Collectors: Steve Sansweet Adds a New Iconic LEGO® Set to Rancho Obi-Wan

If you want to know what lifelong dedication looks like, head north of San Francisco to a quiet ranch that hums with the energy of another galaxy. Rancho Obi-Wan is Steve Sansweet’s sprawling museum, a nonprofit home to more Star Wars artifacts than anywhere else on Earth. “Rancho Obi-Wan is the repository for the world’s largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia,” he says in our Collectors walkthrough, his voice equal parts curator and kid-in-a-toy-store. The place is part museum and part time capsule of more than 400,000 pieces deep into the universe George Lucas built, and the fandom that never let it fade.

The rooms spill over with history which includes bootleg toys, Japanese snacks from 1978 “still sealed in the cup,” and even a Marc Eckō Chewbacca jacket Sansweet admits he’s “never put on.” Each piece marks a different era of the franchise’s reach, spanning early action figures to collaborations that pulled Star Wars into the orbit of streetwear and fine art. Among his personal favorites: “the original Kaws-licensed Darth Vader and Stormtrooper.” It’s proof that Star Wars doesn’t just belong to Hollywood but woven into design, pop art and the collective memory of the culture it inspired.

But the real fun starts in Sansweet’s LEGO section which is a wall-to-wall grid of Star Wars sets, organized by year and size. “I don’t know how many LEGO sets I have,” he laughs. “I’ve lost count over the years.” It’s both chaos and order, a physical manifestation of creative obsession. There’s the ultra-rare Cloud City set, employee-only holiday gifts and Boba Fett’s Starfighter he bought back in 1999 — a blend of nostalgia and storytelling that bridges generations of fans who grew up building their own version of the galaxy far, far away….

Lately, though, Sansweet has a new favorite. “Here’s my new favorite LEGO piece,” he says, gesturing toward the freshly assembled LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star™. “With various scenes from New Hope and Return of the Jedi.” He points out the miniature moments like a director dissecting a scene — “Luke and Leia swinging across the Death Star chasm… the Emperor’s throne room at the very top.” He’s even got Stormtrooper jokes: “They don’t know how to stand, much less shoot.”

It’s a perfect summary of why Sansweet collects. It’s not for rarity or value, but for the joy of rediscovering what first lit the spark.

The 2025 LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star™ set pushes that spark further. With 9,023 pieces, 38 minifigures, and modular dioramas pulled from both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, it’s the most ambitious Death Star LEGO has ever made. This new Ultimate Collector’s set also brings new engineering details like rotating laser cannons, a retractable bridge and an enhanced Emperor’s throne room.

For Sansweet, it’s more than another addition. “It’s a great addition to the collection,” he says. “And anybody’s collection.”

The LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star™ from its Ultimate Collector’s series is now available on the official LEGO website.