[PRESS RELEASE] 75192 - UCS Millennium Falcon 2017

[OCD_Chad]

After finishing it I agree with this review from a guy on the Lego store:

I was so excited when this was announced. Back in 2007 I had the chance to get the original UCS Falcon, but did not get it and regretted it ever since. I waited a long time for this sets reissue and was lucky to obtain one in late September after getting up early and waiting in line for only one of 10 available at my local LEGO store.

Let me say this is a nice looking build and I am not disappointed I purchased it. It was worth the Money, although looking back I could have got the original UCS version for about half the present cost.

I have several points to make both good and bad. I am frankly surprised that there have not been more middle of the road reviews as this was not the build or product I expected.

On the positive side the details is great, Although my final version contains almost 1000 additional pieces and modifications that I felt were needed at a minimum. I was still not able to customize it to the extent I wanted because it was just getting too expensive. I presently have another bricks and pieces order in for more parts that I plan to add into the model over the Christmas Vacation.

Positive:
Detail of upper deck
Minifigure selection
Details of interiors (particularly the "game table")
Functional aspects (ramp, dropping cannon, main dorsal and belly guns etc.)
Special pieces (cockpit glass, radar dish etc.)
Colouring of body and details
Printed Parts

There are also many negatives to the model however that must be corrected in future versions. The main one being the way the panels both top and underside are connected to the model (they come loose very easily) and the very very fragile nature of the unit when you want to lift it up. The largest negative however for me was the complete lack of detail on the underside of the model. Most of my customizations were to bring this part of the model to life. I added a whole load of clear blue and white additional parts to make the landing and running lights as well as detailed plates and fittings to detail the bottom. I also changed the front of the extensions around the front right and left leg landing gear and added a series of plates to finish off the dish on the underside that was not done on the model. The top also required some modifications particularly around the upper access "openings" in the right and left panels just behind the central axis. the openings on the actual model were not nearly big enough and I customized these to be much larger to better reflect the Falcon's actual look. Overall there were so many negatives it affected my overall rating to Average. I realize the boxed sections of the underside of this Falcon were adjusted to suit the new "interiors" but I liked the way the lower rear extension was completed in the original UCS model with blocks than the new way with plates. The other negative is the complete miss that occurred in some of the detailing particularly the "serrated ring" that is supposed to be around the circumference of the right side extension behind the cockpit glass. This is a complete miss on the designers part. Also I did not like the choice of using the flimsy light blue tubing to make the engine drive on the rear of the ship. I really preferred the use of clear blue tiles to make this up as per the original UCS model

Negatives
Flimsy frame, can't pick it up without it falling apart
Bad plate connections to main body
Loose constructions all round
Too many "gaps" in the final skin
Complete lack of underside detailing
Complete misses to critical areas including cockpit and underside front dish
Overall complete inability to move the unit without one or more pieces falling off.
Selection to detail some areas completely yet lacking detail in others.
and finally TOO MANY stickers. Please provide printed parts in future (although the 3D look of the "hallways" was great, it would have been better if they were printed and not stickers)

I compare this unit to the UCS version of Boba Fett's Slave 1. There is nothing I can say against that set except that the two upper side panels are a bit loose. However, that model you can pick up and "fly around" and enjoy it. The top and bottom are equally detailed to perfection and take into account most details from the ILM sketches, making an overall excellent build. There are also minimal stickers

Unfortunately while I really like my customized, more detailed, version of the new UCS Falcon, I still hate the fact that I cannot pick it up.

Speaking with the folks at the LEGO Store their Falcon versions that are in their display cases are glued together and if that was the case I am sure the model would be movable. As it is, in its plain build form, it is not.

All that being said I would still recommend this model. but I would recommend owners look to the original ILM sketches and modify and enhance it, particularly the bottom of the unit. I think I had more fun working out how I could customize the build that the build itself.

Either way it is a really long build and took me over 6 weeks to complete doing a little bit each day. I had a lot of fun with this one and it sure kept me going for a long time. I will, however, keep my eyes open in another 10 years or so for the third generation that will hopefully address all of these issues. I am also presently designing an alternative clear blue plate engine option to similar to the original UCS version to further modify my model. I just need to find the funds first as my present design alternative will run well over $75 in parts.

