The BMF, a term coined by Adam May, was originally meant to be “Big Millennium Falcon”, but fans morphed it so that it soon became a profane acronym that was a nod to Sam Jackson’s wallet in Pulp Fiction.  The “BMF” treatment” is a term collectors bestow on any vehicle that Hasbro has upsized from previous releases. 

You probably know the basics about the Falcon.  It’s been released twice before.  In 2008, it debuted in The Legacy Collection (available during Midnight Madness - Clone Wars Edition), and was an absolute revelation and gift to fans.  It was huge, had a ton of features and play value, and worked overtime to provide collectors with a realistic and workable display environment for your figures, allowing you to recreate almost any scene involving the Falcon from the OT (although the electronic sounds included were specific to ANH).  It was $149, a big price that matched the big size of the ship.  Fans balked then, but the Falcon was so spectacular, few could pass on it.  In 2012, as The Vintage Collection was withering away, Hasbro repacked the BMF in TVC packaging.  It was beautiful, and gave the community a second chance to score it at retail.  This time, however, it was a Toys R Us exclusive, and the price was jacked up to $249.99.  That may have turned off some collectors, but it was still a successful run. 

In preparation for this gallery and review, we photographed and reviewed the 2008 TLC and 2012 TVC versions, which are now open (complete with sound files) and available to read and view.  The pages are nearly identical, except for the packaging photos.  If you want to compare them against this new release, feel free to check them out.

In 2020, the 2008 and 2012 versions were going for $800 and up on the secondary market.  Following the theatrical release of the Sequel Trilogy, as well as the opening of the Millennium Falcon ride at Galaxy’s Edge theme parks at Disney World and Disney Land, Hasbro decided it was the right time to get the BMF out there again, and give it several noteworthy updates.  But this comes at a cost.  $399.99, to be exact.

The basics are the same, and since the aforementioned reviews are up, I won’t go into too much detail.  But in a nutshell, you get the same 24” x 32” mold, opening crew compartment with seating areas, a bed, dejarik table, chair/console, training remote, and hidden storage areas.  There’s a large cockpit that seats 4 figures.  You also get a drop down ramp, escape pod, movable quad cannons, and multiple firing missiles. The BMF includes an array of lights and sounds, including dialogue straight from ANH.  Also in the package were two re-packed figures of Han Solo and Chewbacca.  Both were previously available separately.  All of this was tremendous in 2008 when it debuted, and it really hasn’t lost its luster since.  The BMF is a centerpiece of many collections, perhaps only being supplanted by the HasLab Sail Barge.

So besides another opportunity to pick this up less expensively than on the secondary market, what do you get for $400 that’s new?  Let’s go through the differences/upgrades.

First, there’s the packaging.  Yes, it’s TVC just like the 2012 release, but it’s an all new and awesome look.  Hasbro opted to source this directly from Galaxy’s Edge, and made it available at Target as an exclusive.  Specifically, it was offered as part of their “pop up shop” devoted to products inspired by Galaxy’s Edge.  The package source logo borrows the double racetracks from ANH, as previously seen on non-film canon item such as Doctor Aphra.  It includes a large medallion indicating the Galaxy’s Edge source.  The diorama on the package art is inspired by Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, the location featured at the theme park.  Even if you’re not a fan of the new media, it’s hard to deny how great the artwork/photography looks.

One thing to note about the packaging:  if you had this shipped to your home, you received it in a Hasbro cardboard shipper.  Mine arrived in nearly pristine condition, although that’s a risk that doesn’t always pan out for everyone.  But the cool thing about the box is that “BMF” is featured prominently in the text.  It seems that Hasbro has adopted the aforementioned Adam May-coined term, as an homage to the community.  That’s pretty neat!

The ship itself uses the same mold from 2008 (with at least one tiny exception, which I’ll get into shortly).  There’s no complaint here.  While we could all ask for some things to be different or added to the mold, they most likely wouldn’t be worth the effort, and would likely have been too cost prohibitive for Hasbro to pull off.  As such, everything is the same as before.  The changes are with the paint, accessories, and figures included.

The paint is amazing.  At this point, collectors know what to expect from Hasbro with regard to paint apps and details on vehicles.  It’s on another level from what came before TVC’s relaunch in 2018.  The colors, weathering, carbon scoring, grease marks, and general wear and tear are outstanding.  The difference in the paint apps between the 2008/2012 releases and this one are remarkable.  It’s more realistic, and far less toy-like.  I don’t know if the photos do it justice, but the effort by Hasbro is commendable.

Hasbro included an alternate radar dish, so that you can display the ship with the rectangular version that the Falcon sported later on during the Sequel Trilogy/Galaxy’s Edge era, or you can stick with the more iconic circular dish from the Original Trilogy era.

Drake seems to have an opinion on just about everything.

