LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2017

December 1, 2017 | 710

Hello again and welcome to the 2017 version of the Jay’s Brick Blog Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown! It’s been a tradition since 2014 to do a daily countdown of the LEGO Star Wars Advent calendar and it’s one of the things I look forward to every year!

NOTE:2018 Star Wars Advent Calendar Click the link if  you’re looking for the !

If you’d like to check out previous Star Wars Advent calendars, here are the links to 2014, 2015 and 2016!

For those that are new, I will be counting down the 2017 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar on this post, with new updates posted every day with the contents of each window. I usually try to post in the morning but if it gets crazy busy at work, the daily updates might come in the evening but I’ll endeavour to post in the morning each day!

I’m opening each window up as I go, and have (mostly) been able to stay spoiler-free so this is hopefully as exciting for you as it is for me!

Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia, so we’re ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you’ve opened your window and built the daily model.

PS: If you’re planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these links if you’re shopping on Amazon or LEGO.com! Thanks in advance!

Here’s a look at the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar box alongside my tiny Christmas tree. As usual, and this is something that really peeves me off, there are tons of spoilers of the builds – almost half the calendar spoiled on the box! Which I think kinda defeats the purpose of an Advent Calendar.

LEGO, please. Next year, just have generic illustrations or at least make it slightly more mysterious.

As you can see, this year is going to be heavy on the Sequel Trilogy, with plenty of characters and models from The Force Awakens, headlined by BB-8.

To make it easier for you to check out each day’s section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section. 

• Day 1 – The Ghost

• Day 2 – Sabine Wren

• Day 3 – The Phantom

• Day 4 – Blaster Cannon

• Day 5 – Taslin Brance

• Day 6 – First Order Transporter

• Day 7 – First Order Stormtrooper

• Day 8 – Weapon Rack

• Day 9 – Rey’s Speeder

• Day 10 – Unkar’s Thug

• Day 11 – Luggabeast

• Day 12 – Millennium Falcon

• Day 13 – First Order Snowspeeder

• Day 14 – First Order Snowtrooper

• Day 15 – Snow Machine (or Blower)

• Day 16 – Krennic’s Shuttle

• Day 17 – Imperial Officer

• Day 18 – Y-Wing Starfighter

• Day 19 – TIE Striker

• Day 20 – Imperial Assault Hovertank

• Day 21 – Imperial Ground Crew

• Day 22 -AT-ST

• Day 23 – Sled with Presents

• Day 24 – Santa BB-8

• Final Thoughts

If you want to follow my countdown, it’s best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via this link in the top navbar. If you’re on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.

You can also follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page, where I’ll be updating it daily at the end of the day to avoid accidentally spoiling people!

Like previous years, the front flap can be folded out to create a nice little playmat where you can arrange each of the day’s build under a backdrop of Starkiller Base and Jakku.

If you’re new to Advent Calendars, be very, very careful when opening each door. They’re made of cardboard and can easily tear if you force them open too strongly.

The instructions for the Star Wars Advent Calendar LEGO models are printed on each door. Some of them are easy to follow, but sometimes they can be pretty tricky and you’ll have to study the diagram quite hard to ensure that you’re building the models correctly.

The instructions for the Star Wars Advent Calendar LEGO models are printed on each door. They’re fairly easy to follow as most builds are only made up of a small number of pieces.

Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2017LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!

Day 1

Day 1 of the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar was a big surprise, with The Ghost from Star Wars Rebels! Star Wars Rebels is an animated TV cartoon series set in between Revenge of the Sith and a New Hope. It’s not as well known as the movies, but it has a pretty decent following, especially amongst hardcore Star Wars fans, or younger fans that enjoy the cartoons.

There have been a few LEGO sets from this era, but like the TV cartoon, I don’t really follow them and have much interest in it – something that I expect most traditional Star Wars fans can relate too.

The Ghost is the flagship vehicle used by the good guys in Star Wars rebels, and is one of the most recognisable elements from the cartoon. It was also turned into a LEGO set in 2014 which some of you may own.

The micro model is a fairly faithful adaption of The Ghost with its signature colours, teal, yellow and red captured fairly well, as well as the transparent cockpit on the nose of the ship. I do like the thrusters behind, which make excellent use of the plate with ring.

Overall, it’s a good model, but as I’m not really familiar with Star Wars Rebels, the model didn’t really do it for me.

As with previous Star Wars Advent Calendars, we usually get several subsequent models from within the same movie or era, so it looks like we’ll have a few days of Star Wars Rebels builds. Check in tomorrow to see what Day 2 reveals!

