LEGO Star Wars 75396 Desert Skiff minifigures: old vs. new

LEGO Star Wars 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit includes a bunch of minifigures we’ve seen before in some shape or form, but are these the best versions yet?

Where some LEGO Star Wars summer 2024 sets include only brand new characters (or new outfits for returning characters), 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit instead revisits five minifigures we’ve seen a few times over the past 25 years, and tops off its Tatooine set with a new 25th-anniversary minifigure – but even Nien Nunb isn’t our first-ever LEGO Sullustan.

There’s plenty to compare these new minifigures to then, but will they come out on top when stacked up next to their predecessors? Let’s find out…

Luke Skywalker

The LEGO Group overhauled its Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker minifigures in 2023 with a brand new hairpiece in 75352 Emperor’s Throne Room Diorama, and that same ‘do is doing a lot of heavy lifting in bringing 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit’s Luke into 2024. It’s not the only point of improvement here, though: the leg printing is surprising in all the right ways, while the new torso strikes the perfect balance between detail and simplicity. This one is definitely a big step up.

Han Solo

By contrast, Han Solo feels a bit more iterative. He’s gained back printing now which is great, but his front torso printing has also been mirrored for some reason (it was accurate the first time round). Maybe the best part of the new minifigure is his updated double-sided head, as both prints feel more characterful, but on balance there’s probably not enough here to justify upgrading if you’re hunting down 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit’s minifigures separately.

Lando Calrissian

A far more substantial upgrade can be found in Lando Calrissian, who gets a third outing in his Desert Skiff disguise. And it’s miles ahead of the one included in 2012’s 9496 Desert Skiff, with crisper helmet and torso printing, bonus leg printing and a new double-sided head. If there’s one minifigure to champion in 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit, it’s Lando.

Chewbacca

Some LEGO Star Wars minifigures never change, largely because they have so little reason to, and Chewbacca is a great example. He’s remained pretty much the same since the LEGO Group overhauled his design in 2014, with only slightly sharper printing setting the 2024 version apart from this older version we dug out of the archive. But if you’ve been collecting LEGO Star Wars for any serious length of time, you probably don’t need another Chewie.

Boba Fett

It feels wild to say this about a LEGO Star Wars minifigure with full arm and leg printing, but Boba Fett is probably the most disappointing inclusion in 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit. He’s the set’s only bad guy (skiff guards are nowhere to be seen) and he’s not even accurate to the scene he’s in. This minifigure is lifted directly from last summer’s 75369 Boba Fett Mech, and depicts his Empire Strikes Back outfit rather than his Return of the Jedi costume.

From the colours to the cape, Boba’s appearance in Episode VI’s opening scenes is distinctly different to his getup at the end of Episode V – a fact the LEGO Group has paid attention to previously in 2017’s 75174 Desert Skiff Escape. That version of Boba doesn’t include arm printing, but he’s the one to aim for on the secondary market if you want an accurate Return of the Jedi display.

Nien Nunb

This is the first time the LEGO Group has ever put out a Nien Nunb minifigure, which makes him a fitting candidate for a LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary minifigure (the criteria for which appears to be ‘characters we’ve never done before’). But it isn’t the first time the theme has given us a Sullustan, so 75050 B-wing’s Ten Numb offers a fun point of comparison 10 years on.

Where Ten’s alien features were printed on to a regular minifigure head (presumably to accommodate the pilot’s helmet), Nien’s head is a brand new and exclusive mould. And it looks all the better for it, aiming for accuracy while not forgetting to inject a little of that LEGO DNA that tells you this is still a minifigure and not an action figure. That’s no mean feat.

75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit launches August 1 for £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99. Check out our full review here.

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