As the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back comes to a close, LEGO is rolling out one more kit today in celebration of the film’s release. As the very first time that we’ve seen the ship in the LEGO world, the Nebulon-B Frigate is now on the way as this year’s final Star Wars set. Having originally been slated as an SDCC exclusive, the set will be available for fans to get hold of before the end of the year. Head below for a closer look at the upcoming build and everything we know so far about its release.
LEGO continues The Empire Strikes Back anniversary celebration
When we last checked in with LEGO Star Wars, the Baby Yoda kit had just been unveiled and we thought it would be the last kit from the theme for 2020. That appears to have been a wrong assumption, as LEGO is now continuing its celebration of The Empire Strikes Back’s 40th anniversary by releasing yet another commemorative set.
While it’s not the most memorable ship from the film, it certainly has earned its place as a fan favorite. It’s never been assembled officially by LEGO, and it seemed like all hope of that was lost earlier in the year when Ideas kicked off a contest for fans to pick the next UCS Star Wars kit. While the Republic Gunship won, it looks the Nebulon-B Frigate is now being released as an LEGO official set anyway.
Much like we saw with the Bespin Duel kit announced in August, LEGO is opting to officially release a set that was originally intended to be a convention exclusive. This time, the LEGO Nebulon-B Frigate was slated to be available exclusively from San Diego Comic-Con. But with physical gathers essentially eliminated for much of the year, LEGO is opting to open the set up to the public.
LEGO Nebulon-B Frigate assembled for the first time
Continuing with the 40th anniversary theming of The Empire Strikes Back, this new micro-scale version of the Nebulon-B Frigate makes an appearance at the end of the film. In its LEGO form, the creation stacks up to 459 pieces and measures around 11 inches long. There’s even a miniature Millennium Falcon docked on the ship like in the film.
It comes with a black display base like we’ve seen from the other kits in this theme. And aside from the printed 40th anniversary plaque, there aren’t an exclusive bricks here. So you could build it yourself with the instructions available right here.
As of now, pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed by LEGO. Odds are we’ll see it roll around to online stores sometime this month, potentially right on October 30 with The Child release or even to kickoff November. Pricing will likely enter at around $50 given what we saw with the Bespin Duel set. It’s also likely that the LEGO Nebulon-B Frigate will be exclusively available in North America.
While not quite as exciting, we also got a look at the new Toad’s Special Hideaway Expansion Set. This was also slated to be a SDCC exclusive, but is now available from LEGO for $19.99. The 120-piece expands the Super Mario theme with a new Toad-focused creation.
9to5Toys’ Take
To say I’m excited about today’s news is a bit of an understatement. I wasn’t expecting to see another LEGO Star Wars kit this year, period, let alone something as phenomenal as the Nebulon-B Frigate. Sure, it’s a micro-scale creation, but it’ll fit right in with many of the UCS-style ships in my collection.
If this launch is anything like the Bespin Duel, this promotional kit is going to be in extremely high demand and will likely sell out soon after going up for purchase. So if this is a kit you’re looking to add to your collection, best keep it locked to 9to5Toys as we’ll be eagerly waiting all of the details from LEGO on its release.
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