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. 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: Death Star Trash Compactor is also the only one of the three new sets to include a bona fide play feature, in that its walls can compress together to simulate the compacting function of the on-screen scene. The printed tile that sits at the front of the display base appropriately features the iconic Han Solo line: “One thing’s for sure. We’re all gonna be a lot thinner!” 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.

We’ve long been waiting to actually see any confirmation that the rumored Star Wars quote dioramas were actually still happening, and now Walmart has stepped in. While we’ll have to wait another week to actually see the set, it’s at least exciting to know we have a new build from a galaxy far, far away to look forward to. Build the drama of a classic Star Wars: A New Hope scene with this Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama (75339) build-and-display model Authentic details – includes moving walls, a dianoga's head, compactor control panel, plus a plaque with Han Solo's ''One thing's for sure. We're all gonna be a lot thinner.'' line R2-D2 appears more frequently than almost any other Star Wars character, but experiences infrequent changes. The introduction of printing on the reverse therefore appears simple, but represents an important update and looks brilliant. The decoration across the front has been altered as well, albeit subtly. For example, the octagonal vent now features more dark blue.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. Unlike their allies, Princess Leia and Chewbacca remain unchanged. Leia's famous hairstyle looks perfect and I love her double-sided head, that captures the character's feisty personality. The torso looks splendid too, although I was hoping the dress component introduced in 75244 Tantive IV would return. These undecorated legs look very bland, by comparison. One of the more interesting inclusions for the LEGO Star Wars Trash Compactor is the display plaque that will come with the build. We’ve come to expect some form of ID plaque or printed price in these 18+ LEGO Star Wars sets following the success of the UCS and helmet themes, but 2022 will change that up a bit. Just like the Jurassic Park set revealed earlier this year, the upcoming diorama will feature a quote from its source material. 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?" Inspired by Star Wars: A New Hope, the LEGO Star Wars Death Star™ Trench Run Diorama invites builders to recreate the gripping scene of Darth Vader™’s pursuit of Luke Skywalker™, as Luke fights to destroy the newly-built Death Star for a victory on the Rebellion side. Finish off the build with the memorable words of Darth Vader, “The Force is strong with this one.”

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. Printed quotations from each scene also ensure continuity across the range, appearing beside the LEGO Star Wars branding. The trash compactor scene is unusual as relatively few classic lines are spoken inside the compactor, but Han Solo's humorous assessment of their situation conveys his persona. Even so, I would have chosen Leia's more memorable "into the garbage chute, flyboy", which obviously describes the scene. 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. Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama has carved out its very own sweet spot between being a display piece and a full-on playset, thanks to a simple yet dynamic feature that harnesses the interactive potential of a LEGO Star Wars set – while still managing to add credibility and authenticity to something specifically designed for older collectors.

Summary

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. C-3PO was released during 2015 and included printed arms, which was significant because that minifigure depicted the character with his red arm from The Force Awakens. An equivalent standard of detail is present here and corresponds with the onscreen character, as seams between panels and the energy transducers on Threepio's shoulders look great.