Review : LEGO Star Wars 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter, a box of 497 pieces available since January 1, 2025 at a public price of €69,99. Long-time collectors probably already have a copy of the set 8088 ARC-170 Starfighter marketed between 2010 and 2012, and they are entitled to wonder if this "update" has any real interest. Others have here an opportunity to buy a copy of the ship without having to pay the high price for the previous version via the secondary market.

As you will have understood, this is a children's toy that will only become an exhibition model out of spite while waiting for something better, bigger or more detailed. LEGO therefore offers a compact, solid construction and even equipped with a feature that allows the wings to be deployed and retracted with a simple movement of the finger via a fairly discreet selector placed under the ship. I emphasize this because it is appropriate to be honest in all situations, the mechanism in question here does without rubber bands and this is very good news.

The finish of the ship is correct for an interpretation at this scale. Nothing crazy but the characteristic lines are there and even if the machine does not benefit from a landing gear which would have allowed to give it a little more cachet, the contract is fulfilled for this toy which can easily embark the three figurines and the astromech droid delivered in the box. The ship will therefore rest on its flat bottom a little too wide for children's hands and the two Spring-Shooters can be easily removed if you feel that their presence detracts from the mock-up appearance of the product.

Unfortunately, LEGO once again provides an industrial quantity of stickers to stick on the wings and canopies of the ship and those on a transparent background do not magnify the model with their traces of glue clearly visible on the canopies; Their patterns are not the same white as that of the fuselage parts, this is a recurring problem that should not be accustomed to. The result is visually very disappointing from the point of view of an adult fan, especially for a toy sold for €70.

Same observation for the three figurines delivered in this box with a reality much more disappointing than the promise of the abundantly retouched official visuals. The uniformity of the gray tint on the outfits of Jag, Odd Ball and the generic pilot leaves something to be desired and we also note that LEGO has difficulty in correctly pad printing the "muzzle" of the helmets of these three pilots. The R4-P44 droid that accompanies them barely saves the day, its cylinder being pad printed on only one side.

I know we are all used to the difference between promotional visuals and reality, like McDonald's hamburgers which are always sexier in advertisements and on posters than in the box, but LEGO constantly boasts of being the leader and the best in its field and we regularly see that the technique is struggling while other brands are constantly evolving to offer ever more accomplished products.

Children will probably be satisfied with this functional toy that will allow them to have fun and they will probably not notice the few technical and aesthetic defects of the product, but I think we are entitled to be demanding when we see the price of a kilo of plastic at LEGO.

This new version of the ARC-170 will only find its audience among adult fans because there is no more accomplished model of this ship, we will have to make do with it while waiting for the manufacturer to eventually offer a real, more detailed exhibition version one day. We will wisely wait for this product to be available elsewhere than at LEGO for a more reasonable price that will make it a little easier to accept the few aesthetic errors encountered, there is no reason to spend €70 for that.

Discount -31%

LEGO Star Wars 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter

69.99 € 47.99 €

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Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at January 12, 2025 at 23:59 pm. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid "I'm participating" or "I'm trying my luck", we suspect that this is the case.

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