Dynamic Subspace

Tag: Lego

My Star Wars Collection Takes Off

In a short period of time, I’ve rebuilt my Kenner Star Wars collection from its humble new beginnings. Y got me an Ikea Billy bookcase for my birthday, which I used to display most of it now. The remainder is on my desk–on display or still boxed until I assemble the models.

I was going to write that this is my fourth Star Wars collection, but on reflection, I’ve always held onto something that connected me to the saga even if the collection’s size changed over time–shrinking as small as just two Kenner action figures of Yoda and R2-D2 28 years ago and growing as large as my collection in Atlanta two years later.

I like having my collection right next to me while I do my work at home. I can glance over and feel renewed or get lost in a memory conjured by these joyful plastic artifacts–part transmedia storytelling and part nostalgia.

Below are photos of each shelf or part of my Star Wars collection:

I put Boba Fett’s Slave I and Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon on the top shelf. They are displayed in flight mode using LEGO-built stands.

On the shelf below, a complete Y-Wing with working sound and canon turret and complete bomb rises above Luke Skywalker’s Battle Damaged X-Wing also with working sound and electronic light.

Below the vehicles, one shelf is devoted to The Empire Strikes Back (1980) with the Rebel Command Center playset with its three action figures: Luke Skywalker (Hoth), AT-AT Commander, and R2-D2 with Sensorscope; Tauntaun with Open Belly and Han Solo (Hoth); the six bounty hunters: Dengar, 4-LOM, Boba Fett, Zuckuss, IG-88, and Boskk; and Dagobah Action Playset with Luke (Bespin), R2-D2 with Sensorscope, Yoda with Orange Snake, and Obiwan Kenobi.

The middle shelf is focused on the first act of Return of the Jedi (1983): an unopened Sy Snootles and the Rebo Band Action Figure Set, Boba Fett, Rancor Monster, Rancor Keeper, Han Solo in Carbonite (TVC), Boussh, R2-D2 with Pop-Up Lightsaber (Stan Solo), Yakface (Retro Collection), Amanaman (Stan Solo), Squidhead, 2x Gamorean Guard, Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt Playset, Slave Leia (Stan Solo), Ree-Yees, Klaatu, Tatooine Skiff (Hasbro 2000 re-issue), Nikto, Weequay, Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard Disguise), Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker (Jedi), and Han Solo with Big Head customized with white shirt, brown pants, and yellow Corellian bloodstripe.

The next shelf features a Mos Eisley diorama from Star Wars (1977). The background on the left is the Hasbro re-issue of Kenner’s Cantina Adventure Set. C-3PO and R2-D2’s escape pod from Kenner’s Land of the Jawas playset is on the far right behind a Sandperson. The exterior setting also features 2 x Stormtroopers, 3 x Jawas, R5-D4, Power Droid, R2-D2 (Retro Collection), C-3PO (Retro Collection), and CZ-3 (Retro Collection). On the right side is the Kenner Creature Cantina Playset, which is populated by Luke Skywalker (Retro Collection), Walrusman, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Retro Collection), Greedo, Han Solo, and Snaggletooth.

The next to bottom shelf has a lot of modern Star Wars action figures and playsets with a few Kenner and Retro Collection action figures. The Emperor’s Throne Room (TVC) is a clever playset that is a throwback to Kenner’s cardboard playsets. It unfolds to reveal the action panorama of the final duel between Luke and Vader before the Emperor meets his end with Vader’s act of redemption. It includes an Emperor action figure, but I also have the “angry” Emperor action figure. In front of it is the Kenner Emperor action figure in baggie with mail-away box. I have TVC action figures of Darth Vader from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi (helmet removed and Emperor’s Wrath). There are several versions of R2-D2 (I learned that the one in the back with the white dome is from this comic book set). The other loose action figures include: Vader and Luke dueling at the end of ROTJ; Retro Collection Vader and Obi-Wan from the Disney+ series; farmboy Luke holding his father’s lightsaber; TVC Han (Bespin), Leia (Hoth), 2 x C-3PO, Lando, Luke (Bespin), and Obi-Wan; and on the raised stand, Kenner C-3PO with removable limbs and Retro Collection Han (Bespin), Leia (Hoth), Lando, Death Squad Commander, and Leia (ANH).

