As a bonus, the LEGO “Dune” Ornithopter features many more characters than those who might be seen flying the vehicle. As LEGO Designer Michael Psiaki put it, “We talked about what makes sense, and with Legendary (the production company) about who they wanted. We thought this is the LEGO Dune set. This is our one shot. Who do we include? Seven of them interact with the craft and technically the Baron doesn’t. But talking about it, everyone said, ‘You’ve got to have the Baron!’ So that’s where we got this line-up of eight characters.”
Yes, the Baron is easily the standout character, who not only comes with the long flowing robe that drapes down as his massive body floats around but also a stand to make him tower above the rest of the minifigures. Other key characters include Paul Atreides, though it would have been nice if we got a version in a stillsuit as well, especially if this could potentially be the only “Dune” LEGO set we ever get. The same can be said for Duncan Idaho, who also isn’t seen in a stillsuit. The good news is you can just one of the other stillsuit minifigure bodies and put another character’s head on it. The rest of the ensemble includes Duke Leto Atreides, Lady Jessica, Chani, Gurney Halleck, and Dr. Liet Kynes. They all have a nice assortment of accessories, from weapons to binoculars and more.
Though intended to potentially be the only “Dune” LEGO set produced, maybe we’ll get lucky enough that the success of “Dune: Part Two” will inspire a LEGO version of the humongous spice harvester crawlers. After all, this is easily one of the coolest building brick vehicles that LEGO has ever done, so why not keep the desert power going strong?
The LEGO “Dune” Ornithopter is available to order from The LEGO Shop for $164.99, though currently it’s on backorder, so it won’t ship for 60 days.
