Star Wars Saturday: Leggo My LEGO!

LEGO Star Wars: The Saga Continues

By John Baichtal April 09, 2008 | 3:39:48 PMCategories: Lego, Star Wars

There's something truly epic about LEGO's Star Wars sets. The movies themselves evoke a "larger than life" aura with titanic space ships and earth-shattering upheaval, and LEGO responds in kind with wonderful recreations. From the simple vehicles found in $10 sets to multi-thousand-piece megamodels, LEGO captures the big and little aspects of the movies. It doesn't hurt that the company has made a major commitment to the series, having licensed with Lucasfilm since 1999, with the agreement extending through 2011.

Of course, when one thinks of "titanic" and "LEGO Star Wars" one immediately thinks of the company's magnificent Ultimate Collector series such as the Millennium Falcon or independent builders' creations like Mark Kelso's amazing Invisible Hand. However, as I mentioned, a set doesn't have to be gigantic to be fun.

One of this year's offerings, the AT-AP Podwalker (pictured above) typifies the truism that even a relatively small LEGO set can be fun to build. The AT-AP is a walker crewed by two clone troopers, and packs three cannon and three legs. The center leg folds up under the belly for rapid loping and pops down (presumably) for stability during heavy cannon fire. As usual, LEGO pays attention to details that casual observers may never even notice. The weapons rack inside the body, or the the flip-out panels allowing you to see the interior.

Look for more cool Star Wars models from LEGO this year, ranging from the humble 81-piece Imperial Dropship to the colossal thousand-piece Republic Gunship, due out this August.