The LEGO Group has released a brand-new Star Wars model of the classic Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit, recreating the iconic opening battle from Return of the Jedi. Featuring several original trilogy characters that were present during the rescue mission to save Han Solo, the new build comes with an exciting handful of minifigures. However, it also includes an exclusive minifigure as well, celebrating LEGO’s 25th anniversary with the galaxy far, far away.

LEGO’s new Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit (75396) set was recently released on August 1st. This was alongside several other new Star Wars models, including Ahsoka Tano’s Duel on Peridea (75385) and a few inspired by LEGO’s upcoming Disney+ special Rebuild the Galaxy. However, I recently got my hands on this new Return of the Jedi build, so here’s Screen Rant’s official review for LEGO’s new Desert Skiff & Salracc Pit (75396).

Box Art And Contents Overview For LEGO’s Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit (75396)

Recreating The Iconic Dune Sea Battle

The box art for this new build features the deserts of Tatooine, specifically the Dune Sea, the site of the Sarlacc pit where Jabba the Hutt enjoyed disposing his rivals. As seen on both the front and back of the box, the dual skiff and Sarlacc builds are prominently featured, as are their various play features. The side of the box also highlights the set’s inclusion of its latest 25th-anniversary minifigure, Nien Nunb (who also debuted in Return of the Jedi).

Inside the box, both builds are split into six bags total. It’s also notable that this is a rare set in which no stickers are included. With a piece count of 558, I wasn’t a huge fan of the set’s $80 price tag. However, the inclusion of 5 minifigures with updated designs and an exclusive Star Wars minifigure that has never been featured before does justify the cost somewhat.

Build Breakdown For Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit (75396)

Lots of Desert Pieces (But Also Some Fun Play Features)

Working at a leisurely pace, LEGO’s Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit (75396) took me just under an hour and a half to build, making it a short but sweet project overall. Starting with the Sarlacc pit, the build features some fun play features such as knobs that can be turned to move the large creatures’ four tentacles. Likewise, the overall desert base is bigger than I expected. While it does give some good dimension to the Sarlacc that’s largely buried in the sand, it’s going to take some creativity to find a good way to display it on my shelves alongside the skiff.

Moving onto the skiff, the small desert craft features some nice design elements to help it resemble the skiff seen in Return of the Jedi. This includes a plank that can extend and retract. While the inclusion of transparent stands to give the skiff is helpful, it would have been nice if a few extra pieces had been added to give the skiff an extra inch or two off the ground given the size of the Sarlacc pit. As it stands, the skiff isn’t quite high enough to be easily displayed over the Sarlacc on its own using the pieces given.

A Closer Look At The New Return of the Jedi Minifigures

Including The 25th Anniversary Nien Nunb

The set’s six minifigures are quite impressive as well. Both Luke Skywalker and Lando have received updated designs with extra detail since their inclusion LEGO’s 2012 Desert Skiff and Sarlacc set, as have Han and Chewie who were featured in the 2017 iteration (the blinded face print for Han is particularly good). Regardless, it is nice to have all four Rebels included in this new version.

Boba Fett is included as well, though without his signature half cape which I found to be pretty disappointing, as well as the absence of Jabba’s guards who came with the older models. That said, the inclusion of Nien Nunb as the 25th-anniversary figure is very exciting, the first time Lando’s Battle of Endor co-pilot has received the brick-built treatment since his debut in 1983. All in all, it’s a very good collection of minifigures with this new LEGO Star Wars set, which was a lot of fun to build overall.