Review: 7191 UCS X-Wing
Posted by Huw,
Don't get too excited, this review isn't of the new one!
I'm only 13 years late posting a review of 7191 UCS X-Wing, originally released in 2000, but I thought it might be worth taking a look at it ahead of the release of the new version (10240) next month for comparison purposes.
2000 was the second year of the Star Wars license, of course, and this set, together with 7181 TIE Intercepter, were the first Star Wars UCS models to be made.
The first thing you will have noticed, if you have the model yourself, is that I have removed all the white and tan elements from it.
As you can see below, the original colour scheme looks more like Joseph's Technicolour Dreamcoat and I felt it was a total mess, so a short while after building it, I swapped out the white and tan for light grey, and personally I think it's a vast improvement.
Here it is from a similar angle. I think there are some minor differences on the wings where parts were not available in light grey at the time.
When the new version was announced, I voiced my concerns that it too was going to be white and not grey again; however I don't think it's quite such a patchwork of colours as the old one, so hopefully it will be acceptable. We will see...
There's no doubt that 7191 is a fantastically detailed display piece, particularly so compared to other sets of the time.
However, it's not without its faults. The R2 unit sits too high, the rear part of the engines are very susceptible to falling off in the slightest breeze and, worst of all, although the wings hold firm when they are open, when closed, they droop somewhat. The way the wings are held on is actually surprisingly flimsy, by means of just two Techinc axles per wing. The set has been in storage, assembled, for 12 years or so, but the wings haven't been attached, so I don't think the parts have been stressed. However...
...while moving the model about for photography, I noticed there was something rattling inside. Luckily it was fairly easy to get to the wing opening mechanism to see what was causing it. It turned out one of the 12-tooth bevel gears that you can see at the bottom of the picture below had broken. The entire weight of the wings goes through these gears so it's perhaps not surprising that it had failed, and that the wings do droop. Replacing it didn't solve the droop entirely though, unfortunately.
You can also see below how the wings attach to the body: just with those tiny Technic connectors on the side!
So, to conclude, this was a groundbreaking model at the time, and is still highly sought after by collectors. Bad decisions were made on the original colour scheme, and the wing opening mechanism is very flimsy, but I guess at the time there may not have been the parts available to do it any other way.
I'm looking forward to building the new version when it's available next month and seeing how it compares. We'll bring you a review as soon as we can!
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15 comments on this article
As one member who disagreed with your view of the new version's whiteness I have to say, this one does look good in grey! The proof is in the pudding as they say.
I am still not sure about the grey, white seems more accurate to me. Anyway, thanks for the review Huw.
White maybe, but not a random white and tan and grey and dark-grey mess!
Yeah, I've got this set, and to me the white looks far more accurate. The reason the ones in the movies look kind of grey is they are filthy with dirt etc on them.
This might just be me, but i think the ideal colour for an X-wing would be Light grey (The colour beetwen Bley and White)
Anyway thank you for the review.
^ Agreed -- the colour of Mindstorms NXT would be ideal.
I'm in the "X-Wings are white" camp, but agree it looks too clean in LEGO white considering how dirty the X-Wings were in the films. In this case, the uniform gray looks much better than the original patchwork color scheme.
As for the model design, there is one area where this original version is more accurate: the engines. Although the engines are too small overall, the thrusters are correctly offset and significantly smaller than the nacelles. On the new version, the thrusters are in line with, and nearly the same diameter as, the nacelles.
The ideal color for the set would be that weird shade of white that is found on Piraka Thok. White is far to bright and flashy but grey looks drab and monochromatic. Personally, I prefer white but ether way there should be a mix that shows the variation between the two.
I never liked this 2000 model, even when it came out. I can forgive the the limited pieces at their disposal but the nose is far to short and the laser cannon are two large. In addition, R2-D2 seems to small for UCS sets. The entire ship is out of proportion.
Personally, my favorite X-wing is the one that came out in 2012. It's scale to minifigures and the color looks great. If you look at this image it's apparent that the ship is white, only dirty from wear.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSg8iak6ZVECZs2Te-1rlvxGe5AnBdGW6-eVZcJgxBtAnbZmHDElg:www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/c/dck5129/Xwing_RS3.jpg
Lights stone grey would be perfect
http://www.brickset.com/parts/browse/colours/?colour=Light%20Stone%20Grey
Hmmm
I just took a look at mine sat on the shelf and looked at yours, Huw. Yours looks really cool, but I must be used to the original elements because I like that one too.
Now I am in two minds ...
TO be honest, the fray color makes it look very off from the pictures. Yes the X-Wings do not look pure white in the movies due to all the dirt and weathering affects and marks/damage from enemies, but I feel that the white makes it look more X-Wing than the gray.
But I think this is a superb set nonetheless!
This is one model that looks better sun-faded.
My wings don't sag at all when closed. I was shocked when I saw your picture.
I've always wondered what people meant about the wings sagging on this set. I had mine together for 7 years and never had any sagging with it. Maybe I was just lucky.
To fix wing sagging, I over-set the gear (addtional 1-2 steps up, not as instructed in the booklet) so that when putting the wing on it will align horizontally. Just my fixture. :-)
^ Yes, I suspect fiddling with the gears would indeed solve the problem. But, it shouldn't really be necessary, should it.