The 2005 Toy Fair Invitation Figures
The 2005 Toy Fair Invitation Figures: Anakin Skywalker and Luminara Unduli
Sent in January 2005 to a select group of press and collectors. A brushed silver plate. A light-up lightsaber. And a build that nobody has ever published instructions for.
In January 2005, LEGO mailed a small package to a select group of journalists, collector site representatives, and press contacts. Inside was a brick-built display figure — either Anakin Skywalker or Luminara Unduli, depending on the recipient — standing on an 8×8 plate base, four bricks high, topped with a light-up lightsaber minifigure. On the front of each display was a small brushed silver metal plate. It was an invitation to the LEGO VIP Gala at the 2005 New York International Toy Fair, timed to preview the upcoming LEGO Star Wars Revenge of the Sith line.
These are PROMOSW002 (Anakin Skywalker) and PROMOSW003 (Luminara Unduli). They are essentially the same item with a different minifigure on top. Together they represent one of the more elegant promotional pieces LEGO has ever produced — and one of the least documented.
The 2005 Toy Fair Context
The 2005 New York International Toy Fair was a significant event for LEGO Star Wars. Revenge of the Sith was months away from release, and LEGO had an extensive Episode III lineup to preview. The VIP Gala — held on February 19, 2005 — was an invitation-only media event for collecting sites and journalists, held at the LEGO showroom before the main Toy Fair floor opened to the broader trade audience.
LEGO produced three distinct promotional pieces for this event. The invitation figures — Anakin and Luminara — were mailed in advance to invitees in January 2005, functioning as physical invitations to the Gala. A third item, the VIP Gala Set (tf05-1), was a special slipcase housing the Darth Vader Transformation set (7251), limited to 55 or 75 copies (disputed) and given to attendees at the door on the night of the event. The invitation figures and the Gala Set are distinct items with different production runs and different distribution mechanisms.
The Display Build
Each invitation figure is a small brick-built display — not glued, contrary to some catalog descriptions. The footprint is an 8×8 plate, and the build stands four bricks high before the minifigure. The construction is simple and clean — a display pedestal rather than an elaborate model. The same build was used for both the Anakin and Luminara versions, with only the minifigure on top differing between them.
On the front of each display is a small brushed silver metal plate measuring approximately 5/8 inch tall by 2¼ inches wide. The text on the plate reads:
LEGO® Star Wars™
VIP Gala 2005
This plate is the definitive authenticating feature of a genuine example. No other markings have been documented on the build itself — no part numbers, no copyright stamps, no country of manufacture markings anywhere on the stand separate from the plate. Brickset lists the packaging as “None (loose parts)” which is consistent with the display arriving as a built object rather than in retail packaging.
The original mailing package has never been publicly documented. A brick-built display on an 8×8 base would require a rigid outer box to survive postal shipping intact — a padded envelope or bubble mailer is not a viable option. Beyond the protective box, the mailing almost certainly included an invitation letter or card providing the event details, date, location, and RSVP information. A physical invitation to an exclusive press event would not arrive as a brick build with no accompanying context. LEGO was also producing formal press materials for this event — firsthand coverage from Rebelscum notes that a product catalog on CD was distributed at check-in — suggesting the mailing may have included additional press kit materials.
What a truly complete example looks like — outer shipping box, invitation letter, press materials, and the display figure — has never been documented. No photographs of the original outer packaging or accompanying letter have surfaced publicly. If you received one of these figures directly from LEGO in January 2005 and still have the original mailing materials, that documentation would be genuinely significant.
Some examples have been sold in small metal tins. The tin is a plausible candidate for the original inner packaging — rigid enough to protect the build during shipping, sized appropriately for the figure. However the tins carry no LEGO branding, no Star Wars branding, and no 2005 Toy Fair reference, and their origin remains unconfirmed. They may be original LEGO packaging, or they may be secondary packaging added by sellers or previous owners.
The Minifigures
Both invitation figures use the light-up lightsaber minifigures from the 2005 Revenge of the Sith retail line — the same figures that appeared in retail sets that year. The Anakin Skywalker figure (sw0121) is identical to the version in set 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel. The Luminara Unduli figure (sw0116) is identical to the version in set 7260 Wookiee Catamaran.
The light-up lightsaber minifigures are a distinctive product of 2005 and were never used again after that year. There were five retail sets that used the format:
- 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel — Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
- 7260 Wookiee Catamaran — Luminara Unduli
- 7261 Clone Turbo Tank — Mace Windu
- 7263 TIE Fighter — Darth Vader
The format was discontinued because the battery life was approximately three hours — not a viable play feature for a retail toy. LEGO returned to standard lightsabers in all subsequent sets. The 2005 Toy Fair invitation figures are the only promotional use of the light-up lightsaber technology.
