Darth Vader's Castle Review! (LEGO Star Wars)

Darth Vader is my favorite Star Wars character. I mean, he was kinda ruined for me by the prequels, but I love him nonetheless. His appearance in Rogue One kinda made the movie for me. He had some amazing scenes and was overall really cool. His castle made it's first appearance in that movie. I absolutely loved it. I am really glad LEGO has finally made this newer location into a set. Now, I am, of course, really late in getting this reviewed, but it is still on shelves.

Also, this set is a bit too big for my setup, so we will have to do with lesser quality photos for this review.

This set comes with 1060 pieces and retails for $129.99 in the U.S.

The exterior of this set is exactly what I wanted. It is intimidating, imposing and threatening. I love it. The colors work pretty well together. The pop of orange at the bottom helps balance the drab colors above.

Both of the sides at the bottom have small areas to use in play. One side has a droid station for the Mouse Droid in the set. There is a rack for studs which you can use with the Stud blasters in the set. There is also a secret compartment for a Sith Kyber crystal. 

The opposite side of the base of the structure has a small Sith Temple or Shrine. I really like the colors here. I think the black statuettes here are really cool as well. I think the little thing in the center is a Sith Holocron, but I may be wrong. There is also another compartment for a Sith Lightsaber.

The center of the base has a hangar for the TIE Advanced to land. I like the design of  this a lot. It isn't often we get a spot to park our LEGO Spaceships. 

There is a staircase on the bottom floor which leads up to a mostly flush door. The door does break up the patter of the wall, but it is really not too much of a big deal.

The first floor room is the bacta tank room that was seen in a teaser for Rogue One. I really like this room. I think it is pretty cool. There is plenty of floor space and there is a small console off to the side. The transparent red windows in the back add a great atmosphere to the room. 

The second floor is a bit tighter. Vader's meditation chamber is here. It doesn't seal up perfectly, but I don't mind. There is also a small hologram of Palpatine in one corner. I think this is a pretty cool floor and it uses up all of it's space.

The roof of the build has a massive sticker on it, but it wasn't too hard to apply. There is a small cannon for the Imperial Transport Pilot to use. I think it gives a nice vantage point, or high ground for the figures. 

The TIE Advanced is a pretty decent build for its small size. I dislike that you cannot see the inside of the ship, but that has always been the way with TIE fighters this size. The ship has a set of Stud Blasters at the bottom, which work quite well. The wings are hinged, but are kinda flimsy. I have to fix them quite often. Vader fits in the cockpit, but just barely. You have to position him just right to get the cockpit to close.

Vader is undoubtable the MVP in this set. The torso and legs have been in use since 2014. They came in the Star Destroyer that I have on my shelf. I really like the design and they haven't aged poorly at all. This Vader comes with the second version of his helmet. I was initially not a big fan of the change when it first was made. I really can only say I am ambivalent. While the new helmet is more accurate, I still like the old one. Vader's face underneath is also pretty old. I think it is much better than the tan 2014 one. 

Bacta Tank Vader is making his first appearance in this set. I like that we finally get a new form of Vader. I think this looks pretty proper. The torso shows the embedded devices that are keeping his body alive. I like the inclusion of the re-breather piece here as well. My biggest problem is that the the white on the legs is much too thin and it doesn't match the body too well. 

The set comes with a Imperial Transport Pilot as well. I think it looks pretty good, and he is sporting 501st colors. I like the figure. Unfortunately he has a serious case of angry clone. 

There are two Royal Guards in the set as well. I think they look pretty good. I just don't see why Vader would have this type of guard. I assume they are especially for the Emperor. These figures haven't changed much over the years. They still look really good.

And finally we have a Mouse Droid. This version is pretty good. I don't think LEGO has quite nailed the design yet, but this works. 

This set is pretty good. I like all of the figures included, even though I think a few more could be included. The TIE build is nice and it fits snugly in it's hangar. My biggest complaint is that I think there should have been one more room in the build. I just think the set is a bit sparse for it's $129.99 price tag. I still love this set and I am proud to display it.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!