I'll be completely honest, I was not a fan of the new design when the first photos got leaked / released. I thought it was too much of a departure to take place in a 5 year gap. But I have to say it's grown on me a lot. Realizing that the Falcon we all know and love is still there but hidden under a bunch of cosmetic plating really helped me get there. The forward pod makes perfect sense to me. I fully understand that everyone has their own tastes, but it strikes me as odd that people are so off put by the forward pod. But I know, when something gets you it just gets you, trust me I understand. I'm just on the 'I'm ok with it' side of the fence this time. Now that I have both a DeAgostini and Bandai PG Falcon my dreams have been realized (forget that I still need to build both of them *ahem*). This is just an interesting side take with a very nice McQuarrie lean to it. Gravy. I'm ok with it.