Rumours suggest a new minifigure of fan-favourite Jedi Bob may be on the way in 2024, but how authentic should a remake of the character be?
LEGO Star Wars fans will no doubt have felt a disturbance in the Force this week, with rumours of multiple sets potentially due to arrive throughout 2024. Included in that line-up were some surprising and decidedly left-field choices for possible models based on a galaxy far, far away, all of which should be treated with a healthy dose of scepticism for now.
One rumoured LEGO Star Wars set that’s sure to have raised more than a few eyebrows is 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter, said to be a 310-piece build that may retail for $39.99. We’ve seen versions of the brick-built ship appear on more than one occasion, most recently in the shape of last summer’s 75360 Yoda’s Jedi Starfighter, but the biggest draw for fans of the potential new set could be the inclusion and return of the mysterious and non-canon Jedi Bob.
The happy-go-lucky minifigure has only ever appeared with one LEGO Star Wars model to date, 2002’s 7163 Republic Gunship, where he was merely labelled as ‘Jedi Knight’ on the set’s box. The 638-piece build featured a total of eight minifigures and marked the debut of the yellow-faced character, of whom very little is known.
Jedi origins
Jedi Bob was first named in DK’s LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary in 2009, where it was revealed that many records from the Jedi Temple were lost during the Clone Wars. The character may therefore have been known as ‘Bob’ and did at least fly in a Republic Gunship, but beyond those facts not much in-universe information has been revealed about the elusive fan-favourite character.
The Jedi Bob minifigure itself boasted a fairly simple design, with a brown hood, legs and cloak, and a yellow smiling, bearded face that had already appeared on a LEGO City construction worker and Mac, the LEGO Life on Mars astronaut. In addition, Jedi Bob also featured an exclusive unique printed torso that has never been replicated, plus a green lightsaber.
Those looking to get hold of the original minifigure can pick up Jedi Bob for around £60 on BrickLink, but the scarcity of the character and his appearance in just one LEGO Star Wars set so far means many cash-strapped fans might be holding out for 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter to become a reality.
Recreate or update?
Since the debut of the cheery minifigure in 7163 Republic Gunship, a growing Jedi Bob fanbase has emerged, with some devotees requesting the character be reintroduced in a new LEGO Wars set. Nathan Morris even went so far as to petition the LEGO Group, TT Games and Lucasfilm to include Bob in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but a total of 1,904 signatures failed to have any impact.
While the rumoured 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter looks to be just what some may have been wanting to see for years, the question remains – should the LEGO Group go ahead and deliver a recreation of the original minifigure or update the look of the character with new printing and a flesh-coloured face?
Most LEGO Star Wars minifigures have evolved from their initial, yellow-faced versions, so there’s certainly an opportunity here for the theme’s design team to update the look of Jedi Bob and give him a modern makeover. Having said that, purists will no doubt baulk at the idea and feel that their decade’s long wait should be rewarded with a perfect 1:1 replica of the original, essentially giving demanding and patient fans exactly what they want.
Blast from the past
However, we know from past experiences that the LEGO Group has its own unique approach to retro sets, often giving fans a taste of original models with a new twist or sometimes delivering something wholly unexpected. We’ve seen that in recent years with the like of 40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua and 10497 Galaxy Explorer, LEGO sets that have attempted to honour classic models, and tick nostalgia boxes by offering updated versions that use up-to-date building techniques and elements.
Yet that approach has sometimes fallen a little flat, most recently with the release of 40601 Majisto’s Magical Workshop, a GWP set that may have stayed too close to its original source material. While some fans appreciated what they considered a ‘faithful remake’, questions were raised as to whether the Classic Castle model was in fact something of a missed opportunity and could have built on the design and appeal of the original set.
This is the way…
So, with all that mind, which of the two schools of thought should the rumoured 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter aim for? Is pure nostalgia more of a primary driver or should the LEGO Group enhance and improve Jedi Bob for a modern audience, many of whom won’t even be aware of what all the fuss is regarding the fan-favourite character?
Personally, I’d like to see the LEGO Star Wars team plump for the former. Sure, deliver a new take on the Jedi Starfighter itself (which may come with a second mystery minifigure), but here’s the chance to reward fans with exactly what they’ve been waiting for all this time. For some, a yellow-faced minifigure may seem an odd choice in 2023, but it’s really no different from similar bonus characters that were included in LEGO Star Wars 20th anniversary sets in 2019.
Five exclusive, collectible LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Editions were released in that year to celebrate the saga, each of which came with a recreated minifigure. Replicas of the original versions of Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian appeared in the likes of 75261 Clone Scout Walker – 20th Anniversary Edition, 75259 Snowspeeder – 20th Anniversary Edition and 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – 20th Anniversary Edition.
A carbon-copy of Jedi Bob as he looked in 7163 Republic Gunship would therefore show that the LEGO Group has indeed been listening to fan requests and can go back to the well from time-to-time if required. Going down that route still retains the mystery and uniqueness of the character, while giving collectors reason enough to pick up 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter in 2023, with what might be a reasonably-priced set that could otherwise potentially just sit on shelves waiting for a price drop.
If it’s a more modern version of Jedi Bob you’re after, then the minifigure is actually pretty easy to recreate using a selection of generic pieces. To find out exactly how, be sure to check out our exclusive build guide right here.
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