Remember last year when the UCS Republic Gunship won the LEGO Ideas fan vote to be turned into an actual LEGO set?
I just got out of a LEGO Media Roundtable where we were given an exclusive first look at upcoming LEGO Star Wars sets for May the 4th. Can’t say much, but new and long-time Star Wars fans are going to be delighted with what they see.
As part of the Q&A, LEGO Fan Media were also given the opportunity to talk about an upcoming LEGO UCS set – the UCS Republic Gunship.
LEGO were pretty tight-lipped about the details during the call (we all tried our best to tease details out), but here are 5 things you need to know about the upcoming LEGO UCS Republic Gunship
1. The release date will definitely be in 2021
We weren’t given any solid details on the release date, but we were given a guarantee that the LEGO UCS Republic Gunship will be released sometime in 2021.
I think it’s likely to come in Autumn (northern hemisphere) before the Christmas holiday season, and looking at LEGO’s previous release timing for the UCS Imperial Star Destroyer, I expect it to arrive in September 2021.
2. It will be BIG. VERY BIG.
We didn’t get a glimpse of the completed model, or any sketch concept art, but the LEGO Designers did let slip that it was going to be a big set, with an equally as impressive footprint.
Just how big? We were told that we “would need a new coffee table for it”, so let your imagination run wild at just how large the UCS Republic Gunship will be.
Thanks to Holly and David from Solid Brix Studios for teasing this out from the designers.
3. We’re getting a new windshield element!
Okay, we did get a glimpse at PART of the gunship, specifically the new windscreen element from the LEGO designers which was really cool.
It was quite big, I’d hazard to say it was about 6-ish inches long? It was also maroon in colour, and one singular solid piece (with the 2 rounded glass domes), looking exactly like it does in the concept art above.
4. There will be minifigures, but we don’t know who will be in.
Minifigures are not the focal point of UCS sets, but the LEGO designers were dancing around this particular question and wouldn’t let up much.
They did rule out Jedi Bob, so apologies in advance to Jedi Bob fans
5. The LEGO Star Wars team were surprised at how many people voted for the Republic Gunship
When asked about the poll results and if the LEGO Star Wars design team were surprised at the results, it caught them by surprise how big the vote for the Republic Gunship was.
They considered the Gunship’s opponents as really strong contenders, and they were surprised that the Gunship emerged as such a strong winner.
6. The LEGO Star Wars designers think fans will be very happy with the end result
When asked about whether fan expectations would be met/impressed, the LEGO Star Wars teams were pretty positive about this.
They did say it would be hard to keep everyone happy, especially for such a highly anticipated set.
That’s all I can write so far as it’s about 2am, and I wanted to write this down while it’s still fresh in my memory!
Stay tuned to the blog for more information of when we can finally see more of the UCS Republic Gunship, and Star Wars fans, be sure to follow along for some exciting LEGO May the 4th reveals soon!
Let me know in the comments if you’re excited about the LEGO UCS Republic Gunship, and what your guesses are of what LEGO will be releasing for Star Wars Day 2021!
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i am a fan to building lego and my son the six yeard old too. Thanks for this articules, i have too a website to talk about lego
I wonder what Mini figs will be included with it.
I know that there is most likely going to be a Clone Pilot, and a gunner and also the assault clones, Maybe even a Yoda like the one we saw in episode 2 that was on the gunship, And who knows maybe even a Cody will pop up.
And i wonder if it will be in the 400+ dollar range.
I also wonder if it will be a set that does not include any stickers for battle damage, but it will instead make you build the battle damage.
But no matter if i like the final product i sure will buy it!
Just out of curiosity… Ratio wise, how does this one compare in size to the original republic gunship set? I do recall it was pretty big as well.
I don’t own the original so I’m not 100% sure of the scale, but judging by the windscreen as a reference, it’ll be about 2x – 2.5x as big. Hopefully bigger!
Lego doesn’t know their audience if they were surprised by the republic gunship winning the vote.
Yes
The perspective I got from sitting in the roundtable is that the designers are mostly older men, who were probably old enough when the OT was in cinemas.
They probably don’t realise the immense popularity of Prequel-era builds, because of internet-y things like Prequel Memes, and the resurgence in appreciation for the Clone Wars series and Rebels.
Unlike a lot of other LEGO designers/design teams I’ve interviewed, who were mostly millennials in their 20s, 30s or early 40s, and are a bit more in touch with current trends.
So yeah, in between this, the 501st Battle Pack, and Ahsoka Tano’s popularity, I hope this really gets the message loud and clear that Prequel-era Star Wars isn’t as maligned as it was in the early 00s.
I’ve seen it all (and was a classic Prequel-hater) until the Clone Wars changed my mind on the entire era. That and Revenge of the Sith is my second favourite Star Wars movie.
WE NEED JEDI BOB. BOYCOTT LEGO TILL WE GET JEDI BOB.
LEGO are definitely reading all the comments and commentary here, so I think it’s loud and clear that people are pretty passionate about Jedi Bob.
I’d say our chances of seeing him as a polybag/GWP or have him show up in a random set is a lot higher now.
I wish I could buy it, but wife has told me I cant 🙁 But no price yet ?
Its apparently going to be $350 USD…that’s the rumour anyway
I’ve read those rumours, but can’t help but think it’ll be higher.
No price yet. Based on the size mentioned… it’s likely gonna be expensive.
Rumours flying about of US$350, but I think it might be higher.
Great article! Sad to see Jedi Bob removed.
Yeah, it would make a great addition, but somewhat ruins the “seriousness” of Jedi Bob.
I could see LEGO release him as a polybag GWP, or in another set though given that there’s so many vocal fans who are upset.
Absolutely stoked for this set. I wish it were the May-the-4th UCS, but it sounds like there will be some good releases instead to keep us occupied until the fall. Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with the May the 4th release…
It can’t come quickly enough!