles denote that this X-Wing is Luke's Red Five.

Part Five - 'My Laser'

As I have said, the instructions ask you to build each wing separately, and you might therefore miss that the four wing-mounted lasers are each unique.

They are formed of rear sections with either a tan or grey tread hub, and front sections with either ribbed or smooth sections.

Part Six - Engines

Again, two pairs of mirror-image engines are required.

Technic pins on the left side of the one shown here will connect to the wing; the dark grey axles with stud on the right - the stud end secured between two 2-holed Technic bricks - are the means by which the wings join to the blue connectors on the body. I like the simple way the large cylinders form the engine intakes, though it should be noted there is no vertical 'T' as can be found on the real X-Wing.

A few minor sub-builds finish each wing:

The engine exhausts consist of round bricks and barrels threaded over an axle, so that there are anti-studs at each end. The flowerpot piece connects surprisingly tightly to the bottom of a 2x2 round brick.

Part Seven - Take a Stand

And finally, the stand:

It's identical to that of 7191's UCS contemporary, the 7181 Tie Interceptor. Technic liftarms at the back allow the stand to sit comfortably in two positions, pictured here; it can also move forward a little, as we shall see.

If you have followed the instructions loyally, you'll have connected all the bits as you go along, but I've saved all the separate modules for maximum anticipation:

And on that note...

End of Part Three

Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion

[Rufus]

The Complete Model

---

All the sections are together, and this monster is complete. She's pretty big. If the minifigure-scaled droid isn't reference enough, she is 50.5 cm long from the tip of the nose to the exhausts, 46 cm wide, and 24.5 cm tall with the stand. Incidentally, the measurements on the box back are a load of rubbish.

From front-on, she has a low profile, with the iconic four engines looking pretty imposing.

Note the upslope of the wings here. The model has been freshly built; they tend to settle into a more horizontal position over time. The front of the wings look a little plain - there's acres of white there, which are meant to be covered with stickers.

Moving around to an oblique view, we can see the proton torpedo tubes formed from cutaways in the sloping sides, and the broken red stripe which is reasonably accurate to Luke's Red Five. I'm not sure about the green tiles - I don't remember them from any shot of the real ship.

Ideally, the fuselage should be hexagonal in cross-section; the protruding red 1x8 tiles recreate this to some extent. I have yet to see a LEGO version that mimics this successfully; ironically, LEGO's original 7140 did the best in this respect, but the nose didn't taper. Only the flag pieces just in front of the engines achieve this to any extent here.

I love the long laser cannons. They are much better than the short efforts of all of the SYSTEM X-Wings. However, there is a slight problem: their weight causes the wings to pivot downward slightly, so they aren't quite parallel to the body:

Note again how the lasers are all unique: ribbed tubes occur on diagonally opposite pairs; both upper lasers have tan tread-hub detail compared to the grey lower ones. This is accurate to the real X-Wing, to an extent, as we shall see.

If anything, the lasers are a tiny little bit too long: if you compare to the schematic; but the difference is minimal.

Click each picture for a larger image

The plan view is pretty accurate to the schematic. R2 should be say a little further forward: ahead of the front of the engines, rather that level as he is in the model.

There's a lot of lovely detail at the rear. The radar dish - cracks apparent - controls the wing opening mechanism; it sits a little proud of the rear fascia - moreso than the real thing, which is recessed - but that is necessary for its function.

The engine exhausts look good with the barrel pieces providing detail, and I love the flowerpot pieces as nozzles; however, they should probably be a little more detailed, and certainly wider. One of the flaws of the set is that the exhausts are attached to the engine body only via the studs of the black 2x2 plates; the connection is a little weak, and it's quite easy to knock the exhausts off.

With the wings closed, you can choose to display the ship without its pedestal: it balances quite nicely on the rear section, and looks rather attractive in this view. No landing gear is included, sadly; it should be quite easy to add a nose skid, but applying rear skids accurately would involve a major redesign of the lower engines.

You can't do that with the wings open; however. This is a good opportunity to note another problem: with the wings closed, they sit horizontal only through gravity; invert the model, and they flop upwards.

