Hello! If you’re looking for this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown, head on over to the 2016 post for daily updates!
Welcome to the first day of December! One of my favourite annual holiday traditions is LEGO’s annual Advent Calendar set. Just like last year, I opted to go for the Star Wars Advent Calendar, instead of the Friends and City one as they didn’t particularly excite me at all.
Similar to 2014, I will be updating this post every day with the contents of each window as we count down towards Christmas! That’ll be much easier for you to keep track of my Advent Calendar experience, rather than cluttering up my entire blog feed with daily advent calendar posts.
Spoiler warning! If you don’t want to find out the contents of each window, look away now or come back when you’ve opened your own window!
Here’s a look at the front and back of the Advent Calendar, which gives you a sneak peek at some of the daily builds that feature in the set.
To make it easier for you to check out each day, here’s a bunch of hyperlinks to each day’s content. Click on each Day and you will jump to the corresponding section of the page.
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Day 1 – Jabba’s Sail Barge
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Day 2 – Sarlacc Pit
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Day 3 – LIN Demolitionmech Droid
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Day 4 – Jawa
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Day 5 – Sandcrawler
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Day 6 – Weapons Rack
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Day 7 – Ewok Village
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Day 8 – Ewok Warrior
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Day 9 – Ewok Catapult
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Day 10 – Stormtrooper
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Day 11 – Star Destroyer
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Day 12 – Blaster Rack
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Day 13 – Assassin Droid
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Day 14 – Millennium Falcon
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Day 15 – Laser Turret
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Day 16 – A-Wing Starfighter
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Day 17 – Hoth Rebel Trooper
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Day 18 – AT-AT
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Day 19 – Hoth Ion Cannon
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Day 20 – Viper Probe Droid
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Day 21 – Weapons Console
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Day 22 – R2-D2
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Day 23 – Lightsaber Sleigh
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Day 24 – Santa C-3Po
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Final Thoughts on the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar
To follow this post and see what each new day brings, you can either bookmark this post and check back each day, or access it right from my home page by clicking on the link under the red arrow!
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Pop open the front flap for a little playmat that extends out where you can arrange the builds day by day. You’re also treated to look at all 24 windows, one for each day in the countdown to Christmas! How exciting!
This year’s Advent Calendar has a bit of an oddity – you’ll notice a sticker covering the side of the box which has the “Includes Exclusive C-3PO minifigure” phrase printed on it in several languages. Wonder what’s behind it?
Woops! Looks like someone didn’t proofread before approving the box designs!
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.
It may be December but it’s not too late to join in the Advent Calendar festivities. They will be pretty hard to find as I’ve not noticed a lot lying around on store shelves so your mileage may vary. Check your local independent LEGO stores like Toyworld and see if you have any luck finding any of these!
It’s an exciting time of the year with the new Star Wars movie coming out and I’m already in a Star Wars frenzy. I’m not the most knowledgeable Star Wars fan around, so pardon me if I get anything wrong!
Let’s kick off the 2015 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!
Day 1
Window #1 reveals an adorable micro-scale Jabba’s Sail Barge! First making its debut in Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi, Jabba’s Sail Barge is the scene of the heroic rescue of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca by Luke Skywalker.
It’s especially memorable to me as it’s the first time we see kick-ass Luke as well as the unveiling of his newly designed green lightsaber. The miniature Jabba’s Sail Barge captures the wavy look of the original vehicle, complete with its iconic orange sails.
We’re off to a great start, check in tomorrow for Day 2!
Day 2
In the window #2 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar, we get a miniature Sarlacc Pit to accompany Day 1’s Sail Barge. The Sarlacc is a sentient creature distinguished by its gaping maw filled with a massive beak, tentacles and plenty of sharp teeth. It made its name in Star Wars legend by being one of the focal points of Return of the Jedi as well as infamously gobbling up Boba Fett!
The Sarlacc Pit’s design is quite simple but its unmistakable for fans of the Original Trilogy thanks to the use of dark tan horns as tentacles and the brown stud in the middle as its beak. I really like the use of tan cheese slopes surrounding it which gives the model a bit of texture and that sandy Tattooine desert look as well.
Here are the spare elements leftover from the build.
I have no idea what the transparent piece in the corner is supposed to be as I don’t recall any structures around the Sarlacc Pit in the movie.
My best guess is that it’s a spot to perch the Sail Barge on as it matches the transparent pieces below the Barge which are there to create the illusion that it’s levitating in mid-air.
So there you have it, the first 2 Windows from the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar! It’s quite a decent start as both models combine to create a very memorable movie setting and when placed together, visually completes each other quite well.
That’s all for Day 2 – I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to get some minifigures next! Who knows what Day 3 will bring – check in again tomorrow and thanks for reading!
Day 3
I’ll be honest, when I popped open the window from Day 3 I had absolutely NO idea what the build was. It looked like a cross between a tank, turtle and horseshoe crab and I have to admit that my Star Wars knowledge failed me here.
Some furious Googling ensued before I finally discovered what it was! Day 3 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us a LIN Demolitionmech Droid, an autonomous minelayer droid that apparently made an appearance in Episode 4: A New Hope. It was one of the droids amongst R2-D2 and C-3PO when they were in the Sandcrawler.
The LIN droid is such an obscure part of the Star Wars universe but I kinda like the build as it looks pretty cute and is rather well designed. I may be wrong but I also believe that this is the first time a LIN Demolitionmech droid has made an appearance in a LEGO set.
Here are the spare parts after you’re finished.
So that’s it for Day 3! We’re still on the Tattooine-theme although it seems like we’ve jumped back to Episode IV with the LIN droid. Is the Advent Calendar preparing us for some more Sandcrawler-related builds or characters?
Check in tomorrow to find out what Day 4 will bring!
Day 4
Finally, a minifigure! Day 4 of the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar treats us to an adorable Jawa minifigure! Unlike previous days where the the builds were slightly obscured, the Jawa should be quite recognizable to fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, having featured quite prominently in A New Hope.
Jawas are natives of Tatooine, easily identifiable by their squat bodies, brown robes and mysterious bright yellow eyes that peek out of their black shapeless faces. They’re scavengers, working with droids and scraps and pilot Sandcrawlers to traverse the sandy dunes of Tatooine.
This is my very first Jawa minifigure that I’ve ever owned and I’m absolutely delighted by it. I love the overall design of the minifigure – they’ve really captured the Jawa’s trademark yellow eyes. The printing on the Jawa’s torso is pretty sharp, with criss-cross bandoliers that are screen-accurate.
There’s also back printing, which continues the details from the front. The details are nice and crisp – as you would expect from a contemporary Star Wars minifigure.
And that’s all from Day 4! Love that the Advent Calendar is starting to come together and I’m delighted that we have a minifigure which should increase the overall play value of all the builds to date.
I wonder what Day 5 will bring? Maybe some form of transportation for the Jawa and the droid? Find out tomorrow!
Day 5
Day 5 of the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar brings us a miniature Sandcrawler to go along with our Jawa and LIN Demolitionmech Droid!
Sandcrawlers are large lumbering fortresses used by Jawas to move around the desert planet of Tatooine. They function as both transportation and mobile base, equipped with large cargo holds to store droids and scraps that the Jawas pick up along their travels.
The Sandcrawler is by far the most challenging build of the 2015 Advent Calendar so far. It is cleverly designed to mimic the distinct shape of the original.
The massive treads are well represented according to scale and the designers have done a great job capturing the look of the Sandcrawler. I’m not a huge fan of all the colours – I think the Sandcrawler would’ve looked much better with one or two less colours.
Nevertheless, it’s a great addition to the Advent Calendar and I really like how all the Tatooine vehicles and characters are coming along.
In case you get stumped, here’s a photo of the Sandcrawler instructions as reference. The main block that comprises of the Sandcrawler’s body was quite tricky to build, and I fear that younger builders will struggle initially to put the pieces together.
As the diagram printed on the advent calendar’s is a little hard to see, here’s a photo of the Sandcrawler body from different angles to help you figure out where all the right parts should be. Hope this helps!
So there we have it, we’re more than 20% done with the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar and so far, I’m quite enjoying all the builds.
Will tomorrow’s window give us yet another Tatooine reference or will we be transported to another planet? Check in tomorrow!
Day 6
Hello from Day 6 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar! The sixth build is yet another peculiar build. It seems to be some sort of Weapons Rack which holds a blaster (or flashlight?) and a curious weapon – a bow.
Update: Reader Keaton figures that the blaster belongs to the Jawa as they use the same blasters in the UCS Sandcrawler set. Pretty interesting if true as that could mean that the Weapons Rack is meant to be shared between the Ewoks and Jawas. Pretty interesting way to bridge the different planets!
Star Wars is all about blasters and laser guns that go pew pew pew, but the bow gives us a very good indication that we’re off the planet Tatooine and have arrived unto a more primitive setting where bow and arrow is the norm.
The other side of the build gives us more clues about our present location thanks to the nice plant piece erupting near the base of the weapons rack – we’re definitely on a planet with lush greenery.
Update: One of my readers Chris has mentioned that the thing in the middle could be a drum of some sort. I think he’s right on the money as it does look like a drum!
Not too many spares in this one – just a solitary transparent blue stud.
That’s all you can really gather from the kit from Day 6’s window. I have a pretty good idea where we’re going with this, but I’ll probably have to wait till tomorrow to see if my suspicions are correct.
I quite like the Weapons Rack, the bow and blaster/flashlight are nice accessories to have and so is the plant. It’s a tight little build and it’s the right size for a minifigure as well. The parts are pretty useful as a builder cannot have enough browns, tan or dark tan elements in his arsenal.
That’s all from Day 6 so far – we say farewell to the sandy planet of Tatooine and are about to explore a whole new realm! Check in tomorrow for more clues on our whereabouts!
Day 7
10 points to everyone who guessed Ewoks or Endor! Day 7 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us an ultra-adorable micro-scale Ewok Village. I believe that this build is loosely based on the 10236 Ewok Village set as it shares many similarities such as the three main tree trunks and corresponding living areas/homes.
I really like the micro Ewok Village – the use of the Headlight bricks for the dwelling areas are really quite clever as the little holes look like actual entrances in the Ewok Village. The foliage atop the model is also quite nice and gives the entire build a complete and well rounded look.
Building at a micro-scale requires heaps of talent and consideration, but I think the designers have done an admirable job here as I could immediately recognize what it was the moment I put it together.
Star Wars Advent Calendars have always had miniature ships, but I really love that they’re shrinking down locations in this year’s calendar – these micro-builds just have so much potential for display and playability.
So yeah, we’re now officially on the Forest Moon of Endor, I can’t wait to see what comes next! An Ewok minifig to go with the Weapons Rack or a vehicle to accompany the micro-Ewok Village? Check in again tomorrow!
Day 8
What is an Ewok Weapons Rack and Village without a little furry companion? Day 8 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us an Ewok Warrior minifigure! Love ’em or hate ’em, the Endor natives are an integral part of the Star Wars universe, having played an indispensable role in Episode VI aiding the Rebels with disabling the Shield Generator.
The Ewok Warrior is a welcome addition to my collection. Draped in an olive green cowl, this particular nameless Ewok Warrior is fairly exclusive, having only made an appearance in 2013’s Ewok Village set.
