Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition, a Solid Reason to Own a PSVR2

Games · Purchased February 23, 2023 · $66.99 via PSN

The Setup

A first-person VR action-adventure where you play a droid repair tech stranded on Batuu, pulled into missions across the planet alongside C-3PO and R2-D2. The Enhanced Edition adds new content and PSVR2-specific upgrades like eye-tracking foveated rendering and haptics.

The Review

The real-time physical interactions — grabbing weapons and tools right off your belt — sell the Star Wars fantasy better than most flat-screen games manage. About 7 hours of content across the main story and bonus tales, with well-acted droid companions carrying a lot of the charm. Some tracking quirks (a wrist communicator that doesn’t always register) are the main blemish.

What I Liked

Physical, tactile interactions sell the VR fantasy
Well-acted, likable droid companions
Comfortable teleport movement, low motion sickness
Solid ~7 hours of content

What I Didn’t

A second playthrough is much shorter, reusing the same missions
Occasional tracking/clipping quirks
No melee option despite close-quarters moments

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

The Mandalorian Helmet: The Best-Looking Piece in My Helmet Collection

Toy Review · Purchased December 5, 2022 · $80.00 CAD via Costco

LEGO The Mandalorian Helmet 75328 — The Mandalorian Helmet, 75328. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

A 584-piece display-scale replica of Din Djarin’s Beskar helmet from The Mandalorian, complete with a display stand and nameplate, part of LEGO’s ongoing Helmet Collection line for adult collectors.

The Review

This is the best-looking helmet I’ve built from LEGO’s collection so far, and it’s genuinely not close — the metallic-toned pieces LEGO uses to sell the Beskar steel finish do a fantastic job selling the material at a glance, in a way that plain gray or silver bricks wouldn’t manage. The rounded dome and T-visor shape translate into brick form more cleanly than I expected, and the display stand with its nameplate gives it a proper collector’s-shelf presentation right out of the box.

It’s a mid-length build — substantial enough to be satisfying without demanding a huge time commitment — and it’s clearly one of the stronger entries in a Helmet Collection line that’s had some hits and misses. Given how well the finish sells the Beskar look, this is the helmet set I’d point to first if someone wanted to see what the line is capable of at its best.

What I Liked

Metallic-toned pieces genuinely sell the Beskar steel finish
Display stand and nameplate give it a proper collector’s presentation
Satisfying mid-length build, neither too quick nor overly long
One of the strongest entries in LEGO’s Helmet Collection line

What I Didn’t

Helmet Collection availability rotates in and out unpredictably

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

The standout of LEGO’s Helmet Collection so far — the metallic Beskar finish alone makes this an easy recommendation.

Where to Buy

LEGO.com product page (check current availability)

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar: The Character Variety Still Wins

Toy Review · Purchased December 5, 2022 · $60.00 CAD via Costco

The Setup

The 2022 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (75340), 329 pieces across 24 doors, with 8 minifigures and characters — including C-3PO and R2-D2 dressed up in “Christmas jumpers” — alongside 16 small vehicle and scene builds.

The Review

This is a genuinely dependable holiday tradition at this point, and the 2022 edition holds up the standard — the character count is the real draw, with eight figures spread across the calendar rather than front-loading them all in the first few doors. The little “Christmas jumper” gag on C-3PO and R2-D2 is a fun, low-key touch that’s become something of a series signature at this point.

Compared to the newer Guardians of the Galaxy calendar I picked up in October, this one benefits from years of the format being refined — the mix of vehicles, gear, and figures feels a little more confidently paced across the 24 days. It’s still fundamentally small, simple builds day to day, but as a Christmas tradition for Star Wars collectors it’s an easy yearly buy.

What I Liked

Eight minifigures/characters spread thoughtfully across the calendar
Fun “Christmas jumper” gag on C-3PO and R2-D2
Well-paced mix of vehicles, gear, and scenes after years of refinement

What I Didn’t

Individual daily builds are still necessarily tiny and simple
Seasonal-only, so it’s a once-a-year purchase window

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A dependable, well-paced holiday tradition — the character variety alone makes it worth the yearly buy.

