Pin collecting is a pretty good way to keep the collecting up and i’m sure none of you will be too surprised to learn that i have a growing collection of Millennium Falcon related pins and badges. The Jumbo pins are a particular favourite, probably because i like the fact that they can be shown off while still in the box. This jumbo Dejarik table pin from Disney will be a really nice addition.
It’s 3 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall. With shipping it’ll be $100, but some of the creatures move, which is a very nice touch in my opinion.
Disney jumbo pins are usually limited to 500 or 2000 pieces, but i can’t find anything on the edition size of this one.
One of my favourite sites is the SFFChronicles forum which discusses Science Fiction in all of it’s glory. One of the Chroners posted a thread asking what our reading goals were for 2021. A great question, and one that i should include into my hobby, seeing as how it takes up much of my time. I read on mighty Jabba’s wonderful collection blog that there are two types of collector. Those who collect for the sake of collecting, and those who enjoy and display their collection. This is my collection at the moment.
I do have some bits displayed, but my collection room is what can only be described as a flea pit of horror. It’s quite clear that I fall into the “acquisition” type of collector. 🙂 I need to tidy my collection and I think the next few weekends are the time to do it.
Paintings and prints to be hung and some shelves would really clear up the smaller items. The problem is the larger items such as the Attakus diorama and MR Falcon, which are hugely impressive and really need to be displayed. Cases are expensive. An acrylic case for the MR Falcon is £300, and I’m not sure how I can generate room enough to display them.
Another issue is my growing collection of prints. Most of them are in tubes and I really need to get a nice plan chest to flatten and store them. There are some decent ones on Amazon but again, can I make enough room?
I also think I’d prefer an antique plan chest as there are some lovely ones out there. Which ones do you prefer?
Back in the nineties, LucasArts was a powerhouse of epic gaming, with many great titles under their belt. X-Wing (released in 1993), was an excellent “space combat simulator” well regarded by most players. It had two sequels in Tie Fighter (1994) and X-Wing: Alliance (1999).
X-Wing: Alliance box cover
In X-Wing: Alliance, you played as Ace Azzemeen, a pilot trader who’s family is killed by the Empire. Joining the Rebellion, you played multiple missions as a fighter pilot with the game culminating in you piloting the Millennium Falcon through the Death Star. I was genuinely useless at this game. 🙂 The games are still very enjoyable and you can download series from Steam for £22.
I won this promotional Lucasarts postcard on ebay for a princely £2. I believe that the seller has more available.
It’s good to see the RoTJ Death Star Battle as it’s one of the more underrated battles of the trilogy. The postcard itself is pretty dark, so the background is quite difficult to make out.
As furlough continues to take it’s bite, finding small bits like this are ideal to keep the momentum of my collection moving forward.
To be honest, only the ANH Print fits into my collection focus, but I suppose I’m a completist at heart and I regret not getting full sets 100% of the time. 🙂
The second print is “This is no Cave!” by William O’Neill and is of the Falcon racing from the Exogorth in the Asteroid Field.
This is no Cave! by William O’Neill
This is No Cave!
“’This is No Cave!’ depicts the thrilling moment when our heroes, in the Millennium Falcon, just manage to escape from the gaping jaws of the horrific space slug as seen in The Empire Strikes Back. The composition of the piece is also an homage to a classic movie poster starring a very hungry Carcharodon carcharias.” — William O’Neill
As with the other prints, this is limited to 250 pieces and are $45 for and are 13″ by 19″.
Disney have released images of 21 art prints that have been selected for Celebrations 20/21. Alas, with the pandemic in full swing, the actual event was cancelled, but the prints have been made available on the Dark Ink site. As you would expect, some of these prints are truly stunning and quite diverse in their ficus. Unfortunately, of the 21 prints, only two really fit into my collection.
“I started the propaganda series back in 2007 with ‘Spirit of ’77’ and here I am with the 8th piece in the series, ‘On The Eve Of War.’ The Rebellion was built on scraps and what better way to illustrate that than ‘support your own’ style propaganda. Usually, I would alternate between the Rebellion and the Empire, but this year I was really struggling to bring an Imperial concept to fruition. I had been wanting to do this piece for a few years and then we lost Peter Mayhew, and it made this piece mean even more to me. I found a new drive to make this piece come together. I hope it captures the heart behind those who never seem to tire in the battle against the Empire.” — Cat Staggs
I really enjoy the propaganda poster style of this print. A theme which runs through a few of her works.
