LrdSatyr8
Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2012
- Messages
- 765
Hey all... I don't know if you have heard, but I'm pretty sure you have. But for those that haven't... there's a kit company out of the UK called DeAgostini. They have basically focused on wooden ships, race cars, motorcycles, etc. They've been around for over 100 years. Anyway, the models they produce aren't your typical injected plastic mold kits. No... the models they produce are musuem quality multi-media kits that are completely accurate to the originals only at scale! Now, the way they sell their kits is kind of unique to me, seeing as I've spent most of my life buying kits in boxes off the shelf and then building and getting extra parts and modifying etc. Well, how they sell their kits is in part packs that are included with a magazine in a subscription form. What this means is that you subscribe to receive their magazine and for each issue of the magazine you receive a pack of parts. Each pack allows you to usually build a section of the completed model. When you've gotten all the issues you have a complete model kit. They usually include all the tools you will need and there's always room for customization.
Now... recently they wanted to get into the sci-fi realm and immediately thought about doing a Millenium Falcon. So they tested the waters so to speak and produced a few early test packs. What they didn't expect was the popularity and the criticism for the lack of and/or the inaccuracy of detail the parts they made had. So, they contacted Steve Dymszo (you know the guy who co-founded Master Replicas) and asked for his help.
Well... Steve said sure, and being as OCD as most of us around here, he gave them a hand, because secretly there were alot of things he wanted to do with the MR Falcon but didn't get a chance to do, as well as fix all the "missing" or "broken off" pieces that were left off the original 32" Studio Falcon scans that he and his company did for the MR. But he took it a step further... he also included an interior and and fully accurate cockpit. But there's alot more then that as well. Best way to think of this version is "MR Falcon v2.0"!
Well the thing that probably kept me from getting all the Falcon's before was probably the price... the MR Falcon was going for anywhere from $1200 to $1500 (good luck in finding one now under $5000-8000), the Fine Molds Falcon was going for $250 but after shipping costs from Japan closer to $350 (and now you can't find them under $600-800). The Hasbro Legacy Falcon was selling in Walmart for $150. But now you can't buy these things anymore because they don't produce them anymore. You might be able to find one on eBay but you may want to double the original price if you find one.
Recently they came out with the Hasbro Hero Falcon for $30... I grabbed one. It's got alot of good detail, but it's also missing alot more. Just the scratch building and modifications alone on it would take a good long time to get to look semi decent. However, now we've got the DeAgostini Falcon. And wait til you get a load of this.
I wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to get a good quality Falcon again... and I'm glad I didn't. I just got my first month's worth of parts and I gotta say I am blown away by the detail on this thing. You can go online and look at photos of the original 32" inch Falcon and compare the pieces and it will be difficult to spot anything missing. All the parts are prepainted based on the Pantone scans of the original Falcon. It's almost as if Lucasfilm produced a model... it's that good.
Now... what made me buy this thing? Well first off it's not cheap... The entire subscription ends up after shipping ends up being around $1500-$1800 bucks... however, it's monthly charge for 4 magazines (with parts) a month spread out over a period of 2 years (25 months). So that works out to about $15 an issue or $60 a month. I've put stuff on layway that was more expensive then that. Now I don't know about you, but that's a pretty darn good deal seeing as the original MR Falcon was selling for $5000 and this is basically MR Falcon v2.0! I can go without having to eat fast food for awhile (I'm sure my gut will appreciate it).
Now that I got this first pack in my grubby little mitts, I am gonna make sure I do it right. I want to be able to pass this on to my grandchildren and their grandchildren for years to come. Over the next few months I'm going to take my time and post my progress on it. I hope you all enjoy it and if you get a chance I highly recommend picking one up before you kick yourself for not doing so later!
Now... recently they wanted to get into the sci-fi realm and immediately thought about doing a Millenium Falcon. So they tested the waters so to speak and produced a few early test packs. What they didn't expect was the popularity and the criticism for the lack of and/or the inaccuracy of detail the parts they made had. So, they contacted Steve Dymszo (you know the guy who co-founded Master Replicas) and asked for his help.
Well... Steve said sure, and being as OCD as most of us around here, he gave them a hand, because secretly there were alot of things he wanted to do with the MR Falcon but didn't get a chance to do, as well as fix all the "missing" or "broken off" pieces that were left off the original 32" Studio Falcon scans that he and his company did for the MR. But he took it a step further... he also included an interior and and fully accurate cockpit. But there's alot more then that as well. Best way to think of this version is "MR Falcon v2.0"!
Well the thing that probably kept me from getting all the Falcon's before was probably the price... the MR Falcon was going for anywhere from $1200 to $1500 (good luck in finding one now under $5000-8000), the Fine Molds Falcon was going for $250 but after shipping costs from Japan closer to $350 (and now you can't find them under $600-800). The Hasbro Legacy Falcon was selling in Walmart for $150. But now you can't buy these things anymore because they don't produce them anymore. You might be able to find one on eBay but you may want to double the original price if you find one.
Recently they came out with the Hasbro Hero Falcon for $30... I grabbed one. It's got alot of good detail, but it's also missing alot more. Just the scratch building and modifications alone on it would take a good long time to get to look semi decent. However, now we've got the DeAgostini Falcon. And wait til you get a load of this.
I wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to get a good quality Falcon again... and I'm glad I didn't. I just got my first month's worth of parts and I gotta say I am blown away by the detail on this thing. You can go online and look at photos of the original 32" inch Falcon and compare the pieces and it will be difficult to spot anything missing. All the parts are prepainted based on the Pantone scans of the original Falcon. It's almost as if Lucasfilm produced a model... it's that good.
Now... what made me buy this thing? Well first off it's not cheap... The entire subscription ends up after shipping ends up being around $1500-$1800 bucks... however, it's monthly charge for 4 magazines (with parts) a month spread out over a period of 2 years (25 months). So that works out to about $15 an issue or $60 a month. I've put stuff on layway that was more expensive then that. Now I don't know about you, but that's a pretty darn good deal seeing as the original MR Falcon was selling for $5000 and this is basically MR Falcon v2.0! I can go without having to eat fast food for awhile (I'm sure my gut will appreciate it).
Now that I got this first pack in my grubby little mitts, I am gonna make sure I do it right. I want to be able to pass this on to my grandchildren and their grandchildren for years to come. Over the next few months I'm going to take my time and post my progress on it. I hope you all enjoy it and if you get a chance I highly recommend picking one up before you kick yourself for not doing so later!