Millennium Falcon Collection, Day 14: Extraordinaire

So, here it is, the gem of my MF collection, the piece de resistance . This Falcon was actually a display piece at Toys R Us stores across the country. It is not in-scale with the actual prop used in the movie. Instead, it is a large scale mock-up of the POTF2 version right on down to the decals. There were only about 700 of these ships made.

Around 1998 or so (I'm not really sure), the Rosie O'Donnell show held a raffle that you could enter to win one of 500 of these beasts. About three or four months after we entered, I got a note that I had won the ship. There was a letter that I had to sign that said I would never use it for profitable purposes or sell it . I had to have this letter notarized and return it. A month or so after that, there was a giant-ass box waiting for me at the front door.

This thing is huge. Standing on its tail it is six feet tall. I included my Legacy Collection Falcon as a size reference. For the first three years or so of my marriage it was suspended from the ceiling of my play room. The only thing you could do was sit under it, though. I said it was HUGE. Sadly, they were given away on an "as-is" basis, and as you could imagine, the couple of years most spent on display were rough on these ships. Mine show evidence of being under a skylight, it is very yellowed near the right rear of the ship, which would be the part directly perpendicular to an overhead skylight. Several of the decals have fallen off as well, and one of the electric lights from the top has fallen in the ship. It's still a beautiful piece though.

Millennium Falcon Collection, Day 13: The Legacy Collection

OMFG. What else can you say about this thing? I got it from my wonderful, beautiful, sweet, gorgeous, patient, loving, caring, kind wife for our wedding anniversary last year. It is, without a doubt, the greatest single Star Wars toy/play set ever created. Where to start? The thing's loaded with electronics and sounds. There are five or six buttons througout the outer hull, each one that plays multiple sound effects. The engine lights up and glows blue. Any time you move something on the ship, it makes a sound.

The landing ramp opens automatically with the press of a button. It makes a sound, and two bright LEDs on the underside of the hull illuminated the ground on either side of the ramp.

You can pull the "hidden" cannon out, and it will fire a spring-loaded missile. You can't see it in the above photo, but for the first time an action figure-scale Falcon comes with a lower quad-cannon.

On the left side of the ship is a hatch that opens up to reveal the Falcon's escape pod. Opening and closing the hatch, as well as removing and returning the escape pod to its port also play sound effects. On the side of the hull directly above the pod in the photo is a knob that, when twisted, will rotate the satellite dish.

The cockpit is large enough to fit four figures. The front seats slide forward and back to accommodate different sized figures. There are lights on the rear bulkhead behind the rear seats. The interior of the cockpit is incredibly accurate...

...as is the rest of the interior. The chess table lights up and comes with tiny little figures. The couch around the table is curved just like the real thing.

The console and chair Han is sitting at are very close to what is seen on screen, as is the tiny little seat Obi-Wan is sitting on. There is even a training remote included. The same knob that rotates the satellite dish moves the little arm the training remote hangs from. Directly beneath Luke's and Obi-Wan's is the hatch that Han and Lando Calrissian climb through to perform repairs on the ship during The Empire Strikes Back.

Although the ship has two quad-cannons, it only comes with one gunnery chair. Not terribly disappointing, though, considering how great this thing is. You can see the lower quad-cannon through the window behind Han.

This is the med bay, which is immediately aft of the boarding ramp. There is a small hole which supposedly is going to fit an accessory that comes with a figure or pack of figures later in the line. To the right of the med bay are a set of double doors that allow access to the rear of the ship, but there is no access to what is beyond.

What else can I say. This is an impressive ship, the highlight of my collection. I know its pricey, but I just can't recommend this enough to any Star Wars fan.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 12: POTF2

This version of the Falcon was released in 1995, and really it is nothing more than the original Kenner Flacon with a fancy paint job and some electronics added. It's not to scale by any stretch, but it's still a necessary ship to add to any Star Wars vehicle collection.

The only bad thing about this ship is that it was originally designed to fit the old-style Kenner action figures, so you can't really fit the larger, beefed-up POTF2 figures in the cockpit or the gunner's station. That's why I've got my old Star Wars figures manning the battle stations. You can also fit the more recent figures in the ship. There's no way that the POTF2 Han Solo or Chewbacca are going to fit in the cockpit, at least at the same time.

