LEGO 1789 Star Hawk II Review: A 1995 Unitron Spaceship

Today we are continuing our reviews of the LEGO Space Unitron theme with LEGO 1789 Star Hawk II. This is the dedicated spaceship that goes right along with the Space Station Zenon and the rest of the sets in this theme. We'll start by admitting we are biased. We love the Unitron lineup, in general. The colors are classic, and the lineup was short, so it isn't overwhelming to collect. Unfortunately, if you go to track the theme down today, you're going to get set back a bit on pricing.

We've previously reviewed Space Station Zenon in the theme, and also Crater Critters — which, while it isn't an official set in the theme, builds one robot in Unitron colors (the other wears rival Spyrius black-and-red). And while we're talking about colors, we love the trans-neon-green and trans-dark-blue together on this ship — instant classic.

What you get in the box

Star Hawk II is one of the smaller Unitron sets, though it was a big ship for its day. It's a roughly circular spacecraft with a large turbo-thruster in the back, four smaller thrusters underneath, and a bank of lasers — two of which rotate up and down and tuck away behind hidden compartments. The cockpit pod sits in the middle and detaches, and it's designed to clip onto other Unitron vehicles in the subtheme. It even stands upright for display.

• Set number: 1789
• Theme: LEGO Space (Unitron subtheme)
• Pieces: 292
• Minifigures: 2 (Unitron Astronaut and Unitron Chief)
• Age: 7–12
• Released: 1995
• Original price: $27.00 USD
• Build time: ~1 hour
• Motor / lights: None

The build

The build comes together in about an hour, and like most vintage sets it does a lot with a modest parts count — nothing here feels like filler. The star of the show is the detachable cockpit pod, which lifts cleanly out of the center of the ship and can be attached to other Unitron vehicles, so it plays nicely as part of the wider fleet. The rotating lasers hidden behind their compartments are a fun bit of engineering for 1995, too.

Is the LEGO 1789 Star Hawk II worth it?

Like the rest of Unitron, value here isn't about pieces-per-dollar — it's about nostalgia and completing a Classic Space collection. Star Hawk II originally retailed for $27, but as a retired 1995 set it now trades for a premium: used copies typically run in the $110–$145 range on the secondary market, with new, sealed examples climbing to $450 and up. That's collector territory, so this is a set you buy because Unitron means something to you, not because it's a bargain.

If it does scratch that itch, it's one of the more satisfying small ships of the era, and it pairs perfectly with the Space Station Zenon base. And if you're just stepping into vintage LEGO Space, our LEGO Space 1785 Crater Critters review covers a cheaper, easier entry point into the same corner of the hobby.

There's no Amazon link for this one — it's a vintage set that's long out of production, so eBay is really your only realistic option. You can find Star Hawk II and the rest of the Unitron lineup on eBay here.