For their big-screen debut this weekend, the Mandalorian and Grogu cruise that far, far away galaxy in the Razor Crest — albeit a 2.0 version of the ST-70 assault vehicle, since the original was blown up back in Season 2 of the Disney+ series. However, the movie does give us glimpses of the duo’s replacement ride featured in Season 3 and The Book of Boba Fett: Mando’s souped-up N-1 starfighter.
To celebrate the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Lucasfilm and Lego teamed to painstakingly recreate the N-1 in brick form for the “Ultimate Collector Series” line. Planning for the 1,800-piece model began at the same time the film started shooting, in late 2024. And it was available in time for Star Wars Day on May 4, becoming an immediate hit with fans, collectors… and filmmakers.
“I was really interested in seeing how the Lego team would actually solve the body, because it’s so sleek, so automotive, and the edges are so important to the character and personality of the N-1,” says Doug Chiang, Lucasfilm’s Oscar-winning senior vice president and executive design director, who created the original version of the N-1 as a Naboo vehicle in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. “And if you look at the Lego kit, they’re all there.”
To learn the secrets of the new Star Wars set, Gold Derby grilled two of the architects behind the N-1: César Soares, master model designer at the Lego Group, and Chris Gollaher, director of product design for Disney Consumer Products. They took us behind the bricks, sharing details of how it all came together, their favorite Easter eggs hidden in the build, and the key to crafting the perfect Baby Yoda.
Gold Derby: How long in advance did you begin working on the set? Were there any challenges in engineering it?
Chris Gollaher: Creating a model like this takes time; often well over a year of design work, reviews, and collaborations between the Lego design team and Lucasfilm. In the case of the Mandalorian’s modified N-1 starfighter, its most distinctive qualities also made it especially challenging to recreate in Lego form. The ship’s sleek, almost organic shape with its elegant curves and tapered sections, is very different from the angular nature of Lego bricks. Still, that challenge was a big part of the appeal.
Another important consideration was the ship’s smooth chrome finish. From the start, the goal was to strike the right balance between accuracy to the source material and a clear sense of Lego style, with visible studs and recognizable elements. The final model captures that balance well, combining smooth surfaces, carefully placed studs, and exposed sections that reflect the ship’s stripped-down look. Subtle variations in light and dark gray, along with metallic silver elements, also help evoke the N-1’s signature polished finish.
César Soares: There were a number of different challenges with the development of this model. Lego elements translate really well to square shapes and straight lines and the N-1 starfighter has very few. That meant that we had to get the shape, proportions and angles right, which turned out to be difficult. We implemented a very strong core that goes in the center from tip to tip, and on this core there are a variety of different connectors like ball joints and clips that allow the organic fuselage to connect to the main body.
The engines were also a big challenge because they have some sections that are exposed with lots of mechanical details so making them look accurate to the source material — and at the same time be stable and easy to build — took some time get right.
How closely did Lucasfilm work with Lego on the set’s creation? What kind of assets did you have access to — photos, production stills, concept art, etc.?
Gollaher: We always work closely with the studio teams to ensure we’re as authentic to the source material as possible. One of the advantages we had working on the UCS version of the N-1 was that we had a wealth of reference to draw from. When we first did the main line version of the ship [75325, which released in 2022], it had just been introduced in The Book of Boba Fett, and we were working mainly from concept art and early set reference.
For this larger, more detailed UCS version, we were able to pull from more material to make the most accurate model possible. We had detailed photography of the final, full-sized set piece, as well as digital files and 3D models. We even had digital images of all the console displays in the cockpit, so we could replicate them. Our product design team works directly with our studio and asset teams, so they were a great resource to us when we needed to do a deeper dive into things like the engine details or other aspects, to determine how best to recreate those in Lego form.
Soares: We have a huge reference library of photos, 3D renderings, and videos that Lucasfilm have provided to us over the years, and that’s what we mainly use. Of course, I also watch a lot of content like The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. Seeing the scenes “live” always puts a different perspective on how we design. For this set we had an extra set of photos to reference. Some of us went to Star Wars Celebration in Los Angels in 2022 and Lucasfilm had the real life-size vehicle used in the TV shows, so we took the opportunity to take hundreds of photos.
Was there a favorite detail or Easter egg in the set?
Gollaher: When you look at some of the exposed engine areas, you can find some incredibly clever and outside-the-box thinking to repurpose existing elements that had initially had a completely different use — you can find elements like swords or pistols, or even droid parts, being reused to create a mechanical engine detail. That same creativity went into solving for the drastic taper of the engines and the tail.
Those shapes give a real sense of speed and elegance to the ship but also raise challenges for the designers in capturing the right shape while still having the necessary stability for the model.
Soares: My personal favorite detail is the use of the Darksaber, recolored to grey, and used as a mechanical detail on both engines.
Grogu has become such an iconic character — is there a key to capturing him in Lego form?
Gollaher: The key things to capture for him are the proportions of both the ears and the eyes, and really a very simple expression — it’s such a great look, somehow equal parts cute and serious and quizzical all at once. I think the Lego Star Wars minifigure version is really effective at capturing the spirit of the character, with a deceptively simple design. And being able to update the body with our new The Mandalorian and Grogu sets this year really bring it home.
Soares: I think one of the key parts was to get is face as cute as the real one, with expressive eyes and big ears. The updated body was also a nice add on to be more accurate to the movie.
Star Wars was the very first licensed property for Lego, beginning with The Phantom Menace in 1999. Other than the N-1, do you have a favorite Lego Star Wars set that you worked on or a dream set you’d love to see in the future?
Chris Gollaher: I’ve actually been lucky enough to be at Lucasfilm since we first started working with Lego, so I’ve seen many of these sets take shape in one form or another. There are just so many great designs based on truly iconic ships and scenes.
If I had to narrow it down, I’d say I’ve especially enjoyed working on the Death Star building set-style models we’ve released over the years, beginning with the 2008 set and continuing through the most recent version in 2025. Those sets allow us to pack in a tremendous amount of detail while also capturing the humor and storytelling that make the Lego Star Wars line so much fun.
As for future sets, I try not to speculate! What I can say is that we always have exciting new models in development, whether they’re inspired by new stories on screen or revisit classic vehicles and moments fans already love. So, it’s safe to say there are plenty of great Lego Star Wars sets on the horizon.
Soares: It’s really difficult to choose one but I would put the UCS Razor Crest up there. It’s such an iconic design and cool ship that designing it in the UCS form is one of my most proud moments in my career in the Lego Star Wars team.
I get asked the about what would be my dream set to work on and I always give the same answer: I am a big fan of the original trilogy as I grew up watching the movies, so every time I have the chance to design something from those movies, I take that chance.
Inside ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ prop house: A photographic walk-through