For those who don't have one, all the normal stuff you'd expect to move will move. The satellite dish and quad-cannon rotate, landing gear and boarding ramp extend and retract. The one bad thing is that because of the placement of the front landing gear, the Falcon is a little front heavy and will have a tendency to tip forward.

The interior may seem a little sparse, but compared to the interior of the other Kenner ships or even the AT-AT, its downright spacious. There's the chess table, a smuggling compartment, and gunner's chair. It was also fun to open this ship and put it together, there were a lot of decals to put on and that's something I've always enjoyed doing with my toys. The detail on the inside of the ship? That's one, big, continuous decal.

This version of the Falcon has been eclipsed in recent years in terms of being really impressive, but its still an awesome ship and one I'm glad to have in my collection.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 11: POTF2 Carrying Case

Released in 1997 as part of the Power of the Force line, I believe this was the first time this case was available. I don't think it was made for the original run of Star Wars figures. The space inside the case are rather large, and I don't think it would have held the smaller original figures very well. The case came with one of two exclusive figures, Wedge Antilles or an "Imperial Scanning Crew" member.

The case has room for 18 figures (plus one that you could stash in the cockpit area). I'd like to tell you that when I got this case I was thinking "Millennium Falcon collection," but that ain't the case. Believe it or not, this was the first time it was possible to buy a Wedge Antilles figure. That's right, folks...aliens that appeared for half a second in the Cantina or Jabba's Palace? They probably had a figure for that. But the only rebel pilot to participate in the destruction of both Death Stars AND the Battle of Hoth, well, you had to wait until 1997 to get his action figure. He was available again a year later in a "Cinema Scenes" three-pack along with Ten Numb and Arvel Crynyd, their claims to fame being Nien Numb's brother and the guy that crashed into the Executor's bridge, respectively. This version was a less beefed up version and also had a removable helmet.

There were actually two variations for Wedge. Originally, he was released with the piping on his shoulders painted white and Luke Skywalker's helmet markings. This was quickly rectified, and I'm pretty sure the error variant is pretty damn pricey on the secondary market. But why would you want a Wedge figure with an inaccurate helmet, anyway?

I think the 15 year wait was worth it, though. Just look at the level of detail on that helmet. There's no way that would have been possible on the vintage figures.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 10: Galactic Heroes

I have resisted most of the ships from the Galactic Heroes line. They're just so cool looking (to me) that I'm scared I'd want to get them all. The only one I've allowed myself so far is the Falcon (although I have been tempted by Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and severely tested by the Rebel Snowspeeder and I'd be all over a AT-AT.)

This Falcon came with four figures; Bespin Han Solo (I don't know where I got the ANH version of Han pictured, but he's the pilot of this ship), Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2(not pictured). It's also loaded with sound effects. The button on top of fthe quad-cannons makes the cannons move back and fort (in and out) and also makes a firing sound. There is another button on the outer hull that makes a couple of "the Falcon's engines won't start" sounds. There is are two buttons inside the ship. If you press one a couple of times will make a few "R2-D2 fixing the ship" sounds. Once you do this, you can press the button on the outer hull again and it will make a "Falcon jumps to hyperspace" sound. Every time you press the button after that it will make the classic "Falcon fly-by" sound. This is only temporary, though, because as we all know, the Falcon is a piece of junk and its only a matter of time before her engines give out again. The inside of the ship is pretty much what you see here.

Unfortunately, this ship was a Wal-Mart Exclusive. It was widely available in the store at the time of its release, but for some reason this thing goes for crazy money on the secondary market. Its a nice little piece to add to your collection, but I don't think its worth what sellers are asking for it by a long shot.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 7: MicroMachines Playset

This playset was released by Galoob in 1995. It's got some really wacky proportions, and came with some figures that are even smaller (and less posable) than the figures that were included with the Action Fleet vehicles. It's not really a Millennium Falcon toy so much as it's a Millennium Falcon shaped playset for MicroMachine vehicles.

The included figures were Han Solo (in a Bespin-style outfit), Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian (in his ROTJ "General" attire), his ROTJ co-pilot Nien Numb, Princess Leia (in ESB "inside the asteroid slug" attire, complete with a gas mask), C-3PO (holding his detached leg ala ESB) and a winged bat-like figure that is supposed to be a Mynock but doesn't look like one.

