A History of Star Wars Lego Sets - The Year 2001
- Author Inger Fountain
- Published November 19, 2010
- Word count 500
The year 2001 was the third year that Lego released sets based around George Lucas' science fiction fantasy, Star Wars. With the incredible success for the first wave of sets, released in late 1999 to coincide with the release of Episode One The Phantom Menace, Lego's second wave came just over a year later.
There were a total of ten sets released in 2001, and along with regular sets the company also started releasing what it called The Ultimate Collector Series (UCS), larger models that contained more pieces and displayed more details than the standard sets. These UCS sets were sold without minifigures and were designed to be shelf display pieces rather than play sets.
The first two UCS sets were a bust of The Phantom Menace's villain Darth Maul (10018) and a large replica of the iconic original trilogy ship the Tantive IV(10019). Also known as the Rebel Blockade Runner, Princess Leia's starship is the very first vehicle seen in the Star Wars movies (seem in Episode 4 A New Hope) as it flies overhead of the camera view, being pursued by an even larger Star Destroyer. While both Darth Maul and the Tantive IV sold well it is the latter that has earned a place in collector's hearts and is very hard to come by now on the secondary market.
Lego also released two technic based Star Wars sets in 2001, a stormtrooper (8008) and the protocol droid C3PO (8007). Both figures stood about 30 cm tall and had minimal action features. Although Lego released a couple more of these technic figures in later years the line never really took off with collectors and these can still be found for good prices.
The largest regular set released in this year was entitled Watto's Junkyard (7186). With 443 pieces it came with the rare Watto and Aldar Beedo figures that have not come out since this set. Despite the rarity of these two minifigures it had little to recommend it. The next biggest set however remained a popular and sought after set for years after.
The Imperial Shuttle (7166) was very popular with fans and was a nicely accurate representation of the iconic ship from the Original trilogy. The ship also came with two very rare Royal Guard figures that fans clamoured for while the vehicle itself was very playable, large enough to fit figures and nice to fly around the room. The shuttle would come out in two more Lego incarnations in later years.
Smaller sets from 2001 included Droid Escape (7106) which included first appearances of R2-D2 and C3po in minifigure form, an AT-ST (7127) which was a fairly menial design but came with the first Chewbacca figure, a Battle Droid Carrier (7126) and the iconic Tie Fighter (7146) which fans appreciated could match the earlier release of the X-Wing.
2001 was another successful year for Star Wars Lego and paved the way for the 2002 wave which would see the release of double the amount of sets in this franchise, including sets from the latest film, Episode Two Attack Of the Clones.
Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous life she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. Her latest website looks at the issues surrounding Fair Trade Clothing including places to purchase fair trade jewelry.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- 8 Great Ways To Teach Kids About Oral Hygiene
- The Role Of Friendship In Overcoming Adversity In The Book “The Island Of Yaki Yim Bamboo”
- The Wonder of Bedtime Stories: Why Reading Picture Books to Young Children Is So Important
- How Online Play Therapy Can Help Your Child Thrive
- Why Online Play Therapy is Important for Your Child?
- Anything But a Backpack Day Ideas: A 2024 Guide
- Best Age for Children and Teenagers to Start Using Social Media
- 7 Must-Know Tips for Helping Your Child During Their First Week with Braces
- CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS AND CHILD BEGGING IN WA MUNICIPALITY OF THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA
- Raising Children with Emotional Needs
- Why Do Autistic People Wear Headphones?
- Journey Through Grief: A Son's Tale of Loss, Denial, and Healing
- Am I neurodivergent?
- 11 Tips for Helping Dyslexic Students Succeed in the Classroom
- Unlocking the Future: Why Kids Need to Code with 'Kids Coding'.
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Kids Bike
- The Key to Establishing a Healthy Sleep Routine for Babies, Toddlers, and Children
- Backpack Considerations for parents
- 4 Reasons Why You Should Purchase Computer Chess For Your Children
- 17 useful musical Instruments for 5 years old that improve Toddlers' Creativity
- Best blinds for schools
- Pediatric Heart Murmurs
- 5 Common Myths About Ear Infections in Toddlers- Debunked!
- Teen with Epilepsy Gives Back Through Toys
- How to choose best baby stroller for travel system
- How to Make Oral Care Fun for the Whole Family
- The Journey to Ezido Lake: A Story about Empathy
- Teddy Bear Ball And Gala 2021, a noble fundraising event helping countless lonely, children across USA
- Young People Problems
- Some Things my Friends Should Know About Covid 19