Review: LEGO 75355 UCS X-wing Starfighter (2023 version)

April 29, 2023 | 7

The X-wing Starfighter is one of the most recognizable ships from the Star Wars universe, and is itself an icon of sci-fi and pop culture.

It’s been ten years since the last Ultimate Collector’s Series version of the X-wing, so it’s not surprising to see a new LEGO version in 2023. 75355 X-wing Starfighter joins a prestigious lineup of LEGO Star Wars sets, and has a lot to live up to – let’s see if this set can stand out!

75355 UCS X-Wing Starfighter will be released on 1 May 2023 for LEGO VIPs, and will be part of the massive 2023 LEGO Star Wars Day campaign, which will net you 2x VIP Points, and a whole raft of Star Wars-related GWPs.

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set for review.

This is a guest review by our resident LEGO Star Wars correspondent Vaderfan.

Who is this set for? If you’re a fan of Star Wars (or the X-wing specifically), and you buy sets primarily to display, then I think this set is worth the price of entry. It looks fantastic when left on display, but there are some minor issues and kinks that hold it back.

If you plan on making any LEGO Star Wars purchases for May the 4th, please consider using the affiliate links in this post, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase that supports the work I do here on the blog!

75355 X-Wing Starfighter Set Details

Set Name: X-Wing Starfighter
Set Number: 75355
Pieces: 1,949
Minifigures: 2 (Luke Skywalker, R2-D2)
Theme: Star Wars
Release Date: 1 May 2023 VIP Early Access
Retail Price: US$239.99 / AU$369.99 / £209.99 / €239.99 / CAD$319.99

Unboxing

The box has the usual all-black design for 18+ sets, with a black border along the bottom. The logos are on all four corners, while the model itself is displayed at a side angle which isn’t the best view of the model, in my opinion.

The back of the box has the model in landed mode on its display stand, along with mini graphics showing the features and comparison images.

Inside the box are bags numbered from 1 to 10, the instruction manual, plus the cockpit glass and display plaque packaged separately. Annoyingly, the cockpit element has some small scratches on it – it would’ve been better if it was packaged in its own bag.

The instructions come in this flat cardboard box for added protection. The manual has the modern all-white design which does look a bit plain.

There’s also a small sticker sheet, with just 4 stickers. Some would argue UCS sets shouldn’t have any stickers at all, but these were easy enough to apply.

Minifigures

The two minifigures included are the pilot version of Luke Skywalker, along with his faithful astromech R2-D2. Luke is a brand new minifigure and is the definitive version of Luke in his orange pilot suit so far, featuring detailed arm prints and dual-moulded legs!

R2, meanwhile, is the same version that appeared in 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor, notably featuring printing on the back of the body!

Hopefully Astromech back printing becomes more consistent in future Star Wars sets.

Luke has a double-sided head to show him with his visor retracted, and he uses the same Rebel helmet mould first introduced in 1999.

The arm print and dual-moulded/printed legs really takes this figure up a notch, and it is a deserving standout in any LEGO Star Wars minifigure collection.

Final Model

Moving on to the model, first up we’ll take a look at the display stand, which you build in bag 5.

It has a four-legged design which replicates the display stand on the original 2000 UCS X-wing set, and looks good despite its simplistic design.

Most notably, the large 8×16 information plaque is now printed! Previous UCS sets used large stickers which were tricky to apply, so this is a welcome change that feels a lot more premium.

Some fans have criticised the plastic injection mark which is still visible in the centre, but that is a very minor issue in my book, and I’m a huge fan of the new printed plaque.

The stand is built at an angle thanks to some simple geometry, allowing you to display the X-wing in a more dynamic pose.

Finally, there’s a spot to place the Luke Skywalker minifigure, although it partially blocks the info plaque.

The display stand slots into a 2×2 hole in the bottom of the X-wing, and is strong enough to support the weight of the starfighter.

Annoyingly, the two curved slopes that are meant to act as supports do not have enough clutch power, and pop off every few minutes when the X-wing is on the stand. It’s quite frustrating to deal with, but the designers have stated they are working on a fix.

Here’s the X-wing itself on the stand. It’s a very sizeable model – measuring around 55 cm (21.5″) long and 44cm (17.5″) wide – and also has a fair bit of weight to it.

The display stand angles the X-wing upwards so if you have it on a high shelf you probably will see the underside.

Fortunately, it’s well-finished by the designers – there’s no random colours anywhere, and the plates generally follow the shape of the bodywork quite smoothly.

This is the first LEGO X-wing in which the designers have successfully replicated the hexagonal shape of the bodywork, from the cockpit section down to the nose.

The side panels are angled in two directions and taper towards the nose, using some clever build techniques to get the shaping right.

Unfortunately, the tricky shaping does mean that the panels still have a little bit of wiggle room on the final model, but they do look good.

As for the nose itself, it gets a new redesign which is more rectangular than its predecessors, with some curved slopes on the side.

This is probably one of my least favourite parts of the model, as the shaping looks very disjointed instead of looking like one complete section.

Moving further back is the cockpit, which features the return of the 2013 UCS-scale canopy piece. The previous iteration used stickers while this one is printed, which is a very welcome change.

You can open it up to see the inside, which has the pilot’s chair, joystick, and the targeting computer.

Two of the four stickers are used here, depicting the electrical detailing for the pilot.

Behind the cockpit is the astromech droid’s slot, which has a 2×4 gap.

This is where you’re supposed to put the minifigure R2-D2, which slots neatly into the gap.

It’s significantly out of scale though which throws off the look of the model – I’d have preferred if the designers included a printed 3×3 dome instead.

