{"id":2990,"date":"2026-03-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/27\/i-thought-the-lego-smart-brick-was-the-worst-idea-ever-but-i-just-built-my-first-set-with-it-and-now-im-in-love\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T15:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T22:12:35","slug":"i-thought-the-lego-smart-brick-was-the-worst-idea-ever-but-i-just-built-my-first-set-with-it-and-now-im-in-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/27\/i-thought-the-lego-smart-brick-was-the-worst-idea-ever-but-i-just-built-my-first-set-with-it-and-now-im-in-love\/","title":{"rendered":"I thought the Lego smart brick was the worst idea ever \u2014 but I just built my first set with it and now I&#8217;m in love"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-94ad8910-cf72-434d-bcba-6761e2c074ef\">When leaks first teased the LEGO smart brick, I hated it. The appeal of the building block system to me has always been its low technology &#8211; so a digital brick with flashing lights, sensors, and a speaker just feels wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Then when the smart brick made its CES 2026 debut, my opinion changed.<\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-94ad8910-cf72-434d-bcba-6761e2c074ef-2\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The fact that it works (mostly) without an app &#8211; you just need it to update the block from time to time &#8211; and that it fits inside your standard building like any other standard 2&#215;4 brick is amazing. But the important realization I had was that the smart brick is not for me, it is for the children.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">The article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><\/p>\n<p>            You might like it<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Now that I&#8217;ve built a set of clever bricks for Darth Vader&#8217;s TIE Fighter, I&#8217;m even more sold on the appeal of clever block toys, I wish they were less expensive.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"elk-irYNac80pUk\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-irYNac80pUk\" data-yt-video-token=\"irYNac80pUk\" title=\"We built the new LEGO Smart Brick Darth Vader TIE Fighter set - YouTube\">\n<span class=\"youtube-video-title\">We&#8217;ve built a new LEGO Smart Brick Darth Vader TIE Fighter set &#8211; YouTube<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"play-button\" viewbox=\"0 0 234.67 165.33\"><path fill=\"red\" d=\"M229.763 25.817c-2.699-10.162-10.65-18.165-20.748-20.881C190.716 0 117.333 0 117.333 0S43.951 0 25.651 4.936C15.553 7.652 7.6 15.655 4.903 25.817 0 44.236 0 82.667 0 82.667s0 38.429 4.903 56.85C7.6 149.68 15.553 157.681 25.65 160.4c18.3 4.934 91.682 4.934 91.682 4.934s73.383 0 91.682-4.934c10.098-2.718 18.049-10.72 20.748-20.882 4.904-18.421 4.904-56.85 4.904-56.85s0-38.431-4.904-56.85\"\/><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"m93.333 117.559 61.333-34.89-61.333-34.894z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<p>Watch it open <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"youtube-logo\" viewbox=\"0 0 507.9 113.39\"><g fill=\"#fff\"><path d=\"M64.792 80.99V32.396l42.082 24.297zm93.803-63.285a20.285 20.285 0 0 0-14.32-14.32C131.642 0 80.99 0 80.99 0S30.337 0 17.705 3.385a20.286 20.286 0 0 0-14.32 14.32C0 30.338 0 56.693 0 56.693S0 83.049 3.385 95.68A20.285 20.285 0 0 0 17.705 110c12.632 3.386 63.285 3.386 63.285 3.386s50.652 0 63.285-3.386a20.284 20.284 0 0 0 14.32-14.32c3.385-12.632 3.385-38.988 3.385-38.988s0-26.355-3.385-38.988m94.473 74.326c.887-2.314 1.332-6.098 1.332-11.35V58.556c0-5.097-.445-8.822-1.332-11.178-.888-2.355-2.452-3.533-4.69-3.533-2.163 0-3.69 1.178-4.577 3.533-.888 2.356-1.332 6.081-1.332 11.178V80.68c0 5.25.424 9.035 1.275 11.35.848 2.318 2.392 3.475 4.633 3.475 2.239 0 3.803-1.157 4.691-3.475zm-17.953 11.122c-3.207-2.16-5.486-5.52-6.835-10.079-1.352-4.554-2.027-10.617-2.027-18.185v-10.31c0-7.644.771-13.784 2.316-18.417 1.544-4.633 3.956-8.011 7.24-10.135 3.282-2.123 7.587-3.186 12.916-3.186 5.251 0 9.459 1.082 12.626 3.243 3.165 2.162 5.482 5.542 6.95 10.136 1.466 4.595 2.2 10.715 2.2 18.36v10.31c0 7.567-.714 13.65-2.142 18.243-1.43 4.595-3.747 7.955-6.951 10.077-3.205 2.124-7.548 3.186-13.03 3.186-5.64 0-10.06-1.082-13.263-3.243m248.053-57.981c-.81 1.005-1.352 2.646-1.621 4.923-.272 2.278-.404 5.734-.404 10.367v5.097h11.697V60.46c0-4.555-.155-8.011-.463-10.367-.309-2.355-.868-4.014-1.678-4.98-.812-.966-2.067-1.449-3.766-1.449-1.7 0-2.954.503-3.765 1.506zm-2.025 29.886v3.591c0 4.557.132 7.974.404 10.251.269 2.279.828 3.94 1.68 4.982.849 1.041 2.16 1.564 3.938 1.564 2.392 0 4.035-.927 4.923-2.781.887-1.853 1.37-4.942 1.447-9.268l13.785.812c.077.62.116 1.469.116 2.548 0 6.565-1.795 11.47-5.387 14.712-3.589 3.242-8.669 4.865-15.232 4.865-7.876 0-13.398-2.47-16.564-7.414-3.168-4.94-4.75-12.586-4.75-22.935V63.589c0-10.657 1.641-18.436 4.924-23.342 3.281-4.903 8.9-7.355 16.854-7.355 5.482 0 9.691 1.004 12.626 3.012 2.933 2.01 5 5.137 6.197 9.383 1.197 4.247 1.796 10.117 1.796 