Watch Us Build the Epic Lego UCS Millennium Falcon (Time-Lapse Video)

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It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, and now we've got it! Behold: the Lego UCS Millennium Falcon.

The Space.com team is full of "Star Wars" fans, but even we were left speechless when Lego announced this summer that its largest set ever would star the most iconic ship from a galaxy far, far away. With 7,541 pieces, the UCS Millennium Falcon (UCS stands for Ultimate Collector Series) is the biggest, baddest version of the Falcon in Lego form yet, but it's not for the faint of heart. We spent 36 hours over six days to build it so you wouldn't have to. Instead, you can watch the Falcon grow brick-by-brick in just 3 minutes and 15 seconds! [Lego's Biggest Set Ever! The UCS Millennium Falcon in Photos]

The Space.com team was joined by volunteers from our sister sites Live Science, Tom's Guide, Business News Daily and Laptop Mag to assemble Han Solo's famous ship. While building the engines, one frustrating missing piece threatened to derail the project, but we made it through with some extra pieces from my daughter's Lego collection at home.

Space.com managing editor Tariq Malik poses with the Lego UCS Millennium Falcon after an epic 36-hour build spread out over a week. At 7,541 pieces, it's the largest Lego set ever. (Image credit: Space.com/Tariq Malik)

I can say that the UCS Millennium Falcon is a more complicated build that most Lego sets. It is packed with tiny details to make the Falcon look like a well-worn space freighter, with some interior details (holographic Dejarik, anyone?) allowing you to re-create iconic scenes from the "Star Wars" films. The set also comes with four classic minifigures from the early films (Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3PO and Chewbacca), as well as three minifigures from the new movies (Old Han Solo, Rey and Finn). The adorable ball droid BB-8, two bird-like Porgs and a pesky Mynock creature round out the crew.

When complete, the ship weighs about 37 pounds and is 8 inches high and 22 inches (56 centimeters) wide. It's 33 inches (84 cm) long ― that's nearly 3 feet! Just finding a place in Space.com headquarters to build the thing was a challenge.

Lego unveiled the UCS Millennium Falcon in August and began early sales to VIP members on Sept. 14 (that's when we picked one up) before releasing it wide on Oct. 1 at Lego stores and online. It has a hefty price tag ($799), so it is one for collectors, to be sure.

We'll have deeper dive into the epic new set, its history and our own review later, but for now, enjoy the build. And may the Force be with you!

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.