Young, and the young at heart, can become heroes in their own epic stories with this LEGO brick version of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter (75301) from the classic Star Wars trilogy. It’s packed with authentic details, including an opening cockpit with space behind for R2-D2, wings that can be switched to attack position at the touch of a button and 2 spring-loaded shooters. The kit also features Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Princess Leia and General Dodonna LEGO minifigures, each with weapons, including Luke’s lightsaber...

Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter (75301), from the classic Star Wars trilogy, is packed with authentic details

Back in 1999 we reviewed the first X-Wing fighter model LEGO released (model no: 7140) and, thanks to nostalgia, in my mind it was a better build than this new 2021 model 75301. The RRP was £27 compared to the new kit's £45. Sadly I no longer have it for comparison, so I decided to look online and I discovered that my memory had played tricks on me. The 1999 kit had only 266 pieces whereas this new set has 474 pieces.

There have been five different standard versions of Luke's classic X-Wing over the years. The changes from model to model have been interesting to follow and it really all comes down to personal choice as to which is your favourite. They all have pros and cons, but they all look good and they're all really enjoyable builds.

Adult collectors of LEGO Star Wars will probably be better off purchasing the Ultimate Collector Series' (UCS) Red Five X-Wing Starfighter 10240 (2013). This includes 1,559 pieces but is hard to find and is changing hands for silly prices online.

Young, and the young at heart, can create their own epic stories with Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter

Other than the serious collectors UCS edition, 2018's 25218 set has 731 pieces but is a lot more expensive than the 2021 model we're reviewing. It's RRP at launch was much more, but again it's another model that's hard to find and sells online for a premium. The 2018 model also has more weapons - 4 x shooters (one on each wing) and 2 x stud shooters (one on each side of the cockpit). The 2021 model just has two shooters (one on each of the bottom wings).

Unlike previous X-Wing models, the 2021's landing gear can't be retracted. But if you're planning on displaying it in battle mode, and you think that this is going to annoy you, you can easily remove it.

Another thing that's different is the way it transforms from flight to battle mode. The wings are moved from flight to the iconic X formation by pressing a button at the back of the ship. To revert back to flight mode you simply rest it down on a surface and the wings will retract. The downside to this is that you can't display it in attack formation unless you buy a separate stand. Personally I recommend the custom designed ones from Wicked Brick.

The four minifigures include Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Princess Leia and General Dodonna

In addition this is the first set that uses LEGO parts inside the model to allow the transformation from flight mode to attack mode. Previous models used elastic bands which, over time will gradually loosen or disintegrate.

In addition the four engines on the back of the model have been redesigned to be more integral to the overall construction. In previous models they had a tendency to fall off if you handled them too hard.

The four minifigures include Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Princess Leia and General Dodonna (making his first ever minifigure appearance) and LEGO have reverted to the more traditional helmets after the larger and more detailed ones used for the 2018 X-Wing.

It's a well detailed set at an affordable price. In fact, considering the RRP, this is probably the best value X-Wing Fighter LEGO has released to date.

10

Darren Rea