Limited to an edition size of 250 pieces and is $75. The print itself is 18″ by 24″
This Eau du Toilette from the Game On Product Group in Australia definitely counts as one of the wierder items that you can add to any collection.
However, it is very rare to get Millennium Falcon related glassware and the bottle does look kind of nicely done. I can’t help thinking that the cockpit would make a better place for the nozzle.
Available in 100ml or 70ml sizes. The guys of the Rebelscum forums suggested that I can get it here.
Mondo are releasing the soundtract to Solo: A Star Wars Story in vinyl, the first time that the Solo sound track by John Powell has been physically released on vinyl.
Featuring original artwork by Cesár Moreno, it comes in a rather handsome gatefold with “Hyperspace” 180 gram printed vinyl picture discs. (The edition will also be available in normal, black vinyl, too.) I Love the way that the sleeves are presented as the cockpit.
The back cover is also quite something. I wonder if it glows in the dark?
Available from today at midday CST (18:00 GMT), for $35 each. They are expected to ship in January 2021.
Track List:
Disc 1, Side 1 “The Adventures of Han” – Music composed and conducted by John Williams, “Meet Han” “Corellia Chase” “Spaceport” “Flying With Chewie”
Disc 1, Side 2 “Train Heist” “Marauders Arrive” “Chicken In The Pot” “Is This Seat Taken” “L3 and The Millennium Falcon” “Lando’s Closet”
Disc 2, Side 1 “Mine Mission” “Breakout” “The Good Guy” “Reminiscence Therapy”
Disc 2, Side 2 “Into The Maw” “Savareen Standoff” “Good Thing You Were Listening” “Testing Allegiance” “Dice and Roll”.
I have always been a big fan of Science Fiction cutaway art and cross sections. It probably started in the eighties when I used to see adverts in Starlog magazine for the Enterprise D. I don’t know what it is about them that makes them so appealing. Perhaps they make a fantasy item that little bit more real by fleshing it out. Thanks to publishers such as DK Books, it appears to be an art form that is gaining a lot of popularity. In the eighties I collected blueprints where I could. Mostly Star Trek, but i did pick up a pack of Millennium Falcon prints under the heading of “Selayna” class freighter. Other examples included deck plans in Shane Johnson’s Star Wars Technical Journal, or various YT-1300 layouts in the Star Wars RPG by West End Games and their Sourcebooks, (which i still have in my SW library), were a treasure trove of information and pictures and artwork at the time. When I decided to focus collect, Christopher Cushman‘s wonderful cutaway poster was one of first things I bought. It’s rich in colour and I enjoy the way it’s presented as a part of a larger scene from ESB. (A nod to Slave 1 in the background, in amongst the garbage.)
Millennium Falcon – Christopher Cushman
I had already seen Christopher’s Star Trek cutaways but he has done a few Star Wars prints. His Millennium Falcon print was my first example of this kind of artwork and remains my favourite version to this day. Chris also is the only artist to have painted the top hatch on the right side of the Falcon. The print is 36″ by 24″ and you can buy them (along with his other cutaway work), here for $19.95 or $40 for a signed version. I would love to know what happened to the original.
Unfortunately, Chris had a very bad experience when his publisher attempted to replace him and commissioned Brian Sauriol to paint another cutaway. Fortunately, Chris was able to proove his version of events and now sells the print himself. Sadly, Brian’s painting went unpublished and only surfaced again in 2013 after being rediscovered. Brian wanted to sell it, along with all associated documentation and drafts. Quite a rarity.
Millennium Falcon Cutaway by Brian Sauriol-1993
(Click the image for full size.) Sadly, it didn’t sell until earlier this year when it went under the hammer at Heritage Auction house for $23, 750. I’m surprised that this didn’t end up in George Lucas’s collection of narrative art. I also hoped that ACME would have optioned for some prints of this, as I would love to own a copy. Alas, it was not to be.
Dorling Kindersley Books (DK Books)
In 1998, DK books (already well known for their series of Incredible Cross Section and educational books), released a series of Star Wars books, including a Star Wars Incredible Cross sections, featuring artwork by Richard Chasemore and Hans Jenssen. The Millennium Falcon is on a lavish gatefold. (This gatefold seems to have disappeared from the later collected releases, so if you haven’t yet got one of these, I heartily recommend getting an earlier version of the book.) It’s incredible to think that these were hand painted. This version was also released as a double sided print with Slave 1 on the reverse for Celebrations Japan. Unfortunately, it is very hard to track down.
