Scratchbuilt Millennium Falcon

[superjedi]

Hi all,
First post here on the RI board! :) My name is Eric and I've been around on many different boards for a few years now under this same username. I don't know what I'd do if I tried to join a new forum and this username was already taken. . . probably cry or something. :lol:

Anyway, since this is a modeling centered board, I thought I'd post a couple of pics of my scratched Falcon. Being a SW fan since I first saw it in '77 (yeah, I'm one of those "old guys". . . get off my lawn, you damn kids!) and being a model builder since before that, I was really into the old MPC SW kits. I probably had more X-Wings than were destroyed in the Battle of Yavin!

As I got older, and more detail-oriented in my model building, I came to realize (sadly) that those now-ERTL kits were sadly lacking in the accuracy department. As I started reading model websites, I became familiar with a new term: scratchbuilding. It was fascinating to me that people would just start with a pile of raw materials and "McGuyver" themselves a model! :shock: I saw some really nice scratchbuilt models, then as fate would have it, I stumbled on Tim Ketzer's site. . . wow. . . that guy has some talent! I wanted to try to do something like that! Could I?

I was fortunate to live fairly close to Washington, D.C. when the very first MoM exhibit opened, and I dragged my poor wife to see it. They had the ILM 5' Falcon on display (along with many other models) and I blew through 2 rolls of film with our old "chemical" camera! I began to draw up some plans and using info from Mr. Ketzer's build diary, built the Falcon's skeleton. It was basically to see if I could do it. As it progressed, I just got more and more into it, and it slowly took shape.

The build was done over a total of 5 or 6 years. That was with long periods of inactivity, though. The Falcon began its life in north Texas, then traveled with me to Germany, and was completed in Arizona. (I'm active duty USAF)

Ah crap. . . I didn't realize what time it was. . . I have to get ready for work. I'll post a couple of overall pics here for now. If anyone's interested, I have a lot more I can show.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4264.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4263.jpg

Thanks for reading!
Eric

[REL]

Beautiful! Be sure to enter it in the contest.

[Gunnie]

Very nice indeed!

[R L Bleecker]

Now this... this is model-making!

Excellent first post! Welcome aboard! Yes.... definitely enter this puppy!

[rider]

:eek:

Talk about a labor of love, that's truly wonderous. By all means, more pics if you wish, and as Rel sais, enter it in the comp. ;)

[Peagis]

Very nice!

[Raytheon]

Now that's a first post delivered with interest and backup!

I am very, seriously impressed by that puppy. Agree with what Rel said, definately a competition entry and then some.
She's a beauty, doubly so for a scratchbuild...i think i'm gonna go to my room and cry now.

:)

[superjedi]

Wow. . . thanks for the kind words and welcome!
I hadn't tried to access this board from work until now, so apparently it's getting by the filters so far. :twisted:
I don't have access to all my pics at work though. I'll definitely post some more detailed shots once I get home.

I'm so new here that I didn't realize there was a contest going on. ;) I'll have to look for it.

Oh yeah! Since it seems like this board has a different flavor than some other boards I'm on, I'd just like to say, "Damn shit piss fuck hell."

Thanks :wink:

[rider]

Oh yeah! Since it seems like this board has a different flavor than some other boards I'm on, I'd just like to say, "Damn shit piss fuck hell."

Thanks :wink:

Ah, another cherry popped. :jive:

Damnit, I keep forgetting I can do that on here, :jive:
Okay, here goes, take like, my boss yeah, he's such An Error Has Occurred. You are not allowed to access the profanities area.

[Max Zephyr]

Out standing!!! :eek:


Yeah that needs in the contest!

[KirkTrekModeler]

Superb! Awesome model, how long did that take you to make?

[rider]

Superb! Awesome model, how long did that take you to make?



The build was done over a total of 5 or 6 years. That was with long periods of inactivity, though.

[superjedi]

Thanks again!
Yeah, like I mentioned, it was built sporadically over a period of several years. Sometimes I worked constantly till I started to feel the burn ;) then it would sit on my workbench gathering dust for sometimes months at a time.
But I perservered, and now I have my very own Millennium Falcon!
As I said, here are some more pics.

First, an overall "scale" shot. One standard male hand for reference.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4291.jpg

The thing that's interesting about this Falcon is that I built it to the 32" scale, but used the details from the 5-footer. Sorry to anyone who favors ILM's 32-incher, but I always preferred the 5-foot monster, and consider that to be the "real" Falcon. :wink:
Doing it this way created a lot more work, as I couldn't really use the same kit parts for detailing that the ILM guys did. I used some kits/parts, but 90% or more of the detailing is just styrene sheet and rod.

