Where once we'd have to wait 4 or 5 years for a new Landspeeder, it's only been 3 years since the release of 75173. The previous three incarnations were nearly identical so let's see if this is more of the same.

Minifigures

Of course there's a Luke minifig in the set. For the most part he looks like previous versions but this time he has a fabric poncho. I don't remember seeing that in the movie but there are publicity shots of Luke wearing this poncho so this will no doubt make some fans happy. Luke has no light-saber, suggesting this is a scene before they reach Ben Kenobi's hut.

The second figure is C-3PO who looks the same as last time.

Next there's a Jawa. This is kind of strange, as the interaction Luke has with the Jawa's is around the sandcrawler. The Tusken Raider from three years ago made more sense.

There's no R2-D2 again but even stranger is the fact that this is the first Landspeeder set without Ben or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Parts

The poncho for Luke is unique to this set. After that there's only a few new parts. The nougat plates (2x4, 4x8, 4x8 semi-circle) have all appeared in previous Landspeeders (and no other sets) but a new part in nougat this time is the 1x10 plate.

Similarly the truncated cone in dark red has been in one other set, the previous Landspeeder. That same cone in nougat is new this time.

Finally there's the 1x 6 x 3 1/3 arch that's new here in light bluish gray.

For the first time there are no jet-engine parts in this set, instead there's a little more Technic than before.

Building

From the picture on the box it's obvious that the flex tubes have been replaced with stickers for the grilles around the front. What's not as obvious is the amount of SNOT in the set. Most of the side of the speeder is formed by sideways mounted tiles.

In the cockpit we find seats that make clever use of the quarter-circle tiles to replace the standard minifig seats that have been in all Landspeeders sofar.

At the back the construction is also very different with the engines built from a combination of Technic pieces and round bricks, plates and cones.

All in all a very different build from the previous incarnations.

The completed model

There's a tiny bit of scenery for the Jawa to hide and attack Luke, just like in... no, wait, that was the Tusken Raiders. This part of the set just doesn't make sense. I would have preferred Ben Kenobi R2-D2 and a Tusken Raider instead of the Jawa and the bit of landscape.

The speeder itself at first glance looks a lot like its predecessors. Look closer though and there are many new details. The use of SNOT at the front allows the arches to protrude half a plate beyond the edge of the nougat plate on top to suggest the curved front. However the price you pay is that the flex tubes that were used previously for the radiator grilles have been replaced with stickers. Another casualty of the SNOT technique is the step on the side of the cockpit to help Luke get into his speeder.

The cockpit itself looks nice with the new seats although a black tile in front of the passenger seat (where the steering wheel sits for the pilot) would have been nice. The windscreen is probably the closest match in the existing parts catalogue but still looks nothing like the shape of the real thing. It would have been nice to celebrate the 20th anniversary with a dedicated part. While the poncho looks nice on Luke out of the speeder it doesn't really working when he's in the driving seat.

The pattern at the back is different than before thanks to the use of macaroni tile but it doesn't quite look like the prototype. As mentioned earlier, the engines are different this time and while I liked the new build experience I don't think they look any better than before. The dark red truncated cones that were introduced three years ago have been used again and while they give a nice profile from the side I don't like the fact that the jet engines are closed at the front.

According to various sources the X-34 Landspeeder is 3.4m long. That's roughly two people head to toe. For minifigs that means 10-11 studs long. The first speeder in 1999 was too long at 15 studs, the last three were 20 and with this one we're at 22 studs. It's way too big!

Conclusion

This set is for diehard collectors and people new to Star Wars who don't have any of the previous Landspeeder sets. It's construction is different but the result is not necessarily better. The Jawa adds some play options but only if you're not worried about the story in the movie.

At €30 for 235 parts it's not cheap so I was happy to have picked up my copy with a 20% discount.