Han Solo: Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system?
Obi-Wan: Yes indeed, if it's a fast ship.
Han Solo: Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?
Obi-Wan: Should I have?
Han Solo: It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!
And so I bring you my first ever review anywhere…
My review of the
Millennium Falcon from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (ESB)NOTE: You can click on all images to view them at a larger size.
Luke Skywalker: [on first seeing the Millennium Falcon] What a piece of junk!
Han Solo: She'll make point five past lightspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself.
First introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (ANH), the Millennium Falcon is the personal ship of Han Solo, won in a game a Sarbacc from Lando Calrissian. The Millennium Falcon is a Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-1300 light freighter which has been heavily modified and was primarily used as a smuggling ship by Han Solo prior to ANH. Armed with quad laser cannons and concussion missiles, the Falcon is a force to be reckoned with, especially with Han and Chewbacca piloting her. In the filming of ANH, a 5 foot model of the Millennium Falcon was constructed for use in filming exterior scenes.
In a very memorable scene in ESB, Han escapes the planet Hoth with Princess Leia following the invasion of Echo Base by the Empire. During the escape from Hoth, while being trailed by Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters, the Millennium Falcon is unable to jump to hyperspace as the hyperdrive is damaged. To escape from the Imperials, Han flies the Falcon into an asteroid field.
Leia Organa: What are you doing? You're not actually going into an asteroid field?
Han Solo: They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?
They’d also be crazy to use a 5 foot Millennium Falcon model to try to film this! Since the ANH 5 foot model was too unwieldy to be used to film these intricate scenes, the model builders needed to build a new Millennium Falcon model for ESB. They used the ANH 5 foot model as a template to build a smaller, more lightweight version of the Falcon which proved to be far more maneuverable when mounted to a computer controlled model mover. This model of the Millennium Falcon, the 32” ESB model, is the one Master Replicas chose to produce as both a Limited Edition (LE) and Signature Edition (SE) prop.
Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Information:Millennium Falcon LE
Edition Size 1500
Product # SW-155
MSRP $2199.00 - I thankfully paid nowhere even close to this :D
Millennium Falcon SE
Edition Size 500, Signed by Harrison Ford
Product # SW-155SE
MSRP $2799.00
Top ViewSide ViewsCockpit, Engines, Quad Laser Cannon, and Sensor DishCockpit in the Dark, Running Lights (Dark Shot), Running Lights (Light Shot), and Thrusters
ReviewFirst, let me first say how grateful I am to Amy Blanchard of Master Replicas. Without Master Replicas Trivia I would NEVER have had the opportunity to purchase a Falcon LE. Second, sorry to everyone that it took me so very long to get this review together. The Falcon does not come with an acrylic cover like the other Studio Scale models from MR do. It took me a large amount of time to have one fabricated relatively cheap and to find a good table to display the Falcon on. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay more for the acrylic cover than I did for the Falcon!
That said, this Studio Scale model by MR is absolutely beautiful. The attention to detail is outstanding, especially all of the blast marks and dents in the hull. The paint job is spot on and the cockpit looks fantastic (but I think I’ll need a scale Han and Chewie!). This beast is VERY heavy as well, making setting her up on the stand a bit of a chore. The shipping weight for the Falcon is 76 pounds and the ship itself must weigh at least 30 pounds of that. Pictures don’t really do it justice either. I’ve seen TONS of pictures of the Falcon LE and from having it here in person this Studio Scale model has well surpassed my expectations. I only wish I had the SE! The running lights and light-up cockpit are a great added bonus. The Millennium Falcon is one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles because of the character of the model. This is a hodgepodge of parts that’s not pristine, she’s seen a lot of damage over the years and it shows with her rough exterior. It’s this aged character that I love and I’ll bet Han Solo feels that way too. This Studio Scale from MR captures this character very well. Every time I see the Falcon in the corner of the room I can’t help but smile as I’m reminded of a Galaxy Far, Far Away….