Mensa 32" SS Falcon

[Mensaboy]

(07-20-2011, 04:57 PM)kbilly Wrote: Sorry, I haven't figured out what those are either...

you wouldn't fail if the emperor was arriving soon


here is my top hull master with a finished engine deck and the cockpit tube in place, i need to pinch the cockpit a little closer to the mandible i think but it looks good in overall size and angle to my eyes, any thoughts?

[kbilly]

That's a falcon alright.

How do you think you've done with dimensions? Did you use the Master Replicas dimensions as the basis of your build?

[dbhs]

(07-22-2011, 10:54 AM)Mensaboy Wrote: here is my top hull master with a finished engine deck and the cockpit tube in place, i need to pinch the cockpit a little closer to the mandible i think but it looks good in overall size and angle to my eyes, any thoughts?

Sorry, I can't help with the details.... Man, that is freaking cool.

So, are you casting the top half of the hull in sections but the bottom in a single piece? Or will you separate the bottom eventually into similar sections?

[scratchy]

I can't even offer suggestions on your build Cory..... however, I do like what you've done so far!

Awesome work

[Mensaboy]

(07-23-2011, 10:05 AM)dbhs Wrote: So, are you casting the top half of the hull in sections but the bottom in a single piece? Or will you separate the bottom eventually into similar sections?

the top hull (and cockpit tube) will be one piece same as the bottom, the engine deck and some plating will be separate

[Mensaboy]

plating....
and more plating






AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[LastBattlestar]

Nice. Better you doing that plating than me....

Mike

[Mensaboy]

chipping away at it....

get it?

chips...chipping

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[dbhs]

(07-26-2011, 01:34 PM)Mensaboy Wrote: chipping away at it....

get it?

chips...chipping

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

"Sir, drop the xacto knife and step away from the modeling bench."
The sanity police have arrived.

[JAWS]

Thsy is so sweet Cory. Nice work. Keep at it mate.

[Mensaboy]

so after some vacation time, i am back to it - here is the cockpit plating almost done with some real parts for helping me with layout

[dbhs]

Cool. Glad to see this one back in action.

[Mensaboy]

finished the tunnels and mandibles, have just the ring around the cockpit to do and the top hull will be done

[kbilly]

Looking incredible! Bet you'll be glad to have that plating all done

[JAWS]

(02-16-2011, 09:02 AM)Mensaboy Wrote:

(02-15-2011, 05:56 PM)dbhs Wrote: Did someone say "kit"?

i may have some "spare" parts when all is said and done

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I missed this post

Cory I have sticky'd your thread so it will always be at the top until completed.

[dbhs]

Good idea.

No pressure, Cory !!!

[Mensaboy]

nah, pressure is good

i have ID'd the grille used on the engines, docking ports and cockpit ring....sorta

i think they made a %50 scale koolshade for use on the smaller tie fighter, the ones you see them flying around with the bluescreen rods - and since the 5-footer used koolshade they used the smaller stuff from the small tie on the ESB falcon

the panels on the AMT tie fighter is not a match, and the grid is too small so thats out, but for lack of a better answer the finemolds 1/48 tie wing panels are pretty close so thats what i am going to use unless anyone has any epiphanies

[kbilly]

Not a bad theory. I don't have a better one, I've been looking at ship decks trying to find a match without success. I thought a ship was a possible donor because the cockpit ring kind of looks like a number of short strips connected end to end.

Do the docking ports also have these grilles?

[Mensaboy]

one docking tunnel done-ish...

does anyone have a photo of the plastruct lamps ?

[kbilly]

I can snap some more pics if you need them...

[JAWS]

Cory if you dust your molds with talkon powder it will give your castings a matt finish rather than a gloss finish.

[Mensaboy]

(12-17-2011, 09:01 AM)jase72 Wrote: Cory if you dust your molds with talkon powder it will give your castings a matt finish rather than a gloss finish.

i do...i haven't seen it make much of a difference in that regard

i ordered the lampshades, so they are missing still from the parts obviously...

i have about 20 hours in these 2 pieces - they seemed so simple all this time until i actually started laying them out, nearly every part is cut or sanded to some degree

[kbilly]

(12-17-2011, 04:10 PM)Mensaboy Wrote: nearly every part is cut or sanded to some degree

I think the lampshades may be slightly sanded down too.

Looking real good. Be good to see them in place.

[MonsieurTox]

(12-17-2011, 05:34 PM)kbilly Wrote:

(12-17-2011, 04:10 PM)Mensaboy Wrote: nearly every part is cut or sanded to some degree

I think the lampshades may be slightly sanded down too.

Looking real good. Be good to see them in place.

Yes the nipple seems to be sanded down, anyway that's the right part for sure, they are of the same green on the ref pics of the original unpainted MF !

