Review: 40730 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber
Posted by CapnRex101,
40730 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber is the third life-size lightsaber to be designed as a gift-with-purchase, based on Luke's weapon from Return of the Jedi. Appearing during Han Solo's rescue from Jabba the Hutt, this is a fitting companion for 75397 Jabba's Sail Barge.
I think Luke's green lightsaber is among the most popular designs and its splashes of colour beyond silver and black should benefit the model, especially since it should complement the previous lightsabers in this burgeoning series.
Summary
40730 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber, 145 pieces.
Luke's lightsaber looks outstanding, but its very limited availability is frustrating
- Attractive display model
- Exactly the correct size
- Thematic link with Jabba's Sail Barge
- Limited availability
- Slightly inaccurate proportions
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
Luke's lightsaber is packaged in a traditional 18+ box, rather than a yellow box like 6346098 Yoda's Lightsaber, produced in 2020. This looks much nicer and I love the green glow behind the weapon, reflecting the colour of the blade.
Reference
Source - Wookieepedia.com
The Completed Model
Luke's lightsaber is instantly recognisable in LEGO form, capturing essentially every detail of its onscreen counterpart. The hilt is perhaps slightly too slender, but otherwise looks fantastic, with accurate pearl gold highlights and even the correct number of alternating black and silver bands above the activation switch!
Despite comprising fewer pieces than 40483 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber, the weapon based on Return of the Jedi is significantly larger. In fact, its length of 28cm is exactly life-size, unlike the blue lightsaber. The trio therefore look slightly strange together, given the variation in scale, but there was no real alternative because they are each constructed around 4x4 round pieces.
The display stand is consistent with the previous lightsaber, however. Its curved shape looks lovely and cradles the lightsaber nicely, pointing in either direction. Also, the printed plaque is attractive, again corresponding with the other lightsabers, as well as the style of plaques in the Helmet Collection.
The weapon's slender proportions are more apparent once it is removed from the display base, although that cannot really be avoided without losing the accurate length, given the reliance on 4x4 round elements. Regardless, the model is easy to handle and feels quite strong, with a 32L axle passing through its core.
Furthermore, the emitter and narrow chokes look superb, including a pearl gold section under the emitter. A smooth 2x2 round brick would be more appropriate than the textured equivalent, but that is a minor problem and an understandable one, as the 2x2 round brick is not available in pearl gold. Otherwise, the black and light bluish grey bands look excellent, leading down to the switch.
Luke's lightsaber features a relatively bulky switch onscreen. Taken in isolation, its shape and size seem fairly accurate, but I would have made the switch a bit smaller to mirror the width of the actual hilt. Removing the width of a plate would be enough and the extra details on the side could still be included, attached using brackets.
Speaking of which, the tiny red and green arrows look perfect, alongside a small black switch and the golden circuit board cover on top. The arrows are welcome in particular, as these are clearly visible in a deleted scene showing Luke completing his new lightsaber. The pommel is also cleverly constructed, featuring six protrusions and a ring to hang from Luke's belt.
The model even contains a pair of trans-bright green 2x2 round bricks, representing the kyber crystal housed inside. 40483 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber included the same feature and I am delighted to see another kyber crystal here, nestled between a pair of 2x4x2 curved wall panels.
Overall
40730 Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber is easily my favourite of the three lightsabers produced to date, thanks both to its accurate shape and the extra splashes of colour, not present on earlier lightsaber models. The proportions are not exactly correct, although I am unsure how they could realistically be improved without developing a selection of 5x5 round elements!
The greater issue is this set's limited availability. While I think this is a nice companion to 75397 Jabba's Sail Barge, the set will be inaccessible to most because it is tied to a £429.99, $499.99 or €499.99. Finding a balance between creating desirable gifts-with-purchase and making them available to most is difficult, but I wonder whether releasing the lightsaber as an Insiders reward would be a good solution.
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42 comments on this article
With how great these lightsabers would be as a $30-$40 display set, it really bums me out that they have continued to lock them behind GWP thresholds, especially because of how limited of a GWP it is, being only available for a week (not even mentioning that it's only available if you buy a $500 set, which I doubt people are buying to get the lightsaber). I can only hope it'll be cheap-ish on the aftermarket for those who may want it, but if history repeats itself, that won't be happening.
This thing is incredible. I'm as massive fan of lightsabers, and its really impressive how MOC-like this looks. If only it wasn't locked behind an overpriced $500 paywall, but it looks easy to make using spare parks. Thanks for the review!
