Launched in 2000, the UCS subtheme has caused considerable vexation for the LEGO Star Wars community by meandering through a variety of concepts and conceits, an issue that fan and collector Rafael López aims to remedy with The Ultimate UCS Collector’s Book .
From the start, with its cover that cleverly replicates the data plaque that has been a mainstay of the subtheme since the debut of 7181 TIE Interceptor and 7191 X-Wing Fighter, the publication makes it clear what the nature of the content is, and the pages contained within are no less illuminating.
Divided into a number of sections, the opening chapter discusses the inspiration and development of the subtheme before going on to dissect the standard sets that are considered to be part of the UCS line-up – including the non-Star Wars sets that LEGO released under the same brand. López doesn’t stop there, however, and goes on to delve into those sets – such as the larger-scale Sculptures subtheme character models – which the author cleverly labels as Like Ultimate Collector Series (LUCS).
The process of creating the guidebook was long and labor-intensive, taking López over two years to research, compile, write and photograph all the sets.
Wanting to deliver the best possible product, the author traveled thousands of kilometers to find the best possible samples to photograph – even going so far as having them meticulously cleaned of all the dust they had accumulated while being displayed for two decades. The next step was to cull the more than 10,000 photos to a manageable level, before the text could be added and the layout finalized.
The resulting book, which is a masterpiece of design and content, comes with a unique poster (which can also be ordered separately) and is now available in English and Spanish through the author’s website, as well as a number of European branches of Amazon in Germany France, Italy and Spain.
Whether you accept the official definition of what the Ultimate Collector Series subtheme is, or you’ve come to terms with your own standard, this new book is guaranteed to cover everything you’d expect – and more!
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