Mffanrodders's Blog

Merchandise

So, after looking at books and artwork showcasing cross sections of the Falcon, it’s only fair that we take a look at the merchandise. To my knowledge, there isn’t that much that can truly be called “Cross Section”, but there are a few.

I’ll start with my favourite collectible, the Attakus Millennium Falcon and Death Star Hall diorama.

Released under the Attakus Metal brand in 2005, at the same time as Master Replicas’s Studio Scale Millennium Falcon model, it never really stood a chance. At nearly two metres long and weighing nearly a quarter of a ton, it is an absolute beast and it’s a rare collector that has that kind of room and this must surely rate as one of the most ambitious collectibles ever. At the time, I rather wisely decided to go for the MR Falcon but I lusted after this for ten years before I was finally able to get one.

The detailing is exquisite but for the price being asked (2,400 Euros plus shipping), I think the decision not to include some lighting probably hurt their sales somewhat and it’s a shame that this was not a success. This was the first in a line of dioramas due to showcase a key scene in each film, in this case, A New Hope and the lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.

The Empire Strikes Back would have been Luke’s training on Dagobah and a prototype was made, (Complete with submerged X-Wing and Yoda’s hut), but never made it to production.

The diorama came in 3 parts (Death Star Hall, the hanger base and the Millennium Falcon itself and shipped on a pallet. Limited to an edition size of only 400, there where also 13 figurines to collect separately. Each of the figurines had a larger edition size of 2500. Attakus have always received a lot of criticism for the likenesses on the human figurines, (which is off), but the troopers, Vader and the droids were great.

There were also two “exclusive” figurines, (Luke in the Stormtrooper disguise for the Falcon and the Mouse Droid for the Death Star Hall), which were redeemable with certificates enclosed with the diorama. Attakus promised to fulfill the exclusives, but only sent a few of them out, so they are both rare and are massive “grail” items for me.

I don’t think the figures made their full production run either, as I had a really hard time tracking down the Leia and Han Solo figurines. I did enjoy collecting them, though, and tracking Leia down and adding her to my collection was a lot of fun.

I must confess that I was slightly disappointed that Attakus chose not to sculpt other figures associated with this scene, such as Stormtroopers at attention or the scanning crew, as you’re limited in your diorama options. I always swore that were I to win the lottery, I’d commission Attakus to complete the rest of the Falcon. It’s a piece that deserves to be showcased and if I can make room, I’ll get an acrylic cover for it. Even now, 16 years on, I still get quite a few hits each month for this wonderful, if impractical piece. Bravo, Attakus.

Probably the most well known example of a Millennium Falcon cutaway is AMT/Ertl’s model kit (model 8789). Released in 1996, it could very well have been the basis for Brian Sauriol‘s cutaway painting. I didn’t have one of these at the time, which is just as well, as I would’ve butchered it. I have one now, though.

I don’t have the skills to do this model justice and I’m happy just to have one anyway. There are some great examples of pro built and painted models on hobby sites such as Starship Modeler. Incidentally, I’ve always adored the cover art on this kit. Does anyone know who the artist is?

I’m not sure whether this belongs here, but i think it’s cool and i like it. Thinkgeek had some weird and wonderful ideas for collectibles and one of their nicest is a set of coasters. Each coaster had a separate system, or level on it and when placed on top of each other, made a blueprint of the Falcon.

It’s of the ST Falcon and i would’ve loved an OT one. Still, I liked it enough to buy two so that I can use a set. Unfortunately, Alas, Thinkgeek is no more, but you can still buy these for around $20 Earth monies at places like Amazon or ebay. Get as set, they’re lovely.

I’ve been following QMX with some interest as their Firefly and Serenity line of collectibles has been beautiful. They released a cutaway model of the Serenity and i always hoped they’d be able to do the Falcon. At the 2016 SDCC, they showcased their take of the cutaway Millennium Falcon and it can only be described as as stunning.

It had a removable top saucer and was displayed on a nice landing platform style base. It was filled with wonderful details, such s Han Solo’s unspent reward from A New Hope, (which can be seen in a smuggling compartment near the ramp.) It was a very detailed piece and I remember reading speculations on how much it would end up costing us on the Rebelscum forums. I think we all put it around the $3, 000 mark. I would’ve paid it, too.

I’d hazard a guess that it’s about two feet long and I cannot see any lighting.

Alas, a prototype only, it never made it to production. (I suspect they wanted to keep the quality high for a mass produced market for a decent price.) Hopefully, QMX will return to this when things get better.

I’ve deliberately chosen not to include the DeAgostini “Build the Millennium Falcon” part work here. I feel it isn’t really a cutaway, although it does have internal sections and I have always seen it as more of a Studio Scale model.I’m not sure what other items of merchandise can be included in this post. Please let me know of any suggestions.