The Ultimate Collector Series, or UCS, holds the large display versions of Star Wars ships, vehicles and places. It began in 2000 with 7181 TIE Interceptor and 7191 X-wing Fighter. The designer of that first X-wing gave it a black stand and a printed information plaque to show it was a model to display rather than a toy, and the stand and plaque have been part of the series ever since.
2004 LEGO Sets
2004 was a pivotal recovery year following financial losses in 2003. LEGO updated its color palette, introducing light nougat for licensed minifigures and brighter grays and browns. The company partnered with Ferrari under LEGO Racers and launched Knights’ Kingdom II, a story-driven reimagining of Castle. QUATRO expanded the preschool range, while World City, Orient Expedition, Spider-Man, and Gravity Games concluded. These shifts, along with strategic licensing, began LEGO’s long-term turnaround.