Inside Legos redesign of the Death Star its most ambitious Star Wars set ever

Date:
Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Description:
With the Ultimate Collector Series Death Star officially out, TechRadar
caught up with Lego's Master Model Designer Csar Soares to unpack how the 9,000+ set came to be.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

With October 1st in the books, theres a slew of new Lego sets on the shelves both digital and physical but one stands out for its size and price: the long-rumored, finally officially out Lego UCS Death Star, now available for order.

Reimagining the Death Star was less about rebuilding an icon and more about solving a design puzzle how to capture the most pivotal moments that took place on the battle station from Star Wars within a single structure.

The newly released set priced at $999.99 / 899.99 / AU$1499.99 and part of the Ultimate Collector Series pushes the limits of Lego engineering with
over 9,000 pieces and debuts a completely new approach to structure for the moon-sized battle station. To explore how it came together, TechRadar spoke with Csar Soares, a Master Model Designer at the Lego Group, who led the project. (Image credit: Lego)

Lego has been developing the moon-sized battle station for over a year at its headquarters in Billund. Soares said he took over the concept model in late summer 2023 and worked on it for about 14 months by far the longest hes
spent on a single model.

We had a concept model made during one of our design boosts in the summer of 2023, he recalls. I picked it up in late summer that year, and I worked on it for about 14 months. It was by far the model Ive spent the longest time designing.

Previous iterations including the most recent one from 2016 were fully spherical and significantly smaller, showing only a few rooms per level. This time, Lego reimagined the Death Star as a thick slice.

From the very start, the idea was the cross-section

From the very start, the idea was the cross-section, says Soares. We wanted fans to see all the rooms and all the iconic moments in one view every scene interacts with another.

That decision required multiple prototypes and refinements before the team landed on the final version. I made maybe four or five different iterations, every time building again from scratch and evolving the design, Soares says. Once you get to a point where youre happy, it becomes about refining every detail room by room, function by function. (Image credit: Lego)

The finished model measures 20.6 inches in height, 18.9 inches in width, and 15.1 inches in depth, featuring six detailed floors. Notably, the ground
floor features a large hangar bay, while the Emperors Throne Room is located at the top. In between are iconic spaces like the detention block, trash compactor, superlaser control room, conference chamber, and reactor core all packed with references from both Death Stars.

Considering its sheer size and the likely lengthy build, the designer wanted to ensure the process remained engaging. Soares opted for a modular building approach, where each room is constructed separately before being attached to the main structure. You start by building room by room, he explains. So, you build the trash compactor outside, and when youre finished, you put it on and then move on to the next room. He concluded by noting that it makes it like the ultimate Lego building experience, because you never get bored.

The method also mirrors how the model was developed internally. Soares
started by building physical models, brick by brick, beginning with the
bottom and working up, then repeating the process before digitally rebuilding them piece by piece to fine-tune connections and details.

We physically recreate it piece by piece, Soares says. Its a process of back and forth you never jump definitely to digital; its always both at the same time. (Image credit: Lego)

Hidden throughout are nods to the Lego brand and Star Wars lore from a tiny Octan power reference in the foundation to a hot tub Stormtrooper room near the top that Lucasfilm approved without hesitation.

We approached Lucasfilm about that, and they were totally on board, Soares laughs. They thought the idea was brilliant. The reference, which began in
the Lego Star Wars video games , is just one of many Easter eggs tucked
inside the set.

Regarding the collaboration with Lucasfilm the first Lego Star Wars set was released in 1999 Soares shared that it has been ongoing for nearly three decades, with regular meetings, idea sharing, and access to Lucasfilms vast reference archive. This set will likely make it into that archive, and you
can also find it in Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past , which is available to stream on Disney+ .

For Soares, part of what makes this Death Star special is how it honors Legos longstanding design philosophy. We Lego designers are very proud of the Lego system in play, he says. We always try to use what we already have available to us. For this Death Star, we only created one new element the Imperial dignitary hat and Im very proud of that.

That small piece was crucial for the included Imperial Dignitary figure, a first for Lego Minifigures and one of 36 included with the set. (Image
credit: Lego)

We wanted the definitive version, with everything in one model

That efficiency extends to the build itself. The entire set relies almost entirely on standard Lego System elements, with only minimal Technic integration for the working elevator mechanism proof, Soares says, that the existing system is still capable of new tricks even at this massive scale.

Ultimately, he believes the project represents the pinnacle of what Lego Star Wars can achieve. Every major room or scene is there from both Death Stars. We wanted the definitive version, with everything in one model, he says.

Even after months of design and testing, and then building and rebuilding, Soares noted that with this one, I was actually really looking forward to building it again, he admits. Which I think says a lot about the building experience.

Ive started the process of building the UCS Death Star myself, and while its
a daunting one, it doesnt feel as repetitive as I initially feared. The instructions mix things up early from assembling portions of the hangar
floor to building mirrored sections keeping even the foundation interesting to put together. (Image credit: Lego)

If youre sold on it, the Lego UCS Death Star is available now directly from Lego at $999.99 / 899.99 / AU$1499.99 though, as of this publishing, its already backordered, so expect to wait a few weeks.

Lastly, while Soares cant reveal whats next for Lego Star Wars, his passion for the galaxy far, far away remains clear. I grew up with the original trilogy, he says. So everything that I can work from the original trilogy, I will be very, very happy.

The UCS Death Star might not be the first time Lego has tackled the Empires ultimate weapon or the most affordable set ever released but its ambitious cross-section design, modular build, and attention to detail make it the most complete version yet. Amazon Prime Day Lego Star Wars deals in the US

In the world of holiday countdown calendars, the Lego Star Wars kit has
always been the one to watch. For 2025, it's a solid set that's made even better with a discount down to $31.49. The mini builds let you build Babu Frik's workshop, and you get two Minifigures including a Holiday Jawa, and 5 droids. View Deal

Whether you know the Ghost from Star Wars Ahsoka or Rebels , there's a good chance you'll want to add this iconic ship to your Lego collection. For Prime Big Deal Days, the Ghost and Phantom II are now down to just $111.99, marking a brand-new all-time low price. This is an excellent deal on a fun Lego build that's made from 1,394 pieces and includes four Minifigures as well as
Chopper the droid. View Deal

With The Mandalorian and Grogu headed to the big screen in 2026, you could
say that hype is only growing for the pair, specifically for Baby Yoda. So it's only right that Amazon is knocking 30% off the Grogu with Hover Pram
set. It's down to just $69.99, and you'll build the iconic character and his floating pram, plus a snack or two. View Deal

Lego has produced many Millennium Falcon sets, but this smaller one, which debuted for the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, is an excellent model and even better with a 20% discount. It's currently available at the lowest price ever, at $67.99, and makes a superb display piece. View Deal

If you're a fan of The Phantom Menace, or shopping for someone who is, look
no further. Right now at Amazon, you can save 31% on this set of six BrickHeadz from the Star Wars film. You'll get to make Jar Jar Binks, Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Captain Panaka, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul out of 732 Lego pieces. View Deal

R2-D2 is the most iconic droid around, and right now, you can build your own version of the epic piece of Star Wars out of 1,050 bricks for just $79.99. That's a 20% discount from the $99.99 MSRP, and Prime members get free fast shipping. This set is themed to the 25th anniversary of Lego Star Wars and comes with a mini R2-D2, a display plate, and a Darth Malak minifigure. View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/inside-legos-redesign-of-the -death-star-its-most-ambitious-star-wars-set-ever


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)