Though Lucas lost me by the second Star Wars prequel, I still love many of the vehicles and vessels designed by his brilliant team. One of my favorite scenes is the one in which Obi-Wan and Anakin fight through the blockade of Coruscant in their Jedi Interceptors. Official LEGO Star Wars sets have featured the Eta-2 Actis-class Light Intercepter a couple of times, but this studless design by Kevin Murney (legorevolution) truly pops. The bright orange certainly helps.
Thanks for the tip, Dave!
The summer 2011 LEGO Star Wars sets continue to arrive at the LEGO Store online. As much as I appreciate the cool vehicles in the Star Wars universe, it’s nice to see LEGO release playsets occasionally, like the new 7879 Hoth Echo Base.
It’ll set you back 90 bucks, but the base contains a Tauntaun and eight minifigs, including R-3PO the red protocol droid, 2-1B medical droid, and a Bacta tank Luke. (Release news via FBTB.)
Also at $90, I’m personally more impressed with the revamped 7962 Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba’s Podracers, which FBTB reviewed in detail recently.
The LEGO Star Wars sets for Summer 2011 have just been released on the LEGO Shop online. For those of you who’ve been buying LEGO Star Wars since day 1 back in 1999, you’ll mostly find redesigns of existing vehicles in the non-Clone Wars section, but I have to admit after building 8097 Slave I that 7144 Slave I just can’t compare.
The centerpiece of the summer collection is 7965 Millenium Falcon, which at 1254 pieces and six minifigs is the largest short of the UCS version I still have in its shipping box downstairs. (No, you can’t have it.)
There are also a bunch of Clone Wars sets based on characters and vehicles I know nothing about, even though they appear to have some cool parts and minifigs. See all of the sets by clicking the banner below:
Ted Andes calls this ship an M-Wing Viper, and sets it in the Star Wars universe. I can’t help but see some Cylon Raider in the shape, though, and the Viper name also reminds me of Battlestar Galactica.
All talk of provenance aside, this is just a well built ship. The wings blend smoothly between parts with lovely effect. Then there is the sticker usage, just enough without going overboard. In addition, the stickers on the windscreen knock that piece in a completely different direction than I’m accustomed to.
The next UCS Star Wars model to be released is the 10221 Super Star Destroyer, which was unveiled at Brickworld this weekend. For 3,152 pieces, it carries a heavy price tag of $399.99. As a model, it is well-designed and sturdy enough to be swooshed. Its unique minifigs include Dengar, Admiral Piett, and IG-88 with a printed head. You can check out the parts inventory in this photo I took of the instruction manual.
10221 Super Star Destroyer
Ages 16+. 3,152 pieces.
US $399.99 CA $499.99 DE 399.99 € UK 349.99 £
The Super Star Destroyer Executor has arrived! This jaw-dropping vessel served as command ship at the Battle of Endor and as the personal flagship of Darth Vader in the classic Star Wars movies. With its classic dagger-shaped design, the Executor is among the largest and most powerful vessels in the Star Wars galaxy. With over 3,000 pieces, measuring nearly 50″ (124.5 cm) long and weighing nearly 8 pounds (3.5 kg), every aspect of this fantastic LEGO® Star Wars™ model impresses. Includes 4 minifigures: Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, Dengar, Bossk and IG-88.
• Includes 4 minifigures: Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, Dengar and Bossk!
• Also includes IG-88 figure!
• Features over 3,000 pieces!
• Measures nearly 50 inches (124.5 cm) long and weighs nearly 8 pounds (3.5kg)!
• Includes display stand and data sheet label!
• Center section lifts off to reveal command center!
Here is the description video by the designer:
Hannes Tscharner spent the past 9 months building this truly faithful recreation of the Sandcrawler in Lego. This massive minifig-scale model retains a high-level of details despite its size. The builder goes beyond to add remote-controlled steering and other functions such as a motorized crane and conveyor belt. A fully detailed interior completes this perfect build.
Pictures of the completed model can be found on Flickr as well as work-in-progress shots.
Here is the video showing the working features of the Sandcrawler.
LEGO is releasing another Hoth Echo Base set, which features more sections of the actual rebel base and some interesting minifigs such as R-3PO.
From FBTB via Eurobricks
Steven Marshall designed a tri-droid for the LEGO Star Wars video game. The creation in the picture looks to be an actual model, but with Steven’s presentation skills, his works often fall on the line between a perfect photograph and a digital render.
Clearly, C3PO would drive this landspeeder by Luka (kost u grlu). It makes great use of the limited palette of gold parts available. What really kicks this creation up, though, is the interspersing of detail and mechanical bits throughout, much like C3P0’s exposed midsection. The use of the Build a Buzz’s helmet visor as a windscreen is just icing on the cake.
Eric Druon (baronsat) brings us an exceedingly cute Mos Eisley LEGO diorama. It’s not realistic and it’s not meant to be. It’s cute. And playable. Eric has been drip feeding this for a while and I’m super happy to see it all together.
