Star Wars is one of those franchises that’s absolutely stuffed with iconic imagery. In recent years, LEGO has been taking advantage of this fact and putting out tons of adult-oriented sets based on memorable scenes, vehicles, and other items from the films. Three new LEGO sets have been announced for May release, and two of them are available for preorder right now. Let’s take a look.
LEGO Star Wars Emperor’s Throne Room Diorama
This set is based on one of the most iconic scenes in the history of cinema. It’s a diorama of the final battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, as the Emperor sits on his throne, urging them on. It comes with those three characters in minifigure form, Luke and Vader equipped with Lightsabers and the Emperor sporting dual blue lightning bolt pieces.
LEGO Star Wars Endor Speeder Chase Diorama
Anyone who’s seen Return of the Jedi will remember the super-fast speeder chase between Leia, Luke, and some unfortunate Stormtroopers. This diorama set includes a pair of trees, foliage, two speeder bikes on clear pedestals so it looks like they’re flying, and minifigs of Luke and Leia in their Endor outfits, plus a (probably doomed) Stormtrooper.
LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter
This set is in the Ultimate Collector Series of Star Wars sets, indicating it’s a big deal. It’s a LEGO Store exclusive — at least for the time being — and it’s not available for preorder. It will become available for LEGO VIP members on May 1, and for everyone else on May 4 (you can become a VIP member here for free). This set isn’t as big as some of the others like the AT-AT Walker, but it’s composed of a healthy 1,949 pieces. The X-Wing model looks fantastic, with wings that open or close with the turn of a dial. It comes with a display plaque, plus a Luke minifig and an R2-D2 droid figure.
For more, check out the new LEGO sets for April 2023, and also see our roundups on things like the best Star Wars LEGO sets and the best LEGO Technic sets.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.