Legoland to Unveil Life-Size X-Wing From 'Star Wars' Next Week

Star Wars fanatics and Lego enthusiasts will both have a reason to celebrate next week, when a life-size edition of an X-Wing starfighter –made entirely of the small plastic blocks – touches down at Legoland in Carlsbad on June 13.  

Those familiar with the Star Wars franchise will know that the X-wing is the aircraft flown by the Rebel Alliance, and most famously by Luke Skywalker as "Red 5" in the climactic finish to Episode IV: A New Hope. 

It took 32 "master" builders, 17,000-plus man hours, and more than 5 million individual Lego pieces to create the replica X-wing, which made its debut in New York's Times Square on May 23.

Legoland spokesperson Julie Estrada told U-T San Diego that model arrived at the park on Tuesday in six freight trucks, adding that it would take up to five days for Legoland's model builders to reassemble the aircraft.

The model boasts some impressive dimensions.  It weights more than 22 tons, and is 11 feet tall, 43 feet long, and has a 44-foot wingspan. 

The model will be on display as part of the park's Star Wars miniland model display. After its unveiling, the X-Wing will remain at Legoland through the end of the year.