Aeroeza

That's awesome news! Exactly what I was hoping to hear. As for display issues perhaps the shuttle could just perch on your AT-AT (plenty of space on that monster)! BTW it would be great to see a few finished shots of your Shuttle MOC Cavegod! I'm a metric kinda guy but 58 feet sounds like 20 meters to me! 27.6 inches, hmmm, where's my conversion table hiding?... Its OK Wowplayer, I've a good therapist arranged just in case you get your wish... True, less greebling but structurally the Shuttle would be a far more complex build compared to the ISD, especially with its swing-wings, working gangway, possible interior and also the landing gear being designed to take the weight. But it does seem possible on reflection and after reading all of your opinions. Thanks guys! In summery then it is feasible that 10212 is a magnificent UCS set built to a grand scale that's akin to the minifig Falcon. Given the Imperial Shuttle really is one of the most elegant ship designs in the Star Wars universe then TLC should feel proud of their design team if they've pulled off such a model and all within the commercial restrictions of their trade. Count me in with bell's on!!!

Lets consider the local MOC talent and see if it helps... BaronSat's UCS shuttle is remarkable, tallies 3200 pieces and is minifig scale. Which could mean that 2500 bricks may not be out of the ball park altogether for Lego's full-time design wizards (who needs all three wings anyway). www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19861 Cavegod's version inspired by Dmac appears somewhat more accurate but then the piece count hasn't been posted. It certainly looks more than 2503 bricks. I'd say it has way more than BaronSats and let's face it, Cavegod isn't shy when it comes to detail, accuracy and a brick count large enough to bankrupt a small third world country (let's not forget his magnificent UCS AT-AT). So perhaps we'd best not consider this MOC as a realistic benchmark when wondering how TLC might pull off a UCS minifig scaled Imperial Shuttle with only a comparatively few bricks. www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30185 But I live in hope for now that we have an honest to goodness UCS Shuttle in the works so I'll stick my head in the sand and assume that if KimT is right and TLC are calling it a UCS then its a duck that quacks and so therefore a duck!! He's a hands on kinda guy who's not afraid to get them dirty! (Well perhaps he's just a one handed hands on kinda guy but you know what I mean). Why not have him sit behind the pilot and officer and enjoy the view, pointing out the local flora and fauna to his handcuffed estranged son as they coast above the Endorian moon. Imagine the small talk! "Look my boy, there! Just by that tree - a midget in a hairy fat suit!"

Oh you've just made my year!!! I'll take your 'guess' as a well educated and informed one. Now I can quit complaining for a wee while and save my pennies!

I hear ya! But consider.... If its to scale with mini figures and the UCS Falcon then it will have a most impressive wingspan. Remember that the length of the shuttle according to Wookipedia is 20 metres. The height of the central wing/stabilizer looks to be a similar figure and if the side swing-wings are designed to work (as one would hope for) then the total height of the shuttle is approximately 45 metres (remember the Falcon is about 35 meters long). Big enough for ya Major-Ton? What's that in studs and to mini fig scale... anyone? But maybe this is just wishful thinking. When you consider those dimensions it makes me wonder if 2503 pieces is enough for a shuttle in the same ilk as the UCS Falcon. If so then the wings must have some mighty big Lego plates in them in order to get away with it. The interior would likely have to be minimal/non-existent on such a large model in order to make room for a stable undercarriage. All five mini figs should be able to fit into the cockpit and of course a workable gangway/access ramp under the nose is also required but TLC has not released such a big Star Wars set with so few 'play' features in several years (not since the UCS Falcon really) and is it likely now? I wonder if this release may be more of a playset than an old school UCS beauty. That would be a major downer for a minority of passionate AFOL. Most Lego fans want playability and interiors. I don't begrudge them that (Lego is a toy afterall), but I ask those of you who don't like the old UCS range to bare in mind that its been a long wait for AFOL who enjoy a UCS build to get a real 'fix'. Giant playsets or gimmicky interiors are a misplaced use of bricks for those of us who crave accuracy and scale. So KimT can you clarify if 10212 is a MF style UCS - is this a model designed to excite the likes of me!!! ... cause its not always about me. ... please cruel Lego collecting world, let it be about me at least once every two years....

Do us all a favor and don't bloody well die young then!! I'd hate to see this beast dismantled!

