Review: LEGO Star Wars 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit (2024)
5
If the rumour mill is to be believed, LEGO Star Wars fans are due for a return to Tatooine for 2024’s next UCS set, but for now we get a little teaser in the form of 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit.
The last time LEGO depicted the famed Return of the Jedi Scene was 7 years ago, but this updated version seemingly promises to be the best/most detailed version so far, with a 558 piece count that doubles its predecessor’s.
The increased size has come at a cost, this set retails for a whopping US$80 / AU$129.99 / £69.99! Let’s see if that hefty price tag is justified by the sum of its parts. It’s available now from LEGO.com, Amazon, or your local LEGO toy store, starting August 1st 2024.
This is a guest review from our LEGO Star Wars correspondent VaderFan. We’ll be taking a look at the new August 2024 LEGO Star Wars releases, so keep an eye out for them in the coming weeks
Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set over for review.
If you’re planning on purchasing this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. I may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!
75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit
75396
Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit
6 (Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Nien Nunb)
558
US$79.99 / AU$129.99 / €79.99 / £69.99 / CAD$99.99
1 August 2024
Unboxing
The box has the metallic blue-style banner to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, and shows off the two models in action.
The reverse of the box shows off an alternative scene, along with a couple of play features.
Inside the box you’ll find two instruction manuals, a couple of loose rubber bars, and–most excitingly–paper bags! This is my first time opening a set with all paper bags (though we got a teaser in 75579 Payakan the Tulkun and Crabsuit).
Two instruction manuals are included – one builds the Sarlacc pit, while the other builds the skiff – so two people can build the set at the same time. No stickers are included.
The paper bags have a different design from the old plastic bags, and are able to stand on their own. The entire feel and sound of the unboxing experience has changed with their introduction, and not being able to see the pieces inside will take some used to.
There’s a perforated edge along the top for you to tear open the paper bag, although it usually doesn’t tear very cleanly.
Inside bag 1, the smaller bags (containing the smaller pieces) have also been replaced with mini paper bags!
Bag 2 still uses plastic bags for the smaller parts, so perhaps LEGO is still in a transitionary phase.
75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit Build Process
Bag 1 includes Boba Fett, and builds the base of the Sarlacc pit.
Bag 2 adds the teeth of the Sarlacc pit, along with a disguised Lando Calrissian.
Bag 3 includes Luke Skywalker and builds up the exterior sand mounds of the Sarlacc.
Bag 4 finishes off the Sarlacc pit and includes Han Solo.
Bag 5 begins the Skiff and adds the Chewbacca minifigure.
Finally, bag 6 finishes the Skiff and the Nien Nunb 25th Anniversary minifigure display.
75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit Minifigures
The only antagonist minifigure included is Boba Fett, and this minifigure is not new, being reused from 75369 Boba Fett Mech. While the figure is still good, the reuse is disappointing as Boba actually sports a different outfit in Return of the Jedi, which was reflected in the 2017 set.
His cloth pauldron is also missing, which is upsetting given the set sits at such a premium price point. Nevertheless, if you don’t already own a Boba Fett minifigure, this one is pretty good, featuring detailed arm printing and a grizzled face expression.
The next minifigure is Luke Skywalker, wearing his Jedi Knight robes from the start of the film. He sports the new hairpiece which first appeared in 75352 Emperor’s Throne Room Diorama, which will take some getting used to but is definitely an improvement.
His new printed robes look good too, and he rightly features two skin-tone hands (he only dons the glove over his cyborg hand after the Sail Barge battle).
Next up is a fantastically done Lando Calrissian minifigure in his Skiff Guard disguise, which features beautiful new torso and leg prints. His helmet is not a new mold but has been updated with some finer printing which elevates it to the next level, and he sports a new double-sided moustached face print that would make Billy Dee Williams proud/
Next up is Han Solo – freshly emerged from his Carbonite prison, his eyes seem to be having difficulty adjusting to the bright light of Tatooine’s twin suns! His squinting is reflected in his double-sided face print, and he has a subtly updated torso print. His only accessory are a pair of handcuffs.
Chewbacca has also been captured, and is handcuffed just like Han. This minifigure has not been updated since 2014, but I think it still looks good.
