Educate me on the various 1/72 scale Millennium Falcon kits...

W

whb64

Well-Known Member
As the title says, can someone please educate me on the various '1/72' scale Millennium Falcon kits out there?

I bought a Bandai Perfect Grade Falcon, well it's on layaway and I will have it at the end of the month. Before I jump into that build I wanted to practice on a cheaper kit that's the same scale. I don't really care if it isn't accurate (close would be nice), rather I want to practice my painting, weathering and detailing for a Falcon build and perfect it before I work on this expensive kit.

I have done a lot of searching the web and watched a bunch of videos, but some seem to have conflicting information, mainly when it comes to the size. The PG is a 1/72 scale kit and based on the fictional dimensions of the Millennium Falcon, its 19" length is correct.

Now... when it comes to the cheaper Revell kits, they seem to be all over the place. Some that say they are 1/72 are only 14.7" long which makes it more of a 1/93 scale. I've seen videos on other kits with different part numbers and supposedly they are around 17" (still not a true 1/72 scale but closer).

Like I said, I have been spending hours on the web trying to decipher the various kits. Scalemates pretty much just lists the scale and as mentioned not all the kits are actually 1/72. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of the various kits and which ones are the same, just reboxed and a new kit part number, and which ones are different. I'm mainly interested in the actual size of the model.
 
The problem is it depends on how large you think a real world Falcon is. There are several kits that are in the range of 1/72

While often listed as 1/72, the large Revell snap kit is too small for 1/72. I believe it is close too, but a little smaller than the Fine Molds one

The Fine Molds/Revel Master Series one is also listed as 1/72. It is a little smaller than the Bandai one, but again, the scale was based on a smaller full size falcon.

The old AMT/MPC/ERTL one (and the cutaway version) used to be listed as anywhere from 1/57 to 1/68 or so depending on what numbers people used. I'd have to pull it out, but I believe that close to the same size as the Bandai one

I'll see if I can get a shot of the Fine Molds, Bandai and MPC together (I do not have the Revell kit)

The Fine Molds/Revell Master series one is based mostly on the 32" ESB model. The main complaint is the parallel mandibles

The Bandai and MPC/ERTL/AMT are based on the A New Hope 5 foot version. The MPC/AMT/ERTL has sidewalls that are too high and soft details

The Revell snap tite one is a mix with way too tall side walls
 
What is or what is not an 1/72 scale Falcon is controversial due to the lack of an agreement of what would be its "real size". Many oficial data was released over the time stating different real sizes. That is the reason why the old MPC /AMT kit appears some times as 1/58 - 1/65 or similar, because the initial "oficial real size" of the falcon was around 24 meters (which later proved to be too small).

So we could consider as 1/72 falcon the following:

- Fine molds / monogram: 457mm or about 18" long
- AMT/MPC: 465mm or about 18"1/4 long
- Bandai Perfect Grade: 482mm or about 19" long

the Monogram easy kit is definitely too small: 14" long
 
I saw a site that has the cutaway Falcon at 18.75", but says it's a 1/58 scale. That looks more in line with the 1/72 size based on the Falcon being 114' long. I know it's bashed as being extremely inaccurate but like I said its for practice and the accuracy will be with the PG build. I watched Jerry at HDA do a build and like he said since it isn't accurate he looked at it as a chance to 'have fun'. I could have gotten one of these for $20 and passed on it because I wasn't sure of the scale :(

So am I correct in thinking the cutaway or the old MPC kit is going to be closer to 1/72 than 1/58? Is the cockpit also closer to 1/72 or is it sized wrong and bigger?
 
whb64 said:
I saw a site that has the cutaway Falcon at 18.75", but says it's a 1/58 scale. That looks more in line with the 1/72 size based on the Falcon being 114' long. I know it's bashed as being extremely inaccurate but like I said its for practice and the accuracy will be with the PG build.
Click to expand...

Since I got mine so cheap (around 12 bucks 15 years ago) I went in the meticulous process to make it more accurated. Check my progress: https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=281197
 
If your goal is to practice painting/weathering on a kit about the size of the wonderful Bandai PG kit then I would strongly suggest getting the old AMT/MPC Falcon (or Cutaway- same kit with a removable hull section and additional interior parts).
It is close enough to 1:72 scale that your finishing technique can be perfected to your satisfaction and also relatively cheap on eBay. It is also plain styrene instead of having some prepainted parts like later snap together editions which saves you the step of stripping it down before painting.
 
whb64 said:
So am I correct in thinking the cutaway or the old MPC kit is going to be closer to 1/72 than 1/58? Is the cockpit also closer to 1/72 or is it sized wrong and bigger?
Click to expand...

