Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As far as overall appeal, piece count, size enhancement, and added bonuses, the 4502 X-Wing Fighter is, by far, the greatest re-release in the Star Wars Lego line. (The only other comparable re-issue might be the Falcon.) With this set you go from 263 pieces in the 7140/7142 X-Wing to 563! That's a 300-piece increase, which, by anyone's standards is worth the increase in price (I hope). And while a number of those added parts are used in Yoda's hut, the disparity between the two X-Wings is anywhere from vast to incredibly immense. The only negative difference here is the color scheme; in 'The Empire Strikes Back', the X-Wing is obviously gray, not white. But that's a minor hitch in such a beautiful set.
This set comes with three minifigs: Yoda, R2-D2 and Luke, who sports Dagobah apparel (torn green shirt, backpack) rather than the typical orange, X-Wing Fighter outfit. So you don't get Biggs Darklighter or the rebel mechanic, but that's because this is in fact a Dagobah-themed set. Along with Yoda comes his infamous hut. It can unfold from its cozy, stoplight-shape so that you can see everything inside, which includes a stovetop & saucepan and a (small) eating area. Yoda does not come with a lightsabre, but instead a walking stick. Now on to the X-Wing....
One of the first things you will notice about this set is that the way the wings extend is a great deal more complicated. In the original X-Wing, all you had to do was "click" them up or down one notch. Here, an onslaught of technic pieces come together to allow you simply to turn a knob and, thus watch the four wings move into place all at once. Most impressive. Also, the wing size is much larger, making it a wider load. The snout here is also enlarged, by about an inch, which makes it look all the more prominent. A couple more things: the area that holds R2 is, fittingly, more enclosed and the Dagobah swamp theme is carried out even on the X-Wing itself, with a couple of seaweed leaves. These are all small-but-important added bonuses.
Putting this set together took well over an hour, although it never became tedious or tiresome at any point. And I couldn't be happier with the outcome. The only thing that keeps this X-Wing from being "perfect" is its durability (or lack thereof). Here and there a piece may come flying off at you, whether it's the antennas attached to the wings or the seaweed leaves. The wings are pretty stable as long as you NEVER use your hands to move them up and down. That creates a huge re-assemblage mess I hope no one ever experiences. I guess I am inclined to say that this set works best as a displayer, as I don't recommend zooming it from Dagobah to Cloud City and back too often, if you know what I mean. All in all, I couldn't recommend a Star Wars Lego set more than this one. The price is right when you consider you're getting a much better, much bigger X-Wing and Yoda's hut--something that would have been sadly missed had it not appeared somewhere. Get this set before it zooms past you.
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Lego X-Wing Fighter (4502)
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