The construction of the light-up figures is significantly different from standard minifigures. The leg piece is not detachable from the torso. The head is more tightly attached than normal. The lightsaber hilt is part of the right arm assembly and cannot be removed. The headdress and lightsaber blade can be removed as normal. When the head is pressed down, the lightsaber lights up.
Battery Replacement
The light-up mechanism runs on two CR927 coin cell batteries housed inside the torso. The batteries are accessible from the back of the figure — but the process requires care, particularly on 20-year-old examples where the plastic has aged and the retaining tabs have become more brittle.
The correct method: remove the non-lightsaber arm first to expose the arm socket. Insert a thin flat-blade screwdriver into the arm slot and carefully pry out the back of the torso. The back plate is held by tabs on either side — apply gentle, even pressure rather than forcing it. The same care applies when reinserting the back plate. Forcing either step risks snapping the tabs, which would leave the torso permanently open.
Once the back is removed the battery compartment is visible inside the torso. Replace both CR927 batteries simultaneously. Several YouTube tutorials document this process — search “LEGO Star Wars light up lightsaber battery replacement” for video guidance. Given the age of these figures, this is a procedure worth doing carefully or not at all if the display is purely for collection purposes.
Production Quantity
No confirmed production quantity for either invitation figure has been publicly documented. The companion VIP Gala Set (tf05-1) is confirmed at 55 copies — but that was a different item given to a smaller audience at the door of the Gala itself. The invitation figures were sent to a broader pool of press and collector site representatives, so the quantity is likely higher than 55 but remains unknown. No official LEGO documentation of the print run has surfaced publicly.
Whether the Anakin and Luminara figures were sent to different recipients or the same recipients received both is also unclear. It is possible that different press contacts received different figures, which would explain why both versions exist in approximately equal apparent scarcity.
Current Value
BrickEconomy estimates the current value of the Anakin invitation figure at approximately $3,570 USD, with sealed examples estimated at around $5,129. These figures rarely appear for sale and pricing varies significantly based on condition, completeness, and whether the silver plate is intact. No current active listings were found at time of writing.
In This Collection
This collection holds two genuine examples of PROMOSW002 — the Anakin Skywalker invitation figure. The silver plate text confirmed above is documented from firsthand examination of these examples.
PROMOSW003 — the Luminara Unduli version — is actively wanted. This collection holds a recreation built using the genuine Luminara Unduli light-up lightsaber minifigure on an identical display stand, but without the original silver plate. It documents what the item looks like without being a genuine example. If you have a genuine PROMOSW003 — with the original silver plate — please get in touch.
What We Don’t Know
- Production quantity — how many of each figure were produced and mailed? Were they sent to the same recipients or different ones?
- The original mailing package — what did the complete mailing look like? What was the outer shipping box? Was there an invitation letter or card, and if so what did it say? Were any additional press materials included? No complete documented example has ever been photographed or described publicly.
- The tin — some examples have been sold in small unbranded metal tins. Were these original inner packaging or secondary additions? If you received one of these figures directly from LEGO in January 2005 and remember what it arrived in, please get in touch.
- The build instructions — no instructions have ever been published for the display stand. The build is simple enough to reverse engineer from photographs but no official or community instructions exist.
- Numbering — are there any production numbers anywhere on these figures? No numbering has been documented on any known example.
- The Luminara plate text — confirmed from photographs to be identical to the Anakin version: LEGO® Star Wars™ / VIP Gala 2005. However no firsthand examination of a genuine PROMOSW003 has been conducted for this article.
PROMOSW002 — Anakin Skywalker Invitation Figure
BrickLink: promosw002
Distributed: January 2005 | Event: 2005 New York International Toy Fair VIP Gala
Minifigure: sw0121 Anakin Skywalker with Light-Up Lightsaber (as in set 7257)
Quantity: Unknown
Current value: ~$3,570–$5,129
Status: Owned ×2
PROMOSW003 — Luminara Unduli Invitation Figure
BrickLink: promosw003
Distributed: January 2005 | Event: 2005 New York International Toy Fair VIP Gala
Minifigure: sw0116 Luminara Unduli with Light-Up Lightsaber (as in set 7260)
Quantity: Unknown
Status: Actively seeking — contact The Collector
