This is the earliest set of recent memory that I can definitively say is a classic. The build is near perfect with the only complaint being the main body sags from the cockpit a little (this can be easily fixed with some technic). It has some cool features such as the deployable canon and missile as well as the door by the loading ramp. This mixed with the accurate scale and stable base make it a somewhat viable play, which is unique amongst the UCS line. This was no accident as the designers wanted to make it a swooshable yet displayable model.

The figures range from good to amazing. The Boba Fett included is one of the most desired figures out there with insane amounts of detailing and a unique face print. The auxiliary figures are nothing above average but aren't bad or misplaced. It is a shame this was before the UCS sets came with built-in display stands as that would have been nice to see here.

Overall this is one of the most solid sets out there. Great display presence, great value at the time of release, and a great build. Can't recommend this set enough, although I wouldn't be surprised if this gets remade within the next 3 years.

What else can I say that hasn't been said about this beloved iteration of one of the most beloved ships in Sci-Fi? I'd wager this is one of the few sets that was able to please every Lego fan, no matter their preferences.

I only got back into Lego when I was 25-26ish, so early 2019. I had loved them as a child but my teen-adult hobbies were pretty much as far from Lego building as possible...more things like music festivals and partying than indulging my nerd side. However, after getting married and chilling out a bit, I randomly had a yearning to buy a set while shopping for a heater with my wife.

After buying the one set I began a year long adult lego rampage that ended in December 2019 (but my 2nd lego phase began last month). In that years time I had some amazing luck in acquiring sets that were retired prior to my resurfacing interest in Lego. Three of my luckiest finds were the UCS Sandcrawler, the Tower of Orthanc and, of course, the UCS Slave I.

While I equally love each of my crown jewel sets, after having time to really think about it, I concluded that I was most fortunate to find the UCS Slave I. Seeing how beloved it is and how every star wars lego fan covets the best iteration of Boba's ship (as well as the general price it goes for) I can't believe how fortunate I was. Late 2019 I found this set for UNDER the original retail price (170$) on my local craigslist.

Brand new and in the unopened box, I jumped on the chance to have this. The seller was not a lego fan and was just trying to unload a ton of toys and items he had in storage.

So enough of my quasi-boasting about my luck and gratefulness about finding this and onto an actual review. To be honest, It won't be long because there is little to say that hasn't been already repeated innumerable times.

The build? As near perfect as a lego set can be. There are around half a dozen builds that just felt flawless and where I was entirely engaged for the duration. This is, of course, one of them. Peak lego experience.

The model is supremely display-worthy. My biggest complaint with certain lego sets, particularly vehicles, is the scale. I really don't like the sets where the scale if well under minifigure scale...I understand that it isn't always possible or reasonable for Lego to make everything to scale, but nevertheless, it's a major factor in my decision to buy a set. I also strongly dislike facade buildings for similar reasons as my dislike for shrunken vehicles...to be fair, I equally don't like OVER sized vehicles. I want as close to accurate size and aesthetic as possible, but that's just me.

This is the closest to true minifigure scale of any set I am aware of. Assuming that the unique Boba minifig is human-sized, the UCS Slave I looks almost exactly the right size proportionally.

While there isn't much to the interior, it does have a more detailed cockpit compared to any other Slave I. The area from the entry door to the cockpit isn't build up like an interior but it IS roomy enough to feel like the inside of a ship. I can imagine a skilled builder (or just someone willing to take apart such a model) being able to modify the build in such a way that gives it some interior detail. The interior is certainly tight, but at least it has some form of pathway through the ship, something I can't say for the much smaller 20th Anniversary Edition and I would imagine any before it.

What puts this set apart from others is the realistic scale, impressive look and enjoyable build. There's really very few sets I could reccomend more to a major Star Wars fan, especially those who love the criminal underbelly and grimier locations. Boba Fett has always represented much of that for fans.

I can't imagine any review will turn people away or towards the UCS Slave I, this seems to be one of the most universally loved or desired sets by Lego fans. At this point, being retired, I would say this is still worth the high price it tends to go for. No other iteration of the Slave I does it justice like this. All I can do is reiterate my experience with it and hope it motivates some fans to try and buy it themselves.

In the last part of my review, I will briefly compare the UCS Slave I to the 20th Anniversary edition. I own both of them. They were at the very top of my list to purchase being such a fan of the ship and the aspects of Star Wars that it represents.

