Looking for the 2020 Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown?
Hello and welcome to the Jay’s Brick Blog Daily daily countdown of the 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar! Check back on this post for a reveal of each Star Wars Advent Calendar window as we count down to Christmas.
This has been a long-standing tradition on the blog, so whether it’s your first or fifth year following, welcome and hope you stick around for advent season as we race towards Christmas.
Follow daily for a reveal of each advent calendar window. This has been an annual tradition since 2014 and I look forward to this every year.
Whether you’re new, or you’re a returning reader, I’d love for you to hang out and follow along as we count the days to Christmas!
If you’d like to check out previous Star Wars Advent calendars, here are the links to 2014, 2015. 2016, 2017, and 2018.
This year, I’m also doing the brand new Harry Potter Advent Calendar, which you can follow along as well.
How does this work?
If you’re new here, I do daily updates on each window of the 2019 Star Wars Advent Calendar. I usually post updates in the morning, but sometimes if I get too busy at work, updates will be posted in the evening. I’ll update this post each day, as I don’t really enjoy the practice of creating new posts for each day as it keeps it so much cleaner.
Unlike other sites, I’m actually opening each window as I go, and I’ve been able to be relatively spoiler-free to be as surprised as I can get. All reviews, thoughts and reactions are live as we go along, there are no pre-planned photos or thoughts, unless I happen to be travelling or away from home.
Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia (GMT +8) so we’re ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you’ve opened your window and built the daily model especially if you’re located in other timezones like the US or UK.
PS: If you’re planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these links if you’re shopping on Amazon, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com! Thanks in advance!
What are we expecting with the 2019 Advent Calendar?
2019 is an important year for the Star Wars franchise, with the upcoming release of the Rise of Skywalker to close out the Sequel Trilogy.
From the box art, we can expect this year to be heavily represented by all things Sequel Trilogy, which you may or may not enjoy.
One of the things I absolutely hate about the Advent Calendar designs is that the illustrations on the box usually spoils most of the windows and builds, which… really defeats the surprise element that I like with Advent Calendars.
This happens year after year, and I guess the graphic and product designers at LEGO still fundamentally miss the point of it all.
To make it easier for you to check out each day’s section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section.
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Day 1 – First Order Star Destroyer
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Day 2 – Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle
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Day 3 – First Order Stormtrooper
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Day 4 – FWMB-10 Repeating Blaster
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Day 5 – Black One
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Day 6 – Resistance Troop Transporter
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Day 7 – Chewbacca
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Day 8 – Ahch-To
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Day 9 – Old Luke Skywalker
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Day 10 – Quadjumper
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Day 11 – Death Star Turret
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Day 12 – Imperial Gunner
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Day 13 – Mouse Droid
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Day 14 – Snail Tank
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Day 15 – Battle Droid
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Day 16 – MTT
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Day 17 – Escape Pod
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Day 18 – Rebel Fleet Trooper
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Day 19 – Mynock
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Day 20 – Echo Base
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Day 21 – Cloud Car
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Day 22 – Cloud Car Pilot
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Day 23 – Christmas Gonk Droid
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Day 24 – Christmas Porg
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Final Thoughts & Wrap-up
While you’re here, please also subscribe to the blog if you’d like to find out about other posts which cover LEGO news, reviews and random musings!
To follow along, it’s best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via this link in the top navbar. If you’re on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.
You can also follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page, where I’ll be updating it daily at the end of the day (in the US) to avoid accidentally spoiling people!
Here’s the front of the Advent Calendar box folded out, which creates a little playmat to display what will soon be a very fast-growing collection of tiny ships and minifigures.
This year’s illustration is less festive, with just a few snow-capped cliffs, against a starlit sky on a lush green planet. Could this be Ach-to?
A major change to this year’s Advent Calendar is the design of the doors. The cut-out doors, which open to reveal a bag of parts and instructions are much, much easier to open this year, which is an amazing feat as in previous years, you could tear them open if you weren’t careful enough.
Great job, whoever came up with this fix!
The instructions for the Star Wars Advent Calendar LEGO models are printed on each door. Some of them are easy to follow, but sometimes they can be pretty tricky and you’ll have to study the diagram quite hard to ensure that you’re building the models correctly.
Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!
Day 1
Day 1 of the 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar starts off really strongly, with a First Order Star Destroyer, one of the primary Battlecruisers in the First Order’s fleet.
Like most ships and themes in the Sequel Trilogy, the First Order Star Destroyer takes a beloved iconic spaceship from the Original Trilogy, and gives it a small design refresh.
In the case of the First Order Star Destroyer, it retains the imposing triangular shape of an Imperial Star Destroyer but flattens the bridge slightly.
This is quite a solid build, and I love how it looks from behind, with the twin Ion Engines at the back, which is slightly inaccurate as they’re meant to have 3 Ion Engines, but given the space limitations, it’s the best that they could probably do.
It’s the first time we’ve had a First Order Star Destroyer in an Advent Calendar, and the design is pretty good, as you can immediately recognise and identify what it is.
Off to a great star, and this tells me that we should expect more First Order builds in the coming days! Check back tomorrow to see what Day 2 brings!
Day 2
Day 2’s window gives us another debut ship – Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle. The Upsilon-class command shuttle is a regular fixture in the Sequel Trilogy, and in my mind is one of the most interesting new ships introduced.
In the movies, I’ve always loved how imposing it looks, and the model does a few things well – the foldable wings, and I particularly love the trans-red cockpit in the front.
Here’s a look at the back. I broke into a small smirk (a sign when I appreciate nice part usage) when I saw the use of a pair of skates for the engine thrusters.
But taken as a whole, I don’t really like the design of Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle. It looks a little blocky, I dislike the grey clips on the wings which makes them look bulky, and I feel like the wings need to be much longer.
It’s easy to recognise, but I just feel like the proportion are a little off – which is really hard to do when you build/design at scale.
So that’s Day 2 so far as we continue our foray into all things First Order. Check in tomorrow to see what Day 3 brings!
Day 3
The onslaught of all things First Order continues with Day 3’s First Order Stormtrooper! A staple of the First Order, these Stormtroopers form the bulk of the troops as all-purpose infantry.
While not as iconic as Imperial Stormtroopers, a statement which probably won’t ruffle too many feathers, they’re still a great design and he comes with a blaster rifle as well.
It sure looks like he’ll need some sort of rack to store his blaster rifle…
For those hoping that there would be some surprise underneath the helmet – nope, we get a standard issue Stormtrooper face.
Here’s a look at the back printing as well.
As the first minifigure to pop out of the Star Wars Advent Calendar, I guess it’s decent?
It doesn’t make a grand statement about the ambition and tone of this Star Wars Advent Calendar, but at the same time, you can never have enough Stormtroopers, so whether it’s Imperial or First Order, they’re still great additions regardless!
Love the consistent focus on the bad guys, and it’s setting up quite an unfair advantage for any forthcoming Resistance builds. Will we get more First Order builds, or will we finally get some Resistance competition? Check in tomorrow to find out!
Day 4
Day 4 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar might seem like a random Blaster Rifle Turret, but it turns out, this actually has a name – the FWMB-10 Repeating Blaster to be exact.
It’s a megablaster with a foldable stand and grips for added stability employed by Heavy Assault Troopers which makes yesterday’s First Order Stormtrooper not your average buckethead.
Looking at the design, it seems very accurate to the in-movie version, so hats off to the designers for adapting the design so well.
My favourite thing about the FWMB-10 Repeating Blaster is the white blaster rifle, which is a pretty rare element, only showing up in one other set which I’m guessing not a lot of people own.
Apart from that… it’s just a repeating blaster and not terribly exciting, so that’s Day 4 for now. Kinda boring so I hope tomorrow makes up for today’s meh build!
Day 5
After Day 4’s slightly disappointing build, the Star Wars Advent Calendar makes a remarkably strong recovery with Day 5’s Black One – otherwise known as Poe Dameron’s X-Wing Starfighter.
This is one helluva build, and I was really impressed by the sheer number of parts in the bag – the scale and detail of the set felt very much like a polybag-calibre build, instead of an advent model.
Poe Dameron’s (who goes by callsign Black Leader) black and orange X-Wing is undeniably iconic, and I love the treatment it’s been given. This is by far the most detailed X-Wing Starfighter I’ve ever come across in a Star Wars Advent Calendar, and it looks great from every angle.
I love the details, such as the white stud to represent his astromech droid BB-8, as well as the ability for the s-foils (wings) to be folded to attack and regular positions.
No matter what you think of Star Wars, you can’t deny that X-Wing Starfighters are incredibly cool, and till this day, they still excite me. This is my favourite build yet, and I’m willing to bet that many of you will appreciate just how great it looks.
Day 5 was such a great day and an absolute joy to build. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Day 6
Day 6 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar is a bit of an odd build – a Resistance Troop Transporter. You may have recognised this oddly shaped resistance ship from The Force Awakens, which ferried General Leia to the Battle of Takodana.
Update: I’ve fixed the photo above. Thanks to everyone who helped with correcting it!
It was also a LEGO set which you may remember. As a model, it’s okay – the designers had a pretty tough job as the Troop Transporter isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, so it’s not the easiest to adapt, especially at this scale.
The model does a decent job capturing the odd telephone receive shape of the Transport, but objectively it looks quite ugly.
We’re now bolstering the Resistance Forces, and I feel like we’re overdue a minifigure! Hope we get another to join the First Order Stormtrooper tomorrow!
Day 7
Looks like I was right and we got a minifigure in Day 7 with Chewbacca! Chewbacca is an iconic Star Wars character, and one of my personal favourites, so I’m quite delighted to have him.
It’s the newest, most detailed version of Chewbacca with highly detailed printing on his head and body – I love how well the different shades of fur blend well with one another, and the level of detail on his bandolier as well.
For an accessory, he comes with a campfire and a chicken Porg drumstick. I choose to believe that this is a Porg drumstick as he was shown feasting on them in The Last Jedi.
Here’s a look at Chewbacca’s back.
It’s a little disappointing that Chewie doesn’t come with a bowcaster, but I do like the funny fried porg reference, plus, it’s hard to be mad with a great Chewbacca minifigure, especially for those of you who don’t have the latest one yet.
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 8 brings!
Day 8
Following from Day 7’s Chewbacca and Fried Porg, we have a delightful micro version of Ahch-To, or more specifically an island where Luke Skywalker made his home while in exile.
The build is simple, yet effective with the sand-green elements representing the lush green vegetation covering the rocky island.
I love the grey stud, which represents Luke’s hut on the island.
It’s a simple build but I have a soft spot for these micro location-based builds in the Advent Calendar, which are a nice break from ships or minifigures.
For those wishing for a Bowcaster weapons rack, or even a Porg, bad luck today, but who knows, you may get your wish tomorrow!
Or will we get Luke? Check in tomorrow to find out!
Day 9
Just as predicted, Day 9 gives us one of the most exciting exclusives of the Advent Calendar, an Old Luke Skywalker minifigure.
This version, based on his time on Ahch-To hunting and fishing comes with dark brown robes and a matching brown tunic. He has a wooden staff, and the day’s catch.
