LEGO Star Wars 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama review

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama is a new type of LEGO Star Wars experience that may initially divide fans, but should ultimately excite them.

“Size matters not,” spoke Yoda while putting Luke Skywalker through Jedi training on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. The 900-year-old Jedi Master’s words on how his own diminutive stature hides his true Jedi capabilities serve as a wonderful reference point for considering the rather intriguing LEGO Star Wars set, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training.

Here we have something that on face value is very similar in size to 2018’s 75208 Yoda’s Hut, just with the addition of a tree, a base and a little bit of an X-wing, and a few £££ in the price tag. Yet, coming in at 771 more pieces, there’s a lot to appreciate about 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama, even if it’s hidden within an underwhelming size.

— Set details —

Theme: LEGO Star Wars Set name: 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama Release: April 26, 2022

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Price: £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 Pieces: 1,000 Minifigures: 3

LEGO: Pre-order now

— Build —

And underwhelming may only be based on initial expectations, with consideration to the concept around 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama and indeed the two other LEGO Star Wars sets launching alongside this one in April. Speculation in the lead-up to the reveal of these sets centred on the display aspect, and how these scenes would appear on and be built into a black-framed base.

With particular consideration to what has now been confirmed as 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama, anticipation also pegged these sets as likely being on the larger size and even with the sets now revealed, a 1,000-piece Dagobah-based display piece could and ordinarily would have you dreaming of something larger than what 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Dioramaactually is, particularly when 2018’s 75208 Yoda’s Hut came in at a similar size for the little green guy’s home and was made with just 229 pieces.

Yet, a third of the 1,000 pieces in 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama go directly into the surrounding swamp in the form of various trans-green 1×1 pieces, while a further high number of 1×1 pieces are used throughout the construction of the hut and dotted throughout the tree to add further detail and texture where bricks would be more one-dimensional.

Its size is also not the only thing that may take a bit of adjusting to. As a concept, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama is a display piece, rather than a playset. Minifigures are included, as well as a part of the wing to an X-wing, and Yoda’s hut includes a tightly-built interior too. But all these aspects are part of a collective that comes together to recreate a scene from The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker is going through his Jedi training with Yoda.

There are no play functions in this set, no opening doors or sides to the hut and no movement in the starfighter wing – everything contributes to setting the scene, everything is there for visuals, even if you can move the minifigures around and play with them as usual.

It’s a fascinating concept from the LEGO Star Wars team to venture into early into this third decade of the theme’s history, particularly for – alongside being given the 18+ label – how it does allow for a different style of LEGO set design. Where both previous versions of Yoda’s hut were geared towards surviving play and offering deliberate interaction with fingers both big and small, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama is way more intricately designed and is physically constructed into the base it sits on.

The swamp around the hut has a number of plant-based elements ready to ping off should you attempt to dive in with those clumsy fingers, while the trees are likewise very much built into the hut and with a higher number of looser-than-usual connections than you’d otherwise expect.

Turning the set around to the back gives further weight to the different considerations that the LEGO Star Wars team gave 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama. There is an interior to the hut, with a bed for Yoda, a cooking pot and a hidden spot for his lightsaber, but all of these are as much designed as visual cues and references as anything else – good luck getting your fingers in there. And while the inside of the hut is inviting from the rear, the rest of this side of the set stands as a cutaway, the ugly side to a façade you shouldn’t really be seeing.

It’s important to consider the creative direction that 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama represents – this is LEGO building for an older audience not interested in play, looking for detail, depth and authenticity to their LEGO creations so as to place them proudly on display, to gather only the type of dust a more sophisticated, older LEGO fan can generate.

As an approach, it’s going to be jarring to a section of LEGO fans used to all the gadgets and gizmos of other LEGO Star Wars sets, and used to being able to do something with their LEGO set once it has been built. Yet where there may be an urge to compare this to such sets – and the minifigures are what trick you into doing so – it’s really best to think of 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama along the same lines as any of the sets from the LEGO Star Wars Helmet Collection.

With awareness that this is a different idea for LEGO Star Wars, you can begin to appreciate the different ways that this LEGO set has been created, and understand that this is the only way this sort of detail for such a scene could otherwise be offered in an official LEGO Star Wars release. With acceptance of 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama’s differences, its strengths really begin to show themselves.

Yes, for 1,000 pieces you would hope for more, and yes, maybe there was a better colour combination to choose for depicting the swamp, but otherwise, we can agree with Yoda: size matters not.

That is because what is perhaps disappointingly lost in the dream of a large Dagobah layout is more than made up for in the detail and depth within this smaller, more intricately-explored snapshot of a scene. There may not be swampland and forest scenery for Luke to parkour through, or an open area for his meditation and rock levitation, nor indeed a cave for him to face off with Darth Vader.

