LEGO: Six of the Coolest Star Wars Imperial Ships

UCS AT-AT Walker (75313)

The AT-AT has been an iconic Star Wars vehicle since it first stomped its way on the screen. It’s also been an endless subject of debate over just how to say its name, but that is another story. I think part of what has made it so iconic is just how different it looks from most other sci-fi “tanks.” It also kind of looks like a cute puppy!

Now LEGO has made a few of these builds over the years, but none are as impressive or massive as 75313. It’s a super cool stand out set and one that has some real presence. It’s also going away this year, so if you want it you’ll need to snag it soon.

Death Star – 2016 LEGO Star Wars Set (75159)

One reason people loves LEGOs is for their playability. When you talk about playability, nothing beats the 2016 Death Star set, the second and better iteration of this idea.  This LEGO Star Wars set isn’t great at first look. You can tell it’s the Death Star based on its shape and primary weapon, but it’s not what we’ve come to expect from UCS or most Star Wars kits. However, this kit is pure genius.

It contains within its Death Star shaped build something like a dozen different rooms. All of them showing famous parts or scenes that could be found on both Death Stars. It’s jam-packed with details that let you play out a ton of climatic moments for the movies, with a bunch of clever moving parts. It’s a master class in design and cool factor. There is also a similar Cloud City set, which is worth checking out, though I think this is a better choice myself.

TIE Fighter Collection – 2004 LEGO Star Wars Set (10131)

Another great set that you can sadly no longer get is the TIE Fighter Collection. This set is from 2004, which is still the early days of LEGO Star Wars, so these may not be the best versions of all the ships you can find.

However, this set was fantastic for giving you four ships of different types. This lets you build out a fleet of TIEs or have some crazy epic battles. It’s also one of the first, and few, set to pull elements from the Expanded Universe as it included a TIE/D. As far as I know, this was the only LEGO version of that often-forgotten ship. Super cool.

You can’t get this, but there are plenty of other dog-fighting TIE sets out there!

Executor (75356)

Let’s talk about a set you can still get! We’ve got the micro-scale (or whatever they are calling this scale these days) Executor. This is just a really lovely recreation of Vader’s Super Star Destroyer that is packed with details despite its small size. I really, really love the two small Imperial Class Star Destroyers that are flying around it to give it scale.

Now, this ship certainty isn’t anywhere on the scale of the massive UCS Executor. However this current version is far more affordable (especially since its still in production) and is much easier to display (I love mine, but fiddle with it so much, thanks ADHD, that the micro Destroyers are always falling off!).

Imperial Star Destroyer (75252)

Speaking of Star Destroyers, you can’t talk about LEGO Star Wars without mentioning the massive UCS Imperial Class. This is simply one of the biggest, coolest, and most detailed sets they’ve made. Unlike, say, the Death Star, this is a display piece and is not full of playability. But what a display set it is. It’s massive and brooding and just… so so cool.

The set even comes with a mini Tantive IV for scale, a really lovely touch. From the angles to the turrets it’s just… chef’s kiss. Sadly it’s pretty hard to get your hands on these days. However there is a new smaller Star Destroyer kit out there that is still a lot of fun!

 UCS TIE Interceptor (2024) (75382)

I think this is my current favorite set out there. The original UCS Interceptor came out way back in 2000 (and I owned it then!). It’s taken them 24 years to put out a second, but it might have been worth the wait. Clocking in at 1931 pieces, this is a solid kit with a ton of details and really cool building techniques. It’s also just a pretty ship.

It’s just a really cool set that looks amazing on display. The TIE Interceptor has a very unique look. It fits in very well with the other UCS fighters we’ve gotten over the last few years, and it’s a great addition to any collection.

Here’s mine…