[Mensaboy]

(12-17-2011, 08:16 PM)MonsieurTox Wrote: Yes the nipple seems to be sanded down, anyway that's the right part for sure, they are of the same green on the ref pics of the original unpainted MF !

i agree, although i cant find any construction ref that shows that, whats the source your talking about?

[MonsieurTox]

I believe it's in a pic from the Chronicles... But I found it more than one year ago so to be honest I cant remember and I dont have my book with me
I believe I told KB the pic, maybe he can remember which one ? It was quite small but this green was clearly visible !

[Mensaboy]

ok i see it now, its on the back side where it is out of focus

[MonsieurTox]

I'm not sure if it was this pic, I think it was more visible... Anyway another proof that's the correct part, nice spotting !

[MonsieurTox]

I think it was this pic :



(this one comes from the DVD but at the time it was available somewhere else, with better colors, colors seem to be washed out in this one, we can barely notice the green color).

[Mensaboy]

"where i have been the last 3 days"
the story of most of my build here


layout, layout....more layout

glue in 3 pieces, look at it, layout, more layout

cut off 2 of the pieces and move them a tiny bit, look at some more ref photos...

and here is a story about how this part differs from the rest

i got the mandible part almost done after about 40 hours of work, maybe 4 parts to glue on and i'm on cruise control now...the last parts don't fit - they don't even come close enough to fudge a bit

wtf???

ahhh, well now i see where i went wrong, i made a 1/4" error in overall length at the top and as a result every single part, pipe, notch, etc has been distributed ever so slightly wrong

after deconstructing the entire thing to salvage most of the cast bits and some of the piping you can see the result - a fair bit of blood from some totally unknown source because i was seeing red the whole time anyway i didn't notice the blood until taking this photo - and a restarted part which i am actually much happier with than the original

maybe i should build all the sections twice

[JAWS]

This usually happens.
Blood swet & tears.

[Mensaboy]

just about done, after this will be the sides of the upper mandible, hopefully i don't have too much bloodshed on those

[kbilly]

Second time's a charm. The long hours you're putting into this are really paying off.

[Mensaboy]

soooo...

it doesn't look like all that much, but i stripped the cockpit and all the right front plating off and moved the cockpit back 1/4"

i had already deviated from the joshua maruska plans substantially with regard to the cockpit - his joint between the tunnel and forward facing part is way off

i don't know if this is now bang-on, but it will surely accept all the convoluted bits that need to be stuffed around it with very little fudging necessary

[kbilly]

Whoa how much work was it to do all that? Nailing down the right dimensions is pretty tricky!

Looks good - as usual, really like the upper docking ring corridors in place.

[Mensaboy]

top hull ready for rubber
i sharpened the point of the jawbox, i think it was a bit stubby
i also reworked a few of the armor plates in front of the cockpit tunnel

[dashrendar]

(01-11-2012, 01:18 PM)Mensaboy Wrote: top hull ready for rubber
i sharpened the point of the jawbox, i think it was a bit stubby
i also reworked a few of the armor plates in front of the cockpit tunnel

That's excellent work sir!

---

[dbhs]

Fantastic work.

[JAWS]

That is going to be one BIG MF'N mold mate!
Outstanding.

[dbhs]

Any chance you can add in a soda can for scale the next time you take a picture? Want to get a sense of scale.

[JAWS]

Theres a Tamiya rattle can at the back side.

[dbhs]

didn't even see that. Too busy drooling.....

[joewhite]

Yo, Cory, are you planning on offering cast hulls in the future? I've been gathering a crap load of kits but finding the time to build my own hull probably won't happen anytime in the next year. Just wondering. I'd be one of the hundreds to get a set, even if it was just the top and bottom minus sides.

Joe

[dashrendar]

(01-12-2012, 01:50 PM)joewhite Wrote: You, Cory, are you planning on offering cast hulls in the future? I've been gathering a crap load of kits but finding the time to build my own hull probably won't happen anytime in the next year. Just wondering. I'd be one of the hundreds to get a set, even if it was just the top and bottom minus sides.

Joe

.......me too!

[JAWS]

This is the kit Cory could retire on.

[Mensaboy]

here is the first pull from the top hull mold, i have the materials and technique nailed now - its perfect, a scrub in the kitchen sink and it would be ready for paint

[joewhite]

Holy friggin poop! I'd have to write a short story about how awesome that pull is! Speechless brother.......

Please...take my money!

Joe

[dbhs]

Wow - amazing work.

[beaz]

Holy shit, that's all kindsa cool!

[Mensaboy]

thanks for the comments, i just weighed it, and it is just at 6 lbs as it sits
i think i will hit 8 lbs with the internal support framing, final model estimate now at 13 lbs - down 2 from my 15 lb original goal