LEGO Star Wars B-Wing Starfighter 10227

I am a very big fan of lego's star wars Ultimate collectors series (UCS) models. On the other hand I own only a few other Lego models and no other Star Wars models. The thing to remember about UCS is that they are designed to be very large detailed models for those demanding faithful reproduction of their favorite Star Wars ships. They are not designed to be played with by little kids. With those two things in mind we move on to the Pros and Cons. Pros: Lego has thought this UCS out well, the assembly instructions are very easy to follow along with the fact that they numbered the bags breaking up the build into easy to manage steps. You can open one part pack, build that part then take a break without having a bunch of loose legos to worry about losing. Or you can easily split up the build between multiple people turning it into a family project without having everyone dig through a big pile of Legos. The level of detail on this model is very well done, with the fully rotating cockpit to the engine assembly. The other thing that was done well is the level of scale over the whole model. Everything is in the right scale to it's self, and nothing appears to be oversize or undersized which is a problem with Lego's smaller B-wing model. Over all size, this model is huge at 26" from gun pod to cockpit and 15" wide with the s-foils deployed. This thing gets noticed by people looking at it. It is much larger then contemporary plastic models and looks just as good even if its made out of legos. Cons: At the current cost of $200 it is expensive to buy. Previous lego UCS around this number of parts (1487) have retailed for less than $150, while the Imperial Shuttle (10212) with 2,503 pieces retailed for $250, though it is cheaper than LEGO® Star Wars Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter (10215) currently $124 at 676 pieces. You are paying around 14 cents a Lego. Poor design of the cockpit canopy, it is only held in place by a supporting ring and is not snapped into anything so it rattles a little bit when you pick the model up and move it around. Also Lego could have covered the bottom of the S-foils with smooth plates like they covered the top of the S-foils. Summery Over all I found the model well worth the money and a great display piece next to my UCS y-wing, snow speeder and imperial shuttle. To me, I am all about detail and size and this model gives both of those in spades. These new UCS look better than the old ones that lego has made and they are much easier to assemble, and they also hold up better. In the end this model is definitely a five star toy for those Star Wars fans that also like Legos. For me, the only type of legos Star Wars models to own are the UCS. The other models just don't have the detail that I want. If you have older kids that are into static models then this would be a good choice for a family present. This is a Lego for those that want a very large detailed model of a Star Wars B-wing, if that's what you want than you shouldn't be disappointed with this at all. Read more

A good Ultimate Collector Series LEGO ship. Building the ship: Instructions are clear, though they do test the young builder's eyes as he/she scans the images. My 5 year 6 month old son finished building it in 7.5 hours, through following the 3 step-by-step instruction booklets that come in the box. All I had to do was help him build the mirror image part where it occurred, which is rare; and join the main body to the lower wing, as the number of sockets and bars requires a considerable amount of strength (which is the one part of this kit where the very young child probably needs an older person's help.) Completed ship size: The picture on the box is a very close approximation of the toy's actual size. Ship's length (when placed on its side, wings folded), is just under 70 cm. When completed and placed on the stand, the top of the ship is a little over 40cm above the surface the stand is placed on. Keep this in mind if you intend to order or fashion a display cabinet whose dimensions would allow this toy to fit without an unnecessarily high roof. Suitability for play: Not at all. The completed ship is very heavy and bulky, and any swinging or simulation of rapid flight (by waving it about) will often result in some parts falling off. See below. Fragility and considerations for repair: As with a LEGO set of this size, it tends to break apart easily if dropped or knocked to the ground. The back of the cockpit, two side wings where they attach to the long wing, and the gun pod at the base of the long wing are most prone to this. - If this happens and the side wings are somehow still re-attached, ensure they are firmly in place before trying to rejoin the other broken-off sections. - If one or both side wings are broken off, I suggest repairing each individual section fully, re-attach the other sections first, and re-attach the side wings Last. The axial stressors that occur if you attempt to join the other sections on whilst the side wings are not fully and firmly re-attached has the tendency to cause these side wings to fall off. Read more

When I saw this kit was available, I couldn't stop myself. The B-Wing was always my absolute favorite Star Wars starfighter, despite its two or three seconds on screen through the entire trilogy. The kit was a blast to put together, and I was surprised by how solid the model feels despite its enormous size. It is now the envy of the workplace as it decorates my desk. =) Read more

I tried and tried to put this set together, but it just would not stay together. The side wings would fall off no matter what I tried to do. The back of the top part kept falling off, and the bottom part kept coming apart. I finally wrote on the box NO GOOD. I tried sending it back to Amazon, but it cost too much to do that, so I'm going to keep the pieces and with pieces from other old sets, make a Star Trek starship. Read more

What's not to like? The B-Wing was one of my favorite starfighters from the X-Wing video game series, and to have it get the "star treatment" from LEGO in the form of an Ultimate Collector's Series set is just great. The set is highly detailed and very true to the design of the ship, down to the independently rotating cockpit module. The set is built in four major sections: the engine block, the primary wing, the cockpit, and the smaller secondary wings. The main wing and cockpit tower connect to the engine section with technic pins, and the smaller wings with six, toothed connections, which allows them to fold. Being a UCS set, it's not really designed to be played with, unless it's a bigger kid. The model is 26" long by 15" wide, so it's very sizeable. It looks awesome on my shelf. Overall, it's fun to build, and one awesome looking ship. If you're a Star Wars fan, or a fan of the X-Wing computer games, this is a must. 5/5. Read more