1999 vs. 2024: comparing the first and latest LEGO Star Wars waves 

Few themes can say that they’ve lasted 25 years and change is inevitable – suffice to say that LEGO Star Wars has changed a lot since 1999.

The 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars is a momentous occasion, of which there is no doubt. As well as celebrating how the theme has lasted so long and how we got to where we are today, it’s also important to recognise where it all started and how things have changed.

When LEGO Star Wars first launched in 1999, timing with the release of The Phantom Menace in June of that year, the theme wasn’t nearly as distinguishable from other product ranges as it is today. For one, its minifigures used the same yellow skin tone that many original LEGO characters still use today. Since then though, minifigures have evolved to embrace specific skin tones and screen-accurate details.

That’s just a small example of how LEGO Star Wars sets have changed and while some of the differences can be more subjective, the facts are that the theme is almost nothing like it was 25 years ago. Here are a few specific ways that LEGO Star Wars has changed, directly comparing the first and most recent year (so far) of LEGO Star Wars.

More variety than ever before

The first wave of LEGO Star Wars included only 13 sets – by no means a small number but nothing compared to what the theme consists of in 2024 over five months. These original sets consisted of only minifigure-scale models, which is a sign of the times and was extremely common for LEGO themes in that era.

Now though, LEGO Star Wars is much more adventurous with its offerings in both quality and variety. There’s no doubt that models are more complicated than ever before, utilising much more advanced building techniques that have been devised in the 25 years since 1999. This not only makes the builds more accurate but also makes them more appealing to older fans, which the original sets arguably weren’t specifically targeting. They also cover much more than just minifigure-compatible models, depicting droids, giant versions of ships and dioramas to name a few.

The 1999 LEGO Star Wars wave totalled 13 sets and so far, including polybags and gifts-with-purchase, the theme is up to 15 in 2024 and there are another six months in the year to go. For comparison, LEGO Star Wars’ 1999 wave was released only in the first half of the year and there are plenty of rumours about the theme throughout the rest of 2024.

Never enough minifigures

Not counting droid variants with slight colour changes, the 1999 range of LEGO Star Wars had 24 different minifigures. In comparison 2024 is up to 22 and there’s still plenty of time in the year to add at least two more minifigiures and top that total. It seems likely that this number will be doubled at least by the end of 2024.

There are many reasons why LEGO Star Wars minifigures are likely to be more varied in 2024 compared to 1999 and we’ll cover some in detail later in this report. For now, the likes of aftermarket value, an increased number of Star Wars projects across animation, games and more as well as fan demand have seen LEGO Star Wars minifigures become more popular than ever. One of the 1999 minifigures is even being remade this year in the latest edition of the LEGO Star Wars visual dictionary, which we’ve not counted for the comparison as that is exclusive to a book instead of a set.

Bigger budget advised

With an increased number of sets and minifigure variety, the average price of a LEGO Star Wars has inevitably gone up too. In 1999, the average price for a LEGO Star Wars set was $26.38. Now, you’d need an average of $66.78.

Adjusted for inflation, that price should be closer to $49.46, but that’s not taking into account an increased number of models, the cost of new parts and other factors which affect the prices of sets. LEGO sets have certainly become more expensive, though that’s arguably not without reason. Either way, you’re going to need a far bigger budget for LEGO Star Wars collecting in 2024 than in 1999.

Army-building is key

Those collecting LEGO Star Wars sets in 2024 have one other factor to consider in their annual budgets – army building. Unlike in 1999, the LEGO Group now encourages picking up multiples of specific sets to build armies for displays, play and everything in between.

Battle packs have become more common over the years and this new focus of the theme has been embraced by the LEGO Star Wars design team – just look at 40686 Trade Federation Troop Carrier (this year’s May the 4th gift-with-purchase)

Piece counts are going up

Prices for LEGO Star Wars sets have increased and so have piece counts. On average, LEGO Star Wars sets in 1999 had 251 elements but now, there is an average of 568 pieces in the 2024 LEGO Star Wars sets.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that sizes have doubled across the board though as intricate detailing has become more common in the theme. For example, 7171 Mos Espa Podrace and 75375 Millennium Falcon have only a difference of 25 pieces but the 1999 model undoubtedly features a higher volume of builds.

Across the eras

While it is a fact, there’s one difference that the 1999 LEGO Star Wars sets had no control over. In 2024, LEGO Star Wars sets cover more eras of the franchise than ever before.

Comparing 1999 and 2024 directly, the 13 sets in the first year featured eight sets covering the prequel trilogy (or more accurately The Phantom Menace as the rest weren’t available yet). The other five covered the original trilogy and in 2024, the ratio is split between eight prequel sets so far, six original trilogy models and one covering a new era of Star Wars – the High Republic.

Considering that the story of Star Wars wasn’t complete in 1999, it’s no surprise to see that LEGO Star Wars in 2024 is covering more eras of the franchise but at least it shows that both the theme and the sci-fi world are growing.

From the light side to the dark

Lightsabers are an iconic aspect of Star Wars and the most common lightsaber colours are red, green and blue. In 1999, LEGO Star Wars’ most common lightsaber colour was tied between blue and green – both commonly wielded by Jedi. In 2024, the balance has shifted as red lightsabers are currently more common.

Whether the theme has turned to the dark side is up for debate but it shows once more that LEGO Star Wars has massively changed over the past 25 years. You can see how else the theme has evolved by checking out our page dedicated to 25 years of LEGO Star Wars.

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