LEPIN 05033 UCS Millennium Falcon Review

I'm guessing this is the review everyone have been waiting for - LEPIN 05033 UCS Millennium Falcon! This is the knock-off version of the LEGO 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon which was released back in 2007. It's the second largest set ever produced by LEGO with over 5000 bricks. Yes, over 5000 bricks. Good luck.

So, what are the differences between the original and knock-off UCS Millennium Falcon? I don't have the original version but from the number of bricks stated on the box, LEPIN seems to have more pieces than Lego; 187 extra pieces to be exact. I am not going to go through both manuals just to compare side by side on the extra pieces. Just focus on assembling, guys/girls - don't bother on the extra pieces.

What is the number #1 rule when assembling a LEPIN set? Bingo! Sorting. Unlike LEGO, LEPIN does not pack the bricks properly; the bricks are packed by categories; 2 x 10 plates will be in one bag, 4 x 6 plates will be in another bag, etc. If you look at the picture below, I have actually sorted it category - not as in LEGO sorting but sorting them by types so it's easier to find the bricks during assembling. Yes, I fully utilized by 8 ft x 2 ft and 4 ft x 2 ft tables for that. That leads to rule number #2. Space! Yes, you need space. Assembling this set will take you at least 12 hours if you decide to gung-ho but if you are the type is slow and steady, it will take at least a week. Yes, these bricks will occupy your space for at least a week. Get permission from your parents/spouse before assembling. Oh, if you have small children at home, don't let them come near the sorted bricks. One misplaced brick will lead you straight to the doors to Hell. Two or more misplaced bricks means you are in Hell.

Before you start, I have an important thing to show. Because LEPIN was rushing the release of this set (probably due to LEGO's lawsuit), some of the given parts are actually wrong and some parts don't fit in nicely. I had to do side by side comparison with the original LEGO manual to determine which are the parts. Refer to my description below.

LEPIN manual pg 40

This is the landing gear that will be supporting the UCS Millennium Falcon. The black shaft and the connector can be very loose. This is very important as the base on the landing gear will drop off when you move the UCS Millennium Falcon around. You don't want the Falcon to crash and break into pieces due to gravitational stress on the loose landing gear. So, what's the solution? For the connector, get a small mallet/hammer and hammer it lightly to the round plate until it fits nicely and tight. For the shaft to the connector, I'll suggest using glue. I used those el cheapo glue gun with sticks for my case. 

Next would be the hinge brick. If you look at the picture below, LEPIN actually provided the 2 x 2 version instead of 1 x 2. Take note of that.

LEPIN manual pg 79

I pasted the original Lego manual instructions to the pg 79 of the LEPIN manual instructions. If you noticed, the LEPIN's version did not connect right to the bottom (circled in red). Ignore LEPIN's instructions and follow LEGO's.

LEPIN manual pg 87, 89, 92 and 93

For my case, my set came with the wrong set of parts. Instead of getting the 2 x 2 with 2 pin holes, I got the one with 1 pin hole which is wrong (refer to my crossed out picture). I had to "cut" the 2 x 2 with 1 pin hole a bit so that the connector would fit nicely. 

LEPIN manual pg 105 and 130

The parts LEPIN provided was correct but the color wasn't! It shows grey in the manual but in the packaging, they only provided black. No workaround for this at the moment unless you want to spray it grey. 

LEPIN manual pg 147 and 149

Okay, let's start assembling! Woo hoo!

I think it took my nearly 40 hours to complete this but man, the process was fun! As you can see, it's a huge ass set. Weighing nearly 10 kg, and 83 cm (length) 60 cm (width) and 25 cm (height), this set is a monster! Now for the review. I'll rate this set 8/10. This time the mini figures looks...I would say better than the previous sets. What I hated was, the wrong parts that was provided. The black shaft made my Falcon looked ugly so minus points there. Apart from that, I'll give thumbs up to LEPIN for producing such a marvelous set.

Now, for the pictures! No videos though. Warning, picture heavy! Don't browse with 56 Kbps dial-up!

My next project would most likely be the LEPIN 05035 Death Star. Stay tune for the next review! Thanks for reading.

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