Review: 75301 Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter
Posted by CapnRex101,
75301 Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter appears particularly impressive, maintaining remarkable detail when compared with earlier models while containing substantially fewer pieces. Inevitable compromises are present, although these seem surprisingly subtle!
The distinctive shape of this magnificent vehicle remains immediately recognisable, even improving upon previous designs in certain regards. Furthermore, the folding wing function returns, incorporating an updated mechanism which ingeniously takes advantage of the reduced weight and accordingly offers superb play value.
Minifigures
Almost fifty different Luke Skywalker minifigures have been produced since 1999, including several wearing pilot fatigues. This version deviates slightly from other examples as the torso and legs have been improved, now featuring a more accurate hose and life support pack. The flares around Luke's right leg and flight harness texturing have also been updated.
Princess Leia returns from 75244 Tantive IV, sporting her famous white gown which features impressive detail. The creasing appears realistic and I like the metallic silver highlights around her Alderaanian belt. Furthermore, the dark brown hair piece faithfully recreates Leia's unusual hairstyle and incorporates splendid texture. Remarkably, this component has existed for nearly ten years, originating from 7965 Millennium Falcon!
Leia's double-sided head perfectly encapsulates her personality, displaying a kindly smile on one side and fierce determination on the other. I am similarly pleased with Luke's head which can display the visor raised or lowered. The helmet produced during 2018 remains absent too, seemingly confirming its abandonment, but Luke's lightsaber is provided. Leia carries a blaster pistol, as usual.
Luke Skywalker's original X-wing would never be complete without R2-D2 and this beloved Astromech droid is accordingly included. Unfortunately, the decoration on the domed head appears askew but the colour combination of dark blue, pearl silver and white matches the onscreen character. The body design looks excellent too but there remains no detail on the reverse.
Relatively few speaking characters from the Original Trilogy have not appeared in minifigure form, although General Dodonna was definitely among the most prominent such characters. His presence here is accordingly welcome, wearing an accurate Rebel Alliance uniform which displays the correct rank insignia and appropriate colours. His medium nougat shoulder panels seem particularly effective.
General Dodonna's most recognisable feature is probably his beard and this printed design is reasonable, albeit lacking suitable volume. The hair component also varies from the movie but few better options are available, while the head features two similar facial expressions. Greater variation would have been brilliant, although the general's calm demeanour is rarely interrupted.
The Completed Model
LEGO has produced seven minifigure-scale T-65 X-wing Starfighters since 1999, repeatedly refining its design. The newest version contains substantially fewer pieces than its immediate predecessors, although the shape maintains superb accuracy. In fact, the smooth taper along the fuselage appears better than ever before, avoiding the conspicuous bulging cockpit which has affected prior models.
Corresponding with 75300 Imperial TIE Fighter, this model retains certain building techniques from previous designs. The fuselage appears most reminiscent of the vehicle from 2018 while 9493 X-wing Starfighter, produced during 2012, features similar wings. However, this example comprises 474 elements which is considerably fewer than its recent counterparts.
Despite their dramatic variation in piece count and accordant weight, 75301 Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter and 75218 X-wing Starfighter appear similar in size. The new design measures 31cm in length while its predecessor reaches 34cm long. The wingspan has also been reduced, although not nearly to the extent that I had envisaged which was a pleasant surprise!
The most conspicuous difference between this X-wing Starfighter and previous designs is the nose cone. This alteration has inspired some criticism and its shape is imperfect, although the proportional scale between the nose and the fuselage reflects the source material. Moreover, I like the bright light yellow stripe behind the nose cone and the dark red highlights on each side appear authentic as well.
Forward landing gear has appeared on every minifigure-scale X-wing Starfighter and returns here, although it cannot be retracted. Fortunately, the entire landing leg detaches quite easily and additional undercarriage is located beneath the central engines. These legs are relatively fragile which can be frustrating, although their inclusion is appealing and these are removable during flight.
75102 Poe's X-wing Fighter introduced an updated canopy element during 2015, although the light bluish grey decoration here has only appeared once before. The design looks perfect and 1x8 tiles surround the cockpit, improving upon earlier models which have included pronounced curves. Proton torpedo tubes have also appeared previously but are excluded on this occasion.
