LEGO says comparing the UCS Sail Barge’s minifigures to Rivendell is ‘not accurate’
The designer behind LEGO Star Wars 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge says comparing the set’s minifigure line-up to 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is ‘not very accurate’.
The UCS Sail Barge has drawn criticism from some corners for its character assortment, which includes a large moulded Jabba figure, a small Salacious B. Crumb figure and nine traditional minifigures: Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Bib Fortune, Max Rebo, Kithaba, Vizam, Wooof and a Gamorrean Guard. It’s a varied line-up, but one that doesn’t necessarily compare favourably to (for example) 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina, or indeed Rivendell.
Both of those location-based sets include a bigger and more comprehensive cast of characters, but LEGO Star Wars designer César Soares says drawing a line between the Sail Barge and the Middle-earth model is like comparing apples and oranges.
“I have seen a few people comparing the Sail Barge with sets at the same price point, like 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell,” César told Brickset. “I can understand why, but I am not sure it is very accurate to do that because the minifigure selection here is much more complex than the minifigures with Rivendell. Beyond the many new prints, there are also several characters that are particularly expensive to produce.”
The main characters missing from 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge – Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett – can all be found in the smaller companion set 75396 Desert Skiff & Sarlacc Pit. César says that was the plan ‘from the beginning’, in order to ‘maximise the quantity and variety’ between both sets. But he says that the designers face ‘constraints’ and cannot include everything.
“Some of the figures included were a given from the start, especially Jabba and Leia, as you cannot really have the Sail Barge without them,” César added. “C-3PO and R2-D2 were also guaranteed and we were pretty certain of including Max Rebo. For the rest, it was a situation of choosing from among the many options, taking what we already had available into account.
“As you can imagine, that was an extremely lengthy discussion and if it was purely up to the graphic designers, everyone would be included!”
You don’t really need to read between the lines there to see that César is pushing the responsibility for the Sail Barge’s minifigures back on those making decisions above the design team. The LEGO Star Wars designers are effectively working within the budget they’re given, and the people who have set that budget are the ones balancing the impact of including additional characters against the company’s desired profit margin for any given set.
And while it’s fair to say no two LEGO sets are identical, LEGO sets also don’t exist in a vacuum – so it’s not difficult to see why the community has drawn comparisons between 75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge, which costs £429.99 / $499.99 / €499.99, and other sets at the same price point. From a consumer perspective, these considerations are basically irrelevant when you’re paying the same price regardless.
Further reading
- LEGO has prepared its customer service team for calls about Jabba’s Sail Barge
- LEGO explains why Jabba’s Sail Barge doesn’t have more opening windows
75397 Jabba’s Sail Barge is available now. Check out our review of the latest LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set here.
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