I’m not a hardcore LEGO Star Wars fan so this is my very first Ewok minifigure in my collection. I’m very impressed by the quality of printing and moulding of the entire minifig. Some extra torso and leg printing would’ve been nice.
The Ewok Warrior’s cowl has a bit crude stitching printed on its right side.
So that’s it for Day 8. The Star Wars Advent Calendar is coming together really nicely – with 2 minifigures, there’s a lot more play value to be had.
We had 4 Tatooine builds to start us off and now we’ve gotten 3 Endor models. Will we get another Endor-themed build tomorrow? The anticipation is killing me! Check in tomorrow to see what Day 9 brings!
Day 9
Day 9 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar was a bit of a letdown for me. When I opened the window and saw the build, my heart kinda went “meh” almost immediately. For today’s model, we get a tiny but functioning Ewok Catapult.
The build is extremely basic, the catapult is made out of a “scoop” piece which you can load up with a projectile and launch by quickly pressing down on the handle. You get 2 spare grey projectiles just in case you lose any of them launching them across the room.
The only small consolation about the catapult is the leafy plant but it’s really nothing to shout about. Younger fans might appreciate the physical playability factor that the Catapult brings but it really does nothing for me.
So yeah, that’s it for Day 9. Personally, it’s the first day of the Advent Calendar that I’ve been really disappointed and unenthused.
Glad that’s out of the way! I’m hoping for things to pick up again come Day 10! See you again tomorrow!
Day 10
Praise the Star Wars Advent Calendar Gods! To make up for yesterday’s disappointing build, Day 10’s window brings us a Stormtrooper minifigure! If you’re a Star Wars fan, you can never have too many Stormtroopers in your collection.
As if I wasn’t delighted enough that we’ve gotten a Stormtrooper minifigure, this is also the classic variant of the Stormtrooper which has dark blue accents on his helmet and not the Star Wars Rebels version (which has bright blue accents) which featured in the Imperial Troop Transport battle pack set.
This updated classic variant of the Stormtrooper is also fairly rare, having only made an appearance in two expensive Star Wars sets – the Imperial Star Destroyer and UCS Slave 1 which is yet another fantastic bonus. I’m loving that LEGO have inserted fairly exclusive minifigures into this year’s Advent Calendar.
Here’s a look at the Stormtrooper’s back printing and infamous exposed fleshy neck which peeks out from under his helmet.
Under his helmet, the Stormtrooper has the generic angry clone face that comes with nearly every Stormtrooper or Clone Trooper throughout the Star Wars universe.
I’m ecstatic about Day 10’s Stormtrooper and I’m sure Star Wars fans will feel the same way when they open up today’s window. Now that we have a “bad guy” minifigure to terrorise the Jawa and Ewok, the playability factor of this set has skyrocketed!
So far so good, I’m glad we’ve recovered from the letdown that was Day 9. We’re 10 days into the Star Wars Advent Calendar and I’m beginning to feel a massive mini-spaceship sized void. Where are the spaceships or vehicles from the Star Wars universe? Barring the Sail Barge (which really just hovers), most of the models have been ground-based.
I really hope Day 11 gives us something that flies in space. Check in tomorrow to see if my wish is granted!
Day 11
Just as I was lamenting about the fact that this year’s LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar was missing some spaceships, Day 11 comes along and surprises me with a miniature Star Destroyer! Day 11’s model is unmistakable as it’s captured the iconic ship’s grey look and shape incredibly well.
EDIT: So, it appears that I’ve accidentally flipped the Star Destroyer’s top around. The slope piece should slope down backwards and it makes the photo slightly incorrect! Apologies for the mistake and if I confused anyone, I’ll rectify this when I get home! I must’ve subconsciously flipped it around as I thought it looks better this way. Thanks crmdgnly for the heads up!
EDIT 2: The first 3 images have been rectified and should now show how the Star Destroyer should be built! Thanks to everyone who helped point it out!
This is the first Star Destroyer in an Advent Calendar since 2012 and it’s a huge improvement design-wise. I really love the use of the dark grey studs to represent the two spherical Shield Generators that are perched on the bridge.
It’s 2 of the most insignificant LEGO elements (1 X 1 round studs) but they’re probably the most important parts of the design.
Here’s a look at the Star Destroyer’s behind for a better look at the propulsion systems.
And here are the spare parts that I received.
Day 11 has been a delightful one. I never thought I’d say this buy the grey Star Destroyer adds quite a bit of colour to what has been a very tan and brown affair. Now that we’ve got our first proper starship, I’m hungry for more!
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 12 of the Advent Calendar brings!
Day 12
Welcome to Day 12 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar! We’re now officially halfway in and it’s been (mostly) an enjoyable journey so far. Day 12’s build however is yet another weapons rack – this time for blasters.
The Blaster Rack is as basic as basic gets. It’s completely devoid of any “Christmas spirit” at all and is frankly extremely boring. The only thing it has going for it is the decent selection of blasters for Day 11’s Stormtrooper – we get a small, medium and large rifle-type blaster. At the very least, we didn’t get the new stud-blasters!
There’s a lever and a red button but I really don’t know what they’re supposed to be.
Weapons racks are sort of a necessary evil in Star Wars Advent Calendars but you tend to only get 1 per calendar. 2015’s calendar having 2 is a bit of a letdown, especially since Day 12’s Blaster Rack pales in comparison with Day 6’s Ewok Weapons Rack.
This could’ve been another miniature Star Wars model and I feel that this is a wasted slot in the grand scheme of things – they could’ve included the blasters with the Stormtrooper and I would’ve been a happy man.
Here are the spare elements I got in Day 12’s window.
This isn’t a great start to the second half of the Star Wars Advent Calendar but hey, at least the Stormtrooper is able to defend himself against the pesky Ewok and Jawa!
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 13 brings!
Day 13
Day 13 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us our second droid (after the LIN Demolitionmech) so far – the Assassin Droid! The Assassin Droid, as its name suggests hunts down scoundrels and kills them.
I believe the Assassin Droid (in this case the IG-86 model) first made an appearance in Empire Strikes Back. He shows up in the lineup of bounty hunters alongside Boba Fett that were tasked to capture the Millennium Falcon!
I don’t really consider droids minifigures but he is still a character with a lot of potential for playability. The Assassin Droid is built out of standard droid parts in dark grey and has a very basic “chimney” looking head with a menacing orange stud that signifies his optical instruments.
As droids go, their bodies are pretty articulate and I kinda enjoyed posing him around for a minute or so just to get him into weird looking positions.
Plenty of spare parts come with the Assassin Droid.
So Day 13 is pretty decent, we get more characters to play with which is always a plus. The Jawa and Ewok are obsessed with their new shiny droid friend and I figure that most Star Wars fans would be quite satisfied with a non-Weapons Rack model!
The Assassin Droid means that we’re still on the theme of “things you’ll find in a Star Destroyer”, so I’m curious to see what tomorrow will bring! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Day 14
Well, well, well – what do we have here? Day 14 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar finally pulls out the big guns with this fantastic rendition of a miniature Millennium Falcon! Arguably the most iconic starship in the Star Wars universe, I was delighted to be greeted by this model today.
A great start to the week where The Force Awakens premieres!!
“She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.” – Han Solo
“She’s the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy” – Lando Calrissian
There’s plenty to love about the Millennium Falcon. The shape is almost perfectly captured with some clever little details such as the vent slope pieces that flank each side as well as the use of the jumper plate on the Falcon’s right side to emulate how the actual model looks.
I think that LEGO is quickly coming close to perfecting the Falcon’s look. I feel that the designers have pretty much nailed the proportions of this variant of the Millennium Falcon – it’s a big improvement over the most recent micro-Falcon that I built at this year’s Star Wars Day celebration. The two prongs at the front are just the right size – short and stocky enough to mimic the real thing.
The only thing that I didn’t really like about today’s model is the black stud you see peeking out the middle. It looks quite jarring, so I “fixed” it by covering it up with a light grey tile.
Here’s a look at the Millennium Falcon from behind. I do admit that the thrusters are a little too small and narrow – it would’ve been great if they could stretch it across the back a little more but I understand the constraints when it comes to designing small builds – maybe a transparent blue cheese slope would’ve done the job but that would probably create more design complications elsewhere.
We get two spares with the mini-Millennium Falcon.
Any day you open up an excellently designed Millennium Falcon is a great day. I’m really pleased with today’s build and I’m pretty sure you guys will be equally overjoyed as well!
We’re picking up momentum again with the Star Wars Advent Calendar although I am beginning to feel that there aren’t enough “good guy” characters. Ewoks don’t count! Stay tuned tomorrow to see what Day 15 will bring!
Day 15
Day 15 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us more weaponry in the form of a Laser Turret! The technical name for the laser turret is the XX-9 Heavy Turbolaser which is a little bit of a mouthful.
The Laser Turret makes a couple of brief appearances in the Death Star Trench Run in A New Hope as it shoots down incoming squadrons of X-Wing fighters.
The turret’s design isn’t particularly flashy but it’s got no discernible flaws. The twin stud shooters are mounted on a rotating plate which is really nice as it gives the build some much needed interactivity. Swivelling the Laser Turret around and firing it at minifigures should be quite fun for younger kids.
The stud shooters work as intended, and in this build actually look quite nice. You get plenty of spare ammunition in case you inadvertently lose them as you fire them across the room.
Day 15 is an unremarkable but decent addition to the Star Wars Advent Calendar. It provides some much needed playability as you can use it to shoot down the hapless Ewok.
Come back tomorrow to see what Day 16 reveals!
Day 16
I can’t believe there’s only 8 more days to go of the Star Wars Advent Calendar! Day 16 gives us a delightful mini A-Wing Starfighter, the speedy and agile starfighter that famously made an appearance in Return of the Jedi and sealed its place in Star Wars history by destroying Darth Vader’s Executor Super Star Destroyer.
The A-Wing is very neatly designed, with the designers capturing the starfighter’s wedge shape brilliantly and of course retaining its signature red and white colour scheme. The engine flaps are also well-represented and I like the use of transparent black tiles and cheese slopes for the cockpit as well.
I’m mostly stoked that Day 16 has blessed us with another Starfighter – this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar has been quite dire in the Starfighter/spaceship department but the A-Wing is a nice little addition. It’s not the most iconic vehicle from the movies but I like it just because of how well its designed.
So that’s it for Day 16 so far! The A-Wing Starfighter provides a much-needed splash of red to the Advent Calendar and we have 3 spaceships so far! I’m hoping we get another minifigure next! Check in tomorrow to see what Day 17 brings!
Day 17
Only a week left of the Star Wars Advent Calendar and Day 17 starts off with a bang, giving us an excellent “good guy” minifigure – the Hoth Rebel Trooper! We’re now transported to the icy planet of Hoth which I think will round out the Advent Calendar since it’s Christmas and snow seems like a good fit. Can’t relate to that in Australia of course as it’s Summer and bloody hot here!
I don’t have an extensive Star Wars collection but I believe that this Hoth Rebel Trooper is a completely new (and exclusive as of now) version, sporting some really crispy torso and leg printing. His helmet also makes an appearance in white for the first time (previous instances were tan) which goes really really well with his overall white look.
I think my favourite bit of detail on the Rebel Trooper’s torso is the trendy tan scarf.
The Hoth Rebel Trooper comes with a white backpack – a pretty cool accessory to have.
Here’s a look at his back printing.