The minifigure is well designed and will go well if you own 75200 Ahch-To Training. The minifigure has a double-sided head, and back printing.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t come with a bottle of green alien milk, but I’m guessing that LEGO didn’t want people to relive that slightly disturbing memory from The Last Jedi.
Old Luke Skywalker is a great addition to the Advent Calendar, and should delight most Star Wars fans.
Will we close this chapter of Ahch-To, or do you think we’ll get a Porg tomorrow?
Day 10
Day 10 was a really cool surprise – a Quadjumper! This slightly obscure ship made a very minor appearance on Jakku in The Force Awakens as a ship that Finn and Rey were considering jumping into, before being unceremoniously blown up.
It was also turned into a LEGO set from 2017 in case you needed a quick refresher.
The design does a pretty good job of getting the Quadjumper’s unique look right, with the four large thrusters in the front, transparent cockpit in the centre of the ship, as well as its signature caramel-coloured hull.
I really like how the wings were designed, which gives you the ability to tilt them in different angles and positions, however I did find them a bit fiddly, and they kept popping out of place when I was handling them.
As a ship, the Quadjumper is a really refreshing take as its never been in an Advent Calendar before, and as one of the rare new ship designs introduced in the Sequel Trilogy, I’m glad it’s getting a bit more airtime.
It does look like we’ve left Ahch-To, and the Quadjumper now places us squarely in the dessert planet of Jakku. I wonder who or what tomorrow will bring.
Day 11
Sorry for the delay! Had a pretty busy day and a work Christmas party, so I’ve only just got back to my computer.
Update: Thanks so much everyone for writing in and correcting me. After opening Day 12’s window, I am now 100% convinced that this is a Death Star Turret. I really wasn’t expecting any Original Trilogy builds, so this is a nice surprise!
In my defence, is there much difference between the Death Star and Starkiller Base? ?
Day 11 is a perplexing build, as I’m not 100% sure what it is but I’m going to take a stab and guess that it’s some sort of Laser Turret from Starkiller Base, from The Force Awakens.
I really like the look of the structure, especially that you can swivel the cannons around and adjust the angle as well.
It’s a really unique build, unlike anything I’ve ever seen in past Advent Calendars, and I’m also a sucker for structure builds.
We’re definitely not in Jakku, so it looks like we’re going to be kept guessing as to what the next day is going to be!
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 12 brings!
Day 12
After yesterday’s Death Star Turret, it now places us deep in the Death Star, back in the Original Trilogy. Day 12 gives us an Imperial Gunner, who specialise in manning weapons on the Death Star.
It fits in very nicely with yesterday’s Death Star Turret (which I had mistaken for a Starkiller Base structure), and is yet another Imperial minifigure to add to your collection.
I really like his helmet, which boasts some impressive moulding and details such as the black visor, chin, and even buttons on the side, as well as the Imperial seal on the front.
Here’s a look at the Imperial Gunner unmasked, and back printing.
That’s it for Day 12 so far! We’re now even, with two good guys and two bad guy minifigures.
As we seem to be in a Death Star roll, I wonder what we’ll get tomorrow…
Day 13
Happy Friday the 13th! For the superstitious, it may be seen as an unlucky day but this is a fantastic day for the Star Wars Advent Calendar as we get an utterly adorable Mouse Droid!
Also known by its formal name of MSE-6-Series Repair Droid, these cute little buggers can be found scurrying about Star Destroyers and Death Stars, and have become much-loved by Star Wars fans.
Please turn your volume up, and enjoy the cute little beeps they make as they run about, performing simple tasks such as cleaning, repairs, deliveries and also guiding Stormtroopers.
Mouse Droids are amazing, and I love how well they captured the design of these little Death Star Toasters, especially the wheels and the clip above the body.
I am very pleased with this tiny little Mouse Droid as it has made a tremendous improvement to my day.
Day 14
We are on a roll with the Star Wars Advent Calendar (compared to the steaming dumpster fire that is the Harry Potter one) with another surprising model – Day 14’s Snail Tank aka the NR-N99 Persuader-class droid enforcer.
Like its nickname suggests, this tank droid is modelled after a snail, and is best known for making an appearance in Revenge of the Sith, rampaging through the Wookie world of Kashyyyk, tearing up Chewie’s neighbourhood. It also made a notable appearance in the Star Wars Battlefront games.
They couldn’t have done a better job capturing its shape, especially the twin ion cannons on its side and its “eyes” on the top.
The view from the back is the Snail Tank’s best, as you get a much better idea of how it derived its nickname from, with the sloping back and “tail”.
This year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar continues to surprise, and the Snail Tank has rocketed up my list of favourite builds. It’s great to see such an obscure prequel droid make an appearance. and with such an accurate design to boot.
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 15 brings! Can’t believe we only have 10 days remaining!
Day 15
We’re fully in familiar prequel territory now with Day 15’s B1 Battle Droid! A staple of the Trade Federation Droid Army, these guys are most commonly known as bumbling cannon fodder, and provide a bit of comedy throughout the prequels.
They’re fairly common, and also made an appearance in last year’s calendar – but like most army-builder type minifigures, I kind of don’t mind multiples of them.
Clankers aren’t too shabby, but it would’ve been nice to get a rarer type of Battle Droid like a Super Battle Droid which hasn’t made an appearance in years.
That said, looking forward to what tomorrow brings!
Day 16
After yesterday’s Battle Droid, we get an Multi-Troop Transport or an MTT for short. These bulbous grey troop transports are best known for being featured in The Phantom Menace, ferrying and deploying thousands of Battle Droids during the Battle of Naboo.
The micro model gets the MTT’s shape right, but what I love most about it is the hatch that pops open in the front, to release the Battle Droids. Shame we don’t have any micro battle droids, so yesterday’s clanker will have to do to illustrate the process.
Day 16’s MTT is a fun, interactive build that injects some variety into the lineup. It’s looking particularly strong so far!
Will we still stay in Prequel territory tomorrow? Check in to find out!
Day 17
Day 17 rockets us back to Original Trilogy territory with an Escape Pod, which you may recognise from A New Hope, which ferried C-3PO and R2-D2 to crash land on Tatooine.
The Escape Pod’s design is not too bad, it has 4 thrusters in the back and the barrel-shaped front for passengers. It was quite an interesting and slightly challenging build, especially getting the engines in, but I got there in the end.
It’s quite interesting that LEGO is digging so deep into the archives and that we have an actual Escape Pod as one of the builds, something I wasn’t quite expecting.
It’s not the most interesting build, but at the same time, I recognise how iconic it is, especially to fans of a New Hope.
Now that we’re in Original Trilogy territory, I’m naturally quite excited to see what’s to come tomorrow!
Day 18
It’s always a pleasant surprise to see a minifigure pop out of a window, and Day 18’s Rebel Fleet Trooper is a great addition to anyone’s collection.
This Rebel Fleet Trooper probably serves on the Tantive IV, which ejected yesterday’s Escape Pod and could be one of the poor hapless Troopers mercilessly cut down by Vader in Rogue One (one of THE best Star Wars moments of all time).
They’re best known for their vests, and egg-shaped visor helmets.
Here’s a look at the Rebel Trooper’s alternate face, and back printing.
All in all, it’s a pretty decent minifigure and a decent surprise to pop out of Day 18! Looking at how the days are going… I have a strong suspicion that we’ll be getting some sort of ship tomorrow…
Day 19
The 2019 Star Wars Advent Calendar continues to surprise and delight with a Mynock for Day 19! A my-what?
Mynocks are bat-like alien parasites that are drawn to power sources, and you may remember them from Empire Strikes Back as the winged alien leeches that attacked the Millennium Falcon.
I think it’s really cool to have an actual Star Wars creature in the advent calendar, which is a very rare occurence. In this case, the design works well with the webbed tan wings, ominous glowing green eyes and a prominent mouth on the front.
After yesterday’s Rebel Fleet Trooper, a Mynock was nowhere near my guesses for today. I’m really enjoying being surprised, and it also seems like the designers have very intentionally pursued all-new never before seen creatures and ships with this calendar.
Bring on Day 20!
Day 20
With 5 days left in the Star Wars Advent Calendar, Day 20 gives us yet another stellar build – this time a microscale Hoth Echo Base.
If you’re a Star Wars fans, Echo Base is hallowed ground due to it being a prominent location in Empire Strikes Back, where the Rebels take refuge before the Empire launches an assault on the base.
If you’ve been reading my Advent Calendar Countdowns for awhile, you’ll know that I absolutely LOVE these location-based microbuilds and Echo Base knocks it out of the park.
Its most prominent feature is the Ion Cannon, which is currently firing a blue laser into space, probably at a Star Destroyer, but there’s also a turret up front, and I really loved the arched entryway into the base.
This is an absolutely brilliant build and one of my favourites out of this calendar.
It really seems like we’re heading towards a strong back-half of the calendar, and I can’t wait to see what Day 21 brings.
Day 21
More Empire Strikes Back goodness beckons with Day 21’s Cloud Car! These Twin Pod ships are best known for patrolling the skies of Cloud City with a small but memorable appearance in Empire.
If I could award an Advent Calendar model for being the most accurate, it would have to be given to this model. The curves, shape, and even the transparent cockpits.
Here’s how it looks from the back, where you can see the engine’s blue glow.
In a calendar full of outstanding builds, the Cloud Car is exceptional, and I think a lot of Star Wars fans will be absolutely delighted with it.
Only three more days remain in the 2019 Star Wars Advent Calendar, and to be honest, at the rate we’re going, I kind of don’t want this to end!
Day 22
What’s the ideal companion to yesterday’s excellent Cloud Car? A Cloud Car Pilot minifigure of course! This is an excellent minifigure as it was previously a very rare minifigure, only showing up in last year’s 75222 Betrayal At Cloud City.
It was introduced in 2018, so for most people that didn’t buy Betrayal at Cloud City, this is a fantastic way to get your hands on what has been an obscure yet memorably character from Empire Strikes Back.
The most unique element about the Cloud Car Pilot is his unique red and white helmet, with its odd almost “bike aero helmet” look.
Here’s a look at the Cloud Car Pilot’s back printing, as well as alternate face.
The gunmetal grey blaster is also a neat addition.
While the Cloud Car Pilot isn’t the most notable character, its rarity and novelty makes for a great minifigure, and addition to any hardcore Star Wars fan’s collection.
Only two more days remain in the SW Advent Calendar!
Day 23
Now THIS is how you do a festive Star Wars Advent Calendar build. The second last build of the 2019 Star Wars Advent Calendar is a Christmas Gonk Droid, which is the most adorable thing ever.
More accurately known as the GNK Power Droid, these Gonk Droids have been fan-favourites since their debut, and are best known for the “gonk” sound they make.
That and the fact that in the movies, they were essentially a box with legs sticking out of them.
This Gonk Droid is wrapped in his Christmas best to look like a gift, and is just my favourite thing ever. I cannot describe how happy such a whimsical yet so Star Wars build makes me feel.
