With October 1 in the books, there are a number of new LEGO sets on the shelves-boats digital and physical-but one stands out for its size and price: the long rumor, eventually officially out LEGO UCS Death Star, now available for order.
Reinstating Death Star was less about rebuilding an icon and more about solving a design puzzle – how to catch the most central moments that took place at the match station from Star Wars within a single structure.
The newly released set price at $ 999.99 / £ 899.99 / AU $ 1499.99 and part of the Ultimate Collector series-shubbing the boundaries of LEGO Engineering with over 9,000 pieces and debuting a whole new approach to structure to moon-dimensioned fighting station. To investigate how it came together, Techradar spoke with César Soares, a master model designer in the LEGO group that led the project.
LEGO has been developing the moon-size fighting station for over a year at its headquarters in Billund. Soares said he took over the concept model in late summer 2023 and worked on it for about 14 months – by far the longest he used on a single model.
“We had a concept model made during one of our design increase in the summer of 2023,” he remembers. “I picked it up in late summer that year and I worked on it for about 14 months. It was by far the model I spent the longest time designing.”
Previous iterations – including the latest from 2016 – were fully spherical and significantly smaller, which shows only a few rooms per room. Level. This time, the LEGO Death Star reintroduced as a thick slice.
Right from the start the idea was cross -sectional
“From the start, the idea was the cross section,” says Soares. “We wanted fans to see all the rooms and all the iconic moments in one view – each scene interacts with another.”
This decision required more prototypes and improvements before the team landed on the final version. “I made maybe four or five different iterations every time building again from scratch and developed the design,” says Soares. “Once you get to a point where you’re happy, it’s all about refining all the details – room by room, function after function.”
The finished model measures 20.6 inches in height, 18.9 inches in width and 15.1 inches in depth with six detailed floors. In particular, the ground floor has a large hangar bay, while the emperor’s throne is located at the top. In between, iconic spaces such as the detention block, Recycle Bin, Superlaser Control Room, Conference Chamber and Reactor Core – are all filled with references from both death stars.
Given its large size and the probable long building, the designer wanted to ensure that the process remained engaging. Soares chose a modular building method where each room is designed separately before being linked to the main structure. “You start by building a room for room,” he explains. “So you build the Recycle Bin outside, and when you’re done, take it on and then move on to the next room.” He concluded by noting that it does “as the ultimate LEGO building experience because you never bored.”
The method also reflects how the model was developed internally. Soares started by building physical models, brick bricks, starting with the bottom and working up, and then repeating the process before digitally rebuilding them piece by piece to fine -tune connections and details.
“We recreate it physical piece by piece,” says Soares. “It’s a process of back and forth – you never jump to digital; it’s always both at the same time.”
Hidden everywhere nods to the LEGO mark and Star Wars Lore -from a small octan -power reference in the foundation of a “bubble tub stormtrooper” room near the top, which Lucasfilm approved without hesitation.
“We approached Lucasfilm about it, and they were completely on board,” laughs Soares. “They thought the idea was brilliant.” The reference that began in the LEGO Star Wars video games is only one of many Easter eggs hidden inside the set.
With regard to the collaboration with Lucasfilm – the first LEGO Star Wars set was released in 1999 – shared soares that it has been running for almost three decades, with regular meetings, idea sharing and access to Lucasfilm’s huge reference disc. This set is likely to make it that archive and you can also find it in LEGO STAR WARS: Running the Galaxy – The Pieces of the Pastwhich is available for stream on Disney+.
For Soares, part of what makes this Death Star Special is how it honors Lego’s long -standing design philosophy. “We LEGO designers are very proud of the LEGO system in play,” he says. “We always try to use what we already have available to us. For this Death Star we only created a new element – the imperial honor – and I am very proud of it.”
The small piece was crucial to the included imperial worthy figure, a first for LEGO minifigures and one of 36 included in the set.
We would have the final version with everything in a model
This efficiency extends to the structure itself. The entire set is almost exclusively dependent on the standard LEGO system elements, with only minimal technical integration with the working high mechanism – evidence, soares says the existing system is still capable of new tricks, even on this massive scale.
In the end, he believes the project represents the highlight of what LEGO Star Wars can achieve. “Every larger space or scene is there – from both death stars. We wanted the final version with everything in a model,” he says.
Even after months of design and testing and then building and reconstruction, soares noted that “with this one I actually really looked forward to building it again,” he admits. “As I think says a lot about the building experience.”
I’ve even started the process of building UCS Death Star, and while it’s a scary, it doesn’t feel as repeated as I originally feared. The instructions blend things early – from gathering parts of the hangar floor to the building mirror sections – keep the foundation interesting to the foundation.
If you are sold on it, LEGO UCS Death Star is available now directly from LEGO to $ 999.99 / £ 899.99 / AU $ 1499.99 – however from this release it is already re -arranged, so expect to wait a few weeks.
Eventually, while Soares cannot reveal what is next for Lego Star Wars, his passion for the galaxy remains far, far away clear. “I grew up with the original trilogy,” he says. “So everything I can work from the original trilogy, I will be very, very happy.”
UCS Death Star may not be the first time LEGO has tackled the Empire’s ultimate weapon or the most affordable set ever released-but its ambitious cross-sectional design, modular structure and attention to details makes it the most complete version yet.
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