May the Fourth be with you – Star Wars Miniland

May the force be with you, and happy Star Wars day!  To celebrate the greatest science-fiction series of all time, I want to share with you the wonders of Star Wars Miniland, to take you to a galaxy far, far away... no Legoland ticket required.

Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

Listen closely and you can hear the Naboo starfighter blasting the droidekas the phone camera doesn't illuminate.  Please ignore shaky camera.

"There's always a bigger fish."

"Jar Jar, use a booma!"  "Mesa no have a booma!"

Trivia: the MTT extends and withdraws the droid rack.

Again, forgive my shaky camera.

And... there are no podracers.  Poodoo!

Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones

Here we have the battle of Geonosis, the only scene worth watching in the movie (and it lasts about two minutes).

I estimate they only have a few thousand more pieces than the sets Lego actually sells.

Hey, it's John Carter!!

The Clone Wars

This is the part where Snips gets some "experience".  I shudder at the memory of this movie.  Ziro, sadly, is nowhere to be seen.  "I just LOVE that little huttlet!"

Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith

Possibly my favorite exhibit of the bunch... you can't see him in this photo, but Yoda's watching from that tower.

The turbo tank turret spins and fires, although the video doesn't show it.

"You're breaking my heart!"

The epic, animatronic duel.

Episode 4 - A New Hope (or just Star Wars, if you grew up in the 80s)

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Giants tower over the Millenium Falcon.  That's not from the movie.

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

Classic.

Episode 6 - Return of the Jedi

Han and Leia are getting comfortable in the bunker entrance.

There is, of course, more to see: the ewok village in the trees, the wampa cave, and the pivotal duel with Darth Maul, along with several other details.  Unfortunately, to see the rest you'll have to buy a $72 ticket, which I do not recommend unless you are younger than the age of 13.  Legoland has two good rides, bad animatronics, expensive food, and no real discount on the sets to compensate for your ticket price.  Oh, and most people who visit Legoland are really bad at walking, so traversing the park is a rather slow process.  This is not the theme park you're looking for.