Moving on to the engines, which are responsible for the X-wing’s iconic look. The previous UCS X-wing had severely undersized engines, which has been remedied here.

LEGO made new 3×3 curved panels which look wonderful for the external bodywork, while 2×2 tiles are placed on their side to represent the intakes.

The wings themselves use brick-built design for all the colours and paneling, which is excellent. The deflector shield projector is replicated with some light grey tiles mounted at an angle, while five 1×2 dark red tiles are used to indicate the starfighter’s callsign of “Red Five”.

The lower two wings feature the two other stickers in the set, for a little extra detail. These are applied to brand new 4×8 inverted tile pieces, which appear in both white and light grey in this set.

The wingtip cannons are built with Technic axles, so despite their narrow design are pretty sturdy. The flash suppressors on the end are built using minifigure flippers in white, while the cannon itself uses an antenna piece.

Moving on to the back of the model, this is one of my favorite views of this set. The four engine thrusters have a relatively simple construction but look excellent, using the underside of plates to add texture.

The hexagonal rear of the X-wing is recreated perfectly here, complete with accurate greebling detail (included a blank dark grey gaming controller piece)!

The wings also have some light grey sub-builds on the back, but the 2×3 Nexo shield tile is prone to falling off as it’s attached with just one stud.

There’s more greebling detail on the top of the bodywork, accomplished with lots of small parts. The deflector shield generator is represented by a 3×3 Technic knob; this is also what activates “attack mode” for the wings.

Twisting the knob activates the cam mechanism in the body, using a 1×5 rounded plate to push apart Technic knobs, which in turn opens up the wings.

This puts the X-wing into its iconic attack mode, with the wings posed into an X shape.

The model looks great overall in its attack mode, bolstered by the angle of the display stand to create a dynamic-looking fighter. However, it does expose a few flaws.

There is this large gap in the bodywork that is quite noticeable when the wings are opened, plus some uncovered Technic detailing on the inside faces of the wings themselves.

There’s also gaps between the center bodywork and the engines, but this space is needed for the engines to open up, so it’s trickier to get rid of.

The wings themselves are connected on opposite ends (top left with bottom right, top right with bottom left), and rely on each other’s weights to counterbalance themselves.

Internally, only two small rubber bands tension the wings against each other, which means they noticeably droop due to their weight.

There’s also a lot of leeway in the construction of the wings, making them quite wobbly on the final model.

They do move around even if you’re just picking up the X-wing to move it from one point to another, and while the wings won’t fall off it just feels quite unstable.

That said, when it sits on the display stand the X-wing truly does look marvellous. Apart from the clunky nose design, I’d say the designers have knocked the aesthetics department out of the park.

The back of the X-wing is one of my favorite angles of the starfighter, and it looks equally splendid here – as if it was ripped off the screen.

Final Thoughts

What I liked:

• Proportions and aesthetics are the best of any LEGO X-wing so far
• Innovative build techniques
• Excellent Luke minifigure
• Printed display plaque

What I didn’t like:

• Final model has too much wiggle room in its construction, making it feel unstable
• Clunky nose design
• Display stand has pieces that fly off over time
• Undersized Astromech slot
• A little expensive

All things considered, I think this is the best LEGO X-wing done so far in terms of aesthetics. They absolutely nailed the proportions and shaping – while the tapering hexagonal shape of the narrow body does not translate to LEGO well, the designers have replicated it exceptionally.

The printed display plaque feels rightfully premium, the two included minifigures are the definitive LEGO versions of Pilot Luke and R2-D2, ensuring that the model looks great when put in a display case or atop a shelf.

On the other hand, my biggest issue with the model is how it feels, whether you’re picking it up to admire it or simply to relocate it to another spot.

The angled panels on the side of the body wiggle slightly when you grab the model, and feeling the wings move around in multiple directions feels quite disconcerting, especially on a model this large.

Even though the X-wing won’t actually break apart in your hand, all these moving bits make the final model feel a bit flimsy, or unstable.

And then there’s the issue with the display stand, where if you leave it on the stand for a few minutes you’ll find the pair 2×2 curved slopes on the floor without fail. Hopefully the designers can find a remedy for it, but all these issues don’t feel great in a premium model like this.

And then there’s the price. The model is pretty large and impressive on display, and definitely offers much better value than last year’s equally-priced UCS Landspeeder. That said, US$239.99 is still a lot of money, especially when there’s so many options of adult sets that you could buy.

That said, with Double VIP Points and a slew of LEGO Gifts with Purchase (GWPs) for May the 4th, it definitely feels like the appropriate time to pick the UCS X-Wing up if you don’t own the older version, and want to add the latest and greatest into your Ultimate Collectors Series collection.

Build [4] – The aesthetics of the design are immaculate, replicating the shaping of an X-wing well (apart from the nose), but the slight wobbliness prevalent throughout the model is annoying.
Minifigures [4] – You get all that you need with two excellent Luke and R2-D2 minifigures, but this isn’t a set you’ll buy just for the figures.
Real Value [3] – Definitely expensive, but not a bad deal compared to other similar sets.
Innovation [3] – Some clever build techniques are present during the build process.
Keepability [4] – It’s an X-wing – one of the most iconic Star Wars ships – so even with its small problems, makes it a very collectable set.

Final Rating: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Thanks so much for reading this review of 75355 X-wing Starfighter!

The 2023 LEGO UCS X-Wing Starfighter goes on sale on 1 May 2023 for LEGO VIPs, ahead of a general release on 4 May 2023.

What do you think of the 2023 LEGO UCS X-Wing? Will you be picking it up for May the 4th?

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