One underrated LEGO creation is the diorama. These depict scenes from your favorite franchises and look fantastic on your collectible shelf, and these are the best Star Wars dioramas you can build.
There are seven official LEGO Star Wars dioramas, all of which are a little pricey, but there are also several smaller Star Wars LEGO sets that function the same way as dioramas; they’re just not released under that label. Got all that? Good. Here’s a rundown of the top 11 very best LEGO Star Wars dioramas. Hopefully, we’ll see more of them in the future.
11. Death Star Trench Run Diorama
A depiction of one of the greatest scenes in Star Wars history, the Death Star trench run from Star Wars: A New Hope. There’s no minifigures in this one, just little LEGO ships, and as with all the official dioramas, you get a special tile with an iconic Star Wars quote on it to slot into the front. This one has “The Force is strong with this one.”
Really, the only quibble with this set is that it isn’t very colorful and might look a little bit drab on your collectibles shelf.
10. Death Star II Battle
Another Death Star set that has the same issue, really: It just doesn’t have a very pleasing color scheme. This is a mini-diorama made to mark the 20th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars franchise, and you could pick one up for free in LEGO stores on May 4th, Star Wars day, back in 2020. It features an A-wing and a TIE interceptor. You’ll have to make the space battle noises yourself, sorry.
9. Battle of Hoth
The Battle of Hoth is another 20th Anniversary mini-diorama that was given away for free on Star Wars day. May the Fourth be with you! Front and center here is one of the most iconic Star Wars designs of all time, the AT-AT. There’s only 195 pieces in this set, so it’s pretty easy to put together, and it’s certainly a good, if small, depiction of the memorable Battle of Hoth.
8. Millennium Falcon Holiday Diorama
Remember the Star Wars Holiday Special? No, not that one, the LEGO one! It aired on Disney+ in 2020 and featured all our favorite Star Wars characters celebrating Life Day. This diorama depicts a snippet from that show, and with it you get minifigures of Chewie, a Porg, BB-8, Finn, and Rey in holiday sweaters! The perfect holiday decoration for a LEGO fanatic’s home. Wait … is that another Porg on the dinner table?! Oh no.
7. Battle of Endor
This little mini-diorama released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars depicts the Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi, and you got it thrown in free whenever you bought $75 worth of LEGO Star Wars stuff during a two-month period in 2019. You’d think that would make this set hard to get ahold of, but you can usually pick it up for less than $40.
6. Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama
If you like Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and the planet of Dagobah, then this is the set for you. There have been other LEGO versions of Yoda’s Hut in the past, but this by far the most sophisticated one. You can position the Luke minifigure upside down, like he was during this scene in The Empire Strikes Back, with help from a transparent LEGO piece. The quote tile features Yoda’s iconic line: “Do or do not, there is no try.”
5. Mos Espa Podrace Diorama
The first of the official diorama sets to be based on a prequel movie. Relive the famous podrace scene from The Phantom Menace with this carefully made creation. There’s no minifigures in this one (though it’s LEGO, so you’re absolutely free to grab your own minifigures and work them into the scene), just Anakin and Sebulba’s podracers. The quote on this one is from Qui-Gon Jinn and reads, “Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don’t think. Use your instincts.” Good advice for when you’re constructing LEGO sets, too.
4. Tatooine Homestead
Another of the mini-dioramas that were given away during May 4 celebrations, this time in 2021, is the Tatooine Homestead from a distance, and those little studs are meant to represent Luke, Owen, Beru, C-3PO, R2-D2 and a couple of Jawas. It’s a very creative way of getting the characters in there!
3. Endor Speeder Chase Diorama
As the Endor Speeder Chase Diorama set is based on a scene from Return of the Jedi, it comes with a little tile informing us that the movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Yep, you’re that old, sorry. And the quote tile for this one reads, “Quick! Jam their comlinks. Center switch!” which is admittedly nowhere near as iconic as some of the other quotes on the diorama display pieces. You get three minifigures with this set: Luke, Leia, and a Scout Trooper. Luke and Leia’s speeder is made to look like it’s floating with some clever brick trickery. (Brickery?)
2. Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama
Relive one of the most famous scenes from A New Hope with this diorama of the trash compactor scene. It’s made with impressive attention to detail and comes with six minifigures: Luke, Han, Leia (these three have swappable facial expressions, so they can look appropriately horrified at the situation), Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. The quote tile has Han’s famous line, “One thing’s for sure. We’re all gonna be a lot thinner!”
1. Emperor’s Throne Room Diorama
You couldn’t have a line of official Star Wars dioramas without featuring one of the Emperor’s Throne Room and the iconic final confrontation from Return of the Jedi. This set looks absolutely incredible on display, and it comes with three minifigures: Luke (with two facial expressions), Darth Vader (with Anakin Skywalker’s face beneath the helmet) and Emperor Palpatine. On the front of the diorama, you can position a tile of the “40 years of Return of the Jedi” poster, and the quote, “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” Nothing sums up Star Wars better.
Published: May 27, 2024 10:00 am