[Back to top]

Day 2

On Day 2, as predicted, it’s Star Wars Rebels-themed with a Sabine Wren minifigure! Sabine is one of the main characters in Rebels, and perhaps one of the most bad-ass ones, given her Mandalorian heritage – yes, she comes from the same planet as Boba Fett.

This version of Sabine Wren is from Season 2, and features her green, turquoise and green gradient hairstyle (she recolours her hair each season). As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t own any Star Wars Rebels sets, so I’m pretty happy to get her in the Advent Calendar. Her hairpiece is just wild and a great addition to my collection.

This version of Sabine is also fairly rare, having only appeared in one set previously, 75150 Vader’s TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing Starfighter. Fun fact, this set was never sold at Australian retail stores so it’s an extra bonus that she’s included in the Advent Calendar.

Prior to her inclusion, she used to be a pricey minifigure, averaging around $15-$20 on Bricklink, so hey, well done LEGO!

Sabine’s minifigure herself sports some remarkable details, with really intricate torso and leg printing that does a great job of mirroring the cartoon version.

Sabine also has a dual-sided face with an angry expression, as well as back printing which is always a welcome sight. She comes with a blaster. Kinda wish they included an extra blaster as Sabine is known to dual-wield blasters as you can see in the promotional image above.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with Day 2 despite my relative unfamiliarity with Star Wars Rebels. Sabine’s a cool character and it’s a unique enough minifigure that would delight most Star Wars fans, especially those that didn’t own 75150.

So that’s Day 2 so far! Wonder if the Star Wars Rebels theme will continue tomorrow. Check in again tomorrow to see what Day 3 reveals!

[Back to top]

Day 3

Day 3 brings us yet another Rebels mainstay with the Phantom a small starfighter that’s piloted by the crew of The Ghost from Day 1. The shape is instantly recognizable, mostly thanks to the yellow plate in the middle, and the sloping wings.

Like the Ghost, it was also released as a LEGO set in 2014. There is a newer version of the Phantom currently available but it has a slightly different design and colour scheme.

Here’s a look at the Phantom from the side. Unlike Day 1’s Ghost, the shape doesn’t translate as perfectly as The Phantom kind of suffers from being too blocky. It’s a small ship, so it was probably a big challenging getting the model right at this scale.

The plate on top of the ship also looks a bit too blocky, and I think would’ve benefited if it was swapped out with a white tile instead.

For reference, this is what the Phantom looks like in the cartoons. At first, I was a little confused if the clip was supposed to jut out just like the photo above, but it felt a bit weird and the instructions does suggest that it should be tucked in beneath the cockpit.

Fun fact, the Phantom actually docks into The Ghost!

Here are the spares from Day 3. Always nice to get transparent grey cheese slopes and tiles.

So yeah, that’s Day 3 so far. A bit weak compared to the first 2 days but still relatively decent. From the comments and discussions I’ve been having, it seems like fans are pretty split on the Rebels models so far, with fans of the cartoon obviously elated but everyone else seemingly confused by the characters and ships.

Will Day 4 still see us in Star Wars Rebels territory or will we jump to a different setting? Let me know in the comments what the reception to the Rebels ships have been in your household so far!

[Back to top]

Day 4

Every year, there are a few stinkers in the Advent Calendar and this year, it looks like Day 4 is one of those unmemorable builds. Day 4 gives us a pretty generic-looking Blaster Cannon. Mounted on a stand (quadpod since it has 4 legs?), the build is an attractive if otherwise unremarkable one.

Utilising a blaster with a clip and a long technic pin to extend the barrel, the Blaster Cannon employs some clever tricks to make the design work. It’s just a little boring and doesn’t really reference a particular movie, tv show or era.

So yeah, Sabine has a weapon to play around with, but she does seem pretty lonely! Hope we get another minifig in tomorrow’s window to make up for the slightly boring model in Day 4!

[Back to top]

Day 5

For those of you who have been itching to move on from Rebels, your wish is granted on Day 5! Day 5 contains an exceptionally minor character from The Force Awakens, Taslin Brance a Major in the Resistance from the movie.

He’s really obscure and it took me quite a bit of time to piece his identity together as I had earlier assumed that we were still in the Star Wars Rebels era, but his uniform gave him away. Taslin had a small role in the movie, only uttering one line “A laser cannon?”.

