Tag Archives: Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars is one of the most popular LEGO themes of all time. Far beyond X-wings and TIE fighters, there’s a whole expanded universe of inspiration, and an army of LEGO fans ready to build whatever comes out of George Lucas’s head next.

LEGO Star Wars set designers share some secrets of the upcoming 75244 Tantive IV [News]

With May 4th on the horizon, LEGO will be launching the impressive 75244 Tantive IV, the Rebel corvette featured in the opening shot of Star Wars: A New Hope. LEGO set designer César Soares and graphic designer Maddy O’Neil sat down to share some of the secrets behind the creation of the LEGO set and talk about their journey working for LEGO. Some of the more interesting details include our first good look at the hidden handle embedded in the swooshable set, as well as the inspiration for the interior scenes, some newly recolored elements borrowed from the 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon, and how the Bail Organa minifigure came to be.

75244 Tantive IV will be available for purchase from LEGO for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99 starting at 9 am ET on May 3rd for LEGO VIPs and 12 am ET on May 4th for everyone.

Tell Obi-Wan we found a more wretched hive of scum and villainy

Obi-Wan Kenobi once mused that you would “never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” than Mos Eisley Spaceport, but Ben Cossy’s Nar Shaddaa Cantina might give Mos Eisley a run for its money. A moon in the Hutt system, Nar Shaddaa is known for its underworld, bounty hunters, and Hutt cartels.

Nar Shaddaa Cantina

The structure itself is the perfect backdrop of a suspect cantina: the mixed texture of the floors make it look rough and the windows are reminiscent of concept art for Jabba the Hutt’s palace. The cargo piled up across from the bar is an ideal spot for illicit deals, and the expression on the Cerean bartenders face implies that he could handle his own with the most dangerous of the patrons. The characters are where this creation shines. While often minifigures are a nice highlight for a model, here they are the main focus and are almost form a landscape themselves. There are recognizable characters like Aurra Sing, Dengar, Bossk, IG-88 and Embo mixed in with unidentified Humans, Mandalorians, Rodians, Twi’leks, and a whole host of other species from a galaxy far, far away. Finally, I do love that Galidor is coming to the Star Wars universe – at least according to the poster on the wall.

Stop the traitor on Takodana

When recreating a movie scene, a LEGO creation done right will make you feel like you’re in the scene yourself. That’s exactly what Carter Witz has done with his Dual on Takodana. Star Wars fans will remember the moment when FN-2199 (nicknamed TR-8R by the fans) confronts Finn in the remains of Maz Kanata’s castle.

Duel on Takodana

The mix of different dark grey pieces recall the look of the castle, both before it was destroyed – as seen in the structures left standing – and after. The destroyed stone of the castle is highlighted by fallen trees, bent metal, and small fires dotting the scene. One of the fires even features a trans-orange snake element to give it a unique shape. In addition to looking cool, there are even play features with the figures weapons clashing and rubble exploding.

LEGO Star Wars gift with purchase for May the Fourth revealed as 40333 Battle of Hoth [News]

LEGO has revealed one of the upcoming promotions for Star Wars May the Fourth weekend as the frosty 40333 Battle of Hoth. The small LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary set comes with 195 pieces and a printed anniversary tile. The set will be available for free with Star Wars purchases of $75 US / £75 UK from May 3-6. Other May the Fourth offers depend on location and could include double VIP points on Star Wars sets, certain sets on sale, a poster and a small polybag set as an additional gift with purchase.

40333 Battle of Hoth is the second exclusive/promotional set to receive the anniversary logo following 75227 Darth Vader Bust, though this one will be more widely available. The set features a unique brick-built platform and micro-versions of an AT-AT Walker, Snowspeeder, and Rebel shield generator.

Click to get a closer look at the Battle of Hoth

What’s in the box? LEGO 5005704 Star Wars Mystery Box [Review]

Back in December, LEGO Stores in the US and Canada launched a Star Wars box promotion that featured 5 rare polybags. Earlier this month, it became available in the UK and select European countries, where it was again marketed as a Star Wars Mystery Box. (Specifically, the countries included Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France, and Belgium.) While both region-locked promotions are over, we’re here to have a quick look at what we found inside, though it should be noted that not all the boxes are the same. What’s in the box? Is it worth it? Let’s take a quick look first at what we found in our box and the promotion details.

Details on both regions’ promotions can be found here in our news announcements for the US and Canada (promotion period December 2018) and the UK and select EU countries announcement (promotion period 11 April – 15 April 2019)

Click to read the full review

Another feisty droid that will probably steal the show

I’ve been consciously avoiding all things Star Wars: Episode IX including the teaser trailer, but I’ve learned in some ways its almost useless to resist. It’s impossible to hide with the fans of LEGO and Star Wars taking to the brick to recreate what they’ve glimpsed in trailers and at Star Wars Celebration. This droid companion seems to be the new rising star and is cleverly captured in action by Takamichi Irie. All we know so far is that the droid is named D-O. We can’t help but notice that it’s also painted in our very own TBB colors!

