Lego's New 1,949-Piece Star Wars Ultimate X-Wing Is Joined by 2 Return of the Jedi Dioramas

Ever since Lego dropped its 7,541-piece Millennium Falcon model on Star Wars fans, the toymaker’s Ultimate Collector Series line has offered some of the most challenging (and most expensive) Lego sets ever released. The Falcon was followed by a 4,784-piece Lego Star Destroyer, an 1,890-piece version of Luke’s Landspeeder, and a towering 6,785-piece AT-AT. And while not quite as budget-busting, the new 21.5-inch long, 1,949-piece X-wing is a welcome, and long overdue, addition to the UCS Lego collection.

This isn’t the first super-sized X-wing model Lego has released. The new X-wing is predated by the now retired Red Five X-wing Starfighter which was slightly smaller at 1,559 pieces. The new model looks like a fairly substantial rebuild that introduces more complex details in the cockpit and the wings, and a better use of angled panels on the ship’s body.

The most notable difference between the Red Five X-wing Starfighter and the new model is that dial used to open and close the X-wing’s S foils has been moved from the back of the ship, to the top, right behind the R2-D2 minifigure that serves as the astromech droid.

If you’re a Lego VIP member (a free program you can sign up for here), you can grab the Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series X-wing Starfighter starting May 1 for $240. Everyone else will have to wait until May 4 to add one to their fleet.

Realizing there’s a big segment of kidult Lego collectors who are happy to build a set and then place it on a shelf for display—never to be touched or disassembled—Lego released a trio of buildable Star Wars dioramas last year, highlighting memorable scenes from A New Hope. Today it introduced two more based on Return of the Jedi, including the speeder bike chase on Endor, which is still thrilling and entirely believable to watch, 40 years later.

The 608-piece Endor Speeder Chase diorama includes a small recreation of the forests of Endor with a pair of speeder bikes zipping through a pair of trees, just feet above the lush forest floor. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are aboard one speeder bike giving chase to another with a Scout Trooper at the controls. And once again, the display base includes a quote from the movie—although not exactly a memorable one: “Quick! Jam their comlinks. Center switch!”

The Lego Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Endor Speeder Chase diorama will be available for pre-order starting on April 7 for $80 and will ship and hit stores starting May 1.

It’s definitely not the first time Lego has recreated the climactic Death Star throne room finale of Return of the Jedi in brick form. But this is the first time the scene has been commemorated in diorama form, focusing on Vader and Luke’s duel with the overly gleeful Emperor thoroughly enjoying the family feud.

The 807-piece diorama includes one of the most lavishly detailed Lego recreations of Palpatine’s throne we’ve seen to date, sitting in front of what appears to be a new circular window element. The set comes with three minifigures in total: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker with their lightsabers, and Emperor Palpatine with his lightsaber and Sith lightning effects, as well as a quote from the scene on the display base: “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” So be it.... Je-di.

The Lego Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Emperor’s Throne Room diorama will be available for pre-order starting on April 7 for $100 and will ship and hit stores starting on May 1.