Here's some detail shots.
The right front quarter, showing the cockpit tube.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4265.jpg

Here's the left front quarter with the sensor dish.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4269.jpg

Here are a couple closer shots of the dish itself. I took a cue from Tim Ketzer and used the base from the ERTL Darth Vader TIE Fighter for the basis of the dish. All the small detail is seperate pieces of small diameter rod and bits of .010" sheet.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4281.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4282.jpg

The big blast marks on the hull were fun to do. I had the foresight to "bulk up" the hull plating from the inside before I sealed up the hull, that way I was able to use a small Dremel grinding bit and make the holes pretty deep. After I added the thinner plates all over the hull, I chopped up the edges and lifted them slightly with a sharp X-acto blade.
I think the effect came out pretty good!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4280.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4279.jpg

By the way, the ship was weathered with pastels, and because I didn't want to mess them up with waterslide decals, all the small markings all over the hull are made with dry-transfers: "rub ons." I used several sheets of lettering for the small black and red markings, and a few sheets made for Pine Derby cars. Those were chopped up and rearranged to match the reference shots as closely as possible.

Whew. . . OK, more to come in another post.

[REL]

Man that thing is a work of art, just beautiful.

[superjedi]

Alright, I'll continue on with the Falcon tour. :)

Here's a couple shots of the rear "quarter panels." Several of the rub-on transfer markings are visible.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4268.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4266.jpg

The engine deck. . . geez, this area easily took me longer than any other section. A lot of the detail was scratched, with a few kitbashed parts put on there. I know it's not an exact match detail for detail, but I wound up compromising a bit so I wouldn't go fucking insane on this area! :P
You can see that I used some 1/72 scale Panzer tank engine decks behind the 3 rear vents. I have absolutely NO casting skills, so I wound up buying 4 of these kits to use in various places on the Falcon!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4267.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4283.jpg

Here's the upper gun turret. I didn't build the lower turret. I built an internal structure of PVC pipe with a mount that comes out through the belly.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4284.jpg

The gun itself. (Even after all this time, I STILL have no idea how to do those damn split barrels!! Anyone have any ideas what I could use???)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4285.jpg

The cannon was all scratched, with the exception of the small round parts on either side of the housing. Those were sanded-down tank wheels. To get the taper on the barrels, I chucked some styrene tube into my Dremel and used it as "some sort of rudimentary lathe." :lol: (God, I love Galaxy Quest.) I turned them at low speed and used a sanding stick to get the shape right. I must have turned about 10 of these to get 4 that looked the same!! You see all those little serrated parts in the insets of the barrels? Those are all individual TINY pieces of styrene rod.
Yes, I'm insane.

OK, last bit for tonight: turret interior! Yes, having a ginormous scratchbuilt Falcon wasn't enough for me. . . I wanted a partial interior, too!
I built an octagonal chamber with a flat back, and created some graphics on my computer to fit the walls. I printed them out on some good bond paper, then added some little greeblies here and there. The gunner's seat was scratchbuilt and attached.
Who used the upper turret anyway?? Was it Han or Luke? I think it was Han.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4288.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4287.jpg

Please pay no attention to the giant, out-of-scale cat hair on that last pic!
Well dang, I rambled on a lot more than I intended to tonight. I'll post the last group of pics tomorrow! Hope everyone is enjoying these. :oops:

[R L Bleecker]

:shock:

Absolutely I'm enjoying this!

Pastels. I swear by them... ;)

[LastBattlestar]

That Falcon is simply stunning SJ. Actually, 'stunning' doesn't come close to describing what you have achieved, particularly when you say that you scratched 90% of the detailing. You really did it the hard (albeit, cheaper) way- mondo respect for your skill. Wow! :hail:

Did you show this over at SM a while back?

This gives me hope that I may build my own 32 incher someday. I didn't want to go down the road of another very expensive (i.e. donor kits) studio scale build, but seeing what you have done with rod and styrene has made me think again.

Thanks for sharing- you are a true artiste!

Mike, Oz

[faustus100]

This build is one of my all time favorites!! :D

[Peagis]

That is simply amazing!!!

