LEGO designer Jme Wheeler and his team agreed early on that to truly bring Chopper’s unique charm to life, they would need to give their build a wobbling head and flailing arms. “It is such a recognizable part of Chopper’s character, so I went through many iterations of the function trying to get it just right, Part of the challenge was that because his head needs to sit flat while resting, that meant it couldn’t just rock left and right but also had to move up and down in the same motion.”
Although many fans have loved Chopper since his animated debut in Star Wars Rebels, his live-action appearance in Ahsoka plus the LEGO R2-D2 for the Lucasfilm 50th anniversary in 2021 helped clinch the timing. “After the release of the most recent R2-D2 model, there was a lot of desire from the fan community for a scale version of Chopper,” Wheeler notes.
This scaled set of Chopper features head movements, posable arms, and hidden tools that give the droid plenty of chances for chaos once he’s added to your LEGO collection. Measuring over 8.5 in. tall, 6 in. wide, and 3.5 in. long, this set comes with a Chopper minifigure and a detailed information plaque. Clocking in at 1,039 pieces, Chopper is perfect to build on your own or with help from some fellow Star Wars fans 10 and up!
Bringing Chopper to life was always going to be a challenge, but Wheeler took it on and found the process enjoyable. “Given the combination of functionality and mobility, there were several sections of the build that required some tricky solutions,” Wheeler says. “While some of the design elements could be borrowed from the previous R2-D2 building set, they are different enough that it wasn’t possible to use all of the same functional solutions.”
And while this set is primarily based on Chopper’s representation in Ahsoka, particularly in some of the smaller details, Wheeler notes that Star Wars Rebels fans should keep an eye out for some of Chopper’s well-kept Rebellion secrets. “There are one or two nods to his Star Wars Rebels appearance hidden inside the build for fans to find.”
LEGO Star Wars Chopper (C1-10P) Astromech Droid can be preordered now for delivery on May 1st. Please support Jedi News by purchasing your LEGO sets here for the UK, USA and Canada — happy building!
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