The Millennium Falcon may just be the most well-known vehicle in all of science fiction and beyond. Making its big-screen debut in A New Hope just over 40 years ago, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy has solidified itself as a cultural icon. And over the past few decades, has been commemorated through tons pop-culture references, collector’s items and even LEGO kits.
In fact, just about all of LEGO’s largest and display-worthy sets have come from a galaxy far, far away. So when it came time for LEGO to pay tribute to Star War’s 40th anniversary, it only made sense to recreate the iconic starship in what is the largest kit ever produced. With over 7,500 pieces, 10 Minifigures and 4 feet of details, LEGO’s UCS Millennium Falcon stacks up to be one of the most complex, well-designed and impressive sets ever released.
The Falcon’s Brick-built Lineage |
LEGO launched its latest in the line of Ultimate Collector’s sets, the Millennium Falcon, officially back in September. But for most of 2017, was one of the harder to find kits in the of those on store shelves. And despite its luxury $800 price tag, this kit is what many die-hard LEGO and Star Wars fans had been desiring.
The original UCS Falcon had become many LEGO collectors White Whale, and as costs continued to soar on the classic model, the 2007 version became harder and harder for fans to get their hands on. After being dethroned by 2008’s Taj Mahal, the latest rendition of the Millennium Falcon has managed to reclaim its spot for largest LEGO set produced after nearly a decade.
Since debuting the Star Wars line of kits back in 1999, LEGO has introduced over 10 different Millennium Falcons over the years. From miniature models in advent calendars to 2007’s first crack at a doing the iconic justice. Now just over a decade later, LEGO is trying its hand at the ionic ship with set 75192.
General Thoughts |
It’s hard to explain just how grand of a LEGO kit the UCS Millennium Falcon really is. Comprised of 7,541 pieces, LEGO has clearly put a lot of love into its largest and most detailed kit to date.
Over the 30+ hours it took to assemble the massive model, I found myself marveling at such trivial parts of the model, from the internal frame and underside to the litany of greebles scattered throughout the ship. The 31 lb starfighter includes some of the most well thought out and ingenious techniques I’ve seen in my decade and a half with the hobby.
And even though the Falcon stacks up to over 7,500 bricks, the set designers have leveraged every piece one of the most detail-packed builds —LEGO or otherwise — I have ever had the pleasure of assembling. The question of whether or not the UCS Millennium Falcon is worthy of its $800 price tag lingered in my mind throughout the build, something that at the end of the day I find justified, but more on that later.
Unboxing the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy |
With just about any other LEGO kit review, taking an in-depth look to cover a set’s packaging and unboxing would be fairly unnecessary. But just as with the other aspects of the UCS Millennium Falcon, the packaging is anything but the typical LEGO experience you may have come to expect.
As the largest LEGO set, the Falcon comes packed inside an absolutely massive 21 x 18 x 15-inch box. The box is in fact so large, that LEGO stores provide a cardboard dolly to make getting the model home a bit more manageable.
Alongside some wonderful art on the front, you’ll find cutaways of the ship’s interior, information on the Falcon itself and some other neat graphics covering the box.
Diving in, there are 4 smaller rectangular boxes which include the kit’s 17 stages scattered across 66 bags. Just as with the exterior of the packaging, these interior boxes are covered in graphics as well. In this case, you’ll find a blueprint-line image of the Falcon along with some Han Solo quotes about his famous starship.
Last but not least, you’ll find the UCS Falcon’s instruction book. The 6.4 lb ring-bound booklet packs 466 pages that encompass the set’s 1,379 building steps. Just like the other UCS sets, there’s also some background information on the Millennium including Ralph McQuarrie concept art, ship schematics and build info from its designers.
The Build: She’s got it where it counts, kid |
For its second iteration of the UCS Millennium Falcon, LEGO has employed a fairly modular design, with each of the kit’s 17 stages creating a different section which can be snapped onto the model. The Falcon itself can be broken down into 2 different types of builds; the frame and then all of the exterior shell and detail elements.
When first eyeing up the completed Falcon, odds are low that sturdy will be one of the first descriptors to enter your mind. But for any LEGO set, UCS or otherwise, LEGO designers have pulled off one incredible feat to create a build as solid as the Falcon. Especially when considering its monstrous size alongside all of the included details and interior sections.
Assembling the UCS Millennium Falcon begins by piecing together the ship’s interior Technic frame. For this, bags 1 through 6 include the necessary elements and come together to create what is a fairly barebones structure. With a model of its size, this is an absolutely necessary design choice that is more distinctive than other UCS sets where the frame and exterior blur together.
