Star Wars Advent Calendar Who Is the Blue Guy

Hello there and welcome to the Jay's Brick Blog Daily daily countdown of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!

This is the big one, and has been a long-time tradition on the blog, dating back to 2014! This is something I look forward to each year, and I just love counting down the days to Christmas.

Note: UCS AT-AT not included!

This year's Advent Calendar is a bit of a new experience as I believe it's solely focused on The Mandalorian TV series which streams on Disney+, a departure from previous years where you had builds and characters from different movies/eras of Star Wars.

I look forward to Advent Calendar Season every year as it's been a long tradition on the blog (since 2014!), so if this is your first, or you're back once again, welcome and I hope you enjoy the daily countdown posts, as we work our way towards Christmas!

If you'd like to check out previous Star Wars Advent calendars, here are the links to 2014, 2015. 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 calendars if you'd like a trip down memory lane.

This year will be the biggest LEGO Advent Calendar season yet, as I'll be counting down 4 Advent Calendars – Star Wars, Harry Potter, Friends and Marvel.

You can check out each countdown here

• 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar
• 2021 LEGO Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar
• 2021 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar
• 2021 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar

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To make it easier for you to check out each day's section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section.

• Day 1 – Razor Crest
• Day 2 – Riot Mar's Starfighter
• Day 3 – Stormtrooper
• Day 4 – E-web Heavy Blaster Snow Launcher
• Day 5 – Target Practice
• Day 6 – Imperial Troop Transport
• Day 7 – Mythrol's Speeder
• Day 8 – Tusken Raider
• Day 9 – Tusken Raider Weapons Rack
• Day 10 – Tusken Snow Ballista
• Day 11 – X-Wing Starfighter
• Day 12 – TIE Fighter
• Day 13 – Scout Trooper
• Day 14 – Weapons Rack
• Day 15 – Speeder Bike
• Day 16 – Keelboat and Ferry Droid Droid Sled
• Day 17 – Imperial Light Cruiser
• Day 18 – IT-O Interrogation Droid
• Day 19 – Slave 1
• Day 20 – IG-11
• Day 21 – Weapons Rack #3
• Day 22 – Festive Grogu
• Day 23 – Grogu's Hoverpram
• Day 24 – The Christmas Mandalorian
• Final Thoughts

How does this work?

If you're new here, I do daily updates on each window of the 2021 Star Wars Advent Calendar. I usually post updates in the morning, but sometimes if I get too busy at work, updates will be posted in the evening. I'll update this post each day, as I don't really enjoy the practice of creating new posts for each day as it keeps it so much cleaner.

Unlike other sites, I'm actually opening each window as I go, and I've been able to be relatively spoiler-free to be as surprised as I can get. All reviews, thoughts and reactions are live as we go along, there are no pre-planned photos or thoughts, unless I happen to be travelling or away from home.

Do note that I'm based in Melbourne, Australia (GMT +11) so we're ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you've opened your window and built the daily model especially if you're located in other timezones like the US or UK.

PS: If you're planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these affiliate links if you're shopping on Amazon, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com!

I receive a small commission if you purchase something, which goes a long way in paying for equipment and server costs, and of course LEGO I purchase for content. All my advent calendars are purchased myself!

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To follow along, it's best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via a link in the top navigation bar. If you're on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.

Here's the flap of the 2021 Star Wars Advent Calendar when opened up, which offers up a familiar snowy scene, and a bunch of builds and minifigures, that are pretty big spoilers. Not idea if you like surprises!

As always, the instruction of each day's builds are printed on the inside of the doors, so be careful and try not to rip them out!

Without wasting any time, let's get started with the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown!

Day 1

Day 1 of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar is off to a great start, with a really substantial build – the Razor Crest, the ship used by Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian.

Really surprised to get such a heavy hitter ship on Day 1, but I'm not going to complain. This was quite an extensive build, and the instructions on the window flap might be a little hard to read, especially for younger builders, so here's a shot of how to build the twin engines, and components.

It's a really solid build, and the design of the engines are an improvement over the 2020 Razor Crest as they look much more accurate.

Here's a side by side shot to illustrate that I mean – the proportions and colours are much more accurate this time around, and the tile on the sides make such a big improvement aesthetically!

