Review: LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection 75329 Death Star Trench Run

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection set 75329 Death Star Trench Run, a box of 665 pieces which will be available at the public price of €59.99 from April 26, 2022. This derivative product is the least expensive of the three new references in the LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection launched this year, whose public prices reach up to €89.99. No minifigs in this box, we build here a reproduction in the format microscale surface pursuit of the Death Star with Luke Skywalker's X-wing, Darth Vader's TIE Advanced and two TIE Fighters.

To remain visually accessible, the diorama does not really reproduce the entire trench on the surface of the Death Star seen on the screen and we are satisfied with two nicely textured planes on which we fix the different ships which are at the work in this scene from Episode IV (To New Hope). The work of "greebling", the technique of creating surface details using various and varied elements, is perfectly executed and it almost feels like it. You also have to see the good side of things and despite the somewhat abstract side of the assembly, you will have the right to make a mistake, no one will notice your negligence.It may lack a little contrast on arrival on the gray surfaces but the lighting of the exhibition room will take care of compensating to create relief.

Gossips will only see a paid promotional product here, barely more opulent than when LEGO offers mini-dioramas during certain events around the Star Wars license. The assembly of this 22 cm long by 15 cm wide and 10 cm high diorama is also quickly dispatched and it is difficult to imagine the presence of more than 600 parts in this construction. They are however there, they are mostly small elements used to texture the surface of the Death Star. The set is relatively fragile on arrival, the four vessels are only maintained by a simple tenon and you will have to be careful when moving.

The TIE fighters provided in this box are really token renditions of barely the level of what you get every year in the LEGO Star Wars Advent calendars, but Luke's X-wing on the other hand looks particularly neat to me. No stickers in this box, the three TIE canopies already seen in the set 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser marketed since 2021 are therefore stamped just like the R2-D2 micro-dome visible on the back of the X-wing, a part that we will certainly see again in future polybags or Advent calendars.

There is no functionality or moving parts in this diorama, although you can place the different ships as you see fit provided you find an available stud elsewhere than in the locations provided. No surprise on the back of the construction, it would have been interesting to place a minfig of Darth Vader or Luke in pilot's outfit to fuel the conversations. We will do without.

La Tile pad-printed with a line of dialogue that becomes the gimmick of this new collection of derivative products displays here a sentence pronounced by Darth Vader during the pursuit in the trench of the Death Star: "...The Force is strong with this one...". I'm much less adamant than the quote displayed on the front of the set. 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor regarding the need to localize the text into other languages, the phrase posted here has become popular enough to stand on its own, no one refers to it by saying "...it's like he's protected by the Force..."as in the French version of the film.

This product is perhaps not the sexiest of the three sets proposed to launch this new collection of dioramas for adult fans, but the scene is in my opinion generally rather well interpreted with a very acceptable level of finish. The format microscale deprives this product of staged minifigs but that's not so bad because it's also the least expensive of the three advertised references.

If you take two and place them face to face, you get a real trench and an extra X-wing for the late Biggs Darklighter. If you place them back to back, you get nice bookends, perhaps a little light, to frame your collection of comics or beautiful books on the Star Wars universe.

This set is the cheapest of the three but it is not a product that I consider affordable. 60 € for that is much too expensive in absolute terms even if we all know here that fans of the Star Wars license will be more vindictive of the increase in the price of a liter of diesel by a few cents than about of a few grams of plastic sold at exorbitant prices. Everyone has their own priorities.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 9th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.