I’ve given him the nickname “Star Wars Chris Pratt” as he uses the trademark “Chris Pratt head”, which we’ve seen in both Jurassic World sets and Guardians of the Galaxy. This marks Taslin’s first appearance as a LEGO minifigure, which is good news for collectors of obscure characters but bad news for those that aren’t hardcore Star Wars nerds.

The minifigure is decent, we get some nice printing on the front and back of his torso. The front contains an insignia which bears the rank of Major. He also has a dual-sided face with a slightly angrier look.

Taslin comes with a gunmetal grey blaster rifle, which is a pretty cool variant from the usual black blasters.

So yeah, that’s Day 5! This marks our foray into The Force Awakens builds which is neat as I had expected us to have Rogue One builds, but I’m not complaining! A change of scene is always a good thing.

It would’ve been nice if we had gotten a slightly more recognizable character, but as he’s thus far exclusive to the advent calendar, I’m not going to complain much!

Check in tomorrow to see what Day 6 brings!

[Back to top]

Day 6

Sorry today’s entry is a little late! Had a pretty busy day at work. Day 6 of the SW Advent Calendar is a cracker of a build and one of the best yet – we get a First Order Transporter or Atmospheric Assault Lander which featured in The Force Awakens.

The Transporter is a mix of a hovercraft, armoured personal carrier and tank. It was also a LEGO set from the first wave of The Force Awakens sets.

I think the micro model, which is the largest model (by piece-count) so far mimics the original vehicle exceptionally well. I really like how well they shrunk down the details such as the top “cockpit section” and back thrusters.

Overall, I’m really happy with Day 6’s build – it looks fantastic and certainly benefits from being a lot larger than typical Advent Calendar models. The designers did a really great job capturing the overall shape of the First Order Transporter, and while it might not have the most memorable parts in the films (apart from unloading Stormtroopers), it makes for a pretty decent Advent Calendar model.

What will lucky day #7 bring? Check in tomorrow to find out!

[Back to top]

Day 7

Momentum is really picking up with Day 7’s First Order Stormtrooper, arriving to beef up the ranks of the nefarious First Order.

Stormtroopers are quite possibly the best LEGO Star Wars minifigures so I can’t imagine that anyone would be unhappy with Day 7. It goes very well with yesterday’s First Order Transporter which is used to carry a whole unit of Stormtroopers.

The design is your typical First Order Stormtrooper, with the generic head and back printing. Some diversity with faces would’ve been nice, but it’s a really minor complaint.

I’ll nickname this guy Steve, and he’s got a grumpy look on his face because he found out that he’s rostered on for work during Christmas. Steve’s usually an easy-going fellow, who enjoys cocktails and warm weather days, but had to resort to terrorising the Resistance to pay the bills.

The only thing that’s truly lacking is some sort of weaponry for the Stormtrooper – which probably suggests that we have some sort of Weapons Rack coming in the next few days, if not tomorrow! He wouldn’t be a very good Stormtrooper without some sort of blaster!

So that’s Day 7 so far! A minifigure every other day is a pretty great rhythm. I just hope this keeps up for the rest of the calendar!

[Back to top]

Day 8

As feared, Day 8 brings us the dreaded Weapons rack, a mainstay of each Star Wars Advent Calendar since the dawn of time. Weapon Racks are pretty much the most underwhelming builds each year and 2017’s version is no exception.

We get 2 clips, one which holds a blaster and a wooden crate which holds a wrench. That’s it.

We do get a blaster for Steve (the Stormtrooper from Day 7) which is nice, but it really should’ve been included with him. The wrench comes in handy if the First Order Transporter ever breaks down or falls apart?

That’s it for Day 8. Meh is the only word I can use to describe today’s window. Here’s hoping tomorrow’s window makes up for such a boring model!

[Back to top]

Day 9

Thank the LEGO Star Wars Gods our pleas were heard. After the exceedingly disappointing Day 8 Weapon Rack, Day 9’s build gives us what is quite possibly the best model so far this year – a micro version of Rey’s Speeder!

Rey’s Speeder is quite possibly one of the most iconic vehicles from The Force Awakens that isn’t Kylo Ren’s ship and I was very happy with today’s model. The design captures the on-screen version brilliantly, from the dark red colour scheme to the overall shape of the Speeder.

Rey’s Speeder was released as a LEGO set in 2015, and I have very fond memories of building and keeping the full-sized LEGO one on display.

Rey’s Speeder looks great from all angles, and I love the attention to detail with the twin-turbojet engines on the back, and the grill piece on the base. Lastly, I love the transparent cheese slope for the windshield, which was also used in the 2015 LEGO set.

