LEGO Star Wars 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder review

75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder is the most accurate LEGO version of the X-34 to date, but does that make it a worthy entry in the esteemed Ultimate Collector Series?

If there’s one thing we can guarantee about LEGO Star Wars, it’s that fans will always be treated to a new version of Luke’s Landspeeder on a regular basis – whether they want one or not. With each subsequent release comes a new take on the iconic X-34 Landspeeder, first seen skimming along the desert sands of Tatooine in A New Hope, but one thing that’s remained consistent is the scale (with the exception of the mini and micro builds, of course).

Built to carry (typically) Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi, the vast majority of LEGO Landspeeders so far have been minifigure scale, or at least close enough. So it came as a great surprise when rumours suggested that not only were we going to get a larger Landspeeder this year, but one that belongs in the Ultimate Collector Series – a subtheme that almost always guarantees a beautifully-designed large-scale model, packaged with some exclusive and desirable minifigures and more often than not generates a lot of anticipation leading up to its subsequent release.

On the surface, 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder looks to have achieved at least two of those three things. It’s certainly bigger than any Landspeeder before it, and the included C-3PO minifigure looks like the best version we’ve ever received. However, when it comes to the excitement levels this set generates there’s just something about it that’s not quite hitting the mark.

Perhaps it’s LEGO Landspeeder fatigue, perhaps it’s the relatively small piece count of just 1,890 (especially small for a set that’s been designated UCS) or perhaps, more crucially, could it be that LEGO for Adults is diluting the UCS subtheme as a whole? Before the LEGO Group began truly embracing the adult market in 2020, Ultimate Collector Series sets were seen as the pinnacle of LEGO design. They were the place to go for mature building techniques, inventive parts usage and accurate, authentic and highly-desirable models.

LEGO for Adults has opened up the freedom the designers have to adopt more advanced techniques and parts usage across a multitude of themes and designs, previously withheld for UCS sets and, to an extent, Creator Expert. With an abundance of inventive, creative and unique sets pouring out of Billund at an impressive rate, older fans have never had it quite so good. However, it poses an important question: what is the difference now between a UCS set and a large, detailed 18+ set, and has the LEGO for Adults branding inadvertently damaged the prestige that UCS models once had?

— Set details —

Theme: LEGO Star Wars Set name: 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder Release: May 1, 2022 (VIP), May 4, 2022 (general sale) 

Price: £174.99 / $199.99 / €199.99 Pieces: 1,890 Minifigures: 2

LEGO: Available May 1 (VIP), May 4 (general)

— Build —

It’s hard to recall the last time a UCS set was revealed to such little fanfare. You could almost hear the collective sigh of indifference from the LEGO community when the first reveal pictures dropped. The official press release speaks volumes about the belief the LEGO Group has in the overall appeal of this set, too: a whole section is devoted to the excitement fans will no doubt feel about this set because the box art shows off the model from various different angles. Revolutionary.

What the box art for 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder actually does is inadvertently sum up the entire set’s experience. Before even tearing open the seal, just by scanning the pictures you’ll be able to see elements you love – such as the incredible new windshield piece or the amazing quality of the exclusive C-3PO minifigure – and there will be bits you see that you don’t like so much, like the over-reliance on stickers and the unbelievably generic Luke Skywalker minifigure. This push and pull of positives and negatives remains consistent throughout the build. 

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For much of the early stages of the build you’ll be required to construct a frame and inner core built from fairly standard bricks, plates and tiles, with no Technic framework required at all. For System purists this makes for a brilliant start to the set, taking on an almost nostalgic building experience. Think back to the last large-scale LEGO set you built that required absolutely no Technic techniques at all – it’s quite an achievement.

That said, when compared to recent UCS releases like 75309 Republic Gunship and 75313 AT-AT, or even current LEGO for Adults sets beyond Star Wars – 10300 Back to the Future Time Machine springs to mind – there’s not necessarily anything we haven’t seen before, and nothing makes it feel like the start of a UCS set should.

That’s not to say the techniques on display aren’t of a high standard. The shaping in particular is executed perfectly. The curved, tiled detailing around the cockpit area looks very effective and is strangely satisfying to put together. The sides are built using a combination of nougat 2×4 curved slopes and dark red 1×2 slopes, which look great, and the new windshield element looks incredibly authentic, recreating the Landspeeder’s unmistakable silhouette perfectly. 

The X-34 famously hovers above the unforgiving desert landscape of Tatooine, speeding across the surface. It’s probably one of the reasons why it’s been such a popular and iconic vehicle in the Star Wars universe for all this time. Recreating the shaping of the underside was crucial to the overall accuracy and quality of this model, and holding the model up to your eye line will demonstrate just how well the designers have achieved that goal.

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As the build progresses, the skill and ingenuity that went into the design begins to become more apparent, and the UCS tag slowly begins to feel a little more justified. LEGO maths comes into play quite a lot, with small sub-assemblies offset from one another using 1×2 and 1×3 jumper plates. Along the sides, 1×2 panels are built on top of each other, creating both a slightly sunken mid-section, as well as a thin line of colour separating the top from bottom. Wedge plates are expertly used on the body work to create accurate angles, and an abundance of inverted arches are spread throughout, giving the whole model that distinctive rounded shape.

The entire front section is a separate assembly, which feels intricate and involved. Studs are placed both on the top and bottom of one another, effectively creating a giant LEGO sandwich that attaches to the front of the speeder. The front grille sub-assembly is excellently designed, using bars and 1×2 Technic lift arms sandwiched between brackets at just the right distance to allow a 2×3 tile to be placed on top.

The practical solution for the side piping – a series of flexible hoses – looks so much better than the stickered version used in the much smaller 75271 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, made possible by the size and scope of this UCS iteration. The way the piping is gently pushed into position by the corners of the bricks inside the front section is not only a smart design, but also necessary to help keep the hoses in place, preventing them from sagging inwards.

