LEGO Star Wars 75374 The Onyx Cinder review 

LEGO Star Wars’ first Skeleton Crew set faces an uphill battle so far removed from the show’s debut, but its outstanding quality puts it on the front foot.

LEGO Star Wars sets intrinsically tied to a project’s launch are typically released at around the same time as their source material, whether it be a movie or series. That’s not quite the case with 75374 The Onyx Cinder, though. It’s hooked directly to Skeleton Crew, a live-action Star Wars series that’s finally coming to Disney+ on December 3, 2024 – a full year later than originally expected, and four months after its LEGO set swooped on to shelves.

It seems likely that this set has been delayed accordingly too (and indeed it was originally rumoured to be coming in January this year). The show’s only trailer so far doesn’t offer much context for 75374 The Onyx Cinder but the set doesn’t suffer as a result of this, and in fact the LEGO Star Wars design team have overcome an incredible challenge to make one of the best starships in modern-day LEGO Star Wars regardless of its affinity with the source material. You won’t know anything about 75374 The Onyx Cinder or its characters, but that’s not required to appreciate this design.

Release: August 1, 2024 Price: £124.99 / $139.99 / €139.99 Pieces: 1,325 Minifigures: 5 LEGO: Order now

A masterclass in LEGO Star Wars ship design

There have been countless incredible LEGO Star Wars ships in the theme’s past 25 years but there have been none quite like 75374 The Onyx Cinder. This massive ship’s rugged appearance and implied scale are balanced perfectly with some genuinely fun play features and interior details. The shaping of 75374 The Onyx Cinder makes it an invigorating challenge to build, and everything satisfyingly clicks together at the end to form a surprisingly sturdy starship. 

75374 The Onyx Cinder’s design has a few compromises, including landing gear that is always down and a cockpit that is surely not to scale. They are few and far between though and most of the model has clearly been given ample attention to ensure that this LEGO Star Wars set can stand out on shelves months before we get any context for it.

It’s hard to believe that this was the intended release experience for the only LEGO Star Wars: Skeleton Crew set, but the designers have faced the challenge head-on, taking advantage of an extensive budget for the series’ sole build (especially compared to the likes of Andor). This has allowed it to set itself apart as one of the greatest LEGO Star Wars ships designed in recent years. Even those not currently convinced by the build may be changing their mind in a few months when the series finally starts streaming. In the meantime, rest assured that 75374 The Onyx Cinder is worth the asking price.

A home away from home

As gorgeously rugged as 75374 The Onyx Cinder’s exterior design is, the ship has a notably extensive interior compared to other recent LEGO Star Wars ships too. There’s space for all five minifigures in the middle and then some, with furnishings that make the ship feel like a home away from home. Based on what has been revealed about Skeleton Crew, that’s a fitting goal for the interior. The cockpit doesn’t have quite as much detail but given the scale that the designers have had to adapt to, that’s understandable. Check out the trailer for Skeleton Crew and you’ll see just how massive this ship is supposed to be. That’s not to mention a loading ramp with some more space in the front and back.

The room in the middle of the ship has space for everyone’s accessories to be stored neatly – a feature that should be in more LEGO sets. You can even remove the furniture in this space for plenty of room to fit numerous minifigures and other decorations. It’s a versatile area that should help you customise 75374 The Onyx Cinder for any purpose. (After playing Star Wars Outlaws, you might be tempted to cram a speeder bike in there.)

That’s not all that 75374 The Onyx Cinder has going on inside its beautiful build. The LEGO Star Wars set’s only mechanism is smart, easy to operate and cleverly disguised. Sitting atop 75374 The Onyx Cinder are a pair of black Technic elements, and shifting them forward or backwards will spin all four engine modules at once, switching the ship from take-off to flight mode and vice-versa. It’s an incredibly fun play feature and its hidden nature further demonstrates the level of thought that has been put into 75374 The Onyx Cinder’s design. 

Mystery minifigures

While the model of 75374 The Onyx Cinder has impressed, its minifigures are much more muted in their initial impressions, but they will grow on you as you build the set. Unless you work at Lucasfilm and have been treated to an early preview of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, you certainly won’t know who any of these characters are. From left to right above we have Jod, Neal, Fern, KB and Wim. All these characters are included in the trailer but given that the new series is so far from release at the time of writing, their identities and personalities remain a mystery.

Thankfully, their minifigures boast a variety of new prints and rare parts to increase their appeal and despite four of the minifigures depicting children, their designs should work for adult characters too. There’s no denying that these prints aren’t quite as striking as more iconic Star Wars characters, but their generic nature invites customisation to make 75374 The Onyx Cinder your own, detached from the series. This just so happens to time nicely with the recent release of the Star Wars: Outlaws video game, where such attire is common and suitable.

Of the five included minifigures in 75374 The Onyx Cinder, Neal is the most interesting for his brand-new headpiece, which is our second for a LEGO Ortolan. Neal is the same species as Max Rebo and their head element easily makes them the stand-out minifigure, but Jod is a close second for that grizzled expression and a minifigure that will be useful in other themes.

You won’t know who any of these minifigures are, but you’re still going to want them. They’re the cherry on top of a mysterious but desirable LEGO Star Wars set, which presents good value at £124.99 / $139.99 / €139.99. Better yet, it will almost certainly go on some kind of sale in the next few months before the Skeleton Crew series releases as it’s not exclusive to official LEGO channels.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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Our honest opinion: It may have launched three months before its corresponding project, but the Onyx Cinder makes for an excellent LEGO Star Wars starship with some great minifigures… whoever they are.

Author Profile

Jack Yates

LEGO has been a part of my life ever since I was young. It all started when my brother passed down 7657 AT-ST to me. It’s guided me through my early years, through school and eventually through my degree in journalism. I still have all my collection proudly on display, including my many NINJAGO sets, my favourite of all the LEGO Group’s themes. Outside of Brick Fanatics I am an avid gamer and enjoy a good game of Dungeons & Dragons.

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