Lego releases 9023-piece UCS Death Star for $1,000

Lego has released a new Ultimate Collector Series Death Star set, opening early access to Lego Insiders on October 1 and rolling out to the wider public on October 4. The model, based on the original Star Wars trilogy, is a 9,023-piece construction that Lego describes as the largest Star Wars set it has produced, and it will retail for 1,000 through Lego.com and Lego Stores.

The Death Star is presented as a partially open cross-section designed for display and includes brick-built recreations of multiple scenes from A New Hope through Return of the Jedi. The set’s layout includes the Emperor’s throne room, Princess Leia’s detention cell, the trash compactor with walls that close, a TIE fighter hangar, the superlaser dish, Darth Vader’s meditation chamber and a hangar bay configured for an Imperial shuttle. Lego lists the finished model’s dimensions at roughly 20.6 inches high, 18.9 inches wide and 15.1 inches deep. The set also comes with 38 minifigures, including figures representing Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.

Lego positioned early access for members of its Insider program as an advantage given anticipated demand. Retailers and...