Review: X-wing Starfighter (#9493)

You can’t be a LEGO fan and a Star Wars fan and not have built an X-Wing. It seems like LEGO releases one every other year or so. There are five sets at this “mini-figure” size including the latest release.  Each time we’ve seen some improvements (and not such great “improvements”).

The latest iteration has some nice build features to it, but also seems to be sacrificing a bit of detail. It’s hard to say that these misses make the craft more fun to play with – though it is very swooshable.  Here are our thoughts on the build process.

Co-Build Rating: 4/5

This is a medium size set with numbered bags which provides good opportunities to built together. The first two bags build out the fuselage, while the next two build out the wings. The last bag contains the engines and guns. We divided up the work with Sam building the wings while I put together the fuselage. As the you are building 2x of 2 wings, this can put a bit of work on the wing builder. I eventually stepped in and helped with the last bit of work.  The wings do not have the detail we’ve seen on past X-Wings, but they are pretty robust.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

The X-Wing Starfighter is a nice set, however, there were some odd choices that leave the set looking incomplete. The back part of the engines connect to a White Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular piece which normally would be fine. However, there is nothing to cover this connection. The engines just kind of peg into the back of the ship and the connector just sticks out like a sore thumb. I also felt that the White 3×6 33 degree slops needed some detail on them (sticker or otherwise). They seem very unfinished.

Another feature I did not like was the front assembly. The use of technic axles and connectors seemed like a bit of a cheap shot. It’s sturdy enough when done, but it almost feels like a lazy way to do it.

I do think the guns are an improvement over past iterations and Sam thought they were pretty cool. The option to put 1×1 tiles on the wings to go from Red 5 to Red 6 is a neat option. I’m also pleased with the addition of Porkin’s as a pilot. A neat nod to the Star Wars fan community IMO.  Sam was also a big fan of the wings and how they popped open and snapped shut.

The $60 price tag feels a bit high for this set. It’s a lot of fun, but it feels like it is aimed more at kids and $60 is a lot of money for a toy like this. I can’t recommend it at this price, though if it’s on sale it might be worth it.