LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter review

75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter offers two LEGO Star Wars starfighters for the price of… two starfighters. But should it have been two sets?

While these ships might not be the most exciting LEGO Star Wars offering, the wide and varied minifigure selection will be sure to grab the attention of any eager Ahsoka fan, especially in the wake of the Disney+ series wrapping up earlier this month.

75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter is a double dose of starfighters that could easily have been two separate sets, and probably would have benefited from each having a higher piece count. As a pair together they are perfectly enjoyable, but the E-wing is the more interesting build, while Shin Hati’s Starfighter feels a little under-developed by comparison.

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter set details —

Theme: LEGO Star Wars Set name: 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter Release: September 1, 2023

Price: £94.99 / $109.99 / €104.99 Pieces: 1,056 Minifigures: 5

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter —

LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter can be purchased either online at LEGO.com, or in physical LEGO Stores. It’s also available from a selection of third-party retailers.

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter build —

One of the fundamental pieces of the Star Wars experience is the notion of space dogfights. Small, one-person fighters may not be a threat to Death Star superweapons under normal circumstances, but it’s tremendous fun to watch them blow each other up regardless.

To that end comes LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter, a set that’s all about giving LEGO builders the opportunity to recreate exciting space battles in everyone’s favourite blocky medium. The pair of ships have been ripped straight from the new Ahsoka Disney+ series, but both of them feel very familiar in their own ways.

Star Wars being a nostalgic ouroboros – a snake forever eating its own tail – the Ahsoka series is packed with little nods to fans of the older Star Wars Expanded Universe canon, now known simply as the Legends timeline. Chief among these is, of course, Grand Admiral Thrawn, but another fun nod for fans of the Dark Empire comic book series is the inclusion of the E-wing.

In the comics, the E-wing serves the role of the New Republic’s upgraded X-wing starfighter, and as such, this LEGO build feels reminiscent of the myriad X-wings that have come before it – minus the instantly recognisable S-foils. This LEGO E-wing differs significantly from the ships as shown in Ahsoka, and it’s possible that there’s a little more Dark Empire and Legends in the mix than would be the case if this were a fresh new ship design rather than something to titillate Star Wars fans of a certain age and level of nerdiness.

By itself, the E-wing is quite a fun build to put together, and if it were sold as a single ship rather than part of a duo, it would be easy to recommend it as a relatively small, light and breezy LEGO Star Wars build. The set, though, is a little let down by Shin Hati’s starfighter, which – while absolutely fine – feels like it got the raw end of the deal when the parts for this set were divvied out.

It’s not that there’s anything fundamentally wrong with it; it simply feels a bit sparse. The ship’s shape is similar to a Naboo N-1 Starfighter, minus the large engines on the end of the wings, and the long, pointy tail. It almost feels as if this starfighter started life as an N-1, before having all of its most interesting parts stripped off.

The ship is vaguely similar to the actual starfighter that appears in Ahsoka, but the LEGO model doesn’t really give off the same sense of lightweight speed that Shin Hati’s starship displays in the Disney+ show. Where the source material almost feels like a World War II Spitfire – zippy, compact, and driven by a roaring central engine – the LEGO equivalent doesn’t quite capture the same feeling.

It should be noted that both of these ships contain fun hidden storage areas to assist play. Shin Hati’s miscoloured lightsaber (more on that later) can be stored, along with the blade, in a compartment behind her cockpit, while there’s room for the New Republic pilot to store a pistol or two underneath his seat.

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter characters —

The minifigures included in 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter are varied and feature nice details, but there are a few issues with accuracy to the Disney+ source material that may irk purists.

Captain Porter, the New Republic E-wing pilot, is a fun minifigure, sporting a bright blue and white colour scheme that matches his ship. It’s nice to see the familiar Good Guy pilot minifigure uniform and helmet in a fresh colour scheme, and this is definitely one of the most enjoyable minifigures from the set.

Morgan Elsbeth’s minifigure stands out primarily because of her excellent hair piece, but otherwise her minifigure is fairly barebones. It’s clear that every effort went into providing as many characters from Ahsoka as possible in minifigure form, but some feel more necessary than others.

Baylan Skoll’s minifigure highlights the fundamental problem with a standard size set of minifigure parts that are required to represent real world actors of varying diverse body sizes. In the show, Skoll towers over his opponents in battle, sporting a magnificent beard, cutting a large, imposing figure. His minifigure is unable to quite convey the late Ray Stevenson’s physical presence, but this is a standard flaw that many minifigures suffer from, and one which Star Wars fans are more than used to by this point.

Skoll and Shin Hati both have a fairly egregious flaw with their accessories, which will continue to provide endless frustration to LEGO Star Wars fans for the duration of the set’s lifespan. In Ahsoka, the pair sport orange lightsabers; an indication that they’re not necessarily as uncomplicatedly evil as they may appear. Here, the pair have red blades – an inaccurate and somewhat reductive decision that doesn’t reflect their role in the source material.

Finally, there’s the New Republic Astromech Droid, a significant departure from Ahsoka in terms of colour scheme. The droid seen flying in an E-wing in Ahsoka features a silver and blue colour scheme (and, certain fans have noticed, bears a striking resemblance to a the original 1977 R2-D2 action figure from Kenner).

Instead of looking like a slightly off-model Artoo, this astromech instead sports a unique yellow and blue colour scheme, and while these colours do clash slightly, it’s hard to be too upset about this particular change. After all, blue and grey LEGO astromechs aren’t exactly a rarity, and this change allows for a slightly new set of colours that makes this droid stand out a bit more than would otherwise be possible. (It’s also handy if you need a mascot for your LEGO IKEA store.)

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter price —

75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter costs £94.99 in the UK, $109.99 in the US and €104.99 in the EU. Considering that neither of these ships are starring vehicles with the clout of, say, the Ghost or Ahsoka’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle, the set is unlikely to prove as popular as other current offerings.

With the price of LEGO causing more than a little contention within the brick-building community, bundling two starships together into a single set, all for the price of one much larger ship, feels like a misstep. These ships could have been two separate, smaller sets, making the LEGO Ahsoka experience a little more accessible. As a double pack, the price is far too high for what’s offered, especially as one of these ships feels a little threadbare.

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-Wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter pictures —

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter pros and cons —

75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter is a pair of ships that probably would have benefited from releasing as separate sets. Of the two, the E-wing is the better offering, and is a genuinely fun build that will delight nostalgic Star Wars fans who remember a time before the prequels, while Shin Hati’s Starfighter feels a little less developed and somewhat sparse.

75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter pros	75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter cons
The E-wing ship is a fun callback to old-school Star Wars	Shin Hati’s Starfighter feels sparse
Lots of hidden storage areas	Lightsabers are the wrong colour
Unique astromech colour scheme	Expensive given the size of the ships

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Please help to support Brick Fanatics by purchasing 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter through our affiliate links.

— Alternatives to LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter —

One alternative to 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter is 75301 Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter, a set that provides a common New Republic ship with a little more clout than the E-wing (even if it’s decked out in Rebel Alliance colours rather than the New Republic paint job).

For those looking for an alternative to Shin Hati’s Starfighter, 75325 The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter provides a similarly shaped starship that is packed with significantly more details and delivers a more satisfying build experience.

— LEGO Star Wars 75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter —