After searching the web for a good image of this box and lid - and found nothing of quality - I bought it and scanned in a version for all to have and enjoy!

When I was 11 and SW came out, two years later (1979) seemed like an eternity to wait for a model of Han Solo's pirate ship. I knew that I wanted a model of the ship, but I never dreamed it would have such a cool photo of the actual model from the movie! I loved that box lid. Jump ahead to 2009, after having and losing track of the model and box three times in my life, I decided to find the image on the net. Nothing. Some were so-so photos by sellers, but nothing of quality that I considered archive quality. I decided to buy another box - just for the lid - scan it, save it and share it with all you other Millennium Falcon freaks out there like me.

So, I present to you (and I'm a professional Graphic artist by the way) a MEDIUM res image of our beloved ship from the 1979 MPC model box lid. The box I purchased was not mint, but the Falcon pic was in very good shape. The box itself had faded a tad over time, but it wasn't too far off accurate (remember, I've had three before). I've enriched the color ever so slightly to accommodate the fade. Also, to make my color correction trustworthy, you all should know that I have an actual 16 x 20 photo print of this exact Falcon pic from the Lucasfilm archives with a COA on Lucasfilm letterhead from the archive director, granting me permission to obtain a print for personal collecting use only and NOT for distribution of any kind. (that's why I'm not posting THAT image).

So, I say all this to certify that my color correction is probably about as dead-on as you can get where the "Falcon photo" is concerned. My actual box "blue values" in the space artwork are a tad more aqua than this jpeg, but that is due to fading. I did not concern myself so much with capturing the blue as I did making sure the Falcon color was accurate.

Now of course, I personally have the highest resoluton possible at 100% of the box lid size: 19.75 x 14.5 at 300 res = a 73.6 MB image. But I obviously can't post that huge monster here. So I've uploaded the max sizes I can use through ImageShack - 1.5 MB (and now, 3MB - scroll down). Click on the image (once, then again after it comes up, for maximum size).

Oh, and in case your wondering why I didn't retouch the box edges, it's because this is a "vintage image" and I felt the old faded box edges were a nice touch to keep.



(see larger 3MB jpeg link below)

I'm not surprised to see that Lucasfilm product packaging from 1979 is superior to that of 2009. Nice image, friend.

We always hold onto those things we had as children. I've collected all kinds of Star Wars stuff since the early nineties but hold the strongest connection to the things I opened and played with coming out of my teens. The 'roided up action figures from 1995 are laughable compared with recent offerings, but they are sturdy playthings whose limbs don't fall off and have no problem remaining upright without a stand. I've recently started grabbing up the Micro Machines playsets and other items which, coincidently, have great box art.

I still have an unbuilt Falcon kit in my studio, seeing this reminds me that I need to build it someday.

I think my favorite was the box art for the 1997 Double Takes Death Star!



I never had any fancy models, but I had a bunch of used vintage, buff 90's Kenner and Micro Machines toys. Coincidentally, this was a pretty fuckin awesome playset. It had a multi-level Mos Eisley, Lars Homestead with flip-up corpses and a hill leading to the Death Star's docking bay. This was the command center for all my Micro Machines stuff (before the great new millennium toy purge). Just look how it opened up. Almost makes me want to get a new one (*checks prices on eBay*). Nvm.

Glad everyone's liking this. Neat to see some of your older stuff too!

I upgraded my ImageShack for a month so I could link a decent size jpeg for everyone - 3MB. The first one (above) is okay, but this is more like it! Don't forget to click twice for the largest size.

Get it while it's hot. I'm only going to link this size for a month until 3.22.09

3.25.09 - Thanks to a tip and request from darthpsychotic, here is the larger image indefinitely...

thanks to hi-res Leia has become a dude

Yeah, but the breasts are still nice.

Hey, SI - a member since May 1977, huh?! I didn't know they had internet back then. Oh, the power of an administrator! That's pretty funny.

really?!

I'd like to thank StingRay for this image and spending their own money to upload the image especially since now it appears ImageShack has increased it's upload limit:



Also I'm looking to get one of these MPC Falcons.

Yeah, man.

Here's my copy. Original 1979 (US) version, still perfectly shrinkwrapped. The ESB sticker indicates this particular copy was actually on the retail shelves during the early promotion of the upcoming 1980 sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. The price sticker reads $15.79

I love the artwork on these early Fundimensions SW model kits. Interestingly, in 1979 the 'LFL' copyright began to replace the '20th Century Fox' copyright on Star Wars items. So this is among the last of the SW items to feature the '20th Century Fox' copyright on the packaging.



http://www3.telus.net/public/leifg/falcon-front.jpg