Looks like we’re back on track with the great models and I’m really encouraged by Day 9’s model and I think you will be too! It’s a Rey of sunshine after yesterday’s poor showing!

[Back to top]

Day 10

Keeping the Jakku (sandy planet from The Force Awakens) theme going and to accompany yesterday’s excellent Rey’s Speeder, we have Unkar’s Thug, one of the brutish henchmen that give Rey and Finn trouble in the movie.

This is the exact same minifigure as the one from 75099 Rey’s Speeder, which doesn’t detract from the great design and printing – I especially like the flecks of sand throughout his body. The pearl gold crowbar is also a pretty cool accessory to have.

Here’s a look at the back print on Unkar’s Thug. Not exactly the most festive minifigure in the context of Christmas… but it goes great with Rey’s Speeder.

Here are all the builds from the first 10 days of the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar! I’m really digging all the minifigures so far – 4 out of the 10 days devoted to minifigures is nothing short of brilliant, and I hope we manage to keep this pace up in the coming days!

[Back to top]

Day 11

Day 11 is yet another fantastic build, with a micro Luggabeast, one of the new creatures introduced in The Force Awakens. The armoured beast of burden featured prominently in the movie, ridden by Teedo, who captured BB-8 before he was liberated by Rey.

I had a blast building the Luggabeast – it’s definitely the most intricate and complicated build so far. The designers have done an amazing job getting the model to look so recognizable and I particularly enjoy the blue elements and the fact that its legs & head can be swivelled back and forth – it’s quite rare for Advent Calendar models to have some degree of playability and posability.

Here’s a look at the back of the Luggabeast which lets you appreciate its form and design. It’s a bold claim, but the Luggabeast could very well qualify for best LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar build ever, if not in 2017.

I really enjoyed today’s build, as it continues the excellent run of Jakku-themed Force Awakens builds and characters! Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

[Back to top]

Day 12

Day 12 of the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar is a ship that needs no further introduction – the Millennium Falcon! Quite possibly the most iconic ship in the Star Wars universe, it’s great to receive an updated Millennium Falcon in the advent calendar (the last one was from 2015) and it’s safe to say that I’m a fan of this design.

The colours are clean – I love the uniform grey bricks and the use of the transparent cone for the cockpit. The dark grey cheese slope that’s meant to be the radar dish does look a little out of place given that it’s quite disproportionately large.

I also love the transparent 2×1 plate on the back! The use of the 1×1 round tile on the sides is also quite pleasing to the eye, accurately reflecting the details of the full-sized Millennium Falcon.

Day 12 continues the strong run of models and it’s hard to be disappointed with the Millennium Falcon. We’re officially at the halfway point of this year’s calendar and with 5 consecutive Force Awakens models, I do wonder if tomorrow’s window will stay in the same setting, or if we get to explore other movies.

Check in tomorrow to find out!

[Back to top]

Day 13

Day 13 was a head-scratcher for me. When I built the model this morning, I was pretty perplexed – what could this oddly shaped mess of grey elements be? My first assumption was some sort of snow sled, but it didn’t seem festive and all. It then clicked that this was a First Order Snowspeeder.

A what? You may remember this (now retired) LEGO set from the first wave of The Force Awakens sets. Don’t remember seeing it in the movie? It’s not you. Footage of the vehicle was cut from the theatrical release and was only made available on the DVD versions via deleted scenes.

It’s a really oddly shaped and uninspiring build. The shape kinda matches up to the LEGO model but it’s really hard to tell. I can’t blame the designers, the original vehicle isn’t exactly the most distinctive or eye-catching hunk of metal.

We get a black hose element which is a decent consolation?

A pretty meh day for me, which is kind of a letdown after such a strong past few days. Call it a hunch, but I think we’ll probably get a First Order Snowtrooper tomorrow to go along with this vehicle. And no, that’s not really a spoiler since the Snowtrooper is featured on the cover of the advent calendar!

[Back to top]

Day 14

As expected, Day 14 brings us a First Order Snowtrooper to go with yesterday’s shabby Snowspeeder. I don’t own this particular minifigure, which is an evolved version of the classic Snowtrooper so I’m pretty happy with the contents of today’s window.

The Snowtrooper has detailed printing across his body and comes with the new design helmet which I don’t really like – I far prefer the simple design of the original. I don’t know why, but the helmet reminds me of an upside down snail.

Here’s a look at the Snowtrooper without his helmet and back printing.