The bottom shelf holds the original box for the Kenner Y-Wing on the next-to-top shelf, Retro Collection boxes with some unopened figures inside, LEGO minifigures of Boba Fett, Leia (Hoth), Han (Bespin), C-3PO, and Chewbacca, and TVC Boba Fett (ROTJ and Kenner colors–carded) and 3 x Stormtroopers (ANH carded and 2 loose).

On my desk, I have a completed Bandai 1/144 Millennium Falcon and a LEGO 75375 Millennium Falcon. There’s also three boxed Bandai Millennium Falcon models in the box: 1:350 Bandai Spirits 015 ESB Millennium Falcon, 1:144 Bandai Rise of Skywalker Millennium Falcon, and 1:72 Bandai Perfect Grade ANH Millennium Falcon.

Below are close-up photos of some of my favorites in the collection.

August 25, 2026
LEGO-Built Display Stand for Kenner’s 1985 Tatooine Skiff or Hasbro’s 2000 Re-Issue

One of my favorite Star Wars toys was the Kenner Power of the Force Tatooine Skiff from 1985. I don’t remember the circumstance of getting it–was it a present or did I purchase it–but I remember enjoying the time that I spent taking my heroes on adventures on it.

I no longer have that Tatooine Skiff and it’s virtually impossible for me to spend how much it would cost to replace it (complete, loose versions are trending in the $1000 range as of writing this). Thankfully, Hasbro’s 2000 reissue cost me only $50 plus shipping on ebay. The reissue is virtually identical to the original–same controls for the rudders, plank, figure launcher, and landing gear–but it has updated paint and detailing and the foot pegs are smaller for the POTF2 line of action figures (instead of the larger pegs needed for vintage Star Wars action figures).

I wanted to display the desert skiff with landing gear up as it if were skimming along in the air above the dune sea. LEGO seemed like my best option with what I had on-hand. Below are photos of building the display stand and how it looks with the desert skiff on the stand.

The rear clear brick columns each have one clear cheese wedge to hug the curvature of the undercarriage of the skiff.

The front clear brick columns are topped with 1×2 transclear tiles that hold up the flat plank area under the skiff.

Did you notice the Han Solo with white shirt and brown pants in the completed diorama? I’ll write about how I customized that action figure tomorrow.

August 18, 2026
LEGO-Built Alcove in Jabba’s Palace to Display Hasbro’s Han Solo in Carbonite and Kenner’s Boushh (Princess Leia)

I wanted to display Han Solo in Carbonite more prominently on my Return of the Jedi/Jabba’s Palace shelf of my Star Wars collection. There is Hasbro’s set that includes Han, and there are some third-party creations on eBay, Etsy, and other websites. However, I have a lot of LEGO, so I figured that I would see what I could do with what I have on-hand before spending money on a solution. After several iterations, I finalized the MOC shown in the pictures on this post.

