I picked this up late - just past this Christmas, long after the set stopped being produced, so ended up paying a premium for it. However, if you read through the following review I think you'll see that - in my opinion - it was money well-spent.

Pricing/PPP comments

I paid the princely sum of 750 PLN aka 150 GBP/230 USD/180 EUR, including shipping. I purchased it from a site in Poland (http://www.klockolandia.pl). This, despite being about 20-25 percent over the original MSRP, is still a pretty good deal. As of the writing of this review, the set retails for somewhere between 220 and 260 GBP on the various Amazon Europe sites.

Box/Instructions

I don't often review the packaging but I happened to like this box/packaging simply because it was stuffed FULL of bricks in many, many plastic bags. When emptying it, it seemed like baggies of bricks just kept falling out. Plus the box looks nice. I like the little "Special 10th Anniversary Edition" tag.

Parts

Normally I never review parts because I don't buy sets for MOCing. However, I will comment on two issues. First, two "connector peg with friction" elements (http://www.brickset.com/ajax/getParts.aspx?Design=2780&aid=hsi2780) were missing. I didn't discover this until the very end when assembling the last of the double turbo lasers which rely on the pegs-with-friction in order to have the gun barrels stay where pointed. This was a minor issue since I had plenty extra pegs from other sets. Secondly, since there are no stickers there are a lot of printed elements. In particular, there's a number of 1x2 flat plates with printing on them... and there have definitely been some printing registration issues. I've illustrated this below, showing the "official" image versus the 8 1x2 flat tile bricks. It's not a HUGE issue but it is noticeable.

Minifigures

I initially thought the only new minifigs were Princess Leia and Captain Antilles, although I noted later that the Rebel Scout Trooper minifig in this set is frowning while the Rebel Scout Trooper minifig I had from the Tantive IV/Alderaan set (http://www.brickset.com/detail/?set=75011) is smiling. R2-D2 and C3PO are in loads of other sets.

The build

The build: it starts out like a stabbed rat. The first bit is the technic-based spine and boy it is a great, tough (sturdy) thing. It feels like - at the earliest moments of the build - that you're embarking on a nice, big, satisfying build. There are slow bits (the engines) but it's still fun. Bonus: NO STICKERS! Not a single one.

The completed model

I honestly think that this is my best big model. My Maersk ship and Discovery Shuttle are both great, but I really, really enjoyed the construction of this. The only comparable set might be the Maersk train in terms of the joy of the build. The final product is pretty faithful, given the constraints, to the film version, even employing the odd grey brick amongst the white to give it a battered and repaired-on-a-budget look.

Summary

I'm really happy that I was able to track this set down for a semi-reasonable price. The only thing that would make this better is a UCS tag and the stand with plaque. Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing.

I love this set!

There are big problems in terms of how to handle the ship - it takes a while to get to know where you can grip it without breaking pieces off; and the sensor array and gun turret on the underside mean it doesn't sit well unless you make some sort of stand for it. The escape pods do seem a little bland, and the colour of the top part of the cockpit isn't quite right.

But these are all so easy to forgive when you look at what it's got right...

Apart from the cockpit pieces, the pieces that make up the escape pods and one part of the body, and the wheels that make up the end of the engines there are no particularly odd or unusable pieces. (Okay, that's a lot of "apart from"s, but they're only 43 of the 1,400+ parts!)

The technic spine and engine block chasis are sturdy, and the 'bodywork' is very, very pleasing - masses and masses of greebles, and SNOT galore! The minifigures sit in it well, although there isn't much space in the main compartment when the roof is on. And it's a but of a shame that the roof doesn't fix at all - it falls off very easily. And Star Wars Lego is never very good value, but this is far better value than most other sets of this size.

The detailing is the real showpiece:

The sides of the cockpits, the control panels in it, the central spine of it all combine to make it look great; the first section before the main part of the body is smooth with good detailing; the gun turrets look great; the underside is well crafted (unlike, say, the ugly belly of the 2011 Falcon); the sloped sides, industrial bits between, and roof of the main compartment are stunningly good looking; the fins look good and the sloping through the sections of the body are good; and the engine blocks are varied, smooth with bags of detailing, and look absolutely stunning from behind!

Pros

• Brilliant detailing - greebles galore and a smooooth look. Even the underside looks good!
• Excellent likeness to the film
• Great scale - minifigure size, looks good next to the X and Y-Wings.
• The build is engaging, except for the engine blocks and escape pods, right to the end
• Cockpit opens very nicely
• That engine block! She's got a lovely behind!

Cons

• Difficult to pick up or display
• Engine build is cumbersome

What a set! The absolute crown of the fleet. Better quality and film likeness than most of the UCS series, and still sits nicely with minifigures. An absolute must if you can afford it!

Love the set, looks like the ship in the movie for the most part. Lots of details, great mini-figs.

The two key problems are the lack of a display stand and the lack of a carry handle. Every time you try to pick it up, something falls off, it is FRAGILE... Also, it needs either landing gear like the new Republic Frigate or something to put it on. For a $150 set with almost 1,500 bricks, it should have been done better.

Pros

• Impressive exterior
• Looks like the ship in the movie
• Mini-figs
• Attention to detail

Cons

• FRAGILE
• Lack of display stand
• No carry handle
• Engines are a bit big for the rest of the ship.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would, but then I'm a Star Wars nut and own them all, so that might not really be fair.

Would I buy it if I were limited to just a few sets? No, I would not. There are other, better sets for playing with, the above mentioned Republic Frigate being a great example.

I've been wanting this set for awhile and just got this last week from a friend who has a local store, ofcourse I got it at an awesome price much lower than its retailed price. I actually just finished building it and it is a very very nice piece. I got most of the transport ships that SW lego had out and this is a great addition to my collection. I definitely love the color schem on this ship, I know that was dependent on the artist who made it for the movie, but the translation to the lego bricks is amazing. I love this set but have a couple things that could have used improvement if you asked me. First thing I noticed is that it has no stable handle for the ship. The big ships like the Venator (the handle that swings out so you can carry it), another one is with the 7675 AT-TE ( the handle that pops out so you can lift it). On this ship there was none, I mean the swooshability of the ship is nice but there are tendencies that you might hold the wrong part and it will disingage is there. The space inside is small but that is a given because of the scale of the model. The thing is you cant have a minifigure standing up while the cover is on. I guess other than that I love everything about this ship, specially there is no sticker.

Going to the build of the ship, its also fantastic and very intricate as all the other big ships. The big cannons are very cool as well as the 4 small ones. Love the boosters, they make the ship look so grand and ready for light speed. Details with the small lego bricks give is mechanical look when looked from a far. Would be nice if they have extra minifigures, usually sets over $100 have over 5 minifigures... oh and no guns for protection? Again..this set is awesome but can't say if the price is actually too high for this one, what im sure of is this is a set worth having.

A very nice building experience, one of the best. The design of the ship is certainly very realistic, a masterpiece with lots of details. Very easy to play with when left on the ground

to be imporved:

• support of the ship (although conflict with movie will occur, but unstable on flat surface)
• a grip to hold the ship: difficult to take the ship from the ground, delicate!
• a lot of weight to the engines tilting it backwards
• it should have two more minifig
• cockpit not very stable as only attached by two pins

A must-have ship for all LEGO star-wars fans