Is there another droid in all of science fiction quite as well known as R2-D2? We think not.
The famed "Star Wars" astromech carried the stolen plans for the Death Star across the deserts of Tatooine, avoided capture on said Death Star and delivered them to the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4. R2 also suffered being swallowed and unceremoniously spat out by a Dragonsnake on Dagobah and discovered the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive had been deactivated on Cloud City not to mention served a mean Gamorrean ice tea on Jabba's sail barge.
Soon you'll be able to recreate almost all of that without having to travel to a galaxy far, far away as Lego is releasing its biggest and most detailed R2-D2 set to date. It will be available from Lego stores and the website priced from US$199, 288 Galactic Standard Credits, €199 and £180.
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This is far from an overweight glob of grease. It measures 12.5 inches (31 centimeters) high, 7.5 inches (20 cm) wide and 6 inches (15 cm) deep with 2,314 pieces. That's roughly the same size as Lego's 2013 R2-D2 model, but the attention to detail on the 2021 version far surpasses the earlier set and its design is also vastly superior, with a much more polished, rounded, less-clunky and screen-accurate aesthetic.
Features include the retractable middle leg, a rotating head and a retractable periscope like the one we saw in "The Empire Strikes Back." Plus, it also has hidden tools tucked away, including a lightsaber hilt hidden in a secret compartment in the head, just like we saw in "Return of the Jedi."
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The new set will be available on May 1 and coincides with the 50-year anniversary of the creation of Lucasfilm Ltd. The company, as we know it, was created in September 1971 in San Rafael, California. Later in the mid-1970s, it moved to an office on the Universal Studios Lot in Studio City, Los Angeles. Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012 for $2.2 billion in cash and $1.855 billion in stock. George Lucas and Lucasfilm created a number of spin-off companies to solve specific cinematic problems including THX and Skywalker sound and probably the best known of all, Industrial Light and Magic, arguably the best special and visual effects company in the world.
"We have had the pleasure of creating hundreds of 'Star Wars'-inspired models over the past two decades. As Lucasfilm celebrates their 50th anniversary, it seemed fitting to challenge ourselves and push the limits of what is possible with Lego bricks by recreating a fan-favorite 'Star Wars' character in great detail like we have never achieved before," Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, Creative Lead of Lego Star Wars, said in a press release. "We are delighted with the result and hope our fans get as much joy out of building the sets as we did designing it."
The R2-D2 set isn't just the only new set launching; a Darth Vader helmet (priced $69.99 and 834 pieces) and an Imperial Scout Trooper helmet (priced $49.99 and 471 pieces) will be available from April 26, together with a gorgeous Imperial Probe Droid (priced $59.99 and 683 pieces).
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