So there is no way that I could ever justify spending $350 on a Lego set. Especially a set like this which as a whole is just a collection of locations smashed together into a circular area. Perhaps if the overall appearance of the set looked like the overall appearance of Cloud City (in the same way the Death Star set as a whole resembles a Death Star, just without an exterior) it may be worth getting. However, there are some aspects of this set that I like a lot. So rather than own board rooms and landing pads, I decided to only get the components that interested me. Therefore I have the Slave I, Cloud City Car, Carbon Freezing Chamber, and the platform where Luke duels with Darth Vader. So that is what I’m reviewing.

Minifigures

I did get a few of the minifigures despite not buying the whole set. The Bespin guard was rather affordable so I picked up two of him. Nothing to special, reminds me of an imperial general but in blue. I also got the Han and Leia that are both dressed in white. The Leia looks fantastic, excellent details on her body and legs, and a great hair piece. Since it’s hard to get Leias I was really happy I was able to pick it up for about $3. Han is less impressive, a regular looking shirt and unprinted legs, but I love his two very appropriate facial expressions, and you got to have him so you can lower him into the chamber. I also picked up a carbonite Han, while I already have one, they’re cheap so I now have one for the chamber and one to carry on the Slave I. Finally I got IG88. To be honest, I have no clue who he is as I’m only familiar with the movies. However he is a rather unique looking droid and given how cheap he is I had to have him. He only has one printed part, the rest of him is just standard droid parts and bricks, but he looks good.

Slave I

So I’m yet to own a Slave I, and while it is a very unique ship, it plays a very small role in the original trilogy. So I simply haven’t been able to justify buying one yet for $100 or whatever they cost. This one is smaller making it much more affordable, but not too small that it lacks detail and can’t be played with.

The build is rather fun, given its size and the fact that the center of the ship is where most of the details are, it is one of the least repetitive Star Wars builds I have done. While there was nothing revolutionary going on in the build, it is very well designed. The most interesting part of the build is the part that protrudes from the center as it is at an odd angle. The cockpit is just big enough to fit in Boba Fett and I rather like how his whole body is visible when flying. The wings rotate on their own as you fly which is pretty cool, and it works perfectly which is pretty amazing given it relies on gravity. Then on the back, not only can you store Han trapped in carbonite, but the detailing of all the thrusters looks great as well. Sure, it may still be the bottom of bricks, but it has design and style, something I find is typically ignored in most sets. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this rendition of the Slave I.

Cloud City Car

this is a fun little build of a ship that was only ever available once over a decade ago. For that reason I decided to get it as well. It is very well designed. While it’s mostly simple stacking, that is really all it needs to be. The cockpits are very cramped and are accessed from mainly the side, but the top opens up which allows you to easily secure a minifigure. Had they made this build any larger it would have been way too big, as it is, it is already much larger proportionally then most other ships, including this sets Slave I. By no means is this build a must have, but it’s nice to have.

Carbon Freezing Chamber

I really wanted to get the carbon freezing chamber set that came out a couple of years ago but never did. However, seeing this design I was really glad I didn’t as this design is by far superior. The platform here fully surrounds the chamber and it isn’t just a playset but also looks great.

The build is incredibly interesting. You start with the base and the mechanics which are brilliantly designed. I’m not great at designing complex moving parts, so I learned a lot from seeing how this all comes together. The two platforms basically slide on vertical shafts and therefore are forced to moving up and down when you move the lever.

After that you build the platform which stands on 4 technic columns, it is so simple, but works so incredibly well and looks great. Definitely something I’ll be incorporating when I need a sturdy but slender design. Of course the interesting part here is the round platform which is made up of 12 wedges. Yes, it’s repetitive, but learning how to create a round design is well worth the repetition and it looks great with only very minor gaps.

The actual play feature works great as well. Move the lever and Han disappears as carbonite comes up. Yes, it’s instantaneous, and if you do it slowly you can see both Hans at once. But I could never expect anything better than this and I really like how it is a single lever, having separate levers would not be practical. The best part is that it works flawlessly, probably the most foolproof play feature in any set I own.

Light Saber Duel Platform

This of course is where perhaps the most famous scene of the entire Star Wars saga takes place so of course I had to get it. The platform itself is rather unremarkable. The use of rigid hoses is creative, but because they are rigid it never looks perfect like you see in the pictures. I think that a flexible hose would have been a much better choice here. Of course the complex part of the build here is all the antennas and spires. They aren’t exactly complex, just a few bricks each, but they look great and creatively use swords and a pitchfork to do the job.

I managed to connect this to the carbon freezing chamber by building the stairs leading up to the chamber and a rather substantial base beneath them. As a result the two come together and have a very cohesive look.

Overall

I’m very pleased with the builds I have. I have the most important parts of Cloud City without spending a fortune. While piecing together these builds took a bit of work, it was fun and well worth the effort. If you find yourself wanting these portions of the set, I highly recommend piecing them together as it will be much more affordable and you won’t be paying for a bunch of rooms you don’t need. All together, it was a little more than a thousand bricks and cost me a little more than $100 (with the 6 minifigures) on Bricklink.

I bought this set on the pre black Friday deals that lego had going on. I was never really interested too much in the set overall, but it was quite a bit cheaper so i thought "meh, why not?" And picked it up along with the ucs y-wing. As mentioned, i didn't really have much interest, so i went in with little expectations on this one. I found the build actually quite fun tbh and really enjoyed the build of the slave 1, as it is a different build overall than the ucs model and looks great upon completion. Glad to finally add the cloud car to my collection as well and the build for that was quite a bit of fun too. The carbon freezing chamber was an interesting build with the technic work to make han lower and come back up frozen too. As the build began, it had me wondering what and how it would all work, but by the end, i was surprised nicely with how well it works and looks. The figs look amazing, as per the course with lego brand figs and i like that they give you a few different versions for each separate podded play area, where they're each wearing the corresponding outfits to the area. Now, about the areas... those are what is left kind of lacking in terms of completion look overall. Im not a fan of how a couple of the areas basically just sit below the overall playset and dont actually lock into the set itself, including the carbon freezing chamber and the landing pad. I think they could have done a better job of interlinking these areas as one overall playset, but its really only a minor gripe on that end. Overall, if playsets are your thing, you will love this set and even the addition of the ships will have the ship lover types intrigued to add 2 classics to their collections. Is it worth $400 cdn? Not to me and that is why i snatched it up for under $300, with double pts, but to others who adore playsets for the overall look and/or playability, then at the regular price, it is definitely worth it.

Pros

- great looking figs... and lots of them

- fun build, with lots of different techniques to keep you entertained

- different pods allow you to play and reenact different parts of the movie without having to move all the figs around and look out of okace in doing so

- the cloud car and slave 1 look awesome in smaller scale

Cons

- if you're adding to a collection, make sure you have a ton of room as it takes up a massive amount of space

- can be overpriced if you're only looking to showcase and not use for playability... look for a deal if that's your game

- not a fan of the way certain areas dont lock into place to the overall playset and due to that, those areas kind of feel out of place or unfinished

Overall, ill give it a 4 out of 5 because i do have the room, enjoyed the build, added 20+ great figs to my collection and i didn't overpay for it. It would get a 5 if those areas were attached, but all in all, i enjoyed it alot after going in with low expectations