It is quite odd to have the same ship 2 years back to back, but that just speaks to the immense popularity of The Mandalorian, and this is quite a nice update to fix many of the issues from the 2020 Razor Crest.

No complaints with the Day 1 Razor Crest here, and it sets the tone for what we're bout to get in the next 23 windows/days, so check in tomorrow to see what Day 2 brings!

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Day 2

Day 2 of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar throws quite a bit of a curve ball, with Riot Mar's Starfighter. No, it's not some wonky Y-Wing Starfighter.

Featured in Episode 5 of Season 1 in Chapter 5: The Gunslinger, Riot Mar is one of the Bounty Hunter looking to capture and kill Din Djarin, and collect Baby Yoda, but unfortunately, is outgunned and ends up getting blown up.

Check out the battle scene in the video above. The build is close enough to the actual starfighter, but as it's such an obscure ship (and character), it's going to be a tough one for people to guess what it is.

This is the first ever LEGO appearance of Riot Mar's Starfigher, and I'll be curious to see if we get a full-sized set.

I do like the colours, and the overall silhouette of the ship, as well as the trans-red cockpit, but my favourite feature is the binoculars as engine thrusters.

That's it for Day 2! You can now set up a dog-fighting scene between yesterday's Razor Crest, but this was quite a tricky one to identify, so hope this entry helps!

I kinda like that LEGO have gone quite obscure in the 2nd day of the calendar, but hopefully we get some more recognisable ships or figures soon. Speaking of which, I hope we get a minifigure tomorrow. Check in again to see what we get for Day 3!

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Day 3

On Day 3 of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, we finally get a minifigure – one that you wouldn't mind getting hundreds or even thousands of – a Stormtrooper!

This is your classic Stormtrooper, and is the exact variant of the one from 75300 Tie Fighter.

Here's a look at the back printing, on his helmet, and torso.

Interestingly, he doesn't come with a Blaster of any sort, which does make him quite defenseless, although you could debate the effectiveness of a Stormtrooper with or without a Blaster Rifle since they can't aim to save their lives.

The lack of a Blaster also probably foreshadows a certain love/hate staple of Star Wars Advent Calendars… a Blaster Rack in future days, maybe in Day 4? That would be super funny.

Anyway, here's Day 3 so far of the Star Wars Advent Calendar – it's never a bad day to open up a Stormtrooper in a window, so this was a pretty good day.

Check back tomorrow to see what Day 4 brings!

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Day 4

Day 4 didn't give us a Weapons Rack, as predicted, but something a lot more heavy-duty (and festive), an E-Web Heavy Repeating Snowball Launcher! Since its Winter, LEGO have found it appropriate to modify an E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster to shoot snowballs instead.

The design is really well done, and I especially like how the muzzle was designed, which does a great job mimicking the e-web's muzzle at this scale.

There's a handle for the Stormtrooper to hold, as he lines up a target to be hit in the face by a snowball, which is represented by a white stud, and can be fired using a standard stud-blaster.

I do wish that LEGO had included the power generator feed – the black box connected to the E-Web that powers it, but this still works and is quite recognisable.

Don't worry, Stormtroopers have terrible aim, and he has a very high chance of NOT hitting you.

That's it for Day 4 so far – great to see the Stormtrooper get a weapon, and bonus points that it has some playablity with the Stud Blaster.

It's been AGES since we've last gotten an E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster in an advent calendar – it was last seen in the 2014 Star Wars Calendar, so this is a welcome return for one of the most iconic high-calibre blasters in the Star Wars universe, and I'm really glad to see it!

But with all Star Wars Advent Calendars… the Weapons Racks are an ever-present threat, so maybe we'll get one tomorrow? Check in to see what we get in Day 5!

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Day 5

No weapons rack in Day 5, but a small but simple build that perfectly complements yesterday's E-Web Heavy Repeating Snowball Blaster – some Target Practice stands!

Stormtroopers have incredibly terrible aim, so these large red targets help then improve their shooting skills, and while simple, and have really no in-universe tie-in to Star Wars, make for a fun interactive feature in the Star Wars Advent Calendar.

Using Day 4's E-Web, it's quite fun to practice the Stormtrooper's aim, and fire off the white snowball studs at these targets.

That's it for Day 5 so far, and this checks the "playability" box for me, even if it isn't the most interesting or complex build. I hope we get back to a regular mini-build or even a minifigure tomorrow, so check back in to see what Day 6 will bring!

