Millennium Falcon (#4504)

This one has been on my wishlist since it came out in 2004. Quite possibly one of the coolest ships ever. I found it on Bricklink for a really good deal because the set was incomplete (missing the figures and a few parts). It has taken a few weeks for the replacement parts to trickle in, but it's finally ready.


"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."


Han and Chewie both fit in the cockpit...


I don't remember this from the movie, but there's an escape pod on one side...


Luke is operating the turrets.


R2 is tending to the hyperdrive engine. I put in a seat for Obiwan and added a couple of clips to hold his and Luke's lightsabers.


Leia and C3PO at the holo-chess table...


A storage compartment (for smuggling, no one would ever think to look there...). The black disks are supposed to have stickers on them like the other two. Unfortunately the sticker sheet is going for about $15 on Bricklink right now, so they may stay black for a while.


The ramp even goes up and down when you pull on the end "thingy".

It's not the built-to-minifig-scale UCS version, but I think it's just the right size to actually play with. Rumor has it there will be a 10th Anniversary edition of the Falcon, but if the leaked photos are accurate, it's smaller than this set and doesn't actually fit any minifigs. Where's the fun in that?? In my book, this is by far the best Lego version of the Millennium Falcon.

TIE Bomber (#4479) - Modified

While I was looking around Bricklink for some parts for the Falcon, I found a few parts I could use to finish off my TIE Bomber. I never liked the spring-loaded missile that came with the original kit. Wasn't a big fan of the little transparent blue "bombs" either. No one likes stepping on those later.


I found a grey dome to use instead of the 6x6 dish I had on the front before.


Oooh, aahh, the back. There are some changes, but nothing that really jumps out...


TIE pilot. I want to improve the cockpit a little, but that'll wait.


The other side opens up now for the crew transport. If you check the databank on starwars.com, you'll see that the bomber was modified to transport crew. There's even a shot in Empire Strikes Back of a bomber being used to transport between star destroyers. That doesn't make me any less of a geek, however. It just means there is some basis for my modifications in the official Star Wars canon.


And here is the crew seating. I could fit one more trooper if I squished them up a bit, but on long flights, a little leg room is appreciated.

A-Wing, More Modifications (#6207)

While I'm waiting for a few more parts to come in for the Falcon (#4504), I had to tinker a bit with my Gold Squad A-Wing.


Here's the original version, nothing changed from the standard set other than the color scheme.


Here's the revised version. I took off the old guns and put in more movie-friendly guns. I think it makes the A-Wing look a bit more streamlined.


I also took out the grey post from the front and installed a retractable landing gear.


Here it is all folded up.

I have the parts ordered to modify the standard A-Wing as well. If only the yellow parts came in green, then I could do a variant to match the Return of the Jedi model, with light grey instead of white of course.