LEGO explains why we randomly got that one Star Wars: Clone Wars 2003 set

The designer of the one and only LEGO Star Wars set based on the 2003 Clone Wars TV series has explained why the LEGO Group randomly turned to such obscure source material in 2015.

LEGO Star Wars doesn’t always have the capacity to surprise these days – the perils of basing a product line on a 45-year-old franchise – but occasionally the theme pulls an ace from its sleeve. In 2015, that was 75087 Anakin’s Custom Jedi Starfighter, a set directly inspired by Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Clone Wars series from 2003.

If you’ve never watched the legendary anime-flavoured take on a galaxy far, far away – from the creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack – stop reading this right now and head over to Disney+ (search ‘Star Wars Vintage: Clone Wars 2D Micro-Series’). But then come back, because the designer behind Anakin’s white and blue starfighter – better known as the Azure Angel – has revealed exactly how the unique 370-piece set came about.

Today he’s the Design Manager of LEGO Ideas, but relatively early into his career at the LEGO Group Jordan Scott found himself on the LEGO Star Wars design team. Some of the first sets under his purview include 75082 TIE Advanced Prototype, 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium, 75102 Poe’s X-wing Fighter and 75087 Anakin’s Custom Jedi Starfighter, all of which launched in 2015.

Speaking to Brick Fanatics as part of a deep dive into his most iconic sets, Scott explained exactly how the team ended up tackling a series that was not only 12 years old by that point – but was also no longer canon, having been displaced by George Lucas and Dave Filoni’s CG-animated The Clone Wars series in 2008.

“We were discussing, as we always do when we come to the next launch year, ‘What are we going to make?’” Scott recalls. “We obviously wanted to tie into certain films or TV shows that were coming out, but I think at that time there wasn’t a new film coming out right away.

“We didn’t know about The Force Awakens yet, so this was a sort of in-between stage, and we were just exploring, ‘What would be different?’ ‘What would still be really cool and appealing even if you haven’t necessarily seen the show?’ And this came up. We know Anakin’s a popular character, we know starfighters are popular, let’s go for it and make it. So it was really fun.”

Before 2015, the Venn diagram for ‘Anakin Skywalker’ and ‘Jedi Starfighter’ had only ever brought us his yellow Delta-7B from The Clone Wars, or either of his yellow or green Eta-2 Actis interceptors from Revenge of the Sith. Both yellow ships have actually had more than one set to date, so his unique blue and white version – with its giant engines and wild markings – was a genuinely welcome change of pace in the mid-‘10s.

“It was a cool one to work on because there wasn’t that much reference,” Scott adds. “But it was such a unique vehicle, and we took cues from some of the other Jedi Starfighters and adapted it to his modified one. It was a lot of fun to try to work out the weird striping, as well as the engines that go across the bottom – how do we build that without the model breaking while you’re building it?

“So it was a bit challenging but it was a lot of fun, and I really like that style of model as well. I actually prefer that Clone Wars cartoon. It’s so cool, just the style of it.”

Check out our full interview with Scott for more insights into a decade of LEGO sets, from The Lord of the Rings and The LEGO Movie to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jurassic World.

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