Battle of the mid-sized Star Wars Venator sets – which should you buy and why?

I’m a huge fan of Star Wars’ Venator ship, the proto Star Destroyer which featured heavily in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’s opening battle. So much so that, even before Lego released its mid-sized version, I sought out alternate methods of sating my hunger for a shelf-friendly Venator set.

I first turned to Brad Barber’s alternate build instructions, which taught me how to build a Venator from two mid-size Acclamator-class Assault Ship sets. Then, descending into the AliExpress/Wish/Temu rabbit hole, I purchased and assembled JIESTAR’s unofficial model. Finally, months later, I snapped up Lego’s official mid-sized Star Wars Venator set, which released on 1st January.

But which is best? As Harry Hill puts it, there’s only way to find out… FIGHT! So read on, as I dive into each set, before settling on an overall winner.

Lego Star Wars 75404 Acclamator-Class Assault Ship alternate build

• Price: £95 (2 x £44.99 sets + £5 for instructions)
• Number of pieces: 699
• Size: 34 x 17 x 15cm

Alternate builds are a big deal in the Lego community, a way of getting some extra mileage out of your bricks, and this Venator, made up of two Acclamator sets (with no extra pieces required), is no exception.

Build: Like the Acclamator sets it’s made up of, this is a fun build. You’ll be genuinely impressed by how designer Barber has repurposed some pieces, such as the blue block used to create the docking bay forcefield. It’s seriously swooshable once you’ve built it, too.

Appearance: At 34cm, it’s fractionally longer than the official Venator set. And, while it’s instantly recognisable as a Venator-class ship, the rear wings are a little stubbier than the actual ship, so it’s not 100% screen-accurate. It’s also got more visible weaponry than the official version.

Value: $7.00 is nothing for Brad Barber’s instructions, which you can find here, but at £90 or so for two Acclamator sets, this is a pricey option. You can, however, save on the Acclamators if you shop around.

Overall: As long as you’re not bothered by its minor inaccuracies, this is a solid set that stands up to some play and will look seriously striking on any shelf.

Jiestar Technical 67106 Venator Attack Cruiser

• Price: £35 approx
• Number of pieces: 960
• Size: 46 x 24 x 17cm

While it has a number in its name, this isn’t a bootleg copy of a genuine Lego set, but it also doesn’t have Lucasfilm’s approval. It may not be as massive as Lego’s Star Wars UCS Venator set, but it’s the largest set in this round-up.

Build: While I enjoyed some aspects of this build, it’s not wall-to-wall fun. Why? Because many of the sections are held together by flat turntable-top pieces (equivalent of piece number 3679, if we’re talking official Lego) and, as a result, I had parts come apart several times while I was building it and, sometimes, just while moving it.

Appearance: This set nails the look of the movie Venator, with the exception of an additional nose gun, which feels slightly out of place. Its larger size has allowed Jiestar to add other, more accurate details, such as a cool-looking docking bay and side-turrets.

Value: At around £35 for 960 non-Lego pieces, this represents good value though, be warned, I’ve seen some retailers try to sell it for twice that price.

Overall: If you are buying purely for display, this is worth investigating, but if it’s going to be subject to regular and frequent handling, you might want to give it a miss.

Lego Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser 75441

• Price: £69.99
• Number of pieces: 643
• Size: 31 x 16 x 15 cm

A year after Lego released its mid-sized Lego Star Wars Acclamator set, Lego fans finally got a mid-sized Venator. It boasts some genuinely creative elements, too, such as having pieces represent particular Jedi, hidden within the craft.

Build: This is a blast to build, particularly if you ‘cheat’ and build both wings at the same time, figuring out which part mirrors which part. I was surprised to see a Star Wars blaster and a sword forming the vessel’s sides. While the wings aren’t in danger of falling off, there’s a little more flexibility there than I would like.

Appearance: It falls a few centimetres short of being to scale with the Acclamator set, but it’s a quality recreation of the iconic vessel. The spanner-ended ‘gun turrets’ don’t quite convince but that’s understandable choice given its size, and it’s otherwise movie accurate.

Value: This set costs £69.99, which feels slightly pricier than it should be, given its level of complexity, but it’s not too far above the norm for these mid-size sets.

Overall: This is an entertaining set which, despite its flexible wings, is strong enough to swoosh, a blast to build, and looks suitably impressive on display.

The winner

Which of these three should you go for if you share my Venator love? It may be bigger but the Jiestar Technical 67106 Venator Attack Cruiser’s questionable use of parts and general flimsiness sees it drop to the back of the pack.

That leaves it down to a battle between the Lego Star Wars 75404 Acclamator-Class Assault Ship alternate build and the Lego Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser 75441. And, as deserving of praise as Brad Barber’s alternate work is, I’m swayed by the latter being more movie-accurate. So if it’s a shelf-sized Venator you’re after, the Lego Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser should be your set of choice.

Other alternatives

There have been other Venator sets, including some downright adorable micro-builds but they’ve been retired. The only other alternative is the awesome but pricey Lego’s Star Wars UCS Venator set which, at over a metre long, requires its own table for display.