When it was initially rumoured that we were getting a third Falcon in five years I did wonder if Lego were just putting some placeholder sets out for ‘Triple Force Friday’. That first wave of ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ sets were pretty much a bunch of updated/upgraded sets (other than the Pasaana Speeder Chase).
When the first images came out however I was surprised by the Falcon and how the design felt so much better that the previous versions.
Don’t get me wrong, I love both the 2015 and 2018 versions, but they are not without their design flaws and for the most part the new version fixes them nicely.
As always, the Falcon comes in ten numbered bags with a separate bag for those larger parts, a decent sized instruction manual and a sticker sheet.
The first bag, always the dullest but equally important, the Technic built structure with large plates to make up the base of the ship.
The first difference between this and the previous versions is that the space for the cargo hold is now situated in the middle of the back half of the ship rather than the opposite side to the boarding ramp.
The first mini-fig we get is Boolio, the spy who delivers a message from a First Order traitor to Finn and Poe at the beginning of ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ and voiced by none other than Mark Hamill.
Bag two gives us some interior decoration of the ship, with a nice little kitchenette, a crate and some pipes as well as the cockpit interior (including D-O) and portion of the side and engines which are now brick built rather than a long transparent blue tube and the effect is much better.
And what Millennium Falcon set would be complete without the best co-pilot in the Galaxy? Yes it’s the obligatory Chewie mini-fig complete with stud launching Bowcaster. Not much can be said about this figure as it’s not changed in the past five years (not including the ‘Solo’ versions of course).
Bag number three finishes off the back half of the sides, including a third section of the engines. On the interior we get a hyperdrive as well as two beds which we also got in the 2015 version but these have also been updated, using more pieces to add details that weren’t there in the previous version.
The fourth bag builds the central hub of the ship, with details all around but the big different from before is the computer console, using three stickers pieces, it feels much more screen accurate and streamlined than before.
The upper part of the ship starts to get some detail as well, building up the mid-section in either side and bridging them to the centre which will house the gunners controls.
And returning to our screen and the Millennium Falcon is the former Baron Administrator of Bespin, Lando Calrissian, complete with cane and mini-bowcaster that he uses on Pasaana. Wonderfully accurate with the character in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, this figure was a big draw for me to getting this set. The cape is made out of two parts, the collar and the cape itself. The product images show Lando with the collar up but in the film it’s down, so I’ve fiddled with it to stay that way.
Bag five adds a new and very well detailed, brick built chair to go with the console in the central hub as well as the ‘corridor’ leading the the cockpit.
Bag six adds the Dejarik table, the seating area and the exterior for this part of the ship. Rather than having all three seats connected, this time the designers have made them separate, the two on either side are stuck in place whilst the middle is on a rotating plate which causes it to wobble. Out of the new design additions I feel that this is the most pointless when the previous iterations had a solid seating area.
The seventh bag adds the two blaster turrets as well as the landing gears and completes the storage compartment, which unlike the 2015 version, is properly secured using a Technic pin rather then being flimsy and easily removed.
This bag also gives us C-3PO. Lego have used this version for every iteration of the character, which is understandable because the design doesn’t really change, except of course the red arm which is quickly replaced, but the printed design needs an update because he no longer has the silver leg which was only used in ‘A New Hope’.
The eighth bag builds the two forward mandibles. Not a lot can be said about these really, the design hasn’t been updated other than which parts have which colour plates on them. The flick missiles are the same and their firing mechanism is the same.
Speaking of the same, we get R2-D2 and like the C-3PO mini-fig it’s the same as the one we’ve gotten over the last few years.
Bag 9 puts the upper hull on at the back. Most of the detail is through greenling with the exception of the six stickers to represent the six heat exhaust vents. The central panel lifts up on its own but each of the other two panels lift independently. These are the biggest change to the design, as the three previous iterations had separate panels that opened all around the ship, which left gaps between them. Now this way doesn’t have those gaps.
The tenth and final bag finished off the outer hull and the cockpit. Again some fantasy greebling here and only one sticker to show blaster damage. Like previous iterations, the middle part of the hull folds down towards the mandibles whilst the hull on either side open. The radar dish is present and now uses a Battle Droid arm as an added detail that hold the dis steady.
The final mini-fig is Finn. It’s the same version as the one available in the ‘Sith TIE Fighter. The detail is great and the addition of his bag is a nice touch.
Fully built this is an impressive set (as are the 2015 and 2018 versions). When the ship is closed, the new design works beautifully, those unsightly gaps are no more. The drawback however is that when you open up the segments they feel flimsy, like they could break apart if you held them too hard. Maybe if they had a few more pieces on each one just to strengthen them that problem would be eliminated.
The interior looks good and feels more spacious than before. The new little details like the beds, the kitchenette and the upgraded console in the centre just add more to the set.
I don’t understand why we have a D-O figure in the cockpit. Perhaps it was a previous idea that was planned when Lego started designing the sets that ultimately changed throughout the making of the film.
The mini-fig selection is a mixed bag, with only two that are exclusive to this set, and one of those only appears for a minutes. Luckily the new design of the set is a big draw for collectors so that’s a plus.
Overall, this set is great. It’s fun to build because the new design has changed the order that parts are put together so it feels fresh, which was a bit of a problem for me when I built the 2018 version because for the most part (aside from the interior and a few design elements) it felt just like building the 2015 version in a different colour.
Hopefully now that The Skywalker Saga is over, we won’t get so many Millennium Falcon sets is so short a time. Give it a few years, see what needs redesigning or upgrading, but please, give us five years without a new one.
Thank you for visiting My Star Wars Life Debt.
You can visit the new YouTube Channel HERE.
If you have enjoyed this blog/podcast, please like/share/comment/follow.
If you would like to contribute to the upkeep of the blog please visit the Patreon Page HERE.
Please visit the new Life Debt Merch Cantina HERE.
Funko POP! Vinyl Fan? Use THIS CODE to sign up to Pop In A Box and get discount on your first purchase.
My Star Wars Life Debt 