The Return of the Jedi Cinema: BrickHeadz on the Big Screen

In 1983, fans of Star Wars were treated with the third episode wrapping up the galactic saga that revolutionized sci-si storytelling. It is hard to believe that was 40 years ago! I was only 5 years old when Return of the Jedi came out. So for Star Wars Day this year, I wanted to share with you a MOC I made a few years ago to celebrate ROTJ—and show how I updated the MOC for the anniversary celebrations this year.

Here Goes Nothing

What started all of this was the set 40623 Battle of Endor Heroes, aka the ROTJ BrickHeadz. When LEGO offered BrickNerd a copy of the set, I knew exactly what had to be done. The set includes five iconic characters from the film including Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Lando Calrissian, the Ewok Wicket and Princess Leia.

I enjoyed the BrickHeadz builds. There are some interesting internal parts added to the interior of their bodies and I enjoyed the subtle prints that make these characters come together. Wicket and R2-D2 are particularly adorable, and I can’t imagine they were easy to design at this scale.

I asked the LEGO designer, Jme Wheeler, about them who said he was thrilled with the ROTJ sets he got to design. He is someone I know from years past from Flickr prior to him becoming a LEGO designer. It has been fun seeing his journey and seeing how his unique building style transfers to sets for purchase.

Something Special Planned for Them

I thought that these BrickHeadz needed a little something extra, so I built an oversized speeder bike for Leia. Just like my fellow BrickNerd contributor Caleb did for the Lord of the Rings BrickHeadz, I enjoyed scaling up the vehicle to fit the BrickHeadz proportions. I rotated Leia’s hands to hold the speeder controls but other than that I didn’t have to adjust her build much at all.

View fullsize
View fullsize

Living in California where the forests of Endor were filmed in ROTJ, I also had to take Leia and Wicket out for a proper photoshoot! This pair is ridiculously photogenic so I couldn’t help myself and took quite a few shots.

A Certain Point of View

So why was I excited about these BrickHeadz and Leia on a speeder? Let me tell you a story.

Around 2017, I participated in Legoland California’s Star Wars Days (may they rest in pieces) to display some Star Wars MOCs. I wanted to capture the experience of watching Star Wars for the first time in the theater but through a LEGO brick-built medium. What I ended up building was a window into the past, a cinema with a view of the screen capturing one of the iconic scenes from Return of the Jedi on the big screen.

I learned from prior events at Legoland’s Star Wars Days events that the public liked MOCs that incorporated motion, so I ended up building a moving diorama with sounds to bring the scene to life. I chose the exciting speeder bike chase scene from the Forest of Endor, accomplished by building a giant rotating platform to make it look like the dense foliage flying underneath the suspended speeders.

I also included sound clips from the movie scene to complete the immersion. What resulted was a very cinematic LEGO tribute to Return of the Jedi which was a hit with the crowds since it was awarded People’s Choice for Legoland Star Wars days as well as Best of Show at BricksLA.

The cinema diorama was such a success that to this day, about 5 years later, I keep getting messages via social platforms of people enjoying it and hoping that Star Wars Days at Legoland make their own return.

That Thing’s Operational!

I kept the cinema MOC and I resisted breaking it down, even though it takes up so much space, because people really enjoy it at events. I have displayed it at four events (Legoland Star Wars Days, BricksLA, Bricks Live, and Steam Maker Festival in San Diego). I really enjoy the storytelling of the movie-going experience and the practical effects of the motion of the scene.

But with a new larger-than-life Leia on a speeder bike and for the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, it was time for the MOC to make a comeback! I got out my tools and started to unpack. I had created a custom crate for the MOC to make it easier to store and move, so all I needed to do was unscrew a few panels and make a few tiny repairs.

I put Leia into place, hanging her from above and hid the Ewok Wicket in the lush foliage. All of a sudden, the MOC came to life and my minifigure audience was really watching the big screen!

The Return of the Jedi cinema has returned, showing how new LEGO sets can even inspire old MOCs. May the force be with you and happy Star Wars Day!

DISCLAIMER: This set was provided to BrickNerd by LEGO. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

What scene would you like to see in the LEGO theater? Let us know in the comments below!

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, John A. and Lukas Kurth from StoneWars to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more