The UCS model is the clear choice for adult SW fans who are after a realistic, detailed and display worthy model. Its accuracy outdoes the 20th Anniversary model by a pretty wide margin. For someone like myself, it can't be beat. The size difference is also notable, with the UCS model having nearly 2k pieces and the 20th Anniversary Edition having half that. The size is immediately apparent, with the UCS model being far more accurate. To me, accuracy in these types of sets matters a lot. I know that isn't universal. I also tend to avoid sets that give us an oversized version of a ship for the same reasoning... the larger set isn't always better, but in this case and for my standards, it is.

However, there are some areas in which the 20th Anniversary set outdoes the UCS model. First off would be the minifigures. Both sets have a small selection. The UCS Boba Fett is far superior to any iteration and feels like a major gift to fans. Aside from Boba, the UCS set has a typical storm trooper, Bespin Guard and Han Solo with his carbonite block. They're good, but Boba is the only standout. The 20th Anniversary set has 4-LOM, Zuckuss, a newer Han+carbonite and a special collectible princess Leia. The Leia is solely for display but the others contribute directly to the set. The Boba is still great, just not quite the UCS minifig. Its basically a matter of Stormtrooper+Guard vs. 4LOM+Zuckuss. I think most fans would prefer the latter two, theyre just far more exclusive and interesting.

Another area where the UCS set is beat is playability. Not a factor to me, but I assume some younger fans (or maybe older, IDK) do consider it when deciding on what to get. While the UCS model is well constructed, it is clearly for display purposes... I wouldn't put it through a child's playtime and expect it to survive. The 20th Anniversary version is extremely durable and even has a handle for flying it. The techniques used to contruct this model with half the pieces of the UCS model really seem to ensure this is one of the most durable lego ships ever. It feels like you could drop it without much issue, but that isn't something I would care to test.

So that's it. Go with the 20th Anniversary Slave I for playability and Minifigures. Otherwise, the UCS is the best Slave I and one of the best SW ships lego has ever produced.

I hope the title doesn't cause any controversy. I acknowledge the sheer size and detail of the UCS Falcon, and admire the majesty of the UCS Imperial Shuttle, but in my humble opinion, you just cannot beat the combination of the two, here in this set.

When I first laid eyes on this set, it was the year 2015. I was only eight years old, and, in all honesty, wasn't very intrigued. Two years later however, this set was my main Christmas wish. I did, obviously get it, and I was very happy with it, and I still am. (Also, please excuse any grammatical inconsistencies, considering I am only a thirteen-year-old.)

The Box

Standard lego box, albeit no logo/design on the top banner, as in Yoda on #10240. Upon opening the box, you will find nothing different, no smaller boxes like in Master Builder Series sets. The art on the box is fantastic, it beautifully captures the likeness of Bespin clouds with the sun shining on them, much like the box art on 75251.

The Build

Bag one contains our first minifigure (more on that later), and is just starting the base of the ship. Bags two, three and four are more of the same, three and four in my opinion being very enjoyable with all the different slopes pieces you are applying. Bag five connects the two pieces of the base you've built. Bags six and seven have one minifigure respectively, and they're just building some of the structure and the wings. Eight and nine finish up the cockpit. Ten starts building what I would call the nose, and introduces this lovely cockpit canopy piece, new for the set. Eleven and twelve are the armor on either side of the “nose”, and thirteen is the stand and the final fig. The build is overall enjoyable, not very monotonous, and relatively long for about two thousand pieces.

The Minifigures

The first is a generic Bespin guard, the first since the year 2006, that figure had both dark skin, and arm printing. The skin tone was appreciated because Lego was introducing some diversity in their sets, and I wish they would do that more often generic no-name figures. And arm printing is always appreciated, but this already got some so it's fine. The second minifigure would be Han Solo in carbonite, along with a minifigure whose design is based off of Han Solo, or at least, what Han Solo looks like directly after being released from the carbonite, so it is an accurate figure to include to be encased in carbonite. Only one bag later, we have the star of this set, Boba Fett. The arm printing is exquisite and extremely detailed. The last Boba Fett we got was young Boba Fett two years prior, and the last armored version of him was 2012. The final figure is a pretty generic Stormtrooper. This specific version of it debuted the year before and it looks nice still. I, owning both this Sormtrooper helmet mold, and the most recent bulky one definitely prefer this older one.

