Last week I dropped a post about why we picked up set 75421, Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter with a Smart Brick. StudSon was losing his mind over the demo at the LEGO Store and I caved. You can catch that first post here: Smart Bricks: The Hype, The Hate, and Why StudDad Bought One Anyway.
Well, it’s built. It has been flying around the house ever since. And we have thoughts.
StudSon’s Take: 9 out of 10
This kid has not put it down. I want to be clear about that. From the moment the last brick was placed, the Smart Brick went in and Vader started breathing, StudSon’s eyes went wide. That was it. I lost him for about an hour.
His favorite features?
- The swooshing sound when you fly it around (he does this constantly)
- The laser blasters firing (everything in the house has been shot)
- The dark side theme song (played approximately 400 times)
- Vader’s breathing (he cracks up every single time)
- The fueling station (he thinks this is genuinely the coolest thing ever)
So why did it lose one point? I asked him. His answer was immediate: “Why does the Smart Brick mumble for the minifigs? They should actually talk.”
Kid makes a fair point. The minifig sound interaction is more of a muffled effect than actual dialogue, and for a 9-year-old who wanted to hear Vader say something menacing, that was a small disappointment. One point. That’s all it cost.
By the time he was done swooshing, the brick was still working, no issues. The build itself was simple enough that he had a great time putting it together, and from the moment it was done it became a toy, not a shelf piece. That is exactly how LEGO intended this. Mission accomplished, as far as StudSon is concerned.
StudDad’s Take: Complicated
Okay, here’s my honest assessment as both a collector and a dad.
I don’t love the open back. Looking at the TIE Fighter from behind, you can see exactly where they had to compromise the design to make the Smart Brick accessible. I get it, I do. It needs to be easy for a kid to swap the brick between sets. But as someone who appreciates a finished build, it bothers me. Small thing, but worth mentioning.
Now the price. Yes, $69.99 is expensive for what you get in terms of piece count and display quality. But here’s the thing I keep coming back to: this is the set you need if you don’t already own a Smart Brick. And if you’re buying this as a gift for a kid’s birthday, you’re going to need the brick included. You can’t hand a kid a Smart Play set with no brick and tell them to go find one. So like it or not, the bundle price is what it is.
LEGO also chose Star Wars for their first Smart Brick rollout. That IP license isn’t cheap, which drives the price up before you even factor in the technology. And LEGO had to know that every adult Star Wars collector would be loud about the price and the design compromises. They knew. They launched it anyway. That tells me they believe in where this is going.
Here’s my real take: this set was never for me. It was for StudSon. And he loves it. If I was 9 years old, I would love this too. There’s something genuinely fun about picking up a TIE Fighter and having it make real sounds in your hand. The technology works. The experience is there. The price just needs to come down.
With May the 4th promos right around the corner, I’m keeping an eye on deals. And now that we have a brick in the house, we can start looking at the sets that don’t include one. Those are much more reasonably priced and honestly some of them look better too. This is currently one of the cheapest ways to get into the Smart Brick ecosystem and make an argument it might even be the best looking of the launch sets, for what that’s worth.
If you want to grab it, here’s the link: Check current price on Amazon
To the AFOLs on YouTube and TikTok
Complain about the price? Go ahead, that’s fair. But complaining about the look and design of these sets? Nah. This was never made for you. These are play sets, not display sets. Go dust off your UCS builds and leave the kids alone.
If you want to be upset about something in the LEGO world, there are plenty of better targets. Smart Bricks are for kids, and kids love them. That seems like a win to me.
Where Do Smart Bricks Go From Here?
This is what actually excites me. LEGO is clearly just getting started with this tech. The first wave of sets is a proof of concept. If prices come down and they start applying these to more diverse themes, this could become something really special.
But the part I am most excited about? The MOC builders. I’m already seeing some incredible fan creations that incorporate the Smart Brick into completely custom builds. The sounds, the lights, the interactivity built into something you designed yourself. That potential is huge and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Final Verdict
StudSon: 9 out of 10. Would build again. Will not stop flying it around the house. Genuinely delighted every time Vader breathes.
StudDad: The price is tough and the design compromises are real. But watching my son play with this thing, genuinely using his imagination and treating it exactly how LEGO intended? That’s worth something. I’m hopeful for where this technology goes, and I’m glad we have a brick in the house now.
If you’re on the fence and have a kid who loves Star Wars, this is the one to get started with. Keep an eye out for May the 4th sales and grab it when you can. And if you already have a brick, the smaller sets are where the real value is.
More Smart Brick content coming as we pick up more sets. Stay tuned.