Lego Star Wars BB-8 review

Late last year, we published an article about retired Lego Star Wars sets we’d love to see make a return. And with the older BB-8 model now retired (2017-2019), we wondered if this new model lives up to the expectations to sit in our guide to the best Lego Star Wars sets.

We adore BB-8, one of our favorite Star Wars droids and one of the best things to come from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. This orb-shaped robot is joyous, and this little Lego model is perfectly proportioned to capture it in all its glory.

It is a small set, though. Measuring roughly six inches tall, you won’t need to worry about finding space to display BB-8. It’s sorely disappointing in comparison to the now-retired BB-8, which was a rather grand nine inches in height. It also had twice the piece count (1106 pieces versus 569) - and yet that 2017 BB-8 only cost $10 more (£5 in the UK).

That’s really our biggest complaint here, but we shouldn’t be surprised considering how much the price of Lego (and most things in life) has increased in the last nine years. Read on for our full review, and to find out whether we’ll be recommending BB-8 as one of the best Lego Star Wars sets you can currently buy.

Lego Star Wars BB-8 review: Build

• Straightforward build
• Some unique mechanics
• No stickers

The 569 pieces of Lego Star Wars BB-8 are split over four bags. It’s obvious from the start that this is going to be a fairly straightforward build, given its low piece count and its age 10+ rating. It means that the instructions are easy to follow and you’ll never need to manage more than a few new pieces at any one step. Perfect if you’re new to Lego.

It’s not all entirely straightforward, though. BB-8 has some nice parts usage and a very cool mechanism that means he randomly turns his head from side to side as you roll him forward on his singular wheel. It’s a nice touch that requires a bit of ingenious work with rubber bands without ever being too complex to put together.

Like most Lego models, it’s very hard to tell what you’re building when you start out with BB-8. With the first two bags being concerned with the core structure and central mechanism, it’s not until you get onto bag three that the little droid will start taking shape.

The Lego designers have done a great job in creating a rounded shape for BB-8, thanks to cleverly built rounded corners. Built in two halves, with the mechanics hidden away inside, large circular plates are added to BB-8’s body to add more detail and to finish off its rounded appearance.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable build with nothing too complex or fiddly to deal with. It’s also worth noting that there are no stickers used at all here: BB-8 has a lot of detail, but it’s all printed. This is something we love to see, and might also explain a little why the price tag of this set feels a little high.

Lego Star Wars BB-8 review: Design

• Feels a little wobbly
• Great, rounded design compared to the 2017 version
• Can't quite decide if it wants to be a playset or a display set

As we’ve already said, we love how Lego Star Wars BB-8 looks. Despite it being much smaller than the previous BB-8 model, we can’t deny that it’s much better designed in terms of visual appeal. While the 2017 BB-8 was rather blocky, BB-8 is smoother and more circular, making the model look more like the real thing.

Sitting somewhere between a display set and a playset, BB-8 has a limited number of functions. Thanks to its mechanism, its head will move from side to side as you roll it, and a front ‘hatch’ opens up to reveal a set of tools. But given the fact that the set comes with a display plaque, it’s probably better suited to sitting on a shelf and looking pretty.

It’s also a rather wobbly set, so we aren’t confident it would withstand heavy-handed play from children. While it’s perfectly stable when sat on a flat surface, we wouldn’t like to think it was being flung around haphazardly. Its circular plates in particular lend themselves to a feeling of instability thanks to the fact that they attach to the main body in such a way that they spin around when touched.

Given that this is a 10+ set, we’d have liked to have seen a few more interactive features on it, but it’s not the first display set that Lego has marketed to a younger audience. Last year’s Grogu with Hover Pram was the same: a 10+ set designed to be purely decorative. It’s an odd choice, but as long as you know what you’re getting, it’s not a real issue.

Should you buy Lego Star Wars BB-8?

We really like Lego Star Wars BB-8, but its high asking price really gives us pause. This is half the size of the previous BB-8, but carries practically the same price tag. And in other Lego themes, 1,000+ piece sets can be picked up for around the same price. It’s annoying, and as nice as BB-8 is, we’re just not sure it’s worth $90.

Ultimately, you should probably wait for a discount before picking up this little drone, unless you’re absolutely eager to have it in your collection. For around $60 to $70, we think this is a fantastic set, but at full price, it’s a little disappointing.

Other sets to consider

With the previous BB-8 long discontinued, this set is your only option if you’re desperate for Rey’s companion droid. Used second-hand models can be picked up without breaking the bank, but if you like your sets to be new and sealed, you’d be silly to go for the 2017 model now.

Other Lego Star Wars droids are available, though. Chopper is adorable, costing $99.99 for over 1,000 pieces. And we are big fans of R2-D2, which again will cost $99.99 for 1,050 pieces. Both of those sets arguably offer much better value for money than BB-8.