LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2018 – Daily Countdown

December 1, 2018 | 564

Update: Looking for the 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown? Follow along for daily reveals!

Hello and welcome to the Jay’s Brick Blog Daily daily countdown of the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar! Follow daily for a reveal of each advent calendar window. This has been an annual tradition since 2014 and I look forward to this every year.

Whether you’re new, or you’re a returning reader, I’d love for you to hang out and follow along as we count the days to Christmas!

If you’d like to check out previous Star Wars Advent calendars, here are the links to 2014, 2015. 2016 and 2017!

This year, I’m also doing the LEGO City Advent Calendar, which you can follow along as well!

If you’re new here, I do daily updates on each window of the 2018 Star Wars Advent Calendar. I usually post updates in the morning, but sometimes if I get too busy at work, updates will be posted in the evening. I’ll update this post each day, as I don’t really enjoy the practice of creating new posts for each day as it keeps it so much cleaner.

Unlike other sites, I’m actually opening each window as I go, and I’ve been able to be relatively spoiler-free to be as surprised as I can get. All reviews, thoughts and reactions are live as we go along, there are no pre-planned photos or thoughts!

Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia (GMT +8) 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 especially if you’re located in other timezones like the US or UK.

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, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com! Thanks in advance!

Here’s the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar next to our Christmas tree for that extra festive touch.

Year after year, LEGO commits what is possibly the biggest cardinal sin ever by spoiling nearly HALF of the Advent Calendar on the box design. Dear Advent Calendar and Star Wars team, no one likes this and please just use generic illustrations and do a better job at keeping it a surprise – which is the point of Advent calendars.

From the box, you can see that this year will be a mix of Original Trilogy, Sequel Trilogy and a bit of the short-lived Freemaker Adventures which I’m not too familiar with.

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 – Landspeeder

• Day 2 – Rose Tico

• Day 3 – The Arrowhead

• Day 4 – Republic Fighter Tank

• Day 5 – IG-88

• Day 6 – Cloud City

• Day 7 – Naboo Starfighter

• Day 8 – Battle Droid

• Day 9 – General Grievous Stargfighter

• Day 10 – Laser Turret

• Day 11 – Rowan Freemaker

• Day 12 – Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter

• Day 13 – Imperial Troop Transport

• Day 14 – WEAPONS RACK 

• Day 15 – Death Trooper

• Day 16  – Rathtar

• Day 17 – Guavian Death Gang Soldier

• Day 18 – First Order TIE Fighter

• Day 19 – AT-ACT Walker

• Day 20 – Zeta-class Cargo Shuttle

• Day 21 – Speeder Bike

• Day 22 – Christmas Moisture Vaporator

• Day 23 – General Antoc Merrick

• Day 24 – Rebel Pilot Snowman

• Final Thoughts & Wrap-up

While you’re here, please also subscribe to the blog if you’d like to find out about other posts which cover LEGO news, reviews and random musings!

To follow along, 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 (in the US) to avoid accidentally spoiling people!

The front of the Advent Calendar folds out to transform it into a playmat that you can use to display each day’s builds. It’s festive-themed as usual, and usually gives you clues of locations we’ll be visiting this year. Lots of ice, which should mean Hoth and some rocky, desert terrain for Jakku (from The Force Awakens).

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.

Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!
Day 1

Day 1 of the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar starts off really strongly, with a Landspeeder, which I assume is Luke’s Landspeeder from A New Hope. The build captures the curve of the Landspeeder well, and I really like the blend of colours – the tan, dark red, and grey look really good together.

I do like the singular grey engine thruster which matches the movie version, with the exposed bits.

It’s been 4 years since we last got a Landspeeder in an Advent Calendar, so here’s a comparison with the 2014 version. As you can see, the grey wndshield, and larger engine thrusters gives it a much more movie-accurate look, and is quite a decent update to what is already a great build.

That’s it for Day 1. Starting with an Original Trilogy vehicle build is always a good thing and I can’t wait to see what we get tomorrow.

Check in tomorrow for Day 2’s build!