I’m really delighted with Day 17’s Hoth Rebel Trooper. It’s a brand new minifigure that sports an impeccable design and just hits all the right spots. Hoth fans will of course be delighted with his new white helmet and his overall look.
I fully expect to see more Hoth Rebel Troopers in the coming months – perhaps we’ll get a bunch in the new UCS Hoth Echo Base set that is rumoured to go on sale sometime next year. I love that LEGO have debuted a brand new minifigure in the Star Wars Advent Calendar.
So far, an outstanding start to our foray into Hoth. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Day 18
What would Hoth be without the AT-AT (All Terrain Armoured Transport) walker! Day 18 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar continues our expedition of the icy planet of Hoth by giving us a mini AT-AT which should delight Original Trilogy fans as it’s one of the most iconic imperial vehicles.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the overall design. They’ve done well capturing the AT-AT’s trapezium-shaped body and the legs are just about the right length which is nice but I really dislike the odd-shaped head. It’s a little too blocky and squarish for my taste and doesn’t look like an AT-AT’s head at all.
I don’t want to go too harsh on the model since building at a miniature scale is always a challenge. That said, the AT-AT is unmistakeable and is still a decent addition to the Star Wars Advent Calendar.
I don’t know if it’s just me but it also looks like a lanky robotic dog. If the Sandcrawler looks like a robotic shaggy brown dog, this makes this the second canine-looking build in the Star Wars Advent Calendar.
You can have a bit of fun with the AT-AT by posing it in crazy positions!
Here are the spare parts I received.
So that’s it for Day 18. Another easily recognizable Original Trilogy vehicle and Hoth Staple. With only 6 more days to go, I’m starting to feel a real lack of “festive” builds. Last year, we had excellent days with things like Santa Clone Troopers and the like.
Oh well, check in tomorrow to see if my wish is fulfilled!
Day 19
Day 19 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives yet another Hoth staple, the Ion Cannon! The Ion Cannon appears in a very memorable scene from Empire Strikes Back where its used to disable orbiting Star Destroyers, allowing Hoth transports to flee the icy planet.
The build is simple and recognizable enough and employs some very useful parts thanks to the rotating sphere which allows you to angle the laser in plenty of different directions. True to it being a Hoth build, the Ion Cannon is also perched on a patch of ice, with some white cheese slopes placed strategically around it.
UPDATE: After receiving several comments and emails, I’ve added in another photo below which shows you how to assemble the ball piece into the joint. Basically, you shove one half into the joint, which should fit quite snugly and snap the other half in once you’ve positioned it correctly.
I honestly don’t remember the Ion Cannon’s laser being green. The image in Wookieepedia seems to suggest that it fires a red laser, but I could’ve sworn I remember it being blue in the Empire Strikes Back. Green just seems a little wrong and not very Rebel-like.
Here are the spare elements I got. The white cheese slope is always a welcome addition to my growing collection!
So that’s it for Day 19. I quite like the Ion Cannon as the build is designed quite well and I enjoyed swiveling the laser around. The whole Hoth picture is starting to come together now that we have an Ion Cannon to shoot at the Star Destroyer.
With only 5 days left to go, I really hope we start getting some of the big guns soon! Check in tomorrow to see what Day 20 brings!
Day 20
Day 20 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar delivers a Viper Probe Droid into our hands. You may remember the Probe Droid from the opening sequence of Empire Strikes Back as it is dispatched to Hoth in efforts to locate the secret rebel base. The probe droid crash lands in Hoth before being discovered by Luke Skywalker.
The Viper Probe Droid’s design is easily recognizable thanks to the use of four antennae pieces extending from his body as well as the black dish for its head. It’s a great callout to Episode V which will no doubt delight fans of the original trilogy. I also really like the use transparent elements on its base to give it the illusion that it’s levitating.
As a build, I guess it’s all right? It’s not too flashy, not as exciting as a vehicle or a minifigure but it’s still part of my favourite Star Wars movie of all time so it’s not too bad.
Here are the spare parts I received.
With only four more days to go with the Star Wars Advent Calendar (where did the month go!?) I feel like the Probe Droid’s position should’ve been exchanged with the AT-AT. It feels a little underwhelming as we approach the big finale! At least the “Hoth faction” of the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar is coming along quite nicely.
Fingers crossed we get something more exciting tomorrow!
Day 21
Day 21 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us… a little bit of confusion with a dash of disappointment. I have no idea what this is supposed to be. Some sort of Hoth Weapons Console? The build features a console with a printed tile (nice), a transparent display screen and a stud blaster attached to the side.
Update: Twitter follower @tericee and a couple of commenters have pointed out that this build is officially called the “Hoth Command Post” and that it looks like the consoles used in Echo Base.
Maybe one of my readers can help me with what this is as I am seriously stumped. It kinda reminds me of a weapons rack of some sort. It’s uninspired, boring and almost has nothing to do with Star Wars to say the least. Is this LEGO’s idea of a practical joke?
Here’s the view from the front. I’m not a fan of stud blasters but I can appreciate the physical interactivity that they add to sets. Younger kids will no doubt appreciate firing studs across the room or at the other Advent Calendar models but it really does nothing for me.
These are the spares I received in Window 21.
Man, Day 21 was such an extreme disappointment. I’m going to lump it in the “Weapons Rack” category. Three Weapon Racks in an Advent Calendar is simply way too many for my liking!
Bring on Day 22! It had better be good!
Day 22
Finally! Redemption for yesterday’s lacklustre window! Day 22 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar finally gives us a Christmas-themed Star Wars build in the form of everybody’s favourite (well…till BB-8 came along) astromech droid – R2-D2!
In the spirit of the season, R2-D2 is decked out in reindeer antlers placed strategically atop his domed head and looks delightfully festive. This is the new-ish variant of R2-D2 which has some really sharp printing across his body and head. I am not an ardent collector of Star Wars sets so I was quite pleased to add him into my collection.
LEGO were really generous with Window number 22 as we get a spare clip and an extra pair of antlers. This reddish brown variant is currently exclusive to the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar, so a spare is absolutely brilliant. I can see this being a very useful piece for LEGO designers who enjoy building in brown.
I’m very pleased with Day 22. R2-D2 is our very first “core” Star Wars character in this Advent Calendar and the rare-ish reindeer horns look great on him. With only 2 days to go, this should officially start setting the mood for Christmas as we count down to the final Advent Calendar window!
Hope you enjoyed R2-D2 as much as I did! Check in tomorrow to see what Day 23 brings!
Day 23
Only one more day left in the Star Wars Advent Calendar! I’m beginning to feel quite sad that our journey is coming to an end. Day 23‘s window gives us a fantastically festive model – a sleigh powered by lightsabers! I was beginning to wonder if we were going to see the iconic Star Wars weapons – which is why I loved that we got two of them in this build. Doesn’t seem like a Star Wars Advent Calendar without lightsabers!
The sleigh itself is well designed, with the aforementioned lightsabers giving it a distinct Star Wars flavour. I also really like the use of the black “handheld cones” that stick out the back of the lightsabers as it gives the sleigh a great “rocket powered” look.
Here’s look at the sleigh from the side. Don’t ask me about the physics of how a lightsaber-powered sleigh would work. Don’t even ask me how the lightsaber blades are attached to the clip without searing it off.
I guess one could theorise that the lightsaber’s proximity to the snow melts it, turning it into some sort of slushy highway for the sleigh to ride down. Yup, that at least makes a little sense.
So that’s it for Day 23! We’ve got our Reindeer R2-D2 and we’ve got a sleigh. All we need is someone to ride it! No surprises what comes next but check in tomorrow for the final day of the Star Wars Advent Calendar!
Day 24
It’s Christmas Eve which means the very last day (holds back tears) of the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar! Day 24 concludes a roller-coaster month of Star Wars surprises with a suitably festive finale, C-3PO dressed up in a Santa outfit complete with a white bushy beard. Everyone’s favourite protocol droid is dressed up in what I believe is a brand new Santa torso and comes with a red bag stuffed to the brim with gifts.
Here’s a look at Santa C-3PO’s back printing. The new torso is a nice touch and I wasn’t expecting it all as I had expected LEGO to re-use their existing Santa torso. This new one has a lot more fabric detail printed on it, and can easily be reused to update any Santa minifigures you have lying around. Don’t forget to swap out the pearl gold hands if you do!
I actually like C-3PO’s look without the beard as I find that it obscures too much of his face. For spares, I got an extra beard accessory which is a really nice addition to my collection of spare minifig accessories!
Another great thing about C-3PO that I only noticed when I assembled him was the fact that he has a bit of silver printed on his right leg! It’s quite an interesting bit of trivia but C-3PO actually has a silver leg in the original trilogy. I only learnt of this a few months ago – after having watched the movies over a dozen times each at least! These prints are relatively new and exclusive, having only made an appearance in the UCS Sandcrawler set.
Now that we have Santa C-3PO, he is finally reunited with Day 22’s Reindeer R2-D2 and yesterday’s lightsaber sleigh. There’s a spot for C-3PO to sit on the sleigh and even space for his bag of presents but unfortunately there’s no real way to tether R2 to the sleigh.
The Christmas-themed droids are the definite draw of this year’s Advent Calendar and pay homage to a classic 1979 Lucasfilm Christmas Card designed by Ralph McQuarrie. Thanks to all my readers who emailed me pointing this out – I was totally oblivious to this reference prior to this!
So there we have it, the end of the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar! I’m glad we ended on the high note, with Santa C-3PO being a lot more impressive than I had initially expected. This year’s Advent Calendar has been quite a motley crew of minifigures, ships and random Star Wars paraphernalia.
Going to do a quick revisit of the common themes of this year’s Advent Calendar and muse over the entire calendar’s contents now that everything has been revealed.
Final Thoughts
Let’s begin with the biggest surprise of this year’s Advent Calendar – the Micro Builds featuring Tattooine’s Sarlacc and Jabba’s Sail Barge and Endor’s Ewok Village. These micro were really enjoyable to display and they fit so well with the Advent Calendar’s theme of mini-builds.
The Sarlacc + Sail Barge combo is one of my favourites from the calendar and I wish that we’d gotten more than 2 shrunken down locales. I would definitely want to see more like these next year.
It isn’t a Star Wars Advent Calendar with turrets, laser cannons and catapults that launch all manner of projectiles around. Other than the Hoth Command Post and the Catapult, I quite liked most of the turrets with my favourite being the Hoth Ion Cannon with all its swivelly fun.
We got some cool Droids as well. The LIN Demolitionmech Droid managed to stump plenty of people this year but making its debut in the Advent Calendar is quite an accomplishment. UCS Sandcrawler owners will no doubt be delighted to add this obscure droid to their playsets.
Ugh. If you’ve been following my daily updates, you’d be familiar with my contempt for Weapons Racks. They’re a necessary evil in Star Wars Advent Calendars but this year’s THREE weapons racks were a bit too much in my opinion. I loved the Ewok Weapons Rack just because it was quite unique but the others just seemed uninspired and boring.
I felt that we didn’t get as many mini-vehicle builds this year as previous years. Out of the 5 that we received in the 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendar, my favourites would definitely have to be the deftly designed A-Wing, followed by the much improved Millennium Falcon and the Star Destroyer. Overall, I liked all the mini-builds this year but I would’ve LOVED it if we had gotten a Snowspeeder.