17.607v12.163h-26.757m-284.953-1.33-18.187-65.68h15.869l6.37 29.77c1.623 7.339 2.82 13.594 3.591 18.766h.464c.54-3.706 1.738-9.922 3.591-18.65l6.603-29.886h15.869l-18.417 65.68v31.51h-15.754v-31.51M322.115 34.23v71.007h-12.511l-1.39-8.688h-.347c-3.399 6.564-8.496 9.845-15.291 9.845-4.71 0-8.185-1.543-10.425-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.359-7.915-3.359-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.348 5.426 1.043 6.776.695 1.353 1.853 2.027 3.475 2.027 1.39 0 2.722-.423 3.996-1.275 1.274-.849 2.22-1.928 2.838-3.241V34.229h15.986m81.995.001v71.007h-12.511l-1.391-8.688h-.345c-3.402 6.564-8.498 9.845-15.292 9.845-4.711 0-8.186-1.543-10.426-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.358-7.915-3.358-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.347 5.426 1.041 6.776.696 1.353 1.855 2.027 3.476 2.027 1.391 0 2.723-.423 3.996-1.275 1.275-.849 2.22-1.928 2.839-3.241V34.229h15.985\"\/><path d=\"M365.552 20.908h-15.87v84.329h-15.637v-84.33h-15.869V8.05h47.376v12.858m76.811 53.636c0 5.174-.215 9.229-.639 12.162-.424 2.937-1.139 5.021-2.143 6.255-1.004 1.236-2.357 1.854-4.053 1.854a7.404 7.404 0 0 1-3.65-.927c-1.12-.618-2.026-1.544-2.722-2.78V50.796c.54-1.93 1.467-3.513 2.78-4.749 1.313-1.234 2.74-1.853 4.285-1.853 1.623 0 2.876.637 3.766 1.91.886 1.275 1.505 3.418 1.853 6.43.348 3.011.523 7.297.523 12.857zm14.652-28.964c-.967-4.478-2.531-7.721-4.692-9.73-2.163-2.007-5.136-3.011-8.919-3.011-2.935 0-5.676.83-8.224 2.49a16.926 16.926 0 0 0-5.908 6.545h-.117l.001-37.416h-15.405v100.777h13.204l1.622-6.717h.347c1.235 2.393 3.088 4.285 5.56 5.675 2.47 1.39 5.213 2.085 8.225 2.085 5.404 0 9.382-2.491 11.931-7.471 2.548-4.982 3.823-12.76 3.823-23.341V64.23c0-7.953-.484-14.17-1.448-18.65\"\/><\/g><\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"lego-to-its-core-3\">Lego at its core<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-094746a6-9f21-4495-b801-069a174a7367\">I forgot the smart brick for a second, this building is the best in that child-friendly play concept I&#8217;ve ever touched.<\/p>\n<p>With only 473 pieces, this thing shouldn&#8217;t take too long to build (it took the two of us about 45 minutes, but that was full of lots of distracting conversations and banter), and once it&#8217;s completely assembled you don&#8217;t have Darth Vader and his spaceship you have a simple rebel base that you can complete with a canon and a fighter jet &#8211; to start making stories full of just one War.<\/p>\n<p>Darth Vader&#8217;s TIE Fighter achieves a good balance of detail while still being an accessible weight and size for a child to move around, and in case of any accidents, the clever color coordination between the parts of the ship will ensure that you can easily reassemble a broken TIE Fighter.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-gcnk39TLun2FybfRdp7kGg\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-gcnk39TLun2FybfRdp7kGg slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Sign up for top news, reviews, opinions, top tech deals, and more.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The lack of detail, however, and the open back (so that the smart brick can be added and removed when needed) means this is definitely not a Lego set to sit on your shelf. It&#8217;s designed to be played with &#8211; flying, breaking, combining, and exploding all the time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-c5feac6a-a869-4af6-9344-292ac11da0a7\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:4000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.30%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lego TIE Fighter with Darth Vader and rebel fighter\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/B5Wpzszh4nj3DVMUSxMwD9.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Photo credit: Future \/ Hamish Hector)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2fe4b247-1bf1-49aa-974f-5cca51f31ae3\">The smart brick elevates this identity without detracting from Lego&#8217;s core appeal.<\/p>\n<p>It works by detecting NFC elements on special plates and minifigures, which it configures to make certain sounds and turn on its lights based on what it detects. So when placed in the right position on Darth Vader&#8217;s TIE Fighter, it will assume it&#8217;s inside the Sith Lord&#8217;s hands, play snippets of the Imperial March, and make TIE combat sounds when you take off and fly the ship around.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><\/p>\n<p>            What you can read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The brick will also tune its side color sensor to make laser sounds when it sees red interior panels, blue fuel pump filling sounds, and repair clanking sounds when it detects a green hammer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-5a5cd434-a9b7-4bb9-97a4-d142bed6b955\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:4000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.30%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Green Hammer and Green oil pump\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/aPPfPHvnBkxza4etBHVNtd.