Okay, so I'm going to build a MPC/Ertl/AMT Falcon

[Joseph Osborn]

Like everybody else, I have a couple of "American" Millennium Falcons in the stash. Back a long time ago, I opened one of them up and played with it for a little while and then put it back in the box. A few days ago I pulled it out of the stash and looked at it again, and I also learned about this group build. At first I was sort of surprised at how many guys were building the MPC/Ertl/AMT kit. But the more I look at the kit the more I see the potential in it. And it has toed-in mandibles

I really don't want to spend a whole lot of time on this build (or money), so I have been really looking at the model with a critical eye to decide where to concentrate my efforts. Everybody knows the major issues with this kit, so I won't go into them too much. I have decided to spend most of my efforts on the sidewalls, the engine deck, and the cockpit. I drew up some replacement vents for the engine deck and photoetched them when I did a batch of my commercial parts:

I'll make a new, more accurate ring for the top of the six vents with my lathe soon.

Sidewalls... well, I don't have a lot of kits to cannibalize for greeblies, so I'll have to think about that for a while.

Cockpit... I have ozzy's graphics and I'll use them somehow.

I have decided to keep the original ANH landing gear configuration because I can't see the purpose in adding the extra parts underneath when both configurations are equally valid. My biggest decision to make right now is whether to display the ship in flight or landed. Each choice has its pro's and con's. If it's in flight, then I have to light the engine, put figures in the cockpit, and figure out some way of supporting this monster in the air above a base. If I display it on the ground, I have to deal with rebuilding the landing gear and detailing the ramp area. I'm leaning toward the flight display since it is much more dynamic and visually appealing (think escape from Mos Eisley).

Still a lot of work to do, and no promises that I'll ever finish

-Joseph

 

[Joseph Osborn]

Oooh, almost forgot about this

I almost forgot to mention this: the reason I pulled out that Falcon kit was because of my buddy Michael Fichtenmeyer's painting tutorial on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/wreblsPaUhU

I love the painting stage most of all!

 

[Junkie]

Sweet PE! Great looking work there.

I hear you on flight vs. landed. I guess that's why I'm building 2...er 3. So I can have one of each.

Looking forward to this build and seeing how we all work thru the custom sidewalls. It should be a ton of fun and I'm sure we'll all learn and share alot.

ahhhhh - you should like totally market that PE....panther parts and all. Sweet.

 

[dons]

Ok now after watching the painting videos from your friend I gotta build one too! Awesome videomby the way. This will be my first build of this type. Now I'm gonna finally do a NCC 1701 build too. But then I would have to build them all. ;D

 

[schweinhund227]

Ah! Thanks for the link! Michael is always fun to watch work his Magic!

I will try that for sure!

Later!

 

[Joseph Osborn]

I had few extra minutes tonight so I built up one of the "Panther deck" photoetched assemblies:

The camera flash washed it out but I think you get the gist. It's a multi-layered assembly that has seven separate pieces. I'll add some styrene details on top of the brass, too. I have to use restraint when I start making photoetched parts... else I'll start thinking I should replace the entire model. But there will definitely be some more photoetch later in the build (cockpit, maybe gun wells-- see there I go!).

 

[Grendels]

I will be following!

 

[schweinhund227]

Those P.E. Should have been put on the market! :-[. Superb work

 

[Junkie]

Yeah, really cool. I'd love to learn how to make PE. The art isn't an issue...but the rest of the procedure is Greek to me.

 

[spud]

agreed if you can make that there is a market that will glady fill your pocket in return,

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

Cool!

Here's some more useless 'ILM parts used to build the Falcon' trivia info:

;D

Those sections found on a few areas of the Falcon are the rear hull section of a Panther tank.

 

[Junkie]

Yippers. Also found on the Xwing and Ywing.

And in 144 from F-Toys. I have one on the way to cast up.



[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[spud]

lol thats pretty funy. i never new that

 

[panzerace007]

WoW !!! You can make your own P.E. ..... That's just too Awesome !! I also agree with everyone in saying that you should consider Making that available on th Market !! Awesome Job on th P.E. !! I myself am a Big Lover of the P.E. ... & this stuff looks Tight !!

Great Job ... I can't wait to see this come together !!

* Other Parts used Trivia * - If you look on the Bottom of th Falcon right infront of the 1st. Landing Gear Door ... There is th Rear Plate to the Panther - as you can notice it by the Storage Boxes & the 2 mufflers in between th Boxes !!

Awesome P.E. Joe .... Awesome !!

\m/

 

[Junkie]

lol thats pretty funy. i never new that

ILM kitbashed all these Starwars ships and used parts from all kinds of kits. Cars, tanks...you name it. There's a transmission or two on the sides of the Falcon...lots of stuff.

 

[Joseph Osborn]

Yippers. Also found on the Xwing and Ywing.

And in 144 from F-Toys. I have one on the way to cast up.

Scott, I have a built 1/72 Panther that I measured against the MPC MF kit and it's obviously too big. I scaled the details on the MF kit's engine deck against a "real" Panther and found that a Panther kit would have to be around 1/115 scale to fit the same area "properly." The 1/144 kit's details should work okay for visual impact, though. It's not like it has to be exact, y'know Like on a model of a real subject.

 

[Junkie]

Good to know. If it's too small I'll just build is as is...yeah right.

 

[Quaralane]

That etch definitely adds to that hull.
Nice work there

 

[Joseph Osborn]

Lots of boring work...

Alright, I've done a little more of the drudgery-type of work to my MPC Falcon. I've thinned the edges of the hull plates:

The upper half is thinned but the lower is still stock in this photo. After I trimmed these areas, I realized that this will affect the "new" sidewall heights just a little. Good thing I haven't started cutting the new sidewalls yet.

I've scraped off some of the surface detail and opened up the engine deck holes:

And the PE deck details and vents should work nicely:

I was wanting to do the lathe work today for the thin rings that sit on top of the round PE grills and the buckets underneath, but I have too many orders to finish. (God bless you, helicopter modelers of the world!)

I also found some really bad sink marks on the upper hull that needed filling:

I still have some hurdles to jump before I can really get into this build. I think it'll be best to have the model "in flight." That being established, I need to sort out three things:
1) Cockpit figures. The ones in the kit are awful. Anybody know of any replacements?
2) Support stand. The most logical place to put the stand is where the lower turret should be. I don't like the idea of losing detail, but there's not really much other choice because that's where the ship balances the best.
3) Engine illumination. Seems like everybody does the engine lights in blue. Some scenes in the movies show purple-ish and yellow illumination, too. I'm thinking about yellow...

 

[JohnSimmons]

Wow that PE is looking niiiiiiiiiiice! And I think it would look good yellow for the engine glow, a little different. ;D