Review : LEGO Star Wars 75275 UCS A-Wing Starfighter

As promised, today I quickly give you some personal impressions of the LEGO Star Wars set 75275 A-Wing Starfighter (1673 pieces), a box sold at the public price of 199.99 € since May 1st and which integrates the prestigious range Ultimate Collector Series. There is also no question here of "spoiling" the whole assembly process by carrying out an inventory à la Prévert without much interest, others will do that better than me.

Since this is a high-end product intended for a discerning public of collectors, we therefore expect to be able to assemble a successful model with every detail thought out to offer a construction experience and exhibition pleasure. flawless.

And as soon as the box is opened, we unfortunately understand that a "technical" detail will spoil all that: the canopy of the cockpit is not pad printed and it will be necessary to apply three stickers to give it its final appearance. Many fans will be tempted not to take the risk of sticking these three stickers (badly), but the result is visually very poor. With a little patience and using the bottom edge of the room to align the two side stickers, this can be done quite easily. Then all you have to do is aim well so that the two ends of the sticker that goes over the canopy are aligned with the growths visible on the sides.

Those accustomed to this type of exercise know, however, that these stickers are often difficult to apply correctly, that there is no "second chance" and that these stickers will eventually dry out and peel off under the water. effect of heat, light and dust. Small compensation, the canopy is packaged separately which allows us to obtain a piece in perfect condition, without the scratches too often encountered on transparent pieces.

Overall, the construction of this vessel is fortunately very pleasant, the techniques used are varied, each sub-assembly finds its place perfectly on the central frame and apart during the few repetitive steps and the installation phases. stickers, I must admit that I had fun putting together this model of the A-Wing.

This set is also a good example of the complementarity between the elements of the Technic universe, here at the service of the rigidity of the model, and the classic bricks: We start the assembly with an internal structure based on a solid frame made of beams Technic and we integrate in passing the mechanism that will tilt the side barrels. At this stage, the elements in Dark Red which constitute the "floor" and therefore the lower surface of the vessel and it is easy to understand that the designer ignored the landing gear.

The pilot's seat, with its ingots that embody the seat and back cushions, is assembled from the first pages of the instruction booklet and it slips into the heart of the internal structure onto which the various sub-assemblies which constitute the cabin. The handle has no function, it is not connected to the mechanism which allows to orient the side barrels. This modular construction will also facilitate the partial disassembly of the model for a thorough cleaning after several months of exposure or temporary storage.

The two elements which make up the nose of the device and meet at the front are then put in place and the first color differences between the parts and the stickers appear: the two small stickers placed at the front are a slightly darker than the parts to be applied.

More serious, the parts in Dark Red are not all exactly the same shade. This discrepancy is not as disturbing as on white parts, which are also affected by these color differences, but one comes to wonder how a manufacturer whose job it is still cannot solve this problem.

The side modules that ensure the transition between the body and the front of the ship seem rather successful to me despite the residual space in the front between each of these blocks of parts and the white borders of the nose of the aircraft. The construction of these sub-assemblies is very ingenious and the result is in my opinion rather convincing visually with a very rounded external surface. The three white pieces with the gray squares, visible in the photo below, are pad printed.

The external surface of the reactors, based on half-cylinders Dark Red, receives a huge sticker which only brings a few black lines. Should we imagine such large stickers for these few lines? I'm not sure. The reactors also use a part that fans of the LEGO Star Wars range are familiar with since the large white cart wheel used here in quadruplicate appeared already in 2017 in the set. 75191 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive.

The two side guns consist of rims, lightsaber handles and various parts threaded on a Technic axis and they are connected through the cabin to the mechanism that allows them to be oriented. The functionality is anecdotal but it has the merit of allowing a more dynamic scenario.

The essential presentation support is here as often slightly inclined for a presentation which especially highlights the upper surface of the vessel. There isn't much to see under the plane anyway, it's smooth but it's also minimum service: no retractable landing gear. The vessel is not integral with the base, it is simply plugged into the upper end of the display.

You already know if you are an observer, the information provided on the small presentation plate is a little approximate: it is missing in particular one (s) in the name of the manufacturer Kuat System (s) Engineering and there are two Dymek HM-6 missile launchers on this ship. These errors are not crude enough to annoy most fans, but they are indicative of a lack of precision on the part of the designers and the entire project validation chain, in particular by the holders of the license concerned.

As you can imagine, this ship is not on the scale of minifigs. For those who are skeptical or tempted to believe otherwise, I have put the provided figure in the pilot's seat for you. It is without appeal.

To enhance the presentation support, LEGO provides us in this box with a pilot considered "generic", but you can do like me and convince yourself that it is Arvel Crynyd. The minifig is a magnificent update of the version seen in 2013 in the set 75003 A-Wing Starfighter, the character's face is that of one of the rebel soldiers from the set 75241 Action Battle Echo Base Defense, and regulars of the LEGO Marvel range will have recognized the face of Peter Parker or that of Scott Lang (Ant-Man). The pad printing of the torso and legs is successful and the helmet is magnificent with its metallic areas on the sides.

In short, this version Ultimate Collector Series of a vessel which a priori did not necessarily have the stature to integrate this range of models more detailed than the models of the "classic" range is in my opinion overall very convincing. Too bad the construction experience, which is moreover very pleasant, is a little spoiled by the need to stick some stickers on the canopy specially designed for this box invoiced at 200 €.

If you have already ordered this box, I think you will not be disappointed by the challenge it offers and the end result. If you think an A-Wing does not have the same charisma as an X-Wing or the Millennium Falcon, you may be right, but you shouldn't regret ever having done the dead end on this set which should not be re-released for (very) long years.

Note: The product shown here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at 18th May 2020 next at 23pm. the shipment of the prize to the winner will only take place when the sanitary situation allows it.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.