Lego The Child review: "Heart-meltingly cute"

I'm not quite sure how they crammed Lego The Child so full of personality. Despite being a blocky, pint-sized version of Grogu (or Baby Yoda, if you're feeling informal), this kit feels just as mischievous as the 'real' thing from the small screen.

A lot of that is down to its excellent design. I won't drag this out; Lego The Child is one of the best Lego Star Wars sets out there. If you can only fit one bit of Mandalorian merch on your shelf, this should be it. 

Lego The Child - features

Lego The Child recreates Grogu - or 'Baby Yoda', as he's been affectionately dubbed - in just over 1,000 blocky pieces. Although it's not full-size at just 7.5in (19cm) tall, this take on The Mandalorian's breakout character is still crammed with personality. Thanks to a sleek placard with a tiny Grogu minifigure (not to mention Grogu's favorite toy, the Razor Crest's gearshift knob), it's also a good size for displaying on a shelf or desk. 

However, don't think it's a rework of the old Lego Yoda kit. This set is a whole lot more posable; its head, hands, fingers, and ears can all be moved.

Lego The Child - how easy is it to build?

• Takes around 4 hours
• Surprisingly varied
• Straightforward, easy build

If you're used to complex or sprawling builds like Lego Rivendell, Grogu will be a breath of fresh air. Putting together Lego The Child won't take you much more than four hours from start to finish, and it's a surprisingly laid-back experience despite having 1,075 pieces under its belt. A lot of that is down to how well it's been designed - it's clear that a great deal of thought has gone into keeping what could be monotonous panels interesting.

Take Grogu's smock. At the end of the day, you're constructing what is fundamentally a beige rectangle… but each side uses a distinct, layered pattern that's both interesting to look at and engaging to build. To an extent, it feels more like laying down miniature mountain-ranges than folds in cloth. 

His head is much the same. Despite looking creepy mid-way through the process (there's something very eerie about building his head in stages), there aren't many repeats to speak of. That makes it an oddly satisfying procedure - you won't feel lulled into boredom.

Lego The Child - design

• Posable head, ears, and hands
• So full of character
• Fingers are fragile

There's something heart-meltingly cute about this Lego kit. Even though it's made up of often-chunky plastic blocks, it somehow manages to capture the cheeky but sweet demeanor of everyone's favorite alien frog-goblin. Those eyes are largely to blame; they have a silvery sheen that makes them feel strangely alive.

Equally, being able to wobble Grogu's ears or move its head gives it a real sense of character. Not all of the best Lego sets manage that.

This posable nature (extending to individual fingers) makes it a perfect desk buddy or addition to your shelf. As per Lego Optimus Prime, you can set up Lego The Child howsoever you like. 

A word of warning for younger builders, though. While you can definitely play with this kit (and will almost certainly have lots of fun doing so), it may not cope with more hands-on playtime. As with so many of the best Lego sets, the smaller bits - like the fingers - are fragile.

Should you buy Lego The Child?

Although I'm a big fan of grand, accurate replicas like the Lego Ghostbusters ECTO-1, they lack an individuality that this set has in abundance. Grogu has been brought to life in every sense of the word here, and considering the fact that we're talking about plastic bricks, that's no mean feat.

It's true that there are cheaper options (like the much more affordable Lego Brick Headz pictured above), but you'd be missing out. Lego The Child is a brilliantly designed bit of merch that's a joy to put together, and it's one of the better Star Wars gifts for fans of Baby Yoda. 

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if…

How we tested Lego The Child

I built Lego Grogu over the course of two days - for an hour or so in the evening, and then some more the next morning. Whilst putting it together, I mainly focused on how clear the instructions were along with how much fun the process actually was. Was it monotonous, for example? For more information on our process, check out our guide on how we test products.

This sample was provided by a third-party PR company on behalf of Lego.

For more recommendations, don't miss these Lego Star Wars sets or the best Lego Super Mario sets. These should be crammed with Lego deals as well, so there's plenty of opportunity to save along the way.