It's okay but I wouldn't call it the ultimate Lightsaber duel. The main play feature didn't work very well.

Kicking off ROTS' 20th anniversary with a... pretty disappointing set

...Of Ultimate Destiny?

The coolest worst set. I still kinda want those light-up minifigs; I only had the Vader one.

Surprised they never tried to properly remake this set (no, 75269 doesn't count, way too small). Nowadays with modern parts and Ninjago gimmicks they could totally do a functional straightforward remake.

Light up Lightsabers. A cool concept, but they didn't really work well.

@Alia_of_AGL said:
"The coolest worst set."
My older brother had this set and this is exactly how I'd describe it, lol.

The light-up Lightsabers are cute, but it feels like something out of the late '90s with how much of an obvious wasted expense it was. It's also pretty bizarre to have the activation button be nowhere near where the kids' hands will actually be when using this set, although the button does admittedly work in the usual context of how one handles a minifig.

@Maxbricks14 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Maxbricks14 said:
"It's okay but I wouldn't call it the ultimate Lightsaber duel. The main play feature didn't work very well."

That's kinda sad, considering how much it sacrificed displayability in favor of playability. If it still didn't get that right, then what's the point?"

I'm meant to feel sorry for a multi-billion dollar company?"

1. You're meant to feel sorry for the design and the failed concept, not the nebulous entire company, that isn't remotely what he said.

2. It's from the Lego of *2005*, not modern day. In 2005 Lego only had a profit of $81 million, and only reached a total revenue of one billion dollars for the *first* time in 2005, not a regular multi-billion. And in 2004, when the set would've been designed, the company lost $220 million instead. Lego's entire history is not that of the current day, and it's wrong to characterize it as such.

The comments are correct, the set looks better than it plays. I've never had a problem with the light-up feature, but the hockey player mover pieces the minifigs are in are great for only the back of the set where you can dump lava on them or where you can make the pillars fall over. You can't move them around much beyond those areas though because there's just not enough room, or you don't have enough space for the stand to stay upright on the move between areas because of those curved 2x4 bricks. Still a cool looking set though.
And now a horrible story. I didn't like that the minifigures were inaccurate to the scenes that were being depicted, so I cut off the capes. If you don't own any of these light-up figures, you should know that they're preassembled, you can't remove the heads because you press down on them in order for the light-up feature to work. Well, if you cut off the capes, you can't put them back. I did manage to find replacements that were not altered, and I still have the originals I modified, but yeah, don't do that.

@Maxbricks14 said:
"Light up Lightsabers. A cool concept, but they didn't really work well."

Rob Hendrix did a great job with it, producing minifigs with light-up lightsabers that were visually indistinguishable from regular minifigs holding regular lightsabers _except_ when the light is turned on. But they aren't nearly robust enough to hand over to kids for play, which is where things ended up with...these...things.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Maxbricks14 said:
"Light up Lightsabers. A cool concept, but they didn't really work well."

Rob Hendrix did a great job with it, producing minifigs with light-up lightsabers that were visually indistinguishable from regular minifigs holding regular lightsabers _except_ when the light is turned on. But they aren't nearly robust enough to hand over to kids for play, which is where things ended up with...these...things."

Yeah, how dare they be changed so that kids can play with them. Lego is an adults collectors item, not a toy.

I own this one, and yes, it is “the coolest worst set”. It is gimmicky and the only other “function” is the raining down of the lava pieces. It almost serves better as a display thing than playset. I suppose I bought it because I liked the duel in the movie and I already had the Vader minifig with the light-up lightsaber.

@MCLegoboy:

https://www.maskofdestiny.com/news/bioniwars-the-force-is-strong-with-this-one

I can make one of my fellow LUG members cringe by just reminding him that I cut 3" off the bottom edge of an 8010 cape to make this guy.

@PurpleDave said:
" @MCLegoboy:

https://www.maskofdestiny.com/news/bioniwars-the-force-is-strong-with-this-one

I can make one of my fellow LUG members cringe by just reminding him that I cut 3" off the bottom edge of an 8010 cape to make this guy."

That’s awesome

@PurpleDave said:
" @MCLegoboy:
https://www.maskofdestiny.com/news/bioniwars-the-force-is-strong-with-this-one

I can make one of my fellow LUG members cringe by just reminding him that I cut 3" off the bottom edge of an 8010 cape to make this guy."
Man, that is hardcore. That cape goes for big money, and it's of a pretty good quality, too, it's not just that regular papery cloth we used to always get, it's got that nice felt on the outside. I cringe at you, too, but at least it was done well, and you have a spare.

