LEGO® Star Wars has been an important part of the LEGO Group’s history. The introduction of the theme, 25 years ago, is often reported to have had a hand in saving the fortunes of the LEGO Group. This partnership is also the touchpaper for the LEGO Games thanks to LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game and many of the licensed sets available today. LEGO Star Wars is also a big reason why there’s been a rise in adults showing an interest in LEGO building. One of the biggest draws for AFOLs are sets dubbed Ultimate Collector Series. These larger-scale, detailed builds have recreated numerous Star Wars ships and the latest to get the UCS treatment is the TIE Interceptor. The Empire’s starfighter was one of the first ships to become a UCS set, so it’s only fitting it returns to mark 25 years of LEGO Star Wars. Here’s an early look at the set before it’s released on May 1st.
Product Details
Set Name: TIE Interceptor | Set Number: 75382 | Pieces: 1931 | Theme: LEGO Star Wars
Number of Bags: Bags x 22 + loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Characters: TIE Pilot & MSE Droid | Insiders QR: Yes
RRP: £199.99/$229.99/229.99€/349.99AUD/299.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from May 1st (Insiders) from May 4th (General)
As with other UCS sets, the instructions begin with a little word from the LEGO Star Wars Design Team along with details about the ‘real life’ ship. There’s also a list of features and that all-important ‘how to hold’ imagery and trust me, this is certainly needed for this particular set.
The build begins with the interior of the Interceptor and this is my favourite part of the set. Even though it’s hidden within the ship and isn’t easy to see or access once the rest of the ship is built around it, it’s still very detailed. This part of the ship is also where all of the stickers are used. They are applied to triangular signs and plates which form many of the ship’s screens and targeting instruments. The stickers are a little awkward to apply but they do add to the detail.
The cock pit is then used as a core to build the exterior around it. Different sections are added to achieve the spherical shape of the ship’s central cockpit area. This also gives this part of the ship a lot of texture, as a mostly grey mass of elements, layering different elements may seem unnecessary but does give the exterior some definition. There are also two large circular plates used for the cockpit’s access hatch and window screen. Be careful as you handle this particular aspect of the sets and it can easily be dislodged. This central section is also the anchor point for the set’s huge triangular wings.
Unlike the common TIE Fighter, the Interceptor’s wings form shard-like plates which extend beyond the front of the ship. These are each built independently of the core of the ship and are connected by a series of hinge plates. These allow the wings to be angled inwards to capture the ship’s unique appearance. The wings are a large part of the ship but they are essentially an expanse of black panels trimmed with grey strips. But they feature some of the ship’s best details. Star Wars ships are known for their ‘greebling’ and the TIE Interceptor has some impressive little flourishes. I would never expect to find shovels, train wheels and a wielding gun on a ship, but they are used here and they seamlessly blend into the rest of the ship.
The set features a display stand and this is not only useful for displaying the set, it’s also needed when building the set. Due to the large hinged wing plates, it’s impossible to set the ship down on a surface. So once the cockpit section is built, you’ll need the stand to be able to add the wings. Even so, be warned, the set becomes unbalanced when the wings are added to the whole thing can be easily toppled until the weight is evened out once all four wings are connected. The stand also includes the information plate, which is now a printed element, plus the set’s minifigure.
Although never the focus of a UCS set, they often include a minifigure relevant to the ship. In this case, it’s a TIE Pilot. The Product description notes this as being exclusive. There is a slight tweak to the minifigures torso print and the addition of print detail on the arms and print detail on the legs, which isn’t always a feature of the pilot minifigure. It’s joined by an MSE-6 ‘Mouse Droid’. Surprisingly, considering the basic appearance of this Droid, especially at this scale, it’s a new design compared to previous versions. Both of these characters can be connected to the display stand.
I’ve built a few of the UCS sets and I love how they capture the smallest details of ships. The use of elements is particularly fun, you’d never expect to find shovels and pistols in a Star Wars set such as a TIE Interceptor. However, it does have a couple of annoying issues. Now I’m not about to complain and moan for the sake of it, there’s a certain corner of the internet, which has this covered. But I didn’t find the stand has a habit of coming apart, which is certainly an issue when it’s an integral part of the set. The window covering the front of the cockpit is also super delicate and even the slight knock causes it and the section of the cockpit interior it’s connected to become loose. It’s not easy to get this back in place but I had to do it several times. Despite that, it’s nice to have a slightly more affordable UCS set, some of the recent ones have been rather pricey. The LEGO Star Wars TIE Interceptor Ultimate Collector Series set will be available for LEGO Insiders between May 1st – 3rd before being available on general release on May 4th.
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The LEGO Group provided this set for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
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