You may remember that I mentioned the stand has two natural positions, which correspond to the centre and right-hand images below:

The weight of the model also allows you to position the ship roughly horizontally, with the stand as far forward as it will go, allowing some impressive versatility in display options.

Features

---

Now let's take a closer look at some of the X-Wing's details.

The cockpit is nicely designed. Tiles and grilles give the seat the appearance of padding, though its angle looks a little uncomfortable. The printed wedge really adds to the appearance here.

From the rear, you can see the otherwise almost-hidden targeting computer. This should really be on an retractable unit, to be accurate to the movie, though.

The black fingered hinge-bar - designed, I believe, for a train pantograph - makes a good representation of the control column; look closely beyond that and you'll see one of a pair of dark grey 1x2 slopes - referenced in the build section - which represent rudder pedals (though I'm not sure where the rudder is!). You have to remove R2 to open the canopy this far.

Behind R2 sit some simple but pretty greebles picked out in dark grey - as I pointed out in the UCS Snowspeeder review, old dark grey is a great colour to represent engine grease. I'm not so keen on the visible blue here, but you could swap that out if it bothers you.

Now onto another gripe: R2-D2 himself. The decision to use a minifigure-scaled R2 here is quesionable, to say the least - he looks far to small, and sits too high for realism. I'd rather have seen a printed 4x4 dome employed - and sacrifice R2's body - like in Obi-Wan's Starfighter, though the part in question wasn't invented until 2009. A 3x3 dome - should such a part exist - might be the ideal size.

You can also see here how the sloping rear edges of the cockpit sit flush with the 1x3 grey slopes: almost as if it were designed that way. Of course, ideally the cockpit cover should have tapered sides, and sit lower at is widest point, but I think this is a reasonable representation.

Down beneath the ship, we can see the open cargo door:

When closed, it is held in place by the 2x2 inverted dome with a satisfying 'click'. The door is a little longer than the real thing, but I'm happy about its inclusion. You can't fit much in there; there is an opening into a cavity behind; ask your postman for advice on getting anything in there.

End of Part Four

Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion

[Rufus]

Lock S-Foils in Attack Positions!

---

Now those wings are opened, the X-Wing Fighter finally gets to live up to its name! Here for the first time we get to see those fence-piece vents on the underside of the wings, with dark grey plates giving an appearance of further detail.

She looks much more aggressive and predatory like this.

Arguably, this is a better way to display the model. For all these years, I've been concerned about the strain that leaving the wings open will put on the Technic mechanism and the blue connectors, but she has spent a good few years in this position and seems to be fine. You have to be a little careful, though: the attachment of the wings via a one brick-wide length of axle is a little weak; accidentally knocking a wing can pull if off entirely, and then the whole model won't balance, and will likely come crashing to the floor.

I love this shot from the rear: possibly the best view of the set.

One thing I haven't yet mentioned is the dark grey tile forming a stripe on the top and bottom of each of the engines: this isn't an authentic feature; it's probably there to cover the Technic holes in the 4x4 round bricks, but you can always remove it if you don't like it. I don't think it's necessary for strength.

Looking closer at the rear, we finally get to see how the last of the flag pieces are employed:

They hold the wings open in the 'X' position. Without them, on inverting the model gravity will cause the lower wings to flop up to the upper ones - and most likely promptly fall off. It's a bit of a quick fix, perhaps, but it works. At least you can invert the fighter with the wings open: despite her 1.4 kg weight, she's rather swooshable, and you can happily perform aerobatics (astrobatics?) especially if you also have the 7181 Tie Interceptor - dogfight, anyone?

This is also a good opportunity to admire the 1x1 round plates which line the trailing edge of the wings behind the engines. I'm not sure what they're for - or if they are authentic - but they add a nice bit of detail without using yet another sticker.

Let's compare open and closed from the front. I considered superimposing these shots in a 'Leonardo Da Vinci-esque' pose, but it just looked a little confusing.

