M. Falcon Variant Build II

Constantine · Mar 29, 2015

I am backâ€¦ Well I gave up on my first attempt to modify an MPC Falcon to a design of my own. Something of a Ralph McQuarrie type design.
Well I wasnâ€™t happy with how it was turning out mainly very hard to get things square and lined up right and other issues. So I started from scratch, literally.

It actually took me far less time to get to this point in the scratch build than in all that sanding and cutting, reassembling dry fitting, etc of the MPC kit.

Since I wasnâ€™t too concerned with accuracy as far an exact duplicate of a specific ship I just took some measurements from the MPC kit. I measure to were the sidewalls started and ended on the other side of the ship, not where the overlay started and ended and I came up with about 12 inches. I also did a simple blueprint drawing as well for comparison and measurements. I hard 3 sheets of 12 X 24 styrene so I brought the 12 inches down by about 3/16s of an inch so the cutting compass I was using wouldnâ€™t come off the styrene. I figure 3/16 of an inch wouldnâ€™t hurt the scale too much if at all. I then fitted part of my drawing on the styrene and traced the mandibles out. Then I used a dry wall sheet measuring/drawing device to cut the circle than a hobby knife for the mandibles.

Here is the Template for cutting opening for the escape pods, and markings for the â€œribs.â€ I taped the two bases together and marked the sides of the styrene so the lines would be in exactly the same places on both sheets so just in case I might have been off marking them individually nothing would be missed aligned on the rest of the build.

Internal structure and supports.

Circles for the gun turrets, at first I cut 1 inch pieces from a PVC pipe I wanted to have more of a bulge to the ship than the MPC kit, but after looking at it I decided it was too tall for that scale so I went with .75 inch instead. I couldnâ€™t cut a PVC pipe under an inch because on my compound saw the gap between the fence in an inch so anything shorter kept breaking chucks of PVC off the cut. So I use the 1 inch piece to help make the circles with .75 inch wide strips of styrene laminated together.

Making the ribs were really tedious at first I would tape it all down including the template and sheet to be cut and that was taking too long. So I made a better template with an edge underneath to hold the sheet to be cut square and snug against the template and made a right angle on it to hold better. I just used 1 piece of tape to hold the sheet to be cut down. That really helped things to go faster and more accurate; it still took the better part of a whole afternoon to cut some 35 pieces. I cut extra to double some up for the over lay of styrene sheets for the hull to meet better.

Drying fitting seems to be coming together rather well.

Thanks for looking.

Quaralane · Mar 29, 2015

Very nice plan. Looks like it's working out really well so far

Jimi · Mar 30, 2015

you're making great progress, i'm looking forward to seeing this build continue.

Constantine · Apr 24, 2015

Making some progress on my MF variant build, here are a few pics of the evolution of the cockpit tube, (Ralph McQuarrie type design). The first is too small and â€œdimply,â€ looking, probably because the styrene I used was too thin. I also tired to cut slits into on piece in order to achieve a tapered look, I didnâ€™t purse this too far.

I also tried wrapping strips of styrene around the end of a tube to get the tapered look, but it just seems too heavy looking and bulky to me.

The one in white that is basically done is not too bad but too small in length and it doesnâ€™t have a beveled front like the grey one does. So I am going to finish the grey one with the white beveled front. I am not even going to bother with a tapered look. To me it looks fine without it and also seems simpler and lighter looking. And when I am done with the build in whole I am hoping it would even be noticed.

Here is the over all body of the ship. I made the sidewalls too high at first so I took those off and redid them. I also had to lower (cut them down) the square supports then as well to accommodate the lower side walls, but it was worth it.

Too high walls

Redone

I did make the engine grill section too wide I donâ€™t know what I was thinking?! But I figure I can glue some strips of styrene in to shorten it and with the hull plating added on to it, it should make more secure.

Thanks for looking any suggestions are welcomed!

Quaralane · Apr 24, 2015

Definitely liking how this is progressing.
Learning a new appreciation for scratch-building

Grendels · Apr 27, 2015

Really nice!

Constantine · Apr 28, 2015

Thanks guys!

Hagoth · Apr 30, 2015

This is a really cool example of scratch building. Very interesting watching how you built this up. Looking mighty fine.

Constantine · Apr 30, 2015

A small update.

I made the hull sections over the ramp and docking rings. They are not glued on nor are they finished on the bottom yet. I need to do the ramp as well. I also cut the "overlap" on it and will add it on when I do the hull plating.

Thanks for looking. Any advice is welcomed.

Quaralane · Apr 30, 2015

It's definitely looking good

Shark · May 10, 2015

Amazing!

Constantine · May 10, 2015

Thanks guys! Work on it will be slow now. We live on some acreage and the weather is nice so I am outside a lot during the day and too tired at night. But all the better to take it slow and do it as right as I can.

Have a good one!

jake · May 15, 2015

You have the initial hull form down perfect! now the rest is east peasy! nice job.

tiking · May 16, 2015

Breathtaking! Wish i had that much time.

Constantine · May 16, 2015

tiking said:
Breathtaking! Wish i had that much time.

Yep and time it does take. We have had rainy weather for almost a week now so I have had plenty of time. But it took the better part of a day to figure out angles, make templates for cutting, then cutting the actual styrene and sanding the "jaw," part of the ship. Its amazing how long it can take to do something that looks so simple. But its fun and taking the time to make something as right as you can make it is satisfying.

Thanks guys!

Constantine · May 16, 2015

I finished the bottom hull sections over the connected to the docking rings. Although I may redo the bottom one for the ramp and go with a simpler ramp like in the R. McQuarrie picture.