Also, thanks, CapnRex, for adding pics comparing this with the skiff! The proportions don't look so bad in photos. I know the skiff is supposed to be much smaller, but you're right, LEGO scaling is never a perfect science. If it were, there probably wouldn't be nearly as many LEGO train fans... a train with as much seating as a real passenger train would probably have to be at least twice as wide as the six-module standard we have now! Designers captured ornate, cinematic details, like Jabba’s microphone, trophy heads, and other sculptures, then took it to a whole new level, imagining other necessities for a crime boss’s floating yacht. “The designers went into this really thinking of functionality and playability,” Dern says. “Our goal in our role here is, how accurate can we get? Whether it is scouring for an old set of blueprints, utilizing archived models, published materials, and/or entertainment footage, all of which helps guide us in our decision making and ultimately to the final result." The torso and short legs are both plain blue with no printing, although this is perfectly reasonable as there is not much of Max Rebo visible in the films anyway beyond his head and he looks fine in plain blue. I am very impressed with this Minifigure, far more than I had expected, as while he retains a perfect level of simplicity, the character is still captured very nicely indeed and he looks fantastic when playing his Nalargon. Dern, who had the privilege of being the first to receive a final production barge at his office in San Francisco (for final product review purposes) is excited for fans to finally get their hands on their own sail barges soon. But he’s hard pressed to identify his favorite aspect of the finished vehicle. “As a toy designer I appreciate this grand undertaking from a pure design, engineering and manufacturing toy perspective. The amount of deco and level of detail is absolutely incredible on this. It’s a bit of a showstopper. Wait until you see the size of the box this arrives in!”

Now we can get on to the heroes of the set, the first of which is Princess Leia in her slave attire. This is perhaps the Minifigure which was most anticipated from this set, as without this particular character, the scenes involving Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi are not complete. Princess Leia has appeared twice before in this outfit, firstly in the traditional yellow in 4480 Jabba's Palace and then later in 6210 Jabba's Sail Barge where the only major change was the colour of her skin from yellow to flesh. This is the first time therefore that this character has received a major overhaul, and this newest edition is simply outstanding. Could nostalgia be a large factor in this, giving some people rose-tinted specs for their favourite old sets? Still, the prequel sets we've been getting lately do make me very excited since that's the era of Star Wars I lived through, and I have particular nostalgia for Episode I, which I still feel gets a bad rap in spite of telling a pretty good story. I'm very happy that the LEGO Group is continuing the trend from the past couple years and making some new Episode III sets, despite the 3-D re-release of that film being cancelled.True, but on the other hand I like that the LEGO Group has gotten to a more reasonable re-release schedule lately. In the first half of the lifespan of LEGO Star Wars, it seemed like a new version of an Original Trilogy set might come out every two years, sometimes with no significant improvements on the last. Lately, the LEGO Group has been giving each set five to seven years before a re-release at the same scale, which I think is plenty of time for them to make improvements as they have done with the most recent X-Wing, Y-Wing, TIE Fighter, Jabba's Palace, etc. The plastic sails look nice to me in these pictures, but then again it's hard to tell in pictures what a difference a little more reflectiveness would add. Perhaps if I were to turn it around in my hand I'd find them to have a distracting glare; I can't say for sure. But in general, it's LEGO. The whole thing is plastic; I don't think it should hurt it much if the sails are as well. Next we have the first ever Gran Minifigure produced by LEGO, the criminal Ree-Yees. This is an obscure character, notable only for having a hand deformity. Getting a head piece for the three-eyed Gran is a treat, as these aliens are commonly seen throughout the Star Wars galaxy, and therefore they will fit into just about any Star Wars MOC much like the Weequay Skiff Guard. The head mould is highly detailed and looks fantastic. It is cast in a rubbery tan plastic, with printed eyes and lots of moulded details, including ears, nostrils and even the tiny antennae which are just about visible on the top of the head. I found construction of this set very entertaining indeed. It takes about two hours at a leisurely pace and features some interesting building techniques, including a combination of slopes and plates to form the nose as well as plenty of SNOT construction used to form the armour plating for the entire vehicle. I also noted that the flooring towards the rear of the Sail Barge is created using tessellating 3 x 6 wedge plates which might be new to some people. Lastly, the use of skeleton legs to support the railing around the front of the barge is ingenious, despite not being a new technique. It will be new to some people, and it achieves a very pleasing appearance in my opinion so is a technique well worth noting. The Completed Model Playability: 5 - The easy access to the interior and numerous play features give this set a high play value in my opinion.

Reclining on his throne aboard the Khetanna, Jabba the Hutt gripped his microphone and growled the final death sentence for Luke Skywalker and his friends hovering just above the Sarlacc pit. But moments later, the execution turned into an escape, leaving the mighty Jabba dead at Leia’s hand and his opulent sail barge imploding in the sands of the Dune Sea. Each of the 250 individual parts were molded by factory machines, then pieced together by both machine and human hands, Dern notes. “All of these little, hinged shutters -- there’s quite a few on here -- somebody had to piece those together.” In recent years, LEGO seems to have produced far more Prequel Trilogy sets than Original Trilogy models, and this wave is an excellent example of this continuing trend. 75020 Jabba's Sail Barge is the only set from the Summer 2013 selection which is from the Original Trilogy, and I am quite pleased with it overall. Only if 6209 was the set that brought you out of your dark ages and embodies adult Star Wars Lego in your mind, surely. And in that case no other version of Slave I could ever be better anyway. Weighing in just shy of 14 pounds, and measuring at 49.35 inches long, 14.64 inches wide, and just over 17 inches from the base to the tips of the sails, the barge is an impressively massive piece of merchandise.Every detail was accounted for and made for active play, Dern says. The prison cell, for example, includes a tiny set of chains that can be used to secure an action figure of your choosing. And there are plenty of other trap doors, hidden compartments, and removable pieces. Dune Sea Songs of Salt and Moonlight" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (Mentioned only) For instance, to capture the glamorous vintage-inspired box art showing the barge in full-color glory, 14 Hasbro employees spent 120 hours on the photoshoot, which included bringing in 900 pounds of sand to recreate the Dune Sea and the creation of one custom, posable Sarlacc. with its mint green, puny looking stabiliser surrounds, yellow stabilisers, 'hidden' gun doors that are clearly visible, lazy, one-piece guns, printed Han-in-Carbonite and bright green, squashed looking Boba, beats 8097 where all those things have been improved?