Star Wars: Original Trilogy Collection: Millenium Falcon toy by Hasbro, review by Andrew Lenahan
Star Wars: Original Trilogy Collection: Millenium Falcon toy by Hasbro, review by Andrew Lenahan
Toy: Millenium Falcon
Property: Star Wars
Series: Original Trilogy Collection
Keywords: Millenium Falcon, Han Solo, starship, spaceship, smuggling ship, made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, smells kinda like a wookiee
Release year: 2004
Series Overview:
By 2004, both Star Wars prequels had already been extensively covered by various figure lines, and Revenge of the Sith was still a closely-guarded secret. Fortunately, Lucas had an ace up his sleeve to ensure that interest in the franchise remained strong: the long-awaited release of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Riding on this wave of nostalgia for the first three films, the Original Trilogy Collection of toys had a distinctively vintage feel, even going so far as to revive the familiar "curved metal bands" design from the vintage toy packaging.
Ship Overview:
Even among those who acknowledge Star Wars to be the finest toy line of all time, there's little doubt that its subjects often veer toward the obscure, sometimes at the expense of play value. For example, have you played with your Cloud Car lately? No such obscurity plagues the Millenium Falcon. Han Solo's smuggling ship is recognisable even to non-fans, and is a cultural icon. In the original trilogy it survived dramatic space battles, dynamic chases, and even a mynock hunt. Even its interior was the site of many memorable scenes, like Luke's Jedi ball and Chewbacca's dejarik victory. This ship is the very definition of play value.
Sculpt and Paint: 9.5
Although not merely a reissue of the vintage Millenium Falcon (there's some new features, keep reading), it's obvious right from the first glance that the 1979 original was strongly used as the basis for this version. This is fortunate, as the original Millenium Falcon was also a triumph of both design and playability. There's little new here in the way of sculpt detail, but the revamped paint job is excellent, giving the Falcon an appropriately weathered look. The effect is augmented by a wide variety of fun stickers which you get to apply yourself. This really is an excellent toy, with the only possible complaint being a relative lack of detail inside the ship itself.
Action features and playability: 10
My friends, it just doesn't get any better than this. Most spaceship toys focus on the outside, with maybe an opening cockpit or two. The Millenium Falcon has almost as much play value when it's landed as when it's whooshing through hyperspace, thanks to a large removable section of roof revealing a spacious interior with the dejarik table, rotating gunner station, removable smuggling compartment, and movable loading ramp. Observant fans will notice the lack of a Jedi practice ball which was present in the old Falcon. I can only guess why it was removed, but I suspect it was considered a choking hazard. There's also three pieces of retractable landing gear on the bottom of the ship. A cockpit at the front of the ship also opens, and the inside has been retooled, allowing the generally larger current figures to fit inside better. Two figures are supposed to be able to fit, and generally do, but don't go crazy... if you figured Ephant Mon and B'omarr Monk could fit in here, keep dreaming.
Of course, the Falcon is foremostly a space vehicle, and in-flight action certainly hasn't been ignored. The satellite dish can be manually rotated and pivots up and down, as does the top gun, which also includes a cool ratchet sound as it moves. But the real attraction here is the suite of sound and light features. There are four buttons on the side, each of which activates a combination of sound and light, such as flyby and firing the front guns. Even the rear thrusters glow blue, which looks very cool in the dark. Finallt, there's a firing missile on the front, with a nearby button, which lights as it fires and also has an accompanying sound.
Overall, the Millenium Falcon is a triumph of playability. The phrase "hours of fun" gets thrown around quite a lot, but in this case it certainly applies. Any imaginitive child, whether a Star Wars fan or not, should be able to get a huge amount of fun from this toy, justifying its cost many times over.
Packaging: Average
It comes in a sturdy printed non-window box, typical of a toy of this size. Like the rest of the Original Trilogy Collection, it has a vintage look to it.
Overall score: 10
Being an improvement on the original Millenium Falcon, which in itself was a classic toy, is no small task. This new version pulls it off with (quite literally) flying colours. This is the best Star Wars vehicle yet, and I do not hesitate to give it my full recommendation.
Availability:
As of this writing, availability of Original Trilogy Collection items is dwindling, as stores clear shelf space for Revenge of the Sith items. You might still be able to find the Falcon at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, or Amazon.com (link). Alternatively, try eBay.