Where to Buy

LEGO.com product page (seasonal — check regional availability)

Han Solo in Carbonite: A Wall Slab With a Quality-Control Problem

Toy Review · Purchased November 11, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Jooooooy.com

Han Solo in Carbonite mega figure wall slab — Han Solo in Carbonite Mega Figure, MOC-94303. Photo: Jooooooy

The Setup

My first purchase from Jooooooy rather than Lightake, but the same general product category — MOC-94303 is a 1,717-piece, wall-mountable brick recreation of Han Solo frozen in carbonite from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, in the same “mega figure” bootleg family as the earlier Star Wars busts.

The Review

Design-wise, this is a genuinely good idea — the flat carbonite slab format lends itself naturally to a brick build in a way that a rounded helmet bust doesn’t, and the finished piece reads unmistakably as the scene the moment you see it. Han’s frozen expression and posture come through clearly at this scale, and it mounts to a wall just as easily as the trash compactor diorama earlier in the year.

Unfortunately, this is the one purchase in the bootleg-bust line where quality control actually became a real problem rather than a minor cosmetic quibble — my kit arrived missing several dozen pieces, which meant a frustrating stretch of comparing the manual against what actually showed up before I could even start building properly. It got there in the end, and the finished piece looks good, but it’s a genuine mark against Jooooooy specifically compared to the cleaner experience I’d had with Lightake’s busts earlier in the year.

What I Liked

Flat carbonite slab format is a natural fit for a brick build
Unmistakably reads as the scene at a glance
Wall-mountable, same as the official Death Star Trash Compactor diorama

What I Didn’t

Arrived with dozens of pieces missing from the kit
PDF-only instructions, no printed manual
Noticeably worse quality control than Lightake’s busts earlier this year

The Verdict

Rating: 2.5/5

A genuinely clever design let down by a real quality-control miss — the finished piece looks great, but getting there was more frustrating than it should have been.

Where to Buy

Jooooooy product page (if still listed)

Funko’s Star Wars Holiday Snowman 5-Pack: A Genuinely Fun Seasonal Gimmick

Collectible Review · Purchased October 16, 2022 · $92.31 CAD via Amazon.ca

Funko Pop Star Wars Holiday Snowman 5 pack — Star Wars Holiday: Snowman 5-Pack. Photo: Funko

The Setup

An Amazon-exclusive Funko Pop bundle reimagining five Star Wars characters — Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper, Boba Fett, C-3PO, and R2-D2 — as snowmen, complete with snowflake detailing and carrot/twig facial accents, each individually boxed within the set.

The Review

This is exactly the kind of silly, seasonal gimmick that Funko does well — five instantly recognizable characters reimagined just enough to feel novel without losing what makes them recognizable in the first place. Getting five figures individually boxed within one set is a genuinely nice touch too, since it means any of them can be pulled out and displayed or gifted on their own without breaking up a single combined package.

The usual Funko quality-control caveats apply — paint application on mass-produced Pops is always a bit of a lottery, and outer box corners took some minor shelf wear even before I opened them. As an Amazon exclusive, it’s also the kind of thing that will probably command inflated secondary-market prices once it sells out for the season. None of that outweighs how much fun it is as a one-off holiday display piece.

What I Liked

Fun, novel holiday reimagining of five instantly recognizable characters
Individually boxed figures within the set make gifting or separating them easy
Good per-figure value compared to buying five singles

What I Didn’t

Usual Funko paint-consistency lottery applies
Some minor box wear straight out of shipping
Amazon-exclusive status means secondary-market prices will likely climb once sold out

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A genuinely charming seasonal gimmick that nails the balance between novelty and recognizability.

