Revell Easykit 1/72 Millenium Falcon review

Before making models I was lucky enough to play with any Star Wars ™ figures I could get my hands on. The weathered space ships enthused me into a lifetime of being a modeller. The ships we were playing with were themselves inspired by the weathered machines of war. Now Revell have an “Easykit” of the famous Millennium Falcon – do we still feel the force to make it? 

 

 STAR WARS Millennium Falcon
"easykit"

Kit No: 06658

Scale  1:72

No. of parts    52

Number of figures    2

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu

The Easy kit series from Revell are really simple to put together kits for younger modellers and people who just want to build something substantial and get some enjoyment out of the kit quickly. This kit is not really something you would give to a kid below about nine years old but kept me entertained for a whole afternoon. I nearly had as much fun as these guys!

 

Only fifty-two pieces of plastic makes for a simple build and the nature of the kit – that it is already pre painted and fits together without glue – well it is a simple kit with no real “modelling” to be done. It really does fit into the middle ground where even though you still have to make the kit there isn’t much cutting or shaping and sanding – so really painful part missing – what can go wrong?

The famous Corellian transporter is nicely featured in 1/72 scale – so it is good to compare to your other kits in the same scale. The kit itself comes in a large flat box which encapsulates the two large dish shape halves of the top and bottom of the hull and four other small sprues. The kit also includes two small figures in that they slightly resemble two very small figures of Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca. They fit snugly into the little seats provided for them in the cockpit and once it is all closed up are good enough for a cursory resemblance.

The instructions are a coloured paper type and really easy to follow. You couldn’t really go wrong with the kit in construction and many won’t even need them but they are great for newer modellers.

The plastic on offer is a light grey style underneath and pretty flash free, the consistency is a little toy-like but can be cut easily enough – pack a large pair of snips just in case.

The sprues.... 

The top hull

The Lower Hull

The smaller parts - cockpit and guns

The parts of the hull in-between
 

The Cockpit enclosure

The kit is pre painted. It looks ok on first pass at a glance and will be great for only one just wanting to have a Millennium Falcon on their shelf – but If you’re a serious modeller you will be thinking repaint-weather and maybe even inserting some LED lighting inside. 

 The pilot’s cabin is secured to the top half and the cockpit is already painted up for you ready for Han and Chewie to slip into.

There is a clear transparency that is painted “ion blue” to show the engine on and in flight. I suppose if you want to show the aircraft on the ground you may have to weather this or paint the blue out. I think if you put a light behind this it would glow a really lovely blue.

The base is these to go to town on this kit and it can be pretty much whatever you want to make it. The problem with the paint is that an ageing spray has been put on AFTER the kit has been coloured and the recesses which should be the darkest aren’t touched by the kit. Indeed parts lit the self-defence guns, landing legs and access ramp are left un-weathered as if by accident. It is a bummer as they do look a little out of place.

SO the weathering is a little back the front for experienced modellers. Most of you will want to repaint it and making the kit really got my juices flowing to do just that. We put the kit together to show you the potential for further detailing….

The top and bottom halves have their transparencies installed and their side wall structures included into them so the top and bottom halved can be joined together.

 

Acces hatch up or down

When making the bottom you have the choice of access ramp down or up as well as the landing legs up or down so you can show this in flight or on the deck.

After this the kit is very much together! The additional parts like the “radar dome” on the top front fuselage can now go into position. This needs some glue to tighten it up and to keep t at just the right angle it is always shown at. The underside and upper guns need to be secured with some glue at the optimum angle as well.

So there you have it. The kit doesn’t require any glue to the upper and lower halves to secure it. This means you can repaint it and put some nifty lights into it if your heart desires – or just leave it on the shelf to look at occasionally.

 

This kit is an easy to construct – fairly accurate and definitely a fun little kit to build – and it looks great as is. The modeller in me wants to make it better and light it, weather it and age it – but the kid in me is just happy to see it how it is.

 

I liked making it - it was fun – remember that?

Adam Norenberg.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu