LEGO Star Wars 2025 Advent Calendar review: best or worst edition?

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New Lego Star Wars review with the 2025 Advent Calendar

For this new review on Temple of Bricks, we take a look at the Lego Star Wars set 75418 Advent Calendar 2025. While Advent calendars from other Lego themes come and go depending on the year, the success of the Star Wars range remains strong among children, which is why this product returns for a 15th consecutive edition in 2025.

As an AFOL, while I appreciate the Advent calendar tradition, I have never been fond of Lego Star Wars Advent calendars for several reasons. First of all, the Christmas theme has nothing to do with the Star Wars universe, so there is nothing specific to recreate in a way that is consistent with the universe, unlike Harry Potter for example, where Christmas is celebrated with visible settings. The result is that the “Christmas” content of these calendars boils down to Star Wars characters wearing Christmas sweaters, and a few brick-built droids in red and green…

The second issue concerns the internal consistency of the content: the minifigures or builds from each day are completely independent and do not form a coherent whole. Moreover, the micro scale ships are of no interest to an adult collector, and these calendars are therefore just an excuse to get a few minifigures, sometimes exclusive characters (Luke in hermit outfit in 2019 or General Merrick in 2018), or characters in Christmas outfits for those who like them.

While the first issue is difficult to solve, Lego seems to have addressed the second in 2025. For the first time, gone are the mismatched micro-builds: all the days include characters or builds at minifigure scale forming a coherent whole—a droid repair workshop.

So I bought the set and took the opportunity to offer you a detailed review to see whether this Lego Star Wars 2025 Advent Calendar is truly more interesting than previous ones.

Set details

As usual, let’s take a closer look at the price and contents of the set and compare it to the two previous versions.

Let’s start with the good news: the 2025 edition of the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar keeps the same price as last year at €34.99. While editions from 2013 to 2021 were priced at €29.99, the calendar saw its first increase to €34.99 in 2022 and another to €37.99 in 2023. So we can consider ourselves lucky that Lego has reversed course with €3 less. Unfortunately, this reduction comes at a cost in terms of inventory: with only 263 pieces compared to 368 last year, we lose 28% of content while keeping the same price…

This brings the price per piece from €0.09 to €0.13, making it the worst ratio for a Lego Star Wars calendar in recent years. On the other hand, the price per “minifigure” is much lower, since this set includes 16 characters compared to six or eight in previous years. Unfortunately, this figure is heavily skewed by the fact that the usual micro-ships are replaced here by buildable droids. While they are indeed characters, listed as such on Bricklink, they are not real Lego minifigs as we are used to: the set only includes two (C-3PO and the Jawa) compared to five in 2023 and 2024, plus two astromechs, three battle droids and two molded micro-figures (Babu Frik and BD-72). Everything else consists of brick-built constructions…

Review of set 75418: coherent but uneven content

The Babu Frik workshop setting: a good idea but a simplistic result

As mentioned in the introduction, this Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar is the first to abandon varied micro-ships in favor of content forming a coherent whole, the workshop of Babu Frik, the small creature who repairs droids and appeared in Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker when the characters need to reprogram C-3PO to access his memory and decode the Sith artifact on Kijimi. This is not a faithful recreation of the scene; the calendar simply offers a collection of builds and characters themed around a droid repair workshop.

Eight of the 24 days of the calendar are dedicated to building the setting. It includes:

• A chair to seat C-3PO
• A crane to lift (in theory...) the astromech droid
• A crate with droid parts
• A vehicle loosely inspired by the Jawa sandcrawler
• Four modules that assemble into a workbench with tools and crates

While the content has the merit of being coherent and forming a small workshop setting, the finish is far too minimalistic for the overall result to be interesting from my perspective as an AFOL. The only positive point is the presence of B1 battle droid parts scattered across these modules, allowing you to assemble a bonus droid over the course of the days.

Buildable droids: some interesting characters

Another eight days of the calendar are devoted to buildable Lego droids. They include:

• a Pit droid (sw1441)
• a Gonk droid (sw1442)
• a sabotage droid (sw1443)
• a B2EMO droid (sw1444)
• a Treadwell repair droid (sw1446)
• a red and white MSE-6 mouse droid (sw1448)
• an Imperial probe droid (sw1449)
• a green FX-7 medical droid (sw1450)

Unlike the simplistic setting, some of these droids are quite interesting. Notably B2EMO, the highly appreciated droid from the Andor series, which makes its first appearance in Lego. Even though it is made of basic parts, it is instantly recognizable and looks decent. The other most successful droid is the Treadwell. It’s not the first version released in Lego, but in my opinion it is the most accomplished, with its detailed wheeled base and three arms (bringing it closer to the version seen in The Clone Wars). Finally, the Pit droid is also quite good with a slightly improved version compared to previous ones.

