LEGO’s 20th anniversary Slave I inspired a detail in 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship

The LEGO Star Wars design team has revealed how the 20th anniversary edition of Slave I inspired a very specific detail in 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship.

While the newest LEGO version of Slave I (as is its in-universe name – just don’t mention it around Disney) scales things back significantly from its predecessor, it still borrows very heavily from the design of 75243 Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition.

That’s partly because Design Manager Michael Lee Stockwell was the man responsible for both sets, and carried lessons he’d learned on the 2019 model into its 2021 successor. Speaking to Brick Fanatics during this year’s LEGO Fan Media event, Michael revealed one very specific detail he managed to bring forward from the last version to 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship.

“[75243] was a good place to start,” Michael says. “We got a lot of buzz and feedback. That’s also the reason we put the handle into this small design. We debated about, you know, do we need it or do we not? I didn’t have a handle and then I thought, ‘Well, I’ll see what I can do, see if I can get it in there.’

“[It was a] small, tight spot. But I just think for the kids, one hand on the model, it’s just a lot of fun. And then they can have another ship in their other hand.”

Flying both 75243 Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition and, say, 75218 X-wing Starfighter around the room simultaneously probably isn’t practical for small hands given the size of those sets, but this year’s downsized Star Wars ships are far more conducive to that kind of play. By comparison, grabbing 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship in one hand and 75301 Luke Skywalker’s X-wing Fighter in the other is easy.

And, yes, the handle planted perfectly in the latest Slave I is a big help in facilitating that swooshability in what’s otherwise a pretty awkwardly-shaped ship. You’ll be able to test that swoosh factor for yourself from August 1, when 75312 Boba Fett’s Starship launches alongside the rest of this summer’s Star Wars sets. Check out our review in the meantime.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO through one of our affiliate links.