The Soloist is now The Han Soloist
History of Solo Lego minifigs, best Solo tribute videos, and more
1. A mini smuggler’s transformation
LEGO and Lucasfilm released the first Star Wars LEGO sets in 2000 and with them three Han Solo minifigures. According to Brickset.com, there have been 44 different Han Solos.
🙂 Original three
From left to right,
Millennium Falcon Han Solo (SW0014) 23 years later sells for $40 used.
Desert Skiff Han Solo (SW0015) is from the Return of the Jedi rescue scene.
A limited release Han Solo (SW0045) was originally available through the LEGO Internet Shop.
🧓🏻 Solo explosion
The Han Solo minifigure has evolved with the expansion of the Star Wars LEGO business. In 2004 natural skin tones replaced the classic yellow. Eleven years later Han’s helmet hair was replaced with more textured styles.
From left to right,
Stormtrooper Han Solo (2008, SW0205) sneaking around the Death Star.
Celebration Han Solo (2011, SW0356) wearing his medal from New Hope.
Old Han Solo (2015, SW0675) rocking his tousled gray hair from The Force Awakens.
Wavy Hair Han Solo (2016, SW0771) sporting long wavy hair and a four pocket vest.
Mudtrooper Han Solo (2018, SW0925) wearing his Imperial Army gear from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
🥶 Blue parka, brown parka
The color of Han’s parka from Return of the Jedi has been debated for decades. The discrepancy is due to color constancy, where lighting and individual perception cause Han's jacket to appear brown to some and navy blue to others.
The first three Hoth Hans, released between 2006 and 2011, wear blue coats based on its appearance in the film.
The brown parka first appeared in 2013 and is based on the actual costume in the Lucasfilm Archives.
The version here (2016, SW0709) is from the Hoth Attack set.
Go deeper:
Brick Owl’s catalog of used Han Solo minifigs for sale
The Brothers Brick feature on the launch of LEGO Star Wars
Brickvault’s video (2019) overview of the figures and used prices
2. The Spaceshipper on the Falcon
One of my daily sources of sci-fi inspiration is The Spaceshipper, a freelance writer who shares his love for sci-fi through his Twitter feed. As someone who writes about spaceships every day, I wanted to understand what the Millenium Falcon means to him.
What is the most interesting fact you've learned about the Falcon?
Other than the fact that the existence of Space 1999's Eagle prompted a redesign of the ship late in production? And quite precisely, the fact that a set planned for the original slender ship — the pirate ship — was repurposed to become the famous maintenance shaft set inside of Leia’s Tantive IV. That’s where she meets R2, hence launching the whole story. ‘Help me Obi-Wan...’ Well, it was a set drawn for the original Falcon.
Why is the Falcon such a fan favorite?
For me and for everyone, it is above all a hero ship. It’s more than just the design; it is all the stories that it has housed, the bits of narrative it has moved forward, and the moments that have made us vibrate. And it's a fast piece of junk!
What does the Falcon mean to you?
It is THE Star Wars ship, so maybe the most famous ship ever? What it means to me, I guess it's like to everyone else: it's a doorway to the enthusiasm and dreams of my childhood. But it is also a fine example of asymmetrical design. We need more asymmetrical design!
If you enjoy The Spaceshipper’s Twitter feed, you may want to dig into his Patreon which includes a calendar of sci-fi events for the year, an ongoing archive of sci-fi easter eggs, and deep dives into famous fictional spacecraft.
3. Gentle Giant announces new Solo statue
Han Solo draws his blaster and prepares for a fight in this all-new 1/7 scale statue, part of Gentle Giant's Premier Collection.
Wearing his iconic vest and striding across a metallic landing platform, the Corellian smuggler stands approximately 10 inches tall and features detailed sculpting and paint applications.
This is a limited run of 3,000, packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full color box for $175 each.
Details and pre-order information are available on the Gentle Giant website.
4. HoloNet Highlights
Designing Star Wars: Han Solo and Chewbacca explores how the creators of Solo: A Star Wars Story returned to some of the earliest concept art of the duo and figured out how to reverse engineer all new concepts.
A life-size Han Solo in Carbonite made out of bread was created by Hannalee Pervan and her mother, Catherine Pervan, co-owners of One House Bakery in Benicia, CA. "I was obsessing over the lips," Hannalee Pervan told the New York Times. "She was like, 'You need to walk away.' "
Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 (April 7-10 at ExCel London) tickets are still available for select days. As reported by Variety, the title of the first Star Wars movie since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker is expected to be announced at the event.
5. YouTube’s best Solo tribute videos
Dive into these Han Solo tribute videos, where fans celebrate the character's memorable moments and story arcs with edited clips and music.
Darth Darcane used the Han Solo song from Kinect Star Wars (Xbox 360 video game, 2012) to create this piece.
SWFT’s Han Solo tribute is a great addition to his Star Wars fan videos.
HFP’s Chewie, We’re Home is an epic and emotional rollercoaster through Han Solo’s story.
🙃 The Soloist will return April 12. 🙃
No mention of Ben Solo? tsk tsk
Nice April Fool’s!