Lego Unveils New Darth Vader Building Set for Star Wars Celebration

Lego's iconic villain, Darth Vader, is so inspiring in this new bust that it may threaten your efforts to resist the Dark Side. The new "Star Wars Celebration (opens in new tab)" building set shows the mask up close and in terrifying detail. More details on what to expect are in the following pictures.

This head-on view shows just how terrifying Lego can make a 327-piece building set. This picture particularly shows off Darth Vader's brick-built respirator, inside of shiny black armor. As far as we know, however, this bust won't talk back to you in that terrifying machine-like voice.

Buy Lego Star Wars Darth Vader Bust building set exclusively at Target (opens in new tab)

From the side here, you can see how far Darth Vader's respirator sticks out, as well as the dramatic shape of his helmet. The Lego Group says the raised ridges and studs visible here in the helmet make Darth Vader "instantly recognizable" as the Dark Lord of the Sith, which "will always strike fear in his enemies."

This is an ominous shape, even looking at the back of Darth Vader's helmet. And we know that Darth Vader is even dangerous from the back, as he can do deadly choke-holds (opens in new tab) from every direction. It's best to proceed with caution.

Once assembled, the entire building set measures 10 inches (26 centimeters) long, 11 inches (28 cm) tall and 2 inches (6 cm) wide.

Here's a slightly angled view of the front to give you a better sense of the detail put into the dome and faceplates. Lego says this is made for ages 14 and up, and the set only has a limited run. Some will be released through a show lottery system at Star Wars Celebration this weekend in Chicago, while the rest is available now as a Target REDcard exclusive (opens in new tab) for $39.99.

Inside this box you can create your "Star Wars" dreams or nightmares, depending on whether you side with the Dark Side or not. Darth Vader is featured in a bunch of new Lego "Star Wars" sets that will be released to celebrate the 20th anniversary (opens in new tab) of the collaboration between Lego and the Star Wars franchise. The two franchises began working together in 1999, when Darth Vader's past was explored in the prequel movie "The Phantom Menace."

Darth Vader has been an iconic villain (or, some would argue, a fallen hero) since the year 1977, when the first "Star Wars" film was released. And franchise fans have a lot more to look forward to. This December, "Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (opens in new tab)" will release and continue the main plot line of the franchise, starring Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Past films with these stars also included some familiar faces from the 1977-1983 trilogy, so hopefully that trend continues.

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and (soon) a Bachelor of History from Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace