Lego's Smart Play Star Wars sets hit stores with minifigures, Smart bricks

Two months after debuting at CES, Lego’s Smart Play technology arrived in stores on March 1 with eight new Star Wars sets. The system adds lighting, sounds and other interactive elements through tiny Smart Play bricks built into compatible models. The launch collection ranges from Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter to Luke’s Red Five X-wing and the Throne Room Duel & A-wing, with larger compatible builds such as the Mos Eisley Cantina and Millennium Falcon also available.

Some sets include a Smart Play brick and multiple Smart Play minifigures and tags; other compatible sets do not include the brick, which must be purchased separately. Early reactions from fans have been mixed: the technology may appeal to younger players, while adult builders have found the initial sets smaller and simpler than they prefer.

Reviewers singled out Yoda’s Hut and Mos Eisley Cantina as among the more detailed pieces that still offer play options without a Smart Play brick. Lego has not announced the next wave of Smart Play releases.

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