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The new LEGO Art sets are truly unique. Builders get a chance to build a piece of art that literally can be hung on the wall. The LEGO Art The Sith (31200) set allows builders to choose between 3 different build options along with one mega build. Builders can choose between Darth Maul, Kylo Ren, and Darth Vader with the single sets. The mega build is of Darth Vader and requires 3 sets. The LEGO Art The Sith set is for 18+ and has 3406 pieces and a cost of $119.99.

The Soundtrack

The soundtrack is not what you would think. I thought there would be music to listen to while I built the set but it was actually a podcast episode that included interviews with Doug Chiang and Iain McCaig of Lucasfilm along with others who worked on the movies and actually created the sets. The soundtrack gives builders more insight into how the sets were created, how the movies influenced the designers, what it was like to work with George Lucas on Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and how some of the sound effects for the movies were created.  

I really liked the description of how Darth Maul was designed. Ian McCaig was only given the direction by George Lucas to draw his worst nightmare. He ran with that idea and ended up creating Darth Maul. Once Ray Park was cast as Darth Maul in Episode 1 McCaig was able to finalize the look and the rest is history. 

The sound effect process was fascinating. I was not aware that so much went into the post-production sound design. The sound process for creating the iconic lightsaber sounds is outlined by Matthew Wood. Ben Burtt originally came up with the sound from what would seem like completely random items. The sound is a combination of an inflatable vest found on airliners and an old fashioned movie projector mixed with other sounds. Kylo Ren’s lightsaber which is known for being unstable includes a strange combination of sounds including a cat purring and a Harley Davison engine revving. 

The Build

The build for this set is very different from any other LEGO set. The only pieces in this set are studs and the pieces that make up the frame. The directions are very similar to a paint by number. Each section is broken down into individual squares. The square on the page has different colored circles on it that coincide with a colored stud. Builders simply follow the pattern to construct the set. 

The instructions are provided for all three main sets in the instruction book. Builders choose which design they would like to build and flip to that section in the instructions. The mega build instructions are not included but can be found online. 

The brick separator for this set is unique as well. Instead of the traditional orange single brick separator, this set comes with a black separator that can remove several studs at one time. I really enjoyed this brick separator and hope that LEGO includes it in other sets. It’s a big step up from the traditional orange one.  

There are several approaches a builder can take when putting this set together. I decided to go with one color at a time. But you could also do row by row. I separated each color stud into plastic containers and did one color at a time. I found this approach to be easy and relaxing. I was able to watch TV and build this set with very few mistakes. 

Results

The results of this build are remarkable. In the middle of the build, it’s hard to see the big picture but as the layers come together it all starts to make sense. LEGO created an experience with this build. When you combine the actual build with the soundtrack it adds so much more that you don’t get with a typical LEGO build. 

The creators of this set had the challenge to create these iconic characters using only twelve stud colors. In my opinion, they did a great job capturing the essence of these characters with LEGO. I am looking forward to collecting all of these sets and adding them to our home office decor. 

Score

I give the LEGO Art The Sith set a score of 9/10. I absolutely loved building this set. It was easy and relaxing. I was able to do it while I watched TV. At first, I thought the set would take a long time to build because it was all studs. The entire build took me a total of four hours over two days.

The character selection was great and even though I chose to build Darth Vader because he is my absolute favorite character it was hard to not want to build Darth Maul or Kylo Ren. The only drawback with this set is the cost. The sets cost $120 each and if I want all three characters I need three sets and that can be pricey. I also really want to build the mega build but that alone is three sets. So in total to build all the characters and the mega build I need six sets which is a little out of my price range.