Review: 75160 U-wing
Posted by CapnRex101,
The fourth series of Microfighters is based entirely on craft from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and 75160 U-wing is perhaps the most appealing of these. The U-wing is very prominent in the film and the set also includes an exclusive U-wing Pilot minifigure.
Your enjoyment of this Microfighter will likely depend on your opinion of the U-wing as the vehicle has been fairly divisive since it was revealed during the summer. Nevertheless, I have been eager to take a closer look at the model and the minifigure alone justifies the price of the set for me!
Minifigure
This U-wing Pilot is an exceptional minifigure. He wears a brand new helmet which is moulded in black, white and trans-yellow plastic, with the latter being used for the visor in much the same way as it was for the Resistance Pilots released with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The helmet is also decorated with some intricate printing including the Rebel Alliance crest and a couple of victory tallies on either side.
Furthermore, a comlink extends from the left side of the helmet, completing one of the most impressive minifigure elements I can recall seeing in any LEGO set. The rest of the figure is relatively pedestrian, although the torso and legs feature an accurate flight suit design on the front and back while the head is double-sided to show a smile on one side and a determined grimace on the other. He is armed with a standard blaster pistol.
Rebel pilots can often be differentiated according to their helmet designs but the name of this character remains elusive. Owners of Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide will be able to spot the likely basis for this minifigure in the bottom corner of page 170 but he has not been identified by name thus far.
The Completed Model
The design of the U-wing seems to divide opinion among Star Wars fans but this model is undoubtedly recognisable and I think it effectively recreates the unique shape of the craft in the film. The S-foils look great in their forward position and I like the squashed proportions of the model, although this does not follow through to the engine nacelles which are more traditionally designed and they look slightly awkward as a result.
The underside includes a pair of trans-black 1x1 slopes which represent the ventral viewport and that looks great but the bright yellow 1x2 plate is rather unattractive and a grey piece should perhaps have been used instead.
A pair of stud shooters are mounted between the wings just like the laser cannons on the vehicle in the movie. You can comfortably seat a minifigure in the cockpit but there is no room to store his pistol so he has to hold it even while flying the UT-60D.
The wings fold back for interstellar flight while the narrower profile is better suited to atmospheric combat. I am quite impressed that this feature has been squeezed into such a tiny model, although the short length of the wings does look a little odd in this configuration so I wonder whether they could have been a stud longer. Moreover, I am not keen on the exposed appearance of the stud shooters without the wings folded forward.
A few dark bluish grey elements represent some engine detailing and the four nacelles are formed using a typical combination of cylinders and Technic pieces. They are a little longer than they should be and this is perhaps the most significant issue with the entire model as while the forward section is considerably shortened, in keeping with the style of previous Microfighters, the aft is lengthened. This yields a bizarre combination of different proportions which is somewhat disappointing.
Overall
The minifigure is undoubtedly the most impressive aspect of this set and I think that alone justifies the price of £8.99 or $9.99, such is its quality. I am also fairly satisfied with the U-wing but there are one or two issues which could easily have been rectified, most notable of which is definitely the proportions in my opinion.
However, despite its shortcomings this is still a good set on the whole, marked out in particular by a truly extraordinary minifigure. It is a worthy purchase even at full price but the model is perhaps not as pleasing as a couple of the other new Microfighters.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
73 likes
25 comments on this article
Can you please do a retrospective on Leia?
Thanks for the great review. I would love to see a Leia tribute as well.
Leia and R2 :-)
I would like to see a small vignette set released by LEGO depicting the scene where Leia uploads the Death Star plans into R2. Pretty easy to MOC but an official set would a superb tribute in my opinion
RIP Leia :((
I think i'll buy Krennic's Shuttle because I'm not particulary keen on rebel microfighters. Thx for ur great review.
Highest piece count (109) of any Microfighter to date:
http://brickset.com/sets?query=microfighter
(But that does include the stud shooter ammo.)
Absolutely LOVE this little set! Great minifigure too, as always with the Microfighters.
I hadn't come here to say this, but seeing the other comments, yes I agree a retrospective on Leia might be appropriate...
Would have loved to get that minifigure in the $79 set, but I'm satisfied with what I got. These MF are sometimes great army builders.
Another great MF.
This is cheeky, isn't it? You don't get a pilot with the larger set for the U-Wing or Krennic's Shuttle - have to alsobbuy the Micro version to get a pilot!
You can put the pistol in the back jumper plate. :)
Seems odd that they put the expensively moulded helmet in the £9 microfighter and not the £70 U-Wing or £65 Y-Wing, but it's better than not getting it at all I guess.
Y-Wing is probably the only microfighter I will be getting this series.
That's why it looked so weird to me! The proportions! With a little modification this'll be great. Might buy it now. Thanks!
Nice little build. I might use the pilot on a Scarif MOC.
Looking forward to picking this up
Thanks for the review, this will probably be the first of Series 4 I'll pick up. The minifig looks great but I agree about the awkwardness of the design when the wings are open. I'd be tempted to take out the shooters and replace them with a slope to get a nicer looking ship.
I will have to buy 2 of these to finallyhave cool pilots for my 31039: Blue Power Jet. Been kicking myself for a year not getting 2 of the 75003-1: A-wing Starfighter which in my opinion had the best pilot minifig before this set. Thanks for great review!
Just wish this was available in the US. =(
another microfighter to the collection... i just buy them automatically as they come out, they rarely disappoint. :P
The minifigure is superb, and being honest that's the only reason people actually buy microfighters
When will this be available in the US? I can't find it anywhere. The build of the ship is awesome!
I am wondering why there is only four microfighters in this series, it would be nice if there were six like normal. Unless, two more are coming out later this year. This microfighter is pretty cool since its wings can fold.
@ speedchampionsfan - not so, I like the models - they make neat little desktop ornaments and they are good fun for kids to play with.
@ hawkibro - yes I wondered why only 4 this time around. They could have done a reissue of the X-Wing from series 1 - maybe in different colours - and the big ATAT or the cargo shuttle?
I will hopefully be getting this one, along with the tie striker MF.
The folding wings are a nice touch.