Somewhat surprised this set goes for $500 when everyone seemingly agrees that it's relatively weak. I guess those light-up lightsaber minifigs probably have high resell in good condition.

@MCLegoboy said:
"Man, that is hardcore. That cape goes for big money, and it's of a pretty good quality, too, it's not just that regular papery cloth we used to always get, it's got that nice felt on the outside. I cringe at you, too, but at least it was done well, and you have a spare."

Two things worth noting. I _still_ have a spare, because I bought 4 copies of that set and only built one. The third cape went, unmodified, into a vampire Bohrok (and looks awesomely ridiculous):

https://www.maskofdestiny.com/news/blah

And I posted that in May 2003 (yes, Darth Vatoa is old enough to drink), so I suspect the capes were cheap and easy to come by if you wanted to buy one loose. I also used up one of the spare helmets on this guy:

https://www.maskofdestiny.com/news/one-who-forces

@WemWem said:
"Somewhat surprised this set goes for $500 when everyone seemingly agrees that it's relatively weak. I guess those light-up lightsaber minifigs probably have high resell in good condition."

Don’t ever underestimate the fanaticism of completionists. The worse a set sells in initial release, the less copies there are floating around after it retires. If that set is a one-off, or from a widely reviled theme, it’s only going to significantly appreciate in value if the subject matter sees a spike in interest, or if it turns out there’s a rare or unique element that people decide they want after it’s gone. If it’s tied to a popular IP, however, someone is going to need it to fill a hole in their collection. Probably a lot of someones, even, since people start collecting anew every day, people may have skipped it the first time around, or they may be trying to collect sets from their childhood.

@Sandinista said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @WemWem said:
"Somewhat surprised this set goes for $500 when everyone seemingly agrees that it's relatively weak. I guess those light-up lightsaber minifigs probably have high resell in good condition."

Don’t ever underestimate the fanaticism of completionists. The worse a set sells in initial release, the less copies there are floating around after it retires. If that set is a one-off, or from a widely reviled theme, it’s only going to significantly appreciate in value if the subject matter sees a spike in interest, or if it turns out there’s a rare or unique element that people decide they want after it’s gone. If it’s tied to a popular IP, however, someone is going to need it to fill a hole in their collection. Probably a lot of someones, even, since people start collecting anew every day, people may have skipped it the first time around, or they may be trying to collect sets from their childhood."

How? Not trying to pick a fight but I can’t see 75119 being worth much in 20 years "

The other crucial factor that contributes to appreciation of LEGO sets is minifigures. 75119 has no minifigures — exclusive or otherwise — and an uninspiring build, it's a poorly-regarded example of a not particularly beloved subtheme, and it was overproduced to such an extent that it was widely available for years after retirement at heavy discounts. 7257, on the other hand, includes two hugely valuable exclusive minifigures (Bricklink says Anakin is worth $200 new and Obi-Wan is worth $120) of popular characters, depicts a noteworthy scene that hasn't been often revisited, and was a flagship set for the 2005 Star Wars line. Notice that many of the Star Wars sets from the last half-decade that have appreciated the most in value are sets are sets with exclusive, unusual minifigures — stuff like the Star Wars Rebels Phantom II and Rebel Combat Frigate.

It's over Anakin! I have the flat ground! My support can't allow me to stand upright if I'm elevated.

Fun fact: this set has a 8x8 trans neon orange plate. It's burried underneath somewhere.

Fun fact: the remote minifig sticks use parts designed for the Hockey subtheme of Sports.

Fun fact: there's a small floating platform (not pictured).

Another fun fact: the structure is based on one seen in the movie that collapses by breaking at the far end and falling bent forward into the lava, forcing the two to hop from 'finger to finger', which is impossible to do with the set unless you flip the entire set.

@Mr__Thrawn said:
" @Sandinista said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @WemWem said:
"Somewhat surprised this set goes for $500 when everyone seemingly agrees that it's relatively weak. I guess those light-up lightsaber minifigs probably have high resell in good condition."

Don’t ever underestimate the fanaticism of completionists. The worse a set sells in initial release, the less copies there are floating around after it retires. If that set is a one-off, or from a widely reviled theme, it’s only going to significantly appreciate in value if the subject matter sees a spike in interest, or if it turns out there’s a rare or unique element that people decide they want after it’s gone. If it’s tied to a popular IP, however, someone is going to need it to fill a hole in their collection. Probably a lot of someones, even, since people start collecting anew every day, people may have skipped it the first time around, or they may be trying to collect sets from their childhood."