Toy: Millenium Falcon
Property: Star Wars
Series: Original Trilogy Collection
Keywords: Millenium Falcon, Han Solo, starship, spaceship, smuggling ship, made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, smells kinda like a wookiee
Release year: 2004
Series Overview:
By 2004, both Star Wars prequels had already been extensively covered by various figure lines, and Revenge of the Sith was still a closely-guarded secret. Fortunately, Lucas had an ace up his sleeve to ensure that interest in the franchise remained strong: the long-awaited release of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Riding on this wave of nostalgia for the first three films, the Original Trilogy Collection of toys had a distinctively vintage feel, even going so far as to revive the familiar "curved metal bands" design from the vintage toy packaging.
Ship Overview:
Even among those who acknowledge Star Wars to be the finest toy line of all time, there's little doubt that its subjects often veer toward the obscure, sometimes at the expense of play value. For example, have you played with your Cloud Car lately? No such obscurity plagues the Millenium Falcon. Han Solo's smuggling ship is recognisable even to non-fans, and is a cultural icon. In the original trilogy it survived dramatic space battles, dynamic chases, and even a mynock hunt. Even its interior was the site of many memorable scenes, like Luke's Jedi ball and Chewbacca's dejarik victory. This ship is the very definition of play value.
Sculpt and Paint: 9.5
Although not merely a reissue of the vintage Millenium Falcon (there's some new features, keep reading), it's obvious right from the first glance that the 1979 original was strongly used as the basis for this version. This is fortunate, as the original Millenium Falcon was also a triumph of both design and playability. There's little new here in the way of sculpt detail, but the revamped paint job is excellent, giving the Falcon an appropriately weathered look. The effect is augmented by a wide variety of fun stickers which you get to apply yourself. This really is an excellent toy, with the only possible complaint being a relative lack of detail inside the ship itself.
Action features and playability: 10
My friends, it just doesn't get any better than this. Most spaceship toys focus on the outside, with maybe an opening cockpit or two. The Millenium Falcon has almost as much play value when it's landed as when it's whooshing through hyperspace, thanks to a large removable section of roof revealing a spacious interior with the dejarik table, rotating gunner station, removable smuggling compartment, and movable loading ramp. Observant fans will notice the lack of a Jedi practice ball which was present in the old Falcon. I can only guess why it was removed, but I suspect it was considered a choking hazard. There's also three pieces of retractable landing gear on the bottom of the ship. A cockpit at the front of the ship also opens, and the inside has been retooled, allowing the generally larger current figures to fit inside better. Two figures are supposed to be able to fit, and generally do, but don't go crazy... if you figured Ephant Mon and B'omarr Monk could fit in here, keep dreaming.
Of course, the Falcon is foremostly a space vehicle, and in-flight action certainly hasn't been ignored. The satellite dish can be manually rotated and pivots up and down, as does the top gun, which also includes a cool ratchet sound as it moves. But the real attraction here is the suite of sound and light features. There are four buttons on the side, each of which activates a combination of sound and light, such as flyby and firing the front guns. Even the rear thrusters glow blue, which looks very cool in the dark. Finallt, there's a firing missile on the front, with a nearby button, which lights as it fires and also has an accompanying sound.
Overall, the Millenium Falcon is a triumph of playability. The phrase "hours of fun" gets thrown around quite a lot, but in this case it certainly applies. Any imaginitive child, whether a Star Wars fan or not, should be able to get a huge amount of fun from this toy, justifying its cost many times over.
Packaging: Average
It comes in a sturdy printed non-window box, typical of a toy of this size. Like the rest of the Original Trilogy Collection, it has a vintage look to it.
Overall score: 10
Being an improvement on the original Millenium Falcon, which in itself was a classic toy, is no small task. This new version pulls it off with (quite literally) flying colours. This is the best Star Wars vehicle yet, and I do not hesitate to give it my full recommendation.
Availability:
As of this writing, availability of Original Trilogy Collection items is dwindling, as stores clear shelf space for Revenge of the Sith items. You might still be able to find the Falcon at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, or Amazon.com (link). Alternatively, try eBay.
posted by Andrew Lenahan at 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
10,000 Maddies agree! My most favorite toy EVER!!!!! Everyone should own a Millenium Falcon! It is a work of true toy genius. I used to long for this when I was little....and now...I have THREE!!! One vintage and two newer ones. I am in Heaven!
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