Heads were scratched and eyebrows raised when LEGO started promoting a whole new concept – the midi-scale – when it was first introduced on StarWars.com in the Spring of 2009.
Described as a between miniature and minifigure scale but with considerably more details than mini-scale models, the subtheme’s debut set – Han Solo’s legendary Millennium Falcon (7778) – was eagerly anticipated by curious fans and collectors. Released in the summer of 2009, it was an instant hit and with an inventory of 356 pieces, it had over 50% of the element count that the original 7190 Millennium Falcon had, at half the cost.
The most famous ship in the Star Wars™ galaxy – at an all-new scale!
It’s the Millennium Falcon as you’ve never seen it before! Han Solo’s famous starship returns as a special-edition mid-scale model. Movie-authentic details include a rotating radar dish and movable laser cannons above and below!
- A must-have special edition midi-scale Millennium Falcon!
- Dimensions: Length = 9.3 inches (23.5cm), Width = 6.7 inches (17cm), Height = 3.2 inches (8cm)!
- No minifigures included.
Created by LEGO at the behest of Walmart, who requested a range of Star Wars sets that children could afford with their pocket money, and positively reviewed by the Star Wars fan base, it’s strange that the midi-scale subtheme wasn’t expanded and 7778 Millennium Falcon remained the solo set for an entire year until it was joined by 8099 Imperial Star Destroyer, which was (again) a Walmart exclusive, in the summer of 2010.
The infamous Imperial Star Destroyer™- now in midi-scale!
Appearing for the very first time in the opening scene of the first Star Wars™ movie, A New Hope, the Imperial Star Destroyer™ is the Empire’s most powerful warship and one of the most instantly recognizable in the entire series. This iconic ship now comes in midi-scale.
- No minifigures included
- Display the model using the convenient stand!
- Imperial Star Destroyer measures more than 10″ (25cm) long and stands more than 5″ (12cm)
With such a small subtheme, LEGO Star Wars fans expected the line to have been terminated after the retirement of 8099 Imperial Star Destroyer in August 2011 – and for all intents and purposes the midi-scale line became an outlier in the broader Star Wars license.
Retirement wasn’t to be, and after a nine-year-long hiatus, LEGO surprised everyone with a third midi-scale set, 77904 Nebulon-B Frigate, which was accidentally revealed through the building instruction pages at LEGO.com. Boxed images soon surfaced, exposing it as the canceled San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, and fans began to speculate about its future – until it was discovered that Amazon.com would have it as a November exclusive.
Recreate every cool detail of the Nebulon-B Frigate with this brilliant LEGO® Star Wars™ construction set. Remember dramatic scenes aboard this Rebel cruiser as you build, then display your creation on its brick-built stand and show it off to friends. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Comprised of 458 elements, the Rebel medical frigate measures 12 in/31 cm long and is very close in size to the mini-scale Tantive IV that was included with 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer – which has led to some suggestions that it wouldn’t go down badly if LEGO were to come out with a selection of scaled-down vehicles to supplement the Final Flight Games table-top games.
But what’s next? With a mean release rate of a new midi-scale set every 3.6 years, do you want to wait until early 2024 for the next addition to the subtheme?
Like the Creator sets of today, 7159 Star Wars Bucket was as close as LEGO has come to include a set that encourages construction over minifigure play in the Star Wars theme, and with so many fans relying on building instructions, it’s easy to conclude that most fans have lost the skills they had as a child – how to free build. After all, it’s been even a long time (and only happened once) since LEGO included a set that was a bucket of bricks in the LEGO Star Wars theme.
Luckily, the internet doesn’t allow us to completely lose the knowledge that LEGO is – first-and-foremost – a creative construction toy meant for play, rather than a modeling system.
The first midi-scale MOC, was built by Nanna Zhang way back in 2009 and is only made up of elements from 7778 Millennium Falcon. While the name and occupation of Dash Rendar are still canon, his antics and involvement with the Rebel Alliance have been consigned to Legends – just like his heavily modified YT-2400 light freighter, the Outrider.
LEGO Ideas is a great way to suggest, showcase, and promote community builds, and the midi-scale is continually present on this crowd-sourcing platform. Kristof Pucejdl’s recent entry campaigned for a midi-scale Venator-class Star Destroyer, the wedge-shaped capital ship that was the workhorse of the Republic navy during the Clone Wars.
As demonstrated by Rebrickable member 집중, spaceships aren’t the only subject of midi-scale builders. This 735 part custom build is a one-third scale version of 10143 Death Star II set released in 2005.
Designed by Pelleaon and showcased on Eurobicks.com, this highly detailed custom build is a close copy of 10221 Super Star Destroyer at roughly 2.25 scale. Taking three weeks and countless revisions to perfect, this fan-made model – which was revealed in 2012 – is the go-to midi-scale version of Vader’s flagship.
From the other end of the Star Wars timeline comes the Ebon Hawk, used by Darth Revan, it was designed by Starshine who says that after he built 7778 Millennium Falcon he decided he wanted the Old Republic counterpart to go with it.
Most recently, Jason Alleman has added an All-Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE) to the mix of midi-scale customs. His custom build, which he has provided instructions for, has the extra feature that it has an in-built motor and battery that drives all six of its legs.
If you’re feeling inspired by these builds then head over to Rebrickable.com, where there are instructions for the above – and many more – custom models from the length and breadth of the Star Wars timeline.
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