[superjedi]

Glad everyone's enjoying the Falcon! It's nice to have another corner of the web where stuff like this is appreciated. Instead of showing new models to my wife, and having her say, "Oh. . . that's nice." :wink:
Rel, coming from YOU, I'll take that as praise indeed. I've followed many of your progress threads over on RPF (Really Political Forum?) for a while now.
Faustus, aren't you building a Falcon of your own?? How's that one coming?
And Mike, yes I did show this on starshipmodeler a while back. Thanks for remembering. :)

OK, I'll finish up this "show off" thread with a few more pics.
Here's the mandible section. Again, mostly scratched details for the equipment pits. There are some small kit parts in there to capture the "spirit" of the studio model.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4270.jpg

The forward sidewalls. The end caps were all scratched to (hopefully) match those crazy looking F-1 parts. I used more rub-on transfers for some of the small markings.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4274.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4289.jpg

Sort of visible below is half of the "transmission" part where the mandible meets the saucer. I actually made this (and its opposite number on the other side) from balsa wood, detailed with small strips/bits of styrene.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4290.jpg

Here's the starboard "loading port." I think in the old reference material, these were referred to as escape pods.
Again, scratched detail to try to match all those wonderful Hanomag and Sherman and other parts on the 5-footer.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4278.jpg

The big blast on the side of the cap was done the same way as the hits on the hull. I built up extra layers on the inside during construction, and Dremeled out a big nasty looking crater. I added the exposed section of conduit inside the blast hole, too.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4277.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4275.jpg

And I think I'll finish up with the cockpit. This was very tricky (for me anyway. . . I'm not good with geometry and all that.) I made the cone-shaped portion out of 1 piece of styrene, with the windows cut out. I wrapped it into a cone, and joined it at the bottom. The front panel is one piece as well. I could never figure out a good way to get that "scalloped" look the big Falcon has, so mine's flat. :cry:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4273.jpg

I used that old set of SW Blueprints to build up the cockpit interior. The console is styrene, and the panels/controls were once again designed by me in Paintshop Pro v.8 and printed on bond paper, then glued to the styrene. Same for the back wall and "wraparound" portions.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4272.jpg

This was a bitch to try to photograph!! My camera couldn't quite decide where to focus. :? I built up the 2 rear seats to resemble those excellent looking Martin-Baker ejection seats, and glued them in. If you look carefully (or even not so carefully!) you'll notice that I haven't even put in the pilot and co-pilot chairs!! :lol: No project is ever finished, right!! LOL I'm sure I'll slap something together someday.

Anyhoo. . . this was far and away the most complex project I've ever done. I find myself staring at her sometimes and thinking, "Now how the hell did I build that part??" It took a few years to complete, but even if it's not 100% accurate to the 5-foot studio model, I'm damn proud of the way she looks. This was my first (and only) foray into the realm of scratchbuilding, at least a complete ship, and honestly, if I had started this today instead of a few years ago, I don't know if I'd have the patience to complete it!

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this. And thanks to the mods at Resin Illuminati for creating another forum for avid crazy sci-fi modelers!!
Eric

[Monsieur Tox]

I dont know what to say Eric ! Each time I see it, Im totaly amazed ! You're firt to make me like the 5ft ! :lol:

[rider]

These close up pics are wonderful superjedi. I love the scortch marks and little markings.

Out of curiosity, did you happen to add any of those in joke automotive logos aswell? (I can't remember what site I saw them on years ago, or which Falcon version), but I had no idea about it and though it was cute.

[superjedi]

Well, I tried to get as close as I could to the markings on the 5-footer. I know the ones you mean, and they're not all there. There are some decals out there of Champion logos, etc. but I couldn't find any of the rub-ons in the right scale. I'm afraid to use waterslide decals cuz I don't want to mess up the weathering. I may potentially go back at some point and just paint them on. :)

Does anyone know what I could use to make those forked barrels on the ends of the cannons in this scale??
I was serious earlier when I said I'd like to add those.

[R L Bleecker]

Jedi...

You can use waterslide decals if you seal the weathering using a light mist-coat of fixative. ;)

That's the trick of using pastels. Seal them either with simple hairspray or art fixative. Then you'll be able to put ALL the markings on that you want to!

[Gunnie]

This is my first time seeing it - I think it is great too!

Thanks for sharing it! :D

[uss_columbia]

Wow! That thing's fantastic!

[LastBattlestar]

And Mike, yes I did show this on starshipmodeler a while back. Thanks for remembering. :)

How could I forget this model? Do you have a gallery link?

