20091210--The Lego Death Star Project

So as a surprise for last Christmas (a very BIG surprise) my parents got me the Lego Death Star. And now, almost a year later, I've finally made time to build it.

The Death Star (not to be confused with the Ultimate Collector Death Star II) is by far larger than any Lego set I have built or will likely build again. Not surprising as, piece count wise, I believe it is the third largest set Lego has ever made (1 and 2 being the Taj Mahal and the Ultimate Collector Millennium Falcon respectively. While those sets each boast a staggering 5000+ piece count, the Death Star is nevertheless impressive at 3803 pieces.

On top of that, the Death Star is probably the biggest piece count set for the mainstream Star Wars line, or perhaps even any mini-figure centric Lego set. (The UC Falcon is also in mini-figure scale, but they only fit in the cockpit--there's no other interior features.) There are certainly other sets that exceed it in physical size, but the emphasis on this set is playability and interaction. In its three story structure are rooms that allow you to recreate virtually any scene that took place in either Death Star I or II in episodes IV and VI, with the help of 19 mini-figures as well as 5 other droids and the Dianoga monster that lives in the trash compactor. To me the Death Star is to the Lego Star Wars line what the USS Flag was the 1980's G.I. Joe line, and I am stoked to build it.

This is actually the third time my folks have surprised me with a Death Star at Christmastime. the first was waay back in '78 or '79 when they got me the original Kenner Death Star (I had been told that all of the larger vehicles and playsets were out of the question, so this was quite a shock). That Death Star met a tragic end when I tripped and fell on it a few years later--an event I always lamented. Even though most of the Kenner line has been re-issued with improvements, they've never matched the scope and cleverness of that playset. Then a few years back Mom and Dad shocked me again with another Kenner Death Star they assembled on eBay. Now, this one joins the ranks. My parents are pretty awesome folks.

The purpose of this blog is mostly to share with my friends, brother, and parents the process of building this beast of a set. I'm not looking to set any speed records--in fact, the longer it takes, the better! I am committed to working on it a little each day and I would like to have it finished by the new year at the latest.

That's it for now--tune in tomorrow as we cover the daunting process of sorting all the parts!