August 11, 2026
My Humble Star Wars Collection

Panning around my desk at home is the Star Wars version of the original opening toThe Ray Bradbury Theater. My favorites are the Kenner line of action figures. To the left of my computer monitor is Sy Snootles and the Rebo Band set, which is sealed in its original box and blister pack, but the cover plastic has yellowed and Max Rebo’s skin has faded to a lighter blue. To the right and behind my home-built mini-AI workstation is Jabba the Hutt smoking hooka and reclining on his throne. Klatuu, Amanaman, Bib Fortuna and others mill about. Slave Leia, a Kenner-inspired action figure by Stan Solo Creations, completes the scene. A 1/144 scale Bandai Millennium Falcon (ESB version) swoops away from Jabba’s den around my computer. Directly in front of my keyboard are The Emperor safely sealed in a mail-away baggie, and bearing arms in a row are the bounty hunters contracted by Darth Vader aboard The Executor to locate the Millennium Falcon—Zuccuss, IG-88, Bossk, Dengar, and 4-LOM, but wait, Boba Fett should be here. Oh, he’s just above my monitor in the cockpit of Slave I that is posed mid-flight thanks to a LEGO Technics stand that I built for it. To its right is the Millennium Falcon on another custom LEGO display stand. The Dagobah Playset completes the shelf with Luke, R2-D2, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi looking across at an X-Wing Fighter with Battle Damage stickers applied (Darth Vader awaits hidden in the Cave of Evil). To the right of my trackball are two Stormtrooper from Hasbro’s updated 3 3/4”-line called The Vintage Collection that I fondly think of as Tag and Bink. To my right is The Emperor’s Thone Room playset and the huge box containing an unassembled Bandai Perfect Grade 1/72 scale Millennium Falcon (ANH version).

Living in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn requires creativity when it comes to one’s hobbies. My simple solution for my Star Wars collecting is to surround my desk area with my action figures and models. I have a mixture of original Kenner 3.75″ action figures, vehicles, and playsets; Hasbro re-issued “Retro Collection” figures; Stan Solo Creations re-issues and originals; Hasbro modern 3.75″ figures including “The Vintage Collection;” LEGO minifigures and sets, and Bandai Millennium Falcon models (1:350, 1:144, and 1:72 scale–the middle one is built, the other two remain to be assembled and painted).

June 10, 2026
LEGO Technics Laptop Stand for 16″ Lenovo Thinkpad P1 Gen4

I’ve been using my Lenovo Thinkpad P1 Gen4 laptop as a desktop replacement system lately, so I wanted to raise its screen higher to avoid slouching and subsequent neck and shoulder pain. While there are lots of solutions to buy, I opted to use the LEGO Technics that I had on hand to build a stand. My goals for the project were facilitating maximum air flow and reliably holding a 4 lb. 5 oz. laptop.

I started by disassembling the folding stand that I had built in 2024, but I noted how I sandwiched a Technic beam between two Technic bricks. The beam’s lower dimension provided a smooth shelf for the laptop’s feet to rest on and the studs on the bricks kept the laptop from sliding off the beam toward the front or rear. I planned to replicate this design in the new laptop stand.

Another important element of the design was an open space beneath the laptop for maximum air flow (this laptop has an NVIDIA RTX A5000 16GB video card that I use for AI workflows). I figured that a rectangular holder for the laptop would work best and allow me to use the black Technic bricks that I had on hand in limited numbers (I have far more light and dark gray elements thanks to all of the Star Wars sets I’ve built over the years).

To strengthen the rectangular frame, there are four layers: top-most brick structure, plates, substructure bricks, and plates. All joints are overlapped, which further strengthens the design.

To support the rectangular laptop frame, I used one L-shaped beam to hold the frame at the bottom and a long Technic brick at 90 degrees to raise the back. As an added support to the back Technic brick, I put a L-shaped beam to apply pressure to the rectangular frame when under the weight of the laptop.

The base of the stand is U-shaped to hold either side’s base in place to prevent any lateral movement, which could cause one of the supports to unhinge.

As a safety measure, I added two Technic L-shaped beams to the bottom center of the laptop frame if not to hold the laptop in place should it slip off then to slow it down as it crashes forward on my desk. I’ve also found this useful for holding paper, such as printed articles, which makes it easy to read and type by looking down-and-up instead of to the left or right.

The stand raises the back of the laptop up 7″, which makes the top of the monitor about even with my eye line. I’ve only been using it a couple of days, but it seems to fit the bill perfectly for my needs.

January 19, 2026