Friday, September 2, 2016

LEGO star wars go rogue


Death Star [75159]
Death Star [75159] (Photo grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

With the upcoming release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, almost everything is painted black, or going rogue, and that includes the toys...

LEGO recently announced the future release (or re-release, depending on your perspective) of the Death Star [75159] Ultimate Collector Series set just in time for the showing of the first film in the Star Wars Anthology Series. The set will retail for US $499.99 / UK £399.99. A lot of AFOLs are crying foul that the new set is a recycled version of the recently retired Death Star [10188] set with only a few upgrades (It's a Star Wars recurring theme!). Personally, I think the LEGO Death Star play set design is great. Maybe it's too great that LEGO is trying to make it close to evergreen. The first Death Star [10188] lasted for about eight years. Who knows how long will the second Death Star [75159] last? This also gives the chance for people like me (who recently emerged from the shadows and) who doesn't have the first one to own an ultimate version of the galactic superweapon. I just feel bad for those who invested on the [10188] set expecting a huge return. But that's life. Risk is inevitable.

When everything is still a bit hush hush, I was so excited about the dark Death Star Droid. I immediately assumed that it's the recently revealed C2-B5...

C2-B5 (Photo grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/StarWars.UK/photos)

...but it's not. I keep forgetting that the Death Star [75159] is not a Rogue One set. C2-B5 is actually a mixture of two of the droids in the set, namely the (real) Death Star Droid and the Imperial Astromech. The Death Star Droid is even better than I pictured. It gives off a vibe that it's armed and dangerous, and that you don't want to mess with it. I wasn't really disappointed that it's not C2-B5 because if you're going to dig into previous sets, there are already a lot of black astromech droids in various brick forms.

Death Star Droid & Imperial Astromech Minifigures
Death Star Droid & Imperial Astromech Minifigures (Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

Since the Death Star is the main focus of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it's not surprising to see its LEGO version in the first chapter of the Star Wars Go Rogue video clip. Here we can see different Star Wars toys, including our precious LEGO, in their own interpretation of the first anthology film. It's really cute and funny. But what's funnier is the need for a disclaimer that the video uses special effects, and that the toys can't move or talk on their own (Talk about setting expectations, haha!). For those who haven't seen it yet, here it is:



LEGO has also released sneak peeks of the new Rogue One sets coming out at the end of September, and they all look great! The Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155] is the newest good guys' ship to be introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Perhaps, there's too much emphasis on the good side that LEGO decided to give it a brighter color scheme than the one in the film. Nevertheless, it's still a cool ship, with its foldable wings and all.

Rogue One Sets
Rogue One Sets (From Left to Right): Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155], TIE Striker [75154], Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152], AT-ST Walker [75153], & Krennic's Imperial Shuttle [75156(Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

My personal favorite is Krennic's Imperial Shuttle [75156]. All those black bricks give an uncanny feel. But with that set retailing for US $89.99 / UK £79.99, I think I'm going to wait for a little while. Other sets to be released include the TIE Striker [75154], Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152], and AT-ST Walker [75153].

I'm not really a fan of the Buildable Figures but I feel obliged to put them here as well. Besides, Jyn Erso [75119], K-2S0 [75120], and and the Imperial Death Trooper [75121] collectively look menacingly cool in this versions.

Rogue One Buildable Figures
Rogue One Buildable Figures (From Left to Right): Sergeant Jyn Erso [75119], K-2S0 [75120], & Imperial Death Trooper [75121] (Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

All this Rogue One buildup is making the Star Wars fanboy in me über-excited! How about you?
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UPDATE: See the Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155] in action and more in the next chapters of Star Wars Go Rogue:





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