Star Wars Advent Calendar - Day 23
Posted by CapnRex101,
The anonymous Stormtrooper which appeared yesterday might indicate an emerging Imperial theme within the concluding few days of 75279 Star Wars Advent Calendar.
Find out whether that continues below...
Darth Vader's menacing fortress on Mustafar was introduced during Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and has subsequently become an important location. Despite its small scale, this model captures the monolithic appearance of the fortress and includes perfect colours, distinguishing between the artificial black and dark bluish grey structure and the dark tan rock underneath.
These colours are shared with 75251 Darth Vader's Castle which is among my favourite recent sets and was designed by Hans Burkhard Schlömer, who also developed this Advent Calendar. The trans-orange 1x1 slope which depicts lava pouring beneath the fortress looks superb and a tiny rendition of Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 is also provided, comprising just three parts!
Overall - 5.0 - Despite its diminutive size, this model undoubtedly captures the majesty of Darth Vader's Mustafarian fortress and the TIE Advanced is a delightful bonus.
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That'd probably look nice on top of a pair of dark gray BURP pieces...
I'm going with the baby TIE as a bomber rather than Vader's Advanced since the Bomber has two cylindrical hubs while the T-1 looks like a normal TIE with bent wings.
Really impressive how they made both items instantly recognizable given their tiny size and parts count.
I’d buy licensed microscale models of Star Wars locations! Mos Eisley or Cloud City, anyone?
So I posted yesterday that I wondered what 10 years of Advent Calendars have given us in minifigures. I tabulated with some interesting results. (Really, the Empire has been dominating these sets.) Here we go: a list of every minifigure we've gotten in a SWAC, 2011-2020. I assume some of you are going to nitpick where I categorized figures, but oh well. Also, I haven't broken down variations--obviously, two different Chewbacca molds have been used in 2011 and 2019, and figures like the Snowtrooper have and Stormtrooper have changed molds as well. The Tatooine Lukes have used two different heads, etc., etc.
I have left off tomorrow's Day 24, 2020 figure even though we all know who it is. And yes, BB-8, R2, and D-O are essentially "normal" minifigures with a festive accessory, so again, do with that as you will.
Festive Characters
• Astromech Droid (tree)
• BB-8 (festive)
• Chewbacca (Yeti)
• C-3PO (Santa)
• Darth Vader (Santa)
• Darth Maul (Santa)
• D-O (Santa)
• GNK Droid (present)
• GNK Droid (snowman)
• Imperial Commander (snowman)
• Jango Fett (Santa)
• Poe Dameron (sweater)
• Porg (Santa)
• Rebel Snowman
• R2-D2 (reindeer)
• R2-D2 (snowman)
• Yoda (Santa)
Specific, Non-Festive Characters
• Antoc Merrick
• Boba Fett (Episode II)
• Chewbacca x2
• FA-4 Pilot Droid
• General Rieekan
• IG-88
• Luke Skywalker (Tatooine) x2
• Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight)
• Luke Skywalker (Atch-To)
• Nute Gunray
• R2-Q5
• R5-F7
• Rey Skywalker
• Rose Tico
• Rowan Freemaker
• Sabine Wren
• U-3PO
Republic Characters
• Republic Clone Pilot
• Republic Clone Trooper (Phase I)
• Republic Clone Trooper (Phase II)
Separatist Characters
• Geonosian Warrior
• Separatist IG-Assassin Droid
• Separatist B-1 Battle Droid (blue)
• Separatist B-1 Battle Droid (red)
• Separatist B-1 Battle Droid x5
• Separatist B-2 Super Battle Droid x2
Rebel Characters
• Rebel Endor Trooper
• Rebel Fleet Trooper x2
• Rebel Hoth Trooper x3
• Rebel Pilot
• Rebel Snowspeeder Pilot
Imperial Characters
• Imperial Death Trooper
• Imperial Ground Crew
• Imperial Gunner
• Imperial Officer
• Imperial Navy Trooper
• Imperial Officer
• Imperial Scout Trooper
• Imperial Snowtrooper x3
• Imperial Stormtrooper x3
• Imperial TIE Pilot x2
• MSE Droid x2
Resistance Characters
• Resistance Trooper
First/Final Order Characters
• First Order Stormtrooper x2
• First Order Snowtrooper
• Sith Trooper
Droids
• GNK Droid x2
• LIN Demolitionmech Droid
• Pit Droid
Other Characters
• Bespin Cloud Car Pilot
• Bespin Guard
• Ewok Warrior
• Guavian Security Soldier
• Gungan Warrior
• Jawa
• Mynock
• Unkar’s Thug
Just the castle would’ve great but the fact they added the TIE just makes it fantastic.
Now this is brilliant! Excellent use of parts.
This is a literary technique we like to call “foreshadowing”
I've been ruminating on whether or not I should get myself a Vader's Castle for New Year's. Well, this feels like either encouragement or a monkey's paw situation. I'll go with the former :D
@Jelippo said:
"Just the castle would’ve great but the fact they added the TIE just makes it fantastic. "
I think thr TIE with it looks more like a Bomber than the Advance ship that Vader uses.
Do we know why Vader chose to build a castle at the site of one of the most traumatic moments of his life? It was a fantastic set, but its location seems a little odd to me.
Then again, in RotS, he did appear to spend a while just hanging around on the balcony overlooking the lava, rather than returning to Coruscant immediately after offing Nute Gunray, so maybe he just... liked the view that much?
