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 75244 Tantive IV Rebel Blockade Runner [Review]

Forty-two years ago, the very first Star Wars movie hit the cinema screens. Even though Episode IV was added to its title later, A New Hope was the first glimpse of the adventures in a galaxy far, far away. It was the first time the audience learned about the droids, Jedi, and, of course, about the Force. The film also revealed dozens of starships and land vehicles. Two of the most important ships appeared in the film’s opening shot. The first of them was the Tantive IV, released in LEGO-form this year as set 75244 Tantive IV. The product contains 1,768 pieces and retails for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99. Today, we are taking a closer look at the “consular ship on a diplomatic mission” and searching for intelligence stolen by the Rebels…

Click to read the full review

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The high ground – Light and LEGO combine to bring Mustafar to life in this Star Wars diorama

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, one of the most memorable moments is Anakin and Obi-Wan facing off on the surface of the lava-planet, Mustafar. Alessandro Rizzello brings the climax of this confrontation to life with a combination of LEGO and light.

Built for the Greatest Battles contest on LEGO Ideas, Alessandro has used LED strip lighting to highlight the danger of a river of transparent-orange crystals. Anakin stands on a movie-accurate hover platform, while Obi-Wan has claimed the high ground. A smattering of 1×1 round plate and flame elements complete the scene.

The glow of the lava results in a very cinematic feel. You can almost feel those minifigs sweating from the heat!

LEGO’s Ultimate Lightsaber Duel set coincided with the film’s theatrical release in 2005 and LEGO included a cameo of the scene with Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor in 2012, but so far they are the only official sets to showcase this iconic battle. (Although LEGO did return to Mustafar recently with Darth Vader’s Castle.) We’re lucky that the fan community is willing to make the return trip!

A droid strewn jawa junkshop

Capturing atmosphere in LEGO is an art, and it’s an art that Ben Cossy has mastered in his moody model of a Jawa junkshop. Its cleverly built sand crawler interior is combined with sophisticated photography, conjuring up that distinctive Tatooine feel. Having scavenged through his LEGO bins, Ben has decided to showcase the elusive TC-14 as the Jawa’s latest prize find. The silver protocol droid works as a glistening visual foil, backlit by the glowing red furnace grill. It’s a neat cinematic trick that renders the whole scene believable and somehow resonant with the Star Wars universe.

A Mon Calamari Cruiser crewed by Mon Calamari

LEGO Star Wars sets do a good job of supplying fans with minifigures of the main characters. But what if you want more to really fill out a scene’s background? If you’re like simon-wild, you build more from other characters’ parts, like he did for his Mon Calamari Cruiser Bridge. The scene on display wouldn’t be half of what it is without some custom characters – they really give it the busy and bustling look of a working command ship. I especially like the high proportion of non-human characters. Oftentimes, it seems that there are so many more humans than beings of other species in the galaxy, but not here: the Mon Calamari cruiser is appropriately crewed by Mon Calamari. The bridge itself is beautiful too. There are enough well-detailed instruments to keep everyone present busy, as well as displays and warning lights to let them know what’s happening.

This fan’s quest to build the perfect LEGO X-wing results in an amazingly accurate model [Feature]

A LEGO Star Wars fan since before Star Wars was a LEGO theme, Mark Chan has spent the last 40 years trying to create the perfect LEGO model of an X-wing fighter. We at The Brothers Brick think he’s done a pretty good job, so we caught up with Mark to get the story of his journey.

Click here to learn about the journey to create this X-wing

An overgrown temple on Yavin 4

Many LEGO Star Wars fans have long hoped for a set depicting the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Some fans have taken matters into their own hands and built their own rendition, like this scene by Legomania. Though only a small chunk of the Great Temple that housed the Rebel Alliance, this diorama accurately portrays the spirit of the activity we see in A New Hope and Rogue One. Pilots are milling about while Rebel Troopers run off to their assignments.

Remove the Star Wars characters and accessories, and this could very well represent an ancient jungle temple here on Earth. I’m particularly drawn to the use of largely solid colours for different aspects of the diorama. And rather than use colour to break up the monotony of a pathway, brick wall, or stone steps, everything looks gritty through the use of different shapes, sizes and textures of LEGO pieces.