I’m all ready for the finale tomorrow, and I hope the Christmas Gonk Droid puts you in a festive mood!
Day 24
Here we are, Christmas Eve which means the final day of this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar! As is customary, the final window contains a festive character, and this year, we get a Santa Porg!
The Santa Porg is decked out in Santa colours and has a cute little Santa Hat. It also comes with a gold present with a star ribbon on top of it.
As THE conclusion of the Advent Calendar, it’s just okay – nowhere near as fun as yesterday’s Christmas Gonk Droid, and pales in comparison to previous years where we used to get the likes of Santa Yoda, Santa Vader and even Santa Darth Maul.
That said, it’s leaps and bounds better than last year’s disappointing Rebel Trooper Snowman finale, and I do like the tie-in with the prequels, which seemed like the focus of this year’s advent calendar, what with Ahch-To, Old Luke and Chewie.
It’s a little lazy, as it’s not an exclusive minifigure or character, and really just slapping a Santa Hat on a Porg. I do love Porgs, and I’m really pleased to get another one, but deep down, I really, really, really wanted a Santa Kylo Ren. Oh well, maybe next year.
That’s it for this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar, but we’re not quite done yet! Stay tuned for a wrap-up post as we look at this year’s Star Wars Advent Calendar as a whole, and my final thoughts on this year’s outing!
Final Thoughts and Wrap Up
Firstly, thanks SO much to EVERYONE who has been following along this year, both first-time readers and especially returning readers.
It’s been an absolute blast counting down the days towards Christmas and I’ve really enjoyed chatting to so many of you in the comments section.
I’ve really enjoyed this year’ advent calendar, and I think it’s been one of the strongest since I started doing Daily Countdowns. We had a great mix of old, new and so many surprises thrown in.
Here’s a breakdown:
We got 7 minifigures (6 if you don’t count Droids) in this year’s calendar which is a slight increase from last year, where we had 2 droids and a Snowman.
The minifigure lineup was quite solid, and I really enjoyed the variety. Old Luke Skywalker was the definite standout, but the Cloud Car Pilot and Rebel Fleet Troopers were nice surprises.
I really would’ve liked more named characters as we only got Chewie and Luke, and it feels so weird to have an Advent Calendar without a single lightsaber in it.
Again, the lack of a festive Star Wars character was a disappointment.
The ships and vehicles were really good this year, with a very obvious bias towards Sequel Trilogy ships – with the Cloud Car being the only non-sequel ship.
Highlights for me include the absolutely brilliant (but gigantic) Poe’s X-Wing, and I also really enjoyed the Cloud Car and Quadjumper, even if the latter was a little jiggly.
We got no one, not two but THREE location-based builds, which was amazing. Ahch-to and Echo Base were absolute favourites, and it’s great to see the designers embrace more of these locations in this year’s advent calendar.
Oh and so many droids, or droid-themed builds! I really liked the Snail Tank, Mouse Droid, but the Christmas Gonk Droid has to be my favourite build in the entire calendar.
In the absence of a named Christmas minifigure… the Gonk Droid was a pretty fun substitute.
The miscellaneous builds include the turret, escape pod and also two creatures the Santa Porg and Mynock.
It’s kinda funny as I created my very own Santa Porg in 2017 so to see LEGO do their own version was interesting, but also speaks to the lazy execution of the final build.
Like I said in 2017, ” Slapping on a Santa Hat on a Porg BB-8 does not make him any special in any way and LEGO could’ve done so much better.”
Really disappointing, and this truly would’ve been an outstanding Advent Calendar if we had gotten a Santa Kylo Ren.
That said, I really enjoyed this year’s advent calendar, despite ending on a bit of a downer. Thank goodness the Gonk Droid came in strong to save the day, but all in all, it has been a really fun calendar that managed to strike the right balance between new, old and rare/unique builds.
There was a lot of love for Star Wars fans with obscure ships, and characters included, as well as previously rare minifigures like the Cloud Car Pilot which made the contents feel quite substantial.
I also can’t believe I’m saying this, but where was the Weapons Rack! I know in the past years, Weapons Racks have always been the butt of the joke, and many (including me) dread opening one but I feel like they’ve become such a staple ingredient of Star Wars Advent Calendars, that it was really weird not to have one this year.
I felt like a Weapons Rack for Chewie’s Bowcaster would’ve been an obvious inclusion but as we approached the end, it was clear we wouldn’t get one. Does this mean that the tradition has been ended?
I can’t believe I’m left wanting for a Weapons Rack!
Anyway, this has been an excellent Star Wars Advent Calendar, and one of the best in the last few years. It does seem like LEGO is listening to feedback from fans, and I think they’ve really struck the right balance this time around.
What was favourite build or character in this year’s advent calendar? Let me know in the comments!
That’s it for now, thank you SO much for following every day and for leaving hundreds of comments on the post.
Merry Christmas to you, wherever you’re celebrating in the world and I hope that you’ll find plenty of LEGO under the tree tomorrow!
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Merry Christmas!
Glen A says
2020 Advent Calendar came online yesterday for buying!!!
Matt says
Thanks for writing this every year, Jay! I know I’m here at a weird time of year but I just had a thought looking at these builds on my bookshelf. What if the turret in day 11 is a First Order Dreadnaught turret (those things Poe was blowing up at the beginning of The Last Jedi) to go with Black One? Idk about the tower design but the cannon itself (one gun on each side of the tower) looks more like those turrets than those on the Death Star. Just a random thought lol
Jay says
Hey Matt, you’re welcome! I’m really looking forward to this year’s calendar!
I definitely think it’s a Death Star, mostly due to its positioning in the calendar, with the Imperial Gunner following the next day.
An anonymous lego fan says
I really wish that there was a weapons rack. I only just started the lego star wars advent calendars this year and was kinda hoping for a Chewie bowcaster or any weapon at all.
Lee says
I didn’t bother with the 2019 SW calendar this year, following the disappointment of the 2018 one. I checked in here just now (as someone commented on a blog post that I commented on a while back and I got a notification) and all I can say is, damn, I really shouldn’t have given up on it! So many great figures. I wonder if I can find one lying around somewhere?
Jay says
Yeah, this was a very worthy follow-up to 2018, although the final window is still kinda disappointing and I’d wager a bit worse than a Santa BB-8. You should definitely try to pick one up if possible before they become too hard to find!
Dan Dunford says
Thanks for the great blog Jay.
This was my first time following along and look forward to next year!
My favorite was echo base and chewie.
Jay says
You’re most welcome, Dan! Glad that your first experience has been great, and can’t wait for next year’s to roll around!
Dave McGowan says
Thanks again for the time and effort you put into your blogs. Been visiting with my family for the past couple years.
Poe’s XWing and Xmas GNK were standouts for me this year.
I agree that Xmas porg falls short.
I would literally pay extra for a calendar box with a black starry scape and the Star Wars logo. Heck make it a limited edition thing. Anything to not ruin the surprise of the advent calendar prizes.
Thanks again, till next year.
Jay says
You’re most welcome, and thank YOU for following along all these years!
The Xmas Gonk Droid will be hard to top in coming years.
Yeah, it’s really infuriating that they have to feature the builds on the front. To strike a happy medium and please people who want to get a preview of the inclusions, they can always just have a simple illustration on the front and leave the builds featured on the back.
Oh well, hopefully they come to their senses in 2020!
Steve says
Thanks for a great Blog again Jay.
Loved following the blog while opening the calendar again this year – its now a tradition in our home to do both together. Agree it was a really strong calendar this year only marred for us by the error in Day 3, not receiving the stormtrooper but I suppose we got two Gonk Droids instead. And what of a weapon’s rack! Missed it when its not included.
Standout builds for us are Black 1 as favourite vehicles and old Luke Skywalker is our favourite figure but the cloudcar and pilot come a close second.
Hope everyone’s had a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year! Looking forward to some Rise of Skywalker themed builds in 2020! 🙂
William says
Awesome job again! I’ve been following the advent calendar blog for a few years now. My sons (4 and 6) enjoy opening every morning and then checking out your blog for more info on some of the obscure stuff. Really appreciate your efforts and I hope you had a merry Christmas!! Thanks again!
JoJo says
My favorite build was the Mynock!!!
McMiner says
Hey Jay! Its me again! I hope you remember me! I just want to say that I had a blast opening this calendar this year. I also made my own two parter review on this calendar! If you want to see it, here are the links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmT_IyAQOwA&t=527s
Lee says
I’m really leaning towards not getting the calendar next year, I feel like I’m growing out of them (I’ll be 50..!). But even if I don’t I’ll still follow the blog! Merry Christmas to you & yours, Jay.
Andy says
50?
That’s nothing! In the words of Yoda:
When 900 years old you reach, be too old for Star Wars, you will not… 😉
Fincham Family says
My sons and I love the blog over the years. Thanks for doing it.
Dan Hardy says
Hi Jay, this has been my 5th year with a Star Wars advent calendar, and the 5th year reading your blog. Discovered it when I couldn’t work out what the ewok/jawa drum thing was in the 2015 calendar. Hadn’t heard of weapons racks then!! Since then, even when I know what the build is, I still like checking your blog to see what you think of it!
I’m a sucker for anything from the Original Trilogy, so was getting worried when the first 10 were from the sequels. Thankfully, there were some excellent builds. Stand outs for me are the Cloud Car and pilot, Mouse Droid, Rebel Fleet Trooper. Imperial Gunner, Mynock and, of course, the Christmas Gonk Droid.
Least favourite was the battle droid, as I now have 3 of these, and one was in last year’s calendar. Felt like a bit of a cop out this year.
Worse thing by far is that if you look at the front and back of the calendar, a whopping 19 out of the 24 builds are given away. I made a point of not looking closely at it until today, but some I couldn’t help seeing. I know you also hate this, and really don’t know why Lego do it. Reveal some, yes, but not 4/5ths of the items!
Still, overall, it has been another good calendar! Roll on December 1st 2020! Have a great Christmas, and thanks for the good work with the blog!
michal says
Merry Christmas Jay, thank you for those daily entries, I have really enjoyed it like I do every year!
I have to admit I am not a regular visitor here, but will definitely come back next year ?
and yes, bit dissapointed with Santa. Avoided any spoilers by not looking at the packaging for over a month, and was hoping for Santa Rey or at least Ben.
Veda says
Thank you for doing this and explaining what each build is and including pictures from all sides so I could see how some of the builds are put together.
I too miss the weapons rack.
The mouse droid is my favorite build.
Wayne Haywood says
Thank you once again Jay.
Another excellent blog. Your comments are always as anticipated as the builds.
Fleet trooper, Imperial gunner, Luke and cloud car pilot were my favourites.
Merry Xmas to you and and your family and may you have a very Happy New Year
Sara says
Thank you Jay! This is my 4th year following your advent calendar blog! Loved it again! You’re the best!
Melissa Spencer says
Thank you for your excellent commentary! This is our second year doing the Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar, and we found your blog last year to be helpful and informative!
Merry Christmas to you! Hope you are surviving the heat in Australia!
