Star Wars Millennium Falcon

[Mike]

Star Wars - The Force Awakens
Millennium Falcon
Revell

Well, if you've had your head jammed behind a wardrobe for the last six months it might be news to you that we're being treated to a new Star Wars film under the Disney auspices, with J.J.Abrams at the helm. A raft of new characters, the return of some of the old favourites, and a host of new hardware will be gracing our screens as of December 2015, and quite frankly I can't wait!

The new Millennium Falcon is as recognisable of the other kits in this series, having only some minor modifications applied over the years since the original trilogy, the most noticeable being the new "radar" dish that replaces the large circular one of old.


The Kit
The first thing to get straight is that this is a kit, but it is firmly aimed at the younger audience, and has been simplified with them in mind, as well as being provided with a small sound-module that also has some lighting effects built in. inside the box the parts are held firmly by two vacuum formed clear end caps, with the smaller parts in a small polythene bag. There are 19 parts for you to put together, and if I'm honest I'm quite impressed with the quality of the detail, although it's probably not up to a serious modeller's standards without some upgrades, due to the simplification necessary on the very busy surfaces. That said though, it builds up in just a couple of minutes in the hands of an adult of limited intelligence such as this reviewer, and when it's done it looks really nice. Seriously!

It is moulded in ABS rather than normal styrene, as it gives a lot more strength to the finished model. It has some fun features like retractable landing gear, although these have been massively altered to make them strong enough for play, with little curved finger cut-outs to let you move them. The electronics are hidden within the rear fuselage and provide light and sounds when you press the central exhaust nearest the rear of the ship. The sounds cycle as before, and two blue LEDs light up the engine exhaust grille at the rear, which looks pretty good under the circumstances. If you've watched the videos I posted up the other day, you'll be pleased to know that they're a lot better than the audio would suggest, and they are as follows:

1. Fly-by
2. A slow and unrealistic shooting noise
3. Rapid fire that sounds like the self-defence cannons that pop out from the underside

The 1st and 3rd samples are a lifts from the film at a guess, while the 2nd is a poor fabrication of unknown provenance.

The radar is mobile and can spin on its base, as can the central gun turrets we grew to love in the first film. As already mentioned, the landing gear clicks in & out for flight and landing poses, but the canopy on this kit is just painted on with no clear panels or interior, which is a shame, but hardly surprising at this scale, which must be near to 1:144.


Conclusion
If you buy it expecting a highly detailed model of a new Millennium Falcon, you might be a tad disappointed, although I think that it has potential if you're willing to put the effort in to turn it into a "proper" model. Like the real thing, it is robust enough for extended play, and only a few bits may get dislodged or lost.

If you're a kid with a liking for Star Wars however, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy will seem absolutely awesome to you, and I can't wait for my five year-old to see them when he comes home from school.

Highly recommended if you understand what you're getting in the box.

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