Space Verdict
Fans of The Mandalorian should absolutely pick up the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser. It's a brilliant kit to build, and it comes packed with features that make it a great toy for younger fans, while still looking great as a display piece for adults. We just wish it had a display stand.
Pros
- +
Looks fantastic
- +
Working turrets
- +
Loads of minifigures
Cons
- -
No display stand
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The Imperial Light Cruiser isn’t quite as iconic as the other Imperial ships yet, having only been introduced to us in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, but it’s a stunning ship and Lego has done a stellar job of creating its Lego counterpart.
The Mandalorian has produced a load of amazing Lego kits, with the titular hero’s already iconic Razor Crest spaceship, and the much beloved Grogu aka The Child being immortalized in bricks too. The Imperial Light Cruiser is certainly giving the Razor Crest a run for its money as the best of these new Lego Star Wars sets though, thanks to its striking design, working gun turrets, and excellent array of minifigures.
If we have one complaint about the Imperial Light Cruiser kit, it’s that it straddles the line between toy and decorative model, and doesn’t really know what it wants to be. The articulated roof gives the interior a playable section for your minifigures, and the working blaster turrets definitely encourage play, but it’s a hefty kit that would be difficult for some kids to carry around. It’s also a reasonably complex build, with a 10+ age rating.
Despite that, the Imperial Light Cruiser is a wonderful kit that we had a ton of fun building, and it’s now taking pride of place on display in our Lego shelf. If you want to check out more amazing Lego kits, both for kids and adults, then take a look at our best Lego Star Wars sets guide. And if you’re on the hunt for a bargain, our Lego Star Wars deals hub has you covered.
Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser review: Build
- Easy to follow instructions
- Varied build
The instruction booklet that comes with the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser is a bit of a tome, with 274 pages of instructions for you to follow. The kit is split into 9 sections, and the pieces for each section are contained in numbered bags (some sections have multiple separate bags, so if you think you’re missing a piece, it’s often just in a second bag for that section). There are 1336 pieces in total, along with a few spares of all the smallest/easiest to lose pieces, which we appreciated.
Construction is fairly logical, starting with the base of the main hull section and building out the prominent triangular prow, before then moving on to the engine section at the back. There is a lot of prep work in the early stages, building attachment points that will be important later, so it’s important to pay attention and make sure everything is in the right spot.
Sections 7, 8, and 9 are where things get slightly more tricky, as you’re required to attach the sides and large top section to the existing hull, which means lining up multiple attachment points at once. The most difficult part of the whole build is probably attaching the stickers for the internal computers screens, as well as the bridge of the cruiser. These can be rather fiddly, and we’d recommend an adult helping out with this for younger kids.
As a nice touch, the minifigures are spread out throughout the various sections, giving you a nice little palate cleanser after particularly in-depth sections of the build. The minfigures are easy to build and look great - Moff Gideon and the Mandalorian both have swanky capes too.
Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser review: Design
- Great playability
- Looks excellent
- A display stand would have been nice
When it’s all built and sitting there in front of you, the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser is an impressive looking beast. Sure, the profile isn’t quite as iconic as that of the original Star Destroyer, but it’s a menacing looking ship that harkens back to the Clone Wars era Venator in its shape.
The hinged top section of the ship opens up to reveal a good sized play space where your kids can act out battles between Moff Gideon and the Mandalorian. Considering it’s such a big chunk of Lego held on by a couple of hinges, it’s very cleverly put together and should be quite robust.
Further adding to the playability are the working dorsal gun turrets, which can each fire two green plastic projectiles with surprising force. These projectiles are absolutely going to get lost, but thankfully the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser does come with a spare projectile which even has a storage holder inside the ship.
As a display piece, the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser is almost perfect, but the lack of a stand is a real shame. The ship design has a flat bottom, so it can easily sit on a shelf or table, but it would look so much nicer with a display stand to raise it up off the ground. Luckily, there is a UK company called Wicked Brick which sells display stands for a range of Lego kits, including the Imperial Light Cruiser.
Should you buy the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser?
If you’re a fan of The Mandalorian, or you just love the triangular warships of the Galactic Empire, then the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser is a fantastic kit to pick up. The ship is fun to build, with loads of unique and interesting sections, and it looks amazing when it’s finished. It also has great playability functions like the raiseable roof and working turrets. On top of that, you get an incredible array of minifigures, including the adorable baby Yoda.
Our only real complaint is the lack of a display stand. It makes sense, because it’s aimed at the kids market with all the playability functions, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to throw a stand in there for adult fans of the show too.
Other Lego Star Wars kits to consider?
If Moff Gideon’s evil flagship doesn’t sound like the Lego Star Wars kit for you, then you can always pick up the Mandalorian’s own vessel, the Lego Star Wars Razor Crest instead. It’s a great looking kit that also features working turrets - a perfect accompaniment to the Imperial Light Cruiser so your little ones can have epic space battles.
If you’re looking for something a bit more classic Star Wars, then there is also the timeless Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon. There are two versions of Han Solo’s ship on sale at the moment, the one we reviewed and the massive $799 UCS Millennium Falcon. We’d recommend the cheaper option to most people, but for those of you that can afford it, the UCS Falcon is an epic centerpiece and a must have for die-hard fans.
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