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Day 6

After the relatively weak and disappointing Targets in Day 5, we're back into the swing of things in Day 6 with the Imperial Troop Transport, an APC-like vehicle used to transport Stormtroopers!

As it's inspired by an Armoured Personnel Carrier, it gives off a bulky, and heavily armoured look. There is a small cannon on the roof, and I like the clever use of the elements to give the model some textural details across its body.

The red stud at the front is a little too large, but I can see why it was important to retain, as the version we saw in The Mandalorian had a small red strip, near the Imperial logo.

And here's the back – again, love the grill behind, and just how well the "gaps" look on the model – which again, really delivers that "armour-plated" look well.

And that's it for Day 6! It's a really strong model, and something that fits in really well with the Stormtrooper minifigure.

Quite happy, even if this is a bit of a less popular vehicle, but the great design more than makes up for the slightly obscure vehicle.

Check in tomorrow to see what Day 7 brings!

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Day 7

Day 7 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us another fairly obscure vehicle from the Mandalorian TV series – Mythrol's Speeder. The Mandalorian was lauded for its world-building, and how well it stuck to Star Wars roots of creating a rich, organic and believable world filled with aliens.

This pale blue Landspeeder is a really wonderful build, with fantastic and believable proportions, and an attractive colour scheme.

I especially like the engines on the back, and how aerodynamic this microbuild looks like.

In case you need a refresher on who the heck Mythrol is, and what his Landspeeder looked like, hopefully this shot from Season 2 Episode 4 (Chapter 12) is a helpful refresher!

The instructions are a little tricky, especially the front part of the Landspeeder, so hopefully these 2 images above help you figure out where all the parts go.

In LEGO Star Wars, Landspeeders have always been dark orange/red thanks to Luke's Landspeeder, but this blue variant is a great alternative, and yet another great use of an Advent Calendar window to spotlight a fairly obscure vehicle from The Mandalorian!

Feeling great so far, and I love the direction of this The Mandalorian-themed Advent Calendar, so check in tomorrow to see what Day 8 brings! I hope we get another minifigure as the Stormtrooper feels quite lonely!

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Day 8

Apologies that today's update is so late – had a really busy day, and only just found the time to take photos and post.

Day 8 gives us a familiar minifigure – a Tusken Raider! They used to be called Sandpeople but I think that name is a little outdated.

The Tusken Raider minifigure is pretty much unchanged, and is the same version as the one from 75299 Trouble on Tatooine. It's a Tusken Raider, and really doesn't need many updates thanks to the highly detailed moulded head.

Native to the planet Tatooine, one of the funnier scenes in Mandalorian Season 2 reveals that Mando speaks Tusken Raider, and negotiates with them to help kill a Krayt Dragon.

Here's the back printing for reference.

That's Day 8 so far! Pleased to finally get another minifigure, but it isn't a named character, in fact we haven't got one yet, which I think is pretty neat, as it builds the anticipation for when we actually get a main character.

Check back tomorrow to see what we get in Day 9!

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Day 9

Let it be said, that LEGO Star Wars designers have zero sense of humour. Day 9 is a surprising one, with a Tusken Raider Weapons Rack! I definitely was not expecting them to go in this direction when it comes to the infamous Weapons Racks, which are a staple of LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendars.

When I was first assembling this, I was excited as it seemed like I was building a microscale model of a location in Tatooine, until I realised, oh… that's not some sort of antenna, it's actually a Gaderffii, a traditional melee weapon that Tusken Raiders use to club their enemies to death. Or poke them with the pointy end.

It's amazing that the Tusken Raider gets a handheld weapon BEFORE the Stormtrooper!

Is it a great build? No. Does it feel like a cruel twist, to subvert the expectations of LEGO Star Wars Calendar fans? Yes. And you know what, as much as I dislike the build for being plain (it could've been included with the Tusken Raider), I can respect the designers leaning into fans and their hatred for Weapons Racks, by making one of the worst and most unnecessary one yet!

But hey, at least the Tusken Raider can now club the Stormtrooper to death!

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Day 10

If a Tusken Weapons Rack isn't enough for the Tusken Raider, he receives some additional firepower thanks to Day 10's Tusken Snow Ballista! A seasonal-appropriate snowball-launching version of the Tusken Ballista, this is a primitive but effective method to defend the Tusken Raiders against their foes.