Kinda disappointing that we get the exact same face as Day 7’s Stormtrooper – some extra diversity would’ve been very much welcomed, especially since First Order soldiers are conscripted and come from a variety of different backgrounds.

The unofficial story I’m going with is that Steve has finally met his long-lost twin, Stephen. Unlike Steve, Stephen is a workaholic and was lucky enough to not be on Starkiller Base when the Resistance massacred an entire planet’s worth of First Order Snowtroopers. Stephen lost a lot of good friends that day and naturally isn’t a big fan of the Resistance, who has a kill-count that far outnumbers that of the First Order.

So that’s it for Day 14 so far! I’m really excited that I’m seeing The Last Jedi tonight – hope you guys get to catch it soon! I’ve heard that its sensational!

[Back to top]

Day 15

Day 15 lightens up the mood a little with a fun, seasonal non-Star Wars build – a charming red snow machine! I kinda like the light-hearted build, it’s very well designed and introduces some more colour into what has been a very grey and white affair.

I do have to say that this was one of the trickiest builds yet as the intructions on the door weren’t too clear as you couldn’t really see one side of it. I’ve included photos of the Snow Machine from both sides so you can see how it’s done and where the red wedge plate goes. It might be especially tricky for younger builders.

I love the shape of it, especially the small bit of snow that’s emerging out of the front, and a chimney/spout that spits out snow to the side. My favourite bit of detail is the small black wheels on each side.

The Snow Machine also has handlebars, which allows yesterday’s First Order Snowtrooper to hold on and push it along. It’s really cute and I’m glad we get a model that injects a bit of fun into the Advent Calendar. That’s it for Day 15!

[Back to top]

Day 16

I take it back, Day 15 isn’t the toughest build yet, it’s Day 16 which is Krennic’s Shuttle, which signals we’ve left The Force Awakens for Rogue One! Not to be confused with Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle which has a similar shape, Krennic’s Shuttle featured prominently in Rogue One, ferrying Krennic around the galaxy.

Like many other Advent Calendar builds, Krennic’s Shuttle was also released as a full-sized LEGO set last year.

I think the design of the ship does its job well – it captures the slightly blockier body of the ship and wings well. I also really like the clever use of the flag piece attached to a hose nozzle for the ship’s top fin.

I do think more could’ve been done to make the instructions clearer. I suspect most people and younger kids will have trouble making sense of how to build the ship’s wings, so I’ve illustrated it above. Like some of you pointed out in the comments, the black elements are really hard to make out on the flap.

It was also almost impossible to visually know that the light grey clip is attached to the black double cheese slope. Follow the photo above and mirror it for the other end (which is also obscured by the ship’s body in the instructions) and you should have no problem piecing Krennic’s Shuttle together.

Here’s the back of Krennic’s Shuttle. As you can see, the wings can be swivelled, but unfortunately, the angle is quite limited and they can be put in an upwards/landing position like how the set/ship is commonly depicted.

The model is also quite hard to display on its own, as it doesn’t balance on its wings well. I had to create a makeshift stand.

I’m pretty happy with Krennic’s Shuttle – the design could be improved but for what it is, it works for the most part. I’m more excited that we’re now about to explore the ships and characters of Rogue One, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next few days bring!

[Back to top]

Day 17

Is it me or is this year’s calendar full of bad guys? Day 17 brings us a pretty neat exclusive minifigure, an Imperial Officer from Rogue One. As far as I know, the minifigure is exclusive to this set as his torso hasn’t been seen in any LEGO Star Wars set prior to the Advent Calendar.

The Imperial Officer is outfitted in your standard grey uniform and judging from his Rank Insignia, is quite a senior officer. He has a grumpy face with large sideburns and your typical Imperial hat. His face is also quite rare, having only previously appeared in the new UCS Death Star and the now-retired Imperial Star Destroyer.

Here’s a look at the details on the back of his torso which has some fabric creases and belt printed on. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any back printing.

The best part of Day 17’s Imperial Officer is the new weapon he comes with, we get our first small blaster pistol with him so our arsenal of blasters included so far is quite varied.

That’s it for Day 17 so far. For hardcore Star Wars fans, an exclusive Imperial Officer is a great addition to anyone’s collection, but for everyone else, I doubt it has the same appeal as a named character. That said, more bad guys aren’t necessarily a bad thing, as it means more targets for Sabine and Taslin to take out!

[Back to top]

Day 18

Less than a week to go before the big finale of this year’s Advent Calendar and Day 18 delivers one of the the best builds of 2017 (so far) with this exceptional Y-Wing Starfighter! Bit of trivia about me, Y-Wings are my favourite Star Wars starfighters, and I especially enjoyed Anakin’s feats in the cockpit in the Clone Wars TV series.

