Sounds like LEGO Star Wars is getting its own Hoopty

LEGO Star Wars could be on the verge of getting its own equivalent to Marvel’s 76232 The Hoopty and 76281 X-Men X-Jet, if the latest rumours are to be believed.

The common thread that links those The Marvels and X-Men ’97 sets is not that they’re both mid-sized modes of transport (though they are), nor that they both include just a handful of minifigures each (though they do). It’s that they’re both eye-wateringly expensive. 76232 The Hoopty weighs in at a staggering £84.99 / $89.99 / €94.99 for 420 pieces and three minifigures, while the newly-launched 76281 X-Men X-Jet costs £74.99 / $84.99 / €84.99 for 359 pieces and four minifigures.

What nobody wants to hear is that another theme is now using those as a template, but that’s exactly what the first rumours of this summer’s LEGO Star Wars 2024 slate are pointing towards. Among the bumper crop of strange sets 1414falconfan reports is on the way this summer (which includes a Millennium Falcon with what may or may not be Darth Jar Jar) is 75396 Escape from the Sarlaac, a bona fide remake of 2017’s 75174 Desert Skiff Escape.

The new set is said to include just 558 pieces for $89.99. That’s three times the price of the previous version for only double the parts. Price-per-piece ratio isn’t the be all and end all – some models skew the other way but include tonnes of tiny elements, while alarmingly expensive sets can often be explained away by large pieces or exclusive prints. But there’s really no accounting for the high prices of those two Marvel outliers, and the same could well end up being the case for 75396.

To its credit, 75396 Escape from the Sarlaac is thought to include six minifigures compared to 75174 Desert Skiff Escape’s four, among which are apparently Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando, Boba Fett and two other characters. We can reasonably expect Lando to show up in his skiff guard disguise, which would mean bringing back a moulded helmet element last seen in 2012’s 9496 Desert Skiff. And that would be great! But Boba Fett is currently rumoured to be a repeat of the minifigure in 75369 Boba Fett Mech. That’s less great.

The bounty hunter in last summer’s mech is extremely detailed, but is also based on his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. He wears slightly different armour in Return of the Jedi – a distinction the LEGO Group has made previously in Star Wars sets, including 75174 Desert Skiff Escape – so it would be disappointing to see his Episode V outfit reused here, particularly with one eye on that price tag.

For context, 2017’s 75174 Desert Skiff Escape includes a desert skiff, Sarlaac pit, Han, Chewie, Boba and a Weequay Guard within 277 pieces total. The extra 281 pieces afforded to 75396 Escape from the Sarlaac could therefore go a long way: maybe we’ll see two skiffs and a Sarlaac pit (there were two in the opening scenes of Return of the Jedi, after all), or perhaps we’re looking at a single skiff and a much bigger Sarlaac pit build. 

Whatever the case, it’s going to take something special to justify its price. That could also be more unique characters – maybe the two unidentified minifigures both use brand new moulds – but we won’t know for sure until the LEGO Group officially unveils 75396 Escape from the Sarlaac. Until then, take all word of its existence lightly.

Click here for a closer look at the entire slate of rumoured LEGO Star Wars summer 2024 sets.

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