Got my sets in today... also posted this at Yakface.
As you can see, the pieces are modular. You can remove the floor bases if you like, and rearrange the sets (even upside down) if you so desire. You can have a lot of fun with these as they are very versatile. The Death Star ones show more "grooves" than the Tantive sets in the pics, but in person they really aren't as noticeable, at least not to my eyes. And the Tantive sets has some stickers that the Galactic Merchants team used for the black panel areas - these turned out excellent.
Are these perfect? No. Are they worth it? Hell yes. Is this better than anything Hasbro has ever done in terms of playsets? Without a doubt, YES. And in my opinion, these are way under-priced. Galactic Merchants has done the collecting community a service with these that deserves the highest praise.
I also noticed that in spite of the $5.00 shipping charge, Galactic Merchants was charged a whopping $30.00 for my order (which I am happy to send them another $25 more to cover this)! Which I assume means they are going to need to up their charges on future orders. But it's worth it, in my opinion. I also hope we see the community to support these guys. This is obviously a labor of love for them, and to me, this is the BEST item of 2013. Nothing else even comes close. These are the best playset items I've seen since Owen Driscoll used to make custom styrene playsets. Hasbro is clueless... what a goldmine they could have with sets like these.
And for fun... a photonovel-style pic...
Let's hope more environments are on the horizon! If you got in on the kickstarter campaign, I assume your order will be shipping soon. I just got my notice last week, and my order was at my doorstep today.