The remaining 11 bags finish up fleshing out the build’s interior and also contains the Falcon’s detailed exterior. For the most part, the UCS Millennium Falcon is made up of mainly light grey pieces, which shows through in the final model. This is by no means a bad thing, as it gives the Falcon quite a bit of realism compared to its big-screen counterpart. There are also tons of variable colored detailed elements that give the build the Ultimate Collector’s Series title it holds.
Equally impressive Elements |
The Falcon is more than its several thousand grey pieces though. As any UCS set should, the Millennium Falcon also includes its fair share of printed elements.
You’ll find printed control panels, vents, chess boards and more throughout the ship, but most prominently is the Falcon’s iconic radar dish. Although my personal favorites are the variety of transparent cockpit and window pieces, many of which are exclusive to this UCS set.
Overall, the kit doesn’t rely on too many stickers. But like any modern Star Wars kit, it has a few to add in some extra details. This may be a drawback to some for a set of this size and cost, but the printed pieces included are great enough to overshadow any complaints in my book.
Features: More than a bucket of bolts |
As a LEGO set of this caliber, the Falcon’s exterior packs a level of detail that’s pretty unparalleled amongst any kit, UCS or not, released so far. All of the iconic details you’d expect to find are present and wonderfully executed. From the hyperdrive engine to the rear circular vents, the famous cockpit to the front mandibles and upper quad cannon, the details are amazing. And as a lifelong fan of Star Wars, this satisfies me on a level that no other collectible has.
The full experience of the UCS Falcon as a collector’s item also requires you to take a look inside its battered exterior. Several exterior compartments open up to showcase 2 interior rooms full of details from the films. Both rooms are complete with arched doorways that give the appearance that they lead off into other areas of the Falcon, thanks to some intricate sticker placements.
Towards the front of the Falcon you’ll find what is the more iconic of the two interior sections. Here you’ll find detail elements like a training helmet, chair and most prominently the Holochess table. Not only does this room pull in quite a bit of references to the film, but also does a great job at adding further authenticity to the build.
The second of the two rooms is less screen-accurate than the first, but is still packed with details from the franchise. In what is effectively a combination of many rooms in the Falcon, the back portion packs the hyperdrive engine room, escape pods and more.
The Falcon can also be switched between its appearance in the Original Trilogy and the newer Sequel Trilogy to go along with the ship’s 2 generations of pilots. However, not a whole lot changes, with the starship’s iconic radar dish being the main alteration.
Minifigures |
Spanning over 35 years of adventures throughout the Star Wars saga, the Millennium Falcon has quite a diverse selection of pilots and crew members. As such, the UCS LEGO recreation of the ship includes 2 sets of Minifigures to coincide with the characters’ respective films.
The first group is taken out of The Empire Strikes Back and includes Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C3PO. Both Han and Leia come wearing their winter regalia from Episode 5 and are exclusives to the set. Nothing is new with the designs of Chewy and C3PO, but are excellent figures none-the-less.
For The Force Awakens, the Falcon also includes Finn, Rey, BB-8 and an older Han Minifigure which is a set exclusive. Finn is the same figure we’ve seen in the other The Force Awakens kits and the same is true for Rey.
The Falcon is also the first LEGO set to feature The Last Jedi’s lovable Porgs. Both sets of Minifigures also include reversible heads which feature calm expressions alongside more battle-ready faces.
Is it worth it? |
The UCS Millennium Falcon has the highest number of elements included in any set to date, but at the cost of being the most expensive kit released as well. $799.99 is a lot to shell out for a LEGO model, despite being the ultimate collector’s item for Star Wars fans. That being said, the Falcon has been an extremely enjoyable build and an even better display piece that I find entirely worth its high price tag.
If your wallet can take the $800 hit, the next question that should be crossing your mind is where are you going to put the finished kit. The final model stacks up to over 33-inches long and 22-inches wide, meaning displaying the behemoth takes up more room than the average kit.
Some center their family rooms around the build with display coffee tables, while others have luck using wall-mounted stands. As of now, the Falcon is adorning my desk where I’ll continue to marvel at it for some time.
All things considered, the UCS Millennium Falcon is one heck of a fun, challenging and overall wonderful build. I can’t remember ever being this thrilled with a LEGO kit. The entire build is packed with some of the greatest feats of LEGO engineering and design, making it stand out for more than its massive part count.
So if you’re a huge Star Wars and LEGO fan like myself, the UCS Millennium Falcon is surely a piece that your collection deserves.
Buy the UCS Millennium Falcon 75192 for $799.99
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