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Day 2

Day 2 was a surprise as out popped Rose Tico, from The Last Jedi. I wasn’t expecting it to jump so quickly to the Sequel Trilogy, especially after we started with yesterday’s Landspeeder, but here we are.

Rose is a spunky maintenance support worker for the Resistance, who gets swept into the thick of battle after encountering Finn in The Last Jedi, forging a bond with him that will take them from the casino city of Canto Bight, to the salty plains of Crait as they get face to face with the First Order.

Rose is the same version as the one from 75176 Resistance Transport Pod which I don’t own, so I’m quite happy to add her into my collection. She’s dressed in a dark tab-coloured Resistance uniform, which has quite a lot of details printed on it which I like. She also comes with a small blaster which is always welcom.

She has a really nice face, with a handy angry/annoyed alternate facial expression.

Another great thing about Rose is her unique hair-piece which I believe is currently only exclusive to her.

Rose might not be the most popular new character introduced in the Sequel Trilogy, but her minifigure is really well-designed and does a great job capturing her movie appearance. I do wish that LEGO had a slightly different skin-tone to match her Asian skin-colour, but unfortunately that doesn’t exist just yet.

As I don’t own the set that she was in, I’m also pretty happy to get her in the advent calendar – for those that do, the prospect of doubling up on Rose minifigures might not be so welcomed.

That’s Day 2 so far! Didn’t expect them to jump from Original to Sequel trilogy so soon, but I guess it’s good that we’re kept on our toes. I have no idea what tomorrow is going to bring at this rate! Maybe a prequel character or ship?

Check in tomorrow for Day 3!

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Day 3

The 2018 Star Wars Advent Calendar continues to spring yet another surprise. When I assembled today’s build, it took awhile for me to figure out what it was. Day 3’s build is The Arrowhead, from The Freemaker Adventures.

The Free-what? The Freemaker Adventures is a 3D animated cartoon series by Disney and Star Wars, made in the same vein as the LEGO Star Wars video games and cartoons which debuted in 2016. I’ll be honest, I have not watched a single minute or own a single set from this theme, so I have absolutely no connection to this property at all.

The Arrowhead is also available as a LEGO set – perhaps this image will jog your memories?

The model itself does an okay job of replicating the ship’s look – I do think the pointy snout is a little too blunt and should be a little longer, but at least the colours are fairly accurate.

The transparent stud atop the ship, and studs used for the engine thrusters are a nice touch, giving it a bit of a spacey vine and I also do like the cannons that flank the body.

Featuring The Freemaker Adventures is a really perplexing move on LEGO’s part. I don’t know if the cartoon resonates with a lot of people (why they didn’t feature Rebels instead which has a bigger fanbase, I will never know) and I bet you a ton of kids and parents will be left scratching their heads when they finish building Day 3’s model.

I feel like how Rose looks in the photo above. Really bizarre choice from LEGO, as this doesn’t appeal to me one bit. Here’s hoping Day 4 brings us back to more familiar territory!

It’s also quite crazy how the start of this Advent Calendar is jumping all over the place – I simply cannot predict where we’ll end up next! Bring on some prequel builds!

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Day 4

Please excuse the typo – had a brain fart when I was editing the image and only just realised that I got the name wrong!

Day 4 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us a micro Republic Fighter Assault Tank, in yet another leap to the Prequel Era. Glad I guessed that one right!

The model is based on a still-available LEGO set which I loved (read my review) and for the most part, I really like that the designers managed to capture the Fighter Tank’s twin dark red prongs, and even the large cannons at the side.

I wish they managed to get the prongs to end in a curved slope piece but given the scale that they’re working at, and the LEGO elements available, they’ve done a decent job replicating the look. It is a little stumpy and I do think they could’ve extended is slightly so it looks less blocky.

I’m a big fan of the Star Wars prequels, and this was one of my favourite sets from last year, so this is a big tick in my books. All we need is a Christmas Aayla Secura minifigure, but that’s probably wishful thinking!

Hope everyone’s happy as I am with today’s build! Check in tomorrow to see where we end up next – we’ve had an Original Trilogy build, a Sequel Trilogy minifigure, a Freemaker non-canon model, and now a Prequel vehicle. Maybe we’ll get an extended universe Weapons Rack tomorrow? KIDDING.