Where to Buy

Amazon listing (also on Amazon.ca)

The UCS Snowspeeder: A Retired Set That Still Holds Up

Toy Review · Purchased May 4, 2022 · $300.00 CAD via Lego Store

LEGO UCS Snowspeeder 75144 — Snowspeeder, Ultimate Collector Series 75144. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

Set 75144 is LEGO’s Ultimate Collector Series recreation of the Rebel Snowspeeder from the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, at 1,703 pieces. It first released back in 2017 and had been periodically restocked through LEGO Stores before finally retiring, which is presumably how I managed to grab one in 2022.

The Review

This is UCS design at its best: an opening cockpit, a posable harpoon gun and towing cable, and a display stand with an informational plaque, all built with genuine LEGO precision rather than the clone-brick compromises I’ve gotten used to from my Vonado purchases. The build itself is absorbing without being punishing — detailed enough to stay interesting for the full 1,703 pieces, but never confusing.

Having spent a lot of this year building unofficial oversized clone kits, going back to a genuine, officially-licensed UCS set was a genuinely nice change of pace — the fit and finish, the printed manual, the color consistency are all just better, in ways you don’t fully notice until you go without them for a while. At $300 it’s not cheap, but for a retired UCS vehicle it’s an easy recommendation if you can still find one.

What I Liked

Genuine UCS build quality, fit, and finish throughout
Opening cockpit and posable harpoon gun add real interactive detail
Display stand and plaque give it a proper collector’s-piece presentation
Absorbing, well-paced build across the full piece count

What I Didn’t

Retired, so availability is already inconsistent
Premium UCS pricing for the piece count

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

A genuine UCS classic, and a great reminder of what official LEGO fit and finish actually feels like after a year of clone-brick builds.

Where to Buy

LEGO.com product page (marked retired — check secondary market like BrickLink otherwise)

Yoda’s Hut: A Small, Cheap Set That Punches Above Its Price

Toy Review · Purchased May 4, 2022 · $100.00 CAD via Lego.com

LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Hut 75208 — Yoda’s Hut, 75208. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

Set 75208 is a compact, 229-piece recreation of Yoda’s swamp hut on Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back, including a fold-open interior, small jungle terrain details, and Yoda and Luke Skywalker minifigures.

The Review

Picked up on the same order as the much bigger UCS Snowspeeder, this was the perfect quick palate-cleanser build — done in under an hour, but genuinely charming for it. The fold-open hut design lets you display it either as a closed exterior or an opened-up interior scene, and the swampy terrain base with its little jungle details sells the setting better than I expected from such a small piece count.

Nothing about it is ambitious, and it’s clearly built to be an easy, affordable entry point rather than a display centerpiece. But for $100, getting both Yoda and Luke minifigures plus a nicely detailed little diorama is a genuinely good value, and it displays well as a small companion piece next to bigger Empire Strikes Back builds.

What I Liked

Fold-open design lets you display it as a closed hut or an open interior scene
Includes both Yoda and Luke minifigures
Swampy terrain details sell the Dagobah setting well for the piece count
Quick, satisfying build for a change of pace

What I Didn’t

Small and simple — not a set that holds attention on its own
Works best as a companion piece rather than a standalone centerpiece

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A small, affordable set that punches above its price — a great quick build and a nice companion to bigger Star Wars displays.

Where to Buy

LEGO.com product page (marked retired — check secondary market otherwise)

The Mega Sized Boba Fett Bust: Round Two of the Same Good Idea

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Boba Fett bust brick build — Boba Fett Mega Figure body, MOC-85873. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

Bought on the exact same day as the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper busts, this is MOC-85873 — a 1,611-piece oversized body designed to hold the official LEGO Boba Fett Helmet (75277) on top, from the same designer and product family as the other two.

The Review

Having now built all three of these back to back, the pattern is clear and it’s a good one: the body designs are simple enough to assemble in an evening but chunky enough to look substantial once the genuine LEGO helmet is seated on top. Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor plating translates well into the blockier proportions of a mega-figure build, arguably better than Vader’s smoother armor does, since the segmented plates hide the clone-brick seams more naturally.

It’s the same trade-off as the rest of this product line — PDF instructions, no printed manual, and clone bricks instead of genuine LEGO parts for the body — but the actual assembly experience was smoother this time, likely just from having done two of these already. As a set of three lined up on a shelf, they’re a genuinely striking little display.

