We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for /2012/02/06/review-9493-x-wing-starfighter/ on this server. An invalid request was received from your browser. This may be caused by a malfunctioning proxy server or browser privacy software. Your technical support key is: 36b3-3c09-1756-6707 You can use this key to fix this problem yourself. and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.One of the new LEGO Star Wars sets released in the 2012 wave is the updated version of the 2006 X-wing Fighter (6212). The new X-wing Starfighter (9493) has 560 pieces and a retail price of $59.99. That comes out to $0.11/piece which isn’t bad for a licensed Star Wars set. There are five numbered bags and one instruction booklet. Four minifigures are included in this set: Luke Skywalker, Jek Porkins, R2-D2, and a new astrodroid, R5-D8. This is the first set that we get to see Jek Porkins and R5-D8. The torsos of Luke and Jek are the same but the helmets have different markings.
Jek has a nice chubby face with an orange visor. A double-sided head would’ve been good here but it’s not a big deal. In bag #1, we start off building the base of the ship. There are many different colored bricks you will be using from grey to yellow to blue. LEGO did a very good job in covering up all these different colors. In this bag, you also build the turning mechanism for the S-foils as well as the landing gear up front. For bag #2, we continue the building with the nose and the cockpit of the X-wing. Here, we also cover up all the bright colored pieces with the colors that we’re used to seeing in the starfighter. The sides of the ship is also build in this bag. In bag #3 and #4, the S-foils are built. There’s not much different from the two bags build-wise except for them being opposite of each other. In the final bag, there are four rubber bands that you put on in the back to keep the S-foils from flopping around. There are also pieces to put the final touches on the X-wing such as the thrust engines and the laser cannons.
Finally, there’s an extra tile you can put on to distinguish between Luke’s “Red 5” and Jek’s “Red 6.” The new X-wing Starfighter is one of the best I’ve seen. Before I knew this set I was going to be released, I was thinking of purchasing the 2006 version. I’m glad I waited. The 2012 version is much more sleeker and more detailed than his predecessor. The S-foils open with one click now and close with the same ease. Another thing that I like is that you can interchange between who pilots the ship. One shocking thing that I found is that this set has no flick-fire missiles which is interesting in a starfighter. There are also some cons to the set as well. First, is the exposed rubber bands on the back but that can’t be helped I guess. Another problem are the ever so annoying stickers especially on the round pieces on the engine. All in all, the X-wing is a great set to pick up. It has great playability as well as being a display piece. This set is definitely recommended for LEGO enthusiasts and Star Wars fans!
The Brick Fan Scoring SummaryDesign Playability Value OverallAs part of the summer wave of LEGO Star Wars sets, LEGO released 75149 Resistance X-wing Fighter from The Force Awakens. The set includes three minifigs (plus BB-8) and 740 pieces. At first glance, this new X-wing looks a lot like 75102 Poe’s X-wing Fighter released last year, and your first glance would not be wrong. This new blue and gray X-wing is essentially identical to the orange and black X-wing — a nearly one-for-one color replacement. Rather than copying and pasting or rehashing my write-up of the build experience, see my review from last December. This version of the X-wing depicts the one seen briefly at the very beginning of The Force Awakens, when Poe Dameron visits Lor San Tekka on Jakku to get the memory unit with the final piece of the map leading to Luke Skywalker. The X-wing takes damage while sitting on the ground, and never even lifts off. (Oh c’mon — I’m not going to warn you about spoilers at this point.)
Don’t get me wrong: By being basically identical to the first Force Awakens X-wing, this version is still a pretty great model — sleek and swooshable, but lacking the long, sloping angle forward of the cockpit. The 75149 X-wing includes the same play features as the 75102 X-wing, with movable wings, cockpit canopy, and landing strut. The only difference in the new X-wing is a removable hyperdrive unit (which is what I’m assuming it is) at the rear of the fuselage. Attempting to pull the hyperdrive unit out just pulls the decorative gear off, but then you can use the Technic pin to pull it out. What I would really have loved to see is a cannon that pops down from the underside of the X-wing and can spin around via a Technic pin connected to a knob on top. This omission in favor of a removable hyperdrive seems like a huge missed opportunity. To be fair, though, there isn’t very much clearance between the main fuselage and the ground, and placing the cannon farther forward wouldn’t be accurate.
Instead of the ground crew gear that came with last year’s X-wing, the new X-wing includes a moisture vaporator that collapses as flames pop up. Like the collapsable Maz Kanata’s castle in 75139 Battle on Takodana, this play feature is more heartbreaking than fun. Poe’s X-wing includes 717 pieces, 3 minifigs (plus a droid), and retails for $79.99 in the US. Oh wait, that was a copy and paste from my previous review, and I promised not to do that. This one actually has 740 pieces. As I keep saying, this set is essentially identical to the first version of the Force Awakens X-wing. But the good news for builders like me who don’t use a whole lot of black and orange is that the light gray and blue are a whole lot more useful. I’m glad to have another proper X-wing cockpit, though. It would be hard for me to recommend this set at full price for the bricks alone. That was another copy and paste from my previous review… The highlight for me in this set was the trio of minifigs — Poe Dameron in his flight jacket, Lor San Tekka, and a First Order flametrooper, plus BB-8.
Like the rest of the Internet, I think Poe Dameron is pretty cool — though Rey is easily my favorite new (perhaps even all time…) Star Wars character — so having Poe in another outfit is nice. Both Poe Dameron and Lor San Tekka have reversible heads so that Poe can look angry when he runs away and Lor San Tekka can look sad when the First Order murders him. The flametrooper is identical to the one in 75103 First Order Transporter. As much as I’m not a huge fan of LEGO sets depicting scenes and vehicles only seen in movies for a few seconds, I honestly prefer the actual design of this X-wing to the orange and black version that has a lot more screen time — with a lot more action — during the Battle on Takodana later in The Force Awakens. It’s great to have another version of Poe Dameron, and Lor San Tekka is an intriguing character with minifig parts useful in builds for a variety of themes, from both LEGO Castle to Western and post-apoc. That said, my final recommendation for this set is going to be essentially the same as it was for the previous X-wing: Not really worth the price, except on sale.