Preview: 75144 Snowspeeder
Posted by CapnRex101,
The Ultimate Collector's Series was lambasted last year but the announcement of 75144 Snowspeeder seems to have been met with an exceedingly positive reaction. The T-47 Airspeeder is a very popular vehicle and was previously rendered at this scale in 10129 Rebel Snowspeeder, an impressive model which now commands a high price.
However, fourteen years have passed since the earlier set was released and relatively few fans have been collecting consistently since 2003. Furthermore, the range of parts available has altered quite dramatically during that time so this model appears to be a considerable improvement over the original and is therefore a worthy successor in my opinion.
The set measures 39cm in length so is a little shorter than its predecessor but the piece count has risen from 1457 to 1703. This is unsurprising as 10129 Rebel Snowspeeder made extensive use of slopes while this set relies primarily upon layered plates which will necessitate a greater number of pieces. The price has also increased from £109.99 or $129.99 to £169.99 or $199.99, although I think this seems reasonable when compared with similar UCS sets which are currently available.
The shape of the Snowspeeder is notoriously difficult to recreate but I think this model fairs very well in that regard. The 2x4 slopes used on the original model resulted in some unsightly gaps but this set suffers from no such issues, with angled plates tessellating nicely to form a solid bank of armour. The new canopy element has also allowed the designer to ensure the accuracy of the cockpit and this lines up perfectly with the central armoured section at the front, as you can see in the image below.
I also appreciate the angling of the laser cannons which fire to a single point, just as in the movie. This is a subtle feature but it seems to have been implemented well and I am hoping that they will be held in place securely given that each cannon appears to be anchored to the wing in three places. The greebling at the base of the power coupling looks great and I like the orange highlights which present an attractive contrast against the white hull across the entire vehicle.
However, many of these orange designs are represented by stickers and these are particularly prevalent on the cockpit. A total of 35 stickers are included and this has been the subject of much criticism. Printed parts are certainly preferable but I think it would be unrealistic to expect so many elements to be printed. Perhaps the cockpit canopy could have been printed as it is often quite tricky to apply stickers to transparent pieces, as was most clearly exhibited in 10240 Red Five X-wing Starfighter. On the other hand, printing would restrict the versatility of the new windscreen so I am sure MOC builders will be glad of the option to leave the stickers off.
The interior of the cockpit is impressively detailed and the designer video reveals that moving the targeting yoke will cause the harpoon launcher to rotate. It is also possible to open the dorsal airbrakes by turning the thrust nozzles at the back of the model. UCS models rarely include play features but these are excellent as they appear to work very well and do not interfere with the appearance of the model. I find the rear view to be one of the most impressive as the heat dispersion fins are accurately represented using plates, marking a considerable improvement over the bricks which appeared on 10129 Rebel Snowspeeder.
A black display stand and plaque complete the set. This features some technical information about the T-47 Airspeeder and appears to be free of errors, although sources tend to disagree regarding whether the flight ceiling is 175 metres or 175 kilometres. Wookieepedia gives the former while various Star Wars reference books describe a maximum altitude of 175 kilometres. I welcome the return to large scale display models like this one as it is almost two years since the last, 75095 TIE Fighter, was released.
The designer video suggests that the two minifigures should be identifiable based on their helmets but I have not been able to establish who they belong to. The gunner's helmet is similar to that worn by Kesin Ommis but the stripe is the wrong colour and the pilot's helmet resembles that of Zev Senesca, although that too is not an exact match for the design in the film as the sides should be white. Regardless of their identities, I am pleased to see some exclusive minifigures included and their printed arms look splendid. Let us know if you have any suggestions regarding the names of these pilots in the comments below.
The Ultimate Collector's Series range was very disappointing last year but 75144 Snowspeeder marks a welcome return to form. There appears to be little room for improvement and it has been over a decade since the previous model was released so enough time has passed to warrant a remake in my opinion. However, there are many other vehicles from the Star Wars universe which have yet to be created at this scale and it might have been nice to see something brand new, particularly since this will probably not be the last UCS remake of the year.
What do you think of the model and which Star Wars vehicle would you most like to see as a UCS set in future? Share your views in the comments.
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30 comments on this article
An excellent preview of an excellent looking set.
