Sculpt--4.5/5
The Republic Gunship is one of the cooler vehicles to come out of Episode II and it is also one of the coolest vehicles in the toy line. This thing is pretty huge, with a wingspan of just over 23 inches. The scale of the ship is not totally accurate, but seeing as it is quite hefty and big as it is, an accurately sized gunship would probably be prohibitive to play with. Aside from the inaccurate scale, there's really nothing to complain about in terms of sculpting. The gunship simply looks fantastic. Sharp, defined lines, and plenty of details abound. I'm especially happy they detailed the ceiling of the cargo bay, an area I thought they might miss. The gunpods on the wings are also nicely represented and look great. I must also mention that the wings are nice and sturdy, so don't expect them to sag like the wings of the newer X-Wing.

There is a handle between the two large cannons at the very top of the gunship, which is another inaccuracy, but it is well hidden and I for one am glad it is there. There's really no good place to hold the gunship, but the handle remedies the problem perfectly. The cockpit had to be compacted a bit because of the inaccurate scale, and figures that you put in the cockpit will actually be standing. But all in all the sculpting is great; the republic gunship isn't as big as it should be, but it sure is big enough.

Features--4/5
The gunship features firing cannons, firing missile launchers, a deployable troop platform, automatic doors, rotating wing turrets, a swiveling tail cannon, grappling hooks, vehicle transport bay, and opening canopy. Whew! There's a lot of things you can do with the gunship, but some features are better than others, and some I could do without altogether. The two huge cannons on top of the gunship fire two huge missiles as one would expect. What I didn't expect is that the two guns on the nose of the ship would actually be missiles. It's a bit odd to me, but I guess Hasbro wanted to put more missile launchers in the gunship and had no where else to put them. As it is, the nose cannons can be rotated into various positions. The deployable troop platform doesn't make much sense to me either, but I can see how it might be fun for the kids. Basically you put your figures on the platform (the floor of the cargo bay) and then release a lever which drops the platform from the ship, sending your figures flying down without a parachute.

The automatic doors are a cool feature though. With the push of a button, the doors open outward and back. What's great is that they open nice and smooth, so don't expect them to spring open in a flash. The wing turrets are nicely done and click like a ratchet when turned. The swiveling tail cannon is pretty much what it sounds like: a cannon that swivels on a ball-joint. The grappling hooks are another feature I could do without. There are two grappling hooks just below the swiveling tail cannon and can be used to tow vehicles or hang figures from. Could be fun for the kids but they're a nuisance to me. Trying to wrap up the rope for storage is a test in patience as all they give you is a little hook to wrap it around. You can also just keep pushing the rope up the hole it is coming out of, but either way you'll be spending some quality time with it. There is also the option of snipping the rope and eliminating the grappling hooks altogether.

The vehicle transport bay is a nice use of all that space at the rear of the cargo bay, but can only be used if you've got a speederbike (preferably the one that comes with the deluxe clone trooper). I like the way Hasbro has been incorporating interconnectivity between its recent vehicles, playsets, and figures. It's just smart thinking and extends the play value of the toys, which brings me to a feature I almost forgot: if you have the Clone Trooper Pilot, you can attach his gun turret to either side of the republic gunship. I didn't think the turrets would look good, seeing as they are much smaller than they should be, but they actually look quite nice. Still, more accurate turrets would be preferred.

Accessories--3/5
The gunship comes with a bunch of missiles and bombs, which is appropriate for such a vehicle. There are sixteen in all, but only four are for the missile launchers. The rest are just attached to certain places on the ship, waiting for you to pull them off and drop or throw them yourself. Four missiles/bombs go under each wing, and two go on the inside of each cargo door.

Paint--4/5
The paint job is pretty good. My only gripe is that the republic insignia isn't as detailed as it could be. It's a bit too generalized for my tastes. The ship has the typical weathered look that every other ship in the Star Wars universe has, with paint missing here and there.

Packaging--3/5
The packaging is functional this time around, so don't expect some nice diorama-style window box. Hasbro did a good job at packing all the parts of the gunship into as small a box as possible. After I put the gunship together, I was surprised that this vehicle came out of that box. The box graphics are in the usual Saga style with good images on all sides. The back of the box does a good job at listing and showing all the features of the gunship.

Overall--4.5/5
If you like clone troopers and Jedi then this is the perfect vehicle for all of them. The ship just looks fantastic loaded with a bunch of clones and Jedi. Nitpicks are minor, and the inaccurate scale is easily forgotten once you have one of these in your hands. Highly recommended.