One criticism I've seen leveled at other X-Wing facsimiles - LEGO or otherwise - is that the wings don't open correctly. They should act as though port-upper and starboard-lower wings (and vice versa) are a single unit, like a pair of scissors. Clearly that isn't how these work, but the net result would be that the opposite pairs of wings will sit parallel when opened: and these nearly achieve this. Take another look at the schematics to see what I mean.

A Video!

I got requests for a video when I first reviewed this set. Please bear in mind that I have no functioning video editing software, so this is raw footage, but at least it is HD.

There are two points to make here. Firstly, the wing opening is reasonably smooth, but occurs during the middle of the travel of the turning knob, with some asymmetry. Continuing to turn the knob after the wings are at their limit helps to lock them in place, but you still need the flaps if you're intending to invert it.

Secondly, note the way it wobbles. That's a side-effect of the stand design, and makes it feel a little precarious. Actually the stand is pretty sturdy, but you have to wait for it to stop oscillating - which can take a minute or more - if you want to take any pictures!

The 'Real' X-Wing

I couldn't find a picture of the studio model of Luke's Red Five, so here's a model replica, with Wedge's Red Three representing ILM's original.

Note the tan colour of the upper laser ends; on Wedges, note how the diagonally-opposite laser poles are ribbed (admittedly, in a kind of spiral) or plain. Obvious differences to LEGO's version include the hexagonal fuselage - difficult to replicate in LEGO bricks whilst maintain the taper; the engine exhausts are fatter, and have a more metallic sheen (and look a lot more rugged); there are also colour differences: the engine cowlings should probably be white rather than grey, and there doesn't seem to be a transverse red stripe, let alone the longitudinal grey one; there's less tan on the wing; but LEGO's tan plate should have a sticker. The rear body upper greebling looks longer on the Red Five replica, but about right on Red Three; R2-D2 is, of course, bigger than LEGO would have us believe. The bulbous nose might have been better recreated with curved wedges - not yet 'invented' in 2000.

End of Part Five

Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion

[Rufus]

Conclusion

---

This was it, the (joint) first in a long line of super-size LEGO Star Wars models. It set the standard, not just for SW UCS sets, but also for the range of Exclusives which followed, being CITY modular buildings, large-scale Architecture like Taj Mahal or Tower Bridge, or vehicles like the Volkswagens Beetle and Camper or the Sopwith Camels. I like to think of it as an experiment - would these adult-orientated, high part count, high(er) price sets sell; was there a market for them? The answer, it seems - judging by the regularity with which successors still appear - was a resounding 'Yes'.

At the time, 7191 was mind-blowing. Here was a pretty accurate, functional, attractive set which would certainly appeal to the AFOLs who had, as children, hankered after LEGO Star Wars. It certainly was a major influence in my return to the LEGO fold.

Thirteen years later, and with a new version about to hit the shelves, how does she shape up? I think she still looks pretty good. My fears about the weakness of the wing connections appears largely unfounded; although you still have to take some care not to knock an exhaust, or worse still a wing, off accidentally. She has some other faults: the too-small R2-D2; some inaccuracies in colour and shape, but there's still a fantastic attention to detail. I would have recommended tracking this set down for any reasonable price; we'll have to see how 10240 compares to see if 7191 still deserves such a recommendation.

Scores

Design

9

Incredible attention to detail for such an early Star Wars set. She's a very good representation of the real X-Wing: instantly recognisable, with abundant details which made - and still make - the set a great centrepiece. The wing mechanism is a reasonable solution, but it is a little weak (as are the exhaust attachments), and in 'closed' mode the wings are a little floppy.

Build

7

Mostly interesting, the set's construction runs into a little repetition when it comes to building the wings. There are some great techniques used; in particular, hiding the Technic mechanism so well, and the tapering of the fuselage to the offset nose. Hooray for pieces from 1966! It has lost another point for the stickers: not because of stickers

per se

, but because of the STAMPs which will be destroyed if you dismantle the set.

Parts

9

A plentiful selection of rare parts, even for the time; made even more interesting as many are no longer widely available. Still, if you're trying to buy this set nowadays, you're most likely a collector and won't be in a rush to part it out.