I look forward to the brickset review of it.
Thoughtfully written and a good read taking into account the public opinion so far. Agreed on all points, especially happy we're getting into large scale sets again. I would love to see a UCS EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, or really any Mon Calamari ship. A Cloud City UCS would be amazing too, and a nice homage to the famous set.
I think 175 metres is more likely. The International Space Station orbits at only around 250km above earth.
It's an improvement, but definitely not a perfect copy of the 'real' Snowspeeder. The wing guns should be recessed more into the wing, and the cockpit side windows are inaccurate. The front angles also seem a little too sharp in comparison to the movie model. Still, I sort of like it, but it's nowhere near as nice as the UCS Slave I was.
These stickers should be much easier to apply to the canopy than many other windscreen stickers since they are white-backed, only cover the amount of space that is decorated, and are still basically lined up with the edges of the piece rather than floating in the center somewhere.
I really, really hope that they don't remake the Millennium Falcon this year as it would be insanely expensive. A remake of the Tantive IV would be great however. After all, this year is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and the Tantive IV is the first vehicle that we get to see in Episode IV. They could sell the set for 250+ Euro (as opposed to 600+ Euro for a Millennium Falcon).
@deikoon
Perhaps Tantive IV could be saved for 2019, 10 years after the last model and the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, and a UCS millennium falcon wouldn't be so bad and would make a spectacular 40th anniversary model. Anyway regarding the price it would certainly be cheaper than what resellers want for the original.
Neat. I really like the look.
Also when is the Silent Mary review coming?
Anyway concerning the T-47 itself ,as I don't mind stickers the only con for me would be how small the LEGO AT-ATs would look next to it.(someone needs to take a picture of it taking down 75054 :)
Great write up, been waiting a long time for this to be confirmed (date etc)
Have always loved the shape of the Snowspeeder, with the original way to expensive this is a brilliant way to add this to my collection.
May being the 40th Anniversary of ANH I think this was a miss, a big miss.
Especially with Rogue One in recent memory the remake should have been Tantive IV, or to finally get the anticipated (understatement) MF.
The other UCS I was hoping to see are;
- Star Destroyer: it has been a while since the previous UCS, and would have also tied in with the 40th anniversary
- TIE Bomber - seen some very impressive MOCs recently
- Nebulon B Frigate - just needs to happen
I think one argument against a UCS Star Destroyer or UCS TIE Bomber this year is that I think we will see a First Order Star Destroyer and First Order TIE Bomber for the Last Jedi sets in September
It's been 14 years? Geez time flies. I can definitely see Lego's business case for the remake then.
@generalkenobi94
Zev Senesca I would agree with, but his gunner Kit Valent had a nice mustache. The only other Rogue Squadron member matching the second minifigure I could find is Nala Hetsime, but like Zev he is also a pilot.
I will be purchasing this one as I missed out on the original.
One ship I feel has been overlooked in the UCS range has been the A-Wing. It plays a much more pivotal role on the film screen in the Battle of Endor than any of the B-Wings did and we got a UCS B-Wing.
"particularly since this will probably not be the last UCS remake of the year."
Intriguing ;-)
It seems to be an amazing model, but I'm not sure to get it, as my system scale models will suddenly be so tiny (and I love to keep them on display), as it is a little too expensive (would have said 160-170€ for this) and the stickers on the windscreen really worries me. I don't have anything against putting on all the stickers on the Speed Champions sets, as I pay 12€ for those cars each, but here I'm sad to see so many "difficult" stickers.
What I would love to see in UCS? A minifig Tantive IV (like a mixture of the 2 we had), Poe's X-wing and the return to some 100€ UCS sets: Cloud Car (yeah I just like it, I know...), IG-88, Speeder Bike. All those shouldn't be made in the 200€ region. But that's why I'm afraid we never see them, as Lego wants to earn some real money with UCS sets.
This may be slightly off-topic, but one thing I find interesting is the fact that the "bevel gear Z20" (http://brickset.com/parts/design-32198) has been recolored from tan to light bluish gray for this set.
I remember back when the Ideas Exo-Suit was released, someone (on Reddit) asked the designer Mark Stafford why they hadn't included the gear in gray on the shoulders, like in Peter Ried's original model. Mark replied that the piece was "color-locked" to tan, but now it's been recolored for this set (and 2009's 21003 Seattle Space Needle)?