Mike, Oz

[faustus100]

Hey Sup-Yep Im still building.Havent had much time with work and all. :D

[superjedi]

Hey, good to see some familiar folks from other boards!
Mike, I have all these pics and many more on my photobucket account. Once I get home after work, I'll put up a link. There are some older pics, taken with my old 4 mp digital camera, and some even older in-progress pics, too. There are even some taken with a ruler in the pic to see how big/small some of the structures are. :)
Thanks again everyone for the comments! The Falcon's my baby, and like any proud parent, I love showing her off!

[Kuhn Global]

:eek: :eek:

Wow! This is the first I saw this! 8)

VERY NICE ERIC!!! :D 8)

[robn1]

Outstanding model! I like the choice to do the 5' version. I prefer that one too.

[superjedi]

Hi all,
Geez. . . majorly sloooooow internet last night. Don't know what the deal was, but I could barely get any pages to finish loading. :evil:
Anyway, here's the photobucket link to my Falcon album. I think it should work. If not, let me know and I'll try again.

http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/

I'm always happy to answer questions about the Falcon, or just shoot the breeze about modeling in general! :)

[superjedi]

Man, this board fuckin' rules!!!
In one of my earlier posts I had asked if anyone knew what I could use to make the split barrels on the Falcon's cannon. I PM'd Faustus cuz I knew he was a big Falcon-head, and he replied with this pic from the Tamiya Tyrell 6-wheeler.
That's literally the ONLY kit I bought a few years ago when I entertained the crazy idea of building a 5-footer of my own.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/Tyrell6wheeler--cannonparts.jpg

I checked out those pieces he mentioned, and sure enough, it looks like we have a winner! :D I just have to figure out how to slice them in half lengthwise without messing them up, and I have a nice little weekend project!
Thanks again, Wayne!! :hail:

[superjedi]

OK, I was too excited about this to wait till the weekend. LOL.
I had some fine photo-etched razor saws, and set about cutting those Tyrell parts in half.
Here's one before cutting, with the one I sliced lengthwise.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4480.jpg

Here's both of them cut into 4 pieces along with my cannon.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4482.jpg

A little cleanup, some finagling of the length, and I'll attach them and paint them.
Boy, I haven't had any actual progress to show on the Falcon for ages!! This is fun. :wink:

[REL]

wow nice work! Where did you get those razor saws? I could really use them on the Ktinga.

[Franz Bolo]

Wow! Great job! Thanks for the photo link!

FB

[superjedi]

wow nice work! Where did you get those razor saws? I could really use them on the Ktinga.

Thanks!
They came in several shapes/tooth sizes on a photoetch fret.
I got them at my LHS. . . I'll have to look at the package when I get home for the name of the company that makes them.

I picked them up a little while back, but never used them until today.
Really handy little buggers!

[INCOM]

I always get a kick evrytime I see this buildup. Amazing! :yeah:

Regarding the Tyrell part, would it be better to shave off 2 of the opposite pipes and file the contours? This way you will leave the larger dia. opening at the top in tact. Just a thought.


http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4480.jpg


Hi Faustus,

It's me Firespray from the SM forum. :D

[vaderman1701]

All I can say is.... :shock: :shock: :hail: :hail: Most impressive!

Scott

[superjedi]

INCOM, I see what you mean, but I only have one of the Tyrell kits, so I needed to get four pieces out of those two kit parts. :P I think I can still reshape the contour of the flat part now and just attach them so they're facing inward. The "stock" face will be what mostly shows.

Rel, the brand name of those photo-etch saw blades is "The Model Car Garage." The product number is MCG-2238.
Hope that helps!

[superjedi]

OK, after only one sliced finger ;) , I've shaped and attached the Tyrell parts to the ends of the barrels.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4517.jpg

Here's a more frontal angle. Using a small triangular file and a thin sanding stick, I "cheated" the curves on the inner portion of each tip.
Once they're painted, they should look great!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4518.jpg

[fluke]

COOL Falcon! MUST have more pics!!

[superjedi]

Modification done. :D
I painted the new barrel tips with Floquil Grime, cut a little with some flat white. Then I dusted on some dark gray pastel powder to dirty them up.

Here's the cannon in place on the turret.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4525.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4523.jpg

It was fun to work on the Falcon again! 8)

[fluke]

Simply outstanding! :eek:

[OylPslyk]

There have been many times that I have stated that the Falcon is my all-time favorite spacecraft. bar none! looking thru your pics I repeatedly have to wipe the drool from the corners of my mouth!!

