Book Review ➟ U2-CB LEGO®
By Muriel.
Images courtesy of the author, Rafael López.
When the opportunity to do this review came up, I remembered a certain conversation between AFOLS in which something very accurate was said and which we all love: "Interest in collecting generates Lego books". Which immediately leads us to think that at the end of the day, in this format and in this specific case, it's almost like having all the UCS sets. Almost :). Let's move on to comment on the volume in question.
The first thing you notice when you hold the book in your hands is the feel. The volume, which has a considerable weight, is padded, which already indicates the care and detail that the author has put into it.
When opening it just after the back cover the first thing the reader finds is a poster with different UCS divided into sections differentiating the sets by type. Ships, Megaships, Characters, Vehicles and Playsets, at a glance you can already see that you are going to find a tidy and easy to enjoy book.
The external aesthetics of the book is 100% reminiscent of the plates of some of the UCS sets, black background and dark blue ink.
It is evident as you read on, that the author has done a rigorous work on the UCS sets. It details the evolution of the UCS line over time in chronological order. The book begins with a historical overview of the UCS concept. It not only names the UCS sets of the Star Wars line, but by extension also notes those UCS sets that are not Star Wars, such as the 1989 Batmobile, or the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, it also introduces the term LUCS which are sets that look like UCS but are not, such as the 75187 BB-8 set, or the 75255 Yoda set. Also those MBS (Master Builder Series) sets, which are designed more for play and not so much for display and which Lego catalogued with this acronym not long ago with the "re-edition" of the much-loved 10123 Cloud City set, in the new 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City set.
Personally I love the display of the colour palettes of the Lego pieces. Seeing the 2010 colour palette next to the 2016 palette makes us see those new colours they have added over the course of that time.
The reader is made aware of how TLG - The Lego Group - has changed the numbering of the sets over time. In doing so, the author introduces us to the first block of UCS sets in the book. The UCS list throughout the book is detailed in sections ranging from those sets which started with 4 digits, such as 7181, to the AFOL Era, which is the current era.
This is followed by those sets from the promotional poster image so desired by collectors of the 2011 UCS line, such as the Imperial Shuttle 10212.
We continue with those sets that are called Pre-Seal, known because they are those in which there was no distinctive on the box about UCS but TLG did refer to them as UCS, as my beloved Ewok Village 10236.
Next in the chronological order are those sets in which the seal did appear and therefore this section is the one that corresponds to Seal, for example the 75060 Slave I set.
Then we come to the Origins section and these are the sets where the seal is removed again from the boxes and the text "Ultimate collector series" appears explicitly again. In this section you will see UCS remakes, for example the Imperial Destroyer 75252.
To finish with the UCS Star Wars line we come to the AFOL Era section, which is the current one and as you can imagine you will find the A-wing starfighter 75275.
Each set details factors ranging from the product boxes to the number of pieces, minifigures, technical details such as the measurements of the boxes and the construction of the models, weight, etc. In addition, all this appears with the exact and coherent order to keep the size in each image, which in my opinion makes the book a real collector's manual. At a glance you can see for example which sets have minifigures, even if some of them have different types of legs as happens to Princess Leia in the set 75244 Tantive IV (2018), in others it is shown if they have a certificate of authenticity if any, the image of the instruction book, of course the image of the box front and back, if it has a UCS plate or not, the number of bags and the recommended price. It is thought in detail, so that the current collector enjoys it to the maximum and the future collector knows what he will find in his future acquisitions.
A very positive point is that the author does not stop to list known data, but indicates for example rarities of a certain set, comparisons with new reeditions of the same if any, in short those things that we AFOL collectors like so much :).
The base templates for each set look like this.
Here is an example of our beloved X-Wing with the data in the template.
The pictures are really fascinating. The image of the second death star with that feeling of an infinite skyscraper is really attractive and powerful.
Or the lone Jawa in front of the huge Sandcrawler in the suns of Tatooine, beautiful.
Or that beautiful image of the brothers running away from the Stormtroppers emulating Indiana Jones :)
If you want to start collecting the Star Wars UCS line, this book will certainly be a great reference and help in this regard. In the final part of the book we are provided with annexes in the form of reference sheets, specifications for the collector that we will detail later, all of them of obligatory use if you want to get the most out of this volume.
These appendices at the end of the book are a differential element from other guides. For example, the inventory cards for the collector in which you can make notes in the columns to indicate that the set is New, Used, if it is "Bricklinketed" waiting to be hunted, number of pieces, if you have the instructions, stickers, minifigures, boxes. That is to say, all the parts to obtain the coveted set by the collector, in a detailed and ordered way. In these cards, the collector will be able to note down which parts he still needs to add to his collection in case he cannot acquire a set in a single purchase. These cards also include non-Star Wars UCS, as well as some evolutions of sets / reissues and also LUCS sets.
The comparative tables show the data that has been observed throughout the volume but at a glance. Here the author shows the prices in the USA/US or Spanish market. The cost per piece, and by weight, even the percentage increase in one market compared to the other!
Very useful also the list of the minifigures with Bricklink reference code for a quick acquisition in that market as well as the data of which set each of them belong to.
I also found the small list of the frequency of appearance of some specific minifigures useful. One example is our beloved Lando Calrissian. He appears in sets 10123 and 75222.
The book contains the list of references that appear successively throughout the volume in the form of web links. There are also some reference websites as well as some recommended books. The author has also thought to include a useful glossary for the layman who is just starting out in the wonderful world of LEGO.
The final impression is that this is definitely a great addition to the library that every AFOL should have, whether you are a collector of the UCS Star Wars line or UCS in its non-Star Wars variants, or a fan of our beloved Lego toy in general. It's a highly recommended and enjoyable read. Personally I was expecting to see the new Mos Eisley Cantina set from the end of last year, but I'm sure that successive printings of the book will feature these new additions of new sets. Seeing the rigour and passion of the author, I have no doubt that he will continue to update this wonderful book!
For those interested, this book is available in two languages, Spanish and English. You can buy them either on the author's own website:
https://www.rocobricks.es/
Or through the Amazon marketplace by simply searching for U2-CB.
We would like to thank the author for the cession of the book for its review in our medium. The opinions in this article are ours alone and neither the author nor of course LEGO endorses or validates them in any way.
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