This year’s selection of vehicles is quite fantastic, which is why I probably would’ve wanted more. The designs have really improved due to the proliferation of more and more specialised parts.
Lastly, the lineup of minifigures. I quite enjoyed that this year LEGO decided to stray from including popular “named characters” (other than R2-D2 and C-3PO of course) and populated the Advent Calendar with more generic “army builder” type minifigs like the classic Stormtrooper, Jawa, nameless Ewok and Hoth Rebel Trooper.
The fact that we got several “exclusive-ish” minifigures that have only previously been included in large sets. So much value in this year’s calendar that I regret not buying 5 of them when they were $25. I’ll be kicking myself for this blunder for months.
Quality-wise, the minifigures score excellent points in my book and I really liked the diversity of characters. No complaints, although I would’ve loved at least one more minifigure – the lack of Jedi is quite noticeable this year. An old Obi-Wan Kenobi would’ve been just perfect for the Tattooine themed days.
Final Final Thoughts: All in all, I think that this year’s Advent Calendar did really well with experimenting with new themes and characters. The pure focus on the Original Trilogy is always a smart move and I think LEGO’s experiment with focusing on three major planets (Tattooine, Endor and Hoth) paid off in spades as it made for a really enjoyable journey throughout the Advent Calendar.
Eschewing major Jedi characters or villains also gave the Star Wars Advent Calendar a bit of breathing room, allowing us to explore uncharted territories and introduce us to the likes of Ewoks and Jawas.
So that’s it for this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar. I want to give special thanks to all my readers both new, old and returning that have been checking in every day to follow the daily progress. I am deeply honoured and grateful every time I read the nice comments that so many of you have left and I just feel so privileged to have been able to share this 24-day journey with you.
To my outstanding readers, you guys have made this such a pleasure and I really hope that you’ll check in occasionally to read some of my other posts, reviews and musings!
If you want to keep up with my blog, feel free to subscribe to receive updates in your inbox whenever I publish new posts or like the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page if you like updates via social media. You can also follow me on Twitter @jayong28 where you can also get a peek into some of the other non-LEGO things that I’m into.
Thank you so much and I hope to see you all next year for the 2016 Star Wars Advent Calendar! I hope that you have an exceptional Christmas, receive plenty of awesome LEGO sets and have an all-round festive end to 2015!
hi there, commenters of this ancient Advent calendar!
Hi from the UK Jay,
I’ve bought my 8 year old the 2012 advent calendar and wondered if you know why there is an unlocked padlock picture and number on the inside of each door please? For example, today 8 Dec he has the battle droid, and in the bottom right corner is a black unlocked padlock and white rectangle with 9500 in it. Could you solve our mystery please?
thank you in advance!
Oh, I believe with the 2012 Advent Calendar, there was an online component where you could go on the LEGO website, enter a code and you’d get to view something.
Actually, when the Ion cannon fired in the movie Empire Strikes Back, the blast was a reddish green. When it hit the Star Destroyer, the laser blast turned green.
Great!
Do this years Lego Star Wars advent calendar! I’m also getting the 2016 calendar and I want to follow along with you!
I will!
Great
I’ll make YouTube videos of it. So stay tuned!
Nice, be sure to share the link to it when you do!
Hi Jay,
Have you seen this…
http://www.cnet.com/pictures/lego-star-wars-unveiled-at-new-york-toy-fair-show-past-and-future-battles/18/
Ready for next year’s blog 🙂
Chris
I’m aware of it but I’ve consciously tried to not look at photos at risk of spoiling the Advent Calendar’s contents!
Where did you find them for $25…I’ll be on the look out for that kind of price next year.
Hi Maggie, they were sold at Big W for $25 this year!
Thanks! Love your blog!
You’re welcome, Maggie!
I couldn’t help but Google ewok names to give my ‘unnamed’ ewok a name, and I noticed that on StarWars.com there is a picture including an ewok that looks awfully like the Advent Calendar ewok that is named ‘Wuta’ (you can google ewok names and it should be one of the first links)
Thank you so much for writing this blog. I found it searching for the LIN Demolitionmech droid and I bookmarked it for later use! 🙂
Oh Wuta is a great and very fitting Ewok name!
You’re so welcome, I’m glad that I was able to help! Hope you stick around!
Hey Jay. I’ve really appreciated your blog. I definitely would have been lost without your knowledge. Thanks very much, and I look forward to doing it again next Christmas!
Hi Jay,
I would also like to thank you for your entertaining and informative blog, which I’ve been following since day 3 as well, thanks to the obscure droid! I was given the calendar as a gift from my eldest daughter, who understands my love of both Lego and Star Wars. I’ve enjoyed these little builds, which have already outlasted the usual chocolate calendar and will make a nice addition to my modest Star Wars Lego collection. Even the weapon racks! I’m already looking forward to next years.
I hope you have a great Christmas and a happy New Year.
Hey Leopold, thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the Advent Calendar. I really hope they step it up a notch next year! Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you too!
Thanks for the fun blogging! Overall my 7 year old really enjoyed the advent calendar (and I did too!). Happy holidays!
Thanks Alyssa! Awesome to hear that your 7 year old enjoyed it. Merry Christmas to you too!
Have a fab Christmas! I really enjoyed following your blog, and will look out for it next year!
Thanks Simon, Merry Christmas to you too!
Hi jay on eBay you can still get some on there for £25 plus a couple quid p&p
Merry Christmas!
Oh when you convert that into AUD, it becomes quite expensive. I’m saving up for all the new 2016 sets!
Also, 301 comments. Woo!
Half those comments are probably mine replying to everyone!
There has been an awakening… Have you felt it… The dark side… and the light…saber sleigh…
CAN WE PLEASE GET TFA FOR THE 2016 ONE.
Santa Kylo would be so awesome
Been great, thanks, thoroughly enjoyable!
Thanks Chris, Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Jay, for this daily blog. My boys and I have been checking it out daily to find out the names of what we’ve unpacked, and you’ve really added to the experience of our first Star Wars calendar: the anticipation of waiting to find out what on earth we’ve built!
Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome, Naomi, I was glad to be able to help enhance your Star Wars Advent Calendar experience! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Thanks for a really entertaining blog the last 24 days. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Thanks, James. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you too!
It’s been fun to ‘share’ the calendar with you on this blog after I first looked in to find out what the Demolitionmech Droid was! This was my first Lego advent calendar, it’s been my first advent calendar for decades, and it was a jokey present after I got back some interest in Lego last year. My main gripe would be having most of the mystery spoilt by too many pictures if the sets on the box, it was impossible not to notice most things even without studying the packaging. The weapons racks were obviously the most criticised weaker elements but, as I haven’t seen them before, they weren’t too much of a disappointment. The Ewok catapult is probably my least favourite build because it has so few pieces, they could have added some more foilage or scenery to make it more interesting. The misprinted R2 is annoying but getting a Santa Vader sent out because of the box labelling was a nice bonus! Thanks for taking the time to write your daily reports and happy seasonal Star Wars-y greetings!
Hey Ed, it was great having you! I agree with the spoilers which is why I went out of my way to avoid studying pictures online or the box illustrations and managed to preserve SOME of the surprise!
Merry Christmas! I hope to see you again for next year’s calendar!
Hey Jay!
Absolutely love your blog! I’ve followed you since day three. I could not figure out what the little black thing was so I went on a little online quest and ended up here. And I’m very pleased I did. Have since that day had a morning visit to your blog after opening my own calendar, and have enjoyed what you have written and your very good pictures.
Next year I probably will have another Lego Calendar, and will again include your blog in my holiday tradition.
So, Happy Holidays here from Norway! I wish you and your loved ones all the best, and see ya next year! 🙂
Hi Monica
Thanks so much for the kind words, I had an absolute blast with the daily updates! Merry Christmas to you and your family too! See you in 2016!
Congrats Jay on a great daily blog and roundup!
Being able to share our thoughts and comments over the past weeks has really increases the enjoyment of the Star Wars Lego advent calendar.
Have a great Christmas and New Year to you and everyone. 🙂
Thanks Stevester, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas to you too! ?
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the all the effort you’ve put into the blog, it’s been great!
Not sure if it’s the same for you over there but in the UK the free gift on the front of the Star Wars Lego magazine this month is a Snowspeeder mini-build of a similar scale to the A-Wing.
Hi Mike, you’re very welcome! Unfortunately we don’t get those magazines here 🙁 could you share a picture of the Snowspeeder? It sounds pretty cool
I found that if you have C3PO stand in the front holding the sack, R2D2 fits nicely in the open square on the back of the sled and actually looks pretty good, just make sure he is facing backwards so you can see his detail. Not the same as having him pull it, but it works
Oh neat, haven’t thought about doing that. Merry Christmas!
Day 18, if you return rear legs of AT-AT it look’s realy better.
Oh yeah, you’re right. It looks slightly more balanced!
I believe that there are some things in the Star Wars universe that cannot be destroyed by a lightsaber. Could that be what the clips on the lightsaber sled are made of?
Possibly! I was mostly poking fun at how frivolous it looked!
Thank you for your site. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to answer my son when he asks, “What IS this!?”
You’re so welcome, Laura! Happy holidays!
I was disappointed to find my R2-D2 has not only a misprinted head, but body too. The head printing is at an angle and the body is quite off-centred to the left. I saw on Brickset that a couple of others have also had poor quality R2’s so I wonder how many got through quality control? If it was just one piece then it would be easier to accept but as the whole figure is spoilt I shall contact the Lego customer services after Christmas.
The sledge is quite nice, different pieces and two lightsabers, plus spare hilt!
Thanks for your blog. We’ve been following since day 1. Great descriptions & explanations of each day.
Just wanted to say we’ve got a box that says exclusive Darth Vadar figure inside. No form of sticker on the box stating otherwise. With 1 day to go we know which mini figure is left to come & it’s not Darth Vadar. I’m in the UK. Do you think I should email Lego?
We did, got a lovely reply from Lego and we’ll be getting a Darth through the post soon.
Hey Brandy, thanks for following! A few readers have written to LEGO about this issue and have been sent a replacement minifig. You could try out your luck and see if LEGO oblige your request. They most probably will!
Hi Jay. I think phoned Lego yesterday. They made a mistake using some of last years boxes! They were very obliging & are sending my son a Darth Vadar mini figure anyway. Phew!
Oh that’s awesome! Your son should be delighted! Last year’s Santa Darth Vader was pretty awesome
Thanks so much for this blog Jay! A big help identifying the lesser known builds.
R2-D2 has really cheered us up after yesterday’s rubbish whatever-it-is! My boy put the spare antlers on the AT-AT straight away, they look great!
Can’t wait to see what the remaining 2 days bring!
Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome Georgina, I’m glad to have been able to help. The antlers on the AT-AT is a pretty brilliant idea. Merry Christmas to you too!
Love the R2, just a shame I didn’t get an extra clip 🙁
Ah yikes. At least you got a spare pair of antlers?
The spare reindeer antlers are sitting atop my At-At’s head
I’d put mine on the probe drode – but the AT AT is a much better idea!!
I’m giggling at the thought of antlers on the probe droid!
Wow that’s a brilliant idea! I will definitely put my spare antlers on it too! Wish I’d thought of that!
I love peeking to see what the next day is and tormenting my two boys when they go to bed! Your calendar really helps a lot figuring out certain pieces, like that wierd droid. Thanks a bunch for all you do :). Look forward to next year’s?
