It’s fair to say that very few Star Wars fans have ever wondered what happened to Jabba’s rancor after the Hutt’s death, but if you are in that minority then a LEGO fan from The Netherlands has provided a potential answer – it ended up on display in a natural history museum!
We spoke to Laurens Posthuma, the brick artist who created an impressively detailed skeleton of the rancor monster, about his inspiration and motivation.
HB: It’s great to talk to you Laurens – can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
LP: I’m from the Netherlands and am 23 years old. Currently, I am studying Industrial Design Engineering at my university. This career direction is a direct result of my fascination with LEGO. Creating alternate builds fits perfectly with the role of a Design Engineer. I hope to keep on building and share my creations so other people can have the chance to make the most out of their own sets without having to buy new pieces!
HB: What got you into customising LEGO sets?
LP: I have been playing LEGO ever since I was little. During the pandemic, I decided to finally get back into building again and bought the 21320 LEGO Dinosaur Fossils set. I loved the builds, but was left unsatisfied due to the fact that my favorite dinosaur was not represented: the Mosasaurus. After some consideration, I just decided that I would try for myself! While it was just a project for myself, I thought that more people would like to see the possibilities of the set and shared my creation on social media. What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming reaction of people that wanted something similar. This has motivated me to continue to create alternate builds for this set in particular.
HB: Do dinosaurs have a particular appeal?
LP: To me, dinosaurs are appealing because they represent a world that is lost. The idea that massive creatures once walked on this earth is super interesting to me. I think that people share this interest in dinosaurs because they are the closest thing to monsters that have actually existed.
HB: What inspired you to make the rancor skeleton?
LP: After building some alternate skeletons of dinosaurs, I wanted to try something else but did not know what exactly. Then I watched The Book of Boba Fett and remembered the awesome design of the Rancor. Since there are no real skeletons of Rancors to be found, I had to take some creative freedom but the skeleton is entirely based on the images of the Star Wars universe.
HB: Are there any other Star Wars creatures – like the krayt dragon (hint, hint) – you’d like to make?
LP: Definitely! The krayt dragon is definitely something I have my eyes on. Other ideas that I currently have are a Bantha or Tauntaun. The universe of Star Wars is rich with creatures that might be perfect to create a skeleton from!
If you like Laurens’s rancor model then you might want to check out his Instagram feed for more of his builds, and then head over to Rebrickable to check out what instructions he’s shared.
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