Hats off to LEGO though for giving this version to us. Even with its faults, it is a fun build and looks great (as long as you don't have to move it!). Thanks LEGO

[FatB]

On 04/03/2018 at 12:09 PM, PickleManDan said:

I bought mine December 1st, and I am still waiting on mine. I'm going to wait a week and then contact customer service.

 

On 11/03/2018 at 11:32 PM, Kimguroo said:

I bought it on dec. 15 in US. Have not received the card yet and contacted to Lego. They said they will send the card around end of April.

Bought my MF around the same time as you guys. March is about to end, and still no sign of the VIP card for me. Contacted Lego which are willing to send one without name, so still holding out. Are people still waiting for their's to arrive?

[PickleManDan]

13 hours ago, FatB said:

 

Bought my MF around the same time as you guys. March is about to end, and still no sign of the VIP card for me. Contacted Lego which are willing to send one without name, so still holding out. Are people still waiting for their's to arrive?

Mine actually arrived last week. I'm sure yours will come soon.

[FatB]

2 hours ago, PickleManDan said:

Mine actually arrived last week. I'm sure yours will come soon.

Thanks for letting me know. Congrats on finally getting yours. 

[Kimguroo]

16 hours ago, FatB said:

 

Bought my MF around the same time as you guys. March is about to end, and still no sign of the VIP card for me. Contacted Lego which are willing to send one without name, so still holding out. Are people still waiting for their's to arrive?

Lego said they need to make more than they thought and it will delay until end of April. Still waiting.

Finally, Lego has UCS sets in their store floor. Box is huge so they only put one but I am sure more than one in the back stock room.

[FatB]

41 minutes ago, Kimguroo said:

Lego said they need to make more than they thought and it will delay until end of April. Still waiting.

I certainly hope it doesn't take until the end of April. Already trying my patience at the end of March. May have to settle for a blank card by then.

[Robianco]

It doesn’t matter whether you actually hold the black card in hand to get the benefits. It’s a souvenir so as long as it arrives at some point it’ll be nice in your wallet or on display somewhere. 

[That Orange Thing]

At this point that's all the black card is, a nice souvenir to look at. Heading 4 months into the exciting year of perks and all we have to show for it is a double VIP offer we see throughout the year anyway. 

Don't get me wrong, I didn't buy the falcon for a nice card but Lego needs to start delivering on the black card hype they advertised. Here's hoping they surprise us with something interesting going forward. 

[FatB]

19 hours ago, Robianco said:

It doesn’t matter whether you actually hold the black card in hand to get the benefits. It’s a souvenir so as long as it arrives at some point it’ll be nice in your wallet or on display somewhere. 

 

16 hours ago, That Orange Thing said:

At this point that's all the black card is, a nice souvenir to look at. Heading 4 months into the exciting year of perks and all we have to show for it is a double VIP offer we see throughout the year anyway. 

Don't get me wrong, I didn't buy the falcon for a nice card but Lego needs to start delivering on the black card hype they advertised. Here's hoping they surprise us with something interesting going forward. 

What both of you state are very true, and I am in totally agreement especially since nothing special has been offered. As such, having bought their expensive product early they should at least deliver what was promised in reasonable time.

[Markalus]

On 4/1/2018 at 1:51 AM, That Orange Thing said:

At this point that's all the black card is, a nice souvenir to look at. Heading 4 months into the exciting year of perks and all we have to show for it is a double VIP offer we see throughout the year anyway. 

Don't get me wrong, I didn't buy the falcon for a nice card but Lego needs to start delivering on the black card hype they advertised. Here's hoping they surprise us with something interesting going forward. 

 

On 4/1/2018 at 5:26 PM, FatB said:

 

What both of you state are very true, and I am in totally agreement especially since nothing special has been offered. As such, having bought their expensive product early they should at least deliver what was promised in reasonable time.

