Build The Millennium Falcon

Boring update.. but an update all the same.

I couldnt do the side lights this weekend in the end, because the tiny leds i bought need 3v to power them and i only have a 9v battery case. So ive bought one off ebay and its on the way.

In the meantime, i wired up 2 sets of 4 leds. these things are tiny, im talking grain of sugar size...



I cut two holes in the cockpit archway that corresponds to where the long light is.





I cut and painted two bits of card, that im going to stick 4 leds on each one. these bits will then be stuck to the back of that archway, so the leds are facing into the back of the sticker (when its applied) to light up the bar light.



The idea is, the part red boxed here will be lit up when im done, with the stock cockpit only the back part is lit up. we will see what happens!



Ive also painted the inside of the hull pieces black. if you look back to my previous post with images of the cockpit lit up, you can see some light bleeding through the plastic at the top of the hull. these two coats of black inside should stop that, combined with the outside primer and base coats every panel is going to get.



Ive also decided im going to try to improve this "asteroid hit" mark on the underside of the cockpit hull piece. its looks brutal. im sure i can fix it using some milliput and simply push a stone out of my back garden garden into it while its soft, to give a more realistic look.



Sorry for the boring update, ill post back when i get the 3v battery holder for the side lights.

Made some progress, sort of.

I filled in the "asteroid hit" hole with milliput.



I smoothed it out and put the hull lines in it with a knife after that photo.

I then went out my back garden and found an appropriate sized "asteroid"



I then smashed that asteroid into the falcon.



Once thats dry ill sand it down on the edges to blend in with the hull, then once i prime and base coat that piece, ill add dirt and burn weathering and stuff to it. i think it will look a lot better than the original hole in the hull.

Next i had a go at the side light. I think i got it, with a couple of issues i have to sort out.

First issue, i cut out the slot in the arch too low on one piece. the bar light on the sticker didnt line up.

So i filled it a bit using milliput and a blade. then sanded it when it was dry.



Next i put the supplied sticker on the archway. see that white line, the side of the sticker? I painted that black too after this photo just to match it up.



Then i stuck the little leds to a piece of card using blue tack as i was afraid using glue might damage them.



Making sure they work..



Put some cello tape over them to hold them in place



The i taped them to the back of the archway...

At this point i noticed two small issues.

1. The colour is warm white, it should be cool white to match the one at the back.

2. The card is too thick, i cant close the hull correctly. Ill have to use something thinner like paper.

So .. ill order some cool white leds, and use paper the next time and i should be sorted.

Here is a quick pic of it lit up. you can see the hull isnt together right, the difference in colour doesn't really come across fully in this photo. Also i didnt really have the back panel light in properly so the back panel isnt lit up fully.

Quick non update! I havent given up on this, im just at the stage where ive no room to do anything with the falcon in the house. My attic conversion is due to start in two weeks, so after that the updates will be flying in!

Ive purchased a bunch of Bandai kits to practice painting.

AT-ST
R2D2 and R5D4
C3P0
Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper
Y-Wing
Stormtrooper
Xwing

Ill be doing the AT-ST first, i dont want to jump straight into the Falcon as its the biggest and most expensive. Ill show a few pics of how i get on with these here. at the same time ill be finishing off the lights in the falcon cockpit as ive purchased some more tiny leds.

They are hosted on a domain and web hosting i have, its just easier for me to upload them there and they dont expire. its actually blocked in my job too.

Thanks a lot I'm enjoying making it. The fine molds is great but it's way smaller than this which I guess is where the cost is. Plus the inside details on this are better I think. I see people arguing on the forums about how long a blast mark is or how wide a piece of detail on the hull is, but to be honest im not bothered by that, If it looks like the Falcon and my painting and weathering turns out ok,, then I'll be happy with it.

david75 wrote: »

Great work OP.

Not to knock this kit but one of the reasons I didn't subscribe was you can get about three fine molds Falcons for the same price and that's the most accurate kit out there(depending on your stance on the mandible toe in issue)

Anyways there's a guy building the FM falcon and he has an Instagram account.
Worth a look for anyone making a Falcon
http://instagram.com/modelkitstarwars

I havent seen that before, but ill check it out, thanks a lot!

Hi, thanks a lot! ive loads of reference pics of the studio model saved for when i start painting, hopefully i can do a decent job of it.

I spent the weekend painting and cleaning the below, when its finished i can get stuck into the falcon as ill have the room.











Nearly there! ill keep the thread update regularly once i have this done and can start the build properly.

Cool, yeh i spent a lot of time over the last few months looking at youtube videos and amassing a massive amount of tools and paint for when i start.

From looking into airbrushes etc myself, the named ones are real expensive, but apparently the cheap ones work great too just dont have a name on them. this is coming from some guys who ive seen make amazing models.

You will need an air compressor too. a lot of guys are recommending this one , i have those airbrushes but not that compressor. its cheap enough. You will probably need a spray booth too about 50 on ebay.

I bough most my paint and stuff from Here . Vallejo model air paint is pre thinned and ready for the airbrush

Though for painting the falcon this guy has a complete paint set with all the colours in it.. you will need some primer though as well and a few other bits. He is out of stock at the minute but should have more in about a month.

Cool, stick up some pics when your doing it!

Its really fustrating having to wait to start mine, i had all the bits now, i just need to get this attic sorted so i can setup a desk to do it on. the attic room is painted, but ive to get carpet in before i can furniture in it and before the carpet goes in ive to paint down the stairs right to the ground floor because the carpet has to run right down from the attic to the ground. but i can only paint 1 day a week when im not in work! its taking ages!

Ive built up a load of bandai kits and some vipers from battlestar to "practice" on before i do the falcon. I might have got carried away a bit..





I have tie fighters and the xwing from force awakens around somewhere too in a box.

I used to buy them from Hobby link japan, but bandai have now told those Japanese websites not to sell them internationally. Bandai have the rights to star wars kits in japan and i believe its revell in europe?

So now i get mine off Ebay, mostly still from Japanese sellers, just not from the online shops now unfortunately.