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Day 5

Day 5 of the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us a familiar face, everybody’s second favourite bounty hunter from Empire Strikes Back – IG-88. Who? He’s the cool robot-looking Bounty Hunter that was despatched by Darth Vader to hunt down Han Solo.

IG-88’s gunmetal grey colour scheme is really nice, and he comes with a printed 1 x 1 round brick for his face which is another nice touch.

(IG-88 is the guy on the right)

IG-88 recently made an appearance in the Bounty Hunter Battle Pack and this minifigure is MOSTLY the same except that he has a different gun. IG-88’s status in the Star Wars fandom is quite high, as all Bounty Hunters are, so fans should be quite happy to get him in the calendar.

For me, as I already have him and he’s in a relatively cheap battle pack, I’m not too excited about him, but for casual LEGO Star Wars fans, today’s window will undoubtedly make them quite happy.

I do wish that we got a slightly more festive version somehow, maybe by adding a Santa Hat or something.

So yeah, that’s it for Day 5. Can’t complain with a fan favourite, and more blasters are always great to have!

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Day 6

Okay, we’re 6 days into the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar and I’m thoroughly impressed. Day 6 brings us a micro Cloud City which is all sorts of awesome.

LEGO skipped out on location models in last year’s Advent Calendar, which were some of my favourite builds from 2016 so I’m absolutely delighted that they’ve brought them back this year.

Cloud City, which is a gas-mining colony floating in the clouds of the planet Bespin is unmistakable with this micro-model, with its dish-shaped structure and long thin shaft that extends down towards a transparent dish.

To make things extra special, the designers also included a mini Twin-pod Cloud Car attached to the stem. Cloud Cars are iconic to Cloud City and this inclusion, which is made out of a red Technic axle and pin connector is all sorts of genius.

I’ve always loved these location-based models in Star Wars Advent Calendars and couldn’t be happier that they brought it back in 2018. This is my favourite build yet, and I suspect, will be one of my top favourites when we’re all done and dusted.

Again, I cannot stress enough how much I love all the surprises that have emerged out of this year’s Advent Calendar. Mixing things up really helps keep things exciting as I simply don’t know what’s going to come next.

Come back to see what Day 7 brings!

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Day 7

So sorry, but there were some issues uploading the photos from today, and I only realised when I had left the house! Please forgive me for the lack of photos today, I’ll try re-uploading when I get home!

Day 7 gives us a Naboo Starfighter, from the Prequel Trilogy. The design is the most intricate so far in this year’s Advent Calendar, as there are some unique and clever building techniques employed.

In my opinion, the Naboo Starfighter is one of my favourite ships from the Prequel Trilogy, and remember what a huge deal it was when The Phantom Menace came out in theatres.

The model does a decent job of replicating the Naboo Starfighter’s look, and is probably the best micro-rendition so far.

That said, if the model looks familiar, it is – I believe that the Naboo Starfigher is near-identical to the one from the 2012 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar. I cannot for the life remember if we’ve ever got the same model recycled (Battle Droids don’t count!) but I was quite surprised that the designers decided to just copy paste the 2012 version.

I would’ve liked some sort of enhancement, but I guess the design being so good is really hard to improve on without creating new moulds or elements.

That’s it for Day 7. Again, so sorry that the photos got messed up today! I’ll try to get it fixed up when I get back to my computer.

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Day 8

For Day 8 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar, we seem to be reverting to some sort of pattern with the emergence of a B1 Battle Droid minifigure! These standard issue Battle Droid the rank and file members of the Droid Army and are commonly used as cannon fodder due to them being relatively useless, but the vast numbers available do give them some sort of advantage in the Clone Wars.

In the Cartoons and Movies, they’re also used as comic relief characters (Roger, Roger!) to inject some humour into battles.

Being so ubiquitous in prequel-era Star Wars sets, you can never really get enough Battle Droids as they look great when amassed into a large army.

Droids aren’t bad, but this far in, I would’ve preferred to get a proper minifigure seeing as how we only got IG-88 a few days ago. Check back in tomorrow to see if we still remain in the Prequel-era!

