UCS Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser Revealed

How I have waited for this day. The ONLY Ultimate Collector Series vehicle I have ever wanted is finally a reality. The UCS Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser makes it grand reveal today. Well, haha, not really. But in the confines of ‘official channels’ that is true. Any of you who pay attention to forums and Instagram will have no doubt seen the early leaked images of this set. It was definitely a massive boo-boo and someone no doubt got in pretty big trouble at that store. I definitely send my sympathies to the marketing folk at The LEGO®️ Group – they cannot catch a break most days. Well, the lothcat is out of the bag at this point. And I’m so freaking excited about this set! Let’s take a look:

Photos used with permission. ©2023 The LEGO® Group.

ucs VEnator-class Republic attack cruiser

SET #: 75356
THEME: Star Wars – Ultimate Collector’s Series
COST: $849.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 5374
MINIFIGURES: 2 – Captain Rex, Admiral Yularen
VIP RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2023
GENERAL RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2023
COST/BRICK: $0.16 (above-average value)
BRICK/FIG: N/A
DIMENSIONS: 32 cm tall x 109 cm wide

Big capital ships don’t often get multiple sets. At this point you need to wait for a giant 18+ release. The OG Star Destroyer now has two UCS versions and at least two play sets. But that took over 20 years to accomplish. So it’s great to see the Republic Attack Cruiser finally get some long-overdue attention. This is only the second set of this Star Wars vehicle to date. Which is honestly crazy. The first release was 2009’s Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser (8039). This was a play set with interior and 5 minifigures. Thankfully, with the 20th Anniversary of the Clone Wars TV show, we get to celebrate some iconic characters, ships and moments from the show.

Make some room

This ship is massive. At 109cm (43″) long, it is on par with the most recent UCS Star Destroyer (75252). And since this is a smaller ship, that allows for a ton of great detailing. Greebling and textures on this look fantastic. Red accents really help break up all that grey. Trans pieces for windows and the bridge really make for excellent highlights. As with all UCS beasts, the Republic Attack Cruiser comes with a display stand. I’m sure it’s sturdy, but it’s just two pedestals. An info plaque – now printed! – gives the usual technical specs. But, it says “Venator-Class Star Destroyer”… I wonder if that’s an early render? I guess we’ll see. There do appear to be some rather large stickers however. And for something this expensive, I’m not really on board. And they are way too big to be included in an $850 CAD set.

Return of The (Non) Jedi

The accompanying minifigures feature the return of phase II Captain Rex and Admiral Yularen. It’s been 10 years since the first and only phase II Rex. He came in the BARC Speeder with Sidecar (75012) in 2013. The set itself retailed for $30 CAD and was a nicely affordable way to get a popular figure. Fast-forward to today and a used minfig on bricklink.com will set you back at least $240 CAD. The Admiral also has just one minifigure prior to this one. He can be found in a polybag GWP from 2015. He is older with white hair. For this UCS set, we see him with darker hair as he would have looked in the Clone Wars animated series. His after market price is also steep at $80-90 CAD on average. Getting them in a very expensive will do very little to make them accessible to most collectors.

©2023 The LEGO® Group. *Note the ‘Star Destroyer’ name instead of Attack Cruiser. Curious.

Save your pennies

I have been eagerly awaiting this ship for years. It’s always been one of my favourite designs in all of Star Wars. Right from the start of Episode III, I was a fan. It is a pricey ask though. As always, the UCS sets are not cheap. And frankly, they’re just getting more and more expensive. These sets are definitely not for every budget or display capacity. But if you’re good with both, then it will make an awesome addition. But what do you think? Are you excited for this new release? Do you have the original play set or minifigures already? What’s your take on the expensive nature of UCS collecting? Comment below and in all the usual places. Thanks as always for reading and until next time, keep on brickin’. 🧱

– Frank

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