However, the cockpit does include a printed control panel and provides ample space for one minifigure, as normal. Once again, this lacks the complexity of past designs but incorporates everything necessary in my opinion. The stickers placed behind the cockpit provide excellent texture too, representing the distinctive service covers which are visible onscreen.
Astromech droids perform navigation calculations and maintenance during flight, fixed inside specialised sockets. That important feature is present and R2-D2 is suitably oriented towards the front. However, the droid is unusually elevated within the socket as the mechanism for the wings extends underneath. Artoo should certainly have been positioned lower, although I love seeing his 'shoulders' which accurately protrude above the fuselage.
The aforementioned Technic mechanism remains relatively exposed, disguised only by fairly consistent colours and three stickers. I appreciate such efforts to conceal the mechanism but this result is not entirely successful, particularly because red and blue Technic pins are visible from certain angles. The mechanical detail behind this mechanism looks appealing though.
Detailing continues onto the back of the starfighter, including the round S-foil servo actuator. This design is simplified when compared with earlier versions and the surrounding bodywork lacks the appropriate hexagonal profile, although 75218 X-wing Starfighter demonstrates that achieving perfect accuracy requires elaborate construction techniques and considerably more parts than were evidently available to the designer of this set.
Pressing the light bluish grey Technic component at the centre of the fuselage deploys the S-foils into attack position. This mechanism seems most reminiscent of 10240 Red Five X-wing Starfighter as diagonally opposite pairs of wings are joined, ensuring that they open smoothly and in unison. Despite leaving certain elements exposed across the top, deploying the S-foils feels satisfying and the laser cannons look marvellous. Spring-loaded shooters are hidden on the lower S-foils.
Given their relatively light weight, no rubber bands are required to secure the wings and no unsightly levers are positioned between them. They can therefore fold together accidentally, although that is easily avoided because the switch is ideally situated to be held down during flight. The engines look marvellous too, making brilliant use of new elements which form the intakes and incorporating the versatile 1x1 brick with Technic axle hole.
Overall
75301 Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter has achieved the impossible. Despite containing far fewer elements than any previous minifigure-scale X-wing Starfighter since 2002, this model includes brilliant functionality and detail which actually improves upon past designs in certain regards. The proportions are almost perfect and the upgraded S-foil mechanism is ingenious, providing outstanding play value.
Some compromises are present, including the elevated Astromech droid and unsightly pieces immediately behind the droid. Nevertheless, I think these adjustments are excusable given the price of £44.99 or $49.99 which represents great value. The price has actually halved in the UK and several European countries, when compared with 75218 X-wing Starfighter, but the quality has remained extraordinarily impressive!
Our reviews of the other 2021 Star Wars sets are available here:
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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54 comments on this article
I love it!
Thanks for this review, and especially for the comparison photos. This is my no. 1 most anticipated set of 2021 so far. It's been backordered or out of stock all of January, but it'll surely be produced for years so a little patience is in order on my part.
I NEED this X-Wing for my collection
I’m loving these price points! I’d love to buy a few of these and a few of the new TIE fighter to stage a dogfight. It’s finally affordable to do so, and they look great!
Definitely a step in the right direction, away from sets that are totally overpriced simply because they contain loads of unnecessary tiny pieces that do little for the look of the final model. This one strikes a very good balance between simplicity and accuracy.
This reminds me, I finally have to get around to building my 1999 X-Wing I got in a used set lot a while ago.
Missed opportunity to stick in a different X-Wing pilot not previously seen in LEGO form. Heck, an updated Porkins would have been cooler than Leia. Definitely cooler than Luke, but then his inclusion is inevitable.
I initially wasn't going to buy this, as I have the prior model and was sure the piece count would introduce some awful compromises (based on the nose cone look alone). However, from your review I can see that a lot of thought has gone into this and I'm going to buy it and maybe combine this set with the previous one to make a 'best of both worlds' version. You know, when I actually get around to building anything new.
Buying it
I personally do not like its lack of detail and especially the engines look horrible. But... I do understand this move by Lego. Previous installments have received increasing criticism for their tremendous price tags, which made those models more like mini-UCS models and less like toys.