The ship opens up like a clamshell with one half available for the included figures, and the other half for MicroMachines. On the figure side, there is a medical bay, several opening "smuggling compartments," a working boarding ramp, and a chess table. Turning the table makes the turret turn as well.

The MicroMachines half has three hardpoints where you can attach MircoMachines, a "working" crane and that's about it. Turning the large wheel in the center makes the whole thing rotate, and each individual hardpoint rotates as well. It's not the best looking Falcon in the world, but its nice and heavy, so you could bludgeon the cat with it or something.

Millennium Falcon Month(s), Day 6: Action Fleet

The bad news: I'm lazy
The good news: Millennium Falcon Month has been extended by another Month!!!

Again from the Star Wars revitalization period of the mid-nineties, this version of the Falcon belonged to the Micro Machines Action Fleet line, which were six-inch vehicles that usually came with one or to really tiny pilots (not shown 'cuz I don't know where it is. They were really tiny.) This mold was released three times; in 1997 as a single-pack and again in a Toys 'R Us exclusive "Classic Duels" two-pack along with a TIE Interceptor, and finally in a single-pack again in 2002.

My memory's a bit sketchy but I'm pretty sure this is the version from the Classic Duels pack because I also have a TIE Interceptor. The Action Fleet, for me, was really neat because they were just the right size for you to run around the room with a TIE Fighter going "eeeeeEEEEEaaaaaahhhhh."

I think that's what they meant by calling this line "Action Fleet" anyway, that you could run around the room staging mock Battles of Endor with the couch serving as the forest moon. The "action" on the ship itself is pretty limited. The canopy opens, which means you can loose the tiny little pilot figure easily. The upper quad cannon and the satellite dish swivel. The rear of the ship opens up to reveal a deck plate. The deck plate opens up to reveal what I assume is where Han Solo goes when he's making it with a hot alien chick because there's a nice big plush couch in there (pictured).

See ya next time. Until then, I'll be searching frantically for my tiny little Han Solo figure so I can swoosh around the room with my Action Fleet Millennium Falcon, pretending to pick up hot alien chicks.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 5: Collector Watch Case

My lovely wife (who is leaning over my shoulder and reading this as I type) snagged this one for me one day back in 1996 or 1997. I can't remember if it was a Christmas or a birthday present or what. I like it because it looks classy. You know, like some brushed aluminum antique Millennium Falcon or something. It also came with a Darth Vader watch, which was just a wrist strap with Darth Vader's head on it. Flipping the face open revealed a simple LCD instead of the lifeless face of Luke Skywalker with smoke billowing from his eye socket like I hoped. I still have the watch somewhere. I think.

BONUS ITEM: If you open up the case, there's a tiny little map of the galaxy inside! Unfortunately, the Kessel Run is not marked.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 4: Taco Bell

During the big lead-up to the release of the Star Wars Special Editions, Taco Bell released a set of Star Wars themed toys with its kid's meals. Included in this set were a this Falcon, a Darth Vader & Yoda Magic Cube, a Puzzle Cube, a Balancing Boba Fett, a Floating Cloud City, and the slightly infamous Exploding Death Star (Which reportedly was recalled. To make the Death Star "explode" you press a button, which makes the Death Star spin and centrifugal force makes the Death Star open up like a flower. Supposedly these parts flew off during operation, forcing the recall and briefly causing a huge increase in demand for the toy on the secondary market. Nowadays, the Death Star typically sells for a few dollars more than the other toys in this set.)

This version of the Millennium Falcon is supposedly is a "gyroscope" and there is indeed a weight inside the toy that spins. It came with a rip cord that you insert to make the weight spin, but the weight doesn't spin very well, and the little peg on the bottom of the ship that it balances on is so thick that the gyroscopic function is really kind of useless. (And I've long since lost the ripcord that comes with it anyway.)

But I have one and you don't, so there.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 3: Burger King

Yep. You read that right. Burger King.

This Falcon was part of a set of 30+ toys that Burger King released with their kids' meals in conjunction with Episode III: Revenge of the Sith circa 2005. The toys were all in the "super-deformed" style, and came in one of 5 categories; pull-back vehicles, plushies, wind-up figures, 3-D viewer figures, and water-squirting figures. They must not have been a big hit, because most of the Burger Kings in my area were selling complete sets of the toys for $25 bucks.

I enjoy this little version of the Falcon just because it's such a different and neat little take on the ship.

