Mystery Millenium Falcon Kit

[mktodd]

Maybe it was a fever dream, but in the late 80's, early Nineties, I remember visiting a comic shop in Sheffield as a kid and seeing a HUGE box for a Millennium Falcon model kit and being just blown away by the size and detail on show on the photo's on the box. The asking price was FAR out of my range, something like 400 quid and I simply could not afford it. I kept going back to the shop for years and it was still there until one day I went back and the shop was gone, they'd moved.

The shop was called the Sheffield Space Center I think, and I went to the new location and the Falcon Kit was nowhere to be seen, so maybe they finally sold it.
My question is, what the hell Kit was it? It wasn't the Anigrand as it was far bigger. It wasn't the MPC kit as I already had one of those and the disappointment of seeing how little the kit looked like the awesome photo on the box never left me.

This mystery kit Box was something like three feet wide by over two feet deep and 6 or 7 inches thick. I never saw inside the box so I don't know much more about it and and I cant remember the name of the manufacturer. I just know I WANTED IT so badly and I've never seen one since.

Does this ring any bells at all or is it just my over cooked imagination?

 

[robn1]

I'm not aware of anything from that time, other than the ERTL repops of the MPC. There may have been a resin kit.

 

[mktodd]

I wish I knew more about it, but I dont THINK it was a resin kit, but I could be wrong. The box looked looked similar to what Tamiya kits come in and was very slick, it didn't look like a garage kit kind of product.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Maybe it was a fever dream, but in the late 80's, early Nineties, I remember visiting a comic shop in Sheffield as a kid and seeing a HUGE box for a Millennium Falcon model kit and being just blown away by the size and detail on show on the photo's on the box. The asking price was FAR out of my range, something like 400 quid and I simply could not afford it. I kept going back to the shop for years and it was still there until one day I went back and the shop was gone, they'd moved.

The shop was called the Sheffield Space Center I think, and I went to the new location and the Falcon Kit was nowhere to be seen, so maybe they finally sold it.
My question is, what the hell Kit was it? It wasn't the Anigrand as it was far bigger. It wasn't the MPC kit as I already had one of those and the disappointment of seeing how little the kit looked like the awesome photo on the box never left me.

This mystery kit Box was something like three feet wide by over two feet deep and 6 or 7 inches thick. I never saw inside the box so I don't know much more about it and and I cant remember the name of the manufacturer. I just know I WANTED IT so badly and I've never seen one since.

Does this ring any bells at all or is it just my over cooked imagination?

Late 80’s Millennium Falcon in a big box that looked manufactured…

It didn’t look like this, did it?

 

[mktodd]

Hah... Not quite... ;-)

 

[JediMichael]

Wouldn't know...but...I imagine if this kit is out there and super rare and someone were to find an unopened one.....price tag on something like that would be quite insane.
Hope you can get an answer from somewhere.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Intriguing mystery…

I don’t know how old the SMT kit is, but does it look familiar?

SOLD!! 27 Inch SMT Millennium Falcon KIT!!!

SOLD!! Presents The 27 Inch SMT Kit of the Millennium Falcon $800 Plus shipping and Insurance THIS is the fantastic and infamous garage kit that Lucasfilm shut down! As such… being that they …

modelermagic.com

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I *think* that SMT kit, which I think Alfred Wong mastered, was in the last 10 years.

 

[Talaris]

Like mentioned already, the only thing I can think of for the time period is the AMT cutaway version, which looks like this:

 

[mktodd]

No, it wasnt an AMT/MPC or Revell kit of any kind. I WISH I'd taken down more info at the time... Oh to have had an iPhone back then..

 

[Sym-Cha]

Alfred Wong’s – CORELLIAN FREIGHTER – from 1990’s SMT Technologies Kit – 24 Year Build by Chris Ford!

I just finished shooting some photos of my latest build, a Corellian Freighter. I tend to refer to it as such as it wasn’t created as a Millennium Falcon copy per se. It was mastered by Alfre…

modelermagic.com

According to this article Alfred Wong created a Corellian Freighter in the 90's ... thanks ALLEY for your initial link ... it's on the same page in the right corner

More on this resin kit : www.scalemodeltechnologies.com/millenium-falcon.html

Chaïm

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Alfred Wong’s – CORELLIAN FREIGHTER – from 1990’s SMT Technologies Kit – 24 Year Build by Chris Ford!

I just finished shooting some photos of my latest build, a Corellian Freighter. I tend to refer to it as such as it wasn’t created as a Millennium Falcon copy per se. It was mastered by Alfre…

modelermagic.com

According to this article Alfred Wong created a Corellian Freighter in the 90's ... thanks ALLEY for your initial link ... it's on the same page in the right corner

More on this resin kit : www.scalemodeltechnologies.com/millenium-falcon.html

Chaïm

Aha…so is it possible that this is the kit you saw, mktodd?

 

[foj3000]

The only Falcon kits that were out at that time were the MPC/ Ertl reissues and this Argonauts vinyl kit:

Millennium Falcon 1/144 Vinyl & Metal Argonauts Model Kit - starwarsmodels.com - The Star Wars Model Kit Gallery

A complete resource for information on Star Wars models and model kits. Features thousands of pictures, kit descriptions, buildups and more. Also includes a model building service.

www.starwarsmodels.com

But it’s too small.

 

[mktodd]

The SMT one certainly seems to be the best candidate, given it's size. The only thing that prevents me from being 100% sure is that I never saw inside the box. If it was this one, I'm impressed that a local Sci-Fi comics and hobby shop in South Yorkshire managed to snag one!

 

[Analyzer]

Sure it wasn't the Airfix (or original MPC) boxing?

It was a big box and did have an amazing picture of the 5ft Falcon model on it despite what was actually in the box

IT may have been price so high because it was considered a "collector" item at that point in time

 

[Captain Dunsel]

The SMT one certainly seems to be the best candidate, given it's size. The only thing that prevents me from being 100% sure is that I never saw inside the box. If it was this one, I'm impressed that a local Sci-Fi comics and hobby shop in South Yorkshire managed to snag one!

Well, the SMT was manufactured in the UK, (I could be recalling that incorrectly) so it’s entirely possible.

 

[Treadwell]

...............

 

[mktodd]

Nah, certainly wasnt the MPC or Airfix. I had one of those. The Box art Used a similar Image but didnt have the artwork at the top. The box was also much larger

 

[Analyzer]

SMT sounds like the best candidate then?

 

[hammerquill]

I'd have said there was a giant kit available in the 80s, but I don't have solid memories. Did you go to the shop and ask if there was anyone there who'd been around that long? (Or maybe they could put you in contact with 'the old guy' who was?) If it was on the shelf for years, and giant and expensive, it is possible employees/owners from back then would remember it either as a white elephant or just as a piece of furniture that lived in the store forever. I mean, they probably had to mop the floors with all the kids drooling over the thing.