Nothing quite says Star Wars like a lightsaber, does it? Many a happy childhood has been had waving around anything from sticks to plastic replicas and making humming noises. While many film props have seen official LEGO sets (think the helmet series), lightsaber replicas have been restricted to Gift-with-purchase (GWP) slots. 40730 Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber is set to be the third such promotion, with availability from October 3rd through to October 10th. To qualify for it, you’ll need to spend a hefty US $499.99 | CAN $649.99 | UK £429.99 on 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge. Read our review to find out if it’s a weapon worthy of the Jedi, or if it should be consigned to the Pit of Carkoon…
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
The box shows off two shots of the saber – front and back show… Well, the front and the back of the model, respectively. There isn’t much difference between the two to be fair.
A modest instruction booklet awaits inside, which has a page of blurb from designer Jens Kronvold Fredriksen. Accompanying it are three plastic bags and a loose 32l Technic axle.
The build
That axle is going to be put to work right away as we start at the base of the hilt.
Six SNOT sub-assemblies are arranged around some Technic wheels, and locked in with some round plates and then a 3×3 tile. A ring piece is used for the lightsaber’s belt clip. It’s a nifty bit of building.
Lightsabers get their power from kyber crystals, and that’s the first thing we make in bag two. It’s a simple detail – just two trans-green round bricks – but a fun one nonetheless.
A similar construction method is employed for the main body: 4×4 round bricks connect to the central axle, with more plates and panels attached to these.
Time for a splash of colour! The controls of the lightsaber are accomplished with a half-dozen pearl gold grilles and some quarter-circle tiles. Is lightsaber operation really as simple as ‘green on, red off’?
Next, we make the hand grip, using nine black 4×4 dishes…
…And the emitter, along with some more gold detailing. The round 2×2 fluted bricks are pretty much the only things linking to the axle; everything else is held in by friction.
The final step is to build a simple yet elegant display stand; as with the other lightsabers, it has an exclusive printed panel at its base.
And just like that, we’re done! Even stopping to take photos, the whole thing was done in less than half an hour.
The finished model
Once finished, the lightsaber makes for a very smart display piece. It doesn’t take up a lot of room, so it makes for a nice, unobtrusive desk ornament.
Its 28cm length is exactly the same as the ‘real’ thing, which I have to assume is no accident (and therefore impressive attention to detail). But although I’ve never held Luke’s lightsaber (or any other lightsaber, for that matter), it does still feel a little small in the hand. This is presumably down to the four-stud-wide nominal diameter; for the sake of ease of construction, it’s an acceptable compromise.
All the same, it’s impossible to pick it up with giving it a swish or two while making ‘VWOOM’ noises. The open studs on the emitter look tailor-made to attach some trans-green round panels to, but it’s a brave builder who waves that particular sword around…
Conclusions and recommendation
Of the three lightsabers LEGO has released in this fashion (Anakin/Luke’s from A New Hope, Yoda’s, and now Luke’s from Return of the Jedi), I think this is the most visually appealing. It’s a really quick, simple build, but it looks great and would make a fine addition to any builder’s collection. Pretty much all of the parts are easily obtainable, too, so even if you don’t manage to meet the GWP spend threshold (more on that in a moment), you could – and, spoiler, should – easily cobble one together using parts from your own collection.
Just like its predecessors, there is one major problem. Luke’s A New Hope saber was only available with the purchase of the $800 75313 AT-AT; Yoda’s was offered with 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina, which was $350; and this one can only be acquired alongside the new 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge at $500. That threshold feels absurdly high for 145 pieces and creates needless, artificial scarcity. If you were already dead set on purchasing the barge, then there’s no reason not to get this at the same time – they will make a nice pair. But I find it hard to recommend buying such an expensive set just to get this lightsaber.
40730 Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber will be available from October 3rd to October 10th with purchases of 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge, which retails for US $499.99 | CAN $649.99 | UK £429.99 and will itself be available from October 3rd for LEGO Insiders, with general release starting from October 6th.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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