I got my hands on a couple of LEGO’s new Star Wars sets with the all new SMART Play feature and am here to tell you all about it.
Earlier this year, LEGO announced a new SMART Play line of sets designed to enhance/change the way people play with their toys. Star Wars helped kick off the new line with a series of sets that offered new takes on familiar vehicles and events fans were already familiar with.
To be honest…I’ve been a bit skeptical of the sets since they were initially revealed. Even to the point I’ve mostly held off on checking them out. Thankfully, LEGO was kind enough to send me a pair of the recent releases (Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter and Luke’s Red Five X-wing) so I could give them a fair shake.
I have a number of LEGO sets and always love seeing how their brickmasters come up with new ways to create something. These are definitely different and allow for some fun build mechanics we don’t typically get. Check out my full thoughts below:
Generally speaking, these SMART Play sets aren’t as strange looking as I feared when looking at the announcement images. Even though they’re smaller in scale, they offer a surprising amount of extra stuff in each set to make playtime easier (even if you only snag one set). In terms of play factor, they’re a lot of fun and I can see a lot of parents enjoying doing this with their kiddos.
The biggest problem for SMART Play, however, are the prices. Though they’re clearly designed—even more than other LEGO sets—for play over display (collectors might struggle with this series), the price point makes it feel like a harder sell for families. Especially considering a $90 non-SMART LEGO set can be significantly bigger.
If the price isn’t as big of a factor in your decision, these are neat sets. I loved the build, love the surprisingly robust sound effect features, and even with the more open designs, the finished models look better than expected. Yes, the SMART brick stuff is kind of gimmicky (and I’m not convinced it’ll go beyond being a special thing for a handful of sets), but it’s a fun one.
Both of these LEGO sets, plus many more, are currently available both in stores and online!
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