Thursday, October 23, 2014

B-Wing (#75050)

This is Lego's third kick at the B-Wing model, and in my opinion the best of the three.

The front view. Since it doesn't have 6208's flick missiles, the front grills are more detailed. One thing I liked more about the other version is the curved wings. These wings are just flat, which to me doesn't seem right.

Close-up of the rotating cockpit section. I do prefer the new guns here to the old ones. This cockpit is also rounder than the prior version, which just seems like a better fit.

It comes with three minifigs (L to R): Ten Numb, General Airen Cracken, and B-Wing pilot. Ten and the pilot both come with alternate expressions.

Rear view. Here's another area I feel was better on 6208 (and I may retro-fit), I just don't like the look of the engines with the cone pieces. The ship design has engines more in-line with the 6208 model.

The plans call for a spring-loaded missile launcher on each wing, but I took them out. These ones are still a bit too long in relation to the main guns, but they'll do for now.

The 6208 model was designed to stand like this, but it's more difficult with this model (took me a few times, and then I had to be pretty quick with the camera to get this shot).

A closer view of the lower guns. While not elaborate, I do like this design better than the prior version.

Here they are together for comparison (6208 is the one in the back). This one is a bit longer in the wings. Shortly before purchasing this one, I noticed the "neck" section of 6208 was starting to bow under the weight of the cockpit section. The new design has a much shorter neck which should resolve that problem.

Wrap-up and scoring
  • Features: 8/10 - The rotating cockpit and folding wings are really all this model has in terms of features. At least the previous model had the cool service bay stand to go with it. 
  • Design: 8/10 - They fixed a few of what I felt were design flaws from the last version, but I would've preferred the non-cone engine design.
  • Price: 8/10 - The price is in-line with the piece count for the set. It wasn't an amazing deal, but at the same time I don't feel like I over-paid for the set.
  • Minifigs: 10/10 - Three really good minifigs with the set, can't complain at all. The pilot helmet design is awesome, and two of the three figures have alternate expressions. And with printed legs for all three, good job. 
  • Overall Score: 8.5/10. This one has such a great "swoosh factor" to it. There aren't many things I would change. 

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