Finally, each individual engine is a joy to construct, and despite them all sharing an almost identical appearance all three are built using different techniques. The highlight is easily the speeder’s exposed right-side engine, which is another intricate, involved and highly-intelligent design, and what appears fairly simple at first is actually wonderfully complex.

The interior of the engine combines clips and bars to allow for attachments in all directions, while the sides use offset building techniques, creating a staggered, curved effect, and minifigure whips and flexible brown hoses recreate the exposed wires to great effect. The whole engine is really smart, and potentially the first time in the build where it truly feels like you’re assembling a UCS set, rather than just a bigger Landspeeder.

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What detracts from that feeling, though, is the use of stickers spread across the engines and front curves. Wrapping the stickers around the front two 8×8 corners is an exercise in dexterity and patience, a combination that makes for a frustrating moment. Making them look good on just one side is hard enough, but trying to align them perfectly on both is a real challenge. The age-old debate about stickers has been written about for years now, but it only becomes more apparent when dealing with a UCS set that’s also got the 18+ age recommendation attached to it.

Adults have disposable income, which they are happy to spend on desirable things. A UCS set is one such object of desire, and the LEGO Group could get away with boosting the price of the set if it meant printed parts were included. Nothing about a sticker feels adult, and nothing about a sticker feels exclusive or desirable. In fact, it has the opposite effect, slightly cheapening the entire model and possibly having a drastic effect on the overall look if the stickers are applied awkwardly. 

The brick-built stand also leaves a lot to be desired, missing a clear opportunity to set the speeder on trans-clear bricks. The black Technic bars just make the stand look messy and unfinished, and it lacks any kind of style or elegance. Even the way the speeder just sits on the stand feels a bit basic. Having the vehicle sit at a slight angle may not have been accurate to the way it travels in-universe, but would have looked more stylish as a display piece. The speeder itself has no hidden wheels or any kind of motion device underneath, so really once built all you can do is place it on the stand and leave it on display. 

This is first and foremost a display model, though, and it’s hard to say it’s not successful in that remit, capturing the 1970s sci-fi aesthetic that made the original movie prop so popular in the first place. It really is a beautiful rendition of an iconic vehicle, and feels like a super-sized, more detailed version of the original Kenner model from 1977. And simply by dint of its budget, it’s easily the largest and most accurate version of the Landspeeder to date.

— Characters —

C-3PO and Farmboy Luke are two of the most prevalent minifigures in the entire Star Wars theme. Between them they have 20 different variations and appear in a staggering 54 sets. The first time they appeared together in a Landspeeder set was way back in 2010’s 8092 Luke’s Landspeeder, and a lot has changed since then, with both minifigures going through a substantial number of updates. 

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For this set though, somewhat disappointingly, Luke hasn’t had any significant upgrades, sharing the same printing as the minifigure found in 75271 Luke SKywalker’s Landspeeder (but minus the exclusive poncho). It feels a missed opportunity to include a more detailed Luke, especially as the set is named after him. 

C-3PO, on the other hand, is absolutely stunning. It’s hard to know where to begin as pretty much every facet of this minifigure has been improved. The head remains the same, but that was pretty much perfect anyway. The chest printing and back printing has been tweaked and improved upon. His legs are now dual-moulded, accurately depicting his silver leg for the first time, and both the legs and arms benefit from beautifully-detailed side printing. This is most certainly the droid you’ve been looking for. 

— Price —

In a time of economic uncertainty, it probably comes as a surprise that this is the second review in as many weeks where we have felt the price of a LEGO set could benefit from being a bit more expensive. While we judged 76956 T. rex Breakout should have included more bricks in order to build a more realistic T. rex, here Luke’s Landspeeder could have used the extra cost to print more parts, rather than relying on stickers, and perhaps give us a more detailed, exclusive version of Luke. 

As it stands, the price feels fair and in-keeping with other similarly-sized and similarly-designed sets on the market. It is by far the best version of Luke’s Landspeeder currently produced by the LEGO Group, and compared to other UCS sets that are still available this feels a lot more attainable – just not quite as special.

— Pictures —

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— Summary —

We can say with some confidence that 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder is by far the most definitive, accurate and authentic version of the famous speeder that the LEGO Group has ever produced. As a model it does look very impressive, and overall there is nothing really bad about this set. In fact, it’s an enjoyable (if not fairly brief) model to put together, with moments of design brilliance and ingenious parts usage. 

The main issue lies with the set’s UCS designation. It just doesn’t feel special enough, grand enough or inventive enough to carry that prestigious label. It’s more comparable in scale and design to Star Wars sets such as 75308 R2-D2 and 75244 Tantive IV, neither of which were classed as Ultimate Collector Series. 

A UCS set should grab you from the moment you connect the first bricks together, take you on an incredible journey of LEGO discovery and leave you wanting more once finished. UCS sets should be unforgettable experiences that will stay lodged in your memory banks for a long time and ones that hold pride of place upon your shelf. 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder falls short of all these things.

It’s no fault of the model – it just feels like we have been treated to more exciting, unique and inventive designs across the LEGO for Adults theme and, with a few exceptions, there’s nothing on offer here that makes it stand head and shoulders above other sets. Perhaps if LEGO for Adults didn’t exist, this review would have turned out more favourably, but that’s not the case. 

The LEGO Group needs to make more of a distinction between regular LEGO for Adults (or 18+) sets and UCS sets, or the UCS theme could be in danger of losing the majesty and awe that once made it feel so special and desirable in the first place. 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder sits awkwardly between the two ranges, and while it’s the ultimate Landspeeder, it’s maybe not an ultimate LEGO Star Wars set.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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