Commonly used as assault bombers, Y-wings featured prominently in Rogue One in the Battle of Scarif, with Gold Squadron going on a superb bombing run, taking out the shield gate, and a Star Destroyer in the process.

I cannot state how much I love the design of this Y-Wing which is a massive improvement over the 2014 Advent Calendar version. The use of technic bushes with the grey antenna to create the Y-Wing’s Ion Engines and pylons (the two elongated bits at the back) is nothing short of superb.

The shape and proportions are near-perfect, with the only small flaw being the brown grill tile being used – personally, I think grey would’ve been a lot subtler.

Day 18’s Y-Wing build is so good, I really only had to take one photo to visually communicate how great it looks as a model. This just overtook Rey’s Speeder as my favourite build so far.

Day 18 is done and dusted so far! We’re in the final leg of the Advent Calendar journey and again, my hope has been restored and I’m genuinely looking forward to see what tomorrow brings!

[Back to top]

Day 19

Only 5 more days to go! I can’t believe December has gone by so quickly. We’re at Day 19 of the 2017 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, and like Day 18, it doesn’t disappoint as well.

We get a TIE Striker, the sleek atmospheric variant of a TIE Fighter from Rogue One. The remixed TIE Fighter sports a sharper, more angular and aerodynamic profile than its blocky cousin. I really love the design of the TIE Striker, the designers have yet again brought their A-game and shrunk down the fighter to micro-level without losing any of its distinctive features.

Like yesterday’s Y-Wing Starfighter, the TIE Striker was also part of the Rogue One wave of LEGO Star Wars sets that came out last year alongside the movie. Speaking of which, I need to add the Y-Wing from Rogue One to my LEGO collection.

It’s instantly recognizable if you’ve watched Rogue One and I really like the ingenious technique used for its angled wings. Here’s how it looks from the back. I really love the use of the grey “gold bar” element to smooth our the top of the TIE Striker.

If there’s one flaw, it’s that the instructions were yet again quite unclear. I don’t know why LEGO doesn’t invest or make the diagrams more legible, as I can imagine younger kids (and even some adults) might struggle with it.

In the photo above, I’ve highlighted how to affix the wings to the body, which I hope helps!

That’s it for Day 19! Made a fun little scene with some green lightsaber parts from my collection for this “chase scene”, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t come across any of these parts in your advent calendars. Speaking of lightsabers… Where are the Jedis in this Advent Calendar? ?

[Back to top]

Day 20

We’re approaching the grand finale of this year’s Advent Calendar, and Day 20 brings us an Imperial Assault Hovertank, a vehicle that was used in Rogue One during the Imperial occupation of the city of Jedha, where we’re first acquainted with Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus.

The Assault Hovertank is used by Imperial forces to oppress local population. The LEGO micro model is just recognizable enough thanks to its blocky shape, with its inverted slope front and prominent orange brick at the back.

Like the other Rogue One vehicles and ships featured so far, the Assault Hovertank was also released as a LEGO set which was probably the base inspiration model for the micro version.

The most fascinating part about the model is the orange “gold bar” at the back, which is a storage container of sorts. It really pops against the drab backdrop of greys and dark greys.

As a fan of curious LEGO elements, I was pretty surprised when I came across this part – I didn’t know that LEGO made these in orange, so it was very nice to get one of these!

All in all, a pretty average Day 20. Nowhere near as close as the superb builds we’ve gotten in the past few days, but it’s nice to see the Rogue One contingent growing bigger and bigger day by day. Still no Jedi or main characters apart from Sabine. I’m beginning to worry.

Hope we get a neat surprise tomorrow as there’s only 4 windows left!

[Back to top]

Day 21

Day 21 brings us yet another minifigure, an Imperial Ground Crew, a character from Rogue One that has a much cooler appearance than his name suggests. Seriously, his name suggests that he’s just some regular schmuck that potters around the landing pads and runways on Scarif.

I am unsure if this guy is Kent Deezling, the unfortunate Ground Crew that got incapacitated and had his identity and uniform stolen by Jyn Erso to gain access to the R&D Radio Tower on Scarif in Rogue One.

I don’t own one of these, so I’m naturally quite happy to add him to my collection. The printing on his torso is superb, I really love how detailed it is, all the way down to the textures on his legs and knee pads. This dude has what is the best printing out of all the minifigures in this year’s advent calendar so far.

The highlight of this minifigure is none other than his cool helmet, which has an over-emphasised jaw section. The moulding of the helmet is brilliant, and I especially like how it gives off a medieval knight vibe in addition to looking super menacing. It’s also super glossy which makes it look extra nice.

Here’s a look at Kent’s face, which has a neutral expression and a headset printed on it. A really useful face to have if you ever want to create your very own LEGO Call Center. You can also see his back printing.

That’s Day 21 so far! While the Imperial Ground Crew is a great minifigure to own thanks to its exceptional design, I am very disappointed that it’s not a Jedi. And very worried since there’s only 3 days left in this year’s calendar and to be honest, the front of the calendar has pretty much spoiled the 3 remaining builds.

Tune in tomorrow to check out what Day 22’s build is like in more detail!

[Back to top]

Day 22

Almost at the end now and Day 22’s window hits us with yet another strong contender for best build with the AT-ST or All Terrain Scout Transport if you ever wondered what the acronym stood for. Making a brief appearance in Rogue One, the designers once again hit a home run in terms of design.

Not only does the shape and appearance do the real thing justice, I especially enjoyed the different articulated sections – you can tilt the head upwards and angle it different, and the legs can also be adjusted. I have to also call out the ingenious use of parts for the legs which so accurately capture the AT-ST’s legs remarkably well.

The laser turret and the front of the AT-ST which makes it look like a little cyclops is also brilliant. I like how the turret can be swivelled left and right to blast Ewoks or Jedha inhabitants out of its way. The turret’s movement isn’t exactly accurate as a the “real” AT-ST’s turret toggles upwards and downwards, but any form of minor articulation on a build this small deserves praise.

Here’s a look at the back. It has quite the THICC booty from behind.

I’m really happy with Day 22’s build. I think it’s a strong challenger to the Y-Wing as the best build in the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar. Like the Y-Wing, I wouldn’t mind building a small fleet of these cute, chibi-esque AT-STs for a mini-Endor diorama.

That’s it for Day 22! Hope you enjoyed the AT-ST as much as I did! See you tomorrow for the second last build!

[Back to top]

Day 23

Day 23 is our first real festive Christmas build, with a simple Sled filled with presents. It’s nothing particularly fancy, with just a few coloured blocks to signify Christmas gifts. Like the Snow Blower/Machine, there’s no tie-in to Star Wars except for maybe the engine thrusters behind which makes it look like it could travel through space.

Here’s a better look at the engine thrusters from behind. Perfect for Santa who has to deliver presents to the galaxy far, far away.

That’s it for Day 23! Only one more day to go. I can’t believe how quickly December has flown by! I’ll leave you with Steve piloting the sled with poor Stephen having to push him around.

See you tomorrow for the finale of the 2017 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!

[Back to top]

Day 24

Here we are, the finale of the 2017 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar with this year’s festive, holiday-themed minifigure, a Santa BB-8. To usher in Christmas, the new hotshot spherical astromech droid comes with a Santa Hat and a dark blue snowboard.

Unfortunately, the Santa Hat is attached to BB-8’s head via a red stud. Apart from that, there’s nothing new with BB-8 and is the standard one that has appeared in a bunch of Star Wars sets. The snowboard is a nice-to-have as well as it’s not the most common accessory.

To be honest, I was dreading this day as it wasn’t really a huge surprise as BB-8 featured prominently on the cover. I think existing LEGO Star Wars fans will be sorely disappointed with this year’s “exclusive” festive minifigure. For those of you that don’t own a BB-8, you’ll probably be quite happy with him but even then, I suspect that there will be some people that would’ve wanted something a bit more special.

I have to say, it’s a bit of a letdown to not have an exclusive seasonal minifigure in this advent calendar. A BB-8 with an alternate head/dome printing would’ve been superb, or even some extra printed details across his body would’ve been a big game changer.

So there we have it, all 24 models of the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar! It’s been one heck of a ride and I’ve mostly enjoyed this year’s calendar. While I really wished that the finale was a bit more special, that doesn’t discount some of the fantastic models that featured throughout this Advent season.

I’ve summed up some of my thoughts on the themes, and minifigures that featured in this year’s Advent Calendar below.

Final Thoughts

One of the nicer surprises of this year’s Advent Calendar was treading new ground in properties never covered in an Advent Calendar, namely Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One and The Force Awakens. While we only had 2 models from Rebels, they were both designed really well and it was nice to see LEGO spotlight the cartoon series.

