Scaratch built 32" ESB Millennium Falcon

[JAWS]

Well time to get back to some work. Its been too long. I think I need to concentrate on building models rather than the site for a while. Anyway went to Bunnings(Big Hardware store) today as its raining & Ive done more home duties for the day. I needed some mor Locktite & went searching in the plumbing section for piping to make the Falcon Armiture, cause I sort of forgot that part of the build.
   
Thanks to Doug for setting me straight that armitures are pretty much just threaded pipes & bends or bolts... It was so easy it was confusing me. I hadn't made one before So any way got me some pipe & a bender thingy. Dunno what the terminoligies are.
   
I guess I'll pick it up as I go. This will work great for the armiture & I plan on making both sides accessible for display & photos. I want the below turret in tact so no centre armiture, just from either side.
   
Now all I gotto do is finalise the lighting & the fun parts will start again Might cheat & just use a VoodooFX Falcon lighting kit

[dbhs]

Hey Jase, that's looking great. Glad to see you back on this one. I think 2010 will be a good modeling year !!! *especially with all the unfinished projects we have left over from 2009 - LOL !!

[JAWS]

Hey mate good to see you back. Thanks for that armiture tutorial mate I finally got my dumb head around it. I agree this will be a great year for modeling mate. Ive learnt alot in my first year on the forums from all you talented people & will learn even more this year. Im about to go cutting styrene & move this baby along. Cheers mate.

[JAWS]

I seriously pumped to make lots of models this year & Im back on this baby early this morning.
I first started on getting the mandible wells boxed in. Just a little sanding to bring them down the right height to fit in flush & their done.
   
   
   
Then I started on fitting the armiture pipeing. I mad some support brackets with holes cout with my hole saw set that has different sizes/cuages in it. Very handy tool set.
   
   
The centre pipe is actually a little too long, like a couple of cm's so I will take it to work tomorrow & get the engineers to shorten it a little & rethread it. I have to do this so it fits the caps.
   
   
Drilled some more holes for wiring of lights so everything runs through nice. Will also get the engineers to drill some holes in the pipe to run the power source down through the armiture.
   
This is coming along real good. Im really happy with the last days progress. I hope to cut the sheets for the top dome today & the lowere dome supports. Have to find some plastic plumbing pipe for the cockpit but I saw that yesterday at the Hardware. Really just the bloody light holding me up...

[JAWS]

Well I am certainly having so much fum now I have learnt some new skills. Armatures & now lighting. This has just injected my model building addiction to a whole new level & just can't get enough. Today I picked up some more supplies & shouldn't have to do any more shopping for a while on my 2 big projects. Today I got
   
Father Inlaws Soldering Iron( have asked for my own for birthday).
   
Heat Shrink Tube.
   
LED's-White, blue, red, green.
   
   
10metres of wire.
   
Resistors.
   
My first soldering of resistors to LED's, blue for rear engines.
   
White LED's soldered up for headlights.
   
9Volt battery for light test.
   
Lights on! White.
   
Lights on! Blue
   
Falcon has headlights!
   
   

[427 Cobra]

Cool! I really love the lights. That really adds that much needed touch of realism to any model.

[JAWS]

Couldn't help myself so back to work after I finished work... Am happy with the results but believe me there was some head bangin & swearin to get this done...

[dbhs]

Lookin good

[erospawn]

Looks pretty cool there! Should the light be a little whiter though? Maybe take some of the blue away and white to good whitish/bluish effect?

[JAWS]

Thanks guys. Im happy with my first LED lighting attempts. Ron your right but Im happy with this blue. Ive been watching Star wars Empire Strikes Back this week & the engine aura is blu & I just have a bug like attraction to this color. The other reason is the head lights are white & I want a clear contrast between the two. I will hook up the cockpit LED's that I will use with Fibre Optics & hopefully get this buttoned up. Really keen to sheet the hulls & get some good ol armor plating started. So question I now know the wire on the resistors can be cut shorter. can the wires on the LED's be cut shorter aswell?

[erospawn]

Yeah sure, you can cut the wire leads on the LED's shorter too.. doesn't matter.. Just remember which one was the longer lead because thats the + side ...

[427 Cobra]

You can cut the leads shorter,but you want a length of wire between the LED,and the resistor,which creates heat,and will shorten the life of the LED if it gets hot.

[JAWS]

Back on this tonight. Have cut pattterns jaw, landing bays, etc. Didn't get as much done as I hoped but its been a big day & Ive run out of steam. Will cut the upper dome tomorrow & the side pieces for these patterns.