Richard Chasemore and Hans Jenssen Millennium Falcon Cross Section for DK Books.
There is also an”exploded” version which was originally rejected. I can’t find a higher resolution image for this one,but you can find “prints” available sometimes. I don’t think they’re legitimate, though and I haven’t bought one.
Rejected version
These books are very popular and a new cross section book would be released for each prequel and sequel movie, but not Rogue One or Solo. The Sequel Trilogy version of the Millennium Falcon is by illustrator and concept artist, Kemp Remillard.
Kemp Remillard
It’s very nicely done and warrents a close inspection. There are enough changes to make it different from the OT version and there are also descreet nods to the Original trilogy, which I enjoyed looking out for.
The Final version in DK’s portfolio returns to Richard Chasemore once more, this version is from Solo and shows the Falcon in pristine condition when it was still in the hands of Lando Calrissian. Originally shown in the Solo Archives book, the “complete Cross Sections” book has a larger image to peruse.
Solo Cross Section by Richard Chasemore
I think this is a really nice version, but i have to confess that I am frustrated by the lack of detail on the escape pod between the mandibles. An addition I never understood and much preferred the original Cargo Handler idea. Unfortunately, the only decent image i can find is of the German version.
I don’t know if DK will return to the Millennium Falcon again, but i would hope so.
Ulises Farinas illustrates the popular “Where’s The Wookie” search and find books. I’m not sure if his Millennium Falcon counts as a cross section, but i definitely feel it’s worth posting here.
Ulises Farinas – Where’s The Wookie
Where’s the Wookie books are great fun and i totally recommend picking up a set. (You can get signed copies on Ulises web site.)
In addition to the DK books, there are also a couple of really nice books solely written around the Millennium Falcon that are well worth adding to any library. My favourite is the Haynes: Millennium Falcon/YT-1300 Owners Workshop Manual by Ryder Windham, Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas. Initially released in 2011, it was revised and updated to include new material for the upcoming release of Solo.
This book has a consolidated a lot of information that was available from various official and EU sources and it covered every aspect of the Falcon, including various upgrades, modifications and utility such as the escape pod seen on Hasbro’s BMF, the Cargo Loader or Life Raft. Featuring some amazing art from Chris Trevas, including some cutaway line drawings, this is a book superb.
The 3D Owners Guide was made availble for both the Original and Sequel trilogies, but not for Solo.
It is very different from other cross sections as it showcases the inside of the Falcon system by system using layered card to “peel” away the interior.
Very cleverly done. Again, illistrations are by Chris Trevas with the text by Ryder Windham. On the subject of Chris Trevas, he also illustrated for the Star Wars Blueprints. 40″ by 27″, you can buy these blueprints from Amazon.
StarWars Blueprints by Chris Trevas
It’s also nice to see a little bit of fan art out there, too. Sabre Haughton has painted this cross section and posted it on Instagram. Like the Cushman one, this one also has the Falcon as part of a larger scene. In this case, the battle over Endor.
Falcon over Endor by Sabre Haughton
He did say that he was looking into getting some limited edition prints done. I like the humour in this piece, which has Chewbacca on the Toilet.
Jeremy Ennis used to sell some of his work on Etsy and I am fortunate enough to have several pieces of his art in my collection. He creates Micro Art on a piece of Acetone and they’re very good. His version of the Millennium Falcon cutaway was pretty unique.
Jeremy Ennis
At 6″ by 8″, it’s tiny compared to the others, but really nicely done. I should go back and see is he did a plan version as well. Kinda reminds me a little of Joe Johnston’s pre-production drawings.
I think that’s it on art and books. If you guys know of other examples that i haven’t picked up on, please let me know. Part 2 will focus on merchandise.
I’ve been looking at this 12 piece Empire Strikes Back’s 40th Anniversary commemorative coin collection. Each of the coins has a scene from ESB in colour with other aspects in high relief. They look quite attractive in my opinion. The coins can be bough as a set for £179 or on a part work over 12 months for £14.99. (If you don’t want the set, you can also buy the coins individually for £14.99 each.)
ESB Commemorative Coin Collection
.999 silver plated, the face value is 25 cents issued from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. In addition to the 12 coins, you will also receive a gold plated and a solid silver duel coin which you get immediately. The entire set is displayed in this rather handsome gate folded display. I’m considering getting one, even though only 3 of the coins feature the Falcon.
