After completing the LEGO Super Friends Project, I continued the project with Part 2, an exploration into other pop culture figures done in the LEGO Friends style. As I did movie, tv, and video game characters, I kept looking at my favorite movies and thinking I couldn’t just do Luke, Han, or Leia. I would need to do an exploration of the different characters from the classic trilogy. And so, as soon as Part 2 was completed, I began The LEGO Star Wars Friends Project.
While LEGO has been making Star Wars sets and minifigures since 1999, they never explored the Star Wars license with their Friends line. As I found with the previous figures I made, the larger size of the minidolls allowed for more detail and expression in my customizations. Like my Super Heroines and Pop Culture figurines I previously created, I wanted to be as true to the characters as possible while working within the canvas of the minidolls.
Starting with Luke Skywalker as he originally appears in Star Wars: A New Hope, I began my year long journey into the project. I wanted to start with the iconic trinity of characters in each of their iconic costumes, so I started with 6 Lukes followed by 4 Han Solos and 7 Princess Leias. From there I added Han’s faithful copilot Chewbacca and began the exploration of the Dark Side with a Stormtrooper and Darth Vader.
For 53 weeks, I released a new figure online to add to the collection each Wednesday. Jedi, smuggler, bounty hunter, trooper, and droid, I tried to capture all of the major characters I could from the three films. From the beginning, I knew how the project would end – with a celebration. In their ceremonial garb from the end of A New Hope, Han, Luke, and Leia were the planned end of the project. Awarded medals for the completion of a job well done, the LEGO Star Wars Friends Project reached its original ending.
What I didn’t plan for was a challenge from my local LEGO Store. While talking to the manager, who had been following along throughout the year, he challenged me with one final character – Jabba the Hutt. Since I couldn’t just take a Friends minidoll and create him, I went in the opposite direction and made a Jabba the Hutt with a Friends color scheme. Jabba became pink with blue glitter and a dark pink bow to complete the look for a bonus week 54.
The 54 characters in order of release were:
- Luke Skywalker
- Luke Skywalker (Bespin)
- Luke Skywalker (X-Wing)
- Luke Skywalker (Hoth)
- Luke Skywalker (Dagobah)
- Luke Skywalker (Jedi)
- Han Solo
- Han Solo (Hoth)
- Han Solo (Bespin)
- Princess Leia Organa
- Han Solo (Endor)
- Princess Leia (Hoth)
- Princess Leia (Bespin)
- Princess Leia (Endor)
- Princess Leia (Jabba’s Slave)
- Princess Leia (Boushh)
- Princess Leia (Ewok Village)
- Chewbacca
- Stormtrooper
- Darth Vader
- Lando Calrissian
- Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard)
- Lando Calrissian (General)
- Emperor’s Royal Guard
- Emperor Palpatine
- Mon Mothma
- Boba Fett
- C-3PO
- Greedo
- Figrin D’an
- Scout Trooper
- Death Star Gunner
- Death Star Trooper
- Imperial Officer
- Snowtrooper
- TIE Pilot
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- General Madine
- Endor Rebel Trooper
- A-Wing Pilot
- Tusken Raider
- B-Wing Pilot
- AT-AT Driver
- Gamorrean Guard
- AT-AT Commander
- Bossk
- Bespin Guard
- Dengar
- IG-88
- Luke Skywalker (Yavin Ceremony)
- Princess Leia (Yavin Ceremony)
- Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony)
- Jabba the Hutt
While working on the project, I was asked multiple times about prequel and Rebels custom minidolls. I thought about it, but wanted to remain true to the original Star Wars Trilogy when I made these. Perhaps I will come back and do them one day, but after a year and a half of making over 100 custom minidolls, I wanted a break.
All of the custom Star Wars minidolls from the LEGO Star Wars Friends Project can be found on my Flickr and my Instagram – as well as some of my other LEGO creations. Some may soon appear on my Etsy store as well.