[DLT9]

if i see this i tempted to have a go but 2 32"s would be risking my life!
the wife would kill me!

[JAWS]

Well youve got an MR so no reason not to be happy with that mate. Concentrate on the replicas you haven't got first. Im going to do the 5fter later down the track. Just tell you wife your making a new dining table...

[JAWS]

Ok its my birthday & Ive been up early walked the 2 dogs & back in the shop for some more work cause I just didn't get done what I had planned yesterday. Have started tracing out all the final paterns for this build so their all ready & will help things move along a bit quicker. The main one is the dome sheeting so this morning Ive traced out the patern ready for transfering onto the styrene sheet to be cut. Once we get this on we will start seiing the Falcon & Im getting excited as Ive been hanging out to get here. Haven't got my pipe back from the plumber yet Don't know why it takes so long to do something so simple. Onece I have accumulated all my own equipment I won't have to worry about others holding me up.

[JAWS]

Ok so Im a bit rejuvinated after my birthday break & some good news on another project has given me that kick I needed. So this afternoon have been busy doing stuff & decided it was time to put some shape on the Falcon.
Paper mock up has been drawn, cut & test fit.
   
Mock up transfered onto 0.75mm tyrene sheet.
   
Base shape then cut with scalpal
   
Dome shape test & check on base plan
   
Cut into quaters & bent to snap neatly
   
Test fit on main body. Lookin pretty gooood
   
   
Oh hell lets turn the lights on & get a better picture of where we goin on this beast
   
   

[Wombat]

FUCKIN SWEET!!!!

Mate,excellent progress there,!!Gee,it's really coming together seeing it with some skin now,you look to have this project sussed.Once you get this stuff glued down the hardest part will be done,the greeblies and plating,even though a lot will go down well once you have them skin's glued on. Good work bud!!

[dbhs]

Great progress. It's really taking shape now with the dome on top.

[MonsieurTox]

Sorry for being late but happy birthday Jase !

The ship is far from being finished, but it's already awesome when the lights are turned on !

[3d-builder]

Thats fantastic happy for ya to get to the skin!!
Must be fun to see it like that!

[JAWS]

Yeah thanks Michael, now its really showing some shape. Getting there bit by bit mate. Nice to see you back. I know youve been busy with id'ing the big A!

[JAWS]

Ok so just spent a couple of days gathering more reference & doing some kit scans. More of those to come soon. Thought I better get back to some building so jumped on the Falcon bench to do some checking & have realised there is a small ledge where the dome plateing steps back from the mandibles Its 2-3mm high so I had to add that in. I got my template & marked the height needed from the edge then marked that on the support struts. Got the knife & hacked the edges off!
   
   
   
I simply used the straight edge of some 1.5mm styrene Ive used for the whole base shape & measured a 3mm line all the way across. I then got the trusty stanley knife & ruler(put Blu Tac on bottom of ruler to stop moving ) & ran it across the styrene until the strip came away.
   
Checked it twice to see if it was relatively straight & even then glued down
   
   
   
Put the dome sheeting on top to do some more checks. Gotta check ya self before ya wrek ya, build. I say!
   
Ok thats looking alright & is something that I nearly missed so its really important to keep your eyes open & recheck everything
   
   
   
Starting working on the boxes for the jaw etc. Now I realise I still got along way to go cause thi stuff takes a bit of thinking to get accurate & fit! So I definately got some new hurdles & challenges ahead of me. All good with fancy light tests etc but now the real works starting

[Wombat]

Couldn't agree with ya more,check then re check,and for good measure do a final check!!
Looking good dude,it's come along pretty damn good in what has not really been a great amount of time,especially when ya consider all te other stuff ya been doing on the side.
Keep at it bud,you're doing a fine job with it!

[dbhs]

Looking great, Jase. Scratch building is so much fun. I'm having a blast working on my concept raider and will have an update tomorrow.

You're right about double checking things. Also figuring out what order to glue things on is a trick for me now.

[JAWS]

Thanks boys & I look forward to updates from both of you. NO I didn't go berserk & smash the Falcon up! While Im trying to get my head around making the jaw box fit on the curved hull aswell as all the other bits I thought Id get some of the boring stuff done like cut more dome supports for the underneath aswell as a few more for the top for extra support. I used the base I made first which I screwed up over thinking about stuff. Not to waste styrene is styrene & I still got plenty of shapes to cut....