Justin says
Well done Jay, we have been opening our advent calendars with you the past few years. We had the HP calendar this year but kept an eye on Star Wars through you blog. Good to see you get through the banner window rage this year and we, like you, thought the End result of the HP set made a great Xmas scene. We look forward to next years!
Andrius says
2016 didn’t have a weapons rack either, I believe.
Thanks for all the hard work, Jay – your reviews are always a treat. See you in 11 months!
Chris says
Merry Christmas Jay,
This has been a great and informative blog to follow over December. It’s been great to build the daily sets and read your comments.
I only wish that there was a 25th door!
All the best,
Chris
Brad (Daddy) and Matthew (LEGO aficionado extraordinaire!) says
My 8 year old son and I have thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Advent calendar and looked forward to reading your blog everyday! This is our second year with the Star Wars calendar and your blog. Thank you so much for all your posts and insights. They’ve really added to our holiday memories!
As for the Santa Porg, my son disagreed with you. He said it is totally adorable! We also thought the detail of putting him in a Santa suit and not just a hat is a detail that really added to it.
Regardless, thank you for all of your work and being a big part of our Christmas traditions! Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones!
Andy says
Merry Christmas Jay, and once again, it’s been a blast following along.
Highlight for me (other than Gonk ofc) was the cloud car. Nice build and a surprise to get (it may be on the box, but to be honest I don’t look that hard at the box because I like to be surprised at the builds.
The Mynock was equally a surprise, and I loved the Black One build. I found the Red squad x-wing I built at the Lego stand at celebration Europe and it is practically identical. Nice to have a pair of them now.
A festive Kylo would be great!
Jackson says
Thank you so much for this! It’s become a tradition in our family to read your daily posts when we open a box. We have been following along for 5 years. Thank you for taking the time to post on each build. Our favorite this year was Po’s X-Wing. Merry Christmas!!
Ann-Marie says
I really enjoy your countdown blog. This is the third year I’ve gotten a calendar and it, and you, has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. My dad passed this summer, so this has been a fun escape from the reality of a Christmas without him. So, thank you and happiest of holidays to you.
Kara says
Thanks again Jay for a great break down of the Star Wars advent calendar. I find it very helpful when posting ours on my Facebook page for friends. Hope you have a great holiday season, and a happy new year!
Nick M says
Merry Christmas Jay, really enjoyed this years countdown.
I particularly liked someone’s idea of putting the spare skates on a Stormtrooper.
My favourite this year? Can’t decide between the mousedroid or Chewbacca cooking a Porg….
Thanks for doing this and looking forward to 2020
Mark says
I noticed the monthly Star Wars Lego magazine in the newsagents yesterday, the December edition (in the U.K. at least) comes with 2 poly bags, Kylo Ren’s shuttle and…… a weapons rack! So if your really missing it this year there is still hope lol
James says
It was a pleasure!
Martin says
Thanks for guiding me through my first Star Wars advent calendar, it’s been very useful and loved reading your knowledgable comments. Due to health issues I ended up opening the last 7 days this morning in one go. So pleased with the included mini figures, especially as from Boxing Day I’m starting on my UCS Millennium Falcon that I bought in June.
Nigel says
My favourite advent calendar so far, made all the more enjoyable by following your daily blog. Thanks Jay, have a great Christmas
Parker Age 7 says
Merry Christmas thanks for the blog Jay!!
Steve says
Love the gonk droid but I got 2 ! One on Day 3 (instead of the stormtrooper) and the proper one today.
We held off building the one from Day 3 until the official Gonk Droid day but they look cool together.
Paul Castle says
Oh wow! I love Gonk droids, so having a festive version is the best present ever!
Amy says
I think this Lego Advent Calendar is the BEST one they have put out so far! They had the best Lego’s to create! Thanks for putting out the Blog, I check it with my mom everyday before school to read about the build of the day. Merry Christmas!
Mack
Darth Sleepy says
We agree with Jay… love the gonk droid. It has a lot of great detail and can’t beat the Star Wars/ Christmas tie in aspect!
Mark says
Where is the gun rack? That the highlight of every years calendar! 😉 I’ve really enjoyed this years offering, a nice mix of mini figs, micro build ships and locations and from all eras of the star wars saga. I think this is my third year following the blog, and it’s come in handy as usual to identify a couple of items, so thanks for that!
Paul Castle says
Saving the best for last?
Cam says
Me too – As soon as I saw that classic Gonk shape I was floored. Definitely thrilled with this year’s calendar. I gotta say I must have been doing my research because the only one I had to refer to this blog for was theQuadjumper, I recognised everything else for the first time! Can’t wait for day 24 tomorrow!
Cellar says
My 5 year old loves this Gonk droid! He already modified it and made it a snake, dragon, owl, sheep and a hoover 😀
Greetings from Finland! This is our second year with your blog. Thank you again for this year and Merry Christmas! My son already decided next year he wants the Lego City calendar cause his friend had it and there was nice small things like a granny and a book 😀
Mark says
As soon as I opened the door to the 23rd I knew what it was and couldn’t stop smiling!
Glad to see you had the same reaction, Jay. For me, this year’s calendar surpasses the 2018 version. Can’t wait to see what the finale brings!!
Andy says
And this is one of the many reasons I love this annual Blog, Jay will always be able to tell me what something is that I don’t recognise…
I thought the cloud car pilot might have been something to do with the resistance!
Thanks again,
For some reason I’m seeing posts a day late though… as I’m in the U.K. We’re 8 hours behind you, so last year I’d open a window then come and check your notes/review. Now it’s a day later?
Steve says
Nice one Jay, I had no idea that today’s mini figure was the cloud car pilot. I did see the Cloud City at the Lego store but was a bit costly for me, so its nice to have a rare figure from it.
I’m hoping for a stormtrooper tomorrow, as my day 3 was the Christmas Gonk / Power Droid! : )
Jay says
Yeah, for some strange reason, every time I see the Cloud Car Pilot, my brain automatically thinks its some kind of medical doctor or something. Must be the red and white colour scheme.
Ah bummer! Hope that Stormtrooper eventually shows up! If not, don’t forget to write to LEGO to request a replacement.
Joel Gamache says
I have the advent calendar and on day 9 I got another Kylie ren ship instead of old Luke Skywalker… my 5 year old daughter and 1 were a little disappointed… oh well… it’s still pretty cool!
Jay says
Oh no, this is a pretty rare occurrence when LEGO sometimes sorts the parts wrongly. You can write to their Customer Service, who are usually great at sending out a replacement so you don’t miss out on Old Luke.
Brian Keith Liles says
The only one I’ve had any trouble with is the escape pod . I had a stroke so it took me 12 tries to all 4 exhaust things on.
Jay says
I consider myself having pretty dexterous fingers, but even I had trouble with the engines, so you’re definitely not alone.
Brian Keith Liles says
I wish I had your optimism IMO this has been the worst advent calendar in the last few years.
Bruce says
Well than you don’t have to do the advent calendar if it is so disappointing to you.
Paul Castle says
Bit harsh that, as it’s a blind purchase if you avoid looking at the promo pics and box too closely if you want to avoid spoiling surprises.
Luca says
Hate culture, do tell.
My son has enjoyed every single day!
Thanks for the blog!
Jay says
Sorry to hear that you’re not liking this year’s calendar. What about it do you think makes it the worst in the last few ones?
Pamela Norris says
My family and I are getting so much more out of the advent calendar thanks to this blog. We check it every day after our daughter finishes the build.
Aaron says
Same, really enjoy following up here for the extra info on all of the builds and mini figures. Adds to the enjoyment of each days build.
Jay says
I’m so glad that I could help with enjoying this year’s Advent Calendar!
Kellie Porter says
Day 5 came with quite a bit of missing pieces. What to do? Thanks for helping figure out what assume of these are
Pamela Norris says
You probably figured it out by now, but our day 5 was switched with another day. There were a few days mixed up. I didn’t know what to do, and then I realized I’m an adult and could go through and sort out all the days for my kid.
Jay says
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. If there are missing pieces, you can reach out to LEGO’s customer service for a replacement.
Luke Dorman says
You are killing it bro!! I had no clue about the quad jumper (I stupidly thought it may be sebulba’s pod racer)
Sharon Mongin says
My kids thought it was Sebulba’s pod at first too!
Jay says
Thanks dude! I only stuffed up the Death Star Laser Turret this year, so I’ve been on a decent run, thankfully!
Eric Kilchoer says
How do you find out the great mystery’s of the advent calendars , Jay are you an omniscient being that knows everything imaginable
Jay says
Being a Star Wars fan helps, but sometimes not as much as being able to Google stuff, haha!
Steve says
Damn. In all our years doing this, today we have our first missing piece. Time to go on the hunt and improvise.
This is definately one of the best calendars we’ve had. It’s nice to see you happy Jay!
Jay says
Oh no! I hope it wasn’t a hard to find piece. This is honestly one of my biggest fears as I’d probably confuse thousands of people!
Yeah, it’s been really good this year, except I’d probably like a bit more “notable” characters but that’s a minor complaint.
none of your business says
I just built mine
Jay says
Nice! What do you think so far?
Mr Werd says
I just wanted to say that your ‘blog has made this year’s calendar an absolute treat. I’ve had a Star Wars Lego calendar each year for the last 7 or so years, and haven’t really valued the non-minifigure builds, but your ‘blog’s made me appreciate each day’s gift.
Thank you!
Jay says
You’re most welcome! Really glad that I’ve been able to help add value to your Advent Calendar experience!
Danno says
“Only three more days remain in the 2019 Star Wars Advent Calendar, and to be honest, at the rate we’re going, I kind of don’t want this to end!”
We don’t want it to end either! It encourages our son to get ready for school in a timely matter.
Jay says
What a great incentive to get him prepped for school, haha.
Chris Hawkins says
Did anyone else have enough parts to make TWO cloud cars or did I just get really lucky?
Jay says
Sounds like you won the Advent Calendar lotto!
Parker Age 7 says
Today’s build is a good build, i like the cockpits
Jay says
Yeah, the cheese slopes are pretty cool!
James says
I don’t know whether it is just me but does there seem to be some linkage to last year’s calendar. So although it was a first order at at last year you could use it with echo base from this year, and the cloud car with last year’s cloud city for example.
Jay says
That’s a really good point, but with the Star Wars movies… there’s only so many scenes and locations they can reference, so they’ll inevitably tie in to each other from year to year. That said, your comment sparked a thought about mashing together models from previous years together to see what they’d look like all together.
Ben says
The echo base was not much of a surprise due to it being Christmas and snow everywhere ?
Jay says
True, although I’m in Australia where Christmas is typically known for being sweltering hot!
Andy says
(In Hans Gruber accent) WHERE IS MY WEAPONS RACK????
Roly TheBeerGeek says
lol, yeah, almost feels incomplete without a weapon so rack! ??
We did get that mounted blaster ?
Jay says
I think it’s borderline SCANDALOUS that there doesn’t seem to be a Weapons Rack this year!
Jay says
I know. Christmas is THIS CLOSE to being cancelled. How dare they disrespect such a sacred tradition??
