Daily LEGO fun returns!
Now it's Christmas, guys! Once again we're reviewing each and every of the LEGO Star Wars treats behind the doors of this year's Advent Calendar. As we've done in previous years, we've avoided reading reviews, and kept spoiler images to an absolute minimum, so as to make each daily reveal as surprising as possible.
Find out more about the calendar (or don't, if you've got one) at shop.lego.com
Day 24 - Snow-bacca
And here he is, your excludive minifigure for 2016: a white Chewie. Racist. Serioulsy though, this is exclusive in that it is a re-paint of an existing figure, which we suppose is better than simply 'building' a C3PO Santa out of other parts, as with last year.
But he is quite cool nonetheless, and the included 'snow'caster bow and mini Christmas tree targets are nice. And yes, he does sit on his sleigh from yesterday.
And that's it for another year. Thanks for following along, and hopefully we'll do the same next year! Mezzy Cwizmoz!
Innit? A sleigh, we mean? It uses hockey sticks for skids and a mix of other parts for the rest of it. And, just like the sleigh we got last year, there is a few studs on top for...?
Interestingly there is a sack on the back with a pair of ice skates inside. These are most probably for the final exclusive minifigure that will be behind tomorrow's final door, but they are also great for making other serious minifigs look silly. Which is always welcome. And hey... ONE MORE DAY, MOFOS!
Either this is supposed to be the stolen shuttle from ROTJ, or a slightly different shuttle seen elsewhere, it is still obvioulsy Imperial and a bit different to the ones we've seen in previous calendars.
We like the parts, it can be adjusted around, and it looks cool. Nice model today. And gulp... only two more doors left!
Day 21 - Keith
Hello everyone, this is Keith. Keith is a Storm Trooper. Just an everyday, run-of-the-mill, Storm Trooper. We've seen Keith before in many, many sets, but he is always welcome.
However... Keith is angry that he is just another face in the crowd (of Storm Troopers) and that people tend to question his aim. Keith is a crack shot, you should know. He also likes to piant. Water colours, sometimes oils. Merry Christmas Keith.
Day 20 - Desert Skiff
This is pretty cool. It's the desert skiff from Return of the Jedi, complete with plank. walk the plank, Skywalker!
Its a simple yet effective build with a good use of those clamp parts. So yeah, it's okay.
Day 19 - Kick-ass Luke
We say kick-ass because this is the version of Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi when dons all black and goes a bit dark-side.
Day 18 - Jabba's Palace
Another terrain model today, and one that actually looks like what it's suppose to be. We think you get a shot of this place at the start of Return of the Jedi and we could recognise it instantly.
The parts are fairly simple and regular but the finished thing is very good. Certainly this is one of the best terrain builds we've seen at this scale, so thumbs up. Maybe something from inside the palace tomorrow?
Day 17 - Rubbish Bin Droid
Again, we're drawing blanks with what this thing is called, but we're all quite sure this is one of the droids seen inside the Jawa's Sandcrawler, right?
Day 16 - Silver Protocol Droid
We'll be honest, we really don't know the names of all the 'other' droids in the Star Wars universe, and we're sure someone will tweet us saying, 'that's P-3TU you idiotz, Lolzzz!', but there you go, a lovely silver Protocol droid. Like what C3PO is.
It's a great minifigure, with nice printing details, and we've never seen Threepio's figure in silver before, so it's very welcome. We're guessing this thing appeared in Empire Strikes Back, right? Educate us.
This is either supposed to be the Blockade Runner from the start of A New Hope, or, most likely due to the colouring, a cruiser seen in several episodes of The Clone Wars. Either way, we like it.
Those six chunky engines at the rear are recreated very well, as is the hammerhead shark-like fore section. We've never seen this ship at this scale before, so it's a very welcome build.
Day 14 - Jedi Starfighter
Pretty sure this ship is included in every Star Wars calendar from LEGO, being slightly different each time. Which is okay, we suppose.
This year's effort is good and slightly curvier than in previous calendars, but this is hardy anything to get excited about. After yesterday, you're still on thin ice, LEGO.
Day 13 - %&£} you, LEGO
Argh! They did it, and on the 13th as well! Unlucky for everyone. Yes, it's a stupid battle droid figure, the worst thing LEGO has ever built, and the total bane of prequel and Clone Wars sets.
We hate them so much that we had to get the grumpy rebel from the other day to blast it to bits. Boo!