I like that this calendar follows last year’s with two models in one door. At first I though it was one of Kylo Ren’s shuttles, couldn’t remember it was the castle.
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Do we know why Vader chose to build a castle at the site of one of the most traumatic moments of his life? It was a fantastic set, but its location seems a little odd to me.
Then again, in RotS, he did appear to spend a while just hanging around on the balcony overlooking the lava, rather than returning to Coruscant immediately after offing Nute Gunray, so maybe he just... liked the view that much?"
Twp reasons: when he went to build his Sith saber he went to a cave on Mustafar and then decided to build his palace there in the comics (the inclusion if a small Sith cave isn't coincidence in the set but an actual reason for Vader choosing that planet.
I wonder if you could make any other fighters to the scale of the TIE. Would be cool to have a micro fleet. Even some larger ships down scaled like the Nebulon-B Frigate or some command ships would look really good at this scale.
@Slobrojoe said:
"I wonder if you could make any other fighters to the scale of the TIE. Would be cool to have a micro fleet. Even some larger ships down scaled like the Nebulon-B Frigate or some command ships would look really good at this scale."
Based on this size as the TIE bomber, a Star Destroyer scaled to this would be just about UCS size! But no I know what you mean, and agree that some micro ships might be a fun way to pass the holidays.
Too bad it looks a lot like a bomber instead of the X1. It’s still cool though!
I thought it was a tie bomber. That would have been brilliant parts usage. But if it’s supposed to be the tie advanced, they didn’t fully capture the look that well. It’s definitely a bomber.
Looks more like a TIE/sa, but still cool nonetheless!
It’s a TIE/bow!
@ThatBionicleGuy :
Several years ago, there was an Infinities comic where Maul and Vader fought. Vader wipes the floor with Maul, and as he lay dying, he asked what Vader’s source of anger was (because that’s where their power comes from). Vader replied, “Myself.”
Mustafar represents Vader’s biggest failure, and feeds directly into that anger, since he believes he killed Padme there (and, let’s face it, he kinda did). I can’t think of anywhere more appropriate for him to wallow in self-hate, and avoiding the place by picking any other location seems a bit cowardly for a Sith.
Initially I had no idea what it was I was building. It was only when I turned it upright did the penny finally drop! A very clever design I must say.
With regard to the shape of the TIE Advanced x1, I completely agree that the two barrels of the binoculars element appear most reminiscent of the TIE Bomber or TIE Boarding Shuttle. However, their widening shape towards the 'front' of the vehicle matches the TIE Advanced x1 more closely.
For its scale, I think the model is fantastic!
Actually, on the subject of scaling, we can ascertain the relative scale of this TIE Advanced x1 with ease. The original vehicle measures 11.05 metres in length and this tiny version is 8mm long, giving a scale of approximately 1:1381. 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer measures 110cm in length while the original vehicle measures 1600 metres long, resulting in a scale of 1:1454. They are therefore surprisingly close!
Definitely a 5.0 build. This is one of the best mini-builds Lego Star Wars has ever seen!
I’m starting to fear we will never get a weapons rack this year..
@CapnRex101 said:
"With regard to the shape of the TIE Advanced x1, I completely agree that the two barrels of the binoculars element appear most reminiscent of the TIE Bomber or TIE Boarding Shuttle. However, their widening shape towards the 'front' of the vehicle matches the TIE Advanced x1 more closely.
For its scale, I think the model is fantastic!
Actually, on the subject of scaling, we can ascertain the relative scale of this TIE Advanced x1 with ease. The original vehicle measures 11.05 metres in length and this tiny version is 8mm long, giving a scale of approximately 1:1381. 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer measures 110cm in length while the original vehicle measures 1600 metres long, resulting in a scale of 1:1454. They are therefore surprisingly close!"
Are you referring to the UCS Star Destroyer or one if the regular sets?
Looks more like a TIE Bomber to me, but I understand the scale does get in the way. The castle is fantastic!
That TIE fighter with 3 pieces is pure perfectness!
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Do we know why Vader chose to build a castle at the site of one of the most traumatic moments of his life? It was a fantastic set, but its location seems a little odd to me."
The castle’s construction is chronicled in the comic series Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith issues 21 through 25, and released in 2018 by Marvel Comics.
The comics also introduce Darth Momin, one of the coolest and most interesting characters I’ve ever seen. His consciousness was contained within a mask, and anyone weak-of-mind would be possessed by Momin if they put it on. Momin was an artist who designed a structure that could channel the dark side of the force, and Vader wanted him to build the fortress.
I very much recommend you read these comics, as well as all of the canon Star Wars comics published since the Disney takeover.
@Virgilnz:
Pretend the Battle Droid is a weapon rack. Two problems solved! One new problem created.
Oh right, that makes a lot of sense! Thanks, @Lordmoral, @PurpleDave, @Rare_White_Ape for answering my question!
@Rare_White_Ape said:
"I very much recommend you read these comics, as well as all of the canon Star Wars comics published since the Disney takeover. "
I must confess, I'm a Legends guy through and through, and I don't think I could manage keeping track of a second, different continuity on top of that! But I appreciate the recomendation :D
@ThatBionicleGuy:
The preferred term is “Expanded Universe”.
Definitely a 5.0 rating. And to think, it only took Momin^^^^ 9 versions to get it right.
Probably my favorite build so far. The added TIE Fighter really puts it a step above
Looks phat
One of the best builds in this calendar. Top notch design idea.