Ever since Promo Bricks’ controversial description of the much rumored LEGO Star Wars Death Star 75159 a couple of weeks ago, discussions have been thick regarding how the set actually looks like. Fan reactions were on a broad spectrum so to speak, from those who are hopeful that LEGO has a surprise under its sleeve, to downright disappointment thinking that LEGO did not bring anything new to the table.
Now in a rather unexpected turn of events, the LEGO Star Wars Death Star 75159 was ‘officially’ unveiled recently at the Arundel Mills LEGO Store in Maryland. According to Brickset and photos shared by CM4Sci via Reddit, a visitor at the said LEGO Store was quick to take notice of the 75159 being built by one of the store’s staff in full public view. With snapper at hand, the wide-eyed visitor was quick with the shots, eventually sharing these images through social media. Now we’re not quite sure if the staff in question is a Bothan in disguise, or simply a kind soul completely unaware of the ramifications of her actions, but we’re certain that LEGO has not revealed any particular details or hi-res images of the said rehashed set.
Now that the much protected plans and schematics of the Empire’s deadliest weapon is finally out, every Rebel faction in this side of the LEGO galaxy has taken their war of words over at fan forums and sites. Most noticeable about the new LEGO Star Wars Death Star is the fact that there is essentially nothing new at all. Confirming what Promo Bricks have reported, 75159 appears to be largely similar to 10188 Death Star, the one from 2008.
What could be a somewhat redeeming factor for set 75159 is the fact that it offers a total of 25 minifigures, unlike our previous report of 24. We’ve also mentioned that some of the minfigs have an improved look like Hans Solo sporting a new hair piece, and Grand Moff Tarkin having a new look and is accompanied by two Imperial Officers not included in the original LEGO Death Star. Here’s a closer look at the minifig breakdown of 75159 as printed on the side of the box.
Brickset has written an excellent preview and comparison of the Death Star 75159 and the older version 10188 which you might be interested to look. Given its huge piece count, it is expected that the LEGO Star Wars 75159 will be a kind of UCS, with LEGO releasing it to the general public by October 1, and to VIP members by mid-September.
What are your thoughts on the 75159? Drop us a note in the comments section below.
I think the set looks fun. I don’t have a single problem with the set itself as Lego updates Star Wars sets all the time (Millennium Falcon, Clone Tank, AT-AT, Imperial Shuttle, X-Wing, etc). My only “issue” is that this is under the UCS line. Like with the Masterpiece Transformer line, we have come to expect a high level of screen accuracy and detail from the UCS line. Like with UCS Hoth, this looks to be a good playset, but it shouldn’t be a UCS set.