The designer behind the latest LEGO Star Wars UCS Death Star has reflected on the community’s response to the $1,000 set, acknowledging that it was never going to ‘please everybody’.
Easily one of the most divisive LEGO Star Wars sets of the decade, 75419 Death Star has drawn criticism from many corners of the community for its hefty price tag, compromised minifigure selection and even its basic design approach, which cuts out a flat cross-section of the battle station rather than interpreting it as a sphere.
That hasn’t stopped other fans from snapping it up day one, however – it sold out in many LEGO Stores on release day and even briefly went on back order at LEGO.com – suggesting it's finding an audience regardless. And according to designer César Soares, the LEGO Star Wars team anticipated that the Death Star wouldn’t necessarily resonate with the entire community.
“We expected that the design approach we had was not going to appeal to everybody,” César tells Brick Fanatics, reflecting on the initial response to the set in the days before its launch. “As much as with any other set, we knew that some people would want something different, like more of a display piece, maybe a complete sphere, maybe the Death Star II. So this was not a total surprise.
“As a designer, personally, it hurts a little bit to read the comments that people have. But we’re professionals, and I am 100% proud of the work we all did, and we believe that this was, for various reasons, the best design concept we could have at the moment for the Death Star. So it's not like we think, ‘Oh, maybe we should have done something different.’ No, we don't have that mindset at all.”
While previous Death Stars have leaned into the spherical design of the battle station, from 2005’s display piece 10143 Death Star II to the 2008 and 2016 playsets 10188 Death Star and 75159 Death Star, they have each picked their battles in their approach. The 2005 model has no interior at all, while the two subsequent sets prioritise playability and the general structure over detail.
By contrast, 75419 Death Star places almost all its focus on the interior rooms, building in finer details at the expense of the outer structure (and particularly any polish around the back of the model, which is intended to be placed against a wall). The result is a build that feels more in-keeping with modern LEGO design language on a micro level, aiming for the same level of detail as you’d see in (for example) the Diorama Collection.
It’s a bold decision for the first $1,000 LEGO set, and César acknowledges that nobody should feel compelled to enjoy 75419 Death Star. “We can’t please everybody all the time, and it’s fair if you don’t like it,” he says. “The approach we had [with] this was more interior based. We really wanted to focus on the interior scenes and having all the details and everything connected.
"If that’s not what you’re expecting, that’s totally fine. We can’t please everybody.”
75419 Death Star is available now, although the initial window for its exclusive gift-with-purchase 40771 TIE Fighter with Imperial Hangar Rack has unfortunately passed. There’s a fair chance it may return at some stage, mind, with one eye on the other set-exclusive gifts-with-purchase that have already had a second run this year…
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