LEGO Star Wars has come a long way over the past 25 years, creating many minifigures that have become favourites of the Brick Fanatics team.
As the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars continues into the last few months of 2024, take a moment to look away from the memorable models and pay tribute to some of the amazing minifigures the theme has given us. These minifigures have become important to the LEGO Group, the LEGO Star Wars community and wider pop culture, earning their spot in history.
From queens to cyborgs, Here are the Brick Fanatics crew's favourite minifigures from 25 years of LEGO Star Wars, from the old to the more recent entries in the theme.
Rachael – 9499 Gungan Sub's Queen Amidala
There’s no other minifigure that catches the eye quite like 9499 Gungan Sub’s Queen Amidala. Padme in her queenly regalia is a statement in the film and it’s honestly a crying shame there haven’t been more minifigures based on the look. However, perhaps it’s because the LEGO Star Wars designers knocked it out of the park the first time, there’s nowhere left for them to go.
The headdress has been expertly captured and the unique skirt element takes the printing on the torso from good to great. The entire outfit looks cohesive and impressively accurate to the on-screen version.
Paired with the unique make-up printed on the head, it’s flawless from head to toe. Despite coming out in 2012, it holds its own when compared to the detail we get on some modern minifigures and is arguably so good it’s never been returned to.
While it would be great to see Queen Amidala return in a modern set to make it easier to get your hands on the minifigure, it’s not often you can say that there are scarcely any improvements to be made to a 12-year-old minifigure – but it’s true in this case.
Jack – 7656 General Grievous Starfighter's General Grievous
There's no doubt that the updated General Grievous minifigure is an improvement over the 2007 depiction in every way, but it's hard not to feel nostalgic for the classic LEGO version of the character.
The older LEGO Star Wars minifigures didn't always prioritise printed details, instead relying on shaping and part usage to capture the key components of the characters. None showcase this quite as well as 7656 General Grievous Starfighter's General Grievous minifigure. You can still recognise the minifigure as General Grievous but comparing it to the newer version reveals the countless differences between them.
It's a shining example of what LEGO Star Wars once was and still is thanks to the unchanging depiction of the Battle Droid. The original General Grievous minifigure even uses the Battle Droid's legs in an exclusive white colour. Though the figure is simple, the character's iconic head shape and how it holds all four lightsabers is suitably intimidating.
The new General Grievous minifigure is better in every major way, but this original depiction of the character is nostalgic and serves to showcase just how far LEGO Star Wars has come over the past two decades and beyond.
Matt – 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City's Han Solo
Like many young fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, Han Solo was far and away my favourite character. When the Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980, Harrison Ford’s cocky Corellian smuggler reached new heights of coolness, before tragically ending up as a wall decoration in Jabba the Hutt’s palace.
There’s no doubt in my mind then that when it comes to selecting which LEGO Star Wars minifigure from the past 25 years is my all-time favourite, there really is only one choice. Easily the best version of Han Solo released to date, this iteration of the character was included in 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City in 2018.
For starters, this Han Solo minifigure boasted dual moulded legs, representing the heroes’ brown trousers and black boots, with side printing that showcased his empty blaster holster and vertical yellow Corellian bloodstripe pattern. That specific piece has never been replicated in any other LEGO Star Wars set to date, making this minifigure exclusive to 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City.
In addition, Han’s roguish face is replicated with a double-sided printed head element, one that even includes Harrison Ford’s famous chin scar. Add in a long-sleeved blue jacket with printing on the front and back, plus a spot-on hair piece and it’s clear to see why this LEGO Star Wars minifigure is a favourite among many fans, including myself.
Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO using our affiliate links.
Comments
Be the first to comment!