The Force Awakens featured very prominently as well and we got some sensational micro-models such as the updated Millennium Falcon, the Luggabeast as well as Rey’s Speeder which was one of my favourites in this year’s calendar. The First Order vehicles were some of the weaker entrants, but that can probably be attributed to their original designs which to be honest, haven’t been particularly memorable.

We have some notable ships missing such as Poe’s X-Wing and Kylo Ren’s command shuttle but we’ll probably see those in future Star Wars Advent Calendars. Overall, I was really happy with the models from The Force Awakens, except for the terrible blob of grey parts that was the First Order Snowspeeder.

The most outstanding theme is none other than Rogue One. The designers really brought their A-game here with some of the best builds in the entire calendar. They revisited and enhanced old classics such as the AT-ST and Y-Wing, two of are at the top of my list in this year’s calendar, and introduced us to memorable ships like Krennic’s Shuttle and the TIE Striker. Even the Imperial Hovertank wasn’t too shabby.

Every year, we get a mix of miscellaneous builds. My thoughts were mixed on these – there were some really standout builds such as the Blaster Cannon and Snow blower/Machine, but some stinkers such as the dreaded return of the Weapons Rack.

Seriously LEGO, just banish Weapons Racks altogether. You raised our hopes last year with a Racks-less advent calendar, so imagine my disappointment to see them make a comeback this year. Really liked the Snow Machine – I’d like to see more of these whimsical seasonal builds in future Advent Calendars!

My thoughts are mixed on the minifigures. A lot of commenters pointed out that there was a huge imbalance in “bad guys”, which if you line them all up above is really apparent. For LEGO Star Wars fans, getting exclusives or hard to find minifigures like the  Imperial Ground Crew and Imperial Officer is always a treat, as is army-builder staples such as the First Order Stormtrooper and Snowtrooper.

I really liked getting Sabine and she’s probably my favourite minifigure out of the entire lineup.

I am really disappointed that we didn’t get a single Jedi, Sith or a lightsaber in this Advent Calendar. This is like the first Star Wars Advent Calendar that didn’t include a Force-user, and a Lightsaber which is supremely disappointing to me as they pretty much embody the appeal of Star Wars.

I think there was a terrible missed opportunity here to not include a festive Krennic, or Santa Kylo Ren at the very least. They’re probably saving Santa Kylo Ren for a future Advent Calendar but that’s really no excuse to not include Rey, Finn, or even Poe especially given how big the sequel trilogy is this year with the release of The Last Jedi. Massive wasted opportunity.

The seasonal exclusive that was BB-8 was also disappointing. Slapping on a Santa Hat on BB-8 does not make him any special in any way and LEGO could’ve done so much better. In 2014’s Advent Calendar, we even got an exclusive Christmas Tree Astromech Droid IN ADDITION to a Santa Darth Vader.

Due to that, I’d probably say that this year’s calendar has been the worst one since I started writing daily posts, and I feel like LEGO really let their fans down with Santa BB-8. The seasonal Star Wars exclusive minifigure is always the biggest draw of the set and this year, they just missed the mark. I have nothing against Santa BB-8, the concept is cute but it really feels like it should’ve been in an earlier window, not the grand finale.

Which is a huge shame, because I felt like this year’s Advent Calendar had the strongest showing of micro-models. I legitimately had a really good time building all the ships and characters, and if not for BB-8, this would’ve been one of my favourite Star Wars Advent calendars yet.

LEGO, you have a lot to do next year in terms of making up for 2017.

To everyone that has been following daily, or stumbled upon the blog halfway through, I’d like to extend a very Merry Christmas! I really appreciate all the support and the hundreds of comments that you guys have left. I really enjoyed chatting with you and I was especially moved to see so many new names and returning ones from previous years.

Thanks for making it such a memorable journey through this year’s Advent Calendar! Feel free to leave your thoughts on the Advent Calendar in the comments section as I’d love to hear what you think now that we’re all finished!

If you’ve enjoyed following daily, please do stick around for my other LEGO musings and posts as we head into 2018. 2018 is going to be an important year for LEGO, after quite a disappointing 2017 so I am optimistic for what these crafty Danes have in store.

Do check out some of my other LEGO Reviews if you want some light reading material. To stay up to date with the latest posts, you can subscribe with your email address in the right sidebar to receive notifications. You can also follow my page on Facebook where I update on a much more regular basis with news about LEGO. I’m also on Instagram as @jayong28 if you like photos!

Thank you once again, and a Merry Christmas to you! Hope you get a ton of LEGO under the tree tomorrow! Happy holidays!