Re-enact classic Star Wars battle scenes from the Millennium Falcon's gunner station!
We’ve already asserted that The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] Gunner Station sets probably looked better on paper than in toy form. It’s not that they’re terrible toys. They have some unfortunate quirks (like the cannon’s loose pivot joint), but they also possess charm. Attempting to recreate some of the most intense moments from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Kenner/Hasbro crafted a very tiny series of three “Gunner Station” sets which provides a “sliced” look at some of the most loved vehicles in the Star Wars franchise, while integrating play value at the same time. We’ve also asserted that perhaps the Gunner Station sub-line would have fit best in the Deluxe range. After all, they’re the same price point and contain about the same amount of parts as the figures that make up the Deluxe format. But they decided to make it its own sub-line instead. The Millennium Falcon With Han Solo Gunner Station follows in the same footsteps as the one with Luke, and it helps complete a scene that Star Wars fans enjoy. Once assembled, it essentially gives collectors an idea of what a “true scale” Millennium Falcon might look like in the 3.75” scale range.
The nice thing about the Millennium Falcon With Han Solo Gunner Station and the Millennium Falcon With Luke Skywalker Gunner Station sets is that they interconnect with each other, very similar to how some of the Electronic Power F/X figures do. But they also look incredible by themselves. Kenner/Hasbro tooled “new” figures for these sets. Yes, many of the parts are based on previously made sculpts, but there is quite a bit of newness also like the head sculpts that sport radio headsets so they can communicate with each other while being attacked by the Galactic Empire. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker fit nicely in their respective seats. They also have unique screens on their monitors. Many collectors don’t notice finer details like this. There isn’t too much wiggle room to get the figures into place, but once you do they’re locked in pretty tightly. The seating mechanism rotates back and forth, in an estimated 90-degree motion. And then you can turn the lever on the back of the chair to activate the play feature here which is the firing missile projectiles function. The set looks great with or without the projectiles in place.
It takes some patience to get the figures in the exact positions you want, especially if you want them to hold onto their respective consoles. But with time you should make it work. Han Solo may sit better in the gunner chair than Luke Skywalker, but they both need some tender loving care to achieve screen-accurate poses. The Gunner Station setup isn’t perfect. With the figure in the cockpit, the seating falls backward and down on the base. It cannot sustain the weight of the action figure at all, so we find this quite disappointing. We also assembled it in reverse to see if that might help. Would you believe it does? The “dish/window” portion will catch the cannon perfectly and keep it at 180 degrees with the figure in the chair, but then you have an incorrectly built diorama. It’s frustrating. Thankfully, you hold the control knob on the back and swing Han Solo left and right, up and down, and recreate the battle they had with the many TIE fighters attempting to blow them from the sky. This set has its moments, but you probably won’t find it a necessary purchase. The Han Solo pack-in figure is neat because of the headset, but he doesn’t have the greatest sculpt by a landslide.
Collector Notes
Millennium Falcon With Han Solo
Assortment Number: 69665/69766
UPC: 076281697666
Retail: $9.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
Millennium Falcon
Status: Millennium Falcon is a straight repack of the Millennium Falcon from 1998's POTF2 [FF/TKC] Millennium Falcon With Luke Skywalker Gunner Station set. This time the Millennium Falcon has a new monitor sticker.
Features Count: 3
Feature Details: rapid fire quad laser cannon, gunner chair swivels, interlocks with the Luke Skywalker Gunner Station
Accessory Count: 4
Accessory Details: 4 projectiles
Date Stamp: 1997
Han Solo
Status: Han Solo is an all-new figure.
Articulation Count: 5 points (5 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: swivel head (1), swivel left shoulder (1), swivel right shoulder (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1)
Accessory Count: None
Accessory Details: None
Date Stamp: 1997