Art says
For Day 20 we had another Ahch-To. The picture shows the Echo Base but the pocket is of the Ahch-To build. Did this happen to anyone else?
Jay says
Oh yikes, it sounds like you got a defective calendar. You can write to LEGO’s customer service and they should be happy to send you a replacement Echo Base. This happens every now and then unfortunately.
Paul Castle says
Echo Base is a life long favourite. I mean, what kid doesn’t like snow, and we had the Rebels setting up base in it!
Jay says
If only we had an AT-AT to go along with Echo Base!
Michelle Roberts says
There was one last year! That’s pretty much why I have to get this every year, because of how you can build on it.
Lee says
I likewise am a fan of the location builds – my favourite remains the Cloud City one. But this is terrific. They’re like Lego Architecture sets, but on an even smaller scale.
Jay says
Cloud City was just inspired. I see the Cloud Car and Pilot in this year’s calendar as being part of that “package”, so it’s great to have so much Cloud City love.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Huh got one of those rebel troopers already! ?
Jay says
Nice!
Jacob says
The Mynock looks identical to the one in the UCS Millennium Falcon – great for those who kinda want it but can’t afford to buy the set.
Jay says
That would be me! The UCS MF still eludes me, and I feel like I’ll never own it, heh.
Paul Castle says
A Rebel Fleet Trooper and a Mynock! Two fantastic surprises. The Mynock is just the right size to chew on the Millennium Falcon’s power cables 🙂
Jay says
I still remember being so afraid of them as a kid.
Joeshmoe554 says
I was a little disappointed that today’s build was a repeat of the Mynock from the UCS Falcon, but I suppose it is nice to have an extra.
Jay says
I don’t own the UCS Falcon, so I’m pretty pleased with it 🙂
Baxter says
This calendar has been great. Been doing it for 4 years and this year by far is the best.
Jay says
I agree! I’ve been loving every day and the selection of movies to focus on has been great. It’s got a bit of everything and the designs have been amazing as well.
Darth sleepy says
We think it’s a mynock too. Love it. This year’s advent calendar has been the best
Jay says
I agree! It’s definitely been one of the strongest Advent Calendars ever.
Mr. Otter says
I love the today’s mynock it adds a nice creature… AND IT CAN FLY!!!?
Branden says
They fly now?
Dominic says
Yep, they fly now.
Jay says
Fly AND chomp on Millennium Falcon cables!
James says
Is today’s an Ewok glider?
Ethan says
I personally thought it was a mynock, from Empire Strikes Back…
Ollie says
Definitely a Mynock, they had the same (or similar build) in the 2017 UCS Millenium Falcon.
Phil Pursglove says
According to my Facebook memories, day 18 in the 2012 advent calendar was also a Fleet Trooper!
Ryan says
Hello! My name is Ryan and I am 8 years old and live in the USA.I just am writing to tell you that I love your brick blog! I like this year’s calendar too! And I love all of your from Legos even the mynock.
Jay says
Hey Ryan, thanks so much! I’m so glad you’re loving the blog so far. I hope to see you again next year if you’ll be doing the Star Wars calendar again!
Andrea says
Unfortunatly (or fortunatly) today i found again the surprise from day 2 and not the Rebel Fleet Trooper… Well waiting for the Lego service to send me one. Ty for the reviews (sometimes it’s hard to recognise a build)
Ian Hazlehurst says
Such a simple but effective build. Love it.
Eric DeGroot says
Would it be possible for anyone to send a parts list for the Day 5 x-wing? We opened ours and only had 3 small black pieces in a bag. After emailing and calling LEGO they only seem to be interested in getting a parts list to help us. Very frustrating.
Thanks much.
Lucas Palichuk says
I also had the wrong parts in day 5, and ran into the same issues with support. my best guess for a parts list for day 5 would be…
MINI HANDLE
Element 383926
Design number 3839
Quantity 4
LIGHT SWORD SHAFT
Element 4598897
Design number 64567
Quantity 4
BRICK 1X1
Element 4173805
Design number 3005
Quantity 2
PLATE 1X2 W. 1 KNOB
Element 6092599
Design number 15573
Quantity 1
ROOF TILE 1X1X2/3, ABS
Element 4504382
Design number 54200
Quantity 1
ANGULAR BRICK 1X1
Element 407026
Design number 4070
Quantity 1
ROOF TILE 1X1X2/3
Element 6245250
Design number 35338
Quantity 1
ROUND PLATE 1X1
Element 614101
Design number 6141
Quantity 1
PLATE 1X1 W. UP RIGHT HOLDER
Element 6071226
Design number 15712
Quantity 4
BRICK 1X1 W. 2 KNOBS
Element 4213574
Design number 47905
Quantity 1
FLAT TILE 1X2
Element 306926
Design number 3069
Quantity 1
BRICK 1X2 W. FOUR KNOBS
Element 4253815
Design number 52107
Quantity 1
Cam says
Could we possibly get the Tantive IV tomorrow to go with the escape pod?!!!!
Paul Castle says
Oops, I thought the MTT was Rey’s speeder at first, though I did think it looked a bit odd. The previous day’s battledroid should have given me a clue!
Today’s escape pod was a real treat, and I hope we get another 1977 vintage build for tomorrow.
James Shaw says
Looking at the box there is one of the crew of the tantive 5, I bet we get him tomorrow
Simon says
I thought it was read speeder at first as well!
Andy says
And once again, using roller skates in Day 16’s build (thanks for identifying it… I had no idea!)
I wonder if they had a massive surplus of skate parts so tried to get as many into this calendar as possible? 😉
Geoff Sherman says
I’m going to be seriously disappointed if the 20th isn’t something epic. Like a Kylo/Rey figure double pack. Or Emperor Palpatine. Red eye 3PO?
Amethyst Stark says
Thanks for doing this! My son and I were STUMPED on the MTT. Will bookmark your blog!
Lucy says
As a Mum with 2 little boys who are enthusiastic Star Wars fans I am loving your blog so that I have a clue about what it is they’re building every morning! Brilliant commentary & SW knowledge ? x
Neil says
Was initially disappointed when I opened day 13 and saw how few pieces it had. This changed to delight when i saw just how nicely rendered the mouse droid was. And its scale works well to work with minifigs.
JediHero says
Heh, I thought the same thing,!
Öpe says
What threw me off from recognising this build (No. 16) is that it is built backwards.. 🙂 Love your blog. Seasons greetings from Finland.
Mr Werd says
Great blog! And thank you for identifying the Quadjumper, it was sending me potty!
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
You will take your words about the Harry Potter advent calendar back. You just wait. ?
sloop says
Looks like somebody opened them early. ‘,:)
Ian Hazlehurst says
Got loads of these Battle Droids, lets hope tomorrows makes up for it.
Steve says
Battle droids are fine I suppose – always good to have lots of them but would’ve been nice to have a special colour or print on it to make it a bit more unique.
We got one last year and 2016. Last super battle droid in 2014 (then back in 2012).
Paul Castle says
Bit of a let down today with a bog standard battledroid, but can’t complain overall as this calendar’s been good.
Gabriel says
Hi jay, i think you have a typo, it’s day 15. Love your blog.
Donn says
I am a huge fan of all things Star Wars. My son and I have been getting the SW advent calendar since 2014. We just found this blog and we enjoy reading your comments. I know we are only a little past halfway, but this year is definitely a good one.
Baxter says
The SW calendar has been terrific so far. Great builds and no weapons rack (so far – probably jinxed it). What a contrast to the HP calendar where it seemed like they have no ideas at all.
Diana says
Jay – every morning my grandsons run downstairs and tear open their Star Wars and Harry Potter calendars and your commentary on both makes us laugh – especially today’s dumpster fire comment!
Thanks for adding this extra dimension of fun and knowledge for some of the more obscure builds. Without you, this would be certainly not as much of an adventure.
Mark Bexon says
The snail tank reminds me of slave one.. bobbafets ship.
Paul Castle says
Yep, it does have a passing resemblance in its general shape.
Charlie says
I love Lego and I love Star Wars, but I feel that this year is really phoning it in. This may be the last year we buy it. ,
Lee says
I hesitate to get into Spoiler territory, but the to-the-day synchronicity of one build and the appearance of one of the same in the exact same day’s episode of The Mandalorian is quite uncanny. Can they have known?
RonnayBarkay says
How are you viewing the Mandalorians Eps outside the US….? is it on Disney+ in UK?
Cam says
Disney+ is available in Australia, Netherlands and Canada. Not in the UK yet.
Cam says
And New Zealand!
Mr. Otter says
I loved the mouse droid ❤️
BUT, I wish it could’ve came with 2 to fill the bag space ? ?
Btw, thanks for the blog jay I’m liking it so far ?
Jay says
Two mouse droids would be great! On the plus side, you can always create your own one as the parts are pretty common!
So glad you’re enjoying the blog so far!
Chris P says
Finally a good suggestion of what to do with the excess pieces!!
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Mouse droid oh yeah!
They really are my favourite (evil?) droid. So cute, so funny!
To bad they get destroyed every time a Death Stars or star destroyer is blown up. ?
Andy says
I like to think that like rats on a sinking ship, the mouse droids can sense when the time is up and they jump on the escape pods 🙂
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Thanks you made me feel better. ?
Jay says
They’re not evil, they are hard-working operational bots!
That’s dark, but plenty of Stormtroopers are mercilessly killed. You would like https://www.reddit.com/r/EmpireDidNothingWrong/ which spreads propaganda that the Rebel alliance are truly the bad guys in the Star Wars galaxy.
Steve says
We’re loving the mouse droid – 3 in row for the original movie!
Wonder what’s tomorrow? Guessing a change. Something from Empire? But we are overdue a weapons rack. . . . .
Paul Castle says
Totally different design to the one from 2011, this one is smaller, but ingenious uses of choice parts makes it incredibly screen accurate for the number of pieces used.
Jay says
I don’t have the 2011 version, so I’m pumped about my first Mouse Droid! Looking at the older photos, this one is a massive improvement!
michael says
I love this years star wars calendar. I am not a hardcore fan, but we buy it every year with my daughter since 2014, and I visit your blog since few years ago, so I can actually tell her what we built 🙂
thanks for doing this, looking forward to your updates just as much as I look forward to the calendar itself!
funnily enough, the only build I recognised myself was Ahch-To island – the one that few people here mentioned they had problems identifying.
also, what I noticed, for a casual lego fans like us (very casual), the difficulty of builds increased this year, and I like the extra challenge of figuring couple things. the best example was day 6, but I also had problems with those bottom wings of quadjumper.
Jay says
Thanks so much for following all these years! It means the world to me!
And yeah, I have noticed the difficulty in builds this year, which I think is a good thing as it really shows in the completed models. If you ever get stuck you can always download the instructions from LEGO’s online instruction library but fair warning… it’ll completely spoil all the other builds!
Lee says
Oh so that’s what it is! I was wondering whether they were doing nano-builds now and it was a really, really small AT-AT or bantha or something…
Jay says
Now that you mention it… a brick-built Bantha popping out of an Advent Calendar window would be amazing.