So truth be told: for me personally TLG has the UCS theme. Good. For kids and those with limited space this new installment is great. In conclusion: I do not like it, but I do appreciate it. And the value for money is great.
Looks good - it would be good to see a photo of this alongside 75300 TIE fighter.
The first X-Wing was one of my first sets after dark age; it’s aged terribly but was a really lovely set for swooshing and play.
This set evokes a similar feel, especially being so affordable, but it has a modern aspect with nice techniques and a perfect shape. Good work, TLG!
Glad to see General Dodonna! This will make my wish for a custom Rowan Williams minifig much easier.
I’m really excited about that new engine intake piece. I’ve wanted something like that for a really long time, and it looks excellent.
Here there be compromises that’s for sure, but the compromises to the model itself at least without having it in my hands seem to be worth it, just like the TIE. This may be the year I have multiple fighters built at the same time representing different squadrons. And that’s pretty cool.
My only gripes, if I have any, are minor, and involve minifigures.
1. I want helmeted minifigures to have a hairpiece sometimes. Luke here would be perfect for this. His alternative face could have been plain for a hairpiece on look holding his helmet in his hand. I like pre-boarding activity in my play. I can do this on my own I understand.
2. Give Artoo some Leg detail!!
3. Give us a minifigure other than Leia here and it’s an A+ set instead of an A.
This looked promising to me from the day, there were pictures available. It just manages to get the proportions more accurately, than previous iterations. I will get that one for sure.
I really appreciate the effort of trying to keep the cost down a little, without sacrificing the looks.
I totally disagree with this review. This x-wing is clearly the worst one ever made, and the only good thing about this set is the General Dodonna minifig. I am really glad my 9493 remained like new, in spite of having been displayed for years together with all the spacecraft of the Star Wars Original Trilogy.
I removed the 1x2 jumpers that Artoo's feet connect to. This lowers him one plate's thickness, but he's still easily removed.
Dear Lego,
I hereby forgive you for all the daft clothes, music, shoes and apps.
You haven't forgotten how to produce interesting, clever, value-for-money toys.
Okay, I'd like to see the forward fuselage and wings of this one, the engines, rear fuselage, and details of 75218, and the wing mechanism of 9493.
75300 TIE Fighter and this need a picture together, curious how the scale compares. Perhaps a picture with 9492 TIE Fighter as well?
I'm looking forward to getting this and modding it to fully suit my tastes. It's great that they managed to downsize it so effectively!
@IndyLibrarian said:
"Glad to see General Dodonna! This will make my wish for a custom Rowan Williams minifig much easier. "
The minifigure is a little lacking in eyebrow mass for Archbishop Williams, but it’s otherwise very accurate! You could also take Henry Jones’s face and add a Santa beard.
no idea why the technic is such an issue: the way it's constructed is ingenious, and the way it flows into the largely system construct is smooth and genuinely very pleasing. must be the bionicle fan in me talking though
otherwise, love the thing (outside of small issues) and i hope this scaling and the rumoured summer wave signals a return to form for the star wars line. if we're getting 2006-12 levels of great sets of this new post-movie era have at it lego!
People are out here calling this a compromise and saying that having less detail is 'worth it because of the price'. Strongly disagree. This x-wing is no less detailed or accurate than any previous iteration. It has a few weak points (namely the top of the fuselage and the back), but it also improves on the 2018 version in several areas and overall it looks more sleek than any other that has come before. I'm not saying it's perfect; Indeed, it's still far from it, but the 2018 one was also miles from perfect. If you want to see a good x-wing, let me recommend Inthert, Jerac, atlas__er, Chris Ehnot or Mark Chan's. The 2018 Lego version looks like garbage compared to those.
So yeah, I don't know what people are talking about when they say 'sacrificing accuracy for a low price'. Almost every Lego Star Wars set apart from UCS sets sacrifices accuracy. It's basically par for the course. At least this set is affordable compared to the others.
@TeaWeevil said:
" @IndyLibrarian said:
"Glad to see General Dodonna! This will make my wish for a custom Rowan Williams minifig much easier. "
The minifigure is a little lacking in eyebrow mass for Archbishop Williams, but it’s otherwise very accurate! You could also take Henry Jones’s face and add a Santa beard."
