REVIEW: 7140 X-Wing Fighter

[montgocloud]

In honor of the release of the new UCS X-Wing, it's time to review the classic 7140 X-Wing Fighter!

7140 X-Wing Fighter

Pieces: 263

Minifigs: 4

Price: $30

Year of Release: 1999

Description:

Fly the X-Wing with Luke Skywalker!

Take to the skies with Luke as he battles the forces of evil! Just like the real X-Wing fighter, the wings adjust from wide to narrow for maximum maneuverability in battle. Luke is armed with his lightsaber just in case it comes down to hand-to-hand combat. Comes with ground crew person and transport with tools to prepare the X-Wing for its next mission. Also includes Luke's droid navigator, R2-D2, and Biggs Darklighter!

PART ONE: Box, Parts, and Introduction

The box of the set is mid-sized, around the same size of a current $50 set. Maybe a bit taller. I just love the classic LEGO Star Wars emblem and the nice gold font. It's also interesting to note that the 1999 line is the only one to feature the "System" logo.

The side has some nice art of Luke, his friends, and some details of the X-Wing itself.

The back has a fantastically nostalgic spread of the set being built by the four minifigures and two alternative models. This layout was stopped starting in 2002.

Here are some close ups:

Once you open up the box, a nice cardboard tray with the contents slides out. And yes. I do keep my minifigures constructed.

Removing everything from the box gives you this. It may seem like a big heap of gray, but there are quite a few little gems of pieces contained in this set.

There are no stickers in the set, just a large amount of beautifully printed elements. Some useful wings, tubes, interlocking joints, and control panels here.

PART TWO: The Instruction Book

The instruction book has a lot of great details. First, names under the minifigs.

Second, relavent movie stills at the top!

Third, the rebel insignia located behind the numbering of the steps! Only the highest quality of photos from montyofmusic, folks. Doesn't make my eyes bleed at all. Nope, mmm, nope.

The fourth detail we have here is a comic book. And these can actually be understood unlike some LEGO comics that I know... *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*. Sorry, it's hard to talk when I'm coughing. I meant LEGO Superheroes comics. Those things are horrible.

And this is when we get a glimpse of those nifty alternate builds in action!

PART THREE: Minifigures

Now that we have all that exposition out of the way, lets continue with some more exposition! Minifigure time! Let's start with the always important Luke Skywalker. Such a classic little figure. Instantly recognizable. Stood the test of time. Brilliant.

Next in the lineup is Biggs Darklighter. An odd choice, but a great one especially considering we haven't gotten any representation of him since.

The Rebel Mechanic (or Technician). A fine minifigure on its own, but fails on accuracy. Then again, I could be basing it off of the wrong design.

And now for R2-D2, everyone's favorite astromech droid (but not mine, R2 is too mainstream for me). The redesign is better, sure, but this version just reeks of amazing. So much so that it took nearly 10 years for the new incarnation to surface.

A little bonus picture of the two helmets included. The one on the right is exclusive to this set.

PART FOUR: The Build

The build starts with the rebel ground vehicle. The main section features the controls and some removable ground equipment that I'll go more in depth in later. The first carriage is seating for the pilots of the Rebel Alliance. The second carriage has all of the tools needed to repair the X-Wing and a gas hose.

I'm not sure about the last section, but the first two carts are fairly screen accurate. Right down to the yellow control panel. Good job, LEGO.

The build of the main meat of the set, the X-Wing, will be shown in 5 step incraments.

Step 5:

Step 10:

Step 15:

Step 20:

Step 25:

Step 30:

Done! Right? Looks like it? Well, no. Just some facetious misdirection by me! Reviewer. Personality. Comedian. Is there anything I can't do?

The landing gear is put together in this bizarre page. I've never seen anything like it (except for Harry Potter sets 4721, 4722, and 4723).

And... NOW IT'S DONE!

Considering it was released in 1999, this baby is really screen accurate. It is on par with the Snowspeeder for being the most accurate set of that year. The printed elements really help this model stand out among the rest.

PART FIVE: Features

Remember when I said "...removable ground equipment that I'll go more in depth in later"? No? Well I don't read the text on my reviews either.

The equipment contained in the first carriage is used as landing guides for the X-Wing. Nifty!

The X-Wing itself has a lot of great features and details. First up are the two storage spaces.

The second are the details on the wing. Accuracy!

Next up is the cockpit. It's nice and spacious, but akwardly shaped to say the least. Luke and Biggs can't reach the control screen in front of them! They have to resort to using the decorated panels on each side.

R2-D2 is actually faced the right direction in this incarnation of the X-Wing (unlike the 2012 version). I love this even if there is no protection around poor R2's body. Also note the nice engine printing.

The S-Foils lock into attack position with clicking hinges. With the addition of the landing gear, the X-Wing can be in this position even when landed!

PART SIX: Final Verdict

MINIFIGS-10/10 Luke Skywalker is perfectly recognizable to this day. R2-D2 is fantastic as always. Biggs Darklighter is an unexpected surprise. The Rebel Mechanic, while not film accurate, is perfect for any Rebel base MOC. The only thing that might be lacking is a blaster for Biggs.

PARTS-10/10 A miriad of printed elements and basic elements. What I loved about classic LEGO is the restriction on designers to create the sets with useful parts that kids could use to build other creations. What results is a set that is just as much a film accurate X-Wing as a parts pack.

DESIGN-10/10 Everything looks and works masterfully.The inclusion of a ground transport makes the set feel very complete. This sense of completion I felt was lacking in the 2012 incarnation, as fantastic as that set was.

FEATURES-10/10 Opening wings, detailed cockpit, and storage spaces galore! What more could anyone ask for?

SWOOSHABILITY-10/10 I could take off a point for having to painstakingly remove and apply the landing gear, but this set deserves the 10/10 on this one. It's pretty fun to remove this one from the box and swoosh it around. Now imagine that an eight year old kid has this set. The swooshability just goes through the roof. And into the sky. Zooooooooooooooom.

FINAL VERDICT-50/50 or... 10/10!

This set is perfect. The best of 1999. If you can find it for a good price, it is well worth it.

Join me next time for the Cloud City review! I know I promised it last time, but large sets take a long time to build, photograph, and upload, especially a set as hyped as this one. See you guys later!

Edited July 10, 2013 by Piranha

[Pastajensen]

Like this memory-lane review, thanks! Remember I wanted this set back then, but could not afford it (as a trainee the pay was not great).

[joeshmoe554]

This was the first lego star wars set I ever got and is probably the lego set I have actually rebuilt the most of any I've purchased. I rebuilt it again a couple months back after picking up some new Lego Star Wars craft, and I had completely forgotten about the numerous alternative builds they had designed for the back of the instructions, and the addition of the landing gear to help complete the set. Thanks for doing the wonderful review.

[montgocloud]

Thanks for the positive feedback!

I rebuilt it again a couple months back after picking up some new Lego Star Wars craft, and I had completely forgotten about the numerous alternative builds they had designed for the back of the instructions, and the addition of the landing gear to help complete the set. Thanks for doing the wonderful review.

I should try and build the alternative models-it would really add to the reviews. The thing about these 1999-2001 sets is that they had infinite amounts of potential in terms of parts and the main builds were, for the most part, fantastic.

Also, could a mod add a poll to this review?

[becauseBATMAN]

awesome! I love the classic X wing from lego system