LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Metallic Logo

So, we received a set of the below images and videos. There were about eight folders with a bunch of assets in each one. I get the feeling they were part of a slide deck for a panel at Star Wars Celebration… uh.. celebrating … the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars. This is a monster of a post so get some coffee, kick back, and make sure your scrolling finger(s) are warmed up. Wouldn’t want you to sprain something. Alright, here we go, let’s go take this trip down memory lane together, shall we?

LEGO Star Wars Construction Sets from 1999

LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Timeline

 

LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Fun Facts You Didn’t Know

Fun Facts Only the Most Hardcore LEGO® Star WarsTM Fans Know:

  • The 1999 Jar Jar Binks minifigure was the first ever to have a unique LEGO® head sculpt
  • Ewoks, Boba Fett and Yoda were some of the first minifigures to feature with short legs (2002)
  • Except from Battle Droids and Storm Troopers, R2-D2 is the character that appears in most LEGO Star Wars sets
  • The Jedi Bob minifigure appears in just one LEGO set, the 7163 Republic Gunship from 2002
  • The Darth Vader minifigure has changed many times over the years, but his helmet remained unchanged from 1999-2015
  • The 10177 UCS Millennium Falcon spend a day in a sauna, since it couldn’t fit into the ovens used to quality check a product’s resistance towards sunlight
  • The cockpit windshield element in the 7191 X-Wing FighterTM is based on a mould for a 4.5-volt battery box from a LEGO train set
  • The 24 minifigures and droids included in the 10188 set enable fans to re-enact almost every single scene taking place on the Death StarTM
  • The Zam Wesell minifigure from 7133 Bounty Hunter Pursuit was one of the first minifigures to have double sided face decoration

20 Years of LEGO® Star WarsTM Nostalgia in a Wrap:

  • The launch of LEGO® Star WarsTM is announced at the International Toy Fair in New York, February 1999, by the LEGO Group and Lucas Film Ltd.
  • Jar Jar Binks from 1999. The first minifigure ever to have a unique head sculpt. Decorations on Jar Jar’s head is added in 2011
  • He’s just a kid… Young Anakin is one of the first minifigures with short legs. The first one is Yoda
  • Have you ever wondered which one of the characters appear in most sets? Well, if you don’t count battle droids and storm troopers the answer is … R2-D2. The little guy is included in roughly 30 sets
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi shares the long dark orange headpiece with another male Minifigure. Boromir in the LEGO® Lord of the Rings theme
  • Zam Wesell. Well not one of the most frequent minifigures to feature a LEGO® Star WarsTM set. But – she is one of the first minifigures to have double sided face decoration
  • Who is he? Ohh … it’s Jedi Bob. One Jedi minifigure appears in just one LEGO® set, the Republic GunshipTM #7163 from 2002 never to be seen again
  • The first battle droids are launched in 1999. They didn’t do much, however, as the hands only gripped horizontally. In 2007, the hand is changed to vertical grip, hence making it perfect for holding a blaster
  • The Darth Vader minifigure has changed many times over the years. One very important thing has remained the same for many years, though: his helmet, which is first moulded in 1999 and not replaced until 2015, when a new piece was introduced
  • Deep in the forests of Endor lives the Ewok tribe. Though small in stature they have skills. Excellent with a bow and arrow, spears and scouting skills you’d better have them on your side in a battle
  • Before launch of new LEGO® Star WarsTM sets are exposed to heat similar to the stress caused by one year of sun light through a window. The oven used for this purpose, however, was too small to fit the #10179 UCS Millennium FalconTM from 2007. Instead, the team had to find a sauna in a public swimming pool. It worked!
  • To find the LEGO® element for the cockpit windshield in the X-Wing FighterTM, #7191 from year 2000 designer Henrik Andersen found an old mould, that he could use. The mould was for an old 4.5-volt battery box from a LEGO train set
  • Even though the Ultimate Collectors Series X-Wing FighterTM, #7191 from 2000 is massive, R2-D2 is the only character featuring the set
  • 24 minifigures and droids enable fans of all ages to reenact almost every single scene taking place on the Death StarTM, #10188 from 2008
  • Almost 700 sets, more than 1000 LEGO Star Wars minifigures, five video games, several television and web series and lots of merchandising has been shared with fans of all ages since the launch in 1999

LEGO Star Wars Time-lapse Brick Build of Logo

LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcons Through the Years

  • Millennium Falcon #7190 – Released in 2000
  • Millennium Falcon #4488 – Released in 2003
  • Millennium Falcon #4504 – Released in 2004
  • Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon #10179 – Released in 2007
  • Midi-scale Millennium Falcon #7778 – Released in 2009
  • Millennium Falcon #7965 – Released in 2011
  • Millennium Falcon #75030 – Released in 2014
  • Millennium Falcon #75105 – Released in 2015
  • Millennium Falcon #75192 – Released in 2017
  • Millennium Falcon Microfighters #75193 – Released in 2018
  • Kessel Run Millennium Falcon #75212 – Released in 2018

LEGO Star Wars Minifigures Through the Years

 

 

LEGO Star Wars Original Prototypes & Hand Sculptures

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Seeing those first sets from 1999 really brings on a wave of nostalgia. I can still feel the sense of wonder and awe. 7130 Snowspeeder was the first LEGO Star Wars set I ever built and because it was the first it remains at the top of my all time greatest sets list.

    Also, that TIE Advanced vs. Y-wing set was the hardest one to find at the time. I remember finding it at a TRU out in god knows where during a road trip to Vegas that year. I was so excited I was hoping up and down all the way from the register to the parking lot.