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Lobot

[REVIEW] 10227: UCS B-wing Starfighter

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Official description

Take on the Empire in the ultimate collector series B-wing Starfighter™!

Now you can experience the ultimate B-wing Starfighter from the Star Wars galaxy like never before. This fantastic model features everything you would expect from our premium collector range, including rotating, self-levelling cockpit and realistic wing configurations for landing and flight. And when you're finished battling in the skies above Endor or helping to restore freedom in the galaxy, place this highly detailed B-wing Starfighter on its own dedicated display stand and fact plaque. Measures 26” (66cm) wide and 15” (38cm) high in flight configuration, and 17” (43cm) high on display stand.

•Ultimate Collector Series B-wing Starfighter!

•Rotating, self-levelling cockpit!

•Landing and flight wing configurations!

•Highly detailed model!

•Includes display stand and fact plaque!

•Model can be detached from display stand!

•Measures 26” (66cm) wide and 15” (38cm) high in flight configuration, and 17” (43cm) high when mounted on display stand!

Details

Total boxed weight: 2,798g

Dimensions: 48cm wide x 58cm long x 12 cm deep

Parts: 1,487 parts

Age range: 16+

UK RRP: £169.99

Introduction

I’m a great fan of most UCS sets, but to be honest I was a little underwhelmed when I first saw the B-wing Starfighter, and I don’t think that I was alone. According to Brickset, it was only available in the UK from 1st October 2012 – 23rd November 2013 and I get the impression that it wasn’t a commercial success. I eventually ordered it during the 2013 ‘Brick Friday’ sale at about 30% off and it’s been sat in its delivery box ever since, which probably gives you an indication of my general level of enthusiasm for it :hmpf_bad: However, I thought it was time to do a decent review of it, and to find out if my initial impressions were fair, or not. Apologies for the quality of the photos, but we’re currently in the depths of a particularly dark winter!

First impressions

The box is pretty large, and at 2.8kg it feels like it should be worth the RRP. It’s one of the nicer designs that we’ve had in the last few years, and I particularly like the background which includes the partially constructed Death Star and the Forest Moon of Endor. It also has a couple of random blaster bolts which are mandatory for any SW set, and typically they aren’t connecting with anything! It’s a shame about the Darth Maul banner, but you can’t have everything. The reverse isn’t quite as impressive, but it’s still quite well done.

The box

box.jpg

box2.jpg

The contents

On opening the box it's approximately two-thirds full, and includes 15 main bags (14 numbered between 1-10), 3 instruction booklets and a dreaded DSS. In defence of the latter, it only has the standard display plaque, plus three orange markings, so it could have been worse. The decision by TLG to protect the instructions by keeping them together with a cardboard insert has been a great move, and mine were in perfect condition.

contents.jpg

instructions.jpg

The build

I’ve taken photos at the end of each of the numbered bag(s), and added a few of my thoughts.

Bag(s) 1: The engines are constructed in two identical sections, which are joined together using small Technic axles. There’s a lot of colour in it, but it’s gradually hidden as the plates are added. First irritation is the use of two back ‘Bionicle’(?) fists near to the engines. I’m not sure if this intended to be a clever feature, as a ‘nod’ of respect to the inclusion of a toy soldier in the original Executor model, but it’s just wrong! Oh, and you also get two brick separators... I’ll add them to my ever growing pile :sadnew:

1.jpg

Bag 2: Generally very straightforward to build, but quite a nice design. One thing I noticed is that there’s quite a noticeable colour difference in some of the Light-Bluish Grey parts. The bright yellow 4 x 8 plate was a bit of a shock, but is quickly buried.

2.jpg

Bag 3: This is basically a mirror-image of the previous stage, but includes extra parts that joint both together. The combined section is then attached to the main engine block using a series of Technic pins and two axles. Note the odd use of 1 x 1 brown studs which are scattered across the build.

3.jpg

Bag(s) 4: These build the top section of the main wing. The vast array of different colours used is really distracting (blue, green, yellow, brown, red, beige, tan, white & black), in addition to the required greys. Whilst I appreciate that a few colour markers are helpful, this is far too much for me! :sick:

4.jpg

Bag(s) 5: Predictably, this is a mirror image of the previous stage; these are joined together and attached to the engine block. Apart from my issues with the colours, it’s well designed and uses a mixture of plates and curved slopes to create a robust, yet streamlined, shape.

5.jpg

Bag 6: This builds the main cannon, and is the most enjoyable part of the build so far. The end result looks really impressive, although I’m not totally convinced about the flexible ‘whip’ part which looks a bit out of place.

