Okay, at first glance, this looks like a model of something vaguely resembling an X-Wing from Star Wars. Even the name “X Space Fighter” sounds like it’s been ripped off from LucasFilm. And “Star Warrior” . . . close to “Star Wars”? Yeah, okay. It is. But could someone be this blatant in bootlegging a Star Wars design? In Crown Models’ case, yes, they could be. Crown was selling models in both the United Kingdom and Japan in the early 1980’s that were pretty much copies of Star Wars designs, but tweaked just enough that everybody knew what they were, but were just different enough that they managed to get away with it.

Crown Models’ kits of “Space Robot Altoo” (looking suspiciously like R2-D2), two versions of the “X Space Fighter”, and the “Star Falcon” were all produced during the early 1980’s and sold in overseas markets. These kits appear on eBay from time to time, and I was happy to get this model in decent shape for about $75.00. Other than box photos on several websites, I’ve never seen one of these kits.

http://theouterrealmsw.com/Crown_Star_Warrior.html

This 1:63 kit has fairly thick styrene parts that are molded with recessed panel lines. The parts are molded in silvery-gray and metallic blue styrene. Clear parts are included for the windscreen and a forward sensor window.

Although a motor was originally included, along with wheels, the motor is not present in the review kit. But the motor does not appear in the parts layout on the instruction sheet, so I’m guess there was a “motorized” version along with a “non-motorized” version, both of which included wheels.

A basic decal sheet is included, and features red and yellow striping, star decals, and numbers. No marking guide is provided, so it’s up to the builder as to where to apply markings. I’m planning on scanning the decal sheet and printing the decals on fresh decal paper, to preserve the originals.

The wingspan looks to be about 7 inches, and the model is about 8.25 inches long.

Review by: Rich “Lonewolf” Dula

Entry created: November 13, 2015