Death Star™

Reviews

• in about 5 years
  Average rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0
  iReckon | 25-34
  I would recommend this to a friend!
  Purchased for: Self

  In the world of Doctor Who, it’s readily accepted that insides and outsides can exist in different dimensions, and that different time zones can be visited as easily as if they were different places. If you can swallow such conceits, then you’re likely to share my view that LEGO’s Death Star playset is one of the greatest LEGO sets ever released in any range. Whilst its half-hearted exterior couldn’t hope to measure up to that of the majesty of the Death Star II ultimate collector’s edition set, its movie-hopping interior boasts more genuine detail and finesse features than the total sum of previous Star Wars LEGO offerings. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece of a model. When this near four-thousand piece set arrived, the first thing that I did was to assemble its twenty-four minifigures, as recommended by the first of its heavy, ring-bound instruction manuals. Any Star Wars character of note who ever set foot on board either of the Empire’s ill-fated battle stations is included here, and some of them in more than one incarnation. Luke Skywalker, for instance, appears in three different guises – firstly, in his farm boy outfit from Tatooine; secondly, in a unique stormtrooper outfit; and thirdly, as a fully-fledged, mechanical-appendage-sporting, black-clad Jedi Knight. Han Solo, similarly, appears in an exclusive stormtrooper outfit as well as his usual attire, alongside his constant companion Chewbacca; an Episode IV-styled Princess Leia; a cloaked Obi-Wan Kenobi; and the saga’s seminal droid duo, C-3PO and R2-D2. Death Star stalwarts Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin are present and correct too, as is the hard-to-find Emperor Palpatine, here equipped with his Return of the Jedi lightening. The minifigure count is than rounded out with a couple of stormtroopers; a brace of rare, red-clad royal guards; and no fewer than four imperial droids. Whilst it’s true that many of the minifigures included in this set have been improved upon since (particularly Luke and Leia), there is still not a set that stands up to this one when it comes to the quantity and quality of its minifigures. Building the Death Star itself was an even more rewarding experience though, particularly as I eked it out over a few weeks, tackling one of the set’s four internal boxes at a time (at £274.99, I had to make it last). Once the foundations were in place, the first floor offered all manner of tantalising treasures, including the infamous ‘trash compactor’ (complete with compacting walls and Dianoga monster); tractor beam control room; and gaping chasm across which Luke and Leia must swing. As the build progressed, I didn’t only get the satisfaction of being able to build superlative second floor rooms such as the ‘Vader vs Obi-Wan’ hanger bay; throne room; and detention block, but also the pleasure of seeing how they interrelated with the rooms already constructed. The detention block, for instance, boasts a rubbish chute that leads, as it should, to the trash compactor; the throne room, meanwhile, is equipped with a fully-functional lift. Even the set’s top tier, which stands only half as tall as the two below it, was not without reward as it allowed me to recreate the moment where Vader choked one of his subordinates around the conference table (“I find your lack of faith disturbing…”), not to mention that in which he loomed behind the overconfident Tarkin as the Rebel base honed into view on the monitor before them (which can easily be flipped round to be replaced by an image of the doomed Alderaan, depending how destructive you’re feeling). The gigantic space station is colossal once assembled, taking up a nearly half a square metre wherever it’s set down. Naturally, I lament the absence of an exterior – LEGO could have finished the model with a series of hinged grey walls to provide a more authentic finish without taking too much away from the playability of the spectacular interior, but even so, this set’s finished model is as clearly the Death Star as LEGO’s intricately-detailed ultimate collector’s edition display piece. How could it not be with that menacing green death ray extruding from its distinguishing dish?

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  Play ExperienceAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Level of DifficultyAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Value for MoneyAverage rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0

  Build Time: 7 days

  Building Experience: Expert LEGO builder
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  55Death Star™
• in about 5 years
  Average rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0
  Awesome!!!
  mrmustachio | 14-18
  I would recommend this to a friend!
  This set is incredible! When you first open the box, four smaller boxes will come out. The set has 7 bags in it, so here is how it is spaced out: Bag 1,2 and 3 are in box 1. Bag 4 is in box 2. Bag 5 and 6 are in box 3. And bag 7 is in box 4. It took me around 20 hours to build this set! At the end, the Death Star looked amazing! Here are the rooms, starting from bottom to the top: -Giant shaft room -Tractor beam control bridge -Trash compacter -Turret -Storage room -Superlaser control room -Docking bay -Emperor's throne room -Detention cells -Superlaser targeting room -Droid construction room -Hyperlaser turrets -Imperial conference room There are also so many features! There is so many that Lego doesnt wven show them all! As for the characters, a little old looking, but still great! In conclusion, the Lego Death Star is the best Lego set ever! Worth every penny!