[MonsieurTox]

That's looking great Jase ! However I think 0.75 mm is too thin for the hull... I used 1.5mm to make the hull of mine and it was too soft (one of the reason why I put it in the trash) even with the armor plating glued on it. The best way is to get the hull vacformed, just like the original, this way, even with a 1/5mm thick hull, you get more rigidity... That's my plan when I'll build another one ! I prefer to tell you that now.... because I can assure you it's really hard to notice you built it the wrong way once it's almost finished like mine... and that was my first studio scale model so it was even harder to put it in the trash !

[427 Cobra]

Damn it,Julien! I can't believe you threw away your own kit! Well,at least Jason is making one now,so we can all have some input to help make this the best Falcon he can build.

[MonsieurTox]

Yeah But that was not a big loss as my mandibles were parallel !

That's one of the pics of my Falcon :

[427 Cobra]

(02-03-2010, 12:14 PM)MonsieurTox Wrote: Yeah But that was not a big loss as my mandibles were parallel !

That's one of the pics of my Falcon :

Please,tell me you did NOT throw this away!

[kbilly]

Yeah I would have thrown that away too...

Seriously? you didn't? The mandibles would have bugged me, but not enough to warrant throwing the whole thing away.
If you're not happy with your SD, let me know. Dibs

Jase, keep plugging away at the falcon mate. I intend to build her one day and I'm sure many others are probably thinking about tackling it too, so any insight I/we can learn from your build is invaluable. It's quickly getting to that point where it's looking like the falcon.

[JAWS]

Nar that was scrap from the first base I cut. It was right the first time but I over corrected it thinking it wasn't right when it was. I was just getting to the last of my 1.5mm styrene & it wasn't going to get used for a build other than being cut up for pieces. Recycle everything.

[427 Cobra]

No,Jase - I think he meant Julien. He said he threw away his falcon that he posted on the last page. I personally hope he's just fooling.

[JAWS]

(02-03-2010, 12:14 PM)MonsieurTox Wrote: Yeah But that was not a big loss as my mandibles were parallel !

That's one of the pics of my Falcon :

Julien you are a madman
Thanks for the heads up mate. I really appreciate it. I actually expected some of those that know for sure to speak up but nothing.... Might try & build a Vaccuform Box on the weekend. So glad to have the support of of the people supporting me. Thanks guys.

[427 Cobra]

That's what we're here for,Jase. We don't want to repeat the same mistakes from the days of old! Right now,you guys are learning from each other what I had to learn the hard way by myself! I threw away a lot of (what would be rare now) model kits! I had stuff that is no longer made,and some of it wasn't even in production anymore when I first got it. Now,I wish there was someone to show me the way like we do these days. It could've saved me a lot of money,and misery!

[kbilly]

Speaking of throwing stuff away - I used to have an Aurora sealab when I was a kid. Never even built it, threw it away.

[MonsieurTox]

No, no guys, Im not fooling... too many mistakes on this one as it was my very first large model in styrene (used to build RC planes, boats and submarines but this one was very different !). Like Chris said, if we can avoid you to do the same mistake, that's good... Ive learn a lot of thing from my mistakes on this build. One of the most important : build it strong. Keep in mind the models were handled with no care by the filming crew... so they had to be strong ! Even if yours will only be in display, build it strong... because the years are like a filming crew ! With a so thin skin you'll have some problem overtime as 0.75 mm styrene tends to collapse between the ribs under the years (no, I mean only after a few months !).

Another mistake I did on this one : I used tamiya extra fluid cement to glue all the panels. But I used too much glue. A few months later I had some recess on my plates, the glue melted the styrene... I still think this glue is the best one, but use it only in small quantity !

Argh KB, that's crazy !!! Imagine someone who threw an Entex Porsche away ? Im pretty sure someone did ! Arghhhh lol

[MonsieurTox]

Well good news... I found out last night as I was doing some ID on the Falcon (gonna build another 32" MF right after the ISD is finished with all my left over kitparts ) and I found out that the "hummel parts" were scratched and kitbashed. I found the tip of what they used for the master, it's from a 1/12 DFV ford engine :



That's an easy find and I cant believe there's noone here that already knows that...

The kind of ball inside the hole of the ford engine part is probably an airbubble created in the mold when they poured the RTV. Can be recreated by adding a small ball inside the part, or, with some luck, without using a pressure pot !

