Review: 30279 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle
Posted by CapnRex101,
Kylo Ren's Upsilon-class shuttle features fairly prominently in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and is one of relatively few vehicles to depart dramatically from designs seen in the Original Trilogy. It is therefore unsurprising that the shuttle has proven to be one of the most popular subject matters for toys based on the film and 30279 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle is the second LEGO version of this vessel.
75104 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle is one of the weaker sets based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens in my opinion so I am hoping that this miniature model will rectify some of the issues which plagued that one.
The Completed Model
The dark bluish grey colour scheme is not ideally suited to this craft as the bodywork is significantly darker in the movie. I think pearl dark grey would be the most appropriate colour, although this would necessitate many pieces to be cast in a new colour so black would be a reasonable substitute. Regardless, dark bluish grey is not very faithful to the film but I think it looks reasonable on this model just as it does on 75104 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle. The addition of some light bluish grey elements helps to break up the silhouette of the vehicle and I think it looks better for it despite the inaccuracy.
I am very impressed by the shaping of the fuselage and the wings, both of which look superb despite the small scale. Unfortunately the wings do not fold into the dihedral form seen in the film, an issue which is also prevalent on the larger model. However, this is far less detractive on this version of the shuttle as including the hinges required for such a feature might impact upon its appearance.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the model is the tiny boarding ramp which folds down from underneath the cockpit. This improves the appearance of the model as it forms an attractive shape when looking from beneath and also increases the play value. A pair of binoculars are mounted on each wing to represent blasters and the twin thrusters are also included at the back.
Overall
This is a lovely little model. The colour of the bodywork is not ideal and it would have been nice to see angled wings but the shape of the vehicle has been accurately replicated and the inclusion of a boarding ramp is very welcome. I have shown Kylo Ren beside the shuttle for scale in the image below. Please note that he is not included.
The second part of the 'What's Missing?' series will be published next weekend, so keep an eye on the homepage!
28 likes
9 comments on this article
Kylo is epic, love this set.
Good review. I have picked up the other Force Awakens polybags released so far so will try to get this one too.
Looking forward to the second What's Missing article!
This model is actually pretty nifty. The film comes out on Blu-ray in like 2 weeks, they could put out a new version in black...
My main complaint about the new New Hope... I mean The Force Awaken is that they still use TIE Fighters and X-Wings. So this is one of my favorite sets.
Can't wait for "what's missing!"
This model was in Polish Magazine KAczor Donald. Very nice little set and looks adorable if put next to original set!
@Farnold: this small set was already announced (or at least leaked, I'm not sure) when the movie came out, so I'm guessing the designers had to work with the same info the designers of the big set had to work with - flawed info, as we now know...
The fun thing is that the simple solution for the ramp looks way more like the real deal than that on the bigger set...
I am so bored of Starwars sets...
Ive made one in Black..... as I had to with the real one at great expense.......and as I made the smaller one before anything other than the front picture was out I made the back section up.... assumed the wings would move and replaced what is now technic bricks with a sandwich of plate, plate with clip and plate.... then added a plate with handle to both wings. Looks great vertical or angled.....