The LEGO Group just launched its Star Wars Day celebration, and at the top of all the fanfare is the new mini Death Star II set. This limited-edition creation not only arrives to pay homage to the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi but also arrives as an exciting new build that’s free on select orders. Today we’re taking a closer look at how the kit stacks up to see if it’s worth the entry fee.
What you get with the new LEGO Death Star II
In the box, the LEGO Death Star II set arrives with the usual black packaging and minimal box art that we’ve come to expect from collector-oriented builds. There are four total bags within, broken into two subsets to make building a bit easier. There’s really nothing all too special about the instruction booklet, either.
Normally, these 18+ creations have some kind of fanfare with behind-the-scenes interviews with builders or at least some lore from the in-universe object. But this time around, the LEGO Group is sticking with its usual design that strips away some of the flashier additions for a run-of-the-mill building experience.
Housed within those bags are the 289 included bricks that go towards making up the set. Exclusive to the May the 4th celebration this year, you’ll have through May 7 to bring this model to your collection by spending $150 or more on LEGO Star Wars creations.
How the 289-piece set stacks up
Once you’ve made it through the 59 pages in the instruction booklet and clicked each of the bricks into its place, you’re left with a fairly remarkable model. At least for its size. Less than 300 pieces is hardly a lot in the world of LEGO, but that hasn’t stopped the designer behind this model from delivering the Death Star II in a compelling build that still arrives with plenty of shelf presence.
The whole kit is roughly the size of a softball, with the spherical superweapon being able to fit right in your hand. It has a solid construction that blends plenty of techniques to achieve the incomplete look of the Empire’s second take at a planet-killer. There are so many exposed studs that work perfectly at giving the Death Star II its expected greebles, both on the sections that are finished and those that are still coming together to assemble the space station.
It, of course, wouldn’t be the Death Star without its turbo laser, and the LEGO version does manage to deliver. It’s arguably the weakest portion of the whole build, but that’s likely due to the scale limiting how the engineer could pull off the design. I really have to give the set credit for using one of the little flower pieces, but it doesn’t quite match the quality of the rest of the model.
Even though this is a display model, there is one fun feature of the kit that goes a bit above what many of the builders will likely be expecting. Peeling back one of the sections will reveal the throne room from Return of the Jedi, where Luke confronts Darth Vader and the Emperor. It’s a very, very, very small rendition of that iconic scene, but really is such a fun inclusion.
Back to the display-worthy side of the Death Star II, the build rests on a black base that elevates the model up off your shelf or desk. Built into it is a spinning section that holds the 40th-anniversary Episode VI plaque we’ve seen included on other kits based around the film. I love that it can be positioned to the front of whatever side of the model you end up showing off, too.
9to5Toys’ Take
Unlike other reviews here at 9to5Toys that ultimately end with some takeaway about whether or not you should buy the product, things are a bit different this time around. With LEGO’s latest being a set you can’t actually go buy for yourself, and instead a promotional release, it’s a tougher sell on whether that $150 threshold is worth hitting to bring this build to your collection. Fortunately, this really is a perfect storm of an opportunity to score the build.
A lot of Star Wars fans aren’t even going to have to consider whether the $150 is worth it or not because the new UCS X-Wing clocks in above that threshold. So anyone looking to score this year’s new Ultimate Collectors Series set will have no issue grabbing this freebie.
But even if the flagship set of the May lineup isn’t calling your name, the diversity of new sets this year is really fantastic overall, too. Normally, the LEGO Group uses these kinds of highly sought-after gifts with purchase to draw in fans during months when new kits haven’t hit the scene or even when less popular builds are released. But this week, for the May the 4th excitement, there’s a robust catalog of new kits that should appeal to younger builders and older collectors alike, as well as an enticing freebie.
So whether you’re trying to bring home the new diorama sets from Return of the Jedi, or you want that sweet micro-scale Super Star Destroyer paired with the TIE Interceptor bundle, there’s a lot of variety to mix and match models.
The new LEGO Death Star II is ultimately as display-worthy as small sets like this can be. I absolutely adore the size despite having just 289 pieces, with a final build that really does feel worth the cost of entry. This is easily the best promotion we’ve had from LEGO Star Wars on May the 4th in years, too. There have been so many miniature vignette builds over the past half-decade that really dropped the ball, and finally, the LEGO Group has given builders an exciting new release.
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