Review: LEGO Star Wars 75246 Death Star Cannon

We quickly get interested in the LEGO Star Wars set 75246 Death Star Cannon (159 pieces - € 19.99), a small box that joins the set 75229 Death Star Escape in the section of derivative products inspired by scenes taking place on the Death Star.

We are also close to the 4+ classification here with a very basic content that does not even reach the level of detail of the gun seen in the set 75159 UCS Death Star and it only takes a few minutes to assemble the contents of this box without stickers.

Come to think of it, this set is the perfect addition to any box featuring a Rebel Alliance ship: several children can have fun with a shooter that will target their buddy's ship (s). Anyway, I don't see what young fan would have hours of fun turning off the tractor beam. The designer has not made any particular effort to integrate the missile launcher into the barrel and it's a bit of a shame for a set dedicated to this weapon.

The opening in the hull of the Death Star is there, but a piece of partition is really missing to hide the extension on which the tractor beam is located. With a few more pieces, there was however material to give a little more consistency to the scene. By the way, I would like to point out that the aim of the barrel is not limited to this opening, the weapon can be oriented as you see fit.

The functionality of deactivating the tractor beam is also very basic and integrated in a somewhat dubious way. The lever that must be pulled to drop the set of blue parts in the provided support is not even delivered in a color to match the rest of the model.

We also notice that there is only one gunner post at the foot of the barrel while the equivalent weapon in the set 75159 UCS Death Star correctly install two soldiers in command. Here, LEGO does not even provide a seat, you have to be content with the four studs available to the right of the barrel.

The designer on the other hand tried to give a little volume to the model by placing it on a support which slightly elevates the platform of the tractor beam. It's always taken to simulate the risk-taking of Obi-Wan Kenobi who has no more room here than in the film to move around the console and reach the controller with which he must deactivate the ray.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's minifigure retains the face seen in several boxes since the set 75052 Mos Eisley Winery (2014) but here it benefits from a new torso and a new hood.

Obi-Wan is not wearing his hood during the tractor beam deactivation scene and some additional white hair would have been welcome in this box. No pad printing on the characters' legs, the available budget had to be exceeded. No bubble in the lightsaber, part of the budget had to be spent on solving this recurring problem which finally seems to be solved for good.

About the new hood I'm less enthusiastic than many fans who find it more successful than the somewhat dated but curvy one delivered so far.

It's massive, a little too thick for my taste and the visual continuity between the hood and the cape is not really guaranteed, the fault of the different materials used for these two elements which nevertheless benefit from similar colors. The side pleats are well done but the upper area of ​​the hood seems less successful to me.

The special one Imperial gunner provided in this box is nothing new: the minifig is the one delivered in the 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent calendar and the helmet had made its first appearance in 2018 in the set 75217 Imperial Conveyex Transport.

In short, I will wait for the set to drop below 15 € before offering me this box to add Obi-Wan Kenobi's minifigure to my collection. I can understand LEGO's desire to explore the catalog of more or less cult scenes that take place on the Death Star in the form of small affordable boxes, but if they do not offer anything more successful than what is already available in the existing sets, I do not see the point of the approach.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual put into play. To participate in the raffle, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid the "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before November 10, 2019 next at 23pm. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.