LEGO Icons Dune Ornithopter designers share behind-the-scenes of working on a licensed set

The LEGO Group has a long history of working with huge franchises, including a soon-to-be-released collaboration for Dune – but doing so presents some unique challenges.

Excitement is starting to ramp up for the sequel to Dune after the 2021 movie based on Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name took the world by storm. It’s only spawned a single LEGO set so far, thanks to the efforts of the LEGO designers, and that sparked the need for close collaboration between the LEGO Icons design team and the movie producers at Legendary Entertainment.

As with any huge license, both parties need to work together to make a functional, detailed LEGO set that also matches the style and branding of the original inspiration. While speaking to MiniSuperHeroesToday at the LEGO Fan Media Days, LEGO Design Manager Mike Psiaki touched on some of the complex miscommunications that can happen when working on such a major theme – and how having companies split across two continents can lead to confusion.

“When we were making Paul, the producers we working with at Legendary were keen on getting the right hair for him,” Mike said.

During weekly calls where videos and photos were shared of the set at every stage, the team at Legendary didn’t feel like the hair was quite right based on the 2D version of Paul Atreides. They suggested a hair option that they’d seen online, but were unsure if it was a real element or perhaps something that had now been retired – but luck was on their side.

“They sent us a picture – and it was the exact hair that we were using on him,” laughed Mike Psiaki. “Our 2D representation just wasn’t doing it justice…but we were actually completely on the same page.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that images of LEGO sets don’t quite represent the final product. Fans were at first worried that 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage wouldn’t include the iconic black candle, but it turned out to only be a misleading render.

Although the brick-built ornithopter itself is the centrepiece of the upcoming LEGO Icons set, it’s the minifigures that really stand out in 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter. We dug into each of the minifigures in more detail here, touching on what makes each and every one a welcome addition to the set.

Hear more from the LEGO designers in the embedded video linked below, and check out our in-depth comparison of 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter to its on-screen counterpart here.

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