Now that May the 4th is officially here, LEGO is celebrating Star Wars day with the release of its latest kit from a galaxy far, far away. Arriving later this year, the new Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander pairs LEGO’s smartphone-enabled module with over 1,100 pieces. It recreates three iconic droids from the franchise, headlined by R2-D2, and allows you to complete over 40 programing missions to in order to become a coding Jedi. More details down below.
What is LEGO BOOST?
Based around the smartphone-enabled Move Hub, LEGO Boost pairs with a variety of motors and sensors to bring brick-built creations to life. The platform works with everything from your iPhone and iPad to Android handset, Kindle tablet and more. Today’s announcement is now the first time LEGO is opting to pair its STEAM-oriented technology with a licensed property. And what better fit than an interactive coding system that’s based on some of the most well-known robots out there?
While other companies have already tried their hands at leveraging Star Wars branding to get kids coding, LEGO’s approach steps things up a bit. The core aspect is the same – assembling a robot and then instilling various functionality via a drag and drop coding interface. But where the BOOST Droid Commander differs is in LEGO’s fundamental design.
Recreate three droids in LEGO’s first Star Wars BOOST set
Included in the 1,177-piece kit are three droids from various reaches of a galaxy far, far away. Stealing the show is R2-D2, but also in the set are GONK and Mouse Droids. While all three can pretty much be built simultaneously, the Move Hub is shared across every model.
Each of them bring a different brick-built mechanism into the mix as well as unique in-app content. For instance, R2 will assist in coding missions like flying an X-Wing, decoding an incoming message and more. There are over 40 different guided coding challenges included, as well as the ability to write your own routines.
LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander arrives later this fall
LEGO will be launching its new Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set come Fall. Retailing for $199.99, it’ll officially debut on September 1st. Expect to see it hit store shelves at LEGO’s own online shop and retail locations at first, with other retailers coming soon after.
9to5Toys’ Take:
LEGO has been dipping its toes into the water for quite some time with educational kits. It’s first BOOST release paved the road in terms of functionality, but now LEGO’s new release brings the same STEAM emphasis to the Star Wars universe. The builds themselves look great, and it’s fantastic that LEGO opted to include both the GONK and Mouse droids alongside R2-D2.
[9to5-press-release]
BILLUND, DENMARK (May 4, 2019): Today, the LEGO Group unveils the latest addition to its much- loved Star WarsTM range – and it’s something even Yoda’s Force sense didn’t see coming. The new LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set offers all the creativity and coding fun of LEGO® BOOST alongside the chance to build three of the film franchise’s most iconic droids: R2-D2; the Gonk Droid; and the Mouse Droid.
It’s the first time the intuitive drag-and-drop LEGO BOOST coding technology has been used in a LEGO licensing product. With the technology overhauled to match the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, the result is a whole new play experience in which kids and parents can team up to build, code and play with the droids, then create their own Star Wars stories and battlegrounds with inspiration from 40+ interactive missions. What’s more, every time they play with this LEGO Star Wars brick galaxy of lovable droids, they will also be honing their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) skills, which are ever more important for children in today’s digital world.
Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, LEGO Group, said: “We’ve been fuelling the imagination of young Padawans and Jedi Masters for twenty years and wanted to take the Force to a new level. By introducing LEGO BOOST and creative coding into the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, kids now have the chance to develop essential 21st century skills while immersing themselves in the amazing world of Droid Commanders. Our children are the problem solvers of tomorrow and STEAM skills will be essential to help them conquer the challenges of the future.”
The LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set is the latest example of how the LEGO Group is using product innovation to help boys and girls gain vital STEAM skills like creativity, critical-thinking, problem-solving and communication – all while enjoying the thrill of playing with their favourite LEGOStar Wars characters.
Launching globally September 1, 2019 just in time to mark the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , all three droids (R2-D2, Gonk Droid and Mouse Droid) included in the set are great fun to build, code and play with, and completely customisable for every child.
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