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 2: Titanium

Not much to say about this one. If you're familiar Hasbro's Titanium line you know the drill. It's a 3-inch die-cast vehicle. The top and bottom turbolasers and the satellite dish all swivel.

I'm not 100% certain, but this is probably the only Star Wars Titanium vehicle I have, I just don't care that much for the Titanium stuff. (I do have a few Battlestar Galactica Titaniums, though.)

Millennium Falcon Month, Day 1: Micro Machines

(LEGO Han Solo included for scale)

During the mid-90's, Star Wars was experiencing a huge resurgence, with the POTF2 and many, many, MANY other toy lines. One of the great things to come out of this resurrection was the Micro Machines line of Star Wars vehicles, which included not only teeny, tiny versions of your favorite ships, but also the Action Fleet which were larger and included teeny, tiny figures to pilot them, as well as several larger vehicle-shaped playsets.

Galoob released this version of the Millennium Falcon for three years. In 1993/94 it was included in a 3-pack along with Micro Machines versions of the X-wing and Star Destroyer, and in 1995 it was included in a new 3-pack with Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and the Jawa Sandcrawler. There were also die-cast versions of the ship available as single-carded toys and these were, as far as I can tell, the same mold.

I'll be honest, I don't know which of the two 3-packs the one pictured came from. I have the other four vehicles it was included with, and I have 3 or 4 more Falcons as well.

"Vintage" Star Wars Figures

Star Wars toys represent a toy zenith of sorts from my childhood. Sure, I had other toys from my childhood that maybe got more play, and if you ask me "what is the best toy you ever had?" I might not pick a Star Wars toy at first (Cobra Rattler, in case you're wondering.) However, when I look back at all the toys I had when I was little, I get quite a bit nostalgic and maybe even a little euphoric when I think about Star Wars toys.

I didn't really have very many of the larger vehicles. No A-Wings, B-Wings, X- or Y-Wings. No Millennium Falcon, no Imperial Shuttle. I had Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and one Christmas I got my prized AT-AT and an AT-ST. But that was it as far as the more popular vehicles went. I also had a Bespin Cloud Car, but since it didn't really do much in the films I never really used it for much except maybe Princess Leia's personal ship (she let C-3PO ride shotgun.) I DID have quite a few of the Mini-Rig figures, like the CAP-2, MLC-3, INT-4 (which was my personal favorite because it looked like a flying AT-ST cockpit), MVT-7, and PDT-8, but they really gave off more of a Ralph McQuarrie vibe than a Star Wars vibe.

No, the figures where were it was at for me. I loved them. There was a period there for a year or so where I got a new figure every Friday from my dad. Sadly, most of my Star Wars toys (as well as most of my other stuff) didn't survive what I like to call "The Great Garage Sales Purges." But a few did make it, the examples pictured here.

I'm aware that there are endless possibilities for acquiring figures in better condition, replacement weapons and accessories, etc. but for some reason the idea never really appealed to me. I guess part of it is the fact that I can probably buy a better figure (one with elbows and knees and even ankles sometimes) for a cheaper price at retail, and part of it is that I'm not the same seven year old little boy that gleefully ripped open a Biker Scout in 1983 and felt like he'd just been given a million dollars. Yeah, maybe it would be nice to get some newer, cleaner figures that look like I just got them yesterday, but they wouldn't be MINE. They'd be some other kid's. Some jerkwad that kept all his toys in the package and wouldn't let his friends play with them when they came over. Oh, I've bought a couple more AT-AT Drivers to fill out my AT-AT's crew, but they're outranked by the one I got back in '81.

So, here are the last vestiges of my "vintage" Star Wars action figure collection. They live in a zip-loc bag in the cargo hold of my POTF2 Millennium Falcon when I'm not trying to get them to stand up for a picture.

LEGO Star Wars AT-ST

LEGO + Star Wars = WIN!

I have a crapload of LEGO Star Wars vehicles. Next to the Millennium Falcon, this one is by far my favorite.

If you know anything about AT-STs, you'll know that one of the "cheek" turrets is a twin blaster cannon and the other is a concussion grenade launcher. That is something that the original vehicle did not try to replicate. I, being a professional Star Wars nerd by the age of 2, was always bugged by this and am always happy when other AT-ST toys make note of this subtle difference.

I haven't bought much Star Wars stuff lately, but I was glad to add this one to the collection.

