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. Most comparisons between the old and new set are at least arguable with not all that much between them. I fall on one side, others will fall on the other, so I'm baffled by the ferocity of the opinions on this too. 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.

Star Wars Helmet Collection 57 ( Databank A-Z: Trident Assault Ship–Turbolasers) (Indirect mention only)Playability: 5 - The easy access to the interior and numerous play features give this set a high play value in my opinion. Could nostalgia be a large factor in this, giving some people rose-tinted specs for their favourite old sets? 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. 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.

Beside 9496 Desert Skiff this model is too small, although I do not think the scaling is too bad personally, as to create models which are perfectly to scale the Sail Barge would have to be at least double the price. I am throwing down the gauntlet to anybody out there who might construct a full Minifigure scale model. 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.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. When Jabba’s sail barge, HasLab’s first crowd-sourced project, hits doorsteps early next month, the painstakingly detailed Hasbro toy vehicle will allow fans of all ages to recreate this scene in Return of the Jedi, right down to a series of hinged shutters perfect for Threepio to peek through. All things being equal it just looks old and tired next to the new one, but if that look is what embodies SW Lego to you then my old-and-tired is what you think gives it its charm. You're not wrong, but neither am I! Anyway, regarding this set, I mostly agree with the review. This is definitely a great re-imagining of the old Sail Barge, and as an owner of the old one I can definitely say this one surpasses it in a lot of key ways. I even somewhat like the plastic sails, which in these photos at least feel vibrant and "LEGO-ish" compared to fabric sails.