I'm somewhat speechless but fortunately my fingers can still type! This is a beautiful model and 7000 pieces is a painful reminder as to just why its unlikely Lego will release a similar UCS build. But Cavegod, you can sit back with a proud beer and enjoy the fruits of your labor whilst the rest of us (minus Guybrush and Rocko) can merely look and weep and dream and rant and rave yet live in hope that one day we may also enjoy a beer as rewarding and deserving as the one you've just so recently relished!!! Congratulations on a difficult, rewarding and spectacular birth. I've enjoyed your updates and relentless, unforgiving attention to detail.... EDIT: Hmm... I just thought it interesting to add that the 8097 Slave 1 review by CopMike was up-loaded a full three hours before the final UCS AT AT post yesterday and yet has around 3500 hits compared with about 90, currently, for this thread. We could add another 11,000 hits for Cavegods updates over the last four months but then CopMike's review of 8087's minifigs has had 10,000 hits in two days!! At this rate Lego's official new Boba, Bossk & Han in carbonite minifigs with a slightly updated Slave 1 re-release is going to over-shadow this fantastic work of art by a dedicated AFOL. I'd realized minifigs were popular but not to this extent. I for one am stunned that in the space of 24 hours a few thousand visitors have ignored this thread, especially given that a UCS AT AT is no casual accomplishment for any Lego practitioner intrigued by the art of building with 'the brick'. Surely Boba ain't that cool!?!

Yoda isn't my favorite of the UCS line but he does look great setting next to Darth Maul. The two complement each other wonderfully and I must admit that its sad Lego is unlikely to do another Star Wars set like this. A Vader bust would be something to drool for.... Great review!

.... again a great review and a great nod to a wonderful redesign by Brian Tobin!!

Can it possibly get better than this classic build? You've done it justice with your review, yet again....

Hey Rufus! A great review again! It seems your work has reminded many of the wonders of the UCS line. Lets hope we've not seen the last of them....

I have to agree Rufus. You've done a wonderful job. I've built all the UCS' and I have to say you've captured the idiosyncrasies of each model placed under your critical eye. A few remain to be reviewed (Maul comes to mind) and I hope you're in a position to do so. I'd have done so myself but you've set a rather spectacular standard. Great stuff!

Dang! So much negativity on a such spectacular set! This baby provides an amazing backdrop to any Lego inspired Star Wars diorama. And lets face it Lego tends to be a rectangular brick and somehow we now have a sphere!!! Guys... its a UCS. It accurately depicts the on screen icon and put plain and simple is a wonderful sculptural piece of work in its own right. I agree with KimT in that the removal of the laser and Super Star Destroyer gives it more authenticity but to call it a gray golf ball or ignore its inherent accuracy is simply to miss the point. It proved to be the best build to share with someone, be it family or friend due, to its repeated sections and impressive finish. Its a clever build and to criticize it for lack of playability or (I suspect for many) its absence of minifigs is just absurd and possibly why Lego has not released a proper UCS in nearly two years. I reckon many out there would love a UCS Tyderium, Imperial Walker or Slave 1 with a spectacular piece count be it minifig scale or just darn impressive in its own right. Sadly for those who love these sculptural masterpieces we're stuck with simple toys with 'play features' and cute minifigs. Clever in their own right but lacking the clout and purity of the old UCS line. Let's hope some diversity of product is just around the corner else 10179 was the last of the truly brave financial gambles of the Star Wars line....

Can't say that I agree The design of the N1 is not compromised by the necessity of including a minifig (R2's head doesn't count) or for that matter including any playability. It simply attempts to capture the sleek lines of the original TPM ship in Lego. That's no different to the UCS X-Wing, Interceptor, Y-Wing, Star Destroyer etc. It just happens to be small, pretty and packed full of special pieces....

Fantastic work! Three years well spent in the pre-production trenches... You're right about the hanger. It provides opportunity for some fine internal detailing and adds much interest for your viewing audience. Did your work on the 'Technicolour Yawn' test the strength of the connecting hub in the front section of the inverted 'V' enough for your present design? The dual weapon/sensor pods look pretty heavy especially when placed at that angle. ... but building your Neb II is a must! It should provide ample target practice for your TIEs!

