Personally, this is more aesthetically pleasing to me than the other versions that have come since. There aren't a ton of gaps. Although I do want to point out that I don't own any later playset version. I recently got 7190, the first Millennium Falcon, and as a playset, I find it a little better because of those large panel pieces somewhat resembling the large sections of the actual ship than these wedges. They're also sturdier, too. I'm able to hold it in one hand and do a corkscrew with that thing that I wouldn't dare with a wedge panel topped Falcon. But I do have fond memories building this set with my dad on Father's Day back in 2004. This version has always technically been his since he bought it specifically for him.

I Love this set! Hi babe!

Hey-- this is the Millennium Falcon set that I own. Still one of my favorite LEGO sets.

I notice the box for mine is a black version that says Original Trilogy Edition. Is this a more limited or special version?

My brother and I bought this together. Our first big Star Wars set (up until then, it was all about Harry Potter and Orient Expedition. I have so many memories of this; like the time it broke in half mid-flight, and the great tragedy when my (at the time) only Chewbacca went missing. Like Han, I kept modifying it over the years, until I bought the TFA Falcon, which has many nice features, but will never live up to this old, beloved hunk o' junk.

Question is ... does it fit thru the open hangar doors of Assault On Hoth set?

@devineone: this set was available during a running change of Star Wars packaging. So there was a black packaged version of this set and (later) a blue packaged version. The black boxes were much more attractive in my opinion.

@alldarker It's the other way around. The blue was used from 2003-2004 and then the Original Trilogy banner was used for a few years. You may be thinking of the ring design that was used from 2002-2003 that got rid of the classic logo in the upper right from years before.

What a piece of junk

Both of the boxes for 4504 were very nice: a sturdy double-walled box with a properly hinged lid as well as an additional flip-top lid.

My only MF well, I have the mini and the scaled down versions as well but as a System set this is my only MF. My parents bought it for me in a Sal Mart and it wasn't cheap (almost $200).

This is the only Falcon at this scale I don’t own....got too many of these things!

I was just re-building this last night!

The overall shape and smaller gaps on this set look better than the new Kessel Run version, and it was 70.00 cheaper lol. Never felt the need to buy this one though, as I already had the original from 2000 (which despite how awful BURP's are they did give the upper hull a nice look), then later bought the 2011 version and finally the 2015 TFA version. For once I agree with my wife about LEGO; three MF's are enough :)

<3 Best Falcon. ´(I might be slightly biased, because I've had mine for 14 years and have been modifying it the entire time.)

Seriously though, it's got fewer gaps than the subsequent releases, and the mandibles are actually the right shape, unlike those horrible pointy things they put on the newer ships.

I read somewhere that the 12x3 wedge plates were first cast for this very use in this very set. That's one of the best part investments TLG has ever made. Such a versatile piece! The whole 2004 Empire Strikes Back line was a stunning example of the changes TLG was making to stay afloat. Before 2004, Star Wars sets looked like Town Jr: small, simple, blocky, and kind of clunky. After 2004, they were big, detailed, and functional, with impressive and unexpected building techniques.

I loved building this set! It was my favorite set of all time until it was eclipsed by Saturn V last fall!

Yeah! This was my first Millennium Falcon and until last year's UCS, it was my only Millennium Falcon! Lego came up with a winning design both inside and out, and it really hasn't been topped at this scale. The later versions (and upcoming Kessel Run atrocity) still use it, and in some ways, it got worse (flick fire missiles, the landing gear, increasing gaps between plates) after this 2004 edition. I wouldn't say it was at the "turning point" of Lego Star Wars set design, though. That came about in 2002, with the introduction of lots of curving slope bricks that defined the looks of such classic sets like Jedi Starfighter, Jango Fett's Slave I, and Bounty Hunter Pursuit. If anything, sets from 2004 were kind of the last gasp of smart innovation until 2008.