Parker Age 7 says
Today’s mouse droid is very cute, it goes along with the imperial gunner because he can hold the droid in his hands!
Happy Friday the 13th!
Jay says
Who says the Empire is all about killing and oppression when we have the cuteness that are Mouse Droids?
Si Fir says
It’s not even the proper Ravenclaw colours! They should have banners of blue and BRONZE! I know they were silver in the films because problems with filming but there is no excuse for getting them wrong in the set.
I’m really disappointed in this calendar so far, the HP sets I have bought for my wife all have some really nice touches this is definitely missing.
Si Fir says
I do apologise. This should, of course, have been in the Harry Potter calendar page.
Max says
Day 13: Darth Pooch, Darth Vader’s rat dog.
Jay says
The Empire (and Vader) would crumble without the hard work done by Mouse Droids.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
? instead I got a red ship! ?
Jay says
Oh interesting. Mixed up window? Write to LEGO for a replacement!
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
For some reason instead of the Death Star gunner I got that red space ship on the front of the box.
Bugger. ?
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
It is a nice build I guess.
Amanda says
Thank you for doing this. My little guy accidentally ripped off the first day and we didn’t have the picture. Without your blog, we wouldn’t have known how to put it together and when my son asks to have each day explained, I can use your reference . This momma is very thankful! Today, my Gunnar loved the imperial gunner the most!
Jay says
No worries at all, I’m so happy I can help! So great that he loves the Gunner! He does have a cool helmet!
Eric Kilchoer says
Aren’t the Death Star and starkiller base pretty much the same are you one of those people who say “the force awakens is a rehash of a new hope”
Jay says
Yes I am…
I’m unashamedly not a fan of the Sequel Trilogy.
Wilson says
Mini Death Star for Day 13?
Jay says
I would be so happy if they do a mini Death Star and that would automatically make it the ultimate advent calendar build.
Nicole says
Day 13 meh. This is quite a disappointing calendar. And to think I saw stores selling the HP one for $10 more than SW or City …
Nicole says
^^^ meant to post that on the HP blog! Sorry! Though my son just showed me what was in SW for 13 and comment stands ?
Lee says
Only halfway through really, but I’m inclined to agree. Law of diminishing returns is kicking in. Excepting minifigs, there were four truly stand-out builds two years ago; only two last year; nothing this year – yet…
Michael says
I wouldn’t say the X-Wing build is not a stand-out build tho…
Lee says
It’s the best this year for sure (so far – I’m not giving up yet, or declaring game over, there may yet still be surprises in store; I certainly hope so) ; but it’s lacking in novelty for me – like at least one other here, I remember it from the London SW Celebration in 2016.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
MOUSE DROIDS ARE CUTE!!!! ?
Jay says
The demand was really high for the calendar, given its Harry Potter and all, hence the price premium.
anonymous says
I just built mine, and I think it might be one of those people that press all the buttons in the death star and fire it at a planet.
Jay says
That’s the guy. He has a really important job.
Abby age 9 says
i didn’t like the quadjumper very hard to tell what it was. But loved day 1 great job
Jay says
Yeah, it’s not a really well known ship. I agree, Day 1 was great!
David says
Day 12 would support Death Star Turret? Excellent job Jay, as usual
Jay says
Yep!
Clancy aged 8 says
I think it was a Death Star Gun turret.
Jay says
Yep, I totally realised that when I saw the Gunner!
Andy UK says
I thought day 11 was more Death Star gun when I first saw it (shot plenty of them in various video games ?). Today’s (day 12) seems to go quite nicely with that – love that we’ve gone back to some classic trilogy for now!!
Loving the blog as always Jay, keep it up mate!!
Jay says
Yes, I realised I made a mistake identifying it when I saw Day 12’s!
Paul says
Hi Jay. My son and I religiously review your blog every day and love it! Thanks so much!
Keen to know if you’ve opened today’s (12th) and yesterday’s (11th) doors?
Jay says
So glad you and your son are enjoying the calendar so far!
Jim says
This blog saved my life last night. The kid nor I could follow the on-box instructions for the quad jump. I couldn’t really wing it because I had no idea what the final product was supposed to look like. So your photo saved me. Not to mention the description of what it was.
On an unrelated note, a few of our legos have been in the wrong day. For example, the quad jumper was not behind door number 10 for us, it was something else. My wife took the calendar away and rescued the day finding the quad jumper under a later door. The issue is, the instructions are on the correct door with the wrong bag of LEGOS in the pocket. Anyone else run into this? We have several times this month.
Jay says
You’re welcome, I’m so glad I could help! The instructions can be quite tricky at times and I’ve made so many mistakes this year myself!
Unfortunately, it looks like the contents of your calendar have switched around. It’s more common than you think, and some people have even received duplicate windows, which can be extremely disappointing. If you ever run into that issue, you can always write in to LEGO for a replacement, but in your case, it just sounds like the contents have been mixed up.
Nic F says
No, the turret is from the death star
Jay says
Yup, you’re right! I only realised after I opened the Gunner!
Jonathan says
I haven’t known the last two, I have to wait for the update to find out! I’m hoping a few more figures are coming soon ?
Jay says
I’m looking forward to more minifigs too!
Steve says
I put Day 11 together and thought ‘turbo laser’ from the death star surface?
No clue on what’s going to come tomorrow but looking forward to it.
Jay says
Yeah, I realised my mistake. Was tossing up between that, but I made an assumption that this calendar would be mostly dominated by sequel trilogy builds.
Kyle says
I like the idea of the turret being from starkiller base, but doesn’t it also look like the anti-fighter surface cannons that Poe took out on the dreadnought at the start of Last Jedi?
Jay says
I could’ve swore I’ve seen these on Starkiller Base, but it looks like I’m wrong and it’s a death star turret!
Dave says
Any chance Day 11 is a Death Star Trench cannon? That was my first thought!
Jay says
Yep, it totally is and I made a mistake!
Ethan says
I personally thought it was a turbo laser turret from the surface of the Death Star.
Jay says
Yup, it totally is! I messed up that one!
Brandon says
I’m loving these updates! I got it for my 5 year old, and we usually have to wait till the evening to open the one for that day, and I can’t handle the suspense! Plus, I needed some help when we opened Ahch-To and he asked me what it was. No more Christmas parties for you hahahaha
Jay says
So glad you’re loving the updates! Now you can pretend like you know everything about Star Wars to impress him!
Lucian says
I quite liked the random-ness and clever reference on the quad jumper but didn’t find it a very solid build. My favourite so far has been the figures and the Black One X Wing
Jay says
Great picks and yeah, the Quadjumper is quite flimsy.
bricksphere says
I didn’t like the quadjump but I was super happy of Luke!
Thank you Jay!
Jay says
You’re welcome!
Steve says
Loving the Luke Skywalker figure. Agree a claok woulld’ve been great but happy with it as it is.
The quadjumper I had to check the blog to find out what it was. We’ve looking forward to tomorrow if we’re on Jakku now.
Jay says
Yeah a cloak would’ve made it perfect. I’m sure I can find a brown one somewhere in my collection.
Paul Castle says
Yay, I actually guessed this one 🙂
No 2×1 clear flat with this set today though, but that’s only my second missing piece over the nine SW calendars so far, or indeed ever! Nothing like that in my spares box, so will have to request a replacement, ho hum.
Jay says
I’m so terrified of having a mixed up/mistaken day and disappointing/confusing thousands of people on the internet.
Ian Hazlehurst says
Thanks Jay,
Without your Blog, I wouldnt have know what this was, didn’t even know it was a Quadjumper!
Jay says
You’re welcome! I do wish it got more screen time as I think the design is quite unique and creative.
Matt H says
My 4-year-old son immediately noticed Old Luke has different colored hands. I think that is a nice detail but I don’t want to tell him why they’re different until he’s old enough to watch Episode V.
Jay says
That alone makes you deserving of a nomination for dad of the year 🙂
Parker Age 7 says
Hi I really like today’s build because it can fly and you can make your gun sound when it flies. The brown part looks like all the ships do when they are from desert planets and i can’t wait tomorrow’s build!
bye!
Paul Castle says
I love the Quadjumper! I’ve not seen any of the Star Wars Resistance animated series yet, but if it’s anything like Clone Wars and Rebels I am hoping we’ll see the Quadjumper in that somewhere.
Jay says
So glad you like that build! It’s brown because its probably a little rusty too!
Parker Age 7 says
Today’s build is the best figure i have seen in my life, it is really cool because it has a fish. On one hand I think the fish part is rare and it has a really good detail on his robe!
🙂 🙂
Paul Castle says
I’m surprised to hear this was an exclusive, but I’ve not really looked at the island set so just assumed this figure was from there. Lovely figure!
Jay says
The island set has him in Jedi Robes. Love that we’re getting more variety 🙂
Daniel says
I love the irony that Old Luke’s staff is still a lightsaber, just brown and upside-down!
Jay says
I’ve posed it as a lightsaber a few times 🙂
Matchbox says
Was quite happy with the Luke Minifigure; I just wish it came with a cloak. I went and dug up a brown cloak of my own, and it completed the look. Feel like it was a real missed opportunity here.
Jay says
I need to find a brown cloak in my collection as well!
Omana says
My day 7 was not Chewy! It was just some random grey pieces and brown pieces but just flat – not chewy shaped. Bummer cause he’s my fave! I’m hoping it was just accidentally put in the wrong slot!
sheridan says
Once this year’s advent is over, Ahch-To can live next to last year’s Cloud City.
Jay says
Last year’s Cloud City was in a class of its own!
Paul Castle says
I love Ah-ah-ah-choo Island! Reminds me of the Jabba’s Palace build from a few years ago, very simple, but very effective.
Jay says
Ahch-To, Cloud City and Jabba’s Palace have been great. Don’t forget the Sarlac!
Mark says
Eerrrmmm… I’ve got all these extra bits… What’s everyone doing with them??
Alex says
I save them and use them for when I lose/have missing pieces in other sets.
Andy says
I usually try and construct something with them, but so far this year haven’t come up with anything interesting.
Other than sticking the spare skate parts on my stormtrooper, of course…
Jay says
They’re just spare elements. I usually chuck them in a pile somewhere.
Archie says
Thank you so much for writing this blog. My 5 year old was struggling with day 5 trying to figure out what it was meant to resemble.
Jay says
You’re welcome! I’m glad I was able to help! 🙂
Lee says
Was looking at your 2017 write-ups (to remind myself what there was this year; I thought Kylo Ren’s command shuttle was a repeat, but I was thinking of Krennic’s shuttle). And I spotted this:
“We have some notable ships missing such as Poe’s X-Wing and Kylo Ren’s command shuttle but we’ll probably see those in future Star Wars Advent Calendars.”
So, very prescient there Jay. 😉
Jay says
Oh nice! Haha. It’s almost inevitable with LEGO Star Wars… any ship or character will eventually be turned into a set, or minifigure. Was just surprised I had both of them in the same sentence!
Parker Age 7 says
i liked today’s unique build, i like the water part base and the mountain part!