The build features a stud blaster, and also handles for the Tusken Raider to drop, and I like the use of the horns to give it that curved Ballista Shape.

The Tusken Ballistas featured prominently in Season 2 when Mando, Cobb Vanth, and some Tusken Raiders take on the Krayt Dragon.

And now together with the Stormtrooper, the Tusken Raider can practice his aim – so that's why we got 2 Targets!

Surprised that the Tusken Raider has a lot more in the weapons department than the Stormtrooper. Surely, we'll need a Stormtrooper Weapons Rack to even the score!

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Day 11

Day 11 of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us one of the most recognisable starfighters in the galaxy – an X-Wing Starfighter!

X-Wings have been a staple of Advent Calendars, and this one doesn't deviate far from the established design, with it looking very similar to 2020's X-Wing, except with more white elements than grey.

I always enjoy seeing the blue studs, that represent Astromech Droids, docked behind the cockpit.

The build was quite challenging, as the instructions were quite tricky to make out, so hope this image helps you orientate the brick and elements in the cockpit, and mid-section of the X-Wing.

As expected, you can also "flatted" the s-foils (wings) for a non-attack mode X-Wing.

My guess is this X-Wing could belong to rapper Wolf, a human male pilot for the New Republic, who rescued Din Djarin from giant ice spider monsters.

Update: Or as many of you have pointed out, it could be Luke Skywalker's X-Wing from that epic Season 2 Finale of The Mandalorian.

It's always a good day to see a familiar ship, and I really like how clean this year's X-Wing looks like, even if it is very very similar to the 2020 mini X-Wing.

Check in tomorrow to see what we get for Day 12!

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Day 12

Day 12 of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us another familiar build – a TIE Fighter! As the natural adversary of X-Wings, it's great to see these 2 iconic ships back to back in the calendar, as you can pair them up for some space dog-fights.

The TIE Fighter's design is hard to improve on at this scale, so there's nothing really notable about the TIE's design, and not a lot of innovation can be found here, but Star Wars fans like the comfort of anything from the Original Trilogy, so this inclusion makes sense.

Like X-Wings, TIE Fighters are staples of the LEGO Star Wars universe, and have shown up fairly frequently in Advent Calendars, so Day 12 is pretty par for the course.

Check in tomorrow to see what surprises lurk behind Day 13!

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Day 13

Day 13 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar gives us yet another Imperial baddie to join the Stormtrooper – a Scout Trooper!

This is the same Scout Trooper as the one from the Razor Crest set, and I like to imagine that this is a reference to Jason Sudeikis (aka Ted Lasso), who cameo'd as a Scout Trooper in the Season 1 finale, famously punching Grogu in the bag.

I do wish that we had printed arms in this version, as I do like how detailed the torso and back printing is, as well as the helmet.

Curiously, the Scout Trooper doesn't come with any weapon… so I can absolutely tell that we're going to get hit by another Weapons Rack. Maybe in Day 14? Yoda, help us.

Not bad for Day 13, and still no named minifigures yet, which has to be some kind of record for Star Wars Advent Calendars! The Tusken Raider is not feeling great about feeling outnumbered now.

Check back in to see what we get on Day 14! Maybe some Weapons?? On a Rack?? I'm just filled with existential dread at the inevitable is going to get dropped on us any day now.

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Day 14

Well… the good news is that the Scout Trooper and Stormtrooper have weapons. Bad news is that Day 14 is a Weapons Rack.

Weapons Racks are a dreaded tradition in Star Wars Advent Calendars, so this wasn't entirely unexpected but to get 2 in an Advent Calendar (after the Tusken Raider Weapons Rack), is a bit of a shocker.

Anyway, this Weapons Rack is quite unremarkable in design, but comes with a blaster pistol (the small gun), and a short blaster rifle.

I wonder why the designers would to use 2 slots for Weapons Racks, instead of consolidating them with the minifigures.

And that's it for Day 14 – predictable, but at at least the Imperial troops now have some weaponry, and the poor Tusken Raider is finally outgunned.

I hope Day 15 improves on Day 14 and quickly takes away the pain of a Weapons Rack!

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Day 15

Taking away the sting of Day 14's Weapons Rack is a brick-built Speeder Bike, perfect for the Scout Trooper we got earlier! This Speeder Bike has a mostly white colour scheme, matching the ones we saw from Season 2, Episode 4!

