If you are going to recreate the trash compactor scene from A New Hope with any degree of accuracy and detail, then it needs to be able to function as it does in the film, and pleasingly, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama does just that. Yes, previous trash compactor appearances in LEGO form – namely in both Death Star playsets – have also had walls that close in as you would hope, but certainly not to the same quality as is seen here. As the walls slide inwards, everything attached to the walls moves together. The result looks surprisingly realistic, although my favourite feature is actually the flexible hose that links both walls. This naturally bends as the walls move, recreating the gradual mangling of metal which takes place during the movie! Again, this substantially improves the illusion. Build the drama of a classic Star Wars: A New Hope scene with this Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama (75339) build-and-display model

For the build itself, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama may not be put together in quite the way you would expect, taking inspiration from live theatre, it turns out. It’s a smart and relatively simple design, all told, but one that maximises the visual effect of loose trash scrunching together as you move the walls closer, without any of the trash depicted actually being loose. However, where 75329 Death Star Trench Run Diorama and 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama very much lean into the hands-off approach that comes with this new design ethos, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama feels like the compromise to ease the wider LEGO Star Wars audience in. For what is essentially also a display-first LEGO set, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama still comes with a notable play feature, indicative of perhaps one avenue the Diorama Collection could explore more of, without compromising on authenticity. beloved characters bring the scene to life – 5 LEGO minifigures: Luke Skywalker and Han Solo dressed as Stormtroopers, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO, plus an R2-D2 LEGO droid figureYou’ll be able to get your hands on 75329 Death Star Trench Run, 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training and 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor from LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores from April 26. In amongst the trash there are vantage points for the four characters of Leia, Luke, Han and Chewbacca to sit or stand as they try to navigate the junk around them as the walls close in, and these placement positions remain useable at any width you want to set the walls to.

No big deal, ultimately, as each set – while part of a wider collection – is best considered within its own context anyway. And in that regard, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama absolutely shines as an enjoyable, hands-on, play-based display piece, capturing not only a level of build detail not previously seen in LEGO forms of this setting, but also the ability to ratchet up the tension just as it was on screen in A New Hope. In short, there’s no other way any LEGO Star Wars fan would have wanted the most authentic version of a LEGO Death Star trash compactor to be. As a LEGO set, it looks and works way better than any of the marketing material can ever suggest, and it’s one of the highest-quality creations to come out of the LEGO Star Wars theme in years, feeling almost more like a custom model than an official set. Like the other two dioramas, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor measures 15cm deep – or 20 studs – but varies in length, coming in at 21cm wide. According to LEGO Star Wars Creative Lead Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, all three of the sets are designed to match in depth, presenting a consistent style for this subtheme of builds.This set is part of a collectible series of buildable LEGO Star Wars diorama models, each depicting an iconic Star Wars moment, to spark nostalgia for any fan

While this will be exclusive to Walmart here in the United States, the LEGO Group has firmly stated in the past that regional exclusive sets are a thing of the past. So there will likely be a retailer in other countries carrying the set, if the LEGO Group themselves don’t sell it via LEGO Shop Online. 9to5Toys’ Take: As expected, 75339 Death Star Trash Compactor presents this famous scene with incredible accuracy and looks fantastic on display, despite its muted colours. In fact, the varying colours between these dioramas are attractive and this model surpasses the others in minifigures and functionality. The motion of the walls and positioning of the items inside are clever.

67 comments on this article

The drab colour scheme is not necessarily ideal for display, but definitely reflects the onscreen location and captures lovely detail. This integration of reddish brown, dark bluish grey and dark tan gives the impression of wear and the mangled junk inside contrasts against its surroundings, being predominantly light bluish grey. What is the total mass of the parts here? How much does the set weigh - how does the total volume of material compare to sets at similar price points?" Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama is part of April 2022’s LEGO Star Wars Diorama Collection, which represents a new creative direction for the theme, offering older fans a higher level of detail and authenticity at the expense of playability and other design considerations usually built into sets for younger audiences.

Despite appearing completely chaotic, the different items are actually constructed and fixed to the walls or floor, unlike this location in 10188 Death Star and 75159 Death Star, where items were loosely scattered inside. The illusion of twisted metal and total randomness seems very successful though. The trans-red eye of the mysterious dianoga appears less effective, in my opinion. It's ridiculously costly because Lego knows how hardcore their customers are for collecting minifigures, and how hardcore the Star Wars fanbase is. And how willing both are at paying significantly over the odds for things to complete their collections. Hence we got these ridiculous prices for these Diorama series of sets. And I'm not one that's interested in minifigures at all, it's always been the builds for me.The Death Star Trench Run diorama is an intricately designed cutaway of one of the most famous scenes in movie history. It has Luke’s X-Wing racing ahead of three TIE Fighters that are blasting away, trying to stop him. It’s a more scaled-down set, so it doesn’t include any minifigures, but anyone who sees it will instantly recognize the scene.