Brief Note on LEGO
Star Wars
The first sets for LEGO Star Wars were released in 1999 to accompany the release of Star Wars The Phantom Menace. Unsurprisingly, many of the sets in the first wave of releases were based off the newest movie. However, the first wave of sets also included minifigures and vehicles based on the original trilogy of movies. The trend of including both new and old vehicles and characters continues today as the latest version of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing starfighter was released in 2021.
In addition to what are referred to as play sets that are minifigure scale and include play features, LEGO Star Wars has also released a number of Ultimate Collector Series sets. They are significantly larger, more detailed and meant for display purposes.
Throughout the years, LEGO has developed new techniques and created new pieces to authentically recreate designs from various franchises. They have also improved in the realm of minifigure printing. Visitors are encouraged to note changes and improvements such as the inclusion of leg printing, improved facial expressions, and more intricate versions of the same type of uniform or armor. Those who can identify three changes or improvements and notify the archivist will be put in the pool to win a gift certificate. Drawings will occur every six months.
We hope this will foster a community among those who visit the archive and provide a fun way for visitors to observe how far minifigure printing has come.