There may also be no mysterious swamp monster lurking for R2-D2, or even a little bench with force ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi to sit down for a chat with, but 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama still packs in a tonne of character and charm within the black base it has to work with.

The interpretation of the moment from The Empire Strikes Back is all clearly centred around Yoda’s hut, which is visited for the third time in LEGO Star Wars history at minifigure scale, and this time with the most detail and authenticity. The previous two versions have placed play features and finger access above build level, and as a result have had to take creative licence in reimagining both the finer points to the Jedi Master’s humble abode and some of the wider aspects, including its general shaping.

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama captures the hut in the most accurate way we have seen so far in LEGO form, from the clear and obvious features such as the tiny little door at the front, the small windows and the unusual spike at the top, through to some of its more subtle properties, such as the very particular contours that shape the dome-like structure and the various vines and branches from the tree it is built into.

As mentioned, the colour of the swamp is somewhat jarring, but for display purposes, it really helps add life to the overall scene and contrasts nicely with the tree and hut above the surface.

Meanwhile, the base itself adds something to the scene and, for its hard, dark edges, helps in contrast to accentuate the life within its frame. Once built, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama really does come together to capture a memorable moment from Star Wars history with a vibrancy that almost makes you want to pick it up and play with it… but no touching, this is a display piece.

— Characters —

Yoda, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 are the three included characters within 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama, with Yoda the same version that appeared in 2018’s 75208 Yoda’s Hut, and R2-D2 as close to that as possible, but with the added bonus of a new hat printing on the back side for the first time. It’s a nice little detail, but one that is 98% pointless, because this is a display piece and where you are suggested as placing the droid puts its back firmly out of sight…

Luke is apparently a new and exclusive design for this set, but verges so close to how he looked in 75208 Yoda’s Hut that we’re not sure we can give the LEGO Star Wars team the credibility for that claim.

While the three designs for these characters are as expected and add that LEGO charm to the scene they sit within, would a display-based LEGO Star Wars set with a completely different design ethos not be the perfect opportunity to introduce a more accurately-sized Yoda and R2-D2? Yoda’s hut has been designed so authentically that Yoda the minifigure – who still stands way too tall next to a regular minifigure – cannot fit through the front door…

— Price —

How you feel about value in 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama may depend on how open you are to what is a very different type of LEGO Star Wars set. This is not a playset and it’s not filled with any gimmicks to fiddle around with. It’s a credible, authentic snapshot of a memorable moment from The Empire Strikes Back, lovingly recreated in a level of detailed LEGO building we aren’t always able to get from LEGO Star Wars (you know, for how these are usually built with children in mind).

Priced at £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99, it is still going to be tough to accept for those wanting a bit more from their LEGO Star Wars sets. However, if you want something that tugs at the nostalgia you feel for Star Wars in a way that is delivered only how LEGO can do so, with a new twist of more authenticity than ever before, there’s so much to appreciate about 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama.

— Pictures —

— Summary —

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama represents new ground for LEGO Star Wars as a theme, both in comparison with what it has been able to offer before and in terms of what it now could be capable of moving forward.

This is the LEGO experience stripped back, with previous key aspects around play and stability brushed to one side in favour of detail, texture and accuracy. There’s little for your hands to do with 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama once it has been built, because this is a primarily visual dose of nostalgia ­– a LEGO set that captures a snapshot of a scene from The Empire Strikes Back in a way that feels so remarkably new from the LEGO Star Wars team, even if officially this isn’t the first time we’ve visited Dagobah in LEGO form.

All of this guarantees a new experience for LEGO fans, and one that won’t necessarily be for everyone. But if you’ve ever felt even an inkling of frustration at a LEGO Star Wars set because it has compromised an aspect of authenticity or accuracy for a gimmick that doesn’t speak to you as a fan, builder or collector, sets like 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama are the best answer the LEGO Star Wars team has come up with so far that doesn’t cost as much as an Ultimate Collector Series set.

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama brings a new level of authenticity to mid-range LEGO Star Wars sets in a way that is entirely new – what can come from such a creative direction is exciting to consider.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO Star Wars sets through one of our affiliate links. The LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection is available for pre-order now and officially launches on April 26.

— FAQs —

How long does it take to build LEGO Star Wars 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama?

It takes just over an hour to put together 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama across six numbered bags, beginning with the base that frames the entire set.

How many pieces are in LEGO Star Wars 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama?

There are exactly 1,000 pieces included in 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama, but be aware that a third of them are used in building just the swamp.

How big is LEGO Star Wars 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama?

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama comes in at just over 28cm wide, 15cm deep and around 17cm at its highest point.

How much does LEGO Star Wars 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama cost?

75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama is priced at £69.99 in the UK, $79.99 in the US and from €79.99 in European markets.

Author Profile

Rob Paton
As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

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Rob Paton

As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

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