Why you should buy LEGO’s innovative Smart Play Star Wars set

by

LEGO consistently offers something new and exciting, with frequent releases across its classic lines and popular licensed themes like Mario, Disney, Formula 1, and the recently launched Pokémon sets. The new Smart Play line is particularly noteworthy, featuring an innovative ‘Smart Brick’ that works with a ‘Smart Tag’ and special minifigures to create a more engaging building experience.

Pre-orders for the first LEGO sets began at the start of the year and will ship starting March 1st. But are they worth the money? I got an early copy of the Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter and tested it out to give you my opinion.

LEGO Star Wars Smart Play features

The LEGO Darth Vader TIE Fighter is designed as a complete building experience. It includes special ‘Smart’ pieces – a Smart Brick and a Smart Changer – that connect to a USB port. It also comes with a Smart Tag and, naturally, a Darth Vader minifigure.

What to Read Next

With 473 pieces, this LEGO set is a relatively quick build. Designed for ages 8 and up, it’s not as complex as larger sets made for older builders, like the Jango Fett’s Starship.

This isn’t a drawback, though. While it’s perfect for kids to build, the set also has enough detail to keep experienced builders engaged. It’s worth mentioning that some of the smaller parts can be a little tricky – I had to be extra careful when putting together the fuel station and attaching the bullet-shaped pieces to the shooter.

With three different builds in this set – a TIE Fighter, fuel station, and Rebel outpost – kids can enjoy more engaging and interactive play compared to having just one model.

How to buy the Smart Play Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter

Okay, so I’m new to this LEGO Powered Up stuff, and I learned you have to start with an ‘All-in-One’ kit. It’s got everything you need to actually get it running. If you’re checking out the LEGO site, look for the ‘Smart Play’ section. They split the sets into two types: ‘All-in-One’ sets have a yellow highlight, and ‘Compatible’ sets are shown in purple. Basically, if you’re starting out, you want the yellow ones!

If you’re interested in a ‘compatible’ set, like the Smart Play Millennium Falcon, you’ll also need to purchase the ‘All-in-One’ set to get the Smart Brick and Charger – so remember to include that cost when you’re planning your purchase. You can find a complete list of currently available Star Wars Smart Play sets here.

This set is currently available to buy for £59.99 on The Lego Store, Disney Store, Argos and Very.

How the LEGO Smart Brick works with the build

The instructions recommend charging the brick while you assemble it. It will flash green when fully charged, and light up on the charging panel to show its current charge level.

My Smart Brick took about half an hour to fully charge, and LEGO’s estimate of 45 minutes of battery life proved accurate in my testing.

The instructions will tell you when to include the Brick and Tag in the model. Here, they go inside the TIE Fighter, with the Brick placed on top of the Tag. It’s simple to use – there’s no power button. Just shake the Brick to turn it on, or start moving the TIE Fighter, and it will activate automatically.

Despite its small size, this LEGO brick makes surprisingly good sounds. It can only play sounds programmed into the Smart Tag, but it reacts to movement, which makes it more engaging. For example, when moved, it makes the sound of a TIE Fighter engine and also flashes – LEGO recommends being careful if you’re sensitive to flashing lights.

It’s not just the TIE Fighter that reacts to interaction. Putting the Brick near the fuel station triggers sounds when you operate the pump, and you can even make engine noises using the green hammer.

The coolest feature is definitely Smart Darth Vader. As soon as you put him in the cockpit, you hear the beginning of the Imperial March. And when he’s activated, he even makes his famous, heavy breathing sound – which everyone loved when it first came out!

Why you should buy the LEGO Smart Play Star Wars: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter set

Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter isn’t just something to display – its realistic sounds and lights actually encourage you to play with it, rather than letting it sit on a shelf. Building LEGO models is rewarding, of course, but this set takes it a step further. Plus, it’s built strongly enough to handle play without falling apart, so you won’t have to spend time fixing it.

Smart Play sets connect to an app that lets you adjust the Brick’s volume and even helps you locate it if it gets lost in a pile of toys – a really clever feature!

The app keeps your Smart Brick up-to-date with the latest features, making playtime even more fun as new things are added. To get these benefits, simply register your Smart Brick within the app and connect to Wi-Fi.

The technology behind LEGO sets will probably keep improving. LEGO isn’t saying what’s coming next, but given how quickly they release new sets, we likely won’t have to wait long to find out.

You can explore and buy the whole LEGO Smart Play collection at The Lego Store now.

Read More

2026-02-26 20:20