Even after the fall of the Republic, remnants of that bygone era continued to exist in the service of the Empire. LEGO builder Malen Garek shows one example of this with the Venator-class Star Destroyer.

The first word that comes to mind when I look at this Star Wars capital ship is smooth. There are relatively few brick studs on the hull, helping me see the armor plating that I would expect to see on an Imperial warship. I’m thrilled to see all of the angles on this Venator look exactly like we see in Revenge of the Sith. So many LEGO models of the Venator try but fail to get the angles just right (looking at you, LEGO set 8039). Malen managed to pull it off while building it on a super cool base. Is it lava on Mustafar? Is it molten slag from an orbital bombardment? Regardless, it looks incredible.

But wait, there’s more! The engines on the Venator can be tricky to make, but again here’s another success for Malen. The use of hinge plates to build the cowling around the engine was a great choice. Additionally, Malen chose to add the smaller engines that are often forgotten in other Venator models.

Speaking of other models, Malen used his Venator alongside creations from other LEGO builders, including an Imperial light frigate and a couple of V-wing starfighters, all of which are attacking a Rebel starship. I think the winner of this battle is clear: the Venator lives on!