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Day 9

Day 9 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar is yet another fantastic prequel build – General Grievous’ Starfighter! Also known as the Soulless One, this was General Grievous’ personal ship that kinda looks like a space cadillac.

The model does a really good job capturing the Starfighter’s unique look, and I really love really prominent features such as the transparent cheese slope used for the cockpit, as well as the use of tan and dark brown elements to match the colour scheme of the original.

Here’s how it looks from the side. The designers clever employed a transparent round brick at the back to enable it to be propped up without flopping over. I believe 2012 was the last time we saw Grievous’ Starfighter in an Advent Calendar, so a refresh has been a long time coming, and I’m glad to say that this design is a massive improvement over 2012’s blocky design.

Yet another solid build from the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar. As you can see above, the designers have absolutely nailed all the ships and vehicles so far, and I’ll be honest, outside of some recycled builds, or plain minifigs like the Battle Droid, this Advent Calendar has been killing it in terms of the quality of the designs.

Come back tomorrow to see what Day 10 brings!

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Day 10

I’m normally not a “I hate Mondays” kind of guy, but boy, when this terrible build popped out the Day 10 window, it really put a dent in my day.

Day 10 gives us one of the most boring and uninspired builds yet, a plain, vanilla laser turret. It’s essentially a stud shooter with a handle and a targeting reticule which fires red 1 x 1 studs. That’s it. I don’t know if there’s a Star Wars tie-in to this turret at all, and I can’t be bothered to research.

This is a terrible, terrible build and such a waste of an Advent Calendar window. It’s frankly just lazy and will undoubtedly disappoint thousands of eager fans.

You know, I (and a whole bunch of you in the comments) often joke about Weapons Racks, but at least Weapons Racks had some personality. They were terrible, but at least they were self-aware about it.

I would’ve much rather get a Weapons Rack than this Turret. Man, I am so disappointed and let down. Tomorrow better make up for this! ?

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Day 11

Hurray, finally a proper minifigure! Day 11 of the Star Wars Advent Calendars gives us Rowan Freemaker, the protagonist of the Freemaker Adventures. I don’t know much about him, but from my cursory reading, Rowan is a young, force-sensitive boy who isn’t quite a Jedi, but more like a Jedi in training?

The Star Wars wiki describes him as an “adventurous twelve-year old boy who had a knack for getting into trouble. He was playful, friendly, loyal, and a solid moral compass.”

The minifigure has an okay amount of detail – I like his tan jacket, and brown skin-tone. He also has a blue lightsaber, which will be a delight to just about everyone. The hilt is metallic silver, and you get a spare which is always handy.

Here’s a look at Rowan’s back printing, which has the Freemaker crest on it, which is a nice touch.

This minifigure is fairly rare, as this version of Rowan has only appeared once, in the 75185 Tracker 1 set, so if you don’t own the set, you should be pretty pleased with this!

All in all, Day 11 is a VAST improvement over yesterday. Getting a minifigure is great, and getting a not-quite-a-jedi-but-at-least-he-has-a-lightsaber minifigure is an added bonus.

Come back tomorrow to see what Day 12 brings!

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Day 12

Like Cloud City, my face broke into a big grin when I popped open Day 12’s window and realised that I was about to build. Day 12 gives us a beautiful micro-model of Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter.

The design is instantly recognizable, with its yellow and grey colour scheme, and unmistakable sleek triangular profile.

The used of the angled curved slopes on the wings are a brilliant design move, and I also LOVE the white stud in front of the cockpit, which represent’s Anakin’s trusty Astromech droid – R2-D2 which slots in neatly in front of the cockpit.

There’s so much to love with this build, which has truly given me a huge sense of anticipation each day. With previous Advent Calendars, I’d always look forward to the minifigures or Star Wars characters, but with the 2018 version, I’m left wanting more micro-models.

That’s it for Day 12. Unfortunately for Prequel-haters, Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter won’t likely do much, but I think the design of the ship is such that all Star Wars fans will be able to appreciate it.

Can’t wait to see what Day 13 brings! Bring on more starships!

