That's what Obi-Wan Kenobi said upon approaching the Death Star. But when I saw the reproduction in LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display at LEGOLAND Windsor, I was lost for words! Together with my tita's (aunt's) family, I visited the resort last June, and their latest addition is the recreation of Darth Vader’s ultimate super weapon. It's one of the most impressive and biggest models ever created for the resort, using about 500,000 bricks. Measuring 2.4 meters wide and 3 meters high, and weighing 860 kilograms, the Death Star is the centerpiece for an amazing scene depicting the famous Battle of Yavin in A New Hope. The interactive display also features sound and light effects. By pressing the appropriate buttons, Alliance ships will come swooping to destroy the mobile space station.
Upon entering the LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display, Darth Vader in all his brickly glory extends his lightsaber to welcome the visitors. Our favorite droids R2-D2 and C-3PO follow shortly. It seems they are also part of the welcoming committee.
Darth Vader
R2-D2
C-3PO
Since it opened in 2012, The LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display features iconic scenes from the six live-action Star Wars movies, displaying 1,500 separate models, in 1:20 scale, made from 1.5 million bricks. Yearly, new models are being added (like this year's gigantic Death Star). Hopefully, next year, awesome scenes from The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and even from Star Wars Rebels will be added.
The year is almost over but the LEGO fun still continues. There are still a few days remaining to visit LEGOLAND Windsor. Head on to www.legoland.co.uk for more details.
Below are some of my favorite snaps from my recent trip. These pictures don't do justice for how amazing these models are. Seeing them in person is highly recommended. Oh, I can't wait to visit the resort again.
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...
...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.
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 (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 (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:
![Death Star [75159]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_mfPw3pltfHW2YeQBGHXl4GCVc1L-rk9mUjw767ldLMB6BuBw0IKMuhuL2y_JXH1s-D4TicDh4dcDjuRDSELRVrSnmS_4VnwdbRLy-EKbiFwPcsqNxn_WdW6V7MyROEcZ0FEoYQ9xQEP/s1600/0-02-01-004d5463632bceea56355e745947a7e3cdfe00356e677107b0555ad1d481f253_full.jpg "Death Star [75159]")
