The Bandai 1/72 PG Millenium Falcon Lighting Kit from Falcon 3D Parts is finally in our office. As it is very customary from Falcon 3D Parts, the packaging of their products is second to none. The box lingered a couple of days before getting the necessary TLC while finishing other jobs. This is one comprehensive upgrade for your 1/72 Bandai Millenium Falcon…
This controller is designed to replace the stock battery box of Bandai PG 1/72 Scale Millennium Falcon and enhance the model with additional features. It allows us to light up and remotely control the engine, landing lights, headlights, cockpit and do some additional light effects. The engine light effects are accompanied by the sound effects of a working engine. Once the desired light settings have been set, the controller can be operated remotely with Bluetooth enabled devices such as a cell phone or a tablet.
In the Box:
- The controller
- Low-frequency audio speaker
- 34 LED Engine light strip with two holders
- 2 Auxiliary multi-color 8mm LEDs
- Power cable
- Power supply
- MSRP $265.00 USD
- More Detailed photos and info on their website here.
As you can tell from the picture above, this upgrade is a vast improvement from the provided light system from Bandai. But at the same time, I don’t want to scare would-be buyers. The offering from Falcon 3D Parts has a double-sided glossy printed instructions sheet which is very easy to follow even for the less technical model builders (yours truly included).
What you see on the right side of the picture above, is what you get in your box by mail. When I light up my models, I try to have more than one way to power the lights. The reason for it is because I like to photograph my miniature spaceships against a green screen. Having a couple of mounting points along with a current input comes very handy as seen here on the Revell 1/29 X-Wing.
Another thing: I always look for alternate power supply on my builds. 99% of the time the run from 9 to 12v. The reason behind it is explained briefly below,
Please do read:
Here is a transcript of my conversation with Falcon 3D Parts regarding the unit voltage capacity, limits as well as a warning:
George Collazo
Hello guys. I was wondering, what is the lowest/highest voltage the system can run with? Is the user limited to the AC Adaptor? Or can we go the 12v battery holder route as well?Falcon 3D Parts
Hi George, That’s great, thank you so much! Only a 5v power supply is possible. Anything higher than 5v (even 6v) will kill the board and the LEDs. So it is pretty restrictive in this sense, unfortunately. The board and LEDs are very sensitive to the voltage supplied, but because of the size of the board, I was limited with space and could not fit any kind of voltage regulator.George Collazo
Thanks so much for the prompt reply, my friend. There are battery holders for 3 AA batteries. That’s 4.5v. With a male plug can it be used? I’m asking for myself and for those who might be interested in bringing their models to say a model show with no outlet nearby?Falcon 3D Parts
*Unfortunately, these also won’t work, it needs to have higher than 4.8v for the microprocessors to recognize 5v signal. So it needs to be 4.8v – 5.2v but ideally 5v.*George Collazo
Got it my friend. I don’t want to misdirect readers and/or ruin the sample you sent in either. I’m always looking for alternatives and plan b’s 😉Falcon 3D Parts
Sorry for such strict voltage requirements. I would have definitely integrated some sort of voltage regulator but was really limited on the space.
So there you have it, folks, straight from the mouth of the horse. The board box is the heart of this set and we better don’t mess with it. ALWAYS USE THE SUPPLIED AC ADAPTER. When the folks at Falcon 3D Parts are saying that they were limited by space on the main box unit, they actually do mean it. The board box has basically the same shape design and size as the original one provided by Bandai. That way you’ll be able to fit it nicely in the space where the original should go without further modification.
I encourage those with further technical questions to contact Falcon 3D Parts via their website or send them a message on their Facebook page.
Now back to the control box. Â Because it is Bluetooth controlled, to make the magic happen you must visit your Google Play or Apple Store and download Adafruit Bluefruit LE Connect. Once this app is installed on your Android or Apple hardware, just follow the easy steps to communicate your phone/tablet with the controller. There is no fuss to deal with. I installed the app on my Galaxy S8 and in less than 5 minutes I was recording on the same phone the video clip you see below.
What you see in the video clip below is the ”demo” version of the sounds and lights. It is a total show and the sound is coordinated with the lights as well. By the way, the long strip for the engine holds a double LED band that will leave almost no dead spots on the engine lights. In other words, the light is very even and consistent around your Millenium Falcon engine grille.
The brightness, as well as the hue of the LEDs, can be adjusted with a small flat or phillips screwdriver. Provided also there are LEDs for the lower hull. These LEDs will be housed in clear 3D printed emitters. They are printed to fit 7/64 or 3/16 drill bits.
If you were able to build your Bandai 1/72 PG Millenium Falcon *yourself*, I honestly don’t see why can’t the average Joe add this mod him/herself.
Now, there is sound with this upgrade system. My only question -and I can not answer it at the moment- is how can that sound be on the finished product. Out of the box, the sound clips are outstanding and considering how small this speaker is, there is good overall depth on the sound coming from it. Enclosed is another $20 bucks as we say in Puerto Rico. This paragraph will remain open until our model is built, so sound-wise, to be continued…
There are 2 auxiliary 8mm LEDs that can be used to feed fiber optics on the Millenium Falcon’s cockpit and gunner stations PLUS all the landing lights. This is something not covered by the original Bandai light set.
Should you get this light system for your Bandai Perfect Grade Millenium Falcon?
Well, that’s one subjective question. Personally, I like everything this upgrade offers out of the box. Because I know nothing about even basic electronic other than soldering resistors (with pop-corn looking joints) and getting light from fiber-optic out of a mundane LED, someone else took the time to design, produce and market the finished product. The light kit is very easy to install and echoing what I already said, I don’t see why the average model kit builder Joe couldn’t install it by him/herself. In fact, it would require as much knowledge to install like the one you would need to install the one provided by Bandai.
I remember when DeAgostini started to sell their 1:1 replica of the ESB Falcon. As good as it was, they missed some points here and there. The 3D printing community came up to the rescue for the more purists on missing greeblies and improved many of the parts included with the kit. I know for a fact that many folks building a DeAgostini Millenium Falcon did not spare to accurize their model even further costing them hundreds over hundreds of dollars on aftermarket goods. Adding the Falcon 3D Parts light system is very up to the model builder’s personal taste and funds. Frankly, the Millenium Falcon is my next favorite character after Yoda.
To be the proud owner of a 1/72 scale Millenium Falcon replica of the 5Â footer filming miniature, the Falcon 3D Parts set is a must! You will be glad you did. Call it the ”ultimate Falcon model kit”.
Highly Recommended!
Our sincere thanks to our Canadian neighbors from Falcon 3D Parts for sending in this sample.
Direct link to the product page here.