Funny story - I went to a formal dinner with the Archbishop as a guest speaker, I was sat opposite him and and the guy sitting next to me asked Rowan Williams if he brylcreemed his eyebrows. (Alcohol was involved...)
I wish I could say something relevant about the LEGO being reviewed but I have no interest in Star Wars (I've never seen any of the films and wouldn't know if this was good or terrible). But I'm in lockdown, bored, and willing to read any decently written content at this point!
I guess the Luke minifig looks to have impressively detailed printing.
So glad the 2018 helmet has been abandoned, the old one is just perfect.
Anyone else bothered that with the new X-wing pilot torso, the chest "breathing apparatus" is now slightly askew (rotated about 5-10 degrees clockwise)?
I have 9493, the last decently priced X - Wing, but I really want to pick this one up. The minifigure selection is great, the value is perfect, and it still looks and functions like a phenomenal set. (And I want a General Dodonna minifig).
This looks incredible. They really nailed the shaping and trimmed pieces off?!
I have the older 2012ish era one, so I likely wouldn't buy this with my limited budget. But if I was in the market for another one or a new one, this is the one to get.
It's very nice, I've seen it at Walmart for $50 already so perhaps that's where all of LEGO's stock went?
As someone who came back to Lego because of the Star Wars sets in 1999, this is extremely appealing. I have the 1999 and 2004 X-Wing versions but haven't bought any X-Wings since because of the prices. This one is just the right balance between scale details and price. I don't like the nose at all and some other details that have been pointed out above but I can change them to fit my taste. Definitely plan to get this!
I like this set best of all the official X-Wing sets.
There will never be a perfect X-Wing set because the weird angles of the entire main body would simply be too unstable for TLG, who prefer to use basics to construct the majority of the body. You will simply have to use a fan construction technique to get something more accurate.
It's the best we could have expected after the embarrassingly large predecessors and the few imperfections can be more easily solved than when you want to attempt fixing the older models the same way.
It's a lovely set at a very appropriate price, but it is quite flimsy in a lot of places
@Mjvizcarra said:
"Anyone else bothered that with the new X-wing pilot torso, the chest "breathing apparatus" is now slightly askew (rotated about 5-10 degrees clockwise)? "
Heh, I thought it was perfect. You never see it properly aligned on the film costumes. Remember: Star Wars aesthetic is patchy, dirty, and used. Except for the Imperials. They’re all clean and shiny.
I am ot a fan of the X-wing's nose, if I am honest. But the price point is great and General Dodonna makes up for it.
Thanks for another great review.
For me 4502/6210 X-Wing was best.
You've sold me on it! I wasn't sure about this, I feared it would be significantly out of scale with the last couple of X-wings but credit where it's due, Lego have managed to bring the part count and price down to a sensible level without severely compromising the finished product. I'd like to see this approach applied to other SW vehicles, especially ones we've not seen in a while (B-wing, TIE Interceptor please!). I'll have to pick this one up.
@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"Looks good - it would be good to see a photo of this alongside 75300 TIE fighter."
That photo has now been added to the review. The scaling between them is not absolutely perfect because the TIE Fighter should be almost exactly half the length of the T-65 X-wing. These two versions measure 14.4cm and 31.6cm in length, respectively. Nevertheless, they are definitely accurate enough and look excellent together in my opinion.
@TomKazutara said:
"Please review the 75297: Resistance X-wing Starfighter next ."
We will be publishing reviews of that, 75298 Tauntaun vs. AT-AT Microfighters and 75302 Imperial Shuttle as soon as they are available!
@CapnRex101 said:
" @DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"Looks good - it would be good to see a photo of this alongside 75300 TIE fighter."
That photo has now been added to the review. The scaling between them is not absolutely perfect because the TIE Fighter should be almost exactly half the length of the T-65 X-wing. These two versions measure 14.4cm and 31.6cm in length, respectively. Nevertheless, they are definitely accurate enough and look excellent together in my opinion.
@TomKazutara said:
"Please review the 75297: Resistance X-wing Starfighter next ."
We will be publishing reviews of that, 75298 Tauntaun vs. AT-AT Microfighters and 75302 Imperial Shuttle as soon as they are available!"