6.jpg

Bag 7: This takes the lead from the previous bag, and is my favourite section of the build. It includes lots of small parts, including a couple I hadn’t seen before. I particularly like the use of the tracks, which I first used in 1984! However, it's a bit reluctant to rotate, so it needs a bit of encouragement. It uses some interesting techniques, and the rear section is a beautiful shape, if a little fiddly! However, I’ll leave the ‘Elephant in the room’ to the end....

7.jpg

Bag 8: Yet another techicolour experience, but thankfully short-lived. The canon has a couple of interesting details, but otherwise it’s fairly standard stuff.

8.jpg

Bag 9: This is identical to the previous bag, apart from being a mirror-image.

9.jpg

Bag 10: This builds the stand, it’s reasonably strong and a nice design but I really don’t like part 48002a, they just look cheap! A standard Technic beam, covered in tiles would have looked far better in my opinion.

The end result

Overall, I’m quite impressed by it and it’s a shame that the availability was so limited. I’ve always had a soft-spot for the B-wing, despite its limited screen time; it’s one of the ships which has function above style, where everything is there for a reason. It’s a good size and would make a nice addition to any collection. It feels very solid and is very swoosh-able!

However, the major flaw is the cockpit canopy which is truly awful. I appreciate that there will always be compromises, but for me it totally ruins what would otherwise be a very good UCS set. I’m not too sure where to start; it’s too small, the wrong shape and the printed areas aren’t anything like the original model :look: According to Bricklink, the part (50986pb004) only appears in one other set which was released after this one so, logically, it was designed for it. If that’s correct, I really don’t understand how it could be so bad, just take a look at the original model from ROTJ to see what I mean! In addition, the design prevents the canopy from being opened, which seems a bit of an oversight, and a considerable problem in the event of a battle. And finally, if you look closely some of the more colourful internal parts are visible, but that’s also a problem with the SSD. Perhaps I’m a bit too picky, but it really irritates me!

front.jpg

reverse.jpg

above.jpg

engines.jpg

rear.jpg

canopy.jpg

If you can live with the limitations of the canopy it’s a good model, and worthy of the UCS label. It’s a relaxing build, and kept me occupied for several hours. It has a nice mix of parts, and I don’t regret purchasing it. The aftermarket price for the set has gradually increased in the last year, but it’s still very affordable if you’re tempted.

I hope you enjoyed my review, C&C welcome :classic:

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Thanks for the review Lobot, nicely done!

Haven't picked this one up myself, but liked it a bit better after seeing it on display in a store. Just built the new system B-Wing (75050) which I did not like at all... (except for the figs of course, they are great).

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Excellent review. I agree that it is a great set, but I don't think I could justify the ballooning price.

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So I really like the model, however, there are a couple things which I did not.... so I fixed them :). Check it out on my mocpages. Essentially, the main thing is that I don't think that a 200 dollar model, and a UCS set nonetheless, should expose the underside of plates. Should be covered by tiles.....1402520521m_SPLASH.jpg

As you can see, the underside of the wings are tiled....with details.

14025205231_THUMB.jpg

more pics at http://mocpages.com/moc.php/390298

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Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciated :classic:

nerdsforprez - Your modifications are really impressive and take the original model to another level. I particularly like the additional greebling on the underside of the wings.

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Nice review Lobot :thumbup:

Being my favorite Star Wars fighter, I think I'll have to buy that set at some point and mod it a lot, or build my own...

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nerdsforprez,

As an owner of this model, I really love the improvements that you have made - especially the stand and the underside of S-foil wings (can't help but think LEGO designers are getting lazier... increasingly leaving the bottoms 'unfinished' - e.g. the flat bottom of 10221 SSD :hmpf_bad:).

Like Regimus, I would be interested in applying your mod. Would you have a LXF file for your stand and underside of S-foil wings? - as I struggle to understand what you mean by "Use both side of a plate with clip..." :cry_sad: Thanks. :classic:

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This is both my favorite and most disappointing UCS set. Favorite because its the B-Wing... Disappointing because of all the aforementioned issues. The MOD with the underside added to the wings is a definate improvment but because its a B-Wing it will always look amazing to me. Just wish it could have had a bit more love from TLG prior to release.

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I like it cause I got it on sale at the Lego Store. I think I got it for under $100. Then my friend was strapped for cash and sold me his for $100. Couldnt turn it down. So I have two.

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I like this starfighter but it's too expensive and not suitable for the fun with my son so I bought 75050 :wink: .

Btw, nice review of this UCS set!

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Thanks for the review. After looking at pictures, I actually want to keep mine. I bought it originally for $100 during May the 4th a few years ago, but didn't have much interest in it. This end result looks better than expected.

I did end up picking up 75050 on clearance at Wal-Mart, so I guess I have multiple versions of this now..

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