Scale: 1/28 - about 50 cm (19 5/8") long when assembled

Parts: 1304 plastic

Instructions: Thick full-color step by step booklet - well done and nicely themed, as usual for a LEGO kit

Decals: One sheet of self-adhesive ones for some details and the base are provided with the kit

Molding Quality: 10 - perfect LEGO-bricks...

Detail: 8 - well done for a LEGO-kit which doesn't use too many "special" bricks

Accuracy: 7 - best LEGO-X-wing I know of, but a little bit out of proportion here and there

MSRP: Official LEGO-online-store-price: € 209 EUR (~$198 USD / $304 CAN) ; Usual "street"-price: approx. € 120 - 150 EUR ($114 - 142 USD / $175 - 218 CAN)

Overall Rating: An impressive, huge X-wing, and definitely NOT a toy (just look at the price...). It is more an unusual kind of a model-kit made for the child in us model-builders.

The first thing I thougt when I saw this LEGO-kit: "Wow, is that huge!" The second was: "Wow, the price is huge too...!"

Image: Special cockpit pieces

Image: Wings and canopy are positionable

Image: Top/rear view of completed kit

Image: The "data plate" sticker

• 12 plastic bags with the bricks,
• one thick, full colored step-by-step instruction book,
• one sheet with self-adhesives for some details for the engines,
• the wings and the canopy,
• and a self-adhesive sheet for the display, containing some technical data about the "Incom X-Wing-Fighter".

The model comes out really huge when completely built, approximately 50 cm (19 5/8") long. It is built in subassemblies which must be put together at the end. The problem is that the bricks of the subassemblies are mixed in the bags, so you must open them all. I suggest you find a flat area in your house or apartment without much traffic, spread all the 1304 pieces there CAREFULLY (there are a lot very small ones which are always trying to disappear...) and search, search, search. It could help to sort them by color.

Assembly is straight forward except one step, but this is definitely not made for children (LEGO itself recommended it from 14 years up). I needed two full days building it, and I'm 33 years old and have been building models for more than 25 years now! The step that is a little problem is the subassembly of the main fuselage which contains the gearbox for the movable wings. If you follow the instruction to move the mounting-points in the correct position so that the wings would face correctly when attached they WILL be wrong! I recommend to build the wings first and then test-fit them to the gear before you close the main fuselage because it is difficult to re-open it once it is finished.

The colors of the bricks are well chosen, there are hull-platings given in two different tones, but at the end the model is a bit clean (and who wants to weather a LEGO-kit?).Take it as an INCOM brand-new one, ready for being shiped to the next starfighter-store, and it's ok. The canopy and the wings can be opened and closed. Details are very good for a LEGO-model (some cockpit-parts has pre-printed details), the laser-guns has the correct different appearance (two "flat"-ones, two with the coils), but it is a little bit out of proportion - especially the engines are too small in diameter. The wings are looking good while in combat-position, but they are too thick when closed. But the overall appearance is very good, and it is a lot of fun building it. Oh, and when it should fall down you can just collect the pieces and put them together again, and no damage will be visible. Do that with a styrene or resin one!

Is it worth the price (recommended by LEGO: 209,- Euro)? Hm, regarding to the size and the number of pieces it fits into the usual LEGO-price-range, but for myself that would be much to much. Although you have to pay less usually, the average range (120,- to 150,- Euro) is still very high in my eyes. See, it is and remains a LEGO-toy-like model and not an ultimate resin-kit. Sure, it is a good one to take a little rest from the "advanced modeler syndrom", and it is an impressive display item, but I think only a real X-Wing-collector should get it for such an amount of money. I got mine for only 60,- Euro at a toy liquidation, and for that price I didn`t have to think twice.

So my recommendation: When you`re searching for the best LEGO X-wing available and you MUST have one, go get it. When you`re searching a toy for your child, get one of the smaller LEGO-X-wings available (these are better for the "wooosh"-thing too, if you know what I mean?). When you can get your hands on a cheap one, get it - if not for yourself, it will make a good and unsual gift for a model-building friend!