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Day 13

Day 13’s build is a bit of a curious one – it took me a while realise that it was an Imperial Troop Transport, a vehicle that’s used to transport the Empire’s Stormtroopers around the galaxy for deployment in combat zones.

Think of it as Star Wars’ take on an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).

It’s a pretty good rendition of what is a pretty boring vehicle design. It’s grey, blocky and doesn’t really have many interesting features, though I like the sharp corners and curves of the vehicle, as well as the little cockpit section.

It’s just pretty plain and average and doesn’t particularly excite me at all.

Day 13 is a bit of a blip for me, and we’re now officially more than halfway through the Star Wars Advent Calendar!

Hopefully, tomorrow’s build is a little more interesting than the Imperial Troop Transport!

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Day 14

AS THE PROPHECY FORETOLD, Day 14 gives us what every Star Wars Advent Calendar fan has been clamouring for – a GLORIOUS weapons rack!

To be fair, I’m not being sarcastic with this, but it’s actually not bad for Weapons Racks. It does have a bit of an interesting look, with the ominous-looking transparent red 1 x 1 round bricks, and I do like the sand-blue base – which is a pretty rare colour/element.

Getting two large blaster rifles is also not too shabby. More guns = more smiles.

So you know what, today’s Weapons Rack isn’t the worst thing in the world. Unlike the boring stud-blaster build from Day 10, at least Weapons Rack have that heritage and reputation of being a staple in Star Wars Advent Calendars, so like the prequels, I guess I’ve learned to ironically like them.

Hope everyone isn’t too disappointed! What do you think of today’s Weapons Rack? Let me know in the comments!

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Day 15

Day 15 gives us another minifigure, which is always a nice surprise when you open an Advent Calendar window. We get a Death Trooper, an elite commando-type Stormtrooper that we got acquainted with in Rogue One.

This variant is the same as the one found in the Imperial Trooper Battle Pack, so if you missed out on getting it, this is a great inclusion.

The Death Trooper has a really cool, stealthy helmet which is sleeker and more bad-ass than a regular Stormtrooper, and I do like the intricate printing on his body.

Underneath the mask, we get the generic Stormtrooper face.

And here’s a look at his back printing.

All in all, I’m pretty happy to get the Death Trooper. It’s really cool, and much more interesting than a regular Stormtrooper, and he makes pretty good use of the blaster rifles from yesterday’s Weapons Rack.

I believe this is the first model from Rogue One, which I’m really happy to see make an appearance, as it’s one of my favourite recent Star Wars movies and I wish we’d get way more sets from the movie.

Pretty stoked about Day 15 and I hope you enjoy the Death Trooper too!

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Day 16

Day 16 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar has us building a Rathtar! You might remember this gigantic, space cephalopod thingy from The Force Awakens when Finn and Rey come across Han and Chewie aboard the Millennium Falcon.

It’s easily recognizable, which is a hallmark of a good Advent Calendar model and I do like the earthy mix of colours used, and the little red beak-like mouth of the Rathtar.

Kudos to LEGO for attempting to translate Star Wars creatures into micro-models, which I believe this is the first time that they’ve ever done? I could be wrong, but I definitely think this is the first.

I do wish that the Rathtar was slightly bigger, but I really appreciate LEGO taking risks and doing something fresh instead of rehashing an old model. Love the variety that’s coming out of this year’s Advent Calendar! This may not be my absolute favourite, but I do love how different it is!

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Day 17

Continuing on The Force Awakens models, Day 17 gifts us with a really cool minifigure, a Guavian Death Gang Soldier! You might remember them from The Force Awakens, when rival gangs attempt to hunt down Han Solo, before yesterday’s Rathtar is set loose, causing chaos.

There’s something really cool about the Death Gang’s design. It’s very alien and they give off a cyborg-like look. I don’t have the sets that contain this minifigure, so I’m very happy to get one of these.

The printing details on the soldier are brilliant, with some really complex designs on both sides of its torso, and also the cool head-piece.

This is by far the most exciting minifigure yet, and I think will be well-received by most Star Wars fans. I wish they had more of the Guavian Death Gangs in the movie as their unique appearance really gives off an air of mystery, and I would’ve loved to have seen more of them, or learn about what they’re about.

