Fine Molds of Japan, who in the past has impressed Star Wars modelers with their intricately detailed starfighter kits, now offers the ship fans have been waiting for since the 2001 debut of the series: the Millennium Falcon.
Fans of the galaxy's most notorious hot-rod have long been able to purchase a model kit version of the Falcon that was devised by MPC shortly after the release of A New Hope. However, today's discriminating modelers and collectors demand enhanced detail and multiple display options, two attributes that were relatively limited on the original kit.
"The model kit that has been available until now has been loved by fans for a long time and is very well made for a kit developed in the '70s," says Fine Molds' president Kunihiro Suzuki. "It's easy to make and is just right for young children to enjoy. However, when comparing it to the [screen-used] miniature model, there are some differences. For avid fans, it is something they know all too well -- the actual miniature model's overall proportion is thin, projecting the image that it is indeed the fastest ship in the galaxy. We believe that the accurate recreation of this proportion is one of the biggest differences [seen on the Fine Molds edition] -- the other difference would be the number of parts [900]."
What further distinguishes the Fine Molds edition from previous versions is the extensive amount of research the company invests in its products, which includes a line of military vehicles. "Fine Molds undertook detailed research when creating WWII model planes or tanks," continues Suzuki, "and the same attention to detail was undertaken for the development of the Star Wars vehicles. This involves examining visuals from the movies as well as reference photos and documents for the prop models. Additionally, the vehicles that appear in the movies were created as if they were actual vehicles and then scaled down, thus giving more reality to the design."
This "creating as if it were a real vehicle" ideal is reflected in Fine Molds' approach to reproducing the rear thruster array on the Falcon, a section of the ship that had never before been reproduced in model form. "While in flight, the Falcon's engine is always producing a light, so the inside was a mystery," explains Suzuki. "There was a scene in Episode IV: Special Edition where you could just see the engine before the Falcon takes off from docking bay 94, but it wasn't enough to see the detail."
With the help of Lucasfilm's Global Product Development Manager Chris Spitale, the artists responsible for the Falcon's illustration in DK's Star Wars: Incredible Cross Sections book were asked to provide any unpublished drawings they had devised for the Falcon's aft section. Illustrators Richard Chasemore and Hans Jenssen were happy to oblige with a rough drawing of the Falcon's unseen thrusters. Working from this drawing, kit designers were able to deliver the first dimensional rendering of the Falcon's engines in fine detail. "So fine," says Suzuki, "that you can see detailed parts through the gas exhaust pre-stabilizer screen of the engine. It's possible the Fine Molds kit engine could be used as official reference material."
For the rest of the ship, Fine Molds artisans were shown the actual Falcon miniature from The Empire Strikes Back which is stored in the Lucasfilm Archives. This, Suzuki explains, is why the Falcon has five landing skids instead of the four seen in A New Hope. A photo of the Empire reference model used is included with the kit.
The sizable 1/72 scale kit, which measures slightly larger than 17"x12"x 4" and retails domestically for around $160, is a far cry from the toy kits that have preceded it -- this Falcon is in a class of models that could easily be used for museum display, meticulously recreated down to the smallest detail.
Perhaps the greatest appeal for modelers, suggests Suzuki, is the experience they'll receive from building a Fine Molds Falcon. "We are sure that while making this kit, fans can experience what it would be like to be part of the ILM model making staff."
