X-wing Fighter - TVC - Vehicles (Exclusive)

We bet you never expected to see Biggs Darklighter’s X-wing Fighter released as an exclusive in The Vintage Collection, did you? We certainly didn’t. Typically Hasbro reserves iconic vehicles for exclusive release in this line, like Slave I (Boba Fett’s Space Ship) and the Millennium Falcon. But that’s precisely what version of the X-wing Fighter Hasbro chose to re-release as another Toys R Us exclusive. This particular X-wing Fighter is simply a repaint of the revised X-wing Fighter from 2011’s SW [SOTDS] Death Star Trench Run, another Toys R Us exclusive. You’re probably already well aware that Hasbro make significant tweaks to this version of the X-wing Fighter. The cockpit has been retooled, a compartment specifically for lightsaber storage (huh?) has been added as well as a turret-like nose cannon that fires a projectile. The console is removable so you can easily add a pilot in the cockpit, but we have found that it doesn’t lock in place as tightly as we had hoped to see. The wings open and lock into place courtesy of a lever mechanism that holds the attack position quite well. But this feature was already in place when the larger X-wing Fighter was first attempted in The Power Of The Force F/X line. The vehicle has gone through major renovations since then, but the shell of the vehicle has held up well thanks to wonderful updates and well designed parts.

We have to tell you right off the bat that the paint job on Biggs Darklighter’s X-wing Fighter is nothing short of brilliant. We loved the paint operations on Luke’s X-wing Fighter from the Death Star Trench Run, but Hasbro has knocked the art aspect of this collectible out of the park. It almost makes the price-gouging of $59.99 nearly acceptable it’s that good. We aren’t exaggerating. It’s hard to locate a full screen still of Biggs’ X-wing Fighter in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but if you search the web, you’ll see that Hasbro had access to some very clear reference materials because they imitated the details unbelievably well. Two of the blasters on the s-foils are striped like a barber’s pole while the other two are solid light gray. Two of the blaster also have yellow details at the base of the cannons. In short they look gorgeous. The color block patterns running down the length of the nose a well as the bits of color that add dimension to the jets are just more reasons to appreciate how much time and effort Hasbro did to make this an excellent executed vehicle for your collection. The colors used for the most part are subtly pale overall, but then a color like red used in multiple sections comes across as very bold. There is a lot of variety used in the paint applications here. And there is plenty of battle-damage to pull it all together.

As if we could go on to a review a The Vintage Collection vehicle without talking about the packaging, the packaging on the X-wing Fighter is the real reason to purchase this item. While there is no written description that this is Biggs Darklighters’ X-wing Fighter, Hasbro has made this abundantly clear with the still photos added to the box. Biggs is shown in all of the cockpit shots and there is even a shot with Luke Skywalker: X-wing Fighter Pilot looking on as well. There are clear differences in the color schemes from one X-wing Fighter to another and again we have to commend Hasbro for doing an incredible job of giving this release a unique paint job to make it specific for Biggs. While a fantastic release that you shouldn’t hesitate to buy, we do have to admit that it’s bittersweet to get the vehicle in glorious The Vintage Collection packaging, yet the figure to accompany it is in a completely different line of his own, Biggs Darklighter from The Black Series. We are not trying to start up another discussion on why The Vintage Collection should have never gone away, but it’s in these instances where collectors will undoubtedly feel the sting a bit more. Hey, it’s still wonderful to see some products get released in the classic Kenner packaging. This X-wing Fighter is absolutely no exception. We once again encourage you to get this vehicle. It’s surprised us beyond expectations.