75290 Mos Eisley Cantina: The Patrons

Not since Kenner released its Cantina Adventure Set has there been such a gathering of aliens, denizens, smugglers, brigands and outlandish creatures. Sold exclusively through the Sears Wish Book in the USA over the Christmas of 1978 and 1979, this early Star Wars toy came with a fold-up cardboard background that depicted the exterior doorway of the Mos Eisley cantina and four action figures: Walrusman, Hammerhead, Greedo and the infamous Blue Snaggle Tooth. Lacking any helpful reference photographs and it being the early days of 3-3/4″ scale, none of these characters were particularly accurate in depiction or monikers.

It wasn’t until 1989 that more personalised character names than Walrusman and Hammerhead started to trickle out, but it took the Special Edition to bring on a gold rush of merchandise that popularised the cantina denizens and gave them appelations like Ponda Baba, Nabrun Leids, Muftak, Kabe, Dannik Jericho, BoShek and Kitik Keed’kak.

Thankfully, LEGO Star Wars fans didn’t have to go through the teething pains that vintage Kenner collectors had to endure because our wait has been much shorter and far more recent. Our tale didn’t begin until 2004 when LEGO released 4501 Mos Eisley Cantina, a small playset that depicted the cantina entrance and the alcove that Han and Greedo settled the “who shot first” debate. It was updated in 2014 by 75052 Mos Eisley Cantina, which doubled the size of the cantina and added Bith minifigures to the set’s populace. Four years later 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina arrived and finally delivered a Wuher minifigure.

• 

• 

• 

The next iteration of the most famous drinking hole in the Star Wars galaxy – 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina – was released in 2020 and totally reset fans’ expectations of what a LEGO Star Wars playset should be. Taking six months to complete the preliminary model and get it passed through the review process, César Soares – the set’s designer – worked closely with character and graphic designer Madison O’Neil, who was given the responsibility to design the new characters – both major and minor – that 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina would include.

Selecting the minifigures for the new set was made difficult because Soares and O’Neil knew that there was no way to include them all. There were some obvious inclusions – the core personages like Obi-Wan, Luke, Han, Chewbacca and the two droids plus important side characters such as Greedo, Wuher, a Jawa, the Bith band members and the Imperial stormtroopers were carved in stone – but this new set was pre-destined to be included in the Master Builder Series subtheme, so it had an expanded minifigure budget.

O’Neill, a reasonably recent addition to the LEGO Star Wars team who left Think Geek and made the move from the United States to Denmark not long after Soares joined in 2016, explained that “I had a bunch of pre-designed characters ready to go like Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan – we knew we wanted to make these one day, we just needed the opportunity.”

Ultimately the two designers – one product and one graphical – had to take into account how important certain characters were to the story (and to fans), how iconic they were in the Star Wars galaxy and which ones would work best as minifigures (this last criterion meant that the four-armed Nabrun Leids and the mantis-like Kitik Keed’kak were out).

Asked what his favorites are, O’Neil prefoessed that they “are probably the ones we got to make new elements for. So we have Ponda Baba, who has a new head element, we have the Devaronian who has the pointy horns so that’s a brand new element and also Garindan the spy, we have created his nose and goggles, which actually sit on the neck of the minifigure. It fits perfectly with the newly designed hood element we have created.”

In true Master Builder Series fashion, the Cantina comes with a large assortment of minifigures; some returning cast members while others are brand new to the ensemble.

Ultimately – out of the 21 minifigures that come with 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina – five required new elements that represent a significant investment, such was the importance that LEGO had placed on this set.

The Locals

The indigenous and unsung Jawa has been quite busy on Tatooine appearing in four sets total – the others being 75198 Tatooine Battle Pack, 75220 Sandcrawler, and 75271 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder. With his description being “tattered shirt” version perhaps he has been roaming to find some new robes!

Dressed with his white farm boy outfit that he appears in while on Tatooine, this version of Luke Skywalker has been found in a total of six sets as well as being the featured foilbag for January 2019 issue of the LEGO Star Wars magazine.

Unlike the other repeats, this Obi-Wan Kenobi – or perhaps more accurately Old Ben, as most of Tatooine know him – only got his minifigure debut last year in 75246 Death Star Cannon. This was the first version of Obi-Wan to feature the updated hood mold, but he re-used the torso and head prints from past versions of himself.

The Droids

The ever-popular C-3PO is one of two droids who aren’t allowed in the Cantina but somehow made it in this set! Anyone who has been collecting LEGO Star Wars sets over the past couple of years likely already has this version in their collection because this protocol droid has already been included in eleven sets and multiple books.

As the second droid to be expelled from the Cantina, R2-D2 is the most prolific LEGO Star Wars minifigure and might secretly be a rabbit based on how many sets he appears in. Although this version (dark pink dots and large photoreceptor) of the astromech was only released this year, he has already managed to find his way into four sets – the others being 75270 Obi-Wan’s Hut, 75273 Poe Dameron’s X-wing Fighter, and 75281 Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor.

