Hey folks! Brennan (aka Brickbot_Studio) here! Some of you might know me as the guy on Instagram who makes a lot of small-scale, part-dense LEGO robots, D&D minifigures, and LEGO Warhammer 40k figures & mechs. But today, I get to offer you my thoughts on LEGO’s latest addition to their buildable characters lineup: K-2SO! Ever since Alan Tudyk made his unforgettable debut as K-2SO in Rogue One back in 2016, the lanky black Imperial droid has been a fan favorite. LEGO first responded with a buildable action figure and a minifig-scale mold. Today we’ll find out if the upcoming LEGO Star Wars 75434 K-2SO Security Droid succeeds at capturing the beloved, snarky robotic turncoat as an intricate and highly detailed display model.

You can reprogram build your own 845 piece K-2SO for US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £79.99 when the droid comes home August 1, 2025.

Box and Unpacking

The exterior of the box shows our intrepid mechanical biped staring off into the middle distance with an expression like he forgot what he came into the room for. For what it’s worth, the box art doesn’t do this model justice. Perhaps it’s the lighting, or maybe it’s the droid’s pose, but something feels off, potentially a turn-off for some at first glance. That’s a shame, as the fully built model is stunning to behold. Not being an 18+ rated set, the packaging blessedly has some fun graphic design putting the model into the Star Wars universe instead of trapping it in the void.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted by eight paper bags—a first for me, as I’ve only ever encountered the traditional plastic bags here in the U.S., where we seem to be getting a slower rollout of these eco-friendly alternatives. Accompanying these lovely biodegradable pouches are a small sticker sheet and an instruction booklet.

The Build

Bag 1 contains the droid’s base. It’s a fairly plain build but very sturdy, with four Technic pins sticking upward for K-2’s feet to attach to. While the model is intended to be displayed on this base, it’s actually sturdy enough to stand on its own—a welcome surprise!

Bags 2 and 3 consist of the droid’s lanky legs. While not articulated (for structural reasons), they are quite strong and feature a reasonable amount of detail.

Bag 4 includes the hips, which make excellent use of swivel hinge plates to form the outer shape. It manages to look very accurate, for what it’s worth. A latticework of Technic linkages provides a structural base for the legs, giving the model a very sturdy core. This is great news for those of us who intend to pose the figure in many a goofy position.

Bags 5 and 6 build the droid’s bulky torso. It attaches to the hips via a ball joint, allowing for some much-needed posability. For someone like me, who considers articulation an absolute must in my MOCs, this really helps give the character some more depth and emotion that other buildable figures sometimes lack. The torso is where most of the stickers go. While some fans dislike applying them, these are relatively easy to place. And while we’d all prefer printed elements, it’s understandable why LEGO opts for stickers in sets like this. The back of the droid features some lovely greebling, using black DOTS charm loop tiles and tiny antennas to add much-needed detail to the back of the model.

I always love it when LEGO designers hide Easter eggs inside their builds, and this set is no exception: within the droid’s torso, you’ll find a fantastic little Blacktron control panel!

The shoulders and neck feature rubber tires as aesthetic elements, giving the otherwise angular build some much-needed texture—two on the shoulders (connected via a Technic wheel), and one on the neck, held in place purely by friction. This latter technique is rare in official sets and might even be considered borderline “illegal” by some builders. Nevertheless, the neck ring stays in place well and looks great on the finished model.

Bag 7 gives us a pair of lanky, Technic-built arms using a combination of wheel rims, a rotation joint for the elbow, and Mixel joints for the wrists. The hands are excellently designed, though they only include three fingers and a thumb—likely due to part limitations. Still, they are well-articulated and ready to grip a terrified ISB officer as a human shield or throw some horrified Ghorman citizens around. A pair of brick-built armor pauldrons replaces the single molded piece of this model’s smaller predecessor, and for their part, they do look more accurate in shape and size to the film.

Bag 8 builds the head, which uses techniques I hadn’t seen before. The shape is reasonably accurate, with greebling around the jaw and white Technic pins used effectively as K-2’s photoreceptors. The dome of K-2’s head is made of four quarter-dome pieces and two curved slopes. The top and bottom halves of the head are clipped together using the new 1×1 stud-with-clip pieces (or “Ring-Pop” pieces, as my community calls them), plus traditional 1×1 stud plates-with-bars. The head attaches to the neck via a hinge and ball joint, offering great range for expressive posing.

This final bag also contains a minifigure-scale K-2SO, which previously appeared in 75399 – Rebel U-Wing Starfighter. The printing looks excellent and closely resembles the 2016 version, albeit with an updated mold.

The figure sits on a small display stand featuring technical specs about K-2SO’s
manufacturer, allegiance, and planet of origin.

Finished Model and Recommendations

The completed model looks fantastic, standing tall at just over 16 inches (41 cm). Despite the slightly dazed and confused look on the box art, the final build captures the character’s presence and personality beautifully.

That being said, there are a few features of this build I feel could have been executed differently, perhaps to slightly improved results. My first minor complaint would be that the torso feels a bit bulky—giving him a somewhat barrel-chested look. Perhaps that could be fixed by extending the droid’s neck slightly to offset the proportions a bit.

While we’re talking about gripes, let’s talk about those shoulder pauldrons. One of my cardinal rules when I create a bot build is ensuring that it can stand up to the rigors of posing without crucial
components popping off constantly, because that turns posing a model from a fun exercise in creativity into a pain in the tuchus. In this case, the armor pauldrons can get in the way of more dynamic poses and pop off. This isn’t a deal-breaker by any means, but it can be frustrating when setting up K-2 in a sassy pose or an action shot. I’m not sure how the designers could have accounted for this, short of returning to the mystic and forbidden well of specialty molded parts.

The last thing I’ll mention is the droid’s head. Shape-wise, I feel they did a solid job capturing the overall silhouette and feel of K-2’s cranium, although the head feels a bit squashed. I think extending the jaw downward to give him more of a “mouth” would’ve been worthwhile—but that’s something I’m sure the community will be quick to solve. QUICK! TO THE MODDING BENCH!

I completely understand the decision for the legs to be completely rigid as they give this massive model some considerable strength and stability; however, I can’t help but feel like there could have been a means by which one could incorporate some degree of flexibility without completely sacrificing strength. Perhaps this is a project I will personally embark upon in the not-so-distant future to give our special robot buddy some more posability.

I feel like the inclusion of an accessory for both the minifigure and the larger model would have been welcome. K-2’s blaster pistol from Rogue One might have been an excellent option in this regard. But alas, the figure will simply have to resort to his tried-and-true method of picking people up and throwing them around like dolls.

With all that said, all of my complaints are relatively small potatoes compared to everything this set gets right. The model is sturdy and well-proportioned, with an impressive degree of articulation for its size. Despite my frustrations with the shoulder pauldrons, it’s a very solid build overall. The K-2SO minifigure is a welcome inclusion, as no one could have too many of these lovely droids around, especially when you want to bolster your Imperial army’s ranks.

Priced at $89.99 USD, it feels like a fair deal for such an impressive display piece. With posable arms,
head, and waist, there are plenty of ways to display this magnificent droid. A lot of effort clearly went intomaking K-2SO one of the best buildable droids LEGO has released so far. I look forward to seeing which droid they come up with next for this line. (Come on LEGO, give us a buildable IG-11 or IG-88!)

LEGO Star Wars 75434 K-2SO Security Droid will be available on August 1, 2025 for US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £79.99. Pre-orders are open now, and after its release date, it may also be available from third-party retail sites like eBay or Amazon.