Tag Archives: A-Wing

Felt cute, might bring down a Super Star Destroyer later

I love it when LEGO builders use unexpected pieces in their creations. There’s even contests revolving around using a seed part in a variety of builds. After all, LEGO is all about creativity, and thinking outside the box. I (Mansur “Waffles” Soeleman) grew up with Technic and Bionicle, which both contain strange LEGO parts that you don’t see mixed with the usual building system. However, I am a firm believer that even the most unconventional LEGO parts can fit perfectly with the common ones. That was partly my inspiration in building a perfectly minifigure-scale RZ-1 A-wing Starfighter from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

RZ-1 A-wing Starfighter

Find out about the build process and the weird parts Waffles used to build his A-wing!

LEGO Star Wars 75275 A-wing Starfighter, the latest Ultimate Collector Series vehicle [Review]

Last month LEGO revealed the next set in the Ultimate Collector Series would be 75275 A-wing Starfighter, making it available May 1 just in time for May the Fourth celebrations. Due to the current global pandemic, LEGO’s shipping department wasn’t able to get us an early copy, but we’ve finally got our hands on the set to bring you an in-depth review. The new Rebel fighter has 1,673 pieces and is available now for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99.

Click to read the full review

LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter now available with other May the Fourth deals [News]

LEGO is kicking off Star Wars Day celebrations early ahead of May the Fourth by launching the 75275 A-wing Starfighter. In addition to the UCS A-wing becoming available, LEGO is offering 40407 Death Star II Battle as a free gift with Star Wars purchases more than US $75 | CAN $75 | UK £75 (available through May 4th or when supplies run out).

LEGO is also offering double VIP points on all Star Wars sets (like the new helmet series) and various deals on other Star Wars sets throughout the weekend. The new Star Wars sets join several other LEGO products that have recently become available including Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah and the buildable Minions (which both have 2x VIP points for the entire month of May).

Click to get a closer look at each new LEGO Star Wars set now available for purchase

Interview with LEGO Star Wars 75275 A-wing Starfighter designer Hans Schlömer [Feature]

Earlier this month, LEGO revealed 75275 A-wing Starfighter as the latest Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set in advance of the set’s release for the May the Fourth celebration, and normally we’d be bringing you an in-depth review of the set about now. However, like so many other areas of our lives these days, the coronavirus shutdowns have thrown a wrench into our plans, because LEGO hasn’t been able to get us an early review copy. So in the meantime, we caught up with the set’s designer, Hans Schlömer, to learn a bit more about the set.

75275 A-wing Starfighter will be available starting May 1, and will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99.

I want to note up front that I usually conduct interviews after I’ve built the set and had a hands-on experience with it, but due to current events I don’t yet have it. So my apologies if a few of these questions would be obvious after building the set. But let’s start with learning a little about you. How did you become a LEGO designer?

Hans Schlömer: 12 years ago I was hired to design 3D models for a LEGO online game. Creating LEGO models in 3D was a hobby of mine for years. Little did I know that this would also be the perfect education and training for becoming a LEGO designer!

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LEGO Star Wars gift with purchase for May the Fourth revealed as 40407 Death Star II Battle [News]

This year, for Star Wars May the Fourth weekend, LEGO suggest hopping into A-wing cockpit to take part in the Death Star battle. The upcoming promotional set revealed today, 40407 Death Star II Battle, depicts a couple of tiny Star Wars fighters swooshing by the turrets of the Empire’s notorious space base. The set will be available for free with the qualifying Star Wars purchases over $75 during May 1-4. Featuring a tiny copy of the iconic A-wing, this promotional set is a perfect gift with the purchase of the latest UCS 75275 A-wing Starfighter set revealed last week.

Click to get a closer look at the Death Star II Battle

See the new LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter in action from the designer Hans Schlömer himself [News]

Take a sneak-peek at the newly announced LEGO Star Wars UCS 75275 A-wing Starfighter hosted by the designer who created it, Hans Schlömer. He gives us a tour of one of the fastest ships in the Star Wars galaxy and talks about the scale of the model, color choice, and minifigure design.

The 1,673 piece set is the first LEGO Star Wars UCS model of an A-wing and features pivoting laser cannons, a new cockpit element, and a new pilot minifigure. The set will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99 starting May 1st, just in time for May the Fourth celebrations.

 

LEGO 75275 A-wing Starfighter revealed as next Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set [News]

LEGO has revealed the next Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set as the 75275 A-wing Starfighter. Originally sighted in The Return of the Jedi, the A-wing model comes with 1,673 pieces, pivoting laser cannons, and an A-wing Pilot minifigure.