Maybe they reserve "color-lock violations" for premium sets, but I would probably consider the Exo-Suit in that category. Also, they did something similar to the pneumatic t-piece (http://brickset.com/parts/design-4697) when they cast it in black for the minifig-scale Minecraft sets (and recently in gold in 75524 Chirrut Imwe) -- those certainly weren't what I'd call "premium sets."
The non-gray t-piece seems to have found its way into several sets by now, but I'm wondering if this light bluish gray gear might remain somewhat "restricted" due to its similarity to the also-light bluish gray Cone Wheel Z20 (http://brickset.com/parts/design-87407).
In any case, I'm sure many space builders will be glad of its availability!
^Exactly, I believe it was 2013 or such since we received a Snowspeeder pilot (excluding Luke) that had a non-genetic face; the one they've been using is not very good because it doesn't allow a grimace or non-dramatic face.
I'd like to see a UCS Imperial Cargo Shuttle or a UCS Finalizer Star Destroyer.
This looks great. Currently got over £200 of VIP points to spend after the recent double points promotion and I was waiting for something special to come along; this is it.
I'll hold out until the May the 4th event where I should get a polybag and maybe even a reduced price.
@Henry_D
I think they went for accuracy over play features, you know the opposite of assault on Hoth :)
"Wow! Nice shot Jansen!" I'm going to have to rethink my checklist after seeing this.
I didn't buy the first one as it just looked all wrong. This is a massive improvement and definitely on my list. Though it seems ridiculous to include minifigures in a set built to this scale.
I wonder if keylight figures can fit inside? Unfortunately, the only suitable one seem to be Poe Dameron, although he has a dark orange outfit. At least the face and helmet could be modified. That they haven't done Luke in his orange flight suit (or Leia even) in keylight form is a pretty poor show.
Printed bricks for UCS, enough of the stickers. Still gonna get this set though, my son already said he wants it too..
I'm hoping Lego will re-mould the Rebel pilot helmet with a built in visor, like the resistance pilot helmet. That way more distinctive pilots can get realistic heads
@goldenguy880: The most probable situation is that Lego has relaxed their rules about color locking, either specifically for that piece or in general. Many previously color-locked parts have recently had their color options expanded—for instance, look at Technic axles, which were locked to black for even lengths and grey for odd lengths a few years back but recently had red and yellow added as options for even and odd, respectively. In that case, the change seems to have been made to ease identification in larger Technic sets, to allow for better color schemes in models which have exposed axles, and to allow for contrasting colors in sets that are mostly black or grey. That's not to say that color-locking doesn't still exist in some cases (for instance, most axles with stops are still limited to one color at any given time, and even for regular axles I don't see them doing even-numbered axles in yellow or grey or odd-numbered axles in red or black in the near future). But Lego seems to now recognize that even a systematic approach to color-coding can still allow for a certain amount of variation.
Like many of us, Empire was for me the best of the Star Wars original films, only two vehicles ever stood out for me...the T-47 and the AT-AT. Please to see this set upgraded and re-released. Been saving for it!
I like this set alot! When I can afford it, I will definetly get it. but first I need the to buy th UCS TIE-fighter. In the Future I want to see something from the prequels to make be turned into an UCS-set, i.e. the Venator, ARC-170, Invisible Hand, LAAT/c or the Naboo N-1-starfighter. As for OT, I want to see the Medical frigatte or Mon Calamari Home One. A bust of Darth Vader would be interesting to see.
For UCS-playset, I want to see Kaskyyk or Coruscant (the jeditemple maybe?). I desire my Clones in any way possible!
^I couldn't agree more. This set is incredible and I will get it, but I'd love to see more UCS from the prequels. Those who grew up with those films are now old enough to be interested in and afford UCS sets.
A maximum altitude of 175m seems a little low, but 175km is definitely too high.
Apparently astronauts can qualify as being in space after 80km.
Scientists at the University of Calgary pegged the space boundary at 118km.
The space shuttle apparently switched from thrusters to control surfaces on re-entry at 122km.
These are values for Earth, and are presumably subject to some variation on other planets.