Behind the Bricks of the Ultimate Collector Series LEGO Snowspeeder

StarWars.com: Once you were given the green light to start designing the Snowspeeder, where did you begin in terms of the design, and how did the process continue from there?

Jordan David Scott: Once we knew we were going to be building the UCS Snowspeeder, I actually started looking at the previous version that was released back in 2003 to get an idea of scale and where I could improve with the new assortment of elements we currently have. What is funny about this model is when I started working at the LEGO Group, my mentor at the time, Bjarke Madsen, told me he had built the 2003 Snowspeeder. So, in a way, it seemed very fitting that 14 years later I would get to design and build the new version.

I started the model as I do with most other designs -- just start building physically! It is important for UCS to be extremely accurate, detailed, and have functions wherever possible. This led to incorporating the moveable airbrakes and rear tow cable gun. I built multiple versions of the chassis and functional parts in order to have a solid foundation, while still leaving spaces to start having fun with detailing. I also built many different versions of the wings to make sure I replicated the angle of them as closely as possible.

StarWars.com: The snowspeeder is, I think, deceptively complex in terms of design. What was most challenging about bringing it to life in LEGO form?

Jordan David Scott: I agree, from a distance, the snowspeeder looks very simple and angular, but when that comes to building it using LEGO bricks, the angles can be quite challenging. I think the biggest challenge I faced when building were the front angles below the cockpit. It took days of experimentation with every hinged element we have available, in every combination I could think of. I talked to our Star Wars design team and other project teams often to get more ideas. The wealth of knowledge in the LEGO design team is incredible, and so we try to talk to each other as much as possible.

StarWars.com: Is there one aspect of the UCS LEGO Snowspeeder that you're particularly proud of and think fans would appreciate?

Jordan David Scott: For me, building in details is super fun, and so I really hope fans appreciate these. I loved building things like the back-to-back seats, using the space gun element as joysticks, creating the tow cable function from inside the rear gunner position, and using the LEGO minifigure ski blade -- I really love that piece as a detail! I also hope that fans will appreciate the new windscreen element we made specially for the UCS LEGO Snowspeeder. However, one of the most important aspects of this model that I wanted to replicate from the movie were the turbolasers built on an angle. I know this is a seemingly insignificant detail that may go unnoticed, but it was something I really wanted to build in and I hope it is appreciated.

StarWars.com: Finally, the ship consists of 1,703 pieces. I hope you never dropped it while working on it.

Jordan David Scott: Thankfully I never dropped it -- it is a pretty robust model. Although, now that I think about it, it may be fun to step on it and recreate the scene with the AT-AT from the movie.

Dan Brooks is Lucasfilm’s senior content writer and editor of the StarWars.com blog. He loves Star Wars, ELO, and the New York Rangers, Jets, and Yankees. Follow him on Twitter @dan_brooks where he rants about all these things.