This monster set depicts the iconic imperial warship seen in Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi. It contains 3152 pieces and 5 minifigures, 3 of which exclusive to the set.

The Model:

The model is 1.24 meters long, and includes a large stand and a miniature star destroyer to give a scale of the size. A section in the middle of the model opens up to reveal the command bridge interior (inaccurately not underneath the command bridge on the top). I find this feature unnecessary - this is not a playset. Also, the interior includes many stickers.

The mini Star Destroyer included is held to the main model by two clear pole pieces, and I find that it tends to fall of regularly. The build process and unboxing is very remarkable for this set, and took me around 7 hours.

The Minifigures:

Of the five minifigures included, IG-88, Dengar and Admiral Piett are exlusive. However, the Darth Vader and Bossk variants included still sell for alot of money. I would have liked a new print for Darth Vader however.

Conclusion:

If you are a hardcore Lego collector, this set is definitely for you. It is probably not a good buy if you are not that into Star Wars or if you do not appreciate an display set rather than a playset. At the moment, a sealed one costs around $1500 AUD (approx. $1200 USD)

Thanks for reading and I hope this was very helpful.

Box/Instructions

A few difficulties in distinguishing black and dark grey briks

Parts

Decent organization, and engine parts are cool.

Minifigures

Neat but not why i bought this Lego

The build

A few tedious points, misread/counted a few pips wrong; mix of user error and poor view in instructions.

Engine build probably my favorite part.

The "bridge" seems a little out of place.

The completed model

The size of the set makes you tread carefully when you move it around.

Looks Good on my movie shelf in the living room.

Overall opinion

Worth the time and money. This model rekindled my love of Legos.

First thing to know about this set is that it is HUGE. I knew it was 3152 pieces, but looking at the photos prior to purchase I saw TONS of tiny bricks and studs and was unprepared. Turns out there are also a lot of the angular pieces usually found in space sets used to make up wings (sorry, don't know how better to describe them). I have a small table I've used to assemble all my Lego sets for the past 15 years and this thing was soon hanging off the ends. I measured it at 49" long and 14" wide.

As with most large scale ships the skeleton is made up of a technic framework that adds strength to the build. The finished ship sits atop two stands to hold it a couple of inches above the surface it sits on. There is a small Star Destroyer in scale that attaches to a clear piece to fly along side and make you realize how big the Super Star Destroyer is in the Star Wars universe. Most of the "skin" of the ship is built in LARGE sections that attach to the frame - this was my only complaint with the build - I had a difficult time attaching some of these to the ship. There are multiple mounting points for each, and getting them all to snap in was a challenge. The instructions were usually clear, but there were a couple pieces I managed to put in the wrong way early in the build that required I disassemble, fix and reassemble. The orientation was easy to miss in the instructions - never had that happen before.

There are minifigures in this set - a good way to pick up Dengar and Bossk if you missed them in their initial offerings. The top section removes to show the area that appeared in the classic bounty hunter scene from The Empire Strikes Back. If only Lego made a Zuckuss and 4-Lom to complete this scene....

I should comment on the playability of this set. Almost zero swoosh factor. There is no way a child is moving this set around to re-enact anything. It is a static set - playability is limited to the interior section.

Pictures just don't do this set justice. I couldn't believe the size. The size of this set is incredible, but also the biggest drawback (which is isn't much of one for a Lego or Star Wars fan I'd wager). You will really need to plan out where the finished model will rest. I have moved this thing about a half-dozen times trying to find the right spot (no way am I putting this away!). The good news is it has proven itself sturdy enough to be moved around without losing integrity. I've had this set since it came out, and still find myself walking by and just stopping and staring it. If you can swing the $400 price tag, I doubt you will ever have regrets.

This is really a great model for die-hard SW collectors.

