Firstly, this set is way too expensive. This contributed to the hate which this set got when it was revealed: "It's basically 10188!"... Which it is - however I didn't find this to be a problem because I was a kid when 10188 came out and I couldn't afford it. I can now though, and I'm really glad that I can. ??

The set is straight up awesome. The build is the most fun I've ever done, it took me four days to make. The minifigure selection is great as well, and they were definitely in need of an update from the previous set. Grand Moff Tarkin and Leia are the standouts in my opinion.

In terms of playability, the set is jam-packed with features. As a TFOL though. I display my sets rather than play with them. Admittedly it's not the best display piece, but I think the sheer size makes it cool to look at.

My closing statement is to buy this set at a discount/online. €500 is ridiculous for 4000 pieces. I picked it up on a Craigslist type of website brand new for €300, a much softer blow to my wallet. The set will probably be on sale for ten years like its predecessor, so don't rush out and blow your Lego budget for the year.

There's plenty of video reviews of the completed model and its features, so I'll focus on what's usually left behind the scenes. It's a big set, so get ready for lots of text. Keep in mind that while I respect the Star Wars franchise and own a helluvalot of Lego SW sets, I'm not a fan, but treat it rationally. Also keep in mind, that this is a mildly updated re-release of an old 10188 set, so there's little innovation there.

TL:DR: Impresses at first sight, then the shortcomings come out

Box: 5/5

Once I had received my UCS Death Star I was thrilled at the size of the box. It is huge, but fortunately collapsible for storage.

Manual and clarity of instructions: 3/5

Then I looked at the manual. You get something close to A3 spring-bound album that is about 3.5-4cm thick that comes in its own box! It looks awesome and put a silly happy smily on my face that did not want to go away for quite some time. ...until I started building that is. That thing is just unwieldy and takes up 2x space when open. I would prefer 2 or 3 smaller books, but instead with highlights of the parts added, like in the most recent Modular Buildings series.

Needless to say when I was done building there were 5 parts left (besides extras). I was able to put back 3 of them, but two of them are still in front of me as I am writing this review. Partially this is due to the fact that construction often happens layer-by-layer and rarely module-by-module, even though the whole thing can be easily split into large parts. Combined with lack of highlights for newly added parts means you have to be very careful - your only guide is the list of pieces added at each step.

Finally, the manual would not fit back in the box after you use it at least once (as with many spring-bound books of that size the side will not stay perfectly even, but would reflect the circle of the spring). What prevented LEGO from making the box 0.5cm longer?

Building experience: 4/5

You are stacking bricks. Then satcking plates. Then repeat. It's not too boring and not too repetifve, but there aren't many clever techniques besides the superlaser dish (the beams are a royal pain to align, but the dish construction is clever) and forced perspective in the detention cell block with 0.5stud offsets. You get a short foray into Technic with the superlaser elevation mechanism, but that's about it. So, not perfect, but not bad either. Just get used to excessive layered stacking.

Parts: N/A

Besides Dianoga "horns" and minifigs there are no unique parts to ths set.

There are 16 "Rare" parts (10 sets or less), but when analyzed by Design ID vs Colour, the number drops to just 6 (and 0 unique designs. Minifigs aside, there isn't even a unique printed piece as it often happens with collector's sets). Even with 4000+ parts the price per piece is 12.4c, whereas many of such sets go all the way to 5-6c.

And even there I feel they were pushing or that 4000+ piece count as quite a few times you would stack 3 identical plates vs using a brick of the same size.

I would have given it 3/5 for parts, but I doubt that anyone would go for this $500 set just for parts or take it apart, so this is a moot point. N/A.

Finished build and playability: 4/5.

With so many rooms to offer one would think that the playability must be superb. This may be true for kids, but for anyone with adult-sized hands - try reaching for the central lift shaft! The rooms are cramped and many elements are extremely hard to reach.

Some specific notes on rooms and features:

* The spring-loaded gun at the bottom deck, and the superlaser. I would rather swap this with the superlaser controls on top. The gun at the bottom deck is veru hard to fire and has limited angle, severely limiting its playability and usefilness. Plus, we have two turbolasers on top already. I would probably either make spring-loaded turbolasers and get rid of the gun, or move the gun up and get rid or the turbolasers. As for the superlaser - I would move controls to the bottom, the lease the elevation control - tha knob sticking out of gunnery station is just ridiculous!

* TIE Advanced is awesome, but just makes no sense. There are no LEGO models of that scale, so what's the point? Whatever ship is to be included it had to be Rebel, at least to occupy the AA guns and to make sense of the "Obi-Wan diabling the tractor beam power" feature. So, logically, it had to be a small-scale Millenium Falcon in the hangar room right next to the tractor beam generator area.

* Detention block: Forced perspective is clever! But why is a section of the ceiling missing?

* Trash compactor: I just can't accept Lego pieces lying around not being connected by anything.. Otherwise, very good room and clever use of connection to upper and lower layer.

* Conf room. Desperately needs holo-Palpatine, holo-Vader and maybe holo-DeathStar itself (a printed transparent Crystal Globe). Here's the chance for some unique printed pieces uniquely missed.

* General notes: I understand that jagged edges were all the rage ~10 years ago when 10188 came out, but sincerely hoped that by 2016, when Lego SW models get such a huge emphasis on the shape of the model, we'd get more slopes and curves. Alas...

I would forgo the lift feature in favour of being able to eality remove layers (Modular Building style) or actually have extra strurdy technic frame with pin locks that allow lifling via top and middle layer and easy disassembly if needed. The model is heavy. It's so heavy that it left visible marks on my table surface them I pushed it aside a little, and you can imagine the care you have to take when moving it around. Given that you WILL have to move it a lot to see/show different areas, many of which need to be on the eye level to be reachable, you would want all the sturdiness you can get.

Overall, it is no doubt a display model ($500 play model for kids?). But then, for a display model it could do with more detail. A turntable in the base with optional power functions (plenty of space at the lowest level) would be super awesome.

Oh, one more thing - this Death Star is indestructible as there's no exhaust vent to blow the whole thing up. How could they forget the most important play feature?

Minifigs: 5/5:

Minifigs are awesome and definitely would help sell a wide variety of battle packs as the Death Star desperately needs more stormtroopers, gunners, officers and technicians and there isn't a single battle pack that offers them all (why would I want so many Royal Guards in 75034 beats me - I would rather see a Trooper and officer instead). Well done marketing team :)

Value for money: 3/5

As mentioned before, at >12c per piece with pretty much no unique parts the only thing that does it grace is the "UCS Factor" and resell value.

Overall experience: 4/5

This set is made to impress and the first impression is righfully so. But it wears away quite quickly though the build process where while struggling with the excessively huge manual you deal with excessive stacking plates and bricks all over the place only to realize the excessive compromises that had been made.

As I look at it right now I either think of modding it (and then imagining sorting back all the parts as I will be preparing it for sale) or selling it right away.. The first impression did not last long..

What I think might have worked better is Lego turning the DS into a "series". First you buy a (relatively) inexpensive set to build the "framework" with about 8 sections. And then you can purchase separate swap-in-and-out $10-40 "vigniettes" of all sorts of complexity, with new ones released every 6-12 months to populate the frame a la Modular Buildings.

Still, given the sheer size and the expression on people's faces when they first see it, 4/5.

And yeah, dear LEGO, when you build the next one - please make sure it can be blown up!