So now that the UCS Y-wing has been announced as a May 4th release can we expect a special promotion for Black VIP card holders? Surely, this would be the most appropriate time to have one. I’ve heard there will be no early release for VIPs. Does this mean they have reserved early release for black card holders? That would be a pretty dud deal, if so, given early release was common to all VIPs in the past. Is the buildable BB-8 limited to black card holders? I doubt it. I suspect that if there is a black VIP promotion it might be a lame extra polybag like DJ and/or double VIP points. Let’s hope we find out soon! 

[ic3cold]

Double double VIP points is what i was thinking for Black VIP card holders.

[eldiano]

honestly VIP points suck, but I have been seeing the MF more in lego stores, I guess the lucky ones were the ones who bought this set when it first came out because they included the dolly and the bag for it. 

[mostlytechnic]

Just got my VIP Black card today! Looks nice, makes a nice little souvenir but little actual value (ebay, etc) since they're customized. Although I just looked, and there's actually been a few sold on ebay and they go for an average of around $100! (some were $150, one was $15, etc)

The weird thing to me - it mailed direct from Budapest Hungary. Surely it would have been easier/cheaper to print them in Hungary, ship a big box of them to the US, and then mail them out here? 

[Lobot]

It's currently back in stock on the UK LEGO website (link) - you may need to be quick!

[elederberg]

Finally got my card after ordering in December. While it certainly looks nice, like most of the other members here, I'm hoping we get some good deals. I was hoping for something for May the Fourth, but the promos were just announced and they didn't say anything about black VIP card holders, unfortunately. I think it's strange that we are almost halfway through the year, and all we've gotten was double VIP points for one month.

[Fuppylodders]

It makes me wonder... All they'd have to do would be to put down another 'exclusive black.vip card only' double vip event and that's the special 'promotions ' done. 

I also wonder if TLG entirely under estimated by a drastically huge amount how many they'd have sold, hence the lack of follow up on the vip promotions as such, because maybe they think they don't have to do it as much as they've made more than they could have imagined and don't feel the need to keep the first 20 odd thousand  people happy, as the people after them more than made up for it... if you understand what I'm getting at?

[mike_c70]

Long time avid reader of Eurobricks but first post!

Lego bamboozled us!!!

Here's the latest email I got from them after inquiring about the status of my card after buying in December.

 

[ic3cold]

For the last Black VIP promotion did people get a communication from a lego?  I had my card at the time but did not receive anything...only found out about it here.

[Space_jaco]

Yes got an email about the vipx2 

[Robianco]

I think I got the email after I'd stepped foot into a Lego store to find out the promotion was happening. No notice of it happening in advance.

[stormtroopercaptain]

Lego store in victor NY mall has four falcons instock as of right now. 

[Markalus]

I contacted LEGO customer service to try and suss our if they planned to    have a special May the fourth promotion for Black VIP card holders. Honestly, I didn’t expect them to give anything away and this is the response I got. Take from it what you will...

“Thanks for getting in touch with us. You must be a huge LEGO® fan!

I'm sorry to hear you are less than satisfied with the promotions our VIP team has come up with thus far. I can assure you there are many more treats in store although we aren't able to release any information about them just yet. It takes a lot of time to make sure they are absolutely perfect before we surprise our fans so we normally only release information about upcoming promotions (and especially the special Star Wars™ promotions) closer to when they are set to begin.

Feel free to check back with us in the coming weeks for an update! Be sure to keep an eye on our Shop website as well as our social media pages for the most up to date product and promotional item announcements.

I hope you enjoy the other promotions we have planned for 2018! And as always, please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions or comments as well.”

[ArchieNov]

So is the insane demand for this thing finally starting to subside? I’ve been wanting to get one since last year but all our local suppliers and Lego stores couldn’t secure stock. Unfortunately the timing is not so good for me now so I’ll have to wait until around Xmas this year to get one. How long can I expect them to keep on producing this and do you think they’ll start giving some discounts on it sometime in the future?

[stormtroopercaptain]

I doubt we will see discounts on it until after Christmas if at all. And it’s gonna be around at least through the end of the year. There is no way they don’t have it stocked on shelves for at least one holiday season. 

[Robianco]

I doubt this one will ever see discounts. There may be a slim chance with the amount of retailers that are sticking this but if you’re going to keep waiting for those then I think you’d be in danger of missing out eventually. Plenty of people who are prepared to buy it for full retail.