Welcome to an ambitious project put together by three like-minded AFOLs in an effort to take an official LEGO set and turn it into something we all wanted it to be.
It ended up taking us 6 months from when the three of us formed what we call ‘Gentlemen of the Brick’. After many revisions and prototyping, we are proud to share this with you and the LEGO Star Wars community!
Mission: To modify the official LEGO set 75355 X-wing Starfighter UCS into a more accurate screen adaptation using as much of its original ideas and pieces as possible.
We are happy to say that more than 75% of the 1949 pieces in the official LEGO set have been repurposed. Although, we ended up adding 1252 pieces to achieve this modification. It is understandable that ordering this many pieces can be quite daunting, especially if you are new to the world of LEGO modifications but rest assured, the majority of them are common and accessible parts (i.e. easy to get at a low cost).
Some key features that we have addressed with our build:
- Narrowed and angled nose section for that true 70’s dragster look.
- Each wing extended by 3 studs and closes fully together.
- S-Foil mechanism replaced with a thumb screw that is the aft panel hatch.
- Cockpit details (with custom stickers) that puts it all into scale, including the Astromech!
- Sturdier side panels with resolved collisions that were present in the original build.
- Extra detailing on the inside of each wing such as the engine bays.
- Wings that are much more rigid and less prone to drooping down.
- Reinforced stand that also have the option to display the placard on both sides.
- And many, many more details that have been incorporated.
The building instructions!
Turning all of this into something that everyone can use to transform their X-wing UCS set just by ordering the extra parts listed, we have developed a 520 step building instructions, spanning across 224 pages that carefully walks you through this rather technical build.
Accessibility!
We want this to be accessible to everyone, beginners and veterans alike. That is why we have come up with a solution to split those piles of Lego into a manageable size by using numbered sections, similar to LEGO’s numbered bags. Furthermore, it is easy to see which parts come from the original set and what parts are new in this MOD.
Extras!
We have also made some custom stickers available for you to print out and attach. Later, we may offer ready made sticker sheets for you to get your hands on…
The part lists included with the download of the building instructions contains:
- Complete build
- MOD only parts (if you already own the official Lego 75355 X-wing UCS set)
- Divided part lists (to make it easier to sort your pieces for the build)
Where to get it?
You can get the whole package over at Rebrickable.com now!
We hope you will enjoy the build experience as much as we have done developing it! Please consider taking photos of your own journey and sharing them with us.
May all our UCS X-Wing dreams come true! -GotB