Snowspeeder UCS
September 2017
Dave
Dave
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Manufacturer:
LEGO, product code 75144
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Size:
39L x 29W x 21H cm (Lego mini-figure scale-ish)
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Year of release:
2017
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Price:
£170 - £190 ($200 - $250)
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For a while now I have wanted one of the vaunted LEGO UCS models. But for one reason or another I have not been able to get one. Price is one of the factors, having a young family, the price tags for the UCS models tend to prevent me going out and getting one.
But I have bit the bullet so to speak and decided to finally get one. I went for the UCS Snowspeeder, a recent release by LEGO, in part because it is reasonably priced and in part because I loved the ships from Episode V. At the time of writing the new UCS Millennium Falcon has just been released at £650 so I am using that as a rational for claiming the snowspeeder is ‘reasonably’ priced. So, this will be my largest set to date. The box weighs a decent 2.5kg (that’s just over 5.5lbs) and is 58cm x 38cm x 8cm in size. I have noticed that for larger LEGO sets the size of the box is a good indicator to the size of the final model and LEGO doesn’t tend to use excessively sized boxes to make the sets look bigger. So first impressions are looking good. |
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Upon opening the box and tipping out the contents, this impression is reinforced with thirteen bags of pieces tumbling out, and a meaty instruction manual. 298 pages of details and instructions – 462 individual steps. In total there are 1,703 pieces to this set. Wow! This is a monster build.
As with previous sets I was helped by my youngest son who enjoys hunting out the pieces and helping build parts of the kit. As with many modern LEGO sets, the kit incorporates both ‘normal’ LEGO pieces and those that would have originally just been found in LEGO Technic sets. These Technic pieces are used to enable a rigid superstructure – the pieces ‘click’ together to create a more robust frame, and to allow for movement – where cogs and wheels make the individual parts turn. These Technic pieces also feature as part of the stand for the snowspeeder – a clever, stable base that repositions to display the snowspeeder in a couple of positions but which also allows for quick release of the model. |
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The age on the kit implies 14 and above, and I must admit it is a more complex build than many I have, although my recent First Order Heavy Walker set is perhaps just as complex, if not as large. I would say that the set would be more suited to an experienced LEGO collector as it is detailed and intricate.
As with other sets, the bags are numbered 1 to 13 and the instructions take you through each bag in turn. The set took us over 5 hours to build, and I would say that you should be prepared to invest anything from four hours and a full day – so be prepared! The final model is incredibly detailed. The stand comes with a great ‘facts’ plaque displaying a range of technical specifications about the ‘real world’ snowspeeder – as though it were a real aircraft. The cockpit opens and is resplendent in screens and control panels, with two back to back seats as in the movie. The rear seat is for the gunner, controlling backwards facing gun / harpoon (used in the movie to great effect when tripping up the marching AT-ATs). The rear gunner control, when tilted left and right, turns the harpoon on its axis. |
And this is not the only hidden control. For instance, by turning the engine exhausts, the upper surface air brakes lift from their housings, allowing you to pose the model as though it is turning. Below the wings are two more air brakes which can also be deployed.
The kit comes with two mini-figures, and neither are named. One is the pilot and the other the gunner. Neither figure is wearing the helmets worn by Luke and Dak in the battle of Hoth, so I can only assume these are from another crew. Given the increased size of the kit neither figure actually fits the cockpit as they are a little too small. The figures can be mounted either side of the model on the stand, and this is perhaps the best place to leave them.
I love this kit. It is a very good display piece and a great piece of LEGO engineering. The designer has done a fantastic job of bringing the iconic snowspeeder to LEGO and is a worthy piece for any LEGO collector’s collection.
It’s perhaps not the best value kit you will find, but from watching the value of UCS sets soar after they have been retired I would say that it is probably a good investment. That said, to make sure the kit increases in value over time the best, building and displaying the model is perhaps not the wisest of decisions. But, I am a Star Wars collector because I love the Star Wars products (and I have always been a massive fan of LEGO) not for their future value, so, for me, there was never going to be a choice of “should I keep the set boxed or not”.
As an added bonus the front of the booklet is given over to nine pages of background (something you would never discover unless you opened the box!). These pages cover the design of the movie ship itself (and its background as though it is a real aircraft) as well as introducing the LEGO team who brought it to the small brick scale.
There are interviews with the set’s designer (Jordan David Scott), the graphic designer who worked on the mini-figures (Marie Sertillanges) and the art director who designed the packaging (Michael Sion). With this being my first UCS set I can only assume this additional material is normal for the enhanced kits. And it’s something I really like. I guess I will have to get my hands on another UCS set to find out!
The kit comes with two mini-figures, and neither are named. One is the pilot and the other the gunner. Neither figure is wearing the helmets worn by Luke and Dak in the battle of Hoth, so I can only assume these are from another crew. Given the increased size of the kit neither figure actually fits the cockpit as they are a little too small. The figures can be mounted either side of the model on the stand, and this is perhaps the best place to leave them.
I love this kit. It is a very good display piece and a great piece of LEGO engineering. The designer has done a fantastic job of bringing the iconic snowspeeder to LEGO and is a worthy piece for any LEGO collector’s collection.
It’s perhaps not the best value kit you will find, but from watching the value of UCS sets soar after they have been retired I would say that it is probably a good investment. That said, to make sure the kit increases in value over time the best, building and displaying the model is perhaps not the wisest of decisions. But, I am a Star Wars collector because I love the Star Wars products (and I have always been a massive fan of LEGO) not for their future value, so, for me, there was never going to be a choice of “should I keep the set boxed or not”.
As an added bonus the front of the booklet is given over to nine pages of background (something you would never discover unless you opened the box!). These pages cover the design of the movie ship itself (and its background as though it is a real aircraft) as well as introducing the LEGO team who brought it to the small brick scale.
There are interviews with the set’s designer (Jordan David Scott), the graphic designer who worked on the mini-figures (Marie Sertillanges) and the art director who designed the packaging (Michael Sion). With this being my first UCS set I can only assume this additional material is normal for the enhanced kits. And it’s something I really like. I guess I will have to get my hands on another UCS set to find out!