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  Play ExperienceAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Value for MoneyAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Build Time: 20 hrs

  Building Experience: Intermediate LEGO builder
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  36

  7
  55Death Star™
• in almost 4 years
  Average rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0
  Huge build
  Tedward77 | 35-44
  I would recommend this to a friend!
  Purchased for: Self

  Having been an avid fan of Star Wars for many years i had wanted this since i realised it was available but couldn't quite bring myself to spend so much money, but after buying other increasingly larger Lego Star Wars builds and realising this was being retired i finally decided to buy it and am glad i did. Even though it was expensive i would definitely say it was worth the money, especially when you look at the Death Star Final Duel model and realise how expensive it would be to have each section as a seperately available build. This was a massive build and the attention to detail is superb, featuring key scenes from the films. There are also a good selection of characters for each of the seperate sections, from the scene in the cells with Leia's capture to the final duel with Luke, Vader and the Emperor. Even the Dianoga from the trash compactor makes an appearance.

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  Play ExperienceAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Level of DifficultyAverage rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0

  Value for MoneyAverage rating5out of 5 stars

  5.0

  Build Time: 23 hrs

  Building Experience: Intermediate LEGO builder
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  13

  1
  55Death Star™
• in almost 5 years
  Average rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0
  Massive model
  vibaek78 | 35-44
  I would recommend this to a friend!
  Purchased for: Self

  I am danish, but live in Sweden. 2 weeks ago, I planned a visit to the Lego Store in Copenhagen, Denmark. I wanted to buy the new amazing Tie Fighter (75095) model released the very same day (May 2nd 2015). This will be my 3rd addition to my new and expensive hobby - Awesome Lego Star Wars models. With the Tie Fighter under my arm, my lovely wife came to me and insisted that we also bought the Death Star (She's quite into Sci-fi too). Even though it is a quite expensive model, I am weak and it did not take long before I was convinced that it was a good idea :-D The Death Star is a rare model in the regular shops. That is why I have not tried to hold 'n' carry the box. It is quite heavy. We were going home by train and it definitely attracted attention. After I had assembled my Tie (love it by the way) I started up with the Death star. The box it self contained 4 white neutral boxes numbered 1 through 4. The instructions... Not only is the model massive. So is the instructions. A big 264 paged A3 manual with rings (quite handy when the instructions are so big).. A funny detail... On every other side, Lord Vader is supervising the construction of the Death Star. Makes you pay more attention to the instructions. No one wants to displease the Sith lord. Box 1... This box contains the mini figs and the base construction. The instructions starts with the assembly of the mini figs. The only thing that annoyed me here, was the fact that the parts for the mini figs wasn't put in one or two separate bags. The parts was spread evenly throughout all the bags. This meant that I had to open all bags at once instead of opening one at a time as the assembly progressed. Advise! You need a lot of space when you build the death star. I occupied the table where we eat, so eating was referred to the coffee table. Because most of the sunday was used on the assembly of my Tie Fighter, I stopped after Box 1 of the Death Star. Already then I realised that I would get a problem when it was done. Where to put this beauty! It is big, and it is fragile. Next weekend is up... Time to continue with box 2 through 4. Back to the occupied dinner table :-D It is quite enjoyable assembling the Death Star because of the many little details that LEGO has put into this model. This brings up a lot of memories from this awesome universe that we all grew up with. I had only one problem during the assembly. When it came to the big disc that is the eye of the Death Star ray, brick was missing (4124096). ARGH!! Did I drop it on the floor? No.. Did I leave it in one of the many bags labeled 6? No.. Luckily the important brick was part of a maintenance wagon from bag no1. This wagon is less important and I stole the part from the wagon to be able to continue. I realised that bag no6 contained a brick (4558168) that did not belong to the Death Star set at all. Luckily LEGO has a great customer service where I reported the one missing brick. I have already received a confirmation mail, that it should be on its way by snail mail soon. Several hours later I finished up the Death Star. Finishing up the masterpiece by adding the minifigs where they fit in. Then it was time for a photoshoot to show the social world what a nerdy friend they have :-D The Death Star now adorns the living room along with my Red Five X-wing Starfighter (10240), My B-Wing Starfighter (10227 - Retired) and my new Tie Fighter (75095)

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  Play ExperienceAverage rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0

  Level of DifficultyAverage rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0

  Value for MoneyAverage rating4out of 5 stars

  4.0

  Build Time: 16 hrs

  Building Experience: Intermediate LEGO builder
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  45Death Star™