When the 2012 sets were announced this set caught my eye as a definite must-have. I felt like a kid again on Christmas when I opened one of the presents from my wife and found this large set under the wrapping paper. I have to say that it was well worth the wait. This is a really fantastic set. I had a lot of fun building it and it looks great on display. LEGO parted the pieces out in 7 different bags; in my opinion that's a bit overkill, 3 or 4 would have been fine. There are also two booklets that are in a separate bag against a piece of cardboard to keep them from getting bent. This set also comes with a brick separator, which I've seen in other higher-priced sets.

Pros

• Pro 1: The first thing that grabs you is the detail of this set. Starting with the tower: three stories, the first one having a raising door, just like in ROTJ, and the eye-ball door droid is on there. The second story holds a weapons room and the top is a look-out spot for the guards. LEGO even designed a cool stopping mechanism for the door so that it will stay open.
• Pro 2: The throne room continues with lots of details. First, there is the trap door to feed minifigures to the Rancor (I can't wait to get that set). There's also the required grate in the floor to watch the victims and the monster. Jabba's throne dais also slides forward so he can watch with the others. The lever that pushes it forward cleverly comes out of the fireplace in the back, which also has a small fire and pot on it. Under the dais is a secret compartment that holds an extra frog, gold coins, and a blaster pistol. In front is Jabba is a well detailed hooka with another frog in the bowl. The rest of the room has arches all over the place and a small amount of greebles on the walls.
• Pro 3: The build was a lot of fun. There are quite a few bags, but it makes it easier to sort out the pieces before building. I also really dig the colors used. There are lots of light and dark sandy pieces, some brownish red pieces, and a smattering of burnt orange pieces. All great colors to recreate the a monastery in the desert (for those that are scratching their heads, the B'Omarr monks originally owned the building and Jabba took it over, but still allowed them to live there). The tower attaches to the throne room with technic pins, making it removable. And the back wall of the room pivots open, allowing access to the back. Oh, and the roof is removable; all great features adding playability.
• Pro 4: The minifigures are fantastic! This set is pricey for the number of pieces, but I think it's because of all the highly detailed minifigures included. Han has two faces, one a grimace and the other a smirk. Oola, also has two, one for dancing and the other for falling into the Rancor pit. Boushh/Leia also has two, a smile and a frown; LEGO also included hair for her when her helmet is off. Bib Fortuna looks angry, Salicious Crumb looks mischievous, and the B'Omarr monk looks pretty relaxed. The Gammorrean Guard is fierce and highly detailed, as is Jabba. Both are much better than the previous versions. Rounding out the figures is Chewabacca, a must-have for this set, but not particularly unique.
• Pro 5: No stickers! I don't mind the occasional sticker sheet, but I was pretty happy to see that all the detailed pieces were printed, so no stickers to apply.
• Pro 6: I really like this version of Han in carbonite. I have Slave I 6209 and this version is much better.

Cons

• Con 1: Looking over this set it is pretty close to perfect; however, I do have one complaint. The holder for Han's carbonite block looks incomplete. It is just a plate with a clip on a turntable. I think LEGO should have put the block on a wall and had a mechanism that allows it to drop like in ROTJ.

Overall, this is really a fantastic set! I know the price is a bit high for the piece count, but I feel the minifigures and the detail of the set make up for it. I highly recommend this set to anyone collecting SW Legos. It is a fun build, has cool pieces, and even the flick-fire missile isn't too cheesy. I've got this set displayed with the Sail Barge and my other Tatooine sets. Now I have to find the Rancor Pit on sale!