Final images of LEGO Star Wars Boost 75253 Droid Commander set revealed [News]

Earlier this month LEGO unveiled 75253 Droid Commander, an all-new Star Wars-themed set for the new Boost system of motorized elements. Reminiscent of the Mindstorms-branded Droid Developer Kit from 1999, the Droid Commander set has instructions to build a variety of droids and program them to accomplish tasks via an app. Unlike previous some previous Boost sets for Ninjago and LEGO City, the Star Wars set is a stand-alone product that will not require users to already own any Boost products. The initial press release only included a handful of images of the set in use, but today LEGO is giving us our first look at the set’s final packaging and product images. Droid Commander has 1,177 pieces and is expected to retail for US $199.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £179.99 starting September 1.

Click to check out all the images

A downtown tour of the seedier side of Coruscant

The Phantom Menace, released 20 years ago this month, is a polarising movie. Many Star Wars fans (particularly older fans raised on the Original Trilogy) would say it’s their least favourite in the series of films. However, despite its flaws, Episode 1 brought some amazing new things to the Star Wars universe — kick-ass lightsaber battles, Pod Racing, and the planet of Coruscant amongst them. The capital world of both Galactic Republic then Empire is another classic “single environment planet” in the grand Star Wars tradition, but rather than a desert, forest, or ice world, Coruscant is home to a massive planet-spanning city. The movie gave us plenty of the city’s towering buildings and penthouse suites, but here we get a closer look at the seedier underbelly of the metropolis in Dayton‘s impressive LEGO diorama.

This trip into the lower levels of Coruscant is impressively detailed, and carries a Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk vibe along with its Star Wars inspiration. The Imperial Patrol works its way through the alleys, through crowds of shady-looking characters enjoying street food and drinks. The presentation is excellent, nicely-lit, with the custom advertising billboards and smatterings of Aurebesh text a smart touch. And don’t miss the use of laser shooter pieces to provide the pattern on the circular sliding door — it’s a little detail, but it’s this sort of thing that helps create layers of texture to pull the viewer’s eye into the image.

This Droid TIE Fighter is ready for intergalactic dogfights

The Rebellion will be crushed under skies filled with the Droid TIE Fighter! Builder Maelven is the Imperial engineer behind this automated starfighter. The most stand-out detail is the red cockpit window, but the smoothness of the wings is equally impressive. The fact that they’re angled is also a great move on Maelven’s part. I’m also impressed with the simplicity in color. Gray and black are the hallmark of the Empire, and it shows on the Droid TIE.

The TIE/D fighter was a notable part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. This LEGO build could be the return of one of the most fearsome war machines to rule the skies of the Empire.

By Jabba, this may be the tiniest throne room ever

They say the clothes make the man…and sometimes, the hat makes the Hutt. This microscale LEGO model of Jabba the Hutt’s throne room by Grantmasters was inspired by the dark green bandana element and a rainbow of tiny statuette minifigures. Among them is a Dementor from the microscale Hogwarts set used to depict Luke Skywalker as he attempts to mind-trick the slimy crime lord. My second favorite part use, after Jabba himself, is the Niffler figure.

Curiosity killed the Porg

In the opening scene of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke famously chucks his old lightsaber off a cliff like a week-old burrito, and thanks to a not-quite-canon “deleted scene” from the Blu-ray, we now know what happened to the weapon after being discovered by the Ahch-To’s most adorable inhabitants, who just might be too innocent for their own good. Of course, every memorable moment in Star Wars deserves to be immortalized in LEGO, and that’s where builder Takamichi Irie comes in, with an excellent recreation utilizing the official life-size LEGO Porg set.

One little piece makes for an epic scene

What’s not to love in this epic battle scene by Revan New? From the clone and droid figures, the archway above, or to the sunset lighting, this creation is full of action. My favorite bit is the Jedi figure flying over the gap as he readies to cut down Separatist droids. Using the grey hose part for the jumping special effect truly helped capture the intensity of the moment.