LEGO removes Star Wars designer video following fan backlash
The LEGO Group has removed the designer video for 75309 Republic Gunship from its YouTube channel following significant backlash from Star Wars fans.
Controversy has followed the newest Ultimate Collector Series set since day one, mostly stemming from quotes from the design team and decisions made by the LEGO Group’s marketing department. The designer video for 75309 Republic Gunship has seemingly only added fuel to the fire, to the point that it’s now been taken down from the official LEGO YouTube channel.
First published over the weekend, a full month after the 3,292-piece set hit shelves, the video featured LEGO designer Hans Burkhard Schlömer sharing insights into the design process behind the enormous rendition of the prequel trilogy ship. But two choice quotes – which you can see preserved in MandRproductions’ video below – led to backlash from fans in the comments.
The first of those was Hans referring to the Republic Gunship as an ‘original trilogy’ vehicle, despite the fact that it first appeared in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – a prequel trilogy movie. (This could easily be explained away by Hans meaning the ‘original’, pre-Disney movies, but it still doesn’t fit widely-used Star Wars terminology).
The second was in doubling down on quotes first reported on Brick Fanatics, in which Hans referred to the included Clone Commander minifigure as ‘doubling up’ as a pilot for 75309 Republic Gunship, in the absence of an actual Clone Pilot minifigure. Those comments were chastised at the time of the set’s reveal back in July, and received no more warmly here.
The designer video subsequently attracted a high proportion of dislikes (compared to likes), along with plenty of negative comments – which has now ultimately led to the LEGO Group removing it from its YouTube channel altogether. Whether an amended version of the video is in the works remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the community still isn’t happy with the marketing around 75309 Republic Gunship.
For a closer look at the set itself, which really deserves no such vitriol, check out our in-depth review. 75309 Republic Gunship is available now at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores.
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350 US dollars and it only has 2 minifigures. They could have put in a bunch of clones and a couple of Droids at the very least. It really seems like a half-hearted attempt to be honest. It’s a cool ship and a lot of pieces but really lacking in some areas.
Wow…just…wow… I have no words for the fact that this a) occurred and b) is news worthy
Those folks need to grow up. Yes it’s ok to be a fan of Legos as an adult, I certainly am (and obviously this set is not aimed at younger lego buildilers), and certainly you can be a fan of star wars or what have you. You can’t be an asshole about it though…
I agree that the set should have included the sliding door but also more minifigures. Having only 2 when they could have included at least a few more clone troopers if not a few more jedi. These aren’t cheap sets so these things tend to be really sore points when done wrong
You really shouldn’t link that toxic trashole’s video here. He does nothing but make horrible hateful videos of lego.
So, video removed because of fans being toxic jerks, and Star Wars seems to glut of them.
I really don’t like that they failed to include the doors in this set. They setup the back of the LAAT to open, which doesn’t represent the actual ship, and completely missed the sliding doors that close the main compartment in the front. It feels like a pretty big detail to miss on a UCS set, and significantly lowered my impression of the set when I first saw it.
The designers have said it’s based on the Episode 2 gunship, which had the ball turrets instead of forward closing doors. The space verison, as seen in TCW, had forward closing doors rather than the bull turrets. The lego design is accurate.
I didn’t know star wars fans were so incredibly sensitive.
Hold on, so Lego ask their fans what they’d like to see next. They make a set that the fans asked for. The set is good according to all the reviews. But then the make a mistake in a you tube video and they become public enemy number one. Seems like a huge over reaction.
“When I’m right, no one remembers, when I’m wrong, no one forgets”
Oh my god, who the hell cares? Grow up. I guess it goes to show that if you still play with toys as an adult you’re likely to still be a crybaby as an adult.
I think it is terrible, I am a star wars fan, and I could identify these errors, not for that reason I did not like the video or the set, on the contrary it is incredible, anyone can commit them, what a shame that extremist fans manifested in such a way, and that decision should be made.