The Band

You might not know them by their individual names, but they’re known galaxy wide as Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes. Just don’t ask them how they ended up as the house band at a dead-end dive on a backwater planet – that’s best left to Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina. Known separately as Figrin D’an (lead vocals and Kloo horn), Doikk Na’ts (on the Dorenian Beshniquel), Ickabel G’ont (jamming with the Double Jocimer), Nalan Cheel (hitting the Bandfill hard), Tech M’or (jacking up the shrill with the Ommni box), Tedn Dahai (dropping dub Fanfar beats), and Sun’il Ei’de (at the back because he plays drums).

The Smugglers

Another frequently used minifigure is Chewbacca. After receiving the updated head mold in 2014, this figure has been included in thirteen sets and a few books as well. In a Mini Steps feature dedicated to the most well-known Wookiee in the galaxy, we questioned whether this was the perfect version of Chewbacca – and so far it seems that LEGO agrees.

Featuring his trademark black vest and dark blue pants with printed holster pattern, Han Solo comes as he appeared while sitting in his booth just prior to shooting first! This version also appeared in the updated 75159 Death Star as well as 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina in 2018.

The Troublemakers

This Rodian bounty hunter has been found in every Mos Eisley Cantina released to date, so there was no chance that Greedo would be left out. He is an identical version of the one included in the 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina which is set apart by his updated torso and leg printing.

Wanted in twelve systems, Dr. Evazan was a trained cosmetic surgeon, but unfortunately, he was gripped by madness and began performing creative surgery by re-arranging patients’ extremities. In a bit of irony, his face was disfigured by a bounty hunter who was trying to kill him. Sporting the same hair element as Grand Moff Tarkin, Griff Halloran, and Lando Calrissian, the sadistic surgeon completes his look with a unique head and torso print.

Hailing from the planet Ando, Ponda Baba has been tagging along with Dr. Evazan since he rescued him from the bounty hunter who was trying to kill the mental medic. Regarded as one of the most highly requested minifigs by adult fans, this species has finally been checked off the wishlist. The most impressive part of this minifig is his new head sculpt which captures the look quite effectively.

The Bar Flies

Perhaps the most menacing of all the Cantina guests, this devilish Devaronian took on the pseudonym Labria while on Tatooine where he spent his time avoiding the huge bounty on his head. Much like the Darth Maul and Even Piell minifigures, he too uses a modified headpiece instead of a whole head sculpt to obtain the correct look.

Sitting at the end of the bar and keeping to himself is Hrchek Kal Fas, a Saurin from Durkteel. Although he appeared in the 1977 film, he would remain unnamed for over forty years until the Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition identified him. Technically a subspecies of Trandoshan, this allowed LEGO to use the mold for Bossk’s head element and cast it in a different color.

It wouldn’t be Wuher’s Cantina without Wuher the bartender who has an unquestionable hatred for droids. Missed in two out of the three prior cantinas sets, he finally managed to get behind the bar in the 2018 version. With his uniquely printed head and torso, he’s likely pretty happy to have a proper drinkery at last.

The small Chandra-Fan known as Kabe may have looked innocent, but she was a known common thief. She is the only female patron of the cantina to have made it into an official LEGO set. As many customizers have done for years, Kabe uses the same headpiece as several other Bat-related antagonists including Man-Bat from DC.

Dropping his nickname of Hammerhead in 1989 when he was named Momaw Nadon in the now-defunct West End Games’ Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope sourcebook, this peace-loving Ithorian was exiled from his homeworld for selling out native farming secrets to the Empire. He is the second Ithorian to be created in LEGO form, and uses the same head as the Ithorian Jedi Master from 75051 Jedi Scout Fighter.

The Imperials

Sometimes referred to as Long Snoot, he is the spy of Mos Eisley spaceport. Hired to find the droids they were looking for, Garindan notifies the Imperial garrison that the droids are at Docking Bay 94. His first LEGO appearance was in 2006 when he took on a digital format in LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, but it would take another fourteen years for him to become an actual minifigure. As a fan of LEGO’s molding process, I was pleasantly surprised by how his face was designed using a standard minifigure head with a modified ring that goes over the neck stud similar to beard elements. This is the first Star Wars alien to be designed in such a way.

A total of four Sandtroopers have come with black pauldrons, but this is the first to use the dual-molded helmet element that first appeared last year. He uses the same body as the previous enlisted Sandtrooper found in 75221 Imperial Landing Craft, but his backpack has been redesigned and he has been given a new face print as well.

Reminiscent of a Clone Trooper, this Sandtrooper Captain is identical to his subordinate with the exception of a different colored rank pauldron. His backpack construction and head under the helmet are what set him apart from the Captain in 75228 Escape Pod vs. Dewback Microfighters though.

Our final segment in our multi-part coverage is Part Five – The Review, which recaps and summarizes our thoughts on this set.