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Scratchbuilt 32" Millennium Falcon

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  • Member since
    February 2005
Scratchbuilt 32" Millennium Falcon
Posted by superjedi on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 9:01 AM

Hi all,

My name is Eric and I'm a sci-fi modeler.  ("Hi, Eric. . ." Big Smile [:D])

I've had a love for Star Wars ever since I first saw it back in '77.  Yes, I'm old enough to remember seeing it in the theater back then, and it's shaped my hobbies ever since.  These days, I'm mainly into full size prop recreations, but I've always had a passion for the Millennium Falcon.  It's just one of those designs that got burned into my brain and has never gone away.

Over the years I couldn't tell you how many of the old AMT/ERTL Falcons I built, improving my skills with each one, trying new paint techniques, etc., but as I got older, I slowly came to realize that that little kit had many shortcomings.  Mostly in the detail department.  As more reference of the ILM studio models became available, I got more dissatisfied with the A/E Falcon.  Those of you familiar with the kit know its issues, I'm sure.  The "soft" molded-on detail, the too-high sidewalls and proportionally narrow cockpit tube, things like that.

With the internet came a slew of reference for sci-fi models, and for the Falcon I came across a site by Tim Ketzer, showing how he scratchbuilt his own version of the 32" ILM model.  I was totally blown away by his model!  I had done some small mods to models before, and had read about scratchbuilding, but I just stared at the pics/build logs on Mr. Ketzer's site for hours at a time.  I began to wonder if I could do something like that. . . after all, I was a grownup by this point.  Wink [;)]

I was living near Norfolk, VA at the time the very first Magic of Myth exhibition took place in Washington, D.C. and I took a 3 hour ride up there with my wife to check it out.  I believe this was around 1997, and they had so much amazing stuff on display!  But the high point of the exhibit (for me) was the original 5 foot ILM Falcon!!  It was under a tremendous glass case. . . and it was sexy.  I took close to 70 pictures just of the Falcon that day.

A couple of months went by and I decided I'd test my scratchbuilding skills.  I used the photos I took in D.C., plus whatever else I could find on the net, and built one of the "endcaps" of the Falcon's docking arms.  I used some .020" and .010" sheet styrene, and a lot of trial and error.

I thought it came out pretty well, so I continued with the other one.  Then I built the upper gun disc, and taking a giant leap, decided to do the whole ship.  I used the techniques that Mr. Ketzer described; taking 2 big sheets to make the basic body shape, then attaching curved ribs for the curved hull section, then gluing down more "pizza slices" of styrene to form the curve.  It was then a long, slow process to do all the detailing.

Sheesh, enough rambling. . . here are some pics.  Here's a shot with my 1:1 scale hand to show the size of the Falcon.

 

 

I always liked the 5 foot ILM model more than the 32 inch, so I decided to incorporate the detailing of the 5 footer into my 32 inch model.  That meant a lot more scratchbuilding than kitbashing.  I tried to get as close as I could to the details.

 

 

 

Here's a couple of high profile shots.

 

 

 

This shot shows that "endcap" I mentioned above.  It was the very first section completed on the Falcon.

 

 

The Falcon was painted overall with a Rustoleum color called White Pine.  I think it's part of the Decorator line.  It was broken up by painting different panels with several gray/rusty shades, then further weathered using powdered pastels.  Not sure if all the color variation comes thru in these pics, but some of the tones are very subtle.

Here's the forward port quarter, showing the sensor dish and those big blaster hits. 

 

 

The blaster damage was planned out early in my build.  I added some extra sheet styrene inside the hull, then when I got the section completed, carved out the pits with a Dremel bit.  The edges of the thinner hull plates were nicked and twisted up with an X-acto blade.  The weathering is all done with pastels.  Heavy in the center, and fading outward.

 

 

Other hull damage was done using the same techniques.  Carve, then weather.

 

 

 

I used some small kit parts in different places, but I'd say 80 to 90% of the detail is scratchbuilt.  On the engine deck, I used more kitbashing than on any other section.

 

 

 

All of the dark streaks all over the hull were added using pastels as well.  I just used a fine brush and swiped it down/outward a couple of times till they looked dark enough.

 

 

 

Here's some closer shots of the upper cannon.  Almost every bit of this is scratchbuilt, with the exception of the small round bit on the gun's sideplate (that was a small-scale wheel) and the barrel tips (parts from a Tamiya 1/20 racecar.)

 

 

 

The small markings you can see all over the hull were done with dry transfers.  I had a couple of sheets of plain black lettering, and got some sheets made for "pine derby" racers, then cut them up to match the full-size Falcon as closely as I could.