Among these droids, two are in Christmas colors, with the red and white mouse droid resembling a candy cane and the green medical droid like a Christmas tree. Both are well executed: the MSE-6 mouse droid follows the design of previous versions, which is a welcome consistency, and the green FX-7 medical droid could easily fit into a serious MOC, as its color is not too out of place.

However, I am much less fond of the last three. The Imperial probe droid is particularly unsuccessful. While it uses the design with the two hexagonal pieces to attach the arms and sensors like other simple versions, it only uses a 2x2 radar piece instead of 3x3 for the dome, and omits the accessories at the end of the arms, giving it a squashed look that makes it barely recognizable. Nothing like the sw1190 version from set 75322, which is the most accomplished at minifigure scale.

The sabotage droid is also unsuccessful. While it suffers from the same scale issue as previous versions, it also omits the accessory that usually represents the main drilling tool, replaced by a 2x2 radar piece and a cone placed under the droid, preventing its legs from touching the ground. The result is crude, and I had to look up an image of the droid to understand what these parts were supposed to represent…

Finally, as often with Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar editions, we cannot escape the Christmas version of the Gonk droid. While previous versions were quite recognizable with a normal-looking droid in gift-wrap colors or brown with reindeer antlers, here it is harder to understand what this Gonk droid is supposed to represent. The festive aspect is shown with transparent blue and pink parts for the body, and various accessories attached: a broom, a spoon, bars. If you get the reference, I’m interested.

Battle droids: a classic of the Advent Calendar

It has become a running joke in the AFOL community: the Advent Calendar battle droid—you can’t avoid it. Almost every year since the launch of these Lego Star Wars calendars, we get a battle droid, with some variations. While the early editions aimed to offer rarer versions (a B1 pilot droid with blue markings in 2011 or a security one with red markings in 2012), seven of the next 12 editions included a standard beige B1 droid, the most common minifigure in the Lego Star Wars range since 1999… The 2024 calendar innovated by replacing it with the super battle droid B2, which had just returned to Lego Star Wars sets after years of absence. In 2025, set 75418 surpasses its predecessors with a total of three battle droids: one B2 (the same as last year, sw1321) and two B1. As mentioned earlier, the 2025 edition is heavily affected by shrinkflation, and these two B1 droids take the place of real Lego minifigures that are more expensive to produce… We can console ourselves by noting that both are “exclusive.” The individual parts are not, of course, but the color combinations are new. The first B1 droid is sw1447. It is identical to a standard beige droid, but with a gray left arm and equipped with a backpack with an antenna, using different colored parts to give a repaired, cobbled-together look. The second B1 droid is made of parts all in different colors: gold legs, white torso, one black arm and one red arm, beige head. Unlike the first, this second droid has no number and is not referenced as an official minifigure, as its parts are spread across several days of the calendar. And I almost forgot to mention: these two droids do not come with blasters, unlike those in previous editions. No small savings…

Astromech droids: another way to cut costs

In addition to battle droids, this calendar includes two astromech droids: R7-A7 (sw1397) and BB-8 as a snowman (sw1451). While this version of BB-8 is exclusive and serves as the “Christmas minifigure” element of the set along with the Jawa, R7-A7 is not, as it appears with its owner in set 75401 Ahsoka’s Jedi Interceptor. It logically suffers from the same issue: no printed back. BB-8 comes with a hat and a tiny Christmas tree to add a few parts to “build” something on December 24… As with the battle droids, these two astromechs leave a bitter taste of cost-cutting, replacing the real minifigures from previous editions.

The only two real minifigures: C-3PO and the Jawa

While previous calendars usually included five or six real Lego minifigures, the 2025 edition is the least generous with only two: C-3PO (sw1440) and a Jawa in a Christmas sweater (sw1445). While both are exclusive to this set, the parts themselves are not, except for the Jawa’s torso. Collectors of Star Wars characters in Christmas sweaters will be pleased to add a Jawa to their collection, while others may be less enthusiastic about an anecdotal yet new version of C-3PO: the red-eyed version from Episode IX with Babu Frik. The minifigure reuses the usual torso and legs (not the best version, of course, with the gray leg…) combined with the red-eyed head introduced in set 75389 Black Falcon (minifigure sw1368 bounty hunter C-3PO).

