Much like the Empire has multiple Death Stars, so too does LEGO – who have made a staggering sixteen sets based on the great, gray ball of destruction, with 75291 Death Star Final Duel being the latest addition.
You’d be forgiven if this new set is giving you flashbacks or fits of deja vu because it’s almost a mirror copy of 75093 Death Star Final Duel, which came out five years ago. Even the set’s name is the same!
Without giving too much away, the original set was a minifigure-scale playset of Palpatine’s throne room on the Death Star II. Available between Summer 2015 and Winter 2016, this 724 piece set retailed for $79.99. Jump forward half a decade and LEGO have re-issued an almost exact copy – albeit with a few subtle changes – made of 775 pieces and put an extra $20 on the price.
Understandably there has been a fair amount of criticism leveled at LEGO concerning this set, so take the view point of a family who didn’t have children the appropriate age for this 9+ set and try and you’ll remember for whom these LEGO Star Wars sets are actually aimed at.
75291 Death Star Final Duel
Kids can play out the epic Death Star Final Duel (75291) between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader with this LEGO® Star Wars: Return of the Jedi building set. Emperor Palpatine’s throne room has many cool features to inspire creative fun, including a LEGO minifigure Force-jump function. The stairs and bridge can also be collapsed, and Darth Vader can throw the Emperor in the reactor shaft just like in the classic scene.
Role-play action
This Death Star construction kit offers a testing building challenge and includes 5 LEGO Star Wars™ minifigures with Lightsabers and force pikes for fans to role-play action-packed battles. It also comes with a code to unlock a character in the LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga video game.Great gift ideas
Since 1999, the LEGO Group has been recreating iconic starships, vehicles, locations and characters from the Star Wars universe. LEGO Star Wars is now its most successful theme with exciting gift ideas to suit fans of all ages.
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi fans can recreate the epic Lightsaber battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Emperor Palpatine’s throne room with this Death Star Final Duel (75291) building toy.
- This LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star final duel set comes with 5 LEGO minifigures – Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine with Lightsabers, plus 2 Imperial Royal Guards with force pikes, to inspire battle action.
- The throne room folds out for easy play and has lots of fun features including a LEGO® minifigure Force-jump function, collapsing stairs and bridge, rotating throne and a reactor shaft.
- This 775-piece Death Star construction kit offers a challenging and rewarding build for kids aged 9+. It makes an ideal birthday present or holiday gift and combines brilliantly with other LEGO® Star Wars™ sets.
- This buildable Death Star playset measures over 5.5” (14cm) high, 8.5” (22cm) long and 12.5” (31cm) wide. Use the code in the building instructions to unlock a character in the LEGO® Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga video game.
- No batteries are needed with this awesome kids’ building toy – it’s built purely from LEGO® bricks and powered by children’s imaginations so the fun, creative play never stops.
- Thinking of buying this action-packed Star Wars™ set for someone new to LEGO® construction? No problem. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions so they will be building with Jedi-like confidence in no time.
- LEGO® Star Wars™ sets are great fun for kids (and adult fans) who can recreate scenes from the Star Wars saga, make up their own original galactic adventures or simply display these awesome construction toys.
- Ever since 1958, LEGO® bricks have met the highest industry standards so they are robust, connect perfectly and pull apart easily every time – no need to use the Force!
- LEGO® bricks and pieces are tested in almost every way imaginable so you can be sure that this Death Star construction playset meets the highest safety and quality standards on Earth – and in galaxies far, far away!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ages | Pieces | VIP Points | Item | Minifigures | Value |
A number of years ago, when I was on a LEGO Star Wars hiatus, I came across 75093 Death Star Final Duel, and – unbeknownst to me at the time – I began to come out of the fugue that had started five years ago. Looking at this new version of the Emperor’s throne room, I wonder if it would have lured me back as the original did.
Building a Death Star is no easy feat, so a collection of builders were press-ganged in to complete the build on time and avoid the Emperor’s ire; helping out was Michael (left) and Oliva (center). Fittingly, like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, she had recently had a bad fall and only one functional arm to work with, and the three of us – with our collective five arms – had an enjoyable three hours putting 75291 Death Star Final Duel together.
Overall, the build had a pace that ramped up like the excitement of the three-way face-off that led to Palpatine’s death and Anakin Skywalker’s redemption in Return of the Jedi.
What this set lacks in originality it makes up for in a combination of building techniques that really contribute to the industrial aesthetic of the Emperor’s throne room on the second Death Star. Stark angles, red accents and a combination of grays and black elements create the right color palette.
Ignoring any comparisons with 75093 Death Star Final Duel, this set boasts all the features you’d want to see, including an improved antechamber/entryway, the Emperor’s throne, the reactor shaft that Palpatine met his demise at the bottom of, as well as numerous play features like collapsing staircase and gantry, a Force jump see-saw, sliding doors and several articulated sections that extend the layout of the playset.
Packed with four different minifigures – two of which are new with this set – the selection is exactly what the set calls for: Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine with Lightsabers, and two Imperial Royal Guards.
Emperor Palpatine, whose skin tone has a ghastly palor, has been seen before – but this time he has a new hood element that was introduced to the LEGO Star Wars theme in the Winter Wave, in January this year. Darth Vader is brand new for the set. His legs have a new print pattern that features more lines that give it texture, and his torso has an updated print as well. The biggest update is the arm printing which is a first for a Darth Vader minifigure.
Luke Skywalker, in his Jedi Master costume, reprises his roll 75093 Death Star Final Duel, while the two Imperial Royal Guard minifigures first appeared in 75159 Death Star.
As a collector it’s hard to justify this set – the price increase is well ahead of inflation and the lack of any significant additions to the set mark it as little more than a re-release.
That said, if you are new to the LEGO Star Wars community or are looking for a set for a child then you won’t go wrong with 75291 Death Star Final Duel, which is available now at LEGO.com, Walmart, and Amazon.com. It’s packed with plenty of fun features to encourage creative play, it’s got the right amount of minifigs to allow for roleplaying and does a great job of depicting a crucial location in the Skywalker saga.
Be the first to comment