Yes, the kit is pretty nearly the same size as the PG 1/72. so if you accept the PG scale as accurate (which some do not) then the MPC/AMT/ERTL standard and cutaway versions are 1/72.

The cockpit is pretty much non-existent and is basically just some seats, but is pretty much similar in size to the PG Falcon. IIRC the figures in the kit are a little oversized for 1/72 maybe, but not much. I'd have to pull the kit out and do some comparisons.

With the cutaway version, true 1/72 figures are actually to tall for the interiors, but the slightly smaller micromachines or HO scale figures fit better. This just demonstrates the inconsistency in size between the full size interior set and the exterior filming model. Basically the outside and cockpit is around 1/72 while the interior may be as small as 1/87 or so (the PG falcon would probably have the same issues if it had an interior)

Modifying the height of the sidewalls for the standard version is pretty easy, but if you have the cutaway version and want to reduce the height, you will have problems fitting the interior in there
 
I was thinking that exact same thing about the interior not fitting if the side walls are shaved down or aftermarket parts used.

It looks like I can get a cut away kit pretty cheap. I guess I don't have to build it as a cut away though. Yeah scale is always subjective since these are sci-fi ships that don't really exist. From the wikis and other sources I keep seeing the Falcon as being 114 feet long, and if the PG is 19" then that at least does match a 1/72 scale. The cutaway concept is pretty cool though. I'm surprised nobody has done a 3D printed correct interior.
 
PHArchivist said:
Eh... It's pretty bad...

Cockpit is too long, turret walls too straight, parallel mandibles, escape pods too straight (not conical), hull edges not notched, engine fans too tall, too flat overall, etc.
Click to expand...

My half finished FM falcon makes me sad every time I look at it.

My wife gave it to me for christmas one year as "the last falcon model I will ever need". My heart sank when I opened it up and saw those mandibles
 
Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about finding something too close in scale. Just get whatever cheap one you can find.

Most of the difficulty here has to do with the streaking and finding your technique is all that matters.

If I have one piece of advice it's this:

"Use other modelers as inspiration and for advice, but use the actual studio model as your source"
 
astroboy said:
My half finished FM falcon makes me sad every time I look at it.

My wife gave it to me for christmas one year as "the last falcon model I will ever need". My heart sank when I opened it up and saw those mandibles
Click to expand...

It filled a need. Certainly with the detailed and astronomical number of parts, it was "it" for some time,and made a big impact. But once you got waist or chest deep, you realized just how bad it was.

That's why it is so gratifying and pleasing to see the PG. I see the beautifully proportioned and shaped cockpit and just sigh in relief

- - - Updated - - -

All that being said, love your wife dearly for such a fine gift!
 
Last edited:
PHArchivist said:
IT filled a need. Certainly with the detailed and astronomical number of parts, it was "it" for some time,and made a big impact. But once you got waist or chest deep, you realized just how bad it was.

That's why it is so gratifying and pleasing to see the PG. I see the beautifully proportioned and shaped cockpit and just sigh in relief

- - - Updated - - -

All that being said, love your wife dearly for such a fine gift!
Click to expand...


the real test of our love was her understanding why I didn't finish it and I now have a PG falcon on my desk
 
astroboy said:
the real test of our love was her understanding why I didn't finish it and I now have a PG falcon on my desk
Click to expand...

I'm struggling with a somewhat unfinished FM (bottom not detail painted), and the daunting though of paying $350.00, buidling another ridiculously detailed kit, and creating a paint job to match.

Mostly its the $350.00
 
That's a steal of a price for the quality of the kit... I can't wait to get mine... Every ounce of spare time that I have will be dedicated to completing this build...
 
astroboy said:
the real test of our love was her understanding why I didn't finish it and I now have a PG falcon on my desk
Click to expand...

I'm struggling with a somewhat unfinished FM (bottom not detail painted), and the daunting though of paying $350.00, buidling another ridiculously detailed kit, and creating a paint job to match.

Mostly its the $350.00
 
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