Day 12 - Droid Gunship
More prequel-era stuff today, and yet more battle droid things. This is the Droid Gunship, seen for about three seconds in Revenge of the Sith (although more in The Clone Wars TV series), the full-sized LEGO version of which we reviewed here.
It's pretty cool, and we've never seen it in this scale, so that is always welcome. Getting nervous about all the droid stuff showing up though. There better not be a battle droid minifigure on the way, LEGO.
Day 11 - AAT
Another prequel-era vehicle today, and again a pretty good one. This is the AAT, or the Droid Battle Tank thing, first seen in the abomination that was The Phantom Menace.
This version is small and compact, and comes in the tan colours we saw on Naboo, as opposed to the blue and grey we had in the calendar from 2014. Basically, it's all right. Oh shit...does this mean we're getting a battle droid tomorrow?
Day 10 - Venator-class Star Destroyer
One of our favourite ships from the prequel era, the Venator is a cool space craft which is actually nicer looking than the original trilogy Star Destroyers - in our humble opinion.
This micro-scale version is... okay, but its a bit chunky up front. Still, a great model and the first reference in this year's calendar to the prequels. Please no battle droids next!
Day 9 - Grumpy rebel
Sure, he might just look like a put-upon rebel fighter from the outside, carrying a blaster and wrapped up against the worst of the Hoth weather, but lift that face mask off...
... and you'll meet the grumpiest mother eff this side of the Outer Rim. Look at him! It's guys like this who really crushed the Empire, not that sad kid with the lightsaber or that criminal with his big hairy mate. This is a great minifigure which works well with yesterday's cannon. More please.
Day 8 - Hoth Disk Cannon
We're pretty sure that's what it is, anyway. This is a minifugure scale cannon based around one of those multi-angle parts that are always quite handy to have.
There is a handlebar part on the back for a figure to grip, which begs the question... are we getting a Hoth-themed figure tomorrow. One does hope!
Day 7 - Snowman Trooper
Okay. It's some kind of snowman, perhaps built by the rebels on Hoth using a captured storm trooper helmet, or built by the Empire to lure rebels in to get shot at by that snowball launcher. Either way, this is an almighty WTF.
Joyfully random, this set does include a faceless storm trooper helmet which we've never seen before, and a hand-held stud shooter, which is always welcome. Apart from that... yeah, sure... it's a thing. A snow thing.
Day 6 - Snow Trooper
It wouldn't be Christmas without someone coming to wipe out your hidden rebel ice planet base. This isn't the first Snow Trooper we've ever had in a LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, but it is the first with an awesome backpack.
A few simple parts are used to create it, and the finished product looks great - especially because of that very useful 1x1 printed tile. It might not be a special festive character, but it's a good minifigure nonetheless.
The first of this year's terrain-like builds, this represents one of those tower cannons from Hoth. It's a bit blah to be honest, although we could recognise what it was pretty much immediately.
The swivel gun section does actually rotate and is an interesting part, being a lightsaber hilt on one end, and a double-ended stud on the other. Again, a new one on us, but this is the least effective of the builds so far.
Day 4 - Imperial Gunner Guy
This is either one of those dudes on the Death Star that activated the big laser, or a crew member from inside an AT-AT. Regardless, this is a great figure that we've never seen before, with an awesome helmet.
Do let us know what he really is, but this is yet another great inclusion for the calendar this year - four for four now. Nice one LEGO. One minute sticking the middle finger up at The Daily Mail, the next providing awesome Star Wars minifigures in your calendar. Good year for you.
Day 3 - TIE Interceptor
Bit of an awkward one to photograph, this - just ignore the green LEGO bottle propping it up. But a TIE Interceptor! Yay! And a really well designed model as well.
We love the printed window piece up front, and the whole scale of the build is great. And it's just a cool craft, so anther win for this year's Advent Calendar. Now we've said that, there'll be a bloody battle droid behind tomorrow's door, won't there?
Day 2 - Blue guy guard man?
Wait, who is that? We think it's either a Naboo guard from The Phantom Menace, or a bloke from Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. Do let us know.
Regardless of which character is actually is, it's a nice minifigure with clean printing detail and all his parts could be used for other things, should you wish. So two for two good so far!
Day 1 - Slave 1
An appropriate ship for the first day of the calendar, and great little build. Boba Fett's bounty hunting ship is definitely recognisable at this scale, with a good use of parts and colours.
Also, well done LEGO for delivering an awesome badass ship on the first day. This is a good start!