Thanks for telling us the round piece is the Luke Skywalker’s house!
it looks very cool and i like the texture! 🙂 🙂
Jay says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! The cliffs are pretty cool!
Pete says
Oooh, it’s Ahch-To? I had to come here as I didn’t have a clue what it was!
Great blog Jay, thank you!
Jay says
Yep it is, you’re most welcome!
Valerio Parlavecchia says
I honestly think the grey stud is supposed to be the Falcon, perched on top of the island.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
You might be right.
Jay says
Feels a little too large to be a Falcon…
Simon says
I think the resistance transport is better at 90 degrees on its side and use it as a b wing! Having great fun doing this with my son every day, enjoying the blog also, thank you.
Jay says
B-Wings are criminally underrated.
Mr. Otter says
For day 6 the laft gun slope is wrong direction ?
Mr. Otter says
Left*
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Did you notice the new grey two by two piece? It is like a chipped rock!
Nic F says
I thought the rebel troop transport was a snow ski from the last Jedi until I read the blog, thanks Jay!?
Jay says
You’re welcome!
Paul Castle says
Yeah, my first thought was “a Porg!” 🙂 Aw, I love the little critters!
Jay says
Cute and delicious!
Steve says
No bowcastor with Chewie. Unless we get one with tomorrow’s weapon racks! ??
Jay says
Day 14 and still no Weapons Rack. I’m starting to get worried and am this close to filing a missing Weapons Rack report with LEGO.
Sarah says
Thank you for doing this every year. We look forward to it!
Jay says
You’re most welcome! Thanks so much for following every year!
Mark Rohrback says
Hey Jay, thanks for this blog, it is very helpful! On the Resistance Troop Transport, shouldn’t the wedge shaped piece inside the left side have the wider part facing in? The directions on the advent calendar show it facing in, and that would also match the model you posted. Thanks, and look forward to following your future postings. My son is doing star wars, and my daughter is doing Harry Potter.
Jay says
Hey Mark, thanks for your comment and sorry for the late reply. You’re totally right and it made me realise I made a mistake there, so I’ve fixed it in subsequent group photos 🙂
Hope you’re enjoying the calendars so far!
Parker Age 7 says
i love today’s build, especially b/c the prog leg , you can connect pieces to the leg. It is also really cool b/c the camp fire lets you cook the leg!!
i can’t wait for tomorrow’s build and i love building the sets everyday ?
Jay says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Parker! Porgs are good, but fried Porgs are greater 🙂
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
I remember that scene, chewbacca was about to devour a porg drumstick, (poor porg) when a group of them landed near him. Chewie shoed them away and opened his mouth in order to eat the meat, when another porg appeared beside him, the porg gave chewbacca the puppy dog, porg, eyes, so cute! Chewie must have felt bad so he threw the drumstick away. One of my favourite porg moment. They are all good really.
Chewbacca is a great mini figure. Did you notice the drumstick piece is a new and improved version? The old one was shorter.
James says
Are there supposed to be 2 parts or one to the porg drumstick. I only have one
Nic F says
I thought the rebel troop transport was a snow ski from the last Jedi until I read the blog, thanks Jay!?
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
1
Paul Castle says
There was a whole roast chicken in the Harry Potter calendar. That makes it clear that the stud on the back of the drumstick is there to attach it to the main body.
X man says
I need another dark grey square shaped stud please give it to me or at least talk to me please. To jay I love your advent calendars ?.
Jay says
Thanks! So glad you’re enjoying it so far!
Baxter says
Tricky little build. I thought the back piece was a leftover until I checked the blog!
Joshua Lavalleur says
Interestingly my Day One slot contained the wrong set of pieces. They are mostly light brown and light grey. My guess is that they are for a X-34 Landspeeder but who knows.
Joshua Lavalleur says
It appears that the wrong kit in the Day One slot of mine calendar was another Quad Jumper so now I have two.
Jay says
Oh no… I would write to LEGO immediately and let them know so they can send out the correct replacement.
X man says
Hi Jay I think you forgot an extra grey square shaped stud.
Steve says
Rebel troop transport, definitely the trickiest build in long while. Had to resort to the blog to find out what it was and how the back piece fits! I think you’ve got the sloping piece on the inside of the left hand gun/antennae on backwards as well Jay ! 🙂
Sidney says
Thanks for this! Love the set. So fun. But we couldn’t figure today’s out. 😉
Gordon Thompson says
Love this page, followed last year too, I always check each day during the advent calendar, sometimes to see the enthusiasm you have for a good build like the Black 1, but mostly for the ones like today where I had no clue what I just built. Either way, thank you for the positive reviews, even when it’s a stretch!
Ian Hazlehurst says
Hi Jay,
Yes I think you need to re-build yours, I also puzzled over the tiny build instructions, until it clicked.
The adition of lots of spare parts with this tiny build is also confusing.
Parker says
i like today’s build b/c it is another resistance build, i think it can fly and i like the gun on the side!!
today’s build looks really cool, can’t wait until tomorrow ?
Age 7
Jure says
Love your page, been following you every December. As for the resistance troop transporter – it should be build like this: https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/SL/75245-7.png
ELISSAMAXINE KARPF says
Thank you! This one was tricky and this definitely helped!
Mark Garner says
Hi Jay, I think you have the right hand top curve roof too far back. It looks closer to the larger model if it snaps symmetrically to the dark grey one underneath. Thanks for your blog, Merry Christmas Mark (Aldershot UK).
Michael says
Love the reviews but you built the resistance transport wrong
Chris says
I was wondering what the ship for Dec 6th was. You’ve got a couple pieces out of place, though. The top curved piece actually goes forward and covers the grey piece, and the sloped grey piece on the left has the slope pointing in the wrong direction. Thanks for writing your blog!
Nnexxus says
Hi ! Thank you very much for your blog, I’ve been following the Advent calendar for 3 years now from France. Always awesome with my kids !
Today’s build is pretty tough, the resistance transport is oddly shaped indeed. I’ve been able to correct a couple mistakes on my build by referencing your pictures, so thank you !
However, in the process, I think I’ve spotted a couple mistakes on your build too ?
– the angled-thingy on the side with the cannon is oriented the wrong way. The thin side is supposed to point towards the front of the vehicle
– I don’t think there should be a dark gray bit added under the floor, on the side with the cannon. In the movie there is a kind of retractable landing gear that pops out to support the vessel on the ground. I guess that’s why the Lego designers have added the transparent bit : without it, the build would not be able to lay flat.
Thank you again, and looking forward to tomorrow for the next build and post !
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Ah so that’s what it is. I thought that it was the last Jedi ship from the set, defence of Crait.
Don’t mean to bug, but you built it wrong.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
My little brother is doing Star Wars. I am Harry Potter. He likes me commenting. I actually have the force awakens Poe’s X-wing! So this was cool.
Glen says
Jay
I think the light grey stepped-piece on the right-hand side of the Day 6 Transporter sits over the dark grey stud below – locks it into place.
Took me a while to work that out from the diagram.
Cheers
none of yur business says
I just opened mine, it is my favorite one yet.
Nick says
Hanging out for Day 6. Tried to do it this morning and I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to be!
Paul Castle says
I love Poe Dameron’s X-Wing! It’s my favourite advent build so far this year. I never knew it was called Black One, or even noticed that there was a Black Squadron, so yet again I’ve learned something new!
Nick M says
I’m glad that there is a pdf of build instructions available at the Lego website, since it quite awkward trying to assemble the kit from the pictures on the back of the doors. Just have to be careful to concentrate on the model of the day to avoid spoilers!
Thanks for running this annual countdown Jay, I look forward to it ever year.
Glen says
I find taking a photo of the inside door with my phone helps as you can then enlarge the photo on your screen. ????
Sa-Cul says
I’ve been collecting these advent calendars since they first started, (and following your blog for almost as long) and for the first time i got a duplicate. (got 2 day 16’s) I hear Lego is pretty good at replacing missing pieces, but does anyone know how they are for replacing full days?
Bec says
We only got 9no. 1×1 pieces in Day 5. I hope they replace the whole thing!
Andy says
The Black One build is a good one for the calendar, however it’s pretty much the build they had at Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2016. (Granted that was a classic red squadron X-wing.
Regardless, I’m glad to see it in the calendar, and it goes nicely alongside my other X-wing 🙂
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
for Some reason I can’t see your newest posts unless I write a comment. Do you know why?
Wendy says
Every year I get the Star Wars and Lego City advent calendars for my boys. There’s a lot of advice I could give Lego on the city one but that would be another blog.
I read this blog on the sw advent calendar and completely agree with your statement:
One of the things I absolutely hate about the Advent Calendar designs is that the illustrations on the box usually spoils most of the windows and builds, which… really defeats the surprise element that I like with Advent Calendars.
This happens year after year, and I guess the graphic and product designers at LEGO still fundamentally miss the point of it all.
I have never understood this. So what I do to keep the surprise for my boys is I place Christmas stickers all over the illustrations. It makes an ugly box but they don’t care about the box.
Anyway I’m happy to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the box.
Andy says
Oh you’re not alone. I actually wrote to Lego to complain about the spoilers and their response was “well it’s a surprise to see *which* day you’ll open that build…
I suppose from a marketing perspective they do need to show people all of the cool stuff inside in order to encourage people to buy the calendar, but then there are people like us that will buy it regardless, and despite the fact that we do get repeat builds.
James says
Who put this Advent Calendar together? General Hux perhaps?!!
Andy says
I’m surprised you’ve not made note of the second clever use of the roller skate this year, doubling as the handle of the blaster…
Added bonus is that through Day 2 and today’s spares I now have a roller-skating First Order Stormie 🙂
Louise says
Hahahaha I did the same thing as soon I spotted the second spare roller skate.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Storm troopers are one of my favourite Star Wars characters!
Jay says
Hard to argue against that. If only they could fix their terrible aim!
Alex says
Great, it is that time of the year again.
I think it is the fourth year now with the SW Lego calendar and with your blog.
Thank you for all!
Having all my figures set up now, I was wondering if you couild also include some comparisons with earlier calendars?
I just recognized that there was the exact same First Order Stormtrooper included some years ago?
Also interesting the similar figures like the Y-Wings and the Landspeeder?
But if not…just keep on going ! 🙂
Loving it!
Greetings from Germany
Alex
Jay says
Hey Alex, so good to have you back! I can’t believe time has flown so much.
Some of my calendars are in storage, so I’m not sure if I have them on hand, but I’ll try. Generic minifigures like Stormtroopers tend to be pretty simillar,
But I’ll definitely try to find any similar ships, I always love comparing them. Have you opened your entire calendar?
Alex says
Hey Jay,
no of course the calendar gets me through the christmas time day by day. I just have to store it in my office as my wife is not happy about all the lego stuff at home 😉
Just opened today’s ( 17th) door and am looking forward to your explanation…
And tomorrow the big day with Ep9 🙂
Stephane says
Love your blog! This is our 5th year of stars wars calendars. Day 4 this year however is the worst single-day that I’ve seen – a white gun on a tripod – you have got to be kidding me! What a disappointment. Overall not a great start to this years calendar.
