10 Things You Didn't Know About The Millennium Falcon

For A New Hope, a 5ft model of the Millennium Falcon was constructed for special effects shots. The Empire Strikes Back had a full-size version made in an aircraft hangar in Wales, along with lots of smaller versions for various types of special effects shots, from a 32-inch version mounted on a gimbal for complicated aerobatic moves in the asteroid field scene to a dinky palm-sized one for docking on the immense Star Destroyer. It also used a refurbished version of A New Hope's model. It was the 32-incher that provided the reference for the countless model versions of the Falcon released over the years.

Then there were the sets - a large chunk of the Falcon for A New Hope where it appears in Docking Bay 94 and the Death Star hangar, and an interior set including the cockpit, gun turrets and hold. The Empire Strikes Back expended and refitted the interior set and added two completely new ones, the upper surface where Lando rescues Luke beneath Cloud City, and the bunk where Luke convalesces.

A new full-size replica was built for The Force Awakens, providing an early teaser photo from the set. Prior to the widespread use of digital models in later decades, a lot of time and money were spent making dozens of different Falcons to make filming it possible.