Thanks for that, they look great together. I didn't want to be buying Star Wars sets, but these 2 may make me change my mind.
@KnightOfRen said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
" @DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"Looks good - it would be good to see a photo of this alongside 75300 TIE fighter."
That photo has now been added to the review. The scaling between them is not absolutely perfect because the TIE Fighter should be almost exactly half the length of the T-65 X-wing. These two versions measure 14.4cm and 31.6cm in length, respectively. Nevertheless, they are definitely accurate enough and look excellent together in my opinion.
@TomKazutara said:
"Please review the 75297: Resistance X-wing Starfighter next ."
We will be publishing reviews of that, 75298 Tauntaun vs. AT-AT Microfighters and 75302 Imperial Shuttle as soon as they are available!"
Hey, on the topic of that shuttle, do you know exactly when it will be released? Looks great...its a day 1 buy for me"
Lego.com says March 1st for the shuttle!
I absolutely love Lego's new pricing and framework for Star Wars. Fans get the same functional models for half the price, and AFOLs can get their hands on more detailed models through the UCS and MBS lines.
Now if only they had made 75286 at that scale...
@LegoRobo said:
"I can’t get the image of doc brown as a general in the rebellion..."
This is heavy!
FINALLY! I always wanted the previous one, but I just couldn't do it for the price. I simply wouldn't feel happy with it. This price however is brilliant and the build looks good. Definitely keeping an eye on this.
The design and styling looks good on this price point. Just don't assume that this is the way for all products, I think they only do this at a lower price point because there have been too many similar higher priced models made before. Purely a business guided outcome, but a pleasing one.
Love this X-Wing. Needed the figures and needed a T-65 on my shelf. This one is my first. I made some modifications to suit my tastes and it now proudly sits next to my Y-Wing and A-Wing from the original trilogy. My only beef was that for a "budget" model this cost me almost 75$ where I live. Still glad I got it though! Puts a smile on my face every time I look at my shelf!
In a lot of ways, this year's sets feel like a return to the design philosophy of the 00's. Smaller, simpler, but with great play value and minifigs. I love that.
I honestly don't like it too much. It's wobbly and light, and I especially don't like the pilot seat, landing gear, nose and wings. It's hard to pull off the specific aesthetics of a t-65 at this scale and price point, but I would have liked them to concentrate more on the play mechanics. Like giving it a ladder, small cart, room to store the light saber etc.
I think it's a great all-round compromise.
Some issues highlighted by the review, but understandable given the considerably lower price-point.
@Altair1970 said:
"I totally disagree with this review. This x-wing is clearly the worst one ever made, and the only good thing about this set is the General Dodonna minifig. I am really glad my 9493 remained like new, in spite of having been displayed for years together with all the spacecraft of the Star Wars Original Trilogy."
What is wrong with this guy?! It’s a great Lego set with nice minifigs at a sharp price point!
Many of the posters here like it, and kids will love it.
Altair must be fun at parties!
I was making "X-Wing after SlimFast" jokes when I first saw the photos of this set. (SlimFast is a brand of diet malarkey in the US)
I've just finished building it and it's actually quite good! I was not ready for the complex Technic s-foil mechanism, but it is very effective. The dimensions are faithful to the original source, and those new intakes are sweet! Artoo does look a bit silly sticking out of his droid socket so far and, yes, the dome printing is askew on mine too.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.
This is neat! I've the last two X-wings so this becomes a pass for me, but I love the Dodonna minifgure. Hopefully, his price on Bricklink goes down in time!
Way too many stickers, wings don‘t stay open which is frustrating, forward landing gear falls off if you look at it (do not understand the choice of pieces here at all), R2 sits way too high. This is a nice set for a child or if you don't own an x-wing or are attracted to this price point but I really wish the wings clicked into place when open vs just slowly shutting again and would be so much better to brick-build the color details.
Personally I don't like this model. What I do like is that this (and the T.I.E.) appears to be a course correction from the overpriced releases. I just feel the correction was a bit too much. Maybe the next one will nail it.
I highly appreciate, that this model and the new tie fighter are much more affordable for many children/parents. Also it looks really good for the price. I like it! :)
Thanks for the review. :)