Another long-neglected LEGO Star Wars droid looks set to return in 2024

While all eyes are on the rumoured return of the Super Battle Droid in 2024, the LEGO Star Wars theme is also said to be on the cusp of bringing back another long-neglected droid.

The Super Battle Droid minifigure hasn’t popped up in a set since 2015, but is now reported to be making a comeback in 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack. That’s good news for anyone looking to diversify their CIS armies, which for the past few years have been relegated almost entirely to B1 Battle Droids. But nestled among the rumoured list of 2024 sets is another long-forgotten droid that’s been off shelves for just as long as the B2.

We’re talking specifically about the Droideka, which last appeared at minifigure-scale in 2015’s 75092 Naboo Starfighter (a 2018 LEGO Star Wars magazine freebie notwithstanding). In fact, the formidable rolling droid has actually only shown up in seven standard LEGO Star Wars sets to date, despite featuring across the entire prequel trilogy. Its design has changed considerably over the years, from its first appearance in 2002’s 7203 Jedi Defense I to its Clone Wars variants in the early 2010s.

The Separatist soldier is now said to be returning to LEGO Store shelves in 2024 with 75381 Droideka (reports Promobricks), which brickmerge.de suggests will retail for €64.99. That implies we’re looking at a large brick-built character, along the same lines as 75187 BB-8, 75278 D-O, 75335 BD-1 and so on. And that’s technically the return of the Droideka to the LEGO Star Wars line-up – but perhaps not the one you were hoping for.

If 75381 Droideka follows the template of its contemporaries, though, the true return of the droid could still be on the cards. What do BB-8, D-O and BD-1 have in common (beyond being pure display models of their respective characters)? They all include a minifigure-scale version of the same droid to pop on a display stand. For the Droideka to slot in alongside those sets, we’ll therefore need a brand new minifigure-scale droid.

Army-building that character might not be quite as simple as if it was included in 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack (and we’ve got our fingers crossed for that one), but we’re still keen to see what the LEGO Group can do with the Droideka nine years on from its last iteration. To a certain contingent of collectors, the original variant of the droid in 2002 – which could already fold up and roll away – is still the one to beat.

If you can’t wait that long to add a LEGO Star Wars Droideka (or four) to your CIS army, there are plenty of custom versions out there, including one designed by Brick Fanatics. Sign up to our newsletter by filling in the form below to get access to the parts list for that one, which is distributed in our weekly news round-up every Friday.

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Click here for a rundown of every LEGO set rumoured and listed for 2024, including 17 different LEGO Star Wars sets.

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