Star Wars

A-Wing Starfighter

A gorgeous underdog of the UCS lineup, if you forgive the wobbly engines.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 75275 · 2020

Pieces1,672

Minifigs1

Year2020

Set number75275

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The verdict

The A-wing never gets the love the X-wing and Falcon do, and that's exactly why I have a soft spot for this LEGO® set.

The shaping is honestly beautiful, all those smooth red curves nailing a ship that's basically one big aerodynamic wedge. Just know going in that the engines and rear cowlings attach with fiddly single points, so it's a display piece you'll want to move carefully. If you love the odd ships more than the famous ones, this one's for you.

Best for: Star Wars collectors who root for the underdog ships over the greatest hits

The full review

What it is

The A-wing has always been the ship people forget to mention. Everyone reaches for the X-wing or the Falcon, and the little red interceptor just quietly zips past in the background of Return of the Jedi. So when LEGO gave it the full Ultimate Collector Series treatment in 2020, at 1,672 pieces and around 16.5 inches long, I was quietly thrilled that one of the underdogs finally got its moment. And the finished thing really does earn it. The whole ship is a study in smooth, aggressive curves, and getting that swept-back wedge shape out of bricks is a genuine achievement. Designer Hans Burkhard Schlomer clearly cared about the source material, because the proportions and that deep red are captured beautifully.

The catch

Here's where I have to be straight with you, though. This is a gorgeous shelf piece with a real engineering weak spot. The two engines each hang on a single Technic pin, and multiple reviewers (not just me being clumsy) reported them literally dropping off while turning the model over during the build. The red cylindrical cowlings at the back attach with a brick-built hook and one pin, and it never quite feels locked down. Once it's parked on the stand and left alone, none of this matters. But if you like to pick your models up and admire them from every angle, you'll be nervous. There's also no landing gear at all, so the display stand isn't optional, it's the only way this ship stands up. And at its original $199.99, the price-per-piece felt a touch steep for what you get compared to some of its UCS siblings.

Who it's for

So who should grab it. If you're a Star Wars collector who loves the deep cuts, the ships that don't get posters and lunchboxes, this is a lovely, characterful build with shaping that rewards a close look. If you want a set you can swoosh, fidget with, and handle constantly, the fragile engines will drive you a little mad and you might be happier elsewhere. Now that it's retired, prices have crept up on the aftermarket, which stings, but it also means fewer people have this one on the shelf. For the right builder, that's part of the appeal. This one won me over slowly, and it's the kind of set I keep glancing at across the room.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build opens in the most UCS way possible, which is to say the first bag gives you nothing but a Technic frame and an internal mechanism for flipping the laser cannons. Bag two piles on more Technic for the core, and the cockpit slowly comes to life with a seat and control stick. It's patient work before it turns pretty. The real payoff comes when you start dropping the angled slope sections into place to build up the hull, and there's one lovely moment where a 2x6 angled piece slots into a gap and fits so perfectly you'll grin. A lot of these panels lock on with only two connection points, cleverly positioned so they hold firm despite the smooth exterior. The rear engines and cowlings are the exception, and that's the part of the build that'll test your patience.

On pieces, this is a shaping-and-slopes set more than a rare-parts set, so temper your expectations if you're a parts hunter. The value is in the sheer volume of red curved slopes and wedge plates you get, which are genuinely useful for anyone who builds their own ships. You also get the standard UCS goodies: the printed information plaque, the adjustable display stand, and the A-wing Pilot minifig with the classic helmet. At 1,672 pieces for what was $199.99, it's not the strongest price-per-piece in the UCS range, but a chunk of that cost is buying you specialized angled elements that make the smooth hull possible rather than a bin of basic bricks.

Fun facts

01The A-wing is canonically the fastest starfighter in the Rebel fleet in normal flight, quicker even than the Empire's TIE interceptor.
02Its most famous screen moment is grim: at the Battle of Endor, Green Leader Arvel Crynyd's crippled A-wing crashes into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, sending the whole flagship down into the second Death Star.
03This was the first-ever Ultimate Collector Series A-wing, arriving in 2020, decades after the ship's 1983 debut in Return of the Jedi.
04The design team deliberately chose pivoting laser cannons over fixed ones, deciding the play-and-pose feature mattered more than static screen accuracy.