A brilliant set for the Original Trilogy fans. Minifigs are the biggest selling point on this set with half a dozen that are only in this set, and it has six of the most recognisable characters as well, but it also looks exactly like the Cantina and includes a dewback. The set has hinges and a removable roof to make play easier. A few drawbacks to consider: the price is high but worth what you get. There are a couple of vehicles that might not make sense but add to the playability. My son, at age 4, loves this set.

After spending 2019 as my first adult Lego fan year, I took all of 2020 off and totally stopped paying any attention to new releases. After accidentally ordering Corner Garage from Amazon in late December, I got back into them with the major difference being that I only spend money on large sets, roughly 2k pcs and up...when I was perusing what has released in my time off, I was blown away to see this set.

I'll start with the only negative for the set. It tends to seem like larger sets have a far better value than the mid to small sized sets. The modular buildings, large idea sets, and even many of the licensed sets. At first, I was a little disheartened by the cost of the cantina. 350$ for a single set? And not even one with over 4k pcs? With many ideas, creator expert and other theme's sets being very enticing with a much more reasonable price, I thought it likely I wouldn't get around to the Cantina, instead spending money on others with a bit lower price tags. The "negative" I said I'd start with is easy to summarize...

It's value doesn't seem very good relative to the vast majority of large sets. If you are like me and this is potentially your favorite star wars setting, then the set's pricing becomes pretty reasonable. If you aren't a Star Wars or even if the cantina isn't something you personally love, then the value is lessened significantly. This sort of area, culture and vibe/aesthetic,(the criminal, bounty hunter, grimier parts of SW...jabba's palace and parts of coruscant are similar) is a major favorite to me. So totally worth it, that just didn't immediately seem to be the case.

A significant reason that this set is such a must-have for me and should be for a certain type of fan is because it's both a building and also pretty realistically scaled. I always desire sets to go the closest to the actual in-universe scale that's possible. I often just ignore sets that stray too far. I do realize that its often impossible to make a lego set to scale while maintaining affordability and profitability. A notable exception is the UCS Slave I, which also happens to be among my favorite sets ever.

Lego is sometimes able to make vehicles to scale but almost never locations or buildings for obvious reasons. After checking out images, vids and a floor plan of the Cantina, I realized that it was as close to accurately scaled as can be. This immediately made the 350 seem more reasonable. So expect a pretty close to accurately sized cantina relative to the minifigs.

The minifigs included seem like one of the best offerings of any set. I can't say for sure, I haven't been a fan for many of the sets that are lauded for minifig selection, but the various new cantina aliens really seems a godsend for fans. I have heard some complaint about the more common figures being all versions we had received before, and while of course I'd prefer that, it's pretty trivial to me.

This is the rare lego set that allows the entire space to feel populated. I am particularly fond of the Ithorian. Those guys always stood out to me when they appeared in the films, games or shows (none of the books, despite being a pretty prolific reader, Ive mostly read series originating in literature) for their unique look, lethargic speech and rarity. That's just personal preference, I'm sure that people will have their own favorite minifigures amidst the wide variety offered in this set. I may consider this the set with the best minifig selection that I have ever had, but I haven't really thought much about that specifically.

The build is quite enjoyable, especially feeling like every chunk is a visible progression in the cantina, which is divided into a series of pie slices. Most sections consist of a booth, but there is also the bar, a small backroom (the canon as to the back room itself was given to lego to determine) as well as some ancillary builds including a dewback parking spot, a traditional speeder (which looks a bit dated but not too bad), a spherical speeder that's white interesting, a couple those moisture tower structures, a jawa shop and another structure that may be a residence of some sort. While building some of the cantina's structure can border on tedious, particularly the arches, the eclectic interiors and the variation of building otherwise more than makes up for it.

I can't offer an opinion on playability and play features. Im 27 and so I have no interest in them. They can sometimes detract from a set by increasing price or forcing a stupid look to accommodate play. I really can't complain or blame anyone though, as Lego simply needs to market to kids. Hopefully there comes a time where just as many sets are marketed solely to adults and do away with that sort of thing, but it's not super important.

Naturally, the set is quite display-worthy. It can take an unexpectedly large space to do so due to its sprawling size, more so than any set I have. Smaller structures click in to the cantina to make it a little easier. It's not a critique of the set and doesn't play into the quality, but it's worth mentioning.

Most people will know if they want this or not. Its expensive and ostensibly it lacks the value of most large sets. It is also one of the most unique and iconic settings in all Star Wars lore, near perfectly sized/detailed, by far the location's best lego iteration and gives us numerous exclusive characters. Based on just those pros and cons, people provably instantly know if they want this or not. For the rare person thats undecided, I hope sharing my experience is of some help.

The size and details are great. The mini figures are very cool and glad to have some new and different ones to complete my SW IV collection. I was pleased with the build and the unique parts and colors are good.

I recommend this to anyone, and I am sure it will bring joy to all lego fans.

However, this set is on the pricey side but you do get a lot of build time for the money. A few extra panel pieces would be nice to cover exposed studs....just saying.

This is a cool set. That's mostly worth getting.

Pros :

Lots of highly detailed minifigures. The cantina is nice with lots of great design/ parts used.The two vehicles are good.

Cons:

The extra store fronts could have not been added to keep the cost down or used the parts for something else, maybe even part of the docking bay that the Millennium Falcon uses.
Another nice addition would have been a bantha or another alien from the movie.

The Only Major complaint is that the roof is not complete. I really wish that a removable roof had been added for multiple reasons. #1 to improve display value, #2 to keep out dust.

Ultimately, I'm happy I purchased it. I really like it, but a couple of small tweaks would have made it great.

Thanks for reading my review and please rate it helpful.

I am a Star Wars NERD!!! And if you are also a LEGO Star Wars nerd than this set is a must-have. This set is not only accurate to the Mos Eisley Cantina from a new hope but to my knowledge (Star Wars battle front and multiple scenes from the film) the set is infact minifigure scale. Now before you say it's not the reason it might not feel that way it is because it doesn't nearly include all the characters who would be in the cantina to fill it up.

Don't get me wrong though the figures are INCREDIBLE my personal favourites include Ponda Baba (walrus guy), Gardinian (long snoot/imperial spy), and Momaw Nadon (hammer head) all brand-new figures for the set. The other figures are also great. I've heard people complain about Tatooine Luke being in like 9(?) sets this year but in almost all of them he is needed and accurate to the scene that LEGO is depicting, so I have no problem with his inclusion or any other duplicated figures. The only wish is that some are printing or new facial printing would have been great.

Overall the set Is LARGE to say the least you'll have to get its own display table for it when you're done building it. It's side builds are unnecessary but appreciative. Another thing I've heard complaints about is the lack of roof and I don't consider this a problem at all I actually tried to put tan panels over it and it looks AWFUL.

In comparison to other MBS (Master Builders Series) Sets like the Ewok Village (2013), Assault on Hoth (2016), The Death Star (2016), and Bespin betrayal or betrayal on Bespin *whatever* (2018) this set, I am very happy to report is the best of the five followed by Ewok Village, Death Star, Bespin, And Hoth. This set is what I believe LEGO attempted to do with the Assault on Hoth in 2016. Which was originally planned to release before the retirement of the AT-AT and Snow Speeder (both from 2014). So you could create the ultimate Hoth. As for the cantina, LEGO got it done. With the release of Luke's land speeder and Obi-Wan's hut earlier this year. This set is not only a great display piece and value, but also an incredible testament for LEGO and it's achievements. 4 out of 5 stars not the best but pretty great.