Pros

• Pro 1: It's the Executor! I tried building this as a kid and didn't get close to the awesomeness of this model. It's pretty obvious the designer studied the movie models/photos/video because I have, and the detail is incredible.
• Pro 2: The Bridge section is a cool addition. I also have the original UCS Star Destroyer and there's not much to it. With a ship the size of the Executor it's pretty cool the designer was able to put in a little something for the mini figures.
• Pro 3: Comes with an Imperator-class Star Destroyer to show the scale. There have been so many false reports of the length of the Executor-class ships and this model shows the true length of 19,000 meters. Like I said before, the designer really did his homework.
• Pro 4: Solid construction. The original Star Destroyer fell apart so easily, the magnets were a less-than-ideal way to attach the hull plates. The Executor is SOLID. You can pick it up and move it around without worrying it will fall apart. And with the stands being a decent width apart I don't think I'll see the sag in the hull I noticed with the original ship.

Cons

• Con 1: Price. Others have mentioned this and I agree. The UCS Star Destroyer was $100 less than this model, close to the same number of pieces.
• Con 2: Like the original Star Destroyer (I know, there are a lot of comparisons) there isn't a lot of playability. I don't fault LEGO for that, if they wanted to add more movable sections (to make it more like the Death Star) then the ship would have to have been enormous... and more expensive.
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• Conclusion:
• This is a great model which I am so happy LEGO came out with. I think they did a great job creating it and the construction was a lot of fun. There were a few monotonous times where you had X6, X8, etc, but that's understandable with this type of model. I think LEGO learned a lot from their original Destroyer, namely making this one solid and putting some mini-figures in it and having a bit of playability. I think the price is steep but overall I'm really happy I get to look at it each day. (BTW, this is my first review. I'm a long-time AFOL and I'm happy to have found this site)

When this massive ship made it's debut in "The Empire Strikes Back" audiences all over the country soon realized that the Star Wars galaxy had no limitations. The menacing Star Destroyers from "A New Hope" were colossal in their own right, dwarfing Princess Leia's blockade runner in the opening scene. Menacing and cold, with many sharp angles and sleek, arrowhead design, the Star Destroyer was a symbol of a ruthless military domination in a galaxy held in the grip of fear. The Death Star showed us what the Empire was capable of in terms of monumental constructions. But in terms of practicality, you would need a large installation to harness enough power to destroy a planet.

The "Executor" is different. This Dreadnought is an example of pure excess. A sign to the galaxy that the Empire can and will produce giant, bankrupting vessel simply because it could. And to push the point home that the Empire is in the business of repression and fear, Darth Vader took the "Executor" as his personal flagship. The Empire's mantra must be "Why swat a fly with a flyswatter when you can take a 2x4 to it?"

Are there parallels with the Empire and LEGO in producing such a large, excessive ship for their collectors (as this is an official UCS model)? Coming in at 49 inches long, I think it may be one of the largest models (in terms of length) produced. And the price tag of $400 certainly puts it up there with their most expensive. So is this mammoth model worthy of your money and time, or does it crash and burn, as its fate in "Return of the Jedi"?

Box/Instructions

Expectedly, the box is large. The front shows the Executor during the Battle of Endor, hovering above the moon and the Death Star II in the background. There is the usual banner showing the minifigures included (and exclaiming which are new!) and to flaunt that you are getting a huge model, another banner measuring its length. The back shows off the "features": the mini command center, the mini Star Destroyer for comparison, the info panel and stand, and a rear shot showing all 13 engines. Four smaller boxes are inside, one thin box that contains the 200 page spiral bound instruction manual and sticker sheet (yes, there are stickers), and 3 normal sized boxes that include the pieces.

Like the Death Star (10188-1), the spiral bound instructions are quite nice. Once again, if you have a hard time discerning between gray, dark gray, and black, then there will be times when you will realize you used the wrong piece. And considering this model is basically made up of those three shades, it could get a bit frustrating.

Parts

Do you need gray plates and countless dark gray 1x1 round plates and upright holders? Then this set is for you! But seriously, in terms of variation, there is not a whole bunch here. What you see is basically what you get, a lot of gray bricks! There are some colored bricks in the frame that allow for variation just because the build is so large, you need some guide "bricks" to find your way around the construction. The two black stands offer some nice sloped pieces and it's always nice to get your hands of some "engine" blocks. But it shouldn't come as a surprise that in the end, you are putting together a giant gray slab.