As a 25th Anniversary set, this lineup includes a commemorative minifigure, who is Nien Nunb in this case. It’s been so long since we got the Millennium Falcon’s Episode VI copilot, but the wait has been worth it – this minifigure is glorious! I adore the head mould, which perfectly recreates the Sullustan’s unique face shape, and the torso/leg prints look good as well.
Like the other 25th Anniversary minifigures, Nien Nunb comes with a black display stand with a printed logo.
The six minifigures included are mostly pretty good, with the exception of the disappointing Boba Fett reuse (although that minifigure is still done well). However, there are some strange omissions, most notably the lack of a Skiff Guard or any other antagonist minifigures. Perhaps these missing figures will turn up in a bigger Sail Barge set that’s long overdue?
Completed Model
This version of the Sarlacc Pit is the biggest one yet, and most of the build process is focused on this model. It’s still not particularly large, though, measuring only around 23cm (9″) wide.
A variety of curved tan slopes are used to represent the sloping sand dunes around the Pit of Carkoon, although it doesn’t do a particularly good job of replicating the pit due to the height of its side walls.
Despite the increased piece count, the Sarlacc Pit shockingly still does not look complete from all angles!
Rather inexplicably, the set designers have opted to leave the back of the Sarlacc pit with some exposed black and dark grey bricks. A pair of Technic beams are also visible, and you can swivel those slightly to move the Sarlacc’s tentacles around, although that is a fairly uninspiring play feature.
The base of the Sarlacc model is black to simulate the dark hollow of the pit, although it’s not particularly successful from higher angles.
The Sarlacc’s beak is at the same scale as previous versions, using a pair of dark tan cockpit canopies clipped directly onto the base of the model.
They are fairly posable, and can be hinged open pretty wide.
You can fit a minifigure into the Sarlacc’s beak to simulate them getting ‘eaten’, which is a pretty successful–albeit not new–design.
The tentacles are also relatively posable, although their connection at the base lacks friction due to the aforementioned Technic beam play feature. Two out of the four tentacles feature studs on the end so you can attach minifigures as if the Sarlacc is holding on to them.
The Desert Skiff isn’t much larger than previous variants, but I’d say it’s one of the better looking ones, and certainly more detailed than its predecessors.
The predominantly dark tan color scheme looks good, and I like the shaping towards the front of the skiff which narrows to a point. The steering vanes at the back are also posable at multiple points.
The Skiff has a few moving parts, namely an extendable tiled gangplank and a railing that swings outwards. The gangplank is tiled off so balancing a minifigure on it can be slightly tricky, although perhaps that is by design so they can fall into the Pit of Carkoon!
The 1×1 dark tan tile on the other side can be pushed to extend or retract the gangplank, but this play feature has relatively low friction. Three clear supports are used to simulate a hovering effect for the Desert Skiff.
The rear of the skiff has some nice exhaust detail, represented with some angled 1×1 round plates. The curved rubber tubes used for the front and rear railings look good too, and most of the curved shaping is well done.
A driver’s position is included at the rear of the skiff which is a pleasant surprise, using a pair of nougat-colored 1×1 plate with bars for posable controls. There’s a pair of studs for a minifigure to stand behind and operate the skiff, and relatively open space on the rest of the model to pose figures.
While the Skiff looks good hovering on the clear bricks, the increased size of the Sarlacc Pit means the Skiff can’t quite hover above the pit. This does take away some display value, as it would be great to have minifigures posed on the gangplank ready to fall into the Sarlacc’s mouth.
Final Thoughts
This set is pretty unusual as it stands. The Skiff is well-designed and the Sarlacc Pit is reasonably well done, apart from the shockingly unfinished-looking rear view. The minifigures included have all been done well, but the lack of more villains and the reuse of the Boba Fett minifigure is disappointing. Making matters worse, the US$80 / $129.99 / £69.99 price tag seems pretty inexplicable, even taking inflation and rising costs into account.
The final model is not particularly large or impressive, and includes less than 600 pieces, so I’m honestly not sure how any price above US$60 could be justifiable. With such a high price across all regions, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this set, unless you particularly want the minifigures.
Final Score
Audience rating
Thanks for reading! 75369 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit is available from LEGO.com, Amazon, or your local LEGO toy store, starting August 1st 2024.
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