 

Since the model is so large, I wanted to add some visual interest to any interior areas that would be visible.  For the cockpit, after completing the shell/control console, I designed some graphics based on the full size shooting set.  I printed these onto good quality paper, then used a permanent glue strip to glue them onto the styrene cockpit walls.  I did the same for the control console.  To give them some dimension, I glued some small greeblies directly to the paper graphics.

 

 

 

I built an interior for the upper turret as well using the same technique.  The gunner's chair is a combination of scratching/bashing.

 

 

 

So there she is!  My representation of the 'Fastest hunk o' junk in the galaxy. . .'

Working off and on, it took me 6 or 7 years to complete, and has been all around the world with me.  I'm in the US Air Force, and began the build shortly after I moved from Virginia to north Texas.  I then got orders to Spangdahlem AB in Germany, and continued working on the Falcon while I was there.  After Germany, I came to Tucson, AZ and finished the build and did the paint job here.

Sheesh, didn't realize this post had gotten so long.  Hope you enjoyed the pics, and thanks for taking a look!  Thumbs Up [tup]

 

Eric 

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    June 2006
Posted by Raist3001 on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 9:11 AM

Eric,

 

Frackin' unbelievable! 

You certainly have skills my friend :)

 

  • Member since
    February 2007
Posted by PetarB on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 3:47 PM
SuperJedi, thanks for taking the time to put this post up, your work is extremely inspirational.
www.studiostarforge.com
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: The House of Blues Clues
Posted by Griffworks on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:54 PM

Great Googly Moogly!  Shock [:O]

What an absolutely beautiful scratchbuild!  That's some talent, right there!  The cockpit alone is a site to behold.  

Again, beautiful work and indeed inspiring! Thumbs Up [tup]

The greatest measure of a man is his children and what kind of people they are.

 

  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: North Carolina
Posted by u-boater on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:50 PM

Shock [:O]Shock [:O]Shock [:O]Shock [:O]Wow!! [wow]

Bow [bow]Bow [bow]Bow [bow]

Make a Toast [#toast]Yeah!! [yeah]

 (Speechless)

www.resinilluminati.com
  • Member since
    September 2005
Posted by Kykeon on Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:38 AM

Pfffftttt.....(sound of blowing coffee all over monitor) Shock [:O]

Creiky! What do you do in your spare time?

Astounding work!.....Bow [bow]

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Thursday, February 21, 2008 6:30 AM

Hey, thanks guys! 

Without cool sci-fi internet sites this build wouldn't have come out nearly as detailed.  I started with a batch of my own "good" pics to get me started, but as I progressed, I found a couple of sites with "Whoa!!" type reference.

 

Yay interwebz!  Big Smile [:D]

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
Posted by Lufbery on Thursday, February 21, 2008 8:26 AM

Eric,

Your  Falcon looks fantastic! I was at the same exhibit when it was at the Air & Space museum in D.C. The models and costumes were awesome.

You did a great job on your Falcon. 

Have you seen the 1/72 Fine Molds Falcon? From what I've seen, it looks pretty good.

Regards, 

-Drew

Build what you like; like what you build.

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Thursday, February 21, 2008 9:35 AM

Thanks, Drew.

Yes, I have the FineMolds Falcon also.  It's a fantastic kit!  The detailing on that one is based completely on the 32" ILM model. 

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    December 2003
Posted by Jorg Sacul on Thursday, February 21, 2008 5:42 PM

I darn near cried when I looked at those pix.  Admit it. You stole the real one from ILM. ;)

That is a pure Smithsonian Museum piece-- but make sure they have mini cameras to show off the interior work.  I felt like I could walk inside of her.

 For gosh sakes, get that thing appraised and insured, too. You've got the equivalent to a home made Rolls Royce there. Spectacular!!

 

-George 

 

ps... When are you building a scale Death Star docking bay? :) 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Thursday, February 21, 2008 7:48 PM

Bow [bow]

Very impressive Millennium Falcon!  I have seen that 5-ft model a couple of times, once at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and last summer at Ft. Worth's science museum.  I also took lots of pictures of that model and was just in awe - I even identified what appeared to be a couple of landing struts from a larger-scale aircraft kit right in the center line near the engine area.  But your Falcon looks just as good and I agree with one of the above posts, you should have it appraised as it does appear as convincing as the real model does.

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Thursday, February 21, 2008 9:34 PM

Wow!  Thanks a lot, guys.  "Rolls Royce" huh?  Shock [:O]  I don't know about that, but I was asked by someone who saw it in person how much I'd sell it for. . . I had no answer for him.  I just don't know how I could put a price tag on it.

I've heard other people talk about getting collections appraised for insurance purposes.  Are there companies out there that do this?  I have a pretty substantial collection of replica 1:1 scale props and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some kind of value assigned to them.

With the Falcon, I couldn't even say exactly how much "material" cost went into it.  I'd say well under $750 total.