Good point on that Minifig Death Star (I'd forgotten they'd added that one). Perhaps the listing on Brickset should be considered more canon... http://www.brickset.com/search/?theme=Star...lector%20Series

You just can't beat the sweet, sweet taster of your first UCS!! The Falcon was mine (and so set my standard) but I've got to admit the Star Destroyer is on display right now! (In original Grey)

Well maybe because its the only one you have then we should count it ! We'll probably have to lobby Bricklink though In truth the definition of a UCS is an old debate made even murkier by LEGO marketing strategies. There's a long thread about it in the achieves somewhere but in the end whatever you think is probably O.K. by many (i.e. whatever has appeared as a UCS on Shop@Home), but the purists (myself included) will be a bit fussier !!

A $5.00 Electro-static brush! Not quite a sonic screw-driver but it does the job in a jiffy!

A poll sounds like a great idea! Although we should be sure of what is meant by 'UCS'. I've a rather strict definition myself i.e. not a toy (display only) and the design is not compromised for the inclusion of a Minifig (so basically a sculptural piece which if it includes a Mini then the set is to scale). As a side note I'd have to say that the popularity of minifigs seems to have killed the series (sadly)... Back on target: I've just completed building all 14 (going by my definition & also Bricklink's) and it's a tough, tough call for 1st place. The Falcon is simply an epic build, the X-Wing truly classic, the Death Star II wonderfully inventive, the Star Destroyer undoubtedly impressive and Maul was just superb. I could go on and on but then I'd have to write an extensive review which I could cutely (but not quite accurately) title "The UCS Challenge: 14 Sets in 14 Days"! Currently all are still built and I tend to display 3 or 4 at any given time around the apartment. Many of the sets complement each others design aesthetics beautifully so that again makes it hard to pin point an overall winner (the weaknesses of one set can be offset by the strengths in another- Yoda & Maul together is one such example). If I were to compare UCS' to each other then I'd need to consider several categories and no single model could win in every one of these... But if my life depended on it (and just to get that gun out of my face) then I'd say the Falcon- simply because it's just so darn big, accurate & iconic!!!

Actually more than 10,000 appear to have been released. Mine is # 12,189. The text of the certificate is as follows.... "CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY This certifies the authenticity of this Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon as being an Exclusive First Edition model. The undersigned Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, Product Designer and Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Owner - LEGO A/S attest to this fact." It might be interesting to know if other members have a higher number and also just how many 1st releases are out there?!?

I have to agree with Strand, don't miss out!! The Falcon is just spectacular (and building it is what brought me back into the Lego collecting fold). I'm itching for the next 'true' UCS (I'm not meaning to bring up an old debate here about what qualifies as a UCS but if anyone asks..... ). So bring on that 10,000 piece AT-AT (and forget about playability) even if it means oodles of noodles await me!!

My RBR came with the colour box also however inside was the B+W one. Unfortunately I don't know where the set was bought originally as I purchased it MISB from Ebay a year ago. I'd always assumed the discrepancy in boxes was due to the colored one having deteriorated on many of these old sets. Certainly I've seen this coloured box advertised as 'rare' compared to its counterpart, something I wasn't aware of when I tracked down my own RBR at a reasonable 2008 price, but you can imagine my surprise when I broke the seals just to discover the B+W box inside with yet more seals to break. Guess I got lucky! BTW thanks for the great review Rufus. I particularly liked your pick-up on how many classic basic bricks are in the set. I couldn't help but get flashbacks to childhood days when building the mid-section of the RBR block after big block! Given the piece count is under 2000 you still end up with a very large, impressive model which holds its own against the larger UCS sets. I can't help but hope TLC releases a similar classic UCS set in the not so distant future as the majesty of these builds is hard for me to resist!! As for the new Tantive IV I'd say it's proportions are probably slightly more accurate (although the playset nature of it doesn't appeal to me). Check out this image I took from the recent Star Wars Science and Myth exhibition....

Dang! My first post ever for an AFOL... Around a year ago I was a normal lad, no fiddly bits of plastic to speak of whatsoever, then suddenly 5195 pieces of pure Star Wars Lego fanboy satisfaction arrived on my doorstep. After ecstatic completion the poor UCS looked rather lonely and so a search for a friend ensured. 10 months and 10 UCS' later my lounge room collection is complete... Oh how they long for more UCS company (although they are whispering sweet nothings to my girls Barbie collection, and who needs a mini-fig when you've got them)! $4000.00 Australian and counting. (Although rather slowly now as TLG seems rather shy of late in regards to releasing more massive sets which seem to float my boat)! A fun topic! But if mine gets as big as some other most worthy collectors out there then I'm sleeping on the front patio!!!