Not content with giving you just the radar dish options, Hasbro also updated the on board electronic sounds.  On the previous releases, there was a main on/off switch.  Now, there is no “off” option, but instead you use the same switch to toggle between OT and GE sounds.  And here’s the very minor change to the sculpt I mentioned earlier.  Previously, the switch was labeled with “ON” and “OFF” embossed into the plastic. These words have now been replaced with symbols.  Anyway, this is excellent, as it allows fans of the OT to essentially ignore the alternative, and display/play with this ship as if it’s an upgraded OT BMF.  The only thing you might want to avoid is applying the included stickers, which have a few images that feature Hondo Ohnaka.

The figures included are new, as well.  They are sourced from Galaxy’s Edge.  Hondo Ohnaka and Chewbacca are teamed up as they are during the events of GE.  The Hondo figure is excellent, although sadly, the plastic is a little soft.  The cape is a bit limiting, but the plastic used is thin and pliable, so you can still get some solid posing out of him.  It was already revealed that Hondo will also be released in the next wave of TVC figures, so fan’s not willing to shell out $400 for this BMF can still get it separately in a few weeks.  We’ll go into more detail when the figure is available. 

As for Chewbacca, it uses the venerable 2004 VOTC mold that Hasbro has been using even as recently as 2019 for VC141.  Hasbro has been giving the body new headscuplts while repainting and re-accessorizing it to reflect different times during The Saga.  The same strategy was used here.  You get an all new head sculpt, with some paint variations.  The only accessory included is his trusty bowcaster, although it’s simply solid black with a very soft plastic.  Chewie is a nice looking figure.  Hasbro has not made any announcements regarding plans to re-release him in any known format, so it’s possible this may be your only shot, at least for a while, for an ST-era Chewbacca in TVC.

Six porgs are also part of the package.  There are 2 each of 3 different paint variants, which was a nice touch.  Unfortunately, Hasbro didn’t alter the sculpt at all, which is the same as the porg accessory that came with the TLJ 5POA Chewbacca in 2017.  It would have been nice if there were some sculpt variants, like with flapping wings, or even a version of a nesting mom.  But in the end, it’s probably not something that tons of people were clamoring for.

I noticed a few minor tweaks, as well.  The landing gear, which were frustratingly loose in 2008, are now a tighter fit.  Also, I see that the very cool spotlights that shine near the exterior of the main ramp, last a lot longer than they did previously.  It’s a neat feature, and I think worthy of even the few more seconds of time lit.  There may be some other differences (intentional or not), but I haven’t noticed them yet.  If anyone has anything to add, feel free to mention it on our comments section.

So what are the complaints or misses?

Already mentioned is the lack of Porg sculpt variations, as well as the lack of an OT sticker sheet.  I also feel the plastic used for the Hondo figure and Chewie’s bowcaster is substandard.  But there are other misses.

I was pretty disappointed to realize that the set does not include the 3 orange storage canisters that are featured prominently on the front of the packaging along with Hondo Ohnaka.  These are the ones that were included with the VC Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank.  While I don’t believe there was any other indication that these accessories were included, the package would lead one to believe that they’re inside.  They’re not. Sigh.

The escape pod is something that I always believed was a Hasbro construct.  Maybe there’s something in the EU about such a thing.  In Solo, there was a separate pod between the front mandibles, but was obviously very different from the toy pod that is part of the BMF.  But in The Last Jedi, there is an on board escape pod that Rey uses to get to Snoke’s flagship during the low-speed car chase.  This would have been the perfect opportunity to replace the off screen version with the canon one from TLJ.  That one had more of a coffin-like design, as it was pretty much a rectangular lifeboat, rather than the more aggressive looking mini-ship that we have.  I have no complaint about the existing pod, but this may have been the only logical shot that Hasbro had to offer a screen accurate version for us.  That’s a miss.

Another opportunity missed, in my opinion, is that no R5-P8 was included.  While I’m not expert in the Galaxy’s Edge story, you don’t have to be one to understand that Hondo has an astromech droid since it features prominently in the on board electronic sounds.  As such, it would have been great to be included here.  Of course, this disappointment is mitigated by the fact that Hasbro is releasing a series of multipacks shortly, one of which will include R5-P8.  The droid was previously available as a Disney Droid Factory (bootleg) figure, but it will soon be an official Hasbro release.  Sadly, it seems this new version probably lacks the blaster that was part of the dome.

So there you have it.  It’s a beautiful modern take on the BMF, with significantly upgraded paint applications, two excellent figures, and the swappable radar dishes. There are few misses which hurt mostly because Hasbro probably could have thrown in another bone or two to soften the blow of the $400 price tag.  The ship is currently available (as of this writing) on Target.com (despite two pre-order opportunities selling out fast).  Time will tell if this will be a success for Hasbro, and a sign that more big vehicles or sets may possibly make it to brick and mortar in the future.