You’re welcome! It would be really cool if we got a Force Awakens-themed one next year!
Another weapons / gun console / rack type thing with a pistol attached to it! It’s a bit disappointing for Day 21 given that we’re on the last stretch.
We pretty-much know what 23 and 24 are going to be so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for something exciting tomorrow. 🙂
I asked the 7 year old whether she liked the weapons console for today (the 21st) and she said she thought it was cool. She liked that the characters can play with it. 🙂 So you were right, it appeals to little kids! So far she’s really enjoyed the calendar and we’ve now made it through Episodes 4, 5, and 6. We’ll start either 1 or 2 soon. I’m nervous about 3 being so violent and now I hear the Force Awakens is on level with that for scary/violence so it may be a while before we get to it. Thanks again for doing this blog!
I asked the 7 year old weather she liked the weapons console for today (the 21st) and she said she thought it was cool. She liked that the characters can play with it. 🙂 So you were right, it appeals to little kids! So far she’s really enjoyed the calendar and we’ve now made it through Episodes 4, 5, and 6. We’ll start either 1 or 2 soon. I’m nervous about 3 being so violent and now I hear the Force Awakens is on level with that for scary/violence so it may be a while before we get to it. Thanks again for doing this blog!
My 5 year old saw SWTFA yesterday and loved it! The violence really isn’t all that bad. There is some combat, one possibly scary scene (although my rather sensitive child was fine with it), and no foul language. Overall it was an excellent movie!
Glad you liked The Force Awakens! I loved it so much that I’ve watched it three times so far!
I agree! I think the gun is for the Hoth Rebel Trooper that we got a couple of days ago. Don’t think he ever got a weapon! Yeah, Episode 3 is definitely the most violent of them all but Episode 7 is not too bad. Couple of rough scenes but nothing like Episode 3! You’re welcome, thanks for following!
Any of the days I can’t quite figure out what it is I just built, I come here and I’m right there with you in being disappointed with this one. I do agree it looks similar to the consoles in Hoth that the rebels were using, but it is different enough to make me question whether or not that is what it is supposed to be. Hopefully the last three days will be awesome enough to make up for this one!
Oh well, at least we seem to be ending strong with the last few days!
Im getting pretty disappointed with the amount of weapon racks that are in this years calendar too.
There could have been a microscale Hoth turret and Lukes landspeeder for Tatooine instead for two of the weapon racks.
Man, a Snowspeeder would’ve just been perfect but we got one in last year’s calendar. Don’t see why we couldn’t get another! A Hoth Turret would’ve been brilliant too!
Day 21 looks a bit like the computer consoles on hoth that Leia spends a lot of time looking at. The colour’s wrong and I don’t know why there’s a gun attached but the console and clear vertical screen seem consistent.
Yup, I think you’re definitely right. I guess the Gun is for the Hoth Rebel Trooper?
Regarding 21: isn’t that some kind of armoured shooter? Like an anti-aircraft gun, or anti-vehicle? I can’t say from where in the movies but the (reinforced) glass piece suggests to me that someone should be standing behind the console and fire the gun.
Seems to be a Hoth Console with a stud blaster tacked on to it!
Haha, ignore me – trick of the light in our rather dark living room. Green here also! As you were…….
Haha no worries! Would’ve been legit surprised if different regions had different lasers!
Hi Jay, thanks for your blog. Like others I discovered it very early when I had no idea what the early droid was. With today’s Ion Cannon do the sphere halves attach together on yours or not? We cannot work out how they connect.
I think you need to push the sphere into the base. I made the same mistake.
Hey Bob, with the Ion Cannon, this photo should hopefully help. https://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LEGO-Star-Wars-Advent-Calendar-2015-Day-19-Hoth-Ion-Cannon-Assembly.jpg
You have to pop one half in first and the other should snap right in.
Day 19: we have been following your blog from the UK as Lego firsttimers and interestingly the laser we’ve opened today IS blue as you remembered. A curious international difference!
Replace the ice patch on the ion cannon base with green ones and I swear it looked like it belongs in Endor ?. Aside from that, awesome blog man ?
Haha, thanks! Anything with green could technically fit in on Endor! Were there ion cannons on Endor? I can’t quite remember since it was an imperial base.
Didn’t see one as well so probably not. Here’s hoping for a mini Endor shield generator in the future then ?
I discovered that if you attach the Millennium Falcon to the top of the AT-AT’s head it looks even more like a dog.
Haha wouldn’t it fall over?
Jay,
I am a six year old American boy. In Australia, does “decent” mean “awesome”?
Hey Camden
Nah it doesn’t. I tend to use it when I want to say something is acceptable or above average. I tend to use it very often in my vocabulary 🙂
funny.
funny.
Hey Jay, did you get the new Star Wars Battlefront cause if you didn’t I highly recommend it but there are somethings missing in it such as the Clone Wars. 🙁
Hey! No I haven’t. I don’t really play that many computer or video games outside of Dota2 or Counter Strike. Don’t have a powerful enough rig to run Battlefront! I really enjoy watching videos of it on YouTube tho!
I love your blog! Your information is great. New to Lego, it’s nice to get the story on the exclusivity of many of the elements! Thanks so much! I can’t wait for tomorrow!
Hey Paula, I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far! Thanks for following 🙂
Just wanted to say thank you from Marietta, GA, USA 🙂 My 9, 7, and 4 year old kids wake up each morning THRILLED to open the little window, and then we check your blog for any details we might not know. We are new to the Star Wars phenomenon, so we are grateful for your blog! Thank you for taking the time to post each day. It’s making this holiday season extra fun for our family!
Hi Heather! There’s never been a greater time to get into Star Wars. Hope the kids are enjoying the Advent Calendar!
well firstly , im chuffed ive found you on google , Jay this blog is from another galaxy ,
and wow its been a mental 13 hours and ive not been to sleep in 36 hours but hey it has been worth it , its great to leave a cinema with more questions than answers lol.
I only had 3 hours of sleep last night and a full day at work – I know the feeling! Super stoked to be watching it again tonight at the IMAX!
Thanks for the kind words about my blog!
Jay I just want to thank you for you day to day knowledge of each item. I am opening with my 4 year old son and it’s great for me to read your post and look at your picture of the build to know exactly what each one is.
You’re most welcome, Erin! I really appreciate you checking in every day 🙂
Hello Jay I do believe that the past few days have been builds from the Death Star to be honest with you and also instead of the green studs I received light blue studs on the turbo laser, they look like the one from the jaws blaster in day 6. On a good note Force Awakens comes out in 3 days!!!!
Oh yeah? I had the feeling it was just general “things in space” builds. I’m not gonna complain as I really love the mini-ships. That’s so odd – sounds like a manufacturing or packing error. Aaaaah I can’t wait! I’ve already gone on a light social media blackout to avoid spoilers. Can’t wait!
Oh, you should really watch out on social media. Some people will try anything to spoil others, mate of mine got spoiled by a random gif file that suddenly showed major spoilers.
On another note, I’ve seen the movie it’s good. I’d rank it somewhere between the prequels and the original trilogy.
Oh yeah, I went on a shutdown. I saw it at midnight as well. So good. I’m still processing the entire movie. It just feels so surreal! I guess this is what Original Trilogy fans felt when The Phantom Menace came out…. only thing is that this one didn’t had no Jar Jar and will not disappoint as much.
3 MORE DAYS! 3 MORE DAYS! THE FORCE IS AWAKENING! LET THE NERDS AND GEEKS FOREVER REJOICE! YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
I’l be seeing it in 14 hours from now, so stoked! 😀
No worries though, I won’t be spoiling anything.
UGH, lucky you. I hope you have a great time! I’m only watching on Friday night!
OMG. I cannot wait. I fully regret not making it to the midnight screening. I’ve got about 56 hours to go for my screening.
Just 9 days legt! I just think it’s a shame we can already figure out what 8 of those remaining days will be checking on the front and back of the box what we haven’t got yet.
I really think they should not show any more than half the sets on the box because, like you said, it is now obvious what remains except one, which will possibly simply be another weapons rack for the Hoth Rebel. Of course they need to advertise the calendar on the box with some of the more attractive minifigures and ships, but there have only been a handful of the less interesting builds that have been a surprise, aside from not knowing on which day you will find each set.
I’ve been forcing myself to not look at spoilers or the illustrations on the box. I’ve been doing quite well and am still quite blissfully unaware so that each day is as much of a surprise as possible! I definitely agree that they should reduce the number of builds that are being displayed!
On the day 13 build of the Assassin Droid, I do believe it is an IG-88 Droid instead of the IG-86 you have listed 🙂
Ah, I was tossing up on that but settled on the IG-86 as its the generic version. I believe IG-88 was the Droid that went rogue. Could be both, heh!
The second droid is IG-88
I ended up with three spares on Millennium Falcon. The two you’ve got plus an extra grey wedge?
I didn’t get a cheese slope in mine! Guess I missed out!
Jay, I’ve got two grey cheese slopes from the Millenium Falcon that don’t seem to be in the diagram/instructions. Where do they go?
Hey Miranda, I believe that the cheese slope goes on the right side of the Millennium Falcon, right behind the cockpit.
You can see it in this shot: https://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LEGO-Star-Wars-Advent-Calendar-2015-Day-14-So-Far.jpg
Hello Jay, I have been checking your blog since finding it to identify the Demolitionmech Droid. This is a great Millennium Falcon model and it has been designed really well at the micro scale. I see that you used a grey stud to cover the obvious black part showing at the front, luckily, my packet came with a spare 1×1 grey cheese slope which I used to replicate the sloping cargo hold/missile bay at the front. I also thought that the ship was missing a weapon and so have put the spare lever from Saturday’s gun rack on top. It’s a bit big but it sort of works. Maybe the clear disc from Jabba’s Barge could be used to give a flying effect, especially if the Barge is clipped onto the Sarlacc Pit.
Oh cool, I didn’t get a spare cheese slop in mind. I’ll try using one of my own to see if I like the look better!
The Falcon is slightly suspended from the ground thanks to the protruding plate on its base!
It appears that a sloping cheese wedge was actually used on a previous micro incarnation of the Millennium Falcon in the 2011 calendar: http://brickset.com/sets/7958-1/Star-Wars-Advent-Calendar The hyperdrive thrusters were the more accurate transparent pale blue on the older version too, I wonder why they were changed to darker blue for this update?
The ship sits just proud of the ground but I still think that a clear dish works better, they could have given us one for displaying it!
Ah yeah. I still like this year’s more compared to the 2011 Falcon – I think the prongs on the 2011 version are a little too skinny and sharp.
I like this one – the assassin droid, and I consider it a figure. I’ve been a bit underwhelmed so far this year. Love the jawa stormtrooper, jawa and ewok (especially the stormtrooper!) and the sand crawler is a clever design but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some iconic builds in the next couple of weeks.
I’m enjoying the diversity but yeah, I totally get what you mean by the need for more ‘iconic’ builds. Maybe they’re saving all the good ones for the end?
Where’s the 13th
Sorry, slept in a little today! Should be up now!
I told my son that the second weapons rack is a droid. He bought it.
I did too, it’s much cooler as a droid.
Still working on the name.
G1-RK?
Haha! A weapons rack Droid is cool. What about BL-45-TER?
