LEGO community reacts to 75371 Chewbacca: ‘A new sleep paralysis demon just dropped’

The LEGO community is coming down hard on 75371 Chewbacca, describing it as ‘nightmare fuel’ and ‘unsettling’ – but not everyone is dismissing the buildable Wookiee out of hand.

Revealed alongside two LEGO Star Wars: Ahsoka sets at San Diego Comic-Con, 75371 Chewbacca recreates the rebel hero in a towering 2,319 pieces. And it’s safe to say that it’s proving pretty polarising among the LEGO Star Wars community so far, inspiring reactions ranging from ‘terrifying’ to ‘really awesome’.

Threads in the r/lego and r/legostarwars communities over on reddit are full of comedy gold, with comments including ‘hey guys, a new sleep paralysis demon just dropped’, ‘Chewie is going to be on an Intervention episode’ and ‘I can’t help but wonder if they greenlit it for the memes’. Others on Twitter have focused on the Wookiee’s face as a particular point of concern.

Meanwhile, Lego Chewbacca is terrifying. pic.twitter.com/BAWny5gr1S

— Dragonblade (@Dragonblade) July 19, 2023

Lego Chewbacca isn’t real. He can’t hurt you.

Lego Chewbacca: pic.twitter.com/PYP2Wh7OmW

— Mark Knoop ???? (@MJK_88) July 19, 2023

But opinions on 75371 Chewbacca aren’t universally downbeat. Andrew Barnick tweeted that the set looks ‘amazing’ and ‘instantly recognisable’, while calling out fans criticising the build: “As if anybody has ever built a better-looking Chewbacca.” Rei Ayanami has also drawn comparisons to classic LEGO Star Wars sets 10018 Darth Maul and 7190 Yoda, describing Chewie as ‘really neat’.

…and demonstrating my frustration with AFOLs once again, Lego revealed an AMAZING looking Chewbacca set that some AFOLs are calling "the worst-designed set ever made". As if anybody has ever built a better-looking Chewbacca.

— Andrew Barnick (Lyichir) (@AndrewBarnick) July 19, 2023

The new Lego Chewbacca set looks really neat, and white odd. First off- It's huge, like actually massive, and secondly, it really reminds me of the old Lego Star Wars figures, like the original Yoda and the Maul bust. I personally really like it! pic.twitter.com/63yOnfFerm

— Rei Ayanami (@burgerkingrei) July 19, 2023

Seeing that Lego finally has made a good looking Chewbacca figure has made me so very happy.

My birthday is in December soooo…

— KaL ??? (@kalarama_) July 19, 2023

Even on reddit, some users are defending the Wookiee’s design. “I really don’t get the Chewie hate here, it’s LEGO, of course it’s clunky but I love it!” one redditor writes. “I think it’s a really awesome set, though price is a bit high it’s not a break for me. It’s so damn cool-looking, especially up close with the details.” Others have hailed it as ‘solid’ and ‘an instant cop’.

It looks like 75371 Chewbacca should find some kind of an audience when it drops on September 1 – but the few positive comments aren’t enough to convince everyone. In a slightly more diplomatic response, one redditor added: “I don’t see this selling very well, which is a shame. The format could be very cool for more droid-like characters, though I don’t see them ever releasing one of those if this flops.”

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Anyone hoping to see alternative large-scale characters to Chewie should be similarly hoping that the Wookiee finds enough fans to tempt the LEGO Group to pursue further sets. If you count yourself among those already eager to pick up 75371 Chewbacca, you can pre-order your copy now for £179.99 / $199.99 / €209.99.

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