UPDATE: After finishing each of these sets, we're now sharing some additional thoughts and photos on each of them - but specifically the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon - for you to get a much better idea of what you should expect from the build process after we shared our initial thoughts late last week.
Click on the image below for the full-size versions.
As you can see, the Millennium Falcon is a fascinating LEGO set to build and one which you slowly see take shape over the course of ten bags or more and a good hundred plus stages. By the time you're done, it feels like you've achieved something and the finished product is nothing short of beautiful!
As for the TIE Fighter and Landspeeeder, you'll find more of our thoughts on those below but the images above really don't do them justice and I was particularly impressed by the many small details on the latter, not to mention the fact it does indeed include wheels so you're able to race the vehicle.
So, as we previously mentioned, these are indeed all a must-buy and hopefully these images have shed some light on why they're all well worth your time (links to where you can buy them are below).
The Star Wars franchise has never disappointed when it comes to tie-in merchandise but Disney and Lucasfilm's partnership with LEGO has paid off for fans in a big way in recent years. Thanks to the company, we've not only been able to enjoy building sets based on new movies like The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi but also various ships and characters from the older movies as well. Now, with Solo: A Star Wars Story just weeks away, all eyes are on that movie and LEGO has plenty to keep fans busy.
So, to celebrate Star Wars Day (May The Fourth Be With You!), we've been sent the Imperial TIE Fighter, Moloch's Landspeeder, and the amazing new Kessel Run Millennium Falcon to take a look at.
I've started work on all three of the LEGO sets today and we'll be sharing some detailed photos of them over the next few days so you can get an even better idea of what to expect. For now, here are our thoughts on them along with a look at what exactly they tell us about Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Kessel Run Millennium Falcon
There's a lot to dive into with the Falcon too; not only does it consist of over 1400 pieces but it fires missiles and features a removable front piece which appears to be an escape pod of some sort and explains why the ship looks so different in the movie. There are lots of great touches here, though, including two gun turrets and a moving ramp for you to recreate your favourite moments.
Cosmetic differences aside, this is also a really fun - and extremely challenging - set to build and one which will look great alongside both the original and new trilogy Millennium Falcons released by LEGO. I have The Force Awakens era version of the ship but the build process here is definitely different and that should make this a must-buy for serious collectors, LEGO enthusiasts, and fans in general.
Imperial TIE Fighter
We don't know what sort of a role the Imperials will have in Solo: A Star Wars Story but the trailers have made it clear that Han and company will be squaring off with them at some point! I've never had the opportunity to build a TIE Fighter before but loved putting this one together and the finished version is both considerably bigger than I expected and looks downright amazing while on display.
This set also fires missiles (meaning you can pit it against the Millennium Falcon for your own space battles) and I love the fact it includes not only an Imperial Pilot and Mimban Stormtrooper but Han Solo and Tobias Beckett in Imperial disguises as well. Is that an indication they'll meet when Han applies to join the Empire or are they going undercover for reasons unknown? I'm betting on the latter.
Regardless, between the impressive build - it's really detailed and looks like a scale model in many respects - and the rare minifigures, this has to be one of the best TIE Fighters ever released by LEGO and I've had a tremendous amount of fun putting it together. Honestly, it's so cool it's made me want to start a collection of these Imperial ships and I'm blown away by the quality of this awesome set.
Moloch's Landspeeder
I'm well aware that landspeeders will play a role in Solo: A Star Wars Story but I have no idea who or what Moloch is and, honestly, that's no bad thing (after all, you have to hand it to Lucasfilm for keeping so much of the movie a secret). I'm pretty sure he's a villain, though, and I couldn't help but approach this set with some trepidation as it's nowhere near as familiar as the Millennium Falcon or TIE Fighter!
However, I ended up being very pleasantly surprised as it was a huge amount of fun to put together and looks really cool...in fact, I can't wait to get my hands on Han and Qi'Ra's landspeeder to display them side by side! Going back to this set, though, and there are a lot of nice little touches here like a cage for those Correllian Hounds and a fierce looking gun on the front which fires off some blasters.
For a smaller LEGO set, I'm really surprised and am now way more invested in finding out about Moloch. It looks great pieced together and was a fun one to work on no matter how young or old you may be. So, despite having my doubts, this is another set which deserves top marks because there's more to it than meets the eye and it definitely looks a lot better than I initially suspected it would.