That’s it for Day 17! Only a week left of the Star Wars Advent Calendar, can you believe that?

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Day 18

On Day 18, we remain in Sequel Trilogy territory with the First Order TIE Fighter, which is pretty much a regular TIE Fighter for all intents and purposes, except that it has white/greyish wings and villainous red markings on its body and cockpit.

As a TIE Fighter, the build is pretty solid and this model is undoubtedly the most recognizable ship yet of the Advent Calendar, and will also appeal to old school Star Wars fans, given the aesthetics of the First Order version don’t stray far from the original.

For variety’s sake, this is a decent build, if a little plain – just like a TIE Fighter. It would be great if we get some sort of Rebel ship for the TIE Fighter to chase in the upcoming days!

All in all, a decent model that will please Star Wars fans of all shapes and sizes. Check in tomorrow as we approach the final leg of the Advent Calendar!

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Day 19

Wow, what a build! Continuing on a really strong run of Rogue One models, Day 19 gives us an AT-ACT Walker. AT-ACT stands for All Terrain Armoured Cargo Transport, and you might recognize it as a distant cousin of the AT-ATs from Hoth with its camel-like look.

The AT-ACT is essentially a cargo-carrying walker, and is easily recognizable from its sibling thanks to its bright orange storage hull. Other than that, it mostly looks the same, and has the same standard features such as being very susceptible to being taken down by towing cables.

I love all manners of Walkers, so this is an easy one to like, and I appreciate the abundance of Rogue One models that didn’t quite make the cut in last year’s calendar.

The AT-ACT is also quite poseable thanks to his legs, and you can place him in all sorts of funny poses.

Again, yet another strong entrant in this Advent Calendar and a great variant to own for Star Wars fans.

Only 5 days remain in this year’s Advent Calendar, so we’re almost at the end! Let’s hope the Advent Calendar finishes strongly and that there are more cool surprises on the way!

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Day 20

Did anyone ask for more Rogue One ships? Day 20 gives us a Zeta-class Cargo Shuttle which featured fairly prominently in the movie, transporting Kyber Crystals from Jedha, and also being present on Scarif.

It’s a clunky-looking ship, as its design is meant to transport big loads of cargo and its design is easily recognizable thanks to its four large wings. The wings are pointed upwards when its docked, but in the movie can be folded as its in flight. Unfortunately, in this build, the wings are rigid.

Like yesterday’s AT-ACT, the Cargo Shuttle also has a bright orange load of cargo, which is attached to the bottom of the ship. I also really like the use of wrenches for guns in this build.

A cargo ship isn’t the most exciting thing in the galaxy far, far away, but it’s another Rogue One build and one we haven’t gotten before, so it’s not too shabby. I think out of all the ships we’ve built so far, this one is probably tied with the Troop Transport as one of the weakest in terms of design.

Check in tomorrow – only 3 days left remaining in the 2018 Star Wars Advent Calendar!

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Day 21

So sorry for the delay! I was travelling today for the Christmas holidays, and I got stuck with some flight delays and only just got to my computer! Also had some website issues, but it’s been fixed now!

So I was wrong in one of the comments I made – it does look like we do get a Return of the Jedi build after all with Day 21’s Speeder Bike! I certainly wasn’t expecting this so I was really happy to build what is one of the more iconic vehicles in the Star Wars universe.

This isn’t the first time that Star Wars Advent Calendars have tackled Speeder Bikes, with the last being 4 years ago with a festive-themed Speeder Bike.

This version is slightly more grounded and features an improved shape thanks to newer parts being made available. I do like the curves and the two blasters up front. I also love the “base” and the transparent 1×1 round brick used to ‘suspend’ it in the air.

One thing I didn’t like is how short and stubby the Speeder Bike looks. When I picture Speeder Bikes, I do expect them to be quite long but the shape of this one doesn’t really work for me.

The Speeder Bike is a little disappointing to me, as the shape just feels a little off. It’s a shame as it’s an otherwise great build and Speeder Bikes are one of my favourite Star Wars vehicles, so it’s a bummer that the design of this one just didn’t quite do it for me.