The Complete Model

The completed model is *clearing throat to a Darth Vader impression* “Most impressive.” The footprint is large, but not obscenely so, to quote my mother. Displayed up on the stand, it poses quite a menacing figure. The wings will rotate along with the ship on their own, the cockpit however, must be rotated manually, but it will rotate. The dual cannons on the “nose” the bottom are linked, so they rotate together. Just for the sake of clarity for the rest of the review I will be talking about the Slave 1 as if it is in landing mode, so don't get confused when I'm talking about the location of different details on the set. The sand green rectangular shape among the light grey just to the direct write of those large dark green semi-circle looking pieces, is a hidden panel that pops out. On the side facing us in the photo, it has dual ion blasters (I think), and on the opposite side in the same place, it has a concussion missile. The loading ramp directly underneath the nose of the ship (as if the nose is a roof) does not lift up or move in any other way, contrary to previous Slave 1 models, as that was where you stored Han Solo in carbonite. If you were minifigure sized and you walked up a loading ramp you would see a large grey slab in front of you, that is the door. You can lift up the door so it is parallel with the bottom of the nose and store the Han Solo in carbonite. It clips on with the door, so they are connected together. The set is incredibly sturdy so don't be afraid to, as in the designer video for this set Hans Burkhard Schlömer said, “Swoosh it around.” In the back of the ship there is a small hidden door (escape hatch), that resemble an upside down capital “T”. So if you lose any Minifigures or pieces inside you can just pop the door open shake it around and the piece will slide out. The “escape hatch” is not very large and doesn't look bad. The back is extremely detailed, and I really like everything about it. My only qualm is the fact that the engine detailing should really be orange instead of blue, but that's relatively minor. One last thing about the cockpit, there is a bit of standing area, with pretty cool printed pieces that have been used before, and rent very common these days. I would say about two figures could stand there only in landing mode though. Otherwise, they would be sideways. There is more interior room, but it's unusable. No studs for anyone to stand on anywhere, and it is extremely hard to access. There aren't an incredibly excessive number of stickers in the set but there are still quite a few. I would get up and count them but I really don't have the energy. Instant ramen I feel like has been the only food in my body for days, and it is not very nourishing, but I digress.

Verdict

The large size, many little greebles (spelling?), sheer amount of detail, and the amazing Boba Fett fig make this set quite possibly my favorite (I'm American, remember?) set of all time. It was well worth 200 dollars, I would easily buy for 250. If I had 250 dollars that is... heh. Anyways, if this a set you are thinking about getting, and you can find it for less than 300 dollars (or the equivalent in whatever currency you use), please, BUY IT.

When this was released back in 2015 and I saw it on display at my local LEGO store, I just knew I would have to buy it, it just looked that good. At the time it was only the 3rd UCS set I owned, and my first real display UCS set, so it's thanks to this set that I got into collecting this particular line of Star Wars LEGO. Anyway, on with the review!

The Box:

The box art looks amazing, with a beautiful scene of the model over Bespin. Definitely some of the best box art TLG has ever produced. Personally I don't really care about the box too much, but if you like a well-designed box then you certainly won't be disappointed.

The Parts:

The parts are pretty amazing and offer a nice range of colours and shapes, with nice amounts of the dark red, sand green and dark green on offer. There are a lot of nice curves and slopes that lend themselves very well to recreating the iconic shape of the ship. The "windscreen" piece is really nice, and is actually still unique to this set.

The build:

5 years on, I can't say I remember too much about the build other than it was fun, and that it took a reasonable amount of time for my 13 year old self to complete. There are some really nice building techniques used to create the iconic shape, and the internal technic frame is quite interesting to construct. Personally I remember loving how the sleek exterior curves came together, and overall it was just a nice, satisfying build. The one issue I did have would be the stickers. Now I know there is a long-running debate within the LEGO community as to the pros and cons of using stickers (mainly cons). While I understand that maybe a printed plaque isn't the best way to go, as it is hard to achieve enough detail, I do think maybe pre-applied stickers could be an option for those who want really precise alignment. For the other stickers in the set I think printing is definitely the way to go, and to be fair to TLG more recently we have started to see more printing and fewer stickers being used on the more expensive sets. The stickers on this set aren't nightmarish but are plentiful and do need to be applied accurately to achieve a nice end result, so just bear that in mind if you are considering purchasing.