Star Wars: McQuarrie Signature Series - Concept Darth Vader and Stormtrooper

I don't know why I bought these. I'm so over Star Wars figures. Yeah, I'm still buying Stormtrooper/Sandtrooper/Biker Scouts. One can never have too many of those. I'd even be pumped if they finally announced a TIE Fighter Pilot or Snowtrooper in the new 30th Anniversary aesthetic. But other than that, Star Wars figures are just "meh" to me. Weird.

The Stormtrooper is a decent enough representation of the original McQuarrie painting, but just like the Darktrooper it's just only a step above a 3 3/4 inch statue. It has articulation at the hips, shoulders, neck, one wrist, and the elbows rotate left/right. The head isn't even on a ball joint. The shoulders have the same full articulation that is standard for current Star Wars figures, but since the elbows and wrists are so limited, it's really kind of wasted.

Darth Vader is by far superior in terms of articulation. It has all full articulation at the ankles, knees, wrists, shoulders, and a ball jointed head. They elbows are of the "45 degree" type, but I don't mind these because you don't have to worry about an ugly ball joint in the middle of the arm. He comes with a blue light saber and a laser pistol that fits in a hip holster (not seen because...well, dammit, Darth Vader doesn't use blasters.)

A nice bonus is that Darth Vader comes with two different heads.

However, I don't really have the inclination to try and figure out which head comes from what source. It's not that I can't...I probably have more books on McQuarrie's concept art than most fans (or more than is healthy for a normal human being to have)...it's that I just don't care.

Star Wars Darktrooper

I confess, I haven't really been paying much attention to the Star Wars action figure scene, there's just too much out there in peg-warmer territory for me. Except for Stormtroopers and the occasional wacky/off-the-wall figure, I really don't get too excited over Star Wars figures any more, and I don't keep up with what is coming out, when, at all. (Vehicles are another matter, I really, really want the TRU Exclusive Y-Wing, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, and the Target Exclusive Battle of Hoth AT-ST pack.)

I saw this guy sitting on the pegs at Wal-Mart. I like the Darktrooper design, and I guess this goes back to the days when I used to sit hunched over my old Win 95 PC and wasted time playing Dark Forces. Whatever the reason, I snatched this figure up and ripped him open when I got home. I really have mixed feelings about the figure, though. On the one hand, it is a very striking design; bulky, larger than the av-er-age bear, and sort of gives you the impression of a 'roided out Stormtrooper (and not "'roided out" in a bad way like the figures from the late '90's POTF2 action figures.) On the other hand, it has the same poseability as the Star Wars figures we all grew up with in the 80's. It has a whopping five points of articulation, the neck, the shoulders, and the hips. For this reason, the Darktrooper can hold extremely exciting, striking poses like this one...

...and...well, that's about it. Visions of putting him in sweet, Battlefront II mid-jump poses quickly evaporated. The sad thing is, the thing is big enough to have put some elbow, knee, and ankle joints. It's a nice four inch tall statue and that's about it. Actually, now that I think about it, my old Stormtroopers from the 80's don't have neck joints, so the Darktrooper is one up on them. SCORE!

Star Wars 30th Anniversary Boba Fett

I'm usually not too big on repaints. Not because I don't like them, but because the obsessive compulsive in me would want to get them all (which is why I've avoided the Episode II version Clone Trooper, I'd have to get the blue one, then the red one, then the yellow one, then the green one, it never ends.)

However, I'm a sucker for Boba Fett. Not because he kicked butt in the movies or anything, just because he's one of those guys in the Star Wars Universe that as a kid you like to dream up his back story and imagine him in all sorts of bounty hunting adventures. Pretty much every Boba Fett action figure Hasbro has released up to this point has sucked (not counting the original one my dad got me and stashed in the glove compartment of his Chevy Nova when I was 6), from the 'roided out versions from the 90's to the permanently bent-elbowed version released prior to this figure. However, this one is almost perfect, from the dented armor to the proportions (not bulky, not too tall).

When I first saw pictures of the Animated Debut version, I was kind of "meh" on it. However, I had to snag it when I actually saw it up close. I like the muted color scheme and it really makes this figure stand out, if that makes any sense. Hasbro even changed the Boba Fett's cape a little bit. Where the movie version is tattered and frayed, the Animated Debut is neatly trimmed. Plastic addicts can pick up either one of these without fear of being disappointed.