Review: LEGO Star Wars 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter (2025)

January 14, 2025 | 5

LEGO Star Wars & Automotive Correspondent

VaderFan2187

The ARC-170 Starfighter has not been released in minifigure play scale for 15 years, but that changes in 2025 with the launch of 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter, bringing the beloved prequel-era attack craft back for those that missed out on the 2010 set.

At US$69.99 / AU$109.99 for 497 pieces, it looks like a fairly steep ask, but is it worth forking out the cash for this iconic Clone Wars era ship? Let’s take a closer look!

75402 ARC-170 Starfighter has definitely been popular as it’s sold out/on backorder from LEGO, but it’s still available from Amazon.com or Amazon Australia, albeit at full price.

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set over for review.

Unboxing

The front of the box shows the ARC-170 flying into battle over what appears to be Cato Neimoidia. A realistic Plo Koon’s starfighter is included in the bottom right; perhaps a hint at a future set?

The back of the box shows the ship in some sort of hangar in its landing mode, along with cutouts displaying the play features.

Inside the box you will find 4 numbered bags, an instruction manual, and a sticker sheet.

The sticker sheet is pretty large, and several are clear-backed which were pretty annoying to apply, especially the ones for the cockpit pieces. As a 500 piece set retailing for US$70, I would have liked the cockpits to be printed.

Build Process

Bag 1 includes the generic Clone Pilot, R4-P44, and the base mechanism for the wing function.

Bag 2 adds more of the bodywork and engine details.

Bag 3 finishes off the cockpits and the nose.

Finally, bag 4 completes the model, adding the wings and the two remaining figures.

75402 ARC-170 Starfighter Minifigures

The three clone pilots included have new and identical prints for their torso, legs, and head, all of which look good and make sense because they are clones. They can be distinguished by their unique helmet prints, all of which look spectacular.

R4-P44 looks good too, although unfortunately no back printing is present. The printed details on the clone pilots are nice, although I would have liked an alternate face print or possibly even dual-molded legs.

Completed Model

There’s only one build in the set which is the ARC-170 itself. Measuring about 36cm (14″) wide and 29cm (11.5″) long, it’s definitely smaller than its predecessor but is still pretty decently sized – honestly, a little larger than I expected.

It looks pretty sleek especially from the front – I like how the nose narrows to a one-brick-wide section, and the use of ice skates for the engine details is commendable.

The model looks good from the back as well, with accurate trans-pink engine thrusters and a pair of posable rear guns mounted via mini ball joints.

The model does not have any landing gear on the underside, and actually has a fairly large flat platform that it rests on. This is slightly awkward but is necessary to incorporate the wing-transforming feature, and given that it’s pretty hidden most of the time, I think this design is forgivable.

The aforementioned transforming feature allows you to set the S-foils into attack position (the ARC-170 was the predecessor to the iconic X-wing) by sliding a Technic beam on the underside sideways. It’s not an overly complex feature, and works pretty flawlessly.

The Technic slider itself is quite well integrated, and does not stand out too much or significantly detract from the overall design of the ship.

With the wings in attack mode, the ARC-170 looks even better. The wings don’t open very wide, but it is close enough to the in-universe angles to be accurate.

The wings themselves are nicely designed, with rounded edges on all of them. The smaller winglets use printed 3×3 round tiles on the edges with a stickered 2×2 tile featuring the Open Circle Armada logo, while the main wing also has a clear-backed sticker.

A cannon and spring-loaded shooter are mounted on the ends of each main wing for some extra fun.

The nose is nicely done, using studs-not-on-top techniques to create a sleek narrowing profile. Some stickers are used on the top and sides for additional dark grey details.

The ARC-170’s distinctive three-cockpit design is replicated here, all three featuring the same canopy piece. Annoyingly, the canopies use large clear-backed stickers which I found quite difficult to apply, and the color-matching of the white stickers to the bricks leave much to be desired. Considering the price point, I think these should have been printed.

All three canopies hinge open to give access to a nicely laid-out, plush beige interior. The front two seats get printed control slopes while the rear gunner gets nothing. There’s also a slot for R4-P44 (or any astromech) to fit in sideways between the two rear seats.

All the figures included can be placed into the set. Unfortunately there’s no storage for the pilots’ blaster pistols; they can hold it in the cockpit but it is a tight squeeze.

The ARC-170 looks fantastic with all the pilots in position. The astromech head is a little bit low but it still pokes out between the cockpit glass.

The starfighter is also a nice size and weight for swooshing around, and despite the flat base it’s pretty easy to hold on to and fly through your room, recreating iconic Clone Wars-era dogfights!

Final Thoughts

Overall, the new 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter is designed well and is quite aesthetically pleasing, while incorporating fun play features. The minifigure selection is satisfactory – perhaps one more named minifigure could have been included at this price point – and the model is great to hold and swoosh around, a crucial requirement for any LEGO starfighter.

Older fans may be upset at the reduced size compared to the 2010 variant, but I think all the necessary features have been included at this new scale, and it is great for new fans to get their hands on this highly sought-after ship 15 years later.

My main problem with this set comes down to the price. Neither the model nor the minifigure selection feel substantial enough to justify the US$70 price tag. It feels closer to a US$50 set of old; perhaps with inflation I could maybe accept US$60, but like other sets in the 2025 Star Wars lineup the set just feels like it is priced a tad bit too high. Still a great set, but definitely wait for a discount before jumping on it.

Final Score

4

Build

The ARC-170 balances play and display value well, a successful model all-around that is suitably accurate. The stickered canopies and flat base are minor annoyances, though.

4

Minifigures

One more named minifigure should’ve been included to really stand out, but all the necessary figures are included.

2

Real Value

US$70 is, unfortunately, much too expensive considering the size and piece count of the final model.

4

Innovation

There are nice build techniques used, like the wing-opening mechanism which is not overcomplicated, as well as the studs-not-on-top design for the central bodywork.

4

Keepability

The ARC-170 is an iconic prequel starfighter that has only been done at playscale three times – the last one being 15 years ago!

Audience rating

How would you rate this set?

1 2 3 4 5

Thanks for reading! 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter is available from LEGO.com, or from most toy stores, or Amazon.com or Amazon Australia.

If you’re planning on purchasing or pre-ordering this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. I may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!

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