How? Not trying to pick a fight but I can’t see 75119 being worth much in 20 years "

The other crucial factor that contributes to appreciation of LEGO sets is minifigures. 75119 has no minifigures — exclusive or otherwise — and an uninspiring build, it's a poorly-regarded example of a not particularly beloved subtheme, and it was overproduced to such an extent that it was widely available for years after retirement at heavy discounts. 7257, on the other hand, includes two hugely valuable exclusive minifigures (Bricklink says Anakin is worth $200 new and Obi-Wan is worth $120) of popular characters, depicts a noteworthy scene that hasn't been often revisited, and was a flagship set for the 2005 Star Wars line. Notice that many of the Star Wars sets from the last half-decade that have appreciated the most in value are sets are sets with exclusive, unusual minifigures — stuff like the Star Wars Rebels Phantom II and Rebel Combat Frigate."

Thank you for such a thorough reply! Great points

@Maxbricks14 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Maxbricks14 said:
"Light up Lightsabers. A cool concept, but they didn't really work well."

Rob Hendrix did a great job with it, producing minifigs with light-up lightsabers that were visually indistinguishable from regular minifigs holding regular lightsabers _except_ when the light is turned on. But they aren't nearly robust enough to hand over to kids for play, which is where things ended up with...these...things."

Yeah, how dare they be changed so that kids can play with them. Lego is an adults collectors item, not a toy."

Fwiw, as a kid, I was bummed that my only Mace Windu couldn't turn his hand or put his lightsaber away.

@Bricknave said:
"I think its frustrating how the set name is "Ultimate Lightsaber Duel" and not something more specific to that particular scene. Like, there are multiple lightsaber duels in Star Wars.

75269 got the name right."

I think I kind of get why they named it as such. At that time, the Anakin vs. Obi-Wan fight was seen as kind of the climax of the whole franchise: it was this whole big thing that the prequels had been building up to, and its effects on the Original Trilogy - Vader's iconic armour, Obi hiding out as a hermit - were already legendary. Much of the RotS marketing hinged around the duel on Mustafar, on this being IT, the moment we'd been waiting for all these years; so in that context, calling the scene the "Ultimate" Lightsaber duel is a bit more understandable than it is in hindsight.

-
This was my second RotS set after the Clone Walker, chosen specifically as it was the only one that could give me both Ani and Obi... and also because I wanted all of those light-up minifigures as a kid! The set was so-so, although it did have some nice pieces (trans-neon orange plate, the Alpha Team ice wall also in TNO, the 2x4 curves which I hadn't seen before) and I had fun playing with it... in my own way, since I rarely had anyone to duel with. But the main attraction was by far the light-up minifigures for me; I also got Vader and Luminara's sets in due course, so the only one I regrettably missed was Mace. Still remember carrying around the Toymaster bag in which I had this newly-purchased set while we did some errands around town, eager to get home and open it up!

I was, and still am, somewhat baffled why Obi has his hood raised in this set. I liked the classic hood pieces so I was never one to bemoan getting one in a new colour - reddish-brown, after the previous ones I had were all in black - but in the movie he lowered the hood before leaving Coruscant so it feels out of place here. I wonder if this was another set, like early HP or some MCU sets, that had to be designed based only on concept art, and the specific details of the scene weren't known at the time? Either way, I often swapped it out for my AotC Anakin's hairpiece when I played with the set, to better represent the scene.

(On a side note. It very slightly bugs me that BrickLink lists these minifigures as 'cannot be inventoried'. Sure, they have *significantly* less pieces than your standard minifigure; but they should still consist of four parts (three in Mace's case): the headgear, saber blade, and 1x1 round stud on the saber hilt are all standard pieces, in addition to the minifigure's main single piece. This likewise has the effect that Bricklink's catalogue says that Luminara's headgear piece wasn't introduced until 2011, instead of 2005, because their inventory of 7260 doesn't count it as a separate piece. For accuracy, I think this should be taken into account, but I've no idea who I'd raise that issue with.)

@bnic99 said:
"It's Over! I have the high ground"

"YOU UNDERESTIMATE MY POWER."

@Maxbricks14 said:
"It's okay but I wouldn't call it the ultimate Lightsaber duel. The main play feature didn't work very well."

Listen. You kinda had to be there, know the rumors before the prequels even happened that "Vader looks like that because Old Ben threw him in a volcano," and experience the hype as Mustafar-themed publicity materials started surfacing to really grasp how much this duel was hyped up. The play feature was unlike anything done before or since, and the glowing lightsabers felt like the pinnacle of technology.