Love them or hate them, the films in the Star Wars Sequel trilogy (namely, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker) at least opened up new worlds and alien species for fans of the franchise. With this comes an opportunity to consider which scenes from these three films would work well as LEGO diorama sets.
Blocks, the LEGO magazine for fans, has already considered the prequel and original trilogies, but now it’s time to delve into the sequel trilogy. Beware spoilers from these recent films, just in case you’ve not yet managed to see them.
‘Traitor!’
A Stormtrooper’s aim is notoriously awful, so it’s little surprise that, during the battle of Takodana in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, one troopers tosses aside his other weapons and draws his electric staff as he faces off against Finn, who has only recently defected from the First Order.
There’s always something interesting about how LEGO sets capture damage and rubble, and where better than in this diorama. The tall arches and walls of Maz Kanata’s destroyed castle will be in the background, perhaps with a hint of the colourful flags seen as you enter. As the battle rages on around the two troopers – perhaps a Sidon Ithano minifigure can be exchanging shots with two other troopers in the background, for some added pizzazz – Finn and his former comrade will be in the centre of the set locked in a tight duel.
Learn about the design process behind the Diorama Collection in Blocks Issue 91. To get Blocks, the LEGO magazine for fans, every month – at a discount and earlier than the shops – order a 12-month or 24-month subscription. Direct debit payment options are available too; to find out more get in touch via subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.
‘Bombs Away!’
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens with the Resistance making a hasty escape from their base on D’Qar. The First Order have arrived with a Dreadnought, which flyboy Poe Dameron sees as a key opportunity to destroy a ship that can easily whip out entire fleets. The arrival of a flotilla of Resistance Bombers supports Dameron’s attempt, although at a great cost – none of the fleet returns.
This diorama is one of those brilliant space sets. The base of the set will be the Dreadnought’s deck, with a raging space battle all around. Miniature TIE Fighters and A-Wings will contrast with the lone bomber that stands in the middle of the set. The bomber is built around a transparent bar piece; along the shaft is a series of black studs that are clipped onto the translucent shaft, capturing that fatal moment when the Devastator is destroyed.
‘See you around, kid’
Whilst at points the planets visited in the sequel trilogy can feel a little derivative of those seen before – visiting a sand planet, a rebel base that’s found in a forest and a planet-destroying canon – Crait is genuinely one of the more interesting planets to emerge from the newer movies. The top layer of white salt that gives way to a blood-red soil underneath makes for many arresting visual scenes.
One such scene is when Luke ‘duels’ the recently appointed Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren. ‘Duels’ is a strong word, as Luke is projecting himself from Ahch-To as a way of buying time for what’s left of the Resistance to escape. This would make for a neat diorama – the destroyed blast door is in the background, whilst Ren’s footprints can be marked with single 1×1 square pieces. The few studs around Luke, however, will be clear, and his faceprint can capture that wry grin as he utters the words on the plaque to Ren.
‘I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations’
At one of the potentially saddest moments of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it seems that C-3PO is to lose his memory in order to let him access the translation of the information included on the Sith dagger. In his rather messy workshop, Babu Frik manages to bypass the programming, and this key moment work would well as a diorama set. Firstly, we’d get Frik in LEGO minifigure form, which would be a treat, but also the set would include an alternative head for C-3PO that uses his rather scary red eyes.
The set could even be split in two, with half set on Frik’s workshop and the other on the snowy streets of Kijimi. Other minifigures might include Poe Dameron and a First Order trooper, but let’s also have D-0, the adorably small droid found earlier in the film. As for the quotation, it’s a rather iconic line that appears for humourous effect during the movie. It’s that or ‘Hey hey’, which Frik cries with such aplomb – either would work.
‘They’re not using speeders’
During the climactic battle for Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance employs both a ground assault and an air assault on the Final Order. The former sees a canny band of Resistance troops landing on the Steadfast Star Destroyer to take out the signal beacon. The left-hand side of the diorama will include the façade of the Fortitude, the transporter used to get the troops onto the Steadfast, from which charges Finn and Beaumont Kin on Orbak mounts alongside BB-8.
The Orbaks are going to require a new mould piece – brick-built animals don’t always quite cut it, as seen recently with the two goats included in 76208 The Goat Boat – which may mean there’s not as much extra to this set. But that’s perhaps unsurprising – the setting is the deck of a grey star destroyer, which is hardly an inspiring location. But that’s not to say there can’t be some injections of colour – for example, the good guys will be fighting two Sith Troopers in their red armour.