LEGO Star Wars returns to A New Hope with 1,700-piece 75244 Tantive IV [News]

LEGO has revealed 75244 Tantive IV, the Rebel corvette featured in the opening shot of Star Wars: A New Hope, the very first Star Wars film ever released. The set comes with 1,768 pieces and six minifigures including Bail Organa, Princess Leia, Captain Antilles, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, C-3PO and R2-D2. The Tantive IV will be available for purchase from LEGO starting May 3rd for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99.

Interestingly the set is not labeled as an Ultimate Collectors Series (UCS) set nor as a Master Builder Series (MBS) playset, though the packaging is similar to both. Instead it looks more akin to an up-scaled and more detailed version of the 10198 Tantive IV released a decade ago.

In addition to this newly revealed set, don’t miss the rest of the LEGO summer 2019 sets reveals, and be sure to check out the new Toy Story 4, Spider-Man, and The LEGO Movie 2 sets that just went sale a few days ago:

LEGO Architecture
LEGO Batman
LEGO City
LEGO City Space
LEGO Creator
LEGO Friends
LEGO Friends Ocean
LEGO Harry Potter
LEGO Jurassic World
LEGO Ninjago
LEGO Star Wars

Click to get a closer look at the newest Star Wars set, the Tantive IV

LEGO Star Wars 75227 Darth Vader Bust now available from Target [News]

The highly sought-after 75227 Darth Vader Bust is finally available from Target for REDcard members. Originally announced as a limited-run Star Wars Celebration set going on sale starting April 11th, the retailer took its time posting the listing. The exclusive set contains 327 pieces and  retails for $39.99 US.

(EDIT: It appears to have sold out in less than 15 minutes. We have reached out to Target to see if any other batch will be made available but have not heard back.)

For those of you who are either based internationally, not Target REDcard members, or just don’t want to hassle with the order system, we posted instructions on how to build the set from your own pieces, Bricklink or LEGO Bricks and Pieces service.

Looking back on 20 years of LEGO Star Wars and the LEGO fan community [Editorial]

Back in April 1999, it would have been hard to imagine what LEGO Star Wars sets might look like in twenty years, but it would have been even harder to predict how the LEGO fan community would evolve over the next two decades. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars theme, I also wanted to take a moment to reflect on how LEGO Star Wars has affected my life, along with the lives of countless other LEGO fans all over the world.

Read more of what it’s been like to be part of the LEGO Star Wars fan community for 20 years

Interview with LEGO Star Wars designers Jens Kronvold and Kurt Kristiansen [Feature]

Earlier this year on March 29th, The Brothers Brick team was invited to take part in a Star Wars Fan Media Day at the LEGO House in the centre of Billund, Denmark. One of the main events was a round table discussion with LEGO Star Wars designers Jens Kronvold and Kurt Kristiansen — designers who have been working on LEGO Star Wars sets since the very first wave of products hit shelves back in 1999. Jens and Kurt had a lot to share with us, so we didn’t miss a chance to ask them some of the most exciting questions.

Kurt Kristiansen (left) and Jens Kronvold (right)

Q: Tell us about the LEGO Star Wars model design team. How many people does it include? How many lead designers are there?

Jens: Right now, the model design team consists of 10 people: me as the Creative Director and Lead Model Designer and nine other model designers. We also have two graphic designers, who create designs for all the stickers, printed pieces, and minifigures. While in the office, we sit it an open office environment together with the marketing team, people who design building instructions and other specialists. So, all together we form one “super-team” which I find particularly nice and convenient. If you need to talk to somebody, they’re just next to you!

Kurt: It’s the same with any other model design team. And if, say I have a question regarding LEGO Technic elements, I just need to walk 10 meters down the aisle and I can talk to anyone of my colleagues who are working with LEGO Technic pieces. So, it’s a very open office environment.

Q: How many sets does LEGO Star Wars model team create each year? How many sets are designed by each member of the team?

Click to read the rest of the interview with LEGO Star Wars designers Jens Kronvold and Kurt Kristiansen

LEGO Star Wars 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – 20th Anniversary Edition [Review]

While many don’t fancy the Star Wars prequels, I for one am a fan them, especially the Podracers from The Phantom Menace. Thanks to the 20th Anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, we get an Anakin’s Podracer to commemorate some of the iconic themes and sets from two decades ago. 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – 20th Anniversary Edition comes with 279 pieces and retails for US: $29.99 | Canada: 39.99 CAD | UK: £24.99. It is currently available.

Click to read the full hands-on review

Party on in this re-themed Slave I

When a piece that’s exclusive to one set gets released in a new colour, it can be appealing to base a tribute to the original set around the new piece. That’s exactly what BobDeQuatre has done with the transparent purple windscreen from the LEGO Movie 2 70828 Pop-Up Party Bus set, which had previously only existed in transparent clear in the Ultimate Collector’s Series 75060 Slave I.

UCS Party One

While many parts of the original model could be substituted for parts in the right colour scheme, some had to be replaced if the correct parts didn’t exist. I especially like the way the curves over the wing mounts were sculpted. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the weapons have been removed, as this ship is built to have fun, not chase the Millennium Falcon. And what better way to emphasize its readiness to party, than with a fun pair of cat ears. Meow!