Displayability & Function

10

Frankly, this is a display model, and it's an excellent one. The addition of function makes it interactive, and adds to the potential as a talking point, or for fiddling with when passing. It's also swooshable, though a little heavy; and you have to be careful with the wings closed.

Value

10

At the time £110 was incredibly good value for the 1300 parts, most of which are large, and for the incredible, innovative, inspiring set they produce. It has long been a sought-after set for collectors, but now the second-hand price is starting to drop.

Overall 90% My score 10/10 I've scored it for its time, which may soon be over, but it's still in my opinion one of the greatest Star Wars LEGO sets. Maybe it'll be outclassed by 10240; only time will tell. If you're a die-hard collector, and must have this set despite the imminent release of 10240, it's a good time to get your hands on 7191.

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I hope you enjoyed the review! Please let me know what you think of the set (and the review).

Rufus

References

My Original 7191 X-Wing Fighter Review

T-65 X-Wing Starfighter on Wookieepedia

LEGO Star Wars site - There used to a be an Ultimate Collector Series site, but it is no more.

My other UCS Reviews:

Introduction - Parts - Build - Complete Model - Wings Open - Conclusion

If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy:

[Anio]

On the underside, this is not a cargo door. Oo

It is just a fairing element attached with an hinge !

I updated a bit my 7191, with new color. Well, this is not an awesome mod, but I am very pleased with the result :

more pics : http://www.setechnic.com/Forum/topic7660.html

:)

[howie28]

Excellent review Rufus. I hope you'll review the new one and give some comparison pictures!

[harmacy]

Stunning review! I love my 7191, and it sits very proudly among all my other UCS sets. People who come visit always seem to gravitate to this set - after the initial shock of seeing the UCS MF of course!

I'm looking forward to the 2013 'update', and hope you will do another in depth review of that set when released.

[tederth]

Please let me know what you think of the set

[DrasticPlastic]

It's such a horrible design! So ugly - looks like its been hammered into shape rather than built

The new X Wing is a decade ahead in terms if design (in more ways than one)

This old x wing really shows how lego has changed and how the Internet has changed lego - thousands and thousands of MOCs have shown what can be done and Lego has upped it's game.

[jimmynick]

This is by far the best TLG could have done in 2000, considering what the parts selection was like and that curved slopes weren't a thing. I rather like the blocky aesthetic of the early Star Wars sets, and I think this X-wing is fantastic. It doesn't matter that the new one might be better.

[Galaxy Explorer]

Very nice review! I remember getting this set along with the TIE Interceptor and Millennium Falcon. What an expensive day that was, but worth it! This was my first "adult" set. It really showed what LEGO was capable of and set down the groundwork for all the UCS to come. The box design with it's sleek embossed black & white graphics really looked amazing and was a strong selling point. The build itself was a lot of fun, seeing it all come together. And of course, my friends would look at it and say "That's LEGO??"

I do not see how this is a "horrible" design. If this was designed in 2013, then I might say yes, and of course the new one is a decade ahead design-wise. Many parts had not been produced yet, so I'm not sure what else could have been done.

Definitely one of the best!

[M'Kyuun]

For its time, this was an amazing set. I still like the look of this one's nose, blocky though it may be, over the new UCS X-Wing.

That said, I think I'll be getting the new X-Wing for May 4. I might have to break my original out to do a side by side comparison. Fun!

[ShaydDeGrai]

Thanks for this trip down memory lane. For its day I thought this was a very ambitious set, perhaps overdoing the color mixing and sticker decoration, but impressive none the less.

Mine took a cat-assisted plunge from a high shelf to a hardwood floor some years ago and was never rebuilt, but I recall it suffered from sag and peeling stickers long before that fateful afternoon when it proved it wasn't particularly aerodynamic either. Still, for a pioneer of the UCS line, I think it was pretty cool.

Thanks for this second look at an old favorite, I look forward to your review of the new treatment soon.

[Brickington]

Great review! I think I can see a little bit of improvement from your old review of this set.

In all seriousness, it is a incredible and lengthy review! Every picture is phenomenal, and I hope one day I can present reviews to that standard.