Large scale Millennium Falcon Kit ID's**New Maps at start of thread**

[eagle1]

Hey Rod, I'd also wondered about that part from the Karl too, but never checked to see if it's right. Well, I just dug it out & placed it on the Panther part & also checked my ref & I'm positive it's from this kit. It is a match IMO.

I don't know either with the notion this kit wasn't around in the ANH era. I can't confirm for certain either way. The only thing I can think of was the B/W photos were taken quite a while after ANH, but before 'Empire'. The Karl part could have been added during this period & not being an 'original part. This would explain a few of the other missing parts that show up in these 'early' B/W photo's, such as one possibly from the 312b on the starboard side mandible wall.
IMO, the Falcon got pretty beat up in storage between ANH & Empire so new parts were added & somewhere during this period the B/W were taken.
Stu

[raiders]

I don't know either with the notion this kit wasn't around in the ANH era. I can't confirm for certain either way. The only thing I can think of was the B/W photos were taken quite a while after ANH, but before 'Empire'. The Karl part could have been added during this period & not being an 'original part. This would explain a few of the other missing parts that show up in these 'early' B/W photo's, such as one possibly from the 312b on the starboard side mandible wall.
IMO, the Falcon got pretty beat up in storage between ANH & Empire so new parts were added & somewhere during this period the B/W were taken.
Stu

My minicraft catalog from 1977 lists #728 Anzio Annie rail gun and #732 Thor (Morser) 60 cm rail mortar as being available .

The squadron mail order catalogue from spring 1976 (no. 10) lists only 728 Anzio Annie as being new from Haegawa. No mention is made of Thor.

From the above I would speculate that the Haseqawa Thor (Morser) was released sometime between summer 1976 to December 1977. Minicraft Models INC. was based out of Torreance, California and was importing some or all kits directly from Hasegawa.

[Tsophika]

I looked at that part in hand, Rod, and it's hard to argue against it. I had thought the Thor didn't get released until '78.

Thanks for the info, raiders. I guess it's possible, though I'm with Stu in thinking it had already been taken it out of storage to begin the Empire touch-ups.

Here's the best scan I have of the MPC cover (one of the chronologically oldest photos). There looks to be another missing mandible part near the tip I hadn't noticed before.

Craig

[Rodmart85]

Hi there guys,
Cool Info Raider
Hi Stu!

Tsophika said:

Thanks for the info, raiders. I guess it's possible, though I'm with Stu in thinking it had already been taken it out of storage to begin the Empire touch-ups.

I absolutely agree with you Craig. When I noticed the color pics contained more parts that were missing on the B&W pics it was clear to me the color pics were from and earlier date.
The B&W pics might have been taken to be sent to Englad to build the life size Falcon for the Echo Base Set, that would be one way to explain the presence of Morser Karl kit part on the ship, but does someone know what year were the B&W pics taken?
But wouldn't it had been strange to replace that one part and leave all the other missing parts un-repeared? After all, it is not such an important detail.
And what about the front landing gear? Wouldn't it had been more logical to have done al the retouches at the same time?
Mysteries

[Tsophika]

I confirmed these on the mandibles.



Which leaves us with this, unless I've missed anything:

[eagle1]

Ooohhh, good find Craig, another kit for the list.

I haven't looked hard of late at the mandible walls, but yeah, we are just about there with finishing IDing the last parts. Thanks for putting those pics together.
Iv'e been trying to ID more parts on the belly undersurface & pits, found a few more & a few that are wrong in some of the maps. I'll put up some pics later.
Stu

[Tsophika]

Rod and Stu, this is from the Making of Star Wars. I don't see the Thor grill nor the part underneath the M10 on the opposite side. They're also painted a different color on the model as it stands today.

Why they were added before the forward landing gear housings were made.... we'll never know.

Craig

[eagle1]

Could be that the B/W pics were taken just before the Falcon was needed for 'Empire' & a few parts were added, such as the Karl part, to dress her up for filming once again. I suspect the B/Ws were taken as a record of her in her original 3 gear configuration before the extra gears were added.
Shame no dates are present on the pics.
Stu

[Imperious]

In the SB mandible pic, 2 of the 3 boxed un-ID'd parts are from the 1/48 Bandai Mobelwagen. They're the tracks and the short stubby part near the bottom. Don't know what the rightmost unknown is.

