LEGO Star Wars UCS Death Star draws mixed (but leaning negative) fan reviews
LEGO Star Wars 75419 Death Star caused a divide amongst the community upon reveal, but how would it fare one week on from release?
When 75419 Death Star was first revealed, voices in favour of the latest UCS model were a quiet minority. Fan reviews left on the official LEGO.com product listing, almost one week on from release, are more evenly split, with 44% listed as recommending the set.
35% gave it five stars, while 45% gave it one star. While that still leans more negative than positive, that’s still a more even balance than you might have expected from the initial reactions from the community. It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to have bought the set to share a review, leaving it open for people who haven’t actually been hands-on with it to leave an opinion, whether positive or negative.
It’s not all bad on the Death Slice
Digging into the fan reviews more closely, one five-star review noted that despite being “disappointed” when the reveal first came around, they were pleasantly surprised when they bought and built it on October 1.
“If it were panelled off, the size would become more of an issue than it already is,” they wrote. “It is expensive, but with a high piece and minifigure count, it makes up for it.
“My only issue is the overall quality of the minifigures. The LEGO Group should have focused on upgrading big-name minifigures, instead of giving the Stormtroopers all-new head designs. I’ve been waiting to buy a Death Star for years. When I was a kid, I was never able to afford the old Death Star models. I’m more than satisfied with this one.”
Another expressed “mixed emotions” but ended up with a five-star review, complimenting the versatility of the display with so many different locations and scenes included. The level of detail keeps coming up in fan reviews, adding depth to both the build and the final display.
The problems are very much still there
Of course, there are still those who are unimpressed with the controversial approach to a LEGO Star Wars UCS set. At the other end of the scale, fans were disappointed in what they got for the hefty $1,000 price tag.
“A thousand-dollar UCS set should represent LEGO at its best, but this Death Star is a hollow shell of what it should’ve been,” wrote one fan reviewer on LEGO.com. “Missing prints, downgraded minifigs, a one-sided build – all signs of corners cut for profit. This isn’t ‘ultimate’, it’s uninspired.
“Then there’s the so-called “Death Star TIE Fighter GWP” — a piece ripped straight from the main model and repackaged as an exclusive giveaway. That’s not creativity, it’s corporate greed disguised as fan service. This release should’ve been a celebration of passion and craftsmanship. Instead, it’s proof that LEGO now values profit over pride. Shameful.”
The perception of the GWP comes up in a few different reviews, with many feeling that it should have been included automatically in the set, rather than restricted to a limited-time promotion. That said, there’s still time to pick up 40771 TIE Fighter with Imperial Hangar Rack at the time of writing, coming free with purchases of the UCS set until October 7.
Several weeks on from the reveal and almost a week from launch, it seems that fans have more positive features to pick out about the set, especially once they’ve actually built it for themselves. Does that mean the legitimate problems that many have are gone? No – but it might help if you’ve been wondered 75419 Death Star is only setting you up for disappointment.
75419 Death Star is available to buy now worldwide, exclusively on LEGO.com and in LEGO stores.
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Yeah, it’s an unmitigated disaster. It’s good to know at least that there are designers even inside Lego that are too egotistical and falsely claim artistic license enough to screw up as colossally as any other company. Tragic taking Lego company outside of our fantasy shield, where everything is wonderful in some regard, and plopping it down in the business world as a regular commercial endeavor. It should at least have been a semi-circle. And even that would have been rife with criticism, but which could have easily been countered by it’s dual complete presentability. This is a stain on Lego where, for such an iconic piece, business won over design and respect for the culture and for the fandom.
You can actually get the retired UCS Death Star for about the same money over on bricklink. Just speaking personally, I’d prefer to have that set, if I had the money to spend on a set of this magnitude. That said, I hope those who think this set looks cool are able to pick up and enjoy it.
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Not acceptable remarks:
Good summary, just add;
“The back is unfinished”
to the not acceptable category.
So much of the hate on this is to drive traffic (ad-revenue) and cope because people can’t afford to buy it.
It’s a genuinely good set at a fair price.
The compromises you list above were made to limit the impact on piece count and number of minifigures.
Rip off price at $1500 AUD in Australia. Wtf