New Lego Death Star (75159) is the same as Old Lego Death Star (10188)

This is an odd release from Lego that is getting a lot of fans of both Star Wars and Lego very annoyed. They’ve just announced the Lego Death Star (75159), a £399.99 / $499.99 set (!!!) with over 4,000 pieces. But it’s all but identical to the previous Death Star (10188) that was retired a year ago, it just has a few more pieces, some slightly different minifigs and an extra £100 on the price tag.

Now, I don’t have any problem with Lego re-releasing older sets, especially something like this which is bound to continue being popular. I don’t really care that it reduces the value of the older set and anybody who might be investing in Lego from a financial point of view, because that’s not really an area I’m bothered about. In fact, I’d like to see them re-release more of the older sets and make things available to those that missed them first time around (although they specifically say in the press release for this that they have no further plans to do so).

But I do object to jacking up the price by £100 for just a few extra pieces, especially since the set was so expensive to start off with. The Disney Castle’s £290 price tag for a similar number of pieces may seem high to many, but this is proof that the Star Wars brand just immediately makes everything more expensive.

And why no Rogue One element? Especially since that film is all about stealing the plans for this very model. Not only expensive, but short sighted too.

I can see why so many people are annoyed with Lego over this one, but I find myself mostly indifferent. The fact that it’s way too expensive is what will stop me getting this one, because otherwise I’m one of those people that missed it the first time and would actually be interested. And that’s who Lego is targeting, not those collectors who wanted something totally new.

Here’s the press release…

• Includes 23 minifigures: Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Imperial Navy Officer, Imperial Officer, 2 Stormtroopers, 2 Death Star Troopers, 2 Emperor’s Royal Guards, 2 Death Star Gunners, Death Star Droid, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO, Han Solo, Han Solo (disguise), Luke Skywalker (Tatooine), Luke Skywalker (disguise) and Luke Skywalker (final duel), plus R2-D2, an Imperial Astromech and a Dianoga trash compactor monster.
• Features a superlaser control room, Imperial conference chamber, hangar bay with moving launch rack and detachable TIE Advanced with space for Lord Vader inside, Emperor Palpatine’s throne room, Droid maintenance room, detention block, trash compactor, tractor beam, cargo area, turbo laser with spring-loaded shooters and seats for the 2 Death Star gunners, and 2 movable turbo laser towers.
• Weapons include 3 Lightsabers, 4 blasters, 3 blaster pistols, 4 blaster rifles, 2 force pikes, 2 Force Lightning elements and a bowcaster.
• Load up and fire the turbo laser’s spring-loaded shooters to keep the rebels at bay.
• Maneuver Lord Vader’s TIE Advanced into position and prepare for launch.
• Battle the Royal Guard in the throne room and then take on Palpatine himself!
• Help Leia escape from the detention block and swing to safety with Luke across the chasm!
• Will Obi-Wan shut down the tractor beam and help the rebels defeat the Empire?
• Can you spot the Dianoga trash compactor monster?
• Recreate other unforgettable scenes from the classic Star Wars films.
• The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection.
• This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 14 and over.
• Measures over 16” (41cm) high, and 16” (42cm) wide.