Minifigures

I love minifigures, especially when they produce characters that are lesser known or have little screen time. It's always a nice nod to the fans when LEGO goes the extra mile and throws in special figs like the Wolfpack Troopers and Quinlan Vos in the Republic Frigate (7964) or Captain Antilles in the Tantive IV (10198). Sure, these are probably included to encourage collectors to buy the high ticket sets, but it is appreciated nonetheless. In the case of the Executor, I feel LEGO missed an opportunity. Included are Darth Vader (again), Bossk (which you can get in the recent Slave 1), a new model of Dengar (previously only available from the earlier Slave 1), IG-88 (an updated version of the IG series droids LEGO has been producing for years, only in that he has a printed head and dark gray body) and a new figure, Admiral Piett.

This is obviously the cast from the bridge scene in Empire Strikes Back where Vader addresses the gathering of bounty hunters hired to track down the Millennium Falcon. But where is Zuckuss and 4-LOM? Those would have made some really nice minifigures and a welcome addition to the catalogue. But instead we get a figure you can pick up in a cheaper set, another droid (which I don't really count as a minifig), Darth Vader who can be grabbed in the current Falcon set, a figure that is just a reimagning and Piett, who in terms of variety is pretty similar to other Imperial officer figures. This is not to say the figures are not good. I love the new Dengar. The printing on his torso (front and back) is very detailed along with the detail of his face (scars, furtive grimace, head wrapping). The contrast of the white to brown is wonderful, and while his headwrap piece is not new, it certainly works. Piett, while similar to other figures, is still presented as his own model. Some wrinkles on his face, some details on his torso. But pretty standard stuff. Overall, the figs are good, but not great.

The build

Put aside a weekend as you will need it. Also, have plenty of room to work. As soon as the basic frame of the model comes together, you will quickly realize how massive this thing is. I was pretty surprised as it took up the entire length of my coffee table as it was being pieced together. At one point, I didn't think it could have gotten any longer, but turning a page in the instruction manual showed me a section that extended the back and I was pretty impressed. This is a huge set, and with that comes the difficulties of building it. Thousands of pieces makes it difficult to find that one piece, so if you are the type that likes to mix your pieces together, you will be delighted. Luckily, the numbered bags are still in use and coincides with the build, so you don't have to dump everything out at the beginning. The build is challenging, especially since everything is gray! As the build continues, it just becomes a huge mass of gray and trying to figure out where to connect certain sections together is like trying to find Waldo. But, if you own previous Star Destroyer models, then this setup is no different, just longer! One other point is that there are tons of 1x1 bricks that make up the minute detail of the ships many decks, sensors, turbolasers, shield generators, etc. It is a great effect, but my poor thumbs were throbbing from sticking on endless numbers of them. The tiny command bridge is a bit small for any real play value, but it is fun to build and a nice addition.

The completed model

Despite any criticisms I have made, this is still and impressive model. The sheer size impresses, as does the weight! You will need plenty of space to display this massive set, but the nice stand really helps elevate it off any flat surface to make it look like it is hovering through space. The mini Star Destroyer also gives it some perspective as to how huge this thing really is. Unfortunately, the minifigures do not fit with the removable command bridge top on, so you will have to display those separately if you want the ship to be intact. But it is truly a sight to behold, and knowing you put this beast together piece by piece is quite satisfying.

Summary

Overall, I think this is one for the diehard collectors. The price is steep, the variety of pieces isn't really there, it's large and will be difficult to display, there is little play value and forget about it's swooshability. The minifigs are nice, but I'm not sure it's worth the price just for two new figures. Despite these things, anyone who wants this model will certainly not be disappointed. I mean, c'mon! It's the freaking Exectuor! In LEGO form! How cool is that?! It's a testament to the wonders of Star Wars and to the quality that LEGO always provides!