Real box is so much nicer than the yellow.
IMO better than the main set (the sail barge)
I don't like the control box on it, it is a real eyesore for me.
@CharzBoi said:
"With how great these lightsabers would be as a $30-$40 display set,"
Oof, really? These look like 20-15 dollars max. The one unique thing about these is the printed plate. The Star Wars tax doesn't inflate prices that absurdly much for something that small, right?
"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."
I am a fan of Star Wars, but this is ugly.
I'm not convinced the market for buildable life-sized Star Wars items greatly overlaps the market for minifig-scale (or larger) ultra-detailed Star Wars locations (whether buildings or ships). I was certainly considering buying the Sail Barge, as I didn't get any of the earlier versions. Now I suspect I made a mistake in not getting 75020 back in the day--this version is just too expensive. A really interesting GWP might have changed my mind (which is what the GWP is for, right?) but I have no interest in buying what is to me only a piece of random clutter, however cleverly constructed.
For the sake of those who do enjoy this sort of set (and I'm sure there are a great many of them) I hope 40730 makes a comeback as an Insider-only set later on. Not holding my breath for that, of course!
Admit it. Admit you're going to pick this up with both hands, get into a battle stance, and make a "electronic hiss" noise with your mouth.
Thanks for the review.
I choose: "No, but I like it" for this one.
If these lightsabers were regular sets, would Lego increase the set count by adding the light blades?
With Luke's lightsaber in sight, surely the Sail Barge isn't far behind.
@LegoMKB said:
"If only it wasn't locked behind an overpriced $500 paywall, but it looks easy to make using spare parts."
Good luck with that. All those round black parts (79850) haven't appeared in black in any other set.
@Brainslugged said:
" @LegoMKB said:
"If only it wasn't locked behind an overpriced $500 paywall, but it looks easy to make using spare parts."
Good luck with that. All those round black parts ( 79850 ) haven't appeared in black in any other set."
Fortunately, they are actually this 4x4 curved dome: https://brickset.com/parts/design-65138
That piece has appeared in black in fifteen sets, so the only exclusive element is the printed plaque, for anybody wanting to piece the set together.
So basically €500 for this? Nah, I rather buy a real one....
@WizardOfOss said:
"So basically €500 for this? Nah, I rather buy a real one...."
It will probably around £25 second hand
@CharzBoi said:
"With how great these lightsabers would be as a $30-$40 display set, it really bums me out that they have continued to lock them behind GWP thresholds, especially because of how limited of a GWP it is, being only available for a week (not even mentioning that it's only available if you buy a $500 set, which I doubt people are buying to get the lightsaber). I can only hope it'll be cheap-ish on the aftermarket for those who may want it, but if history repeats itself, that won't be happening."
I don't see the problem with the lightsabers being exclusive GWP. They are nearly always made from common parts with an exclusive tile for the nameplate. They are easy enough for anyone to put together and display but still have one exclusive piece and the packaging to make the actual set special and so still an incentive to buy direct rather than at a discount from another retailer.
Proof that I am not the target audience:
I didn't know Luke used different lightsabers in each movie.
Pro's
+ Paper Instruction Manual
We needed a lightsaber collection the same way as the helmets collection. Being GWP is outrageous, it's unfair.
To me, this (and a lot more sets recently) is proof that not everything needs to be done in Lego.
@Klontjes said:
"To me, this (and a lot more sets recently) is proof that not everything needs to be done in Lego."
Isn't it proof that you don't need every LEGO set? Based on the previous display pieces, many people will like this.
@JavaBrix said:
"
Proof that I am not the target audience:
I didn't know Luke used different lightsabers in each movie."
I mean, there's minute differences between the props for the different movies, but the in-universe lightsaber change is really straightforward and shown prominently in the movies - he lost his "blue one" when his hand was cut off in Ep. 5, so he got a new "green one" in Ep. 6, the first time a green lightsaber was on screen (and a postproduction change to make it contrast better with the blue skies in the desert; early trailers showed the blade as blue despite the different hilt). Even if you don't pay close attention to what each lightsaber's hilt looks like, the movie communicates he lost his father's one and got a new one.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
" @JavaBrix said:
"
Proof that I am not the target audience:
I didn't know Luke used different lightsabers in each movie."