My first thought when I saw the lever on the “Blaster Rack” was that maybe this is the lever inside the death star which Obiwan pulls to deactivate the tractor beam.
Third person to point this out! Looks like a pattern is emerging… Hmm. I’m starting to believe that this may be that lever after all!
I noticed that todays (the 12th) weapon rack looks a little like the death stars tractor beam controls from the lego death star set.
Hey Baron, you’re the second person to point it out! It could be but I don’t remember rifles being part of that control panel haha.
Hi Jay. My four yo is loving his first Star Wars calendar and part of our daily ritual is this blog.
i think you are a little harsh on the weapons rack today. The gun selection is great! Keep up the good work though my friend 🙂
Hey Akbar, I love your name! Haha. One of my favourite SW characters! I’m really glad that you’ve added my blog to your daily ritual!
Yeah, the rifle selection is decent but when I compare with all the other racks, the design just feels uninspired!
Hey Jay,
Really enjoying this blog!
I think today’s weapon rack is from inside the death star and the lever and button are used to control the beam that caught the millenium falcon. Obi Wan then goes and disables it before facing Vader for the last time: https://youtu.be/f62pW0J2JsA
Hey Martin
Oh cool, you’re not the first person to point it out. Seems like a crazy obscure reference though!
Hi Jay, we’ve become so disillusioned with SW 2015 that my daughter and I have staged an ‘intervention’. The weapons racks, sail barge, Ewok, Storm Trooper and other offerings have been invaded by a troupe of carol singers (two jesters, classic pirate and space cadet with guitars, series 14 zombie cheerleader and ant-guy, Ned Flanders, and a storm trooper with Santa hat); a menacing Simpsons Scratchy sitting on the Star Destroyer, and series 14 square-foot taking photos of the Ewok. Also – a big Creator snowman overseeing the anarchy. It’s so much better now! Something had to be done.
Hey Jon, that sounds REALLY fun and awesome. You know, that’s what LEGO is all about – creative anarchy. Can I see a picture of your set up? It sounds seriously cool.
Darn… Would have been nice to have the Stormtrooper on the 11th but my calendar was wrongly packed. Got another figure instead (won’t spoil by telling which one if they turn out to be switched). My figure doesn’t need today’s weapons rack… 🙁
Maybe I’m being optimistic but if you look at the weapon wrack from afar it looks a bit like rudolf.
Really enjoying your blog. This is my first ever Lego advent calendar and I wait each day to open a window, make the build, then pop on here to read what it is (if I don’t already know) and then see how to build it properly!
Hi Jay,
completely agree with you, another weapons rack, my son is not inspired at all by thiese models and not that bothered about building them , and i thought the Lego guys had unlimited imaginations. Maybe they have had a brain drain of sorts, doesnt bode well for the rest of the calender but fingers crossed. Come on Lego sort yourselves out.
Is the top of the Star Destroyer on backwards? Looking at the “instructions” yours might be the wrong way around.
Oh yikes, you’re totally right! No idea why I accidentally switched it around. I think I must’ve subconsciously flipped it around as I felt it looked better that way. Wasn’t paying too much attention when I was snapping photos this morning!
Thanks for pointing that out! I’ll make a quick edit on the post to avoid confusing people!
I also think the top needs to go to the back even more. If you look at the pictures on the front and back of the box is looks like it’s further back.
You’re right top right corner of the box shows it further back. The instructions inside the door are a little pants if you ask me
Agreed, the instructions were pretty shoddy this time. I am actually like it being further forward – feel a bit more balanced
Thanks for your comment! I made sure to build it properly this time. The team at Brickset also seemed to have built it wrongly. The instructions were pretty bad this time around!
My son also built it with the top the wrong way round!
Seems a lot of people got it wrong. The instructions weren’t the clearest!
Huh–total nerd alert warning: we were trying to figure out whether this was the Imperial Class Star Destroyer from Episodes IV-VI or the Victory Class from Episodes II and III. And it turns out if you have that little angle-ey bit pointed forward, it could be the Victory, and if you have the little angle-ey bit pointed backwards, it could be the Imperial.
So everyone’s right, depending on which movie you want it to be from? 😀
Always pick original trilogy!!
Amen to that brother!
Cheers!
Thanks for this blog, me and my son check it every day, it adds to the excitement of the advent calendar!
You’re welcome! Writing a daily update has also increased my appreciation and enjoyment of the Advent Calendar 🙂
Sorry, but the stormtrooper doesn’t have a ‘generic, clone face’ – the stormtroopers aren’t clones. And that’s canon!
Just nitpicking. Love the daily updates!
No worries! When I meant generic clone face, I meant the same head that most Clone Troopers have! I think the most recent Imperial Troop Transport set had the same faces as well. I miss the older heads with the black borders.
My son Liam (6) got the advent calendar for Christmas and was excited to see that he was going to get an exclusive Darth Vader figure too (no sticker over the top!) After reading your blog I opened the calendar to check there wasn’t anything in there and wrote to Lego customer service and they are sending out “replacement parts”. Looking forward to seeing what they are!! Thanks for the tip otherwise I would have had a really disappointed not come 24 December!! We love reading your blog every morning – even though he “accidently” opened door 11 this morning instead of 10, he said he could have built tomorrow’s model but wants to wait until he’s read your blog before he does. Thanks & keep up the good work!
Disappointed Boy, not “not”!!
Oh, hey that’s good – would hate for him to be disappointed! Interesting that they didn’t apply the sticker to correct that. Hope he enjoys the Santa Darth Vader, it was definitely my favourite from last year’s calendar. Thanks for following and I hope you guys are both enjoying the Advent Calendar as much as I am!
So, I tweeted you yesterday saying what the transparent piece on the Sarlacc Pit – for Jabbas Ship to sit on…
not only did you read the tweet, agree with it and update your whole page – but you didn’t give me any credit, or even reply to the tweet.
Shit that lad.
Umm, if you’ve been following since Day 1, you’d have noticed that I already picked up on the fact that the Sail Barge attaches itself to the Sarlacc Pit. I did not update my page at all after reading your tweet.
In fact, the only time I’ve added updates is when other readers pointed out that Day 6 was an Ewok Drum and that the blaster on it could belong to the Jawa.
Wow. Needy much? It’s the Internet, not peer reviewed literature. :/
When you say “two spare projectiles,” do you mean 3 total?? We only got two 🙁
Hi Maureen – by two spare projectiles I meant the two extras that are placed by the plant. There’s 3 in total if you count the one I loaded on to the catapult. Did you only get 2 of the grey pieces?
Yea 🙁 we searched everywhere, hoping maybe it popped out of the bag.
Thanks for this, it’s really helped us. Especially since I’m a day behind, though I have to close my eyes at the end 🙂
Evening all. Just thought I’d drop a quick note. Found this site when trying to identify Day 3’s Demolitionmech droid. I saw the comments re: the misprint on some boxes stating it should include Exclusive Darth Vader minifigure. I’m UK based so had one of those boxes covered by the C-3PO correction sticker.
I bunged an email to Lego couple of days ago. Nice lady called back today to say if I sent her a pic of the misprint along with a ref # she gave me, she’d send me a Vader figure.
I’ve sent her the pic so will wait and see if Vader comes through ! For anyone who may want to try the same – the sticker can be removed fairly cleanly. Heat it with a hairdryer on high heat and the glue should melt. Gently prise a corner off and with continual heat application the sticker should come away nicely.
Hey Taposh – not sure I would do something like that as it’s an obvious mistake on LEGO’s part which they’ve attempted to rectify with the sticker. Seems like it’s just taking advantage of LEGO’s excellent customer service and not something I’d condone.
Fair point. I spend enough between the kids on lego per year to squeeze a minifig out of them.
Hi Jay!
Question: was there supposed to be a weekly bigger build with all the pieces we got per week?
I can’t find the details anywhere, so I thought maybe you’d know.
Thanks!
Iris
Hi Iris
Not that I know of – Advent Calendar builds are always daily. I don’t believe there’s ever been a time that you combine all the pieces for a bigger build – although that concept does sound pretty interesting!
Thank you for this post! Even though I loved Star Wars when younger, I had trouble explaining all the models to my six-years-old.
Now I’ll click around and see what else you’ve got on the blog!
Regards from Sweden /Pär
Hej Pär! Have a look around and let me know if I can help with anything else 🙂
Great blog. I needed it on Day One before I spotted the build diagram on the back of the door but every day has been entertaining and helpful on the background of what’s behind the door. Your photos are really sharp too – hope you don’t mind but I’ve used bits of them as Facebook photos (with a credit back to this blog).
And as a little thank you, here’s a video I put together which you might enjoy!
I’ve been wracking my brains to figure out how to attach the wheel treads to the sandcrawler. Could it be that the “axel” that I got was the wrong one? They are round so don’t even fit into the base. Do you have a picture of the parts that you got?
Hi Michelle, this is the axle that should’ve been used to connect the wheels to the sandcrawler. http://img.bricklink.com/P/11/32062.gif You should’ve had at least 2 included in the set
Absolutely delighted to have an Ewok minifig, who may be even cuter than the Jawa — and now the bow and arrow makes sense!
My only hope with the rest of the advent calendar is that we get something Force Awakens-related on the day it premieres, December 17. Surely too good an opportunity to miss?
Yeah the Ewok is great! It’s a refreshing change of pace from previous years to get some of the more unique Star Wars characters in the calendar. The fact that they’re fairly rare is also quite a nice bonus.
I doubt we’ll get anything TFA-related in this year’s calendar… maybe next year we’ll get some sort of Christmas BB8?
Hi Jay, loving your blog and I’m actually away from home offshore so I’ve been logging on to the blog page to see what my boys are opening each day. My 2 eldest sons have been given a star wars calender to share so have been doing alternative days. However, I see that the two minifigures have been on the even days so far. In your experience, do you think that this is a pattern that will continue?
Thanks Dave! I’m so glad I could help you experience the Advent Calendar vicariously! That’s a pretty good observation, I hadn’t noticed! Last year, the pattern was slightly mixed, starting with even days, odd, then back to even for minifigures. Be interesting to see if it’s the case this year as well!
Hi Jay,
Just wanted to note that weapons rack from Endor and the bow would be the Ewok’s. I can’t see the Jawa and the Ewok sharing a blaster 😉
Have fun with tomorrow’s opening!
That’s what I thought but some people are saying it could be shared so I’m not sure any more. I took a picture of the Jawa with the blaster today anyway!
Hi, another one enjoying your blog with their son. He is Star Wars obsessed after watching 5 mins (he is 5 so a bit young yet I think) and while my knowledge is fair, I need help.
I also love your enjoyment and enthusiasm coming through the page!
Thanks!
Hi Nicole
5 is a good age! I think I first got into Star Wars at about that age as well! I love all things LEGO so it’s quite easy to get excited 🙂
Hey Jay! I stumbled upon your blog while trying to figure out what Day 3 was (thank you for clearing that up for us). My two boys now like to check your blog everyday after opening their advent calendar. 🙂 we are in the US (Texas) and our box has no sticker, C3P0 is correctly printed on the box (would have loved a Santa DarthVader though!). Looking forward to more updates!
Hey Sundee, welcome! Hope you enjoy your stay! Santa Darth Vader was in last year’s Advent Calendar and was a lot of fun!
