Day 107, Quasi-Quarantine: Welcome Back, Old Friend -- Resurrecting The Millennium Falcon

Much of the early part of quasi-quarantine was dedicated to the project (nay, quest) to rebuild the Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon. Digging through, around, and under various bins and other containers, we painstakingly checked off the necessary pieces from the parts inventory at the back of the instruction manual.

When we finally had collected the necessary 1,330 pieces, we set about the rebuild. I had initially planned on doing the construction over the course of about a week to make it last, but with so little else to do, we managed it in around a day and a half.

We were thrilled to rediscover the exquisite detailing that made this set such a winner to begin with. It's a hefty and significant build, which makes it both impressive and susceptible to crashes and drops for younger children (hence, one of the reasons we had to scavenge this one back together).

Turrets on both the top and bottom were a cool add, along with gunner seats to control each. But the highly accessible inner play area is the highlight of the set, offering a view of the hyperdrive, holochess table, recuperative bed areas, and hoses and storage.

We did have a few quibbles: 

• The set came with seven minifigures, including "old" Han Solo, Chewbacca, Rey, Finn, and BB-8. That's all fine. However, the additions of Tasu Leech and another Kanjiklub member were a little baffling, and a set of this size deserves a couple of more (or at least different) distinctive minifigs.
• The Falcon sits too low to the ground, making the ramp essentially useless. 
• The cockpit lacks detail and is too small, making it difficult to put more than a single minifigure within. 
• The secret cargo hold is difficult to access and is too tiny to hold much more than a young Anakin-sized minifig.
• The interior hold had a number of random boxes in odd positions laying around. A combat remote would have been a nice touch to spruce up the hold.
• A way to get from the main hold to the cockpit would have been a welcome addition.

However, we've been adding a few of our own "modifications" (hat tip, Han Solo), including an escape pod that slides into the front region of the ship, which you can see in the overhead picture above. This small vehicle mirrors the one featured in the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon version.

Overall, we're thrilled to have re-added this tremendous build back into our repertoire. The hold has seen extensive use as a command center for holding Rebel strategy briefings, and the Millennium Falcon has quickly emerged as the centerpiece of the missions, scenes, and scenarios that have peppered so much of quasi-quarantine.