Apologies but I actually messed up the build slightly before realising… and used the white piece as a seat instead, so please don't follow how it looks in the photo, and instead use the instructions!

We last got a Speeder Bike in the 2018 Advent Calendar, but what makes this one notable is that it isn't micro-scale, but it's minifigure scale, allowing the Scout Trooper to be seated in it.

I don't believe we've had minifigure-scale vehicles in Advent Calendars (that aren't Sleds), so this is a a big step forward for Advent Calendar playability.

And that's it for Day 15 so far! Very pleased to get a vehicle for the Scout Trooper! Come back tomorrow to see what we get in Day 16!

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Day 16

Day 16 gives us another great Mandalorian reference – a Keelboat and Ferry Droid! It looks like a sleigh pulled by a random astromech droid, but it featured prominently in the Season 1 finale (Chapter 8: Redemption), transporting our heroes across a river of lava.

Update: Thanks to everyone who got in touch with me, but it appears that I have misidentified this build! It isn't the Keelboat, but the Sled, pulled by a Droid that Mando jumps into for cover, as he's surrounded by Bounty Hunters, until he gets saved by other Mandalorians.

Apologies for the mistake, and thank you so much to everyone that wrote in!

See below for a reference photo.

You can briefly see it in action in this scene from Season 1.

Here's a reference shot!

The design is fairly simple, and not particularly noteworthy since the keelboat is based on a barge, but I do like the tiny Ferry Droid up front, which makes great use of a plain grey BB-8 head.

The scene that features it was incredibly memorable, so this should please fans of the TV show, even if it isn't the most engaging build – it's a great way to commemorate an iconic from the Season 1 finale!

And that's it for Day 16, check back tomorrow to see what else beckons! Only 8 days to go till the end of the calendar!

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Day 17

Before we get into Day 17's build, I made a mistake with identifying Day 16's build – it isn't a Keelboat and Ferry Droid, but is actually a transport sled piloted by an Astromech Droid. I've made some corrections in yesterday's post – thanks to everyone who wrote in about it!

Anyway, back to business – Day 17 gives us one of the most memorable Imperial ships in The Mandalorian – the Imperial Light Cruiser, which was under the command of Moff Gideon, the primary antagonist of The Mandalorian.

Another apology – I got the orientation of the cheese slopes on the back, near the engine thrusters wrong in the photo!

It's a delightful micro rendition of the Light Cruiser, of which you can also get a full-sized LEGO version ( 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser) to go along with it.

The build uses slopes to create its triangular head, and I do like that they even managed to incorporate the gap in the front. Here's how it looks from behind.

And here are the instructions.

I also really liked the tile at the bottom, which creates the effect that the Imperial Light Cruiser is levitating off the ground.

And that's it for Day 17 – The Imperial Light Cruiser is a solid micro build, and I'm chuffed to get such a great version, even if the scale is a little small compared to the other builds (Tie Fighter get launched out of the gap for reference), but it's still super cute in its own way.

Check back to see what we get in Day 18! Less than one week to go for the Advent Calendar! Can't believe time has flew so quickly!

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Day 18

Day 18 is another pretty obscure build – an IT-O Interrogation Droid! The build is fairly basic as the droid is a small black sphere, with an evil-looking dark red lens, as well as a syringe attached to its arm.

The IT-O featured briefly in Season 1 Episode 3 (The Sin), when Mandalorian changes his mind about Yodsa (Baby Yoda) and attempts to rescue him back from The Client.

You can check out the scene here at about the 1:17 mark, where Mando blasts the Droid to oblivion.

Outside of the Mandalorian, IT-O is best known for its appearance when Darth Vader attempts to interrogate Princess Leia in A New Hope!

That's it for Day 18! Hope this helps identify it if it was a bit too tricky to figure out, and check back tomorrow to see what we get in Day 19!

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Day 19

It wouldn't be a Mandalorian-themed Advent Calendar without a nod to the most famous Mandalorian of all in the Star Wars universe, and Day 19 delivers with a micro Slave 1 build!

There was a bit of controversy this year with the name Slave 1, as LEGO had changed how it referred to the ship in 75312 Boba Fett's Starship, but for many long-time Star Wars fans, this will and always be called Slave 1. Read more on LEGO's decision to drop the Slave 1 name here.