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Day 22

Christmas is nearly upon us and we’ve gotten our very first festive-themed build on Day 22! We build a Christmas Moisture Vaporator!

It’s a cool nod to A New Hope, where we’re first acquainted with the Lars family, who adopted Luke Skywalker. On the planet Tatooine, they work as Moisture Farmers who use these Vaporators to draw moisture from the arid air.

This Moisture Vaporator also doubles as a Christmas tree and is a fun little remix of a well-known Star Wars structure. I really do love the colours used – we get three different types of green elements which go remarkably well together and I also like the star adorning the top of the tree.

I think it’s a fun little build and it’s a huge welcome to FINALLY get a Christmas-themed model. It’s a fun remix and it should start you getting into the Christmas mood!

Only 2 days left remaining! It’s not exactly a surprise what comes next (thanks, spoilers on box), but let’s try and keep the surprise going as much as possible!

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Day 23

We’re here at the second last day of the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar and we culminate the last few days of Rogue One love with an unexpected, but very welcome minifigure – General Antoc Merrick.

Antoc Merric is best known for his exploits as Blue Leader and leader of Blue Squadron in Rogue One, where his heroic actions were instrumental to supporting the Rebels secure the Death Star plans.

His on-screen time was comparatively brief, but he personally left a mark on me thanks to his charisma, bravado and fantastic moustache. 

As an added bonus, this is Antoc Merrick’s debut as a LEGO minifigure, and is so far exclusive to this set, which is quite a big deal as LEGO rarely if ever uses Advent Calendars to debut new minifigures. 

The minifigure is a pretty accurate depiction of General Merrick, with his sandy blonde hair, and imposing moustache. His age is represented by the many fine lines on his face, and his flight suit has all the details you’d expect from an X-Wing pilot, except in dark blue. 

He also has an alternate face, with a much more jovial grin, and back printing is all accounted for. 
As a massive fan of Rogue One, I’m very happy with the inclusion of Anton Merrick as I’ve always felt that it was quite weird that he hasn’t showed up in a set till now. 

The fact that he’s exclusive (for now) to the Advent Calendar is a big bonus, and really does help justify this being a must-buy for any LEGO Star Wars or Rogue One fan. 

Unfortunately, I’m not sure if he’s as well known to casual Star Wars fans and younger kids who are expecting a much more recognizable character. 

If you’re unaware of Antoc Merrick’s exploits, I highly recommend watching this video which goes in-depth into Merrick’s history and exploits on Scarif. 

Only one day left to go! Come back tomorrow to find out the final build of the Star Wars Advent Calendar and my overall thoughts on this year’s Advent Calendar!  

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Day 24

Here we are at last, Christmas Eve which reveals the final build of the 2018 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar! It’s not much of a surprise given it’s been plastered all across the front of the calendar, but we get a Snowman dressed up as a Rebel Pilot. 

Or more technically, a Snowman with a Rebel Pilot helmet. 

It’s a little basic, and while matching the Wintery season that is Christmas (for you Northern Hemisphere dwellers), I have to say I’m a little underwhelmed.

While it’s not as bad as last year’s disappointing BB-8 with a Santa Hat, but it’s nowhere near as close as previous years where we’ve gotten main characters such as Yoda, C3PO, Darth Vader and Chewbacca dressed up in fun, festive costumes. 

That said, there are some positives about the Snowman. Firstly, the printed Snowman face is currently exclusive to the Advent Calendar, and it’s really brilliant.

It’s something that I’d expect out of a LEGO City Advent Calendar, or even a Winter Village set but it’s quite puzzling that it’s shown up here of all places, but hey. I’m not complaining. 

Secondly, his helmet. If you were disappointed that yesterday’s Antoc Merrick didn’t come with a helmet (given he spends most of his screen-time in an X-Wing), it’s because the Snowman’s helmet actually belongs to him! You can tell by the markings on the helmet. 

So yeah, pretty cool that we sort of get two exclusive parts in the Snowman, but to me, it loses points for not being as impressive a finale as previous years. If you’ve been doing Advent Calendars for awhile, you’ll know what I mean. 