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Photo credit: Future \/ Hamish Hector)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-e8ac250b-3ff5-4ed4-a1e3-ae7cc5bbdafe\">The sound quality isn&#8217;t great, but it does a good job of creating the atmosphere of a Star Wars ship while leaving room for you to add your own effects and imagination. For example, Darth Vader can make a few sounds, but you will need to speak for him, and the elements of rebellion are not the combination of smart bricks.<\/p>\n<p>Because these pieces are all standard Lego bricks as well, that means if you want to redesign Vader&#8217;s ship or combine it with other pieces in your collection, you can totally do it and still use the creative elements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-f571911c-fd90-45e3-96cb-450c747b4f58\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:488px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:88.93%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lego Smart Brick with Smart Tag in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2SWKyBqyNjWCDEFZGkpkrN.gif\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2SWKyBqyNjWCDEFZGkpkrN.gif\" class=\"inline\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Photo credit: Jacob Krol\/Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-911aa8d1-c6ec-4251-b7c2-b1f843b2d6d3\">On a final note, I also love the accessibility of the smart brick charger. The big yellow pad will be easy to find where it pinches, and when the charging pad is connected, it will wirelessly add fuel to the brick &#8211; you just have to place it in the main charging tray.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see in our video, Josie Watson and I had a hot build this set. It was so much fun, and if I were a kid, this would be one of my favorite toys.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m excited to see how the smart brick evolves with new combinations &#8211; during our shoot, I kept thinking about the smart bricks in the Lego City sets &#8211; and I wonder if Lego could offer customization using programmable NFC features.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-1b30db1c-da9c-4739-8a0d-b0ffe42b829e\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:4000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.30%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lego TIE Fighter with Darth Vader and rebel fighter\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hvKXYPtCGwL8RNuphm6UB9.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Photo credit: Future \/ Hamish Hector)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-6b402ecb-3ede-4171-8acf-7947d1add293\">The only downside at the moment is the price.<\/p>\n<p>Licensed Lego sets, like those in its Star Wars line, already come with a small premium, and the smart brick adds another layer of cost, meaning you get a much lower price tag. For Darth Vader&#8217;s TIE Fighter, that&#8217;s $69.99 \/ \u00a359.99 \/ AU$99.99.<\/p>\n<p>But despite the high cost, the smart brick is a great addition to the Lego ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, if you&#8217;re a builder who prefers larger sets with better detail and precision, these smart bricks are just not for you. But parents looking to buy their children a new toy may find that this is exactly what they are looking for.<\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-4483c879-a977-4293-bb35-cab541bf39e7\"\/>\n<aside data-model-name=\"Lego Star Wars SMART Play: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter\" data-widget-type=\"review\" data-render-type=\"editorial\" class=\"hawk-root\">\n<div class=\"hawk-main-editorial-container\">\n<p>Today&#8217;s best Lego Star Wars SMART Play: Darth Vader TIE Fighter deals<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p id=\"elk-c44e0527-f45a-4246-84e6-b57610294090\"><em><strong>Follow TechRadar for Google news<\/strong><\/em>    again<em> <\/em><em><strong>add us as a favorite resource<\/strong><\/em><em>    to get our expert news, reviews, and opinions in your feed. Be sure to click the Follow button!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>And of course you can too <\/em><em><strong>follow TechRadar on TikTok<\/strong><\/em><em>    to get news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us <\/em><em><strong>WhatsApp<\/strong><\/em><em>    again.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr id=\"elk-dfc3c80b-3716-46c2-9a11-bc1be747f582\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When leaks first teased the LEGO smart brick, I hated it. The appeal of the building block system to me has always been its low technology &#8211; so a digital brick with flashing lights, sensors, and a speaker just feels wrong. Then when the smart brick made its CES 2026 debut, my opinion changed. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-smart-home-gadgets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2992,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2990\/revisions\/2992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}