LEGO have completely re-engineered the build, departing from the last time we saw Slave 1 in the Advent Calendar way back in 2016, and I quite like it.

This version has a much narrower profile, and more accurate proportions, but most importantly, allows you to display Slave 1 in its proper upright orientation, with its twin cannons in attack position, and also the wings can be swivelled around.

The build was a little tricky, especially since you were made to build in different orientations, so here's a guide on how each main piece goes with one another.

It's always a good day to get one of the most recognisable Star Wars ships in an Advent Calendar, and while the design might not be everyone's cup of tea, I like that the designers took the risk to try something new, instead of riff on an established design – plus the bonus advantage of being able to display Slave 1 upright makes this a winner in my books

See you tomorrow for Day 20!

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Day 20

Welcome to Day 20 of the Star Wars Advent Calendar, with another major Mandalorian character – fan-favourite Assassin Droid-turned heroic protector of Baby Yoda, IG-11!

I had some issues with my photos I took of IG-11, so had to use the stock image as the reference shot – apologies!

IG-11 was one of the most memorable characters in Season 1 of the Mandalorian, mostly because of his heroics – he originally took on a bounty with Din Djarin (Mando), to capture Baby Yoda, before being destroyed by Mando.

His body was recovered by Kuiil, and restored, with his memory wiped, and re-programmed to protect Grogu (Baby Yoda). He strikes up an uneasy but effective partnership with Mando despite his mistrust of droids – and becomes one of the most endearing characters in Season 1.

And that's it for Day 20! With only 4 days remaining, it seems like there should only be great builds or characters left, so check back tomorrow to see what we get on Day 21!

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Day 21

Oh no… no, no no. No, God, no. ANOTHER Weapons Rack? I had a really bad feeling when yesterday's IG-11 didn't come with any weapons… but never would I imagine that we'd get another Weapons Rack on Day 21!

I mean, is this some sort of sick joke? Why are there THREE Weapons Racks in one Advent Calendar!? I feel like I have somehow caused this… when in 2019, which as a Weapons Racks-less Advent Calendar, I did wish for a Weapons Rack… but this feels like a load of coal.

Anyway… it's a Weapons Rack.. with a long blaster rifle for IG-11, and in the other clip, is an Amban phase-pulse blaster, which is Mandalorian's weapon of choice, suggesting that we're about to see him soon.

But man, what a kick in the guts so close to Christmas! With only 3 windows left, I can't believe that they'd sneak in a third Weapons Rack… you'd usually think the most anticipated builds would be reserved for the finals slots of the Advent Calendar but nope, hope you like Weapons Racks because this Advent Calendar is flowing with it!

I mean, that surely spells the end for Weapons Racks in this Advent Calendar right? We only have 3 days left in the calendar… so check back in tomorrow to see how the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar makes up for this!

I'm honestly baffled that we'd get 3 Weapons Racks. Three!!

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Day 22

To soothe the hurt caused by yesterday's Weapons Racks, the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar finally gives us our first named, seasonal character – a Festive/Christmas-themed Grogu aka Baby Yoda!

This is the Baby Yoda that we all know and love, and likely one of the main reasons why most of us bought this year's Star Wars calendar, and he also comes with a baby-carrier that can be used by a minifigure.

Here's a better look at the Christmas Baby Yoda minifigure, which has a small bit of printing on his body – a red and green scarf, as well as a Christmas jumper. It's super adorable, and one of the best days yet of what has shaped up to be a very hit and miss Advent Calendar.

Here's a comparison with the regular Grogu minifigure, in his decidedly less festive outfit.

Thank goodness for finally getting a named character, and I liked that Grogu comes with his own carrier, which you can attach to IG-11 to carry Baby Yoda around.

Only 2 days remain in this year's Advent Calendar, and you can probably guess that there aren't many more surprises left. Check back tomorrow for the second last day of the calendar!

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Day 23

It's the second last day of the Advent Calendar! Where has December gone!

Following yesterday's Christmas Grogu, on Day 23, we get a similarly festive Hoverpram, the egg-shaped device used to carry Baby Yoda or Grogu around.

The design of the hoverpram is near perfect, and Baby Yoda fits snugly within it, with it being deep enough so that you can just see his head and large ears sticking out.

Here are the instructions for the pram.