 

As far as a Death Star docking bay goes, well I suppose I could build one and then live in it. . . as I'm sure my wife would part ways with me at that point.  Big Smile [:D]

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    December 2003
Posted by Jorg Sacul on Friday, February 22, 2008 12:39 PM

Regarding insurance, my agent said it is very important to photograph (or better, videotape) collectables like this.  Use a good camera and good lighting, and use a 12" ruler (or in the Falcon's case, a yardstick!!) for reference. It's like adding a jewelry or electronics rider to your policy. If you can document relatively equivalent items as a comparison value, that would be helpful also.  Your agent should be able to help you with all the specifics.

Definitely make a photo record, though, burn it to disk, and give a copy to your agent while keeping one with your policy. I'm not paranoid...just prepared.  I live in the midwest, where we have floods, tornadoes, and every couple centuries, 8.0 Richter earthquakes :-).

 Again, that thing is "Falcon" beautiful!

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Saturday, February 23, 2008 8:55 AM
Great info on insurance!  Thanks, I'll have to look into that.  Thumbs Up [tup]
I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: new york
Posted by 96th BG 338th SQ on Saturday, February 23, 2008 9:25 AM

  Super Jedi Alien [alien]Wow!! [wow]

  Don't leave the keys layin around, someone will no doubt take her for a test drive to a galaxy far, far away!!!!!!Words fail me my friend! Kudos, kudos. Bow [bow]

  May the force be with you, Macleod

Why does the cat glare at me?
  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Michigan
Posted by ps1scw on Saturday, February 23, 2008 9:42 AM
The Force is strong in this one
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Kingston, Ont. Canada
Posted by Schweinhund227 on Saturday, February 23, 2008 10:55 AM

This is Wicked !  all scratch !  My God !

your luv for this Craft is beyond words.... well done !   Hope you park her in a Museum one day ! for all to see !

 

take care !    

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Leslie, Georgia
Posted by Jeffrey on Sunday, February 24, 2008 4:16 PM
I am so not worthy! Dude, that is so friggin' cool! I can almost hear the theater's take on her engines firing her into deep space from Tatooine towards Alderaan. (I saw the original ten times in '77 and am still in love with it on DVD to date.) I love the detailing and obvious love you put into it. You inspire me! I will definitly challenge myself as a modeler even more. Thanx, my Master.
Bodene
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Newport News VA
Posted by Buddho on Monday, February 25, 2008 12:04 PM
That has to be one of the best Falcons Ive ever seen.....well done!

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Alloa, Scotland
Posted by Adam Savage on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 3:21 PM

Good grief. What a fabulous posting. Not just the incredible photographs, nor the outstanding model (all you need now is a mo-cap setup, a fake starfield and a John Williams score!), but a superb breakdown of it's construction. I was considering doing a scratchbuilt Star Destroyer, but might just take a breather for several years for my skills to even begin approaching yours! I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind - do you happen to have any photo's from during the construction? Have you thought about sending an email over to the folks at ILM? (Im being serious here, as I understand Mr Lucas seems to have a soft spot for fans who do things based on his films)

Anyhoo, wow. What more is there to say?

Adam

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 8:28 PM

Wow!  Thanks again for all the comments, guys.  Blush [:I]

Adam, I do have some in progress shots, but they're horribly bad quality.  They were taken with our first digital camera. . . which was the equivalent of the Flintstones' camera with the little bird inside.  Big Smile [:D]

I could put some of them up if you're interested in straining your eyes!

As far as sending pics to ILM goes, honestly I've never even considered it.  I'm just happy to have my Falcon!

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Coastal Maine
Posted by dupes on Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:55 AM
 Kykeon wrote:

Pfffftttt.....(sound of blowing coffee all over monitor) Shock [:O]

Not only is this hilarious, but also what I almost did upon opening this thread! I just checked...there's no emoticon for spraying coffee. Damn!Wink [;)]

Superjedi, this is really just...amazing. Not enough adjectives to describe what I'm seeing here. It would be one thing if this were a kit - a spectacular build! But to do this from scratch is just mind-boggling. Just the sheer magnitude has me wondering where I would even start on something like this...and I'm coming up blank. Did you manage to find some actual plans to work off of? Or is this exclusively by photo reference? How long did it take you from start to finish? Also, do you have any idea what actual scale it is?

