I had no intention of buying this set, but since I got it for my birthday, I have a few comments.
The design may be crappy seen with AFOL eyes, but IMO it's probably not seen like that through the eyes of the intended buyers (kids). It's huge and has several cool playable effects.
1. The side guns
2. The opening cockpit/bridge
3. The compartment for tools and loudhailers (SW blasters, just in case Jar Jar comes by)
4. The rear engines
5. All directions movement (though not working perfectly, I agree)
6. Front gun
7. Air intakes that turn when the craft changes direction.
I think this set is highly appreciated by kids wanting to bring some havoc to their LEGO town. - Imagine a hovercraft smashing through the city to fight fires a.k.a the scenes in 007....
Also with some modifications of colour and armament this could become a serious crime fighting vessel *y*
Kids evaluation 7.5/10
AFOl evaluation 5/10 - there are some useful bricks in this set and like Exo-Champ said... The base can be used for a cool Exo Hover Tank MOC-thingy *wub* And hey! it might even come in handy when modding the great new space theme into something even better ;-)
KimT