Star Wars

Death Star Final Duel

The throne room scene that made me want to play with a LEGO set again.

Brick Rated Score

4.1/5

Set 75291 · 2020

Pieces775

Minifigs5

Year2020

Set number75291

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The verdict

This is the Return of the Jedi throne room, the exact moment Vader hurls the Emperor down the reactor shaft, and it is one of the most fun playsets LEGO has made in ages.

The collapsing walkways, the folding sides, the little Force-jump function all had me grinning like a kid. The catch is the price crept up over the older 2015 version without a matching jump in what you get, and four of the five minifigures are recycled. If you love the scene and want a set you can actually play with, I say go for it.

Best for: Original trilogy fans who want a playset, not just a display piece

The full review

What it is

The Death Star Final Duel takes one single moment, Luke, Vader and the Emperor in the throne room at the end of Return of the Jedi, and turns it into a proper playset. I will be straight with you, I went in expecting a static diorama and instead got something I could not stop fiddling with. The whole model folds open to reveal the throne on its raised dais, the reactor shaft plunging down the middle, and a network of stairs and walkways that collapse when you nudge them. Reviewers called it the first playset they had truly enjoyed building in a long time, and after an evening with it I completely understand why. It captures the drama of the scene without pretending to be a giant display centrepiece.

The catch

The honest caveat is the money. The older 2015 version of this throne room sold for around $79.99, and this one arrived at $99.99 for a fairly similar experience. The improvements are real, the entrance and the Emperor's throne have more detail, and there is lovely dark red decoration in the reception chamber pulled from the Complete Locations reference book, but they are refinements rather than a reinvention. The minifigure lineup is where it stings most. You get five figures, and four of them (Luke, the Emperor, and the two Imperial Royal Guards) are lifted almost straight from the previous set. Only Darth Vader got a genuine update. There is also a fair bit of stickering around the throne and reactor, which is a shame at this price.

Who it's for

So who should get this one. If you grew up on the original trilogy and want a set your hands can play with, the folding walkways and the Emperor-down-the-shaft function are pure joy, and it stores neatly when the fun is over. It is also a lovely size for a child or a nostalgic adult who wants action over a shelf trophy. If you are chasing a fresh minifigure haul or the best possible value per piece, though, you will feel the reused figures and the price bump. And if you already own the 2015 throne room, the upgrade is not dramatic enough to rush out for.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this is a treat because so much of it is mechanism rather than plain walls. The 775 pieces come across five numbered bags, and you spend a satisfying amount of the build assembling the folding hinges, the collapsing bridge and stairs, the rotating throne and the deep reactor shaft that runs through the core. It never drags the way big grey playsets sometimes do, and the instruction booklet is thick enough to earn its own sleeve. The two angled sides fold inward and the front floor slides under the throne base, which is a genuinely clever bit of engineering to watch snap into place.

The star part is the 2020 Darth Vader, with a redesigned leg print carrying fabric streaks and metallic silver highlights on the arms that match his torso armour, a proper upgrade over older versions. Beyond him the palette leans heavily on grey with those welcome dark red accents in the reception chamber, and the throne assembly uses a lot of small detail elements to sell the scale. It is not a set stuffed with rare recolours or brand new molds, so parts collectors will find it steady rather than exciting, but the value sits in the play functions you are building rather than the bricks themselves.

Fun facts

01The set recreates the climactic throne room duel from Return of the Jedi, right down to Vader tossing the Emperor down the reactor shaft.
02It replaced the 2015 set 75093 Death Star Final Duel, reworking the same scene with more detail and new folding play features.
03Released in August 2020, it retired in April 2022 after a shelf life of roughly a year and eight months, and now sells above its original $99.99 price.
04The dark red reception chamber decoration was inspired by the Star Wars Complete Locations reference book.