LEGO Ideas can be perceived as a godsend to the really skilled near-Master level builders with custom set ideas in their mind. If their set passes the approval of 10,000 like-minded fans, then the LEGO Ideas Review Team could be convinced to make it official. However, there’s never an absolute guarantee of success.
This was hammered home back in 2015 when the LEGO Ideas panel selected none of several set proposals that were sufficiently supported for review. It has happened several times since, most recently this January 22 when six set pitches in the Second 2017 LEGO Ideas Review all came up short with panelists.
One possible reason the Ideas panel gave for turning down a submission project would be that the set in question shares similarities to an either already existing LEGO, or something that’s being developed in the pipelines by LEGO designers. Of course, if such a thing happens, the reviewers can’t say it out loud to protect secrecy.
That seems to be the case as Hasan explains it in the Second 2017 Review Results video. Parts of his speech were bleeped out, but it implies that “set X” shared some similarities to a “giant [bleep]” that LEGO will introduce soon.
Speculation abounds on which of the six “Second 2017 Review” sets has a coincidental in-house developed counterpart that led to its rejection. The Brick Fan has an interesting theory that maybe “set X” is the “Luke, I am your Father” set design by szabomate90. Why? Hasan’s censored words seem familiar.
A lip reading by the Brick Fan might have it that Hasan was saying “Bespin”. Star Wars fans know that Bespin/Cloud City was the place in Empire Strikes Back that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader had the fateful encounter. Maybe LEGO Star Wars has a Bespin set incoming?
If true, then this possible set could be a re-imagining of the LEGO Star Wars Cloud City that was released in 2003. It would also be similar to the new Mos Eisley Cantina set (75205) from an earlier 2003 version (4501). It’s only rumors for now, but we’ve been surprised before.