LEGO UCS Death Star Leaked Images Stir Up Controversy

Recent images of minifigures included in the LEGO Star Wars: Ultimate Collector Series Death Star, as well as rumours about the shape & size of the set, have stirred up controversy and infuriated fans. Images from the box of the upcoming $1000 USD LEGO set (roughly $1500 in Australia) show the minifigures included in the set, with many of the details easy to make out despite the rough quality of the photos. We'll discuss the minifigures first, before mentioning the questionable shape of the set.

To start with, Emperor Palpatine's pupils have been removed from his eyes. To many fans, this is a downgrade over previous iterations of the minifigure, which were more accurate to how he appeared in the movies. The lack of pupils makes the character look more like a zombie or a ghoul than Emperor Palpatine.

Emperor Palpatine won't have pupils - a downgrade over previous versions of the figure.

C3PO will not have the upgraded dual-printed LEGS from recent UCS sets.

Next on the list of minifigure criticisms, the C3PO minifigure included in the set will not feature the dual-printing treatment we've seen in previous LEGO Star Wars UCS sets. The version coming with the UCS set will feature some small grey printing on C3PO's right leg, while the C3PO included in previous UCS sets (Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and the Buildable C3PO) feature a much better print, as seen in the image on the left.

The downgrade in quality is likely a move by LEGO to force collectors to buy more sets if they want to have the best version of each minifigure. It's unclear from the leaked images whether or not R2-D2 will feature back printing which he has had in recent LEGO sets, but this will hopefully become clear during the full set reveal.

Director Orson Krennic and Galen Erso will both be included in the UCS Death Star.

While we have brutally criticised some of the minifigures so far, LEGO does deserve some praise for other minifigures included in the set. Director Orson Krennic and Galen Erso, both of which first appeared in Star Wars: Rogue One, will be available in this set as exclusive minifigures (with Galen so far not appearing in any other LEGO set, ever). Both of these figures look very detailed and are welcome additions to the set. The Hot Tub Stormtrooper is also an excellent addition and a fun Easter-egg to fans of the LEGO Star Wars video games, where the Hot Tub Stormtroopers first made an appearance. The Imperial Dignitary will also serve as another exclusive minifigure in this set.

Now, let's get onto the most controversial part of the UCS Death Star...

It won't be a sphere.

In possibly one of the biggest plot twists in LEGO Star Wars history, it is now heavily rumoured that the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: UCS Death Star will not be a sphere after measurements for the set leaked online. The Death Star will reportedly be 70cm in width, 79cm in length and 27cm in height - with the massive difference in height indicating it would be impossible for the set to be spherical. Our best guess is that the Death Star will be shaped like a cylinder. The dimensions were provided by Max Bautde.

A visualization of how the LEGO Star Wars: UCS Death Star could look. Image source: MandRproductions.

If the dimensions are legitimate, this will be the first time in LEGO Star Wars history that an Ultimate Collector Series Death Star will not be shaped like a sphere. There have been mixed reactions to this on social media, with many fans still excited to see how the set looks, while others have stated that they will not buy a non-spherical Death Star.

At Brick News we're cautiously optimistic that the set may still look awesome despite the flawed minifigures and odd shape, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will be deserving of its rumoured $1000 USD (roughly $1500 in Australia) price tag. This set will be available in our October Monthly Draw - so if you'd like a shot at winning the most expensive LEGO set ever released, make sure to enter our draw in October!