LEGO Star Wars 7965: Millennium Falcon

This is the second falcon Lego have produced in this play size. The original was very flimsy and not very playable as bits drop off all the time. Luckily Lego have made this a lot more durable meaning kids can zoom around the room holding it and it won't split into pieces.

The downside to this version however is there's not many interactive features compared to the previous version which had a retractable ramp and an escape pod which used Lego mechanics to retract and pop out.

This time around the sets very static perhaps to make it more durable but with the exception of the lid lifting off and a tray that drops out as a cargo dump there's no gadgets to add to the fun like with rogue shadow or similar kits; there's 4 flick missiles but they can't really be flicked given their position on the under carriage - it's just an easy feature Lego chuck in lately.

There's been some fan feedback that the underside is badly designed I think while it's true it could be better designed you don't see it unless you fly it around, plus the landing legs appear to be a rush job and very basic; with some additional pieces a fan could make better legs which are also taller so the landing ramp would support a figure walking up it currently this can't be done.

Build wise it's going to take you a few hours and an adult on hand for younger kids; there's some interesting techniques and also a few repetitive instructions for the panels etc.

At this stage the new falcon looks the part and is a great base to play with your characters even if theres a lack of mechanical gizmos and you do get quite a few minifigs however should vader be stored in the falcon? A c3po and r2 would have been better but I guess you need a baddy to play with however given the price we could have had the droids and a few troopers. (I'd also say Lego have a habit of classifying a few bits and pieces as minifigs lately; the training droid ihere s not a minifig it's a few bricks on a stick!)

Price wise it's hard to call; £100 would be right or some more technical features and figures to justify the additional £40 however what I can guarantee is this will be a Lego to invest in given the original sells for several hundred pound in good condition with a box. So keep the box for sure and enjoy this falcon as you won't get the original without spending a lot of money...

I bought this as I've been promising myself a Lego Millenium Falcon for the past few years (I should have bought the Ultimate Collectors Edition when it was released about 5 or 6 years ago but missed out). Whilst this model isn't in the same league as the collectors edition I wasn't disappointed. Build time was about 4 - 5 hours and not difficult. The model has some nice details (episode 4 specific) and the mini figures are great when fully assembled the model feel fairly sturdy.. My only criticism is that the kit is missing R2D2 and C3P0 mini figures and could have done with a couple of storm troopers as well. Surely for a kit valued at over £100 4 additional figures isn't too much to ask?

This is a tough and accurate representation of Han Solo's iconic ship and a vast improvement on the previous `mid-size' model. It is though, like most lego models of this size, very much for display purposes rather than for play.

Building time is probably around 3 to 4 solid hours and poses a decent challenge to construct, with 1254 pieces in total. On building, I was struck (as I often am with lego) by the cleverness of the design. The roof of the falcon is constructed in 13 hinged segments that can be turned upwards so the interior of the ship is completely exposed. There are not many gadgets, but the detail inside the ship is excellent, including the chess board seen in Star Wars and the smuggler's compartment. The circular body of the falcon is constructed using a number of small hinged pieces that lock together very neatly and tightly, keeping everything together. Others have complained that the underside of the ship is a little uninspiring to look at, but I believe it has been designed with strength in mind and certainly seems to do the job.

There are 6 good minifigures included, though you may find them duplicated with other sets you own; Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Vader may seems a little out of place in the set, but is no doubt there for his lightsabre duel with Obi-Wan at the end of A New Hope. Perhaps the inclusion of figures of R2D2 and C3PO would have also been appropriate.

Cost-wise, I have seen the set available anywhere between £95 and £130, so it is probably best to hunt around before purchasing. Beware that the dimensions in Amazon's listing above are the dimensions of the box in which it comes, not of the completed model. The completed ship is however quite large and heavy, weighing in at around 2 kg and it actually measures about 46cm in length and 33cm in width. In lego terms it represents pretty good value in comparison to some of the other sets available, and a good investment. In any case, the completed Falcon looks absolutely terrific and is surely an essential purchase for any collector of Star Wars lego.

Definitely the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.