Hats off to you, my friend. Colossal project. Bow [bow] Make a Toast [#toast]Party [party]

Now I never have another reason to complain about a kit again. Boohoo [BH]

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Thursday, February 28, 2008 9:24 AM

Hi Dupes,

Thanks!  As far as scale goes, mine's not built exactly to the size of the 32" ILM bird.  My model wound up being just about 30" long.  From what I've read the most commonly "accepted" length of the Falcon is 26.7 meters, which comes out to 1,051".  So just by coincidence that works out to almost exactly 1/35 scale (1:35.033+).  Maybe I should build a nice WWII armor diorama and have the Falcon screaming over a European battlefield!  Big Smile [:D]

 

For plans/blueprints, I started with a plan view I found somewhere on the web.  It was many years ago, and with computer swaps and changing websites, I have no idea where I found it.    From that plan view, I extrapolated the elevation based on pics of the 5' ILM model and kind of went from there.  The actual construction techniques I used were inspired by Tim Ketzer, who has a great website showing how he built his 32" replica.  Someone on another site asked me a few months ago if I would be willing to share the plans and drawings I used, and I'm perfectly willing to do so. . . unfortunately I couldn't find any of my drawings except one!  I'm in the Air Force and we've moved several times, and it seems that the "moving gremlins" have decided I don't need to have my old drawings anymore.  Sad [:(]

For all the detailing on the hull, that was pretty much done to match photo reference as closely as I could.

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    November 2006
  • From: Coastal Maine
Posted by dupes on Thursday, February 28, 2008 9:44 AM
 superjedi wrote:

So just by coincidence that works out to almost exactly 1/35 scale (1:35.033+).  Maybe I should build a nice WWII armor diorama and have the Falcon screaming over a European battlefield!  Big Smile [:D]

Ahhhh, too funny. Laugh [(-D] You do, however, need to do it just for the shock value! Big Smile [:D]

 superjedi wrote:

 I'm in the Air Force and we've moved several times, and it seems that the "moving gremlins" have decided I don't need to have my old drawings anymore.  Sad [:(]

You're in the military and pulled this off? I know that I for one moved 27 times in my 40 month Army career - and can't fathom how you managed to get this from place to place without it being reduced to a pile of scrap plastic! "Moving Gremlins". Hehhehehe.

A-mazing. That's all I can think to say. Bow [bow]

  • Member since
    February 2008
Posted by modeler1964 on Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:24 AM

So let me get this straight. With no previous scratchbuilding experience you build this??? Man you have given me a shot in the arm to jump in to the scratchbuilding arena myself. I am so sick of lackluster offerings from the kit manufacturers its not funny.

Amazing job on the falcon! Bravo!

 

  • Member since
    February 2005
Posted by superjedi on Thursday, February 28, 2008 11:12 AM

Dupes, yes, I'm in the Air Force.  The Falcon has moved about 4 times with me, and we're getting ready for (hopefully) our last move before I retire.  Got my fingers crossed!  Wink [;)]

 

M1964, well, this was my first large-scale scratchbuild.  But I've been building models ever since I can remember, and I had done some accurizing on kits before.  So I had a good working knowledge of the uses of sheet styrene and other "minor" techniques.

I hear you about some of the stuff available from the manufacturers out there.  AMT had the first license for SW kits, and they were great back in the late '70s!!  But like a lot of the folks on this forum (and others) grew in their skills and quest for ever more accurate models, they just weren't enough to satisfy me after a while.

For example, compare one of the old Monogram Sherman or Panzer tank kits with what's available these days from companies like Dragon.  Worlds apart!

But for sci-fi, the selection is a lot more limited.  And I'm sure a lot of you realize that Star Wars or Star Trek "geeks" are some of the most uber-accuracy nuts around!  Of course I'm one of them. Cool [8D]

If you've never scratched anything before, just find something you're interested in and grab a $4 sheet of plastic and try it out!  It's so much fun and extremely rewarding in the end.  Thumbs Up [tup]

I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: vernon hills illinois
Posted by sumpter250 on Thursday, February 28, 2008 11:50 AM

Timing is everything!, I don't get to this forum too often, and I just happened to get here while your "Falcon" thread was near the top.  "Moving Gremlins".....I was 21 years Navy, moving gremlins are "lowest bidder movers". Your Falcon is a superb piece of art. It's good to see that scratchbuilding of this quality still exists.  So, will the next project be a superstar destroyer.....in the same scale??

Lead me not into temptation ..................I can find it myself

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Northern California
Posted by trexx on Thursday, February 28, 2008 6:41 PM

Stunned and AMAZED! Thanks for sharing your incredible build!

I too have seen the Art of Star Wars in San Francisco (2001 in think).

 Your build is more comprehensive with the interior and all... They had multiple models of varying sizes for the movie for various shots.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Dublin Rep Of Ireland
Posted by terry35 on Sunday, March 2, 2008 3:46 PM

My God.. you need to get an article published on this quick. It's marvellous.

Terry.

  • Member since
    February 2007
Posted by PetarB on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 2:28 PM
 sumpter250 wrote:
So, will the next project be a superstar destroyer.....in the same scale??


He would probably need a small aircraft hanger to fit that one in!
www.studiostarforge.com
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