Whether you call it a she shed or a mantuary, everyone needs somewhere they can go for a little alone time – and Darth Vader is no different.
With his body ravaged as a result of his almost-life ending duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, years of damage through battle and deprivations, as well as being abused by his Master, he-who-was-Anakin-Skywalker is forced to live the remainder of his years encased in suit that both protects and provides for him.
On occasion, however, the mind that is trapped in Vader’s flesh required more stimulation than his body can provide, and for this he relies on an specially designed isolation chamber that allows him to remove his helmet and armor.
It was in 1980 that audiences at The Empire Strikes Back were awarded with their first sight of Vader’s meditation chamber when General Veers reported that, under orders from Admiral Ozzel, the Imperial fleet had dropped out hyperspace too close to Hoth, denying Vader’s forces enough time to prepare for their assault on Hoth. Memorably, Vader used the Force to choke Ozzel, before giving Captain Piett a field promotion to admiral.
Movie-goers were sent into a state of shock later in the movie when they were given a glimpse of the back of Vader’s ghoulish head before his iconic helmet was lowered – revealing the true nature of this habitat – when he was disturbed by Piett who he informed his commander that their prey, the Millennium Falcon, had entered the Hoth asterod field.
It was Kenner who, in 1980, gave Star Wars fans the first example of the Dark Lord of the Sith’s meditation chamber when they released Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, an arm-mounted action playset that was meant to represent The Executor – Vader’s personal Super Star Destroyer that made its debut appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. Hasbro released the first version in 1998 as their Complete Galaxy Death Star with Darth Vader and again in 2004 to commemorate the 500th action figure in the Star Wars line-up. To mark the movie’s 40th birthday Funko released their own adaptation in 2020.
It wasn’t until 2006, with the release of 6211 Imperial Star Destroyer that LEGO presented their own interpretation of Darth Vader’s meditation chamber. This was followed up with 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer in 2012 and 75251 Darth Vader’s Castle in 2019.
This latest adaptation, which is firmly aimed at adult LEGO Star Wars fans, takes away the play and replaces it with display. Has there ever been a better time to build an isolation chamber?
75296 Darth Vader Meditation Chamber
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ages | Pieces | VIP Points | Item | Minifigures | Value |
As you’d expect, this set is built from the ground up, starting with the display stand, then the chamber’s base, followed by the lower angled walls and the mast that supports the upper half of the chamber, and culminates in the upper half of the delicate eggshell that keeps Vader alive.
With their gradual shift towards the older end of their fan base, LEGO has aimed this set at adults who enjoy building models and are keen to show off their skills. That said, even though the set might is labeled as 18+ it shouldn’t be taken that this is a top-shelf set because a skilled younger builder could easily put it together in two hours.
In fact, the only fiddly part of the build is when the curved tiles that form the armrests/console are fitted to the seat. Other than that, the support mast is a little sensitive, leading to the impression that the upper half of the meditation chamber is like the cage in the Mousetrap board game – it’s not though, and the whole contraption stiffens up once the top dome is fitted.
Proving that LEGO has opted for accuracy over presentation, when closed the meditation chamber looks as dumpy as a LEGO set as it did on the Elstree soundstage in 1979.
Adding to the novelty of Darth Vader’s Meditation Chamber is its inclusion in the Summer wave, an assortment that was dominated by regular play sets and vehicles, instead of having a standalone release – as the last additions to the BucketHeadz line (75304 Darth Vader Helmet and 75305 Scout Trooper), and 75306 Imperial Probe Droid had in April.
Does this indicate that these Adults Welcome are becoming more accessible to the general LEGO buying public?
Included in the set are two minifigures: Darth Vader and General Veers, two Star Wars characters who fit the bill perfectly. While the Darth Vader minifigure is the same one that came with 75294 Bespin Duel, the planned exclusive for the canceled Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2020 convention, General Veers has an all-new torso print and – for the first time – a face print that doesn’t have a microphone pressed up to his mouth.
Including an Admiral Piett minifigure would have improved this set significantly, especially since sw0352 Admiral Firmus Piett only came with 10221 Super Star Destroyer and hasn’t been available since late 2014 when this Ultimate Collector Series set was retired.
As brilliantly well designed this set is, and regardless of how amazing it looks on display all the pros of 75296 Darth Vader’s Meditation Chamber are outweighed by the cost, which many fans and collectors are too high for a set that is only intended to be a conversation starter.
Overall the pros definitely overcome the cons, especially if you consider how many tiles (which are more expensive to produce) come with this set, and will certainly be an eye-catching addition to anyone’s collection.
Priced at $69.99, 75296 Darth Vader’s Meditation Chamber is available to buy through LEGO.com, Walmart, Argos, and Kmart now.
Be the first to comment