Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina review

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” The words spoken by Ben Kenobi before himself, Luke, and the audience got their first look inside the Mos Eisley Cantina. This, for many, was the moment that the world of Star Wars and all its fascinating creatures really caught the imagination. Sure, in retrospect a lot of those creatures were just actors with Halloween masks slapped on for the sake of the scene, but it’s impossible to argue with how iconic the Mos Eisley Cantina, and its patrons, are in the history of sci-fi. 

The Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina is an incredible tribute to that scene, featuring just about every character that makes an appearance, and even those that you only see in the background for a few seconds. It’s the ultimate Star Wars set for fans who can name the different races that all appear in the bar, and even know the name of the unfortunate genre of music that’s played from the stage.

It’s a stunning piece of Star Wars and Lego history, and when it was originally released on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Lego Star Wars brand, it was a testament to how far the line has come in those years. Seriously, this is one of the best Lego Star Wars sets ever. We’ve written many more words about it below, but take it from us, Lego literally couldn’t have done a better job, and we’re so glad it exists. 

Fans looking to add other Tatooine themed sets to their collection, or build up their fleet of Star Wars ships, may want to look at our best Lego Star Wars sets for more classics.

Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina: Build

• Fun, but occasionally complicated build
• Build is varied and never rarely repetitive
• Instruction book is occasionally hard to read

The Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina build is a fantastic experience that’s filled with variety and intricate detail. The special Master Builder edition set is essentially divided into the speeder, the main cantina, a side area, and the central bar, each of which are made up of a huge amount of bricks in order to recreate the effect of an old, broken-down space bar.

The whole set fits together nicely, and for a massive set, it feels compartmentalized enough that you can work on it across several days, but still feel like you’ve achieved something after every section. There are a few areas of the build where things get a little bit fiddly, such as around the central bar. While these odd Lego pieces are a great way to recreate that 70s sci-fi prop aesthetic (which was mostly just stuff found around the studio), it can be a bit awkward getting everything to fit exactly as it should. Apart from this, the build is otherwise very straightforward.

Or at least it will be for most people. We found it a bit tricky to read some of the instructions as the pages of the book are black, which looks fantastic but does make it difficult to make out some details. For example, a few of the dark brown colors were hard to identify against the dark background.

Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina: Design and look

• Huge array of minifigures
• Looks fantastic
• Needs a big display space

Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina is a playset through and through. It’s meant to be displayed in a large area, or on a deep enough shelf so that you can see everything that’s going on. It has several different sections and even its own exclusive vehicle to park outside it. It looks incredible, and when you include every figure that comes with the set, which is a whopping 21 different characters, the Cantina feels just as lively as it did when Luke and Obi-Wan walked in all those years ago.

For those who traditionally display their Lego on a shelf, it might be a bit difficult to find a configuration that shows off the whole set to its fullest. It almost feels like it deserves a glass coffee table with a shelf below it, so that the entire scene can be appreciated from above. It’s a bit of an oxymoron of a set, because it’s so full of details that you’d only really see if you were using the set to create scenes, or to play with. 

However, it’s so expensive that it’s unlikely to end up in the collections of many people that smash their figures together in order to duel. The set can be pulled together in order to fit on tighter shelves, or fully expanded out if you want to display a specific scene, or a large number of the minifigures.

Should you buy the Lego Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina?

The Master Builder Series is made for sets like this. This is one of those Star Wars sets that people have dreamed of for years, and it’s finally happened. It’s hard to imagine a better version of the Mos Eisley Cantina ever releasing because there’s literally nothing else they could do to improve it. 

If our main complaint is that it’s a bit awkward to fit on a shelf and the instructions could be slightly clearer, then you know you’re onto a winner. With the sheer number of minifigures, especially with just how obscure the references get, and it being one of the largest Lego Star Wars sets ever, we can’t recommend this enough. It’s the kind of thing that if we had gotten it when we were young and first getting into Star Wars, it would have been the greatest gift of all time. It really is a magical set.

What other Lego Star Wars sets can you buy?

The Lego Mos Eisley Cantina is a set for a serious Star Wars or Lego collector. It feels like one of those sets that are going to be very heavily sought after in years to come, and we understand why. It’s absolutely massive, and it’s one of the most enjoyable builds in the line.

However, it is expensive and may not be the best jumping-off point for Star Wars fans looking to get into Lego. For that we recommended something like the classic Lego Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing or Lego Star Wars TIE Fighter as they're both easier builds and easier on the wallet too.

If you love collecting minifigs, then the Lego Star Wars Imperial Light Cruiser has some cool characters. We mean, you should get it just for the adorable teeny tiny Baby Yoda… or if you love him so much, you might be tempted to get the almost life-size The Child instead.

Or if you’re after more of a playset style Lego Star Wars kit, then The Armorer’s Mandalorian Forge is for you.