If there is a ship that LEGO has never produced but that many fans dream of one day seeing take shape in an official set, it is the Naboo Royal Starship or J-type 327 Nubian Royal Starship of its real name.
Aviation enthusiasts will immediately recognize one of the inspirations for this ship seen in Episode I: The Phantom Menace : the Lockheed SR-71. This ship allowed Amidala to escape Naboo during the Trade Federation's invasion of Theed, accompanied by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The ship was damaged during its departure from Naboo and had to land on Tatooine for repairs.
Two MOC builders are represented here through their creations, including Gunner (image below) with a more playset-oriented version featuring removable upper sections to access an interior space that can accommodate minifigures. The two approaches are very different, and each viewer will appreciate one or the other of these MOCs more depending on their personal taste.
Obviously, recreating this curvaceous spaceship is a matter of compromise when it comes to LEGO. These two MOCs demonstrate that it is still possible to reproduce it fairly faithfully, but the essential presence of chrome pieces to make this craft believable compared to the film model undoubtedly impacts the potential production and therefore marketing cost of such a ship. The 10026 UCS Naboo Starfighter set released in 2002 already included some chrome pieces among its 187 components.