It’s almost criminal that we don’t have a Santa Kylo Ren, and or even Old Luke Skywalker, who would be perfect! 

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Final Thoughts

So here we are at the end! First of all, for those of you who have been following all throughout December – thank you SO, SO much! 

It’s been a blast as always counting down the days till Christmas and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chatting with everyone in the comments and hearing about your experiences with the Advent Calendar. 

For those of you who have been following for years, I’m beyond grateful that you’ve stuck around and I hope, as always to make this time of the year extra special!

So here we are at the end. I have to say that this is one of the strongest Advent Calendars that I’ve put together in awhile. 

The highlights for me were the mini ship and vehicle models which have been the star of the Advent Calendar this year. The LEGO designers have been absolutely on fire this year with the designs and I couldn’t wait to build micro model after micro model.

This year, we got 8 minifigures in the calendar, but it honestly felt like less. If you only count ‘real’ LEGO minifigures, we only got 5 which is a little on the low side.

While the variety of characters was really balanced and included many minifigures that I’ve not owned before, I felt like the lineup lacked really big and iconic Star Wars characters. Like a Jedi. Rowan is decent but he’s from a LEGO Animated Star Wars series, which isn’t as well known as the movies.

The lack of a Jedi or Sith character was sorely felt this year. That said, I’m super pumped that they included Antoc Merrick as this year’s exclusive character and I’m willing to bet that many Rogue One fans feel the same way too. 

Here’s a look at the builds and models from the Sequel Trilogy, with Rose Tico being the only entrant from The Last Jedi.

Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen more from the Sequel Trilogy, but the highlight from this group is undoubtedly the Guavian Soldier, followed by the Rathtar!
I felt that it was really brave for LEGO to include the Freemaker Adventures. Rowan is sort of a Jedi, but not really at the same time. 

As I’m not too familiar with the cartoon, I didn’t really have that strong of a connection to these two builds as I have with nearly everything else in the calendar.
It felt like there was a ton of Rogue One but it turns out there are only 4! All 4 are great, and I especially like Antoc Merrick’s minifigure debut, and the AT-ACT as well as the Death Trooper. 

Always good to have Rogue One featured!

The sequel trilogy group had by far the best ship designs. Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter is an absolutely inspired build, and one of THE best Advent Calendar ships of all time. 

The re-issued Naboo Starfighter is also nice for those that didn’t own it, and Grievous’ starfighter and the Republic Fighter Tank were also very nicely designed. 

The original trilogy builds were a bit of a mixed bag. The Landspeeder is brilliant, but vastly overshadowed by the ultra cool micro Cloud City, which has to be the best location model in Advent Calendar history. 

So all in all, I’m really happy with this year’s Advent Calendar, and I think LEGO has redeemed itself after last year’s one which was the weakest in a long time.

It isn’t perfect, and I would’ve loved to have more recognizable characters and at least a core Jedi or Sith character included. 

The lack of a festive minifigure (the Snowman absolutely does not count in my eyes) is disappointing, but I think the overall strength of this year’s models makes up for it slightly.

I really enjoyed the day to day journey and also the randomness of the early part of the calendar. I really loved the unpredictability of the early part of the Advent Calendar and I hope they repeat that for next year’s. 

LEGO, I know you guys read my blog – please, please, please do a better job at keeping some of the mystery of the Advent Calendar. Plastering the box with illustrations of nearly all the builds and minifigures just takes away from the surprise and mystery that you expect from an Advent Calendar. 

So yeah, those are my thoughts of this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar!

Thanks again to everyone who was following along and everyone who silently lurked, as well as left comments! I’ll try to get to everyone soon!

Let me know in the comments what your favourite days or builds were, and what you hope to see in next year’s Advent Calendar! 

For those who are new to the blog, I hope you stick around for LEGO news and reviews. Next year is going to be an exciting year for LEGO with The LEGO Movie 2 and I’ve got a ton of content planned for the coming months.

Please consider subscribing to get updates on new posts via email or follow me on Facebook or Instagram !

Thank you so, so much and I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It’s been a blast and I hope to see you again for next year’s Advent Calendar countdown! 

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