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Now I could start this review a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away but that would be a bit clichéd. So this review is set in the here and now. The Millennium Falcon ship is one that needs no introduction. Yet for the purposes of this post I feel like I need to still introduce it, so here we go...
This heap of junk is actually a modified YT-1300 which Han Solo and co-pilot Chewbacca made famous and adapted after infamously winning it off Lando Calrissian in a game of Sabacc. The Millennium Falcon is also famous for making the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, don’t watch the mediocre movie Solo to find out what this means - just take my word for it and rewatch Rogue One instead!
The Miniature and Component Quality
This miniature is not to be confused with Lando's Millennium Falcon belonging to the Scum and Villainy faction, which looks shiny and new in comparison and has an extra escape pod ship.
I came to the Star Wars X-Wing tabletop game after the second edition had already arrived so I cannot compare this to the first edition version. If that is what you were hoping for, this isn’t the review you’re looking for! From what I have seen, it is not wildly different, however, it would appear certain things can no longer be equipped and other little changes have occurred.
What I can say is that the miniature of the Millennium Falcon is fantastic looking. Good enough to put in a display cabinet! It has a moving radar dish and a cracking out-of-the-box paint job. This is ultimately what you want to read when a miniature has an RRP of £38.99. Credit to Fantasy Flight, they have created an amazing miniature. You will see and hear your opponent quake with fear as it emerges, demanding gravitas and respect as it appears at the gaming table.
It comes with a host of cards too: pilots, crew, gunners and modifications that do not disappoint. The cards are good quality and familiar to seasoned X-wing second edition players.
How it Plays
You can fly as Han Solo, Lando or Chewbacca each with their own special ability. Han’s is arguably the best: after you roll dice and if you are at range 0-1 of an obstacle, you can reroll all your dice. If points are at a premium you can also fly as a generic Outer Rim Smuggler, but why would you? As to gunners, Luke Skywalker or Han Solo are your options but other crew include C-3PO, R2-D2 and Nien Nunb. Luke Skywalker as a gunner allows you to spend a force token to rotate the arc indicator – very useful indeed if the movement phase did not quite go to plan. You can rotate the arc indicator as an action too if required, giving you lots of angles of attack.
This seems a good point to declare that on my maiden voyage with the Millennium Falcon, I very nearly turned it into the Titanic. I am not used to flying these larger based ships and this one certainly seemed to be a magnet to other ships and obstacles - at least with this learner driver at the wheel! You do get used to it, but this kid doesn’t want to get too cocky.
The Falcon can also be equipped with Homing Missiles and a Rigged Cargo Chute, the latter dropping an obstacle with the use of one charge. You can also upgrade with Swarm Tactics, allowing a nearby friendly ship to equal your initiative for a round.
If you’ve never played X-Wing all the above will sound like gobbledegook! Take my word for it, it is all very good indeed.
I have found the quick build option of X-Eing 2.0 a bit broken. I think Fantasy Flight did this by accident at first but have now gone, oh well, let’s have some fun with it. Serious players will disapprove but more casual players will indeed have some fun with the quick build options included in this 2.0 version of the Millennium Falcon.
Final Thoughts on Star Wars X-Wing Second Edition Millennium Falcon
Be aware that this is an expansion for the base game. You will need the core set as it contains universal tokens, dice, rulers, instructions and the like. With this though, you can add and start to fly the Millennium Falcon.
It is a very tanky ship and can take quite a bit of damage. This is balanced by the fact it consumes a lot of your 200 point allocation. You will only likely fly one or two other ships with it.
The Millennium Falcon’s iconic status in the Star Wars universe makes this model hard not to adore. Fantasy Flight have done a great job modelling and decorating the miniature. It is certainly a worthy expansion for the X-Wing tabletop game. If you are playing as the Rebel faction the Millennium Falcon is a “must have” in your arsenal. Even if you’re playing as a different faction, you will probably want this ship to lustily gaze at.
If it wasn’t an inanimate object I would say “I love you” to it. To which it would of course reply “I know”.