I mean, there's minute differences between the props for the different movies, but the in-universe lightsaber change is really straightforward and shown prominently in the movies - he lost his "blue one" when his hand was cut off in Ep. 5, so he got a new "green one" in Ep. 6, the first time a green lightsaber was on screen (and a postproduction change to make it contrast better with the blue skies in the desert; early trailers showed the blade as blue despite the different hilt). Even if you don't pay close attention to what each lightsaber's hilt looks like, the movie communicates he lost his father's one and got a new one."
That's fun info--I know in some of the original paintings by McQuarrie, they were white. And even storm troopers used them!
@CCC said:
" @Klontjes said:
"To me, this (and a lot more sets recently) is proof that not everything needs to be done in Lego."
Isn't it proof that you don't need every LEGO set? Based on the previous display pieces, many people will like this."
Good point. Maybe it is both? To me at least.
Use part 99206 to fix the height of the switch.
To me the limited availability is a huge plus. Having the rarer items is what collecting is all about. The better GWPs should be tied to the larger and more expensive sets. That's the incentive/reward for purchasing those sets.
They could have made a 1:1 scale collection of lightsaber hilts using proper drum lacquered silver pieces and charged 100€ per set...
Good luck getting this GWP on the aftermarket, considering the previous one 40483 is priced at around 130 €.
Quite cool. I won't be getting Jabba's sail barge, but I want his. I might pick it up on the secondary market.
I feel bad. This set was made for me. It's the bare minimum necessary to get me to open my wallet on D1 and buy the Barge.
They tried less. But, patches and metal trinkets didn't do the trick.
They could do more. Yet, the effort would be better spent to improve the original set- like printing Leia's arm, showing some bare leg on her skirt, or for God's sake give those henchmen some decent pants!
I will buy this if it doesn't get lost in the process or down some deep reactior shaft. I barely care anymore.
Sooooo....... Which other light sabers will be showing up in the future? There are so many Jedi and Sith that this could be a whole series. I'm envisioning a General Grievous multipack. Plus if they are going to continue along this line of products, maybe a series of blasters could be in future as well seeing as they aren't "real" weapons.
Looks great. Can't wait to not be able to buy it.
@Blockwork_Orange said:
"Sooooo....... Which other light sabers will be showing up in the future? There are so many Jedi and Sith that this could be a whole series. I'm envisioning a General Grievous multipack. Plus if they are going to continue along this line of products, maybe a series of blasters could be in future as well seeing as they aren't "real" weapons. "
If you are into that sort of stuff, you can go to Brick Vault and buy instructions to build all sorts of light sabres. So far they have 42 (in fact 41 because one of them, is the dark sabre). The total collection is built out of 12921 pieces plus the cost of instructions, this will not be cheap...
I don't think 3 sets in 5 years qualifies for "burgeoning" series...
The lightsabers are among the least inspiring sets I've ever seen, chockingly boring and looks like something you'd put together with your first lego pieces in 1980, credit to Lego for at least having the decency not to sell these.
The best so far of the popular Phallic Symbol Theme. Totally free to early adopters of Lego's highly imaginative Turd with Sails.
I was able to piece together the other sabers and I think I will do the same here. I was already planning on building my own version of this, but now I don’t need to. Thanks Lego designer!
@CharzBoi said:
"With how great these lightsabers would be as a $30-$40 display set, it really bums me out that they have continued to lock them behind GWP thresholds"
You can buy the parts for them for closer to 10-20$ straight from Pick-A-Brick or Bricklink as they are simple unlicensed bricks. If that's too difficult for you just download the inventory file from Rebrickable and put that XML or CSV into the Brickhunter Browser Add-On. Brickhunter lets you auto-fill Pick-A-Brick carts based on entire partslists. The greatest difficulty then would be to make a name plaque sticker.
On display without the green beam looks a bit like a sci-fi spaceship. What are the green and red buttons for, practice or maim?
@ambr said:
"On display without the green beam looks a bit like a sci-fi spaceship. What are the green and red buttons for, practice or maim?"
extend and retract, mostly likely
@Murdoch17 said:
" @ambr said:
"On display without the green beam looks a bit like a sci-fi spaceship. What are the green and red buttons for, practice or maim?"
extend and retract, mostly likely"
Only one will apply as you get older.
@ambr said:
"On display without the green beam looks a bit like a sci-fi spaceship. What are the green and red buttons for, practice or maim?"
They are probably used to change the length of the blade. Most lightsabers have a dial for that purpose, but evidently not in the case of Luke's lightsaber.
The only use for this was selling it on eBay to get money off the Khetanna :)