My daughter is totally bummed to find another mine droid in the Day 7 compartment, especially because the picture on the flap is the Ewok village. Do you have any suggestions for who/how to write Lego for a replacement? Thank you.
All the North American customer service numbers say they have been disconnected.
Oh that’s so weird – I’m sorry to hear that. You should drop LEGO an email here: https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-us/service?domainredir=service.lego.com
They’ve got excellent customer service and should be able to organise something to help you. Hope the following days are as they should be!
Thank the maker for your blog. Had no idea it was Endor but I can totally see it now. I am really hoping for a wicket mini figure now, for my son of course?.
Haha, you’re welcome! You should be quite pleased with Day 8’s window contents!
Thank you so much for laying out the calendar with details, storylines, and your enthusiasm. Every night it takes me about 45 minutes to open and recreate the scene from SW with my son. We have blast role playing and use the storyboard on the Advent Calendar. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! Context is really important with these Advent Calendar builds and if I’m able to provide more information, I’m glad to hear that it’s been helping with the role playing!
+10 points for me, +5 for actually MENTIONING Endor, +1 for calling it: Ewok tomorrow, the unnamed guy (as seen in my comment and on the back of the calendar). I’m a freaking SW NERD. Also, the Demolition droid had 2 appearances, in each Sandcrawler set.
Am I the only one here who will recognize all of these things instantly and NOT have to google? (No offense. I will make you even MORE offended by saying I DON’T HAVE THE LEGO CALENDAR, I have the CHOCOLATE SW one!)
Once again, I’m a freaking SW NERD.
The Demolitionmech droid isn’t in either Sandcrawler, this is it’s first appearance.
Yeah, just noticed that in the updated minifig dictionary. Sorry, I just thought it was. 😛
Haha you certainly know your Star Wars! I wouldn’t expect anything less of you!
Called it. +5 points for me.
Also, after Endor, just a wild guess, but I believe we’re off to Hoth. Too bad there isn’t SW Rebels or TFA, some Lothal and Jakku would be nice. (Lothal is Rebels, Jakku is TFA.)
No love for Mustafar? Haha!
I actually liked the prequels. The Gungans were nice, just less Jar Jar, although without him Episode 1 couldn’t really happen, in some way. My favourite is III. I really enjoyed that one. Also yeah Mustafar is cool!
Yeah Ep 3 holds up really well. It’s blasphemy but I like Ep 3 more than 6 😉
That is a Jawa gun: http://brickset.com/sets/75059-1/Sandcrawler.
Oh interesting! I don’t own the Sandcrawler so it didn’t occur to me. Looks like the Weapons Rack could be shared by the Jawas and (hopefully) forthcoming Ewoks. Thanks for the link, I’ll make a quick edit to point that out to other readers.
Yes, most Advent weapon racks are shared.
Oh cool! Last year’s was my first SW Advent Calendar, and from memory the Weapons Rack there seemed to only be for the Santa Clone Trooper. I’ll have to take a photograph of the Jawa facing off against the Ewok next!
I was well off. I thought it was a poorly planned miniature of Jabas palace, was disappointed with it till I found your blog. The Endorian drum/weapons rack makes way more sense.
Oh man, now I really want a miniature Jabba’s Palace!
Your “flashlight” may be the Jawas blaster… They use this kind of “shock blaster” in episode IV, don’t they?
By the way, your blog is very cool and I enjoy reading it every day….
Greetings from Germany,
Fode
Hey Fode! I had thought about that as well, but signs point to it being an Ewok Weapons Rack, so I’m not too sure. Really happy to hear that you’re enjoying my blog – I love updating every day! I seemed to have gotten into a good rhythm this year and look forward to opening and building the windows in the morning before I head to work.
Thanks for your blog.
You’re welcome, Lorna!
So helpful!! Will be checking in daily – thanks! : )
You’re welcome Alison! Hope you enjoy your stay 🙂
Thank you so much for the daily updates. My son Jack and I visit your site every morning after we build the newest piece/figure of the advent calendar.
🙂
You’re so welcome! Thanks for checking in every day. It means a lot to me!
The blaster on the day 6 item is the type jawas use to zap droids. Could it be a jawa weapons station?
I don’t think so as I doubt there are plants on Tatooine. My best guess is that it’s Ewok related!
My family and I believe it is not a weapons rack. Yes, bow and arrow, but the “flashlight” is a drum mallet and the center piece is an Ewok drum. Plus a fern frond.
Hey Chris! The part about the drum makes so much sense. I’m going to edit the post and add your contribution. Looks like some sort of drums/weapons rack hybrid!
A bow, huh? Welcome to Endor, home of the Ewoks, including, but not limited to, Wicket, Teebo, Tokkat, Logray and that other Ewok guy with the green hood and beigey fur. Not Chief Chirpa, he’s… Um… *cough* I cannot wait for the 2017, PLEASE let there be some Ep. 7! #MicroJakkuThings
Haha, an episode 7 advent calendar would be great. Do you have the Ewok Village set? It looks really cool and it’s on my list!
My boy seems to think today’s weapons rack is from the ewok world I think because of the bow is this right?
Yes, I think he’s right – it definitely feels like Ewoks! Can’t wait to see what Day 7 is. Hopefully an Ewok minifig!
William did his happy dance when I told him he was right he loves the fact he knows stuff that I have no idea about lol
Haha, that’s adorable!
Just wanted to say a big thank you for doing this blog. I’m struggling to help my son identify some of the pieces and today certainly had me reaching for Google… Good to know it’s a ‘battle rack’ and not just a really bad model of an Ewok!
You’re welcome Scott! Haha! Now that you mention it, it does look like a bad Ewok model holding a bow!
Nice work Jay. It’s pretty obvious from all th comments how much people appreciate the help and insight you provide via your SW advent calendar blog. Regarding day 6…yub nub ; )
Thanks Mark! I’ve been having fun with this and I’m just happy to be able to help!
Haha! Ya chaaaa!
Well done Jay, my 6 yr old son and I consider your blog an essential part of the star wars lego advent calendar experience. Every day we read with interest. Keep up the good work!
Hey Oliver, thanks so much! I’m very happy to have been a part of the Advent Calendar experience this year! How are you guys finding it this year? Is this your LEGO first Advent Calendar?
Jolly useful thread, thank you 🙂
Jolly useful thread, many thanks 🙂
You’re welcome, Chris!
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH! My daughter is 6-years-old and a huge star wars fan! I have to admit she watches them with my husband and I have yet to see them all. I got her this advent calendar and we were stumped on a couple of the builds. Then I stumbled on your blog! I read her each entry and she said “YES! I remember that now!!” It is all foreign to me but you are solving the mysteries for her. Thank you so much! We will be following your blog each day 🙂 She wants me to tell you, “I like that you’re doing the blog so we can find out what things are!”
Hey Loralee, you’re very welcome! I’m loving the advent calendar for that exact same reason – it’s like a walk down Star Wars memory lane and is getting me all excited for Episode 7!
Hope you enjoy you and your daughter stay. I’m really pleased that she likes the blog!
We’re really enjoying your descriptions! My daughter asks me to check your blog to read your bits of information. It makes her sisters with the 2 other advent calendars a little jealous, but I’m happy that we happened upon your blog.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Melissa! Makes me regret not buying the City and Friends calendar this year! I’ll definitely do all 3 next year!
I’m loving these posts i have the advent calender too and im really enjoying it i like how so far the figures fit together to replicate scenes from the films like the sail barge and the saarlac and the jawa with the droid rather than just a random collection of ships and characters! Also your photos made me realise i put the sail barge together wrong the first time round looks alot better now and helped me identify the droid from day 3 so thanks
Thanks for the love, Michael! I really can’t wait to see the whole advent calendar come together – like you said, this year’s one feels a lot more thematic!
Thanks for this, we are using the advent calendar to do a daily Journal so now we can compare notes, and find out what the… day 1 was.
You’re very welcome! Hope you’re enjoying the daily updates!
Yep, just you wake up at a adult hour and we wake up at a child hour. So we wait for you to tell us our guess
I just so happen to own a book about star wars droids, so I managed to recognize the demolition droid almost instantly. I’m still grateful for this blog though. Up until now, I had no idea what a vaporator was. I’m glad I have someone else to do all the research! 🙂
Oh nice! I think it helps that I’m based in Australia, so I update earlier than the rest of the world (and have to do all the hard work when I come across an obscure reference!)
The transparent corner piece on the sarlac pit can be used to attach Jabbas sail barge.
Thanks for your blog! I could not figure out where this little droid was from! My daughter loves putting these together every morning and then quizzing her Dad when he gets home from work to see if he knows what it is and what episode it is from!
You’re so welcome! Hopefully with my daily updates, I can help your daughter gain the upper hand and surprise Dad with her knowledge of Star Wars!
I remembered the droid straight away but I had no idea of it’s name ?
Yeah, it was a real headscratcher as I don’t think it was identified in the movie!
Thanks so much for your helpful blog! We’re doing our first Lego Advent calendar and my soon-to-be 7 year old son and I were a bit stumped with just the door instructions, but your photos were super helpful. Thanks again!
Hey Erika, you’re so welcome! Glad I was able to help. Hope your son is enjoying it so far!
Thank you
Will do and let you know what they have to say
I live in the UK. I have the correction sticker and box 1 doesn’t feature what is on the flap…anyone in the UK experiencing the same problem…
Thanks
Clint
Hey Clint, that’s pretty interesting. I’ve noticed a few commenters also having their Day 1 Window’s contents switched. I think a commenter from Canada mentioned that hers was switched with Window #14. You should shoot LEGO Customer Service an email, and see what they come back with. Might just be a packing error.
I’m in the UK, and mine has been, thus far, with the correct items.
Mine’s also got the corrective sticker.
Did they put the tray in backwards in the box?
Not sure but sometimes mistakes or unintended errors happen during the packing process. Seems to be unusually common as I’ve heard so many cases of mistaken windows.
Remove the transparent disc from the barge, and it fits on the transparent 1×1 square on the Sarlaac pit, making it a mini-diorama… 🙂
The effect is really cool!
Hi Jay, this is great! Especially as the last two days i haven’t known what the final model is supposed to be! Call myself a Star Wars fan eh?!
Anyway, i’m also into photography and really like the photos of the models from each day. Did you take them yourself? And if so would you mind taking a picture of your setup. or at least describing what you use please?
Thanks
Chris
Hey Chris, glad I was able to help! I got stumped on Day 3 and only Google was able to save me. I’m learning as I go myself!
Yes, I take all the photos. I have a few lightboxes that I use, but I’m currently using the Foldio 2 which I find is really convenient for lighting up smaller sets. It’s a little pricey but I like the convenience of setting it up and packing it down as I have quite a limited workspace at home for photography.
In terms of gear, I use a Canon 70D with an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens. For editing, I use Picasa 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Jay,
Thanks so much for this blog. I have been updated my Facebook feed with a picture each day and have had to check your blog a few times to get the right description!
Thanks also for your advice on the lightbox. I looked into the Foldio 2 and I think I might get myself one. I too use a Canon 70D. I edit in Lightroom mostly, I used to use Picasa a lot but have switched to Google Photos, which has some nice simple edit tools built in, and there is also Snapseed, which is by Google.
