Slave I x7

I've been trying to clear some shelves on one side of the cupboard of Lego because I need the space for my wedge plates, which are currently in a whole range of places.  Yesterday I took apart the Saturn V rocket (21309) which had been sat at the back of said shelf for some years (probably nearly 5 at a guess) as I think it's the set that has been made up for the longest.  In front of that was my collection of Slave I sets.

By my reckoning, excluding the UCS edition, there are 4 "large" versions and 3 smaller ones.  The oldest is 7144 from way back in 2000.  Dating from the days of limited brick pallettes (both types cand colours), this one rocks a green and brown vibe.  It's actually a pretty similar size to the latest version (75312) which is now renamed "Boba Fett's Starship" presumably in an attempt to be politically correct and the version that came with Betrayal at Cloud City (75222).  And the old 2000 edition only has a tiny 166 bricks!  Compare that with 600 squeezed into the most recent version (you can really feel the difference when you lift them both).  

The lack of curved slopes is really felt in the 2000 edition, and it feels pretty blocky as a result.  But it gets the essence across.  On to 2002 and you get to Jango Fett's Slave I (7153) which is light-years on in terms of design.  This one sets the scale and design for the subsequent versions and really game changes the design and play features.  Interestingly, I think it's the only Slave I in Jango's livery.  While I think it was a game changer in design, in retrospect, it does look a bit dated: the axles to the wings are pretty spindly and this part of the fusilage seems sparse.  Still, only 360 bricks in here!

On to 2006 and you get the next edition: 6209.  This one is now back to Boba's livery and comes in at 537 bricks.  A step up in terms of detail, with much better wing articulators but very similar overall design to 7153.  Playability is enhanced though, with a rubber bullet inside and a storage area for Han.  You do get a couple of interesting minifigs with this one.

Then its a 4 year wait for the 2010 reissue (8097).  This one looks and feels very similar to 6209 but with some play features and detailing varied. the big improvement is the use of the 6x6x2 large round corner pieces around the wing articulators.  But otherwise, I find this one a disappointment - I generally prefer the playability and design of 6209.  A Bossk minifig goes some way to cheering me up.

With the exception of the UCS set in 2015, it's then a nine-year wait for the next standalone set with 75243 in 2019 (part of the 20th anniversary collection).  This one comes in at 1007 parts and delivers a much smoother design for the skirt.  The rear section is sloped up for the first time in a set of this size (similar to the UCS one, though to be fair the 75222 Slave I also had a slope to the tail).  Greebling is stepped up on this one but the playability is significantly reduced - I am pretty sure that this was aimed at the AFOLs who had missed out on the UCS set.  Nevertheless, I do think this is my favourite.

A couple of views on the other two... I really liked the 75222 version - it delivers a really nice edition for its size and number of bricks.  Most recently, 2021 delivered 75312 which is a similar size to the 75222 one but with way more bricks.  In fact, more than any other version apart from 75243 which is twice the size.  I somehow felt underwhelmed with this one, though.