The Minifigs:

Being a UCS set the minifigs aren't really this set's major selling point but they are nonetheless a welcome addition. The Boba minifig is nice but if you're buying this set you probably already have a similarly detailed version of him given how many sets he appears in. The Han Solo in Carbonite is a nice inclusion and can be clipped into the entrance to the ship for in-flight storage which I find to be a particularly nice if unnecessary play feature in this UCS set. Again though you may already have him and there is nothing unique about this version. Another Stormtrooper is always a good thing as you can never have too many Stormtroopers, but if you want lots of Stormtroopers there are much cheaper ways out there to buy them. The Bespin guard is a great figure that at the time was unique to this set however nowadays there are other sets containing the same or similar figures. Still a great figure though.

The Finished Set:

Unlike some of the older UCS sets (ahem, Super Star Destroyer, I'm looking at you) this set has been designed to be viewed from all angles, and has not only lots of sleek curves on the top, but also some fabulous engines and other mechanical detail on the underside. I particularly like the SNOT walls that are fixed onto the base to give it a smooth finish, as well as the trans clear studs and 1x1x1/3 rounded tiles that lift this set up off the ground when not on its stand to give the impression of hovering, just like in the film. The cockpit is well-designed and rotates nicely to any orientation of your choice, and the fins at the sides drop nicely with gravity to face down at all times. There are numerous hatches on the side of the ship that can open to reveal weapons, and the main guns rotate together as they are connected via a technic axle. The main entrance to the ship consists of a door the flips up and forwards, and this can be pushed into the roof of the ship above it as it were to remove it out of your way. The stand fits well into the back of the ship to provide a robust yet unobtrusive method of display, and shows off the ship fantastically at a great angle. Overall the design is very pleasing and could not really have been attempted better at this part count (1996).

The Price:

At £179.99 or $199.99 for 1996 this set falls on or below the often quoted 10ppp or 10cpp cost to part ratio. Given that this is a premium product intended for display, I therefore think the price is very reasonable for what you get. Noting that this is only available on the aftermarket these days, it should still be available MISB for approximately retail price as this set does not seem to have experienced the massive value increase of its forebears strangely enough. I would therefore suggest the cost is still very much worthwhile for this set, at least for the moment.

Overall:

Overall I really love this set, especially since it was the catalyst that sparked my collecting of at least 12 other UCS sets to date. It has an absolutely phenomenal design with very few if any drawbacks, except perhaps the stickers, and the stand is a great way of displaying this set to its full potential. The minifigs are a nice but unnecessary inclusion for what is very definitely one of the true UCS greats. Would I suggest you buy it? I would argue that depends on what kind of LEGO enthusiast you are.if you're a collector and displayer of larger sets, and have the money and room to spare, then I would definitely recommend you get this set sooner rather than later while it's still available at a decent price.

This set is, to me, everything that a UCS set should be. Whereas some sets feel repetitive and/or boring to build, this was enjoyable from start to finish, extremely satisfying to watch it come together, and ultimately a beautiful result. It doesn't feel like this set is wasting parts in any way, nor does it overlook any details for the sake of a lower piece count, and the end result is one of the best display set Lego has ever made.

First, the minifigures. At the time, this set featured a brand-new stormtrooper design that was a significant improvement on its predecessors, a Han Solo in carbonite that looks great, a pretty unique Bespin guard and, oh my god, Boba Fett looks stunning. The design on every single part of this minifigure is perfect. The legs, arms, torso, helmet - hell, even his cape is vastly improved over previous models. I do wish it had some other bounty hunters (i.e. Bossk or IG-88 or something like that), but every minifigure feels great.

As for the displayability of this set - I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the stand - it works perfectly fine, but it feels like the set is going to drop every time I put it on. That barely detracts, however, from the amazing job Lego did on this set. Not only did they create a brand-new window piece for it (which looks amazing), but the curvature of this set is really quite astonishing.

The one and only area where it's "lacking" - and I really don't feel like this is a flaw, given it is first and foremost a display piece - is the playability. Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, do not get this for a kid to play around with. It doesn't have any flick-fire missiles or stud shooters or anything like that, and it's heavy enough that a normal kid would probably drop it trying to fly it around. This barely detracts from it though, and I can honestly say that this is probably up there with the UCS Millenium Falcon and Star destroyer as one of the best UCS sets ever made.