Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon (2024) review

We've counted and, not including various freebies, magazine giveaways and random spin-off models, there have been no less than 14 Lego Millennium Falcons in the last 25 years. That's more than one every two years — few other sets have been recreated so many times. We've no doubt that more are still to come, but 2024's Lego Millennium Falcon, released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lego Star Wars, is one of our favorites yet.

It's not the best, though. We'd be foolish to say that: Surely that accolade is reserved for the Ultimate Collector's Series Millennium Falcon. It released back in 2017 and shows no sign of going anywhere just yet. But at $849.99, not everyone's wallet can stretch that far — and measuring 33 x 23 inches, not everyone has the space, either. That's where the 25th anniversary Millennium Falcon comes in. It's literally 1/10 of the cost, and it's almost just as wonderful to look at.

It's one of three Lego Millennium Falcons currently available, and the smallest of the three: The other is a $170 playset. We'd wager this one offers up just as much detail for half the price, though. And being designed for adults, coming with a display stand and exclusive anniversary brick, this one's much more suited to being on display.

Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon review: Build

• Enjoyable, varied build
• Some very neat details
• No stickers!

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the Millennium Falcon's building process, let us celebrate this one thing: This set has no stickers! Not one. Every detailed piece you see on the model is printed, which is somewhat rare to see these days — particularly in a sub-$100 set. It really helps those details, like the vents on the top of the ship, and the cockpit windows, fully shine — and you don't have to worry about wonky stickers. 

It's a very pleasant build, too. The Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon (2024) is made up of 921 bricks, and they're separated into 11 bags. Each chunk is fairly small, then, taking around 20 minutes each time. Do the entire model in one sitting and it'll likely take between 3 and 4 hours — we expected it to be less, but it's a surprisingly detailed build, given its modest size.

Each piece of the ship is built separately almost: a 'T' shape makes up the center, and then each corner of the ship is essentially separately assembled plates than then click into place. It all feels suitably robust when it's together, and you can barely tell where it's all joined, leaving it feel like a solid, complete model.

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Because of how it's constructed, though, it means you have a couple of fiddly pieces. You'll have to be careful when clipping in one or two segments so you don't end up disturbing something else in the process. But for the most part, it's a very smooth and enjoyable process.

The innards of the Millennium Falcon have an array of colors, acting as a guide where to place bricks. With the entire outside shell of the ship being made up of light and dark gray pieces (and the odd slither of red), it can sometimes be difficult to ensure everything is in the right place. 

Thankfully, the instructions are written in a way to minimize any issues: you're never putting on more than three or four pieces in any one step, ensuring you don't miss anything. And on the outer of the ship, it doesn't really matter if one or two pieces are slightly wrong: It's supposed to be a ship made out of scrap, after all.

Lego Star Wars Executor Super Star Destroyer review: Design

• Comes with a sturdy display stand
• Unmistakable design

Like the Executor Super Star Destroyer, which we recently reviewed, this Millennium Falcon is designed to be a display piece. The two have a fair bit in common, actually. They're a similar size (although not to the same scale — the Falcon would be tiny in comparison!), a similar price and come mounted on very similar stands. It's clear they've been designed to be displayed together, perhaps along with the brand new Invisible Hand and Tantive IV ships, too. They work incredibly well as display pieces: Not too big that they take up too much space, but not too small that they don't make a statement.

Undoubtedly, the Millennium Falcon is the most recognizable of them all, with its bulbous, rounded shape making a real statement. The downside of it having a matching stand to the rest is that it's somewhat obscured by the downwards angle in which the Falcon sits. It means the Falcon appears as if it's flying through the air, which is neat, but you can't really see its printed 'Millennium Falcon' label, and the 25th anniversary brick, underneath. Hardly a problem, though.

We mentioned in our review of the Executor that it included a 40th anniversary brick which, by design, had nowhere to attach. The same is true here: This time, there's a brick to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Lego Star Wars, but it's not actually built into the model. It's easily rectified by removing one of the decorative grates on the display plate, and instead replacing it with the anniversary brick. But it's still mind-boggling why it wasn't considered in the instructions. Perhaps these bricks were afterthoughts once the model's blueprint was already completed?

It hardly matters, though: Our main concern is simply that we don't want to end up losing these special, printed bricks! But it's hard to be too annoyed when everything else on the Millennium Falcon is so near-perfect. It may only be a fraction of the size of the Ultimate Collector's Series but somehow manages to capture the design of the ship almost just as well, with the undulations and quirks all carefully laid out in brick form. There are windows, turrets and even a satellite dish, all bringing the Falcon to life. 

The only thing that's missing is any minifigures: It would have been nice to at least have a decorative Chewie and Han Solo to stand on the base. But since it's not a minifigure-scale set, it's understandable. And if you're anything like us, you undoubtedly have multiple Chewbaccas and Han Solos hanging around from various other sets, anyway.

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Should you buy Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon?

If you've already got the Ultimate Collector's Series Millennium Falcon, then you probably don't need this smaller clone. Otherwise? We'd say heck yes: This is one of our favorite Lego Millennium Falcon models yet. Whether or not you've got any of Lego's other recent Star Wars display models, this is going to look fantastic on your desk or sideboard without taking up too much space.

It doesn't break the bank, either, so if you've never been able to justify the UCS model, this is the perfect compromise to yourself. It's a much better display model than the Falcon playsets — and cheaper than them, too. What's not to love?

Other Lego sets to consider

Of course, if you're wanting the very best Lego Millennium Falcon that money can buy and have a large disposable income, there's always the UCS Millennium Falcon. At $849.99, we'd wager it's out of a lot of people's price range, though. Thankfully there are plenty of other sets that are much more affordable.

Along with 2024's Millennium Falcon, Lego has released a midi-scale Tantive IV and an Invisible Hand, both to a similar scale. And, as we mentioned earlier in this review, the Executor Super Star Destroyer is also part of the same range. We've reviewed it, and can confirm it's a fantastic set.