After first being announced back in March, the most recent addition to LEGO’s collection of Star Wars kits is finally here. Assembling Boba Fett, a Stormtrooper, and Tie Fighter Pilot, the new LEGO Star Wars Helmets bring authentic recreations of some of the galaxy’s most fearsome villains to your collection. Complete with an affordable price, the new builds are certainly worth a closer look. Head below for all the details.
Hands-on with new LEGO Star Wars helmets
Back when the Star Wars theme first began in 1999, some of the first sets for builders to get their hands on crafted characters like Yoda and Darth Maul as authentically as possible at the time. While those brick-built sculptures didn’t go on to be as big of a hit as the Ultimate Collector’s Series did, fans still look back on them as some of the more unique creations from the lineup.
LEGO’s most recent releases hark back to these display-worthy recreations, this time putting an emphasis on some of the Original Trilogy’s most iconic villains. As the first three build to kick off this year’s The Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary celebration, LEGO is raising the bar for its Star Wars kits by introducing some of the first builds with an age rating of 18-years or older.
Build
An older age rating carries with it a more complex build, and that’s exactly what all three of the new LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets deliver. At the center of each of the creations is an inner core that serves as an anchor point for all the glorious details. All three share a similar build internally, but with some slight variations to accommodate the different final designs. Assembling the kits right after each other did have some overlap, but not so much that it detracted from the fun.
Below each of the helmets is a display stand that’s completed by a printed display plaque. Each of the stands are identical across the wave and elevate the helmets a few inches from a table or shelf.
Highlights
After the inner frame has been crafted, you’ll next move on to covering five sides of the brick-built cube in detail to bring each character to life. All of them leverage the technique of stacking up LEGO tiles in order to achieve the curves you’d expect from a Stormtrooper or Boba Fett’s helmet. The process of layering plates is nothing new in the LEGO Star Wars theme, but here it’s applied to one of the fullest extents to date. The technique manages to authentically capture all three of the helmet designs, while still retaining the classic, blocky LEGO look.
While most of the details from all three of these kits have good old fashion brickwork to thank, there are some new elements which go into crafting the striking appearances. Most notably, the Tie Fighter Pilot’s two Imperial logo elements are the most unique from the new wave of kits. Both of the Stormtrooper variants also feature new mouthpiece elements.
All three of the LEGO buildable helmets get a unique printed display plaque complete with the Star Wars logo and the characters’ names, as well. There’s also some light sticker placement required too, but that’s kept to a minimum throughout each set for the most part. So count that as another win.
Ranking each of the LEGO Star Wars Helmets
All three of the new LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets bring a lot to the table, but overall, I’d have to say Boba Fett earns the spot as my favorite. Even though this build has a slightly more simplistic design, the execution is pretty much perfect. The incorporated techniques make it one of my favorite models to build in a while, and the final design is as display-worthy as you can find.
That last bit is true for the Stormtrooper and Tie Fighter Pilot helmets, too. Everything that makes the Boba Fett variant a must-have is essentially true for the other kits. Both Imperial troopers may share a similar design, but it’s certainly an eye-catching one that’s not too far behind what’s offered by the famed bounty hunter recreation.
Value
All three of the new LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets enter with a $59.99 price tag. Though depending on which build you’re looking to add to your collection, the overall value changes. Boba Fett enters with the least amount of bricks at 625, the Stormtrooper clocks in with a middle of the ground 647-bricks, and the Tie Fighter Pilot tops out at 724-pieces.
Even in the worse case scenario, you’re only paying $0.09 per brick, which is very solid considering the expected Star Wars tax. That makes the best case all the more enticing, with the Tie Fighter Pilot bringing that cost per piece down to just $0.08, or within the realm of non-licensed kits. So even though the LEGO buildable helmets are Star Wars kits through and through, price is one area that seems to have missed the memo.
Both Boba Fett and Stormtrooper builds are available at Amazon, while all three of the LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets can be ordered direct from the company’s storefront.
The builds are eligible for LEGO’s current May the 4th promotion, offering double VIP points and the ability to score a limited-edition creation. So if you’re thinking of picking these up, it’s worth considering the added value direct from LEGO.
Final thoughts
Considering that we’re now in the 21st year of LEGO Star Wars, it’s quite fitting that LEGO has continued last year’s celebration with another batch of kits that look to embrace the theme’s history. LEGO couldn’t have delivered better on bringing Boba Fett, the Stormtrooper, and Tie Fighter Pilot into brick-built form here, making them all worthy additions to any collection.
When we’ve gone hands-on with massive Star Wars builds in the past, there’s normally a caveat around the equally as high price tag. We can praise builds like the the UCS Star Destroyer all day, but few fans are really going to shell out that kind of cash. Though, that’s what makes the LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets so appealing. Affordable pricing combined with the kind of display-worthiness you only find in the UCS line make all three of the buildable helmets must-have kits in my book.
Buy the LEGO Star Wars Helmets: Boba Fett, Stormtrooper, Tie Fighter Pilot
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