Jay says
It’s pretty bad, but I don’t think it’s just a crate for blasters bad. At least you get a white rifle and that it’s based on an actual in-universe gun.
Stephane says
Alright, I’ll admit that the white riffle has grown on me over the last hours. BUT I still think we got robbed a day: it could have been included on Day 3 with the Stormtrooper.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Great figure in my eyes. Personally I like first order stormtroopers better than imperial. ?
Jay says
Heresy!
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
Love your blog, I completely agree that its to blocky, but there is no piece that I know of that can make it less square.
Jay says
Guess LEGO’ll have to create new elements then, haha.
Steve says
Was pleased when i opened the door this morning and saw the stormtrooper but it turned to dismay when I pulled out the packet for what looks like the Christmas Gonk droid. A good build by the looks of it but guess I’ll have to wait until the gonk droid day to find out whether its a stormtrooper! Betting I’ll more than likely have 2 droids.
Jay says
Oh no! This happens so often to tons of people every year. I hope that it’s a simple mixup and that the Stormtrooper shows up. I’d also write in to LEGO as they’ll usually be kind enough to send out a replacement just in case.
James says
Hee hee, yes I am sure the dreaded weapons rack is coming! Excellent review too.
Jay says
I honestly can’t wait to see how much we’re let down this year.
WILLIAM GERRETZ says
Love your blog. I always give you a shout out when I do my Youtube (Rodimusbill) reviews since half the time I don’t know what I’m looking at, hope you don’t mind. Keep up the good work!!
Jay says
Thanks so much dude, always happy to help!
Beth says
Did anyone else get something that’s not a stormtrooper in Day 3? The stormtrooper is on the back of the window, but the pieces we got are clearly for something else.
Jay says
Hey Beth, it sounds like the contents of your windows got accidentally swapped around, or potentially duplicated. This happens quite often unfortunately. I recommend writing in to LEGO Customer Service as they’ll usually be kind enough to send out the correct contents.
Joske says
We have some trouble with Day 2 as the skates seems to be a bit too big, making it impossible (for both parents and kids) to make the top part fit the body of the spaceship. Any thoughts on this?
Jay says
It’s definitely a bit fiddly attaching them on. Try swivelling them about to get them to fit.
Joske says
Turning the skates 90 degrees to the correct angle fixed it 😀
Building these things isn’t easy for small kids, but as a parent to notice the errors they made is even harder!
Toby & Ed says
We’re following your blog from Abuja in Nigeria. This our third year. Thanks for all the updates.
Jay says
Oh wow, I didn’t know I had readers from Nigeria, that’s so awesome. Thanks so much for following along and hope you enjoy the posts!
ELISSAMAXINE KARPF says
I am so not a big Star Wars fan, so this blog definitely helps! I’m learning something every day and it’s only Day 2!!!
Jay says
I’m an okay Star Wars fan. I’m also learning as I go along 🙂
Ben Rumbold says
Great to be back on the blog again! Always appreciate having your comments Jay, here in the UK were usually far enough behind so that you’ve posted already as I do the build before work. This. Blog helped me start collecting Star Wars logo after the advent calendar from 2015. So I have you to blame! ?
Looking forward to more builds, and of course more comments from you! ??
Jay says
Hey Ben, so good to have you back again this year!
You’re welcome for introducing you to LEGO Star Wars 😉 What has been your favourite non-Advent builds so far?
Glen says
Welcome back Jay!
The day is finally here!!!
5 years in a row and counting … and I’ve had had the set sitting patiently on the cupboard for the last two months waiting for 01-Dec to roll around
Best time of the year! 🙂
Jay says
Thanks Glen, I look forward to the start of December each year for this very reason! Love the sense of camaraderie and community with everyone who follows along. Can’t think of a better way to close off the year!
Lucas says
Thank you for this blog. I have trouble identifying the ships names and my four year old is less familiar than me so I’m loving the commentary and insights.
Jay says
You’re most welcome!
Paul Castle says
Great to have an instantly recognisable ship today! Really building excitement for the movie in two and a half weeks!
Jay says
I can’t wait for the Sequel Trilogy to be over and for them to wrap up the story.
Jean-Andrew Hodge says
I quite like the sequels. I like them all really,
Nick says
So glad you do this. I build first thing in the morning before I head to work. It’s low light and I can’t quite make out the instructions. I think I need new glasses! Anyhow, so far it’s been two days that I’ve used this blog to correct my builds.
Jay says
You and me both – thanks for the reminder to get to the Optometrisdt, haha. So glad to have you along the daily builds!
Bricksphere says
I really like your advent calendar and it is since last year that I am thinking to do something similar. I am not english mother tongue but I am doing my best.
So, on my website you can see my thought on the calendars and I thank you as well for the great inspiration.
Thanks Jay!
Jay says
Hey dude, your English is really good, you should be really encouraged!
Bricksphere says
Thank you. Really appreciated!
Cheers!
Debi says
For us “novices” where is the how? Guess I’ll try to reason out from the picture. Opened the bag to a pile of parts. Wasn’t sure WHAT I was building, never mind HOW. Didn’t want to use the box illustration as I’m trying to be surprised. This helps!! (Why can’t LEGO put some basic instructions in each bag?♀️)
BringTheNoise says
There are instructions on the inside of the window door (although they can be a bit unclear sometimes).
Debi says
Guess I shouldn’t have it displayed in a dark corner. See them now but agree a bit underwhelming. Thanks.
Baxter says
I take a pic of the instruction with my cell so I can enlarge them. I find the mini build much easier that way.
Jay says
The instructions are on the door. They’re not always the clearest, but you can get a decent sense of which part goes where, even if its a little unintuitive.
Wayne Haywood says
That time again ?
Thx Jay. I love following your pages as I open my calendar
Jay says
Good to have you back, Wayne! Here’s to an awesome advent season!
Steve says
Great to be back again and looking forward to the annual tradition of opening my Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar with Jay and everyone else on the blog.
Seems like 5 minutes since we did the last one!
Here’s hoping for some great ship builds, awesome figures and an extensive selection of weapon racks! 🙂
Jay says
Welcome back Steve! It only seems like yesterday we were collectively groaning about crummy Weapons Racks!
So far the builds have been pretty good. Don’t know if it’s just me but they feel a lot more complex this year!
sheridan says
Great to be back on the daily advent calendar post! I follow throughout the rest of the year, but it really seems the festive season is upon us when your blog starts up with the daily updates!
Jay says
It wouldn’t be December without advent calendars 🙂
McMiner from MMEYC says
Really looking forward to opening this year’s advent calendar! I’m gonna upload a video of unboxing all 24 days when it’s Christmas Eve!
Louise says
Thanks again for your Star Wars Advent Calendar Countdown Jay – it has become a Christmas tradition in our house ?
Jay says
Aww, that’s so sweet of you to say. Thanks so much for coming back this year, it’s so good to have you back!
Steve says
“could this be Ach-to?”
Bless you! ?
Good morning from Vancouver BC. We are all set for our annual tradition of Jays Brick Blog! Patiently awaiting some weapon racks!
Jay says
Welcome back, Steve! So good to have you back!
Hahahaha! Can’t wait for the Santa Porg!
Derek says
Been following this blog since the first Advent. And I am always enjoying your posts. It’s become an annual tradition at this point. I was amazed today when I opened up the first door. I was expecting another struggle from years past. Nope no problem the door opened like butter. Probably the best improvement from the past years. Glad I wasn’t the only one to notice.
Jay says
Hey Derek, welcome back! I too cannot imagine going through December without Advent Calendars, and the community that springs up every year.
I’m glad so many people appreciate the improved doors! At least I won’t have to worry about ripping them in half any more!
Paul Castle says
Advent is here again! I love this time of year. I thought this might have been a Star Destroyer, but as I’m not a live and breathe Star Wars fan I need a bit of a prompt before I recognise stuff. You’re providing, as ever, an invaluable guide.
Jay says
Search your feelings, you know it to be true 😉
That’s a quote from Darth Vader by the way, your intuition was correct!
Sue and Luke says
Good Morning Jay! Luke age 6 from New Jersey, USA says “ Thank you for an image of the build, we didn’t notice the instructions on the door until we followed your picture to make it and then actually read your notes. Thanks for a blueprint. After we read your blog, me and my mom learned a lot more.”
Jay says
Morning Luke, sorry for the late reply! I’m only catching up to all the comments. You’re most welcome, and I’m so glad that I could help.
I hope that you’ll be able to learn and enjoy so much about LEGO Star Wars through the blog!
Mark says
IT’S THE MOST…WON-DER-FUL TIME…OF THE YEAR!!!
Love starting my Advent mornings with Lego and this blog!
Jay says
It so is! Glad to have you back, Mark!
John says
Good morning from Blackpool UK everyone.
My 3rd year with the calendar, look forward to it every time.
Big thanks to Jay as usual.
I think the open box display is a bit shoddy this year but loved the Star Destroyer!
John.
Jay says
Hey John, welcome back! It’s so awesome to have so many familiar names pop up again.
Here’s to an awesome advent season!
Skywalker says
We think it was meant to have the BF e tower.. we posted a pic on our Instagram @skywalkerandaughter
Lee says
Hi Jay! I have to admit, I really went back and forth on whether to get the calendar this year. Simply showing a picture with all the assembled builds & minifigs front and centre on the Amazon listing was a major turn-off for me (I didn’t zoom in so remained unspoiled, but still).
But, I folded in the end. So here we go again…
Jay says
Yeah, such a pain. It seems like they managed to squeeze even more into the front cover this time. I try my best not to look, and let my poor memory take over.
Mandy Egginton says
We have been following your daily blogs for the last 3 years since my son started to get his Lego Star Wars advent and we haven’t looked back. You are as much of the tradition as the actual calendar and we appreciate your time doing what you do. Thank you. I’d love to support but each of those links above take me to the American sites. Do you have any UK affiliate links??
Merry Christmas and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s build ??
Jay says
Hey Mandy, thanks so much for returning again, it’s so great to have you back!
It’s one of the things I look forward to each year, and December doesn’t really feel the same without the Advent Calendar. Don’t stress at all about the support, if you click on the American site, and switch countries that could help. I really appreciate it, but please don’t feel obliged to – I really do this entire blog for the love of it 🙂
Adam Coleby says
It’s truly starting to feel like Christmas when I have to log into Jays Brick Blog everyday to see where I’ve gone wrong with my build or identity exactly what I’ve got in front of me at times! 4th year in a row now- This should be recommended on the box!
Jay says
Don’t be so hard on yourself, I make mistakes too!
Toby says
Hi Jay. It’s Toby (age 5) from the UK. Me and my daddy have just built Day 1! We love your blog because sometimes we don’t know what all the models are!!
Love Toby (& daddy)
Jay says
Hey Toby, welcome! I’m so happy to be able to guide you along, and I hope you enjoy all the upcoming days!
Mac says
And we’re off.
Love following this blog every year.
Nice 1st build.
Jay says
Thanks for returning, it’s great to have you back!