LEGO Star Wars is a theme that delivers sets in all different scales – after all, no-one has a room big enough for a minifigure-scale Death Star. But sets scaled with minifigure sets are the best LEGO Star Wars sets; here’s why…
The LEGO community is full of fans who believe that only the best is good enough, much like the company’s founder. Star Wars fans certainly understood that in 2007 with the enormous 10179 Millennium Falcon – a set that’s built almost perfectly to minifigure scale. Now that was the way!
Just as a person would be to-scale with a real-life version of a Star Wars ship, minifigure-scale Star Wars ships scale almost 1:1 to the minifigures. There’s no such thing as ‘exact’ or ‘perfect’ minifigure scale, partly due to the proportions of the minifigures themselves, but a few Ultimate Collector’s Series (UCS) sets come close. These are:
10179 Millennium Falcon
75192 Millennium Falcon
10212 Imperial Shuttle
75060 Slave I
75313 AT-AT
75331 The Razor Crest
A few of the smaller sets come close, but few sets match the beauty and practical believability of a UCS set. But why do these sets matter so much to the LEGO hobby? If you can buy the UCS Republic Gunship, stuff it with Clone Troopers, and swoosh it around (kudos on those biceps), what’s the purpose of choosing something that’s minifigure scale?
Here are three reasons why some adult collectors are happy to chase them to the edges of the Outer Rim…
The Detail
Minifigure scale Star Wars sets allow an extraordinary level of detail using small or unusual parts. Look at the underbelly, sides and head of the UCS AT-AT, where you’ll find pieces that were previously used as Collectible Minifigures stands for plating, Super Mario theme flat bases for two access hatches and even ingot pieces for raised armour plates on top.
The UCS Imperial Star Destroyer is far more than a grey triangle – it features great detailing and fantastic design ideas – but sometimes, I feel like there’s more detailing in the AT-AT’s head than on all the Star Destroyer’s massive hull. No wonder; 75313 AT-AT has 2,000 more pieces than 75252 Star Destroyer for more detail, and though the AT-AT’s spacious interior is stocked with no less than 40 sand blue seats, a lot of the extra parts make up the exterior detail on this mammoth set.
The Pairing
Minifigure scale Star Wars sets pair well with some smaller sets, too. While the UCS AT-AT looks a little outmatched alongside UCS 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, it’s practically to scale with 75322 Hoth AT-ST that came out a month and a half later. They look perfect together – compare the Hoth AT-ST with the fantastic but undersized AT-AT released back in 2020 and it’s a completely different story.
It’s part of the reason that sets like the 75192 Millennium Falcon appear at LEGO fan events in MOC Death Star hangars surrounded by Stormtroopers. Despite its massive size, it absolutely must be included as a centrepiece for the MOC – with TIE Fighters hanging off the ceiling, even. It’s why the UCS Slave I and the UCS Razor Crest are a great fit, despite their limited screen time together in a single episode, and the latter’s shocking destruction in Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2.
The Interactivity
Returning to 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, it’s a wonderful set that uses two minifigures as garnish on the stand, a move that’s proven divisive among LEGO fans. The inclusion of minifigures in UCS sets is made sweeter when they can interact with the set.
Comparing 75331 Razor Crest and its playset version, 75292 Bounty Hunter Transport, both certainly have spacious interiors with enough room for a few minifigures, but that’s where the size, detail and pairing with other vehicles comes in.
There are so many things for Din Djarin and Grogu to do in the UCS model, from fixing the wiring beneath the cockpit to stocking up in the ship’s armory. Swooshing the UCS Razor Crest against TIE Fighters is far more believable than the playset, especially when you see Din Djarin and Grogu in the cockpit window. Not that this is a recommendation to try that – you need to rest those biceps!