[JAWS]

Wow. Its incredible how these guys thought in terms of engineering from kit parts. To take a small piece, re shape it & add it something else. Simple amazes me that they used all this stuff in such an incredible way. I got some of my left over 1.5mm styrene & checked it would be flexible enough for the dome & sure as hell it is. I'll have to wait to get a full sheet to continue so it looks like its the waiting game again. I'll try & get all the boxes for the landing gear etc made up inbetween... Good find Julien & a question. How long have you been scratch building Star Wars replicas now?

[kbilly]

Wow Tox... people have always claimed that it was scratchbuilt, but no one has ever given any sort of proof. That confirms it for my mind. That's a very good spot mate.

[427 Cobra]

(02-04-2010, 11:24 PM)MonsieurTox Wrote: Well good news... I found out last night as I was doing some ID on the Falcon (gonna build another 32" MF right after the ISD is finished with all my left over kitparts ) and I found out that the "hummel parts" were scratched and kitbashed. I found the tip of what they used for the master, it's from a 1/12 DFV ford engine :



That's an easy find and I cant believe there's noone here that already knows that...

The kind of ball inside the hole of the ford engine part is probably an airbubble created in the mold when they poured the RTV. Can be recreated by adding a small ball inside the part, or, with some luck, without using a pressure pot !

I didn't know we were supposed to be looking for it! I don't do Fords,as they just don't interest me. I gave all my armour kits that I built away,so I don't have any to scan,much less look at anymore. I can't find that on studioscale.com,so if it's not on there,or if I don't have it,I can't be of much help!

[9 line]

Really looking great. inspires me to start a five foot Radiant VII.

[JAWS]

Thanks mate. Seems the scales are getting bigger these days. 5-6' seems to be the size this year. That would look outstanding & Im sure you'll do a great job. I'll be watching out for that Al.

[3d-builder]

So what thickness did you decide to go with as far as the shell?

[JAWS]

Hahaha. I think Im going with .75 oh I mean 1.5! If you & Julien recomend 1.5 than I couldn't get better advice. Just waiting to pick up supplies.

[MonsieurTox]

(02-09-2010, 07:13 AM)jasonwright.1972 Wrote: Hahaha. I think Im going with .75 oh I mean 1.5! If you & Julien recomend 1.5 than I couldn't get better advice. Just waiting to pick up supplies.

Jase, 1.5 is what I used, it was still a bit soft since it was not vacformed, but strong enough. But if you have any chance to get your hull vacformed, dont hesitate, follow this way !! You'll get a very nice curvature and it would be very strong !

Anyway Im really looking forward !!

And to answer your previous question, I started to build the Falcon (my first SS replica) in 2006. Februar... so that's exactly 4 years now ! Time is so fast...

[JAWS]

Well my French conpatriate if I can build anywhere as close to a replica that I dream of as well as you I'll be one proud Aussie. That will also only be because of people like yourself, Michael, Don, Al, Phil & the rest helping me out & teaching me this wonderful art. I thank all of you for what i have already learnt in my first year of actual participation.

[Flintlock]

I have a question for any of you who are skilled in vacuforming. What capabilities would you need to vacuform the two main body 'dish' shapes from, say, 0.060" styrene or ABS sheet? It ought to be straightforward enough to make the pattern (though maybe a little time-consuming), but other than that, do you think a standard 'shop-vac' rig would do the trick? What about if you put suck-holes in the pattern as well? I suppose the sheets would be too big for the oven, but what if you make your own heating element, or warm it with a heat gun?

[427 Cobra]

I'm getting ready to make my own vacuum former this week. I just need the parts. A regular household vacuum cleaner would work,so a shop-vac would definately do the job. You can go to Lowes',the Home Depot,or even a hardware store to find the sheet steel with holes through it. It doesn't even need to have regular holes in its' design,but enough air needs to pass through,and still have rigidity. I'll post photos of mine with step by step how-to instructions,so anyone can make one of these for around $20.00-$30.00.

You'd have to measure the inside of your oven,and decide if you want to make this in vac-formed sections,then glue them together instead of trying to vac-form the entire hull as one piece. I think this would be the way to go. A heat gun is actually for "force-drying" automotive paint,not for melting plastics. This will cause hot spots in the sheet,and it won't be evenly heated causing deformations in it when you try to vacuum it down to the moulded cast under it.

[MonsieurTox]

Glad to help Jase !

Flintlock, it's a good thing to have holes in the pattern itself, they dont need to be big... just 0.5mm or so is enough and it's almost invisible on the pull (and the hull is covered by the armor plates).

Chris, you're right, I plan to do a quarter half-hull plug. This way I'll need 4 pulls for the top hull and 4 for the bottom one. Unfortunatly my oven is too small, even for a quarter hull !