What LEGO Star Wars can learn from Marvel’s H.E.R.B.I.E set
A recently announced LEGO Marvel set quietly makes a case for how LEGO Star Wars could think differently going forward.
A year after the release of the film, we finally have our second Fantastic Four-themed set with 76339 The Fantastic Four H.E.R.B.I.E., focusing on the team’s often-overlooked robotic sidekick. But it does raise a fair question: why H.E.R.B.I.E., and why now?
H.E.R.B.I.E. wasn’t a major character in Fantastic Four: First Steps, and notably didn’t appear in last year’s 76316 Fantastic Four vs. Galactus Construction Figure. His absence was barely a talking point, so seeing him receive a dedicated set so late is, on paper, surprising.
And yet, the result looks like one of the strongest LEGO Marvel builds this year. Highly detailed, accurate, and surprisingly posable, it feels less like a marketing obligation and more like a designer-led decision, and that distinction matters.
Because if LEGO Marvel can do that with H.E.R.B.I.E., what does it say about what LEGO Star Wars could explore next?
Imagine a world where, years after a film or series has been released, LEGO revisits the universe not for headline characters, but for the deep cuts. Not because they’re driving a marketing push, but because they make genuinely good sets.
A huge buildable GONK droid instead of another R2-D2. A fun, compact mouse droid rather than yet another Grogu variant. Even a well-engineered Magna Guard that prioritises clever design over instant recognisability.
We’ve already seen how Star Wars can fall into repetition when it sticks to the safest options. Too often, sets feel dictated by character popularity rather than build potential (looking at you, 75371 Chewbacca).
H.E.R.B.I.E. suggests a different approach of confidence in the design itself. The idea that a set doesn’t need to be anchored by a marquee name if the build is strong enough to stand on its own.
And Star Wars is uniquely positioned for that kind of experimentation. It’s a universe full of background droids, one-off creatures, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-them characters that fans love to debate and rank. You don’t need to go as far as a buildable Ben Quadinaros – but in a world where that joke almost sells itself, you know the appetite is there.
The key lesson is simple. Recognisability is not the same as desirability.
If LEGO trusts the design process, even slightly odd or unexpected choices can become standout sets. H.E.R.B.I.E. might not be the most famous Marvel character on the shelf, but it could be one of the most important examples of how to pick what comes next.
76339 The Fantastic Four H.E.R.B.I.E. launches August 1 for £59.99 / $74.99 / €69.99 and is available to pre-order now.
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