LEGO Star Wars designers explain how they decide which sets to produce

The LEGO Star Wars designers say the newly-released 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter is a great example of how they decide which sets to produce.

While 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter is based on the vehicle’s appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – as specified by its minifigure line-up, which includes Bo-Katan Kryze, Gar Saxon and a Mandalorian Loyalist – the same ship also popped up in The Mandalorian. Given it’s launched alongside a Mando-heavy wave, that synergy feels very much intentional.

Speaking to Brick Fanatics, LEGO Star Wars Creative Lead Jens Kronvold Frederiksen confirmed that the team decided to produce an updated version of 9525 Pre Vizsla’s Mandalorian Fighter precisely because it appears in two recent Star Wars TV shows – and that that ‘double exposure’ plays an important role in determining the wider assortment.

“If it’s something that’s exposed in more places, then there’s a high chance that it’s popular,” Jens says. “We did the same thing when creating stuff from The Clone Wars. We always thought the best set was [vehicles] that were both from the prequel movies, but also in The Clone Wars, [because] then we make more people happy.

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“It’s the same thing here [with 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter]. We heard that it would have that double exposure, and that’s even better.”

The message is clear: if a vehicle appears across multiple Star Wars media, there’s a greater chance that it will become a LEGO set in future, just like 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter. Check out our review of the 544-piece set here, or head over to LEGO.com to secure your copy.

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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