And that's it for Day 23! Only one day left, and there won't be any surprises as to what Day 24 will be – but check in tomorrow as we open the final window of the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, and I'll be sharing a brief recap, and overall thoughts of the whole calendar!

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Day 24

It's the final day and Christmas Eve, and Day 24's window gives us a Christmas version of Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian. He's all dressed up for the holidays, with a festive red scarf which has the same pattern as Grogu's jumper.

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This version of The Mandalorian is almost the same as the one from 75319 The Armorer's Mandalorian Forge, except for the red scarf which is just printed on the same torso.

It's the most detailed version of the Mandalorian yet. with printing on both arms, which includes the Mudhorn Signet, and even Whistling Birds on the wrist.

And here's a look at the back, which also has more of the red scarf.

Here's a look at Mando and Baby Yoda, dressed in their Christmas best. It's kinda cute that they're both twinning, with their Christmas scarves.

As the finale for a Mandalorian-themed Advent Calendar, it's pretty decent – but not super enticing. For starters, they just slapped a scarf on Mando, and that's it. I think LEGO would've made Mando a lot more festive, whether with a more seasonal print.

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Final Thoughts

And that's it for the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar! I think most of you would share this sentiment, but I was quite disappointed with this year's calendar.

While I get the appeal of a fully Mandalorian-themed calendar due to the popularity of The Mandalorian TV series, the focus was way too narrow, and unlike Advent Calendars of the past which had multiple Star Wars movies/properties to balance out, and keep things fresh by bouncing from Trilogy to Trilogy, or era to era.

Looking at the minifigure lineup, which is usually the biggest draw of the calendar. While the Christmas Grogu and Mando minifigures are nice, the rest of the lineup is pretty poor.

The Mandalorian has been a rich series, introducing new characters and re-introducing popular characters from the Original Trilogy, and even Clone Wars, but outside of Baby Yoda and Mando, I feel like it's a wasted opportunity to not include some more memorable characters, especially female characters like Bo Katan, Cara Dune, or even Ahsoka Tano.

There's technically 4 minifigures (5 if you count IG-11), which is a little on the lower side, especially when they aren't main or named characters.

LEGO has been going hard at gender equality, and trying to improve the gender balance and female representation, especially in themes like Star Wars, so it's quite puzzling that we didn't even get one important Mandalorian female characters – not having Bo Katan or Cara Dune is a big miss in my opinion.

Here are the starfighters and ships included, which is one of the highlights of the calendar as you get a great mix of classics such as X-Wings and TIE Fighters, but also some Mandalorian-specific ships like the Imperial Light Cruiser and Razor Crest.

The ground vehicles are a mixed bag, and I really only like the Landspeeder, and Speeder Bike.

The "playable" elements such as the Balista and E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster are kind of okay, but they really should've come with the Targets, instead of the Targets coming as their own window.

But oh boy… the audacity of the designers to include THREE Weapons Racks clearly demonstrates a lack of options, or ideas.

Weapons Racks have always been a bit of an Advent Calendar in-joke, largely dud builds that we all expect to get, but because they've been such a long-running staple of Advent Calendars, you get strangely attached to them.

Including 3 is just cruel, when these windows could've been used on more interesting and desirable builds, whether they're minifigures, or even location builds, which seem to have been passed over in 2021.

In summary, I think this has been one of the weakest Star Wars Advent Calendars ever, and it looks even worse when you compare it side by side with the Marvel Advent Calendar, which has been consistently awesome day after day.

I just think the Advent Calendar focusing on just one Star Wars show ultimately hamstrung the potential, as it became quite stale after a while, because the sense of excitement and surprise just wasnt there – also because most of the builds were spoiled on the box anyway.

Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who has been following the 2021 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown every day, enduring through all the Weapons Racks and Targets together!

I sincerely hope next year's will be better and that the 2021 version is just an anomaly.

I haven't been able to respond to every single comment, but I've read every single one, and it's been so much fun counting down the days to Christmas! Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and New Year's!

I hope Santa has plenty of LEGO for you and your family under the Christmas tree! If you're new to the blog, feel free to subscribe if you want to get the latest LEGO news and LEGO Reviews straight in your inbox.

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Merry Christmas!

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Source: https://jaysbrickblog.com/star-wars-2/lego-star-wars-advent-calendar-2021-countdown/

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