Given the years you have put into this, I know you would probably never consider it, (and even if u did I could prolly never afford it)

but just for shits-n-giggles, ballpark a pricetag for that materpiece?

[REL]

Can you give us some insight into your paint job? I really love the way you did the chipped paint effect.

[superjedi]

Given the years you have put into this, I know you would probably never consider it, (and even if u did I could prolly never afford it)

but just for shits-n-giggles, ballpark a pricetag for that materpiece?

I assume you're talking about a selling price?? Geez. . . I'm gonna be buried with this thing! :wink: I don't think I could even estimate what I'd let it go for.

Rel, I used a couple of different methods for the chipping. For the hard-edged chips, I simply did it topically. Using the dark reddish panels as an example, I painted the entire panel with the dark red color. Afterwards, I went back with a medium gray and a fine brush and just painted the chips on. Where the chips appear "deeper," I used a second color. Sometimes, I would apply a small area of the hull base color, then go back and dot in a charcoal gray spot at the center.
For the areas where the paint kind of fades, I used a thinned down color, and just let it build up more slowly around the edges, feathering it into the lighter areas. The chips on these areas were done as described above.
The smaller blaster scores were done by making small dots of charcoal gray, then scrubbing over them with dark gray or black pastel powder. I used a small brush and cut the bristles down to almost nothing. I picked up some pastel powder on the bristles, then sort of twisted it around over the gray paint. It makes a pretty nice outward fade.

[Lambotour]

I'm always so impressed every time I see those pics and I've seen them plenty. Thanks for sharing again and as always fantastic work.

[Kuhn Global]

THIS is soooooooo KILLER!!!

I love viewing custom creations!

Nicely done sir!!! :D

[manjp]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_4525.jpg
[/quote]

Great modify!If you want to make it much more accurate,please look at this image:
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200511/15/37/a0030937_015462.jpg

[superjedi]

Great modify!If you want to make it much more accurate,please look at this image:
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200511/15/37/a0030937_015462.jpg

Oh! I think you're talking about this part for the panel just in front of the gun?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/Falcongunportdtl.jpg

Very cool!! What kit is that?
The only problem with using a kit part is that my Falcon isn't a 5 foot model, but only uses the details of the 5-footer, so that kit part would be 2x too big.
Thanks for the pic! :)

[R L Bleecker]

Bumping because this is one of the best ILM-ish paint jobs I've ever seen...

[Vos]

I agree. Awesome job all round.

[superjedi]

Cool! Bumpage for my Falcon. :D
The movers are going to be coming to pack us up in about 3 weeks and I'm getting nervous about the Falcon. I always do before a move. Hopefully it'll make it to Virginia OK. :eek:

[R L Bleecker]

Why don't you pack that yourself and take it in your P.O.V. ?

[superjedi]

Not enough room, I'm afraid. Gonna have the car full of other stuff.
I'll probably wind up packing it myself. I can get foam peanuts really cheap and I'll just make sure the movers have a box big enough to put it in.

[R L Bleecker]

I'd take off anything removable first and pack that stuff carefully and then I'd use more rigid foam ( like upholstery foam ) and/or crumpled butcher paper or news print because peanuts alone won't prevent it from shifting and possibly breaking in transit. Pack it like you would if you were going to trust the FedEX monkeys with it. ;)

[LastBattlestar]

Don't even think about letting that go in a moving van!

That reminds me of the last time we moved house. I didn't as yet have a storage case for the Galactica (do you have room for a 7 x 4 x 2 foot box?), so she travelled across town bolted down to a large MDF sheet sitting on top of a mattress on the trailer behind the car!

Yes, for half an hour, she actually nearly flew...:cry:

Mike, Oz

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Thats REALLY NICE!!!!

[Boxster]

Love every single area of this built! Amazing work/paint/weatherings there!

B

[superjedi]

Thanks for the kind words, and for the packing suggestions. :)
It's already survived 2 moves. . . but this will be the first move in its finished state. The last 2 times the movers supplied the box, and I packed it myself with foam peanuts. The only removable parts are the upper gun turret and the sensor antenna. I packed them separately in little ziploc bags with more peanuts. It came through OK both times. I think there were only 2 or 3 areas where some of the wire conduits running over the hull had separated a little bit. But 5 minutes with some CA to tack them back down took care of that.
I think it'll be OK if I pack it up the same way again. I'm just starting to get into "nervous mode" about the whole move. Luckily we already have a place in Virginia, so all our stuff will go straight onto the truck in Tucson, and straight into our new apartment in VA.
I think I'm actually just as worried about the custom acrylic display case I had made for the Falcon! That thing ran me close to $300!