What I Liked

Segmented Mandalorian armor plating hides clone-brick seams better than smoother designs
Straightforward, evening-length build
Looks great displayed alongside the matching Vader and Stormtrooper busts

What I Didn’t

Same PDF-only instructions and clone-brick compromises as the rest of this line
Requires the separate official LEGO helmet purchase to look right

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

Consistent with its siblings — a smart budget way to turn an official helmet into a full display bust, and the best-looking of the three armor designs so far.

Where to Buy

Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-85873 Boba Fett Mega Figure”

The Mega Sized Stormtrooper Bust: Completing the Trio

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Stormtrooper bust brick build — Stormtrooper Mega Figure body, MOC-87398. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

The last of the three same-day mega-figure busts, MOC-87398 is a 1,581-piece body built to hold an official-scale LEGO Stormtrooper helmet on top, rounding out a matching set with the Darth Vader and Boba Fett busts from the same order.

The Review

Of the three, this is the simplest design — the Stormtrooper’s smooth white armor doesn’t give the build much surface detail to work with, so it leans more on overall silhouette and proportion than on fine plating like the Boba Fett bust managed. It still reads correctly from a normal viewing distance, and at 1,581 pieces it was the quickest of the three to put together.

Lined up together, the three busts make a genuinely fun little display — three of the most recognizable Star Wars helmets, all at the same oversized scale, for a fraction of what a licensed set of busts that size would cost from LEGO directly (if LEGO even made one, which they don’t). The compromises are the same as the other two: PDF instructions, clone bricks, and a helmet you have to source separately.

What I Liked

Quickest and simplest build of the three mega-figure busts
Completes a genuinely striking matched trio on the shelf
Good value relative to what a licensed set this size would cost

What I Didn’t

Smooth armor gives the design less to work with than the other two busts
Same clone-brick and PDF-instruction compromises as the rest of the line

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

The simplest and least distinctive of the three busts on its own, but a satisfying way to complete the set.

Where to Buy

Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-87398 Storm Trooper Mega Figure”

The Mega Sized Darth Vader Bust: A Bootleg Build That Makes the Real Helmet Look Small

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Darth Vader bust brick build — Darth Vader Mega Figure body, MOC-88104. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

This is the first of three “mega figure” busts I picked up from Lightake in the same month, all sold under different storefront names for the same underlying fan design. This one, MOC-88104, is an 1,888-piece oversized torso and shoulders built specifically to hold LEGO’s own official Darth Vader Helmet (75304) on top, turning a small collectible helmet into a full mega-scale display bust.

The Review

The concept is clever — rather than trying to design and sell an unofficial helmet too, this build is engineered around slotting the genuine LEGO helmet set on top, so the one piece of the display that actually matters for likeness is real LEGO. The body itself is a competent, chunky piece of design that reads well from a few feet away, and at 1,888 clone-brick pieces it’s a genuinely substantial build, closer to a weekend project than an afternoon one.

Up close, the compromises of a bootleg kit show: color matching between the clone bricks and the genuine LEGO helmet isn’t perfect, and like most of these third-party big-brick sellers, it ships with a PDF manual rather than a printed one. But as a display centerpiece next to the two other Star Wars busts, it does exactly what it’s designed to do — makes a small official helmet set look like a genuine collector’s statue.

What I Liked

Clever design that lets the genuine LEGO helmet do the heavy lifting on likeness
Substantial, satisfying build at 1,888 pieces
Turns a small helmet set into a genuine display centerpiece
Reads well as a display piece from normal viewing distance

What I Didn’t

Color matching between clone bricks and the genuine helmet isn’t perfect up close
PDF-only instructions, no printed manual
Requires buying the official LEGO helmet separately to complete the look

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

A smart, budget way to turn a small official helmet into a genuine mega-scale display piece, with the usual bootleg-kit caveats.

Where to Buy

Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-88104 Darth Vader Mega Figure”