Anyway, hope you have had a great Christmas and looking forward to the blog next year! 🙂
Chris
Hey Chris, I’m grateful for your support! I’ve been meaning to switch to Lightroom but for now, Picasa seems to do the job and it’s quite easy to use for minor edits. Does Google Photos have a desktop program or is it browser based?
Hope to see you again next year too!
Glad I found your site!. My daughter is 7 and new to Star Wars. We’re slowly watching each of them in preparation for the newest (modified machete order – 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6) so she hasn’t seed any of the Jabba scenes. Your post helped remind me what it was she was building! We’ll be checking in daily. 🙂
Hey Alyssa, the machete order is great! I skipped 1 when I recently did a rewatch as I can’t stand Jar Jar! How is your daughter finding the movies so far?
She is liking them a lot! She had already watched all the Clone War cartoon series (which personally I find a bit boring) so I think she likes the action in the movies. She wants to see the Force Awakens, but I’m concerned about the PG-13 rating. We’ll see if peer pressure wins out! 😉
Oh cool! She sounds like a huge Star Wars fan! I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Clone Wars cartoon.
Knowing the Star Wars franchise, I don’t think the movie will be TOO graphic.
Thank you for your blog! Last year was our first with the advent calendar and often my then 8yr old son would often look at me and say ” what is it?-vaporator..?” .. Thankfully I came across your blog in our search! This year I found it again, (and now have it bookmarked), and we love it. Day one had us stumped.. And he even built the giant Lego barge..It’s hard to shrink the visual! We are thankful for you:) He got today’s but still very happy to read what you say about it. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
Hey Naomi, welcome back! Day is going to stump him – it stumped me as well! How is he finding this year’s Advent Calendar so far?
He thinks it’s pretty cool but he’s waiting for a ship or a figure..:D !!
Hi Jay! Thank you so much for this blog! My son ripped off the door and threw it in the trash in all of the excitement. We had no clue what we were supposed to build until, thankfully, Google pointed me to your site. You’ve saved us from a full-on meltdown.
Also, my box doesn’t have a sticker or even the fine-print wording like everyone else’s. It has a picture of a holiday C3PO. No mysteries here, I guess.
Lindsey
New Orleans, USA
Hey Lindsey, haha! I can relate. I’m pretty sure I accidentally tore several doors in my 2014 calendar in my excitement to get to the parts. I’m very happy to help and I hope you enjoy the daily updates.
That’s quite interesting regarding the box – it seems like there are a few variations in different countries.
Thanks for this fab site… my little boy rushes down each morning to open his window, then attempts to build while we wait for Jay’s brick blog to reveal what he’s building! It adds to the fun that we learn about more obscure aspects of the movies.
Hey Louise, you’re very welcome! Day 3 is SUPER obscure that even I didn’t know what it was till I got a bit of help from Google. Hope your son is enjoying the Advent Calendar so far!
Love your blog! My little boy is just as excited to read what you have written about each piece as he is to open the door! We are new to Star Wars so big help thank u!
i have a 7 year old boy with this calendar . i had no idea what it was but he knew straght away !
love this blog incase we come across something we are not sure about. ive never seen any star wars movie
Hi Natalie, wow, seems like your son knows his way around the Star Wars universe! That’s really cool and I hope to help you guys learn a few things about the Star Wars universe!
Awesome lego star wars calendar .
We got the City calendar, as my son isn’t hugely aware of much Star Wars stuff yet (also got it when I was in Germany for $30AUD).
Day 1 was two remote control cars, and Day 2 was a boy in a winter coat with a big pretzel and a camera. My son is super happy so far!
Thank you for the site. My daughter and I were only guessing what she had built until we saw your blog. She, of course, got it correct ! Thanks again!
Your blog is great. My grandson had no idea what he had made and he was so impressed when I came to his house and commented that he had made Jabba’s Sail Barge. Thanks for helping me be the cool grandmom!! I’ll be following daily.
Eagerly awaiting your comments on each day’s set.
Thanks! Today’s will be slightly delayed and will go up after I get back from work!
Googled to find out what we made and came across your blog. Thank you!!!!! Once I started reading this to my son he knew exactly what it was. He (and I) are excited to start following now! Merry Christmas!
Hello! Glad you stumbled upon my blog and I’m glad I could help. Hope you enjoy your stay here!
Hi Jay I am opening a starwars calendar as well. I didn’t have a clue what the builds were but then I found your website. I have enjoyed opening them and I know what tomorrow’s is because I am in hospital. Thanks for the information.
Hey Joshua, yeah some of them are a little obsure. I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying opening them! Sorry to hear about being in the hospital, hope everything is okay and you get out soon!
Ours didn’t have the middle brown part. It had the bottom and the top but no middle?
Oh that’s odd – could you take a photo of the parts in your bag and maybe I can try figuring out what’s wrong?
It’s all good now 🙂 after taking it apart it seems master 6 put it together wrong! 🙂
Thanks for your blog! My son and I did not know what the first one was once we built it so we appreciate your blog. Waiting to know what #2 is as well 🙂
Hey Tim, you’re welcome! I hope you enjoy my daily updates – keep checking in every day!
I’ll be posting #2 later this evening (Australian time) after I get back from work. Stay tuned!
You’re a lifesaver – my boy shredded the door in his excitment to get in this morning 😉
Cheers!
Haha! I’ve done that on so many previous occasions so your son is not alone!
So glad I found your blog – we had found the instructions but weren’t sure what we’d made. Thanks for such a great explanation. I’ll be following along all month!! 🙂
Hey Gillian, you’re very welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay!
Me too!!
Hey Jay. Thanks so much for your Advent calendar blog. This is the first year our daughter (nearly 7 yrs ) got a star wars calender. She has had the lego city ones before. Helps with a little explanation of the builds as she asked what day 1’s vehicle was. My hubby is a star wars fan and was able to explain to her what the vehicle was when I told him the name of it thanks to your blog. 🙂
Hey Karen, you’re so welcome! I’ll try and incorporate more background information in my future updates to help those that are unfamiliar with Star Wars identify the builds and vehicles!
Awesome! My 14 year old is new to StarWars so you helped us solve the question of “What is it?”
Our box in US doesnt have minifig description or sticker but does have Actual size C3P0 and picture.
Glad to have helped! I’ll be mindful of that in future updates and try to incorporate more background information. I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan but I know my way around the galaxy far far away 🙂
That’s interesting to hear about the box variations! All the boxes in Australia I’ve come across have the correction sticker.
Hi everyone, this is Kim in Ottawa, Canada. My boys and I opened up Day 1 to find the bag with what looked like the Millenium Falcon pieces. I opened up the whole box – without my kids around – to find that Day 1 contents had been switched with the above door – Day 14. I did a quick check of the other doors/instructions and they seemed to be in order. Then I taped the box back up. Hopefully it was just a fluck, but maybe other boxes have been affected. Happy to see you blogging about this again Jay!!
Hi Kim, that’s pretty odd. There must’ve been some sort of mistake when the sets were filled in. Hope there aren’t any more switchups.
Thanks for following! I love doing the daily updates and it’s one of my favourite times of the year! Makes the month go by so quickly!
I had the same problem. None of the pictures behind each door match up with the pieces so we’ve had to open every door to get the instructions. Thankfully my son leaves the toys inside until he is allowed to actually open that day. I have a few different items to you so far, i won’t spoil the surprise. 🙂
Ugh, you should definitely write to LEGO customer service. Seems like a really disjointed Advent Calendar experience if all the doors and instructions got switched!
Thankyou! Little did I realise there were no instructions… When the husband opened door one he was mightily confused to start with…..
Hey Bex, I’ve updated the post, but the instructions are printed on the door! Here’s where they should be: https://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_1434.jpg
This seems like your first LEGO Advent Calendar, I hope you have a super enjoyable time! Let me know if I can help with anything else!
Sometimes a bit disappointed with these sometimes as the instructions or picture isnt very clear and a bit difficult for a toung boy to do without help.
Yeah, some of them are a little tricky, especially or younger kids. I hope my daily photos will help you figure out how all the parts come together!
yes Jay , checked back today as my son had made a very good attempt at the sandcrawler but had it all upside down, so thanks again.
Hey Jay. Fun post, I’m going to follow along to live out the calendar vicariously here this year 🙂 I noticed a few confused / angry parents commenting on the LEGO Facebook page about the calendar, saying they have no idea what to make with todays pile of pieces. I’ve linked them both through to this page, so maybe you’ll pick up some extra (and grateful) followers 🙂 Keep up the good work!
Hey Mark! Yeah, it can be a little confusing, especially for first time Advent Calendar owners. Thanks so much for linking me! I hope to help. I’ve edited the post to add in a bit more information on the exact location where the instructions are located – hopefully that will help 🙂
Thankyou so much for this blog. I’ll be checking in everyday so my boys can make each item. 🙂
Hi Amanda! You’re so welcome! The instructions are located on each door. See: https://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_1434.jpg
Hope that helps!
Thanks. I’d found it just after I commented. (Typical!! Lol) I’m …. I mean my boys are loving the explanation/description of the items. My boys think it’s going to be a great display when it’s finished. Thank you so much for taking the time to blog each day, great page.
I’m really enjoying having to write a little each day and yes, when it all comes together, it should look really nice – especially on the playmat
Where yours has the sticker mine doesn’t could it be that there are different exclusive contents?
Oh. It could be that the correction sticker wasn’t applied in all countries. I’ve heard that the sticker was necessary here in Australia to comply with Consumer/Advertising laws.
Box bought in Sweden had the sticker. I believe there was a Darth Vader minifig last year.
Where you have the sticker about the exclusive C3P0 I haven’t it says the origional, Darth Vader, could this be a box to box variation?
my box had exclusive darth vader on it i wrote to lego and they sent me the santa darth vader
Oh really? Wow, that’s really nice of them!
Can I ask how you got in touch with lego to get a Darth Vader? We have the box that says it includes Darth Vader mini figure and my son is disappointed.
You can give LEGO a call on their customer service number, or drop them an email and they should you be able to sort you out! Check this page out for more information
https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-us/service?domainredir=service.lego.com
Thanks for this – we were not sure what the bricks made! Are there instructions in the box that we are mIssing?
Hi Lisa – happy to help! The instructions are located on each Advent Calendar door! https://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LEGO-Star-Wars-Advent-Calendar-2015-Instructions.jpg
The instructions are on the back of the colander day doors. 😉
It’s just one diagram but it should be enough.
Did you have two pieces left over from this one? My son did and I was making sure he did not mess up. Thanks!
Yes! I recall some spare pieces. I think it was a brown cheese slope and a grey tile from memory. There are almost always spare pieces with Advent Calendar builds!
i think the weapon rack is in endor with ewoks
Bingo!
I knew it would be, the Jawa blaster and Ewok bow/arrow. I haven’t watched Star Wars, I am about to, though. I LOVE your brick blog by the way. I have read it more than 10 times already.
Thanks!
I haven’t watched Star Wars, I am about to, though. I LOVE your brick blog by the way. I have read it more than 10 times already.
All Lego sets ALWAYS give a spare of any 1×1 tile piece or similar small size, PER BAG! It’s due to the sorting machines and how they weigh/fill the bags. So some sets can have lots of the same price, and heaps in total!
That’s right! The spares are nice to have as well in case you accidentally lose pieces.
I uses the spare studded 1x1s to connect stuff without holes-on-bottom to a baseplate. Not much to do with the “cheese” ones. (Love that name.)