I confirmed these on the mandibles.



Which leaves us with this, unless I've missed anything:

[Rodmart85]

Great pic Craig, I didn't had that one!
That solves the Thor grill then.
Cool Id's too!

[Tsophika]

Didn't know if this was known, but here it is:


And this one I overlooked many times until it finally hit me.

[Tsophika]

I found a solution for this wheel I've been looking for. Tamiya Hanomag has the right number of spokes, so I took the cut-down Hano wheel + styrene + Nichimo Tiger II and it makes a pretty close scratch. Parts are roughly placed at the moment.

EDIT: Found the kit!

Anyone know where this thing that looks like a differential housing comes from?

Craig

[eagle1]

That wheel looks great Craig, nice quick solution.

I think that 'differential' part could actually be an ariel mount from an armor model though, I'll have to have a hunt through possible donors.
Stu

[eagle1]

Hey chaps, well, my Italaerei M40-75/18 turned up, finally & I can confirm this kit has the correct gun parts for the upper turret (these parts now missing from original). The pics show the Italaerei on the sprue & the Tamiya 'Semovente' side by side.

Also as an added bonus, this kit contains the roughly 'barrel' shaped parts for the top turret as well. Yeeha!.

Oh, complete scans of the kit are up in the kit scan thread.
Stu

[Tsophika]

Nice, Stu!

I think that 'differential' part could actually be an ariel mount from an armor model thoughStu

You could be quite right. There's a 1/48 tank used on the Matilda and Tiger plates that I haven't had luck in finding yet.

[eagle1]

Yeah, there's parts hiding all around the harder you look, alot of them, I have no idea.
I guess we're up to the stage with donors now, that we'll have to buy kits with just a hunch they may contain parts or not. This was the case with Italaerei kit.
Stu

[Gort]

Great work Craig, thanks for plugging away at these. Stu, thank you so much for finding those pesky cylinder parts on the turret. They have been driving me nuts for ages!

Think some map updates are becoming due again, and a blueprint thread. I'm on it...

Nick

[propcollector]

I love this thread!!!!!! Great Job To all!!!!!!

[eagle1]

Great work Craig, thanks for plugging away at these. Stu, thank you so much for finding those pesky cylinder parts on the turret. They have been driving me nuts for ages!

Think some map updates are becoming due again, and a blueprint thread. I'm on it...

Nick

Nick, glad I found them, I know they were driving you mad mate

[eagle1]

I'm positive the Panther assembly on the underside is Tamiya 1/35th Panther Ausf-A. Details match perfectly.

Also found this part from the Nichimo Tiger 2 for the inner mandible back wall.
Stu

[Tsophika]

In the SB mandible pic, 2 of the 3 boxed un-ID'd parts are from the 1/48 Bandai Mobelwagen. They're the tracks and the short stubby part near the bottom.

The rubber track looks good but I don't see the other one you speak of?

EDIT - on closer examination the track is not correct either. Close, though!

[jedimaster]

I knew there had to be more chevy parts used. Nice one Craig.

[Gort]

Nice going Craig. You're pretty lethal at this now!

I'll amend the Stb mandible map as that large square part is noted as a 312B at moment. I must have got carried away!

I'm also looking for some images we can use for the blueprint thread. We have that well used top view of the ILM model but we haven't got anything else that would work for the rest of the elevations as far as I know? How about we use some commercial blue prints which have been done as a reference but then annotate the correct dimensions, or has anyone got a decent 3D model we could derive elevations from? They wouldn't have kit parts shown but as long as we get the right dims noted it would still be useful? - any thoughts?

Nick

[Tsophika]

Finally found the wheel - and more on the Matilda plate from the same kit! Here's what's left on that baby. Taking baby steps but there's some satisfaction seeing parts come together!

Craig

[cygnusmodels]

she's got it where it counts!