The set will be available for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99 starting on May 1st, just in time for May the Fourth celebrations. LEGO will also offer a gift-with-purchase set featuring the “Death Star II Battle” with all Star Wars purchases more than $75 from May 1-4 or until supplies run out, as well as double VIP points on Star Wars sets and select Star Wars items on sale.

 

Take a closer look at the LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter

A-wing, transform and roll out!

Yeah, yeah, we’re featuring another Star Wars build. Or….are we? Builder Alan Yap has gone beyond the slew of Razor Crests and Baby Yodi (If that’s not the plural, it should be) by taking a RZ2 A-wing interceptor from Star Wars The Last Jedi and mashing it into the Transformers universe. This cool creation doesn’t require any rebuilding to switch between robot and vehicle modes, and it looks sweet as both.

LEGO Transformers A-wing from Star Wars

In vehicle mode, Alan gives us the shape and styling we’d expect from any stock A-wing creation. There are great part choices, like the use of life rings in the engines, and the 1×1 round tile with a star decoration near the cockpit. there are no unusual seams or weird blockiness that would suggest there was more to this build than meets the eye.

LEGO Transformers A-wing from Star Wars

The robot mode is equally impressive, with superb articulation that allows for great poses. I like that the head (made primarily from a tooth plate) has a classic Generation-1 feel to it.

LEGO Transformers A-wing from Star Wars

For even more photos, and a discussion of the design decisions that were made, I suggest you check out Alan’s post about the build. It’s fascinating reading.

LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter from The Rise of Skywalker [Review]

LEGO has released the first wave of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Rise of Skywalker, and we’ll be reviewing each one between now and the movie’s release on December 20th. First up here on TBB is 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter, which includes 269 pieces with minifigs and is available now ($29.99 USD | $39.99 CAD | £24.99 UK).

Read our hands on review of LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter

It’s the little things that cause the biggest problems

When running a Super Star Destroyer it is often easy to overlook the smaller nuisances that could cause potential turmoil. Trip hazard in compartment 4412 on deck 206, that one toilet that won’t flush by the aft galley, that doohickey shaped like a cowboy hat that keeps buzzing for some reason; all can spell tragedy when left unchecked. The imposing sight of the Star Dreadnought Executor alone was enough to frighten an entire star system into submission, so it was easy to dismiss a lone one-man rebel A-Wing as a laughable insignificant detail. Ben Cossy recreates the scene in Return of the Jedi when one such laughable insignificant detail crashed into the Executor’s command bridge, thus sending the flagship hurtling into the Death Star II. (The first also destroyed by small, laughable rebel spacecraft.)

Arvel Crynyd's Sacrifice

He calls it “Arvel Crynyd’s Sacrifice” and excellent details abound, including making use of spring shooter darts and antenna as part of the explosive effect. Meanwhile, a myriad of minifig headpieces create texture for the black smoke. The minifig officers run like the dickens as the hapless crew members do…whatever it is they do with those switches and knobs. Crynyd was posthumously awarded the New Republic Medal of Bravery for turning the battle tides in the rebel’s favor, and we can’t help but root for the underdog. If you too like the notion that the little guy can take down a vast oppressive empire, you should check out this previously featured instrument of death that was ultimately crushed by “teddy bears.”

Patrolling A-wings that would look at home in Blue Squadron

Often referred to as the fastest ship in the rebel fleet, the A-wing is definitely one of the sleekest one-man fighters to soar through that galaxy far, far away. While there have been several official sets from LEGO over the years, the attention to detail that LEGO fan creators put into models of this iconic ship never ceases to amaze me. Take this pair of A-wings by Maelven, for example. The narrow gap down the middle of the nose and inset tiles do wonders in capturing the look of its on-screen inspiration.

A-Wings Patroling

I also love the random patches of light gray and other colors that help make the fighters look a bit worn and patched. The smoothly angled sides are also well-executed. One more detail I almost missed is the blue tooth element just behind the canopy, which is spot on when compared to the A-wing model from the film.

Rebel RZ-1 A-wing interceptor gets an update

It’s been more than 10 years since Jarek shared the first version of his LEGO A-wing, a sleek starfighter first seen in Return of the Jedi. It’s always interesting to see how builders approach the same subject matter years apart, with improved building skills as well as access to new LEGO pieces. Jarek says that his updated A-wing has better proportions than the 2008 version, with properly brick-built missile launchers.

RZ-1 A-Wing

See more photos of Jarek’s A-wing along with new variants