The most interesting part: BD-72 and Babu Frik micro-figures

Finally, the most interesting part for a collector in this set: the two micro-figures of BD-72 (sw1211) and Babu Frik (sw1439). The BD-72 droid is not exclusive, as it already appeared in 2022 in set 75325 The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter. It reuses the piece introduced that same year in set 75335 BD-1 for the micro-figure of the same name, with the only difference being the color of the markings. I would have much preferred BD-1 in this calendar: the droid of Cal Kestis from the game Jedi Fallen Order is far more iconic than BD-72, seen in a minor scene of The Mandalorian, and its set is no longer available while the N-1 still is at the time of the 2025 calendar release. That would have allowed those who missed the BD-1 set to get it. Lego missed an opportunity to please us without increasing production costs…

Finally, the micro-figure of Babu Frik is the only truly exclusive and new element of this calendar. While he is a secondary character from the widely criticized Episode IX, he remains memorable, and adding him to a collection will please all collectors, even those who didn’t like the film. For Babu Frik’s first appearance in Lego, the manufacturer created a unique piece with a new mold, featuring two plastics (gray and brown) for a clean finish, with printed details for the face. The figure is very nice and faithful to the character from the film. While it is exclusive to this set, I doubt it will remain so and expect it to reappear in future sets based on The Mandalorian movie. Babu Frik appears in the trailer, and it seems unlikely Lego would invest in a unique mold for just an Advent calendar…

Conclusion: a good idea undermined by cost-cutting

In conclusion, my opinion on the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 set is quite mixed. On one hand, I am very pleased with the change in content strategy. On the other, I am very disappointed with the value for money.

On the positive side, I appreciate finally having a Lego Star Wars calendar with builds at minifigure scale that form a coherent whole, unlike the usual scattered micro-ships. While part of the droids and the setting are only good for spare parts, some are very successful and can fit into a Lego Star Wars collection or a MOC. I hope Lego continues in this direction next year, improving the builds. I would gladly trade the weaker droids for more detailed scenery elements. I also appreciate the presence of Babu Frik, a new and currently exclusive figure that almost carries the set on its own.

Unfortunately, these positives are overshadowed by very poor value for money that is evident throughout. It feels like Lego has done everything possible to minimize production costs. While the price remains the same as last year, the list of disappointments is long:

• One third fewer pieces,
• Only two real Lego minifigures compared to five in previous years,
• Including only one Christmas sweater figure instead of two,
• The only other figure (C-3PO) is just a combination of previously seen parts,
• No truly new minifigures or ones from expensive sets like in previous years,
• Three battle droids instead of one, and two astromechs replacing previous minifigures (a record),
• The two B1 droids don’t even come with blasters (a first),

While this Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 could have been the best edition on paper with its coherent set of minifigure-scale builds, the result is spoiled by excessive cost-cutting, placing the set at the bottom in several aspects, starting with the minifigures.

Its content does not justify the price, a problem that reflects the significant price increases in the Lego Star Wars range in 2025, which sparked criticism among fans and will hopefully encourage the manufacturer to rethink its strategy for future releases.

So, should you buy this Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025? Certainly not at €34.99. There are only two truly interesting elements for a collector: the Christmas Jawa and Babu Frik. If you collect Lego Star Wars Christmas sweater figures, it’s hard to skip this set. Otherwise, only Babu Frik remains, but beware—I expect him to appear again in another set in 2026.

As for the rest of the calendar, you might appreciate R7-A7 (assuming you don’t have set 75401 Ahsoka’s Jedi Interceptor, which would be a shame as it includes exclusive Ahsoka and Anakin minifigures), or B2EMO and the Treadwell droid, which are very successful but made of common parts, so this calendar will only be useful if you don’t already own them.

To conclude, I would only recommend this calendar if you can find it on sale, which should not be difficult, especially after early December: even the Lego website offered it at -30% during Black Friday.

Evaluation of set 75418 Advent Calendar 2025

The evaluation of set Lego Star Wars 75418 Advent Calendar 2025 by Temple of Bricks:

Criteria	Set rating	Pros and cons
Value for money		⛔️ One third fewer pieces ⛔️ Droids instead of minifigures
Collection value		✅ Babu Frik and the Christmas sweater Jawa
Display value		⛔️ Not the purpose of this set
Play value		✅ Many droids ✅ A minifigure-scale setting
Minifigure selection		✅ C-3PO with red eyes, Babu Frik, Christmas sweater Jawa ✅ Some interesting droids... ⛔️ And nothing else
Build experience		⛔️ Uninteresting build, as always with Advent calendar content
Inventory richness		✅ Some useful parts

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