Review : LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series 75397 Jabba's Sail Barge

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set Ultimate Collector Series 75397 Jabba's Sail Barge, a box of 3942 pieces which will be available at the public price of €499,99 as an Insider preview from October 3, 2024 before global availability announced for October 6, 2024.

As always with LEGO Star Wars products, Ultimate Collector Series, opinions have been very divided since the announcement of this interpretation of Jabba's barge, a machine which until now had only had the honors of the "Classic" range via the sets 6210 Jabba's Sail Barge (2006) et 75020 Jabba's Sail Barge (2013)

Some see it as the ultimate version of the thing, while others have a little trouble grasping the interest of such a profusion of pieces sold for €500. It will obviously be up to each person to appreciate the relevance of the exercise, there is no single opinion about these exceptional products reserved for a demanding clientele who can afford them.

That said, the model does have a few strengths to offer beyond its display potential, with movable side panels and two removable sections that allow access to the various internal spaces of the machine and an assembly experience that spans just over 7 hours that is overall quite entertaining.

The latter begins with the construction of a platform composed of beams and other Technic frames, in order to stiffen the base of the barge. A layer of plates, a layer of Tiles, we then obtain the floor of the machine. the rest of the interior is in the sauce Structure with a welcome alternation between furniture, decorations and walls or pillars to delimit the different spaces.

Then the movable side panels are installed, and finally the two sections of the barge deck with their masts and sails are finished. The only slightly repetitive phase is the one that focuses on the assembly of the different hull elements.

If you're considering spending the €500 LEGO is asking for this set, don't spoil the various assembly sequences visible in the photos below too much and keep the pleasure of the experience. This is also why we generally agree to spend such sums on these products.

On arrival, we notice the contrast between the interior and the upper deck, which are almost entirely covered with Tiles and the hull of the barge which gives pride of place to the exposed tenons. Everyone will have an opinion on this necessarily deliberate aesthetic choice, I am one of those who hoped for a more "smooth" finish on the exterior panels, even if it meant adding a little texture via a few Tiles pad printed.

As it stands, the object, 77 cm long by 25 cm wide and 25 cm high, looks in my opinion more like an oversized version of the two models already marketed previously in the "classic" range than a model with exemplary finishing sold for €500.

The interior spaces are properly laid out, making this model a real playset that looks like a product from the very discreet range Master Builder SeriesThe kitchen is full of various accessories, the cockpit is quite detailed and one could almost play with this luxury playset which cleverly exploits the difference in scale between its interior layouts and its exterior appearance.

The product is also designed to allow access without real limitations to the different spaces and without betraying its function as an exhibition model: via the well-adjusted movable side panels with very discreet hinges or via the removable upper deck that fits perfectly on the hull of the machine. The barge is also equipped with three fixed supports that allow it to be "levitated" in a rather discreet manner, the effect obtained is interesting.

This product obviously requires to be associated with the contents of the LEGO Star Wars set 75396 Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit (€79,99), a box that almost becomes a simple extension of this model, to obtain a more complete diorama and a more exhaustive cast. Here we must be content with the 11 characters provided, some may regret that Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and even Boba Fett are absent from this box, especially for €500.

To avoid going back to the checkout, you will have to resign yourself and be content with the characters provided, some of which are really very generic. The selection remains interesting, however, with some very secondary characters but welcome in our collections filled with variations of the same heroes and villains without being technically flawless.

Princess Leia, for example, whose torso is very well done, seems to be wearing red shorts instead of the tunic seen on screen due to the use of two-tone molded legs, and Salacious Crumb was not given real pupils, which gives her a slightly strange look.

Some of the pad prints are brand new, some heads have been used in other sets before, and the casting is a mix of new and recycled. Kithaba gets a welcome update from the set's somewhat basic figure. 9496 Desert Skiff (2012), Wooof and Vizam make their debut in the Star Wars range, the Gamorrean guard is the one already seen in the set 75326 Boba Fett's Throne Room.

The Bib Fortuna minifig is new but a little less detailed than the one in set 75326 and C-3PO and R2-D2 are here delivered in versions already seen in other boxes. We will remember the return of Max Rebo with a mold identical to that of the version of the set 75020 Jabba's Sail Barge, the Jabba figurine reusing the usual mold with a new and very successful pad printing.

The latter can be installed in the barge on the beige support, which is also removable, or placed on the black display stand alongside the pad-printed product presentation plaque and the brick celebrating 25 years of the LEGO Star Wars range.

LEGO provides another very simple display to line up the rest of the cast, it's a good idea. I repeat, it would be time for LEGO to improve the graphics of the plate that groups together some technical information about the machine, I find that this design has aged a little badly if not vintage but it's very personal.

The set unfortunately does not escape a sheet of stickers, which is a bit of a shame in a box sold for €500 and presented as a product intended for collectors.

The two soft sails will quickly gather dust, they will need to be maintained regularly to keep them in perfect condition or put everything in a suitable display case. A thin plastic alternative might have been wise, LEGO must have the technology to offer something easier to keep over time.

In the end, it is up to each person to judge the relevance of the product in relation to its public price and the aesthetic choices at work. As far as I am concerned, I find the object rather successful even if the excessive presence of studs on the surface does not excite me.

The barge seen on screen has a much smoother surface, there was probably a better compromise to be made by adding a large handful of Tiles to improve the finish of the thing. I'm not going to complain about having this year something other than a big gray ship without much flavor, this product brings a little freshness to the universe Ultimate Collector Series and effectively brings the subject last discussed in 2013 back to the forefront.

The price of this box will unfortunately not put it within everyone's reach, those who would have happily settled for a more modest but also less expensive playset will have to wait a little longer.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 28, 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.