[superjedi]

Sorry to bump this, but I'm just very excited that the Falcon survived the move with NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER!!!
*Whew* What a relief!!! :party1:
I had packed it myself in a large box with about 5 bags of foam peanuts and the movers were actually careful with it and read the "This End Up" and "Fragile" labels I had plastered all over it.
The worst thing that happened to it is there's a foam peanut inside the cockpit that I can't get out. Anyone got some tweezers I can borrow for a minute? :grin:

[modman06]

glad it got there safely, i moved a few times in the last several years, and out of all my stuff, the models are what im worried about the most. to much time and money to get damaged in a move.


al

[superjedi]

Hi all,
Sorry to raise this thread from the netherworld, but I've added 2 finishing touches to the Falcon and just wanted to share. :D
In all this time, I had never added the pilot/copilot seats in the cockpit. I've mentioned before that when it comes to sculpting and casting, I have next to no skills, and since the Falcon's cockpit seats have that distinctive "bucket seat" shape, I was at a stoppage as to how to build them.
A little while back, I found a link to Frank Cerney's site where lo and behold he was offering castings of the seats (and whole cockpit) from the MR Falcon! I emailed him and ordered a set. They're outstanding casts and all I had to do was remove the pour stubs from the base of each seat.
A quick coat of Floquil Earth, and a dusting of grayish-brown pastel and they dropped right into the cockpit.
Finally, Han and Chewie can sit down and rest their legs! :)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1596.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1599.jpg

The other item I added is a cover for the wide engine opening. I built a styrene frame that would slide into the opening, and covered it with a single piece of .010" styrene. I sprayed it with a pale RLM blue to mimic the original ILM 5 footer and slipped it into place.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1612.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1613.jpg

Lastly, I was just messing around with our new digicam and played with some of the settings and the zoom feature.
Here's an "in your face" angle of the blaster cannon.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1625.jpg

And the last thing a couple of TIE Fighter pilots ever saw. :p

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1628.jpg

I got a good series of zoomed shots of the big blaster hits on the hull, too.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1632.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1633.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1634.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b20/superjedi/Studio%20Scale%20FALCON/IMG_1635.jpg

I love this camera!
Thanks for indulging me.

[LastBattlestar]

Hi all,
Sorry to raise this thread from the netherworld,

Are you kidding? The more pics of this model, the better! Looks great man. I still can't believe you scratched all that detail.:eek:

Someone at the RPF was offering Han and Chewie figures to suit the 32 incher a while back. They would really be the icing on the cake, not that there isn't a lot of icing on it already...:)

Mike, Oz

[79 daytona]

That looks outstanding Great work!!!:notworthy:

[Brad Dillon]

That is just too damn cool. Fantastic!!!!

[robn1]

You can share pics of this beauty anytime!

[Raytheon]

Hi all,
Sorry to raise this thread from the netherworld
Well there's necroposting and then there's bringing up an old thread for a good reason...
I love this camera!
Even if that reason is to show off what your shiny new camera is capable of...
Nice model too :D

Seriously that Falcon is a peach no matter what and the additional stuff that is slowly creeping on to it, well that's upping it to gold standard plus and bloody then some!

Top notch stuff and seriously so.
Very nicely done sah!
:wtg:

[Guy Cowen]

Eric, I just seen this for the first time, what an absolute pleasure to read through all the posts view the pics. One massive hat off to you sir, apart fro inspiring the T shirt I worn today you have got skills coming out of your skills, I to love the 5 footer & you have captured it amazingly. The Wayne Krantz of scratch builds.

[JAWS MODELS]

Gday superjedi. Did you ever have a blog of this build years ago! You started with the Escape pod hatches & progressed? That was one of the first Scratch built Falcons I saw what 5 or more years ago? It was also in a modelling magazine was it not. fine scale modeller?

[superjedi]

Thanks again, guys. :)

Jason, years ago I had a couple of very basic webpages I made to show some of my Star Wars models. Those pages are long gone, but I think I may have shown some progress on the Falcon. You're correct when you remember I started with the escape pods and went from there. Excellent memory! I never submitted it or was contacted by any model magazines, though. Sharing it with fellow sci-fi modelers on the web who appreciate this kind of stuff is fine with me!