Why isn't this set more popular. It seems like a ship that would be more popular. Maybe it's because no one ever saw it in action in the movies though I thought it was mentioned enough for people to be interested.

First off...Welcome to Brickpicker. As for your question, I have to say that there are so many Star Wars vehicles to choose from, it's easy for fans to miss a cool ship like the Skyhopper. It is a radical looking ship and would make an awesome large Lego model. Easy to do and very similar to the Imperial Shuttle. The old set #4477 was very basic and simple. But knowing Lego and George Lucas, it's very possible to see another(more accurate) version in the future. They are redoing 'Droid Escape,' set #7106 in 2012, as an example of how Lego and their Star Wars line improves old versions. The new set is #9490 and looks much more accurate. The Lego Star Wars line makes Lego and George Lucas tons of money, so they are always looking for new ideas. Rumor has it, that they are in production of the final 3 Star Wars movies in a secret location, so if this is true, there will be even more awesome Lego ships coming out. Did you know that in A New Hope, Luke is seen playing with a model of a T-16, which in reality was the prop miniature built by Colin Cantwell. The actual prop could not be completed, and an incomplete hull can be seen as a matte painting in the background. His T-16 was ruined by Luke in-universe so he used his landspeeder to search for R2-D2. Thanks for posting...

An Ultimate Collector's Skyhopper would be an awesome model.

They're going to have to remake the UCS X-wing about 8 times before even considering re-doing this set. That and the Jedi Starfighter...