Millennium Falcon MPC sized (5 foot version)

Hi all,

Its been a while since I last posted here or worked on a model, but fortunately I have reclaimed my weekends and have started a new project I thought I would share.

As some would know my favourite subject is the millennium falcon and in particular the 5 foot ANH version. I have made a few attempts to convert the old MPC kit to resemble the big falcon with some failures and some successes. Its been my ambition to re-create an MPC sized scale version of the 5 footer, so I thought I would have one more go.

With old calculations of my own and the plans created by vfxsup64's I am using some parts from the MPC falcon to rescale it to suit 144th, 15mm and 1/76 and 1/72nd kit parts. It turns out that dividing vfxsups64's plans by 3.5 matches some major areas of the MPC model, as long as you don't take the outer dome diameter of the MPC as being correct. The outer diameter of the MPC matched at this size the overhang of the plexiglass stage only. Increasing the size of the outer done of the MPC brings areas such as the mandables, turret domes, access pits etc to close to correct scale and position. The usual approach is to decrease everything on the MPC to suit the outer dome.

Anyway, I printed out scaled plans (made adjustments based on vfxsups64's measurements) and made two plates.



I spaced the mandibles to 1.5cm (includes thickness of plastic used for plates). I then used some downpipe to get the correct height of the two halves for the curvature of the hull. Had a lot of trouble with this so didn't take pics. Had to take into account thickness of materials used plus mandible heights to get the correct spacing. When working in millimetres its easy to forget a thickness or two so had to do it over a few times.

So next I cut up the old MPC falcon and used the hull parts to make the two dome halves and curve the pieces to the correct shape. I matched outer hull diameter of the MPC with the plexiglass (rescaled 3.5) diameter of the two halves.




I re-inforced the parts with some bolsa and foam core, and made sure the two halves matched. Then ensured the engine deck piece which will be removable like the original, fitted, which fortunately it did. In the second pic above you may see I inserted a rim inside the plumbing pipe to accommodate the turret. Pics below show the turret inserted. The MPC turret is the right size devided by 3.5. The outer rim still needs to be extended so it slopes but scale size is correct. The engine deck will be sanded down and engine vents repositioned for the scale change.






Next I cut the outer diameter off so only the inner diameter remains. I will run a new overhang diameter to represent the plexiglass overhang so the MPC plastic thickness will simulate the lip that runs the circumference of the dome.



As the plating will now be out of scale I have covered with an apoxi resin which I will sand down for a smooth finish and replate.



I have started on the jaws which have been difficult to make. Its not just a single straight side, but an angle outward and then parallel down to the dome.


The base of the jaw sits on the height of the lip created from the dome thickness. (if that makes any sense!!)


I will be working on the docking rings and walkways next weekend.

Thanks for looking.

Ozzy

Welcome back, John.

HE'S BACK!!


Welcome back mate,......and great to see what you're working on

Looking great

John

Do you have a link to the vfxsups64 plans you mentioned?

Great to see you back, Ozzy! I don't know how you were able to bend the hull into a dome shape but there it is. I'm eagerly looking forward to your updates!

Hi guys, thanks for the welcome.

Really looking forward to weekends these days. Hope to have updates/progress each week.

Jah5150 the thread is here, http://www.therpf.com/f10/sw-anh-5-foot-studio-scale-millennium-falcon-build-199048/

As usual criticism welcome.

Ozzy

With Andre's measurements and your clever ways of transforming/making this model, I think this will be, in the end, a success. Count me in to follow your build

Hi all,

Got some done this weekend. First off I extended the dome to the plexi glass overhang size.
This brings the model outer diameter size to this.

Next I have been cleaning up the jaws and positioning according to pland and calculations I have made. Found that some of my old
calculations were way!!! out.


Worked with measurments and a level to make sure it sits as it should. Should add that I am doing this all bt hand, and am counting on the mand make feel to come out in the final model to give the same feel as the 5 foot. Nothing on the original is 100% symmetrical. Thank god! because neither is mine>

Forgot to take pics of the rear landing bay build,but cut that out according to plans,which is significantly different from the MPC standard.
Maped out llocation and installed rear landing bay.Leveled it as best I could.

To get to this stage. During the builds you may see I have been filling with a plastic apoxi. When finished with this stage I want a smooth blank model such as the ILM pic above. Ready for griebles to be added.
Size difference between original and new.

I also didnt take pics of the docking ring walk ways as I build them, but I used the measuments from plans and tried to get the correct slope with each arm. I have some filling to do but it worked out ok. Below are pics of the of what is basicaly an MPC kit stretched to the correct propotions of the 5 foot falcon divided by 3.5. I am pleased with the results so far.

Next weekend I will fill the holes and get it ready for plating. Once the plating is done it is detailing time. (A long process)

To keep the interest, here is a quick slap together parts look at a side wall. I have collected and scratched hundreds of parts (untill recently believed to be in the bin) to "resemble" the 5 footer. I say resemble as trying to create exact copies has proven too hard.



Regards

Ozzy

Waisted 3 hours trying to post pics. Sorry will try again tomorow!! Had another go, finaly!!!!!)

Ozzy

Looking good! Keep up the great work and see you in your next update

Hi joberg, thank you for your encouragement.

Progress has been slow with a lot of filling and sanding taking a lot of my time the last few weekends so not a lot of advancement beyond the shell to show.

Although I have used vfxsups64's plans as the base and had intended to stick to it to the mm, I have started to divert from it for two reasons. One, is that the kit parts I have gathered for greables are not exactly the same scale as it needs to be to be, and two, is that a few areas from vfxsups64's plans dont match dimentions of some actual 5 foot builds a few people have been wiling to share with me. So as my builds ultimate aim is to look as close to the 5 footer as possible, some compramises have been made.

Anyway,the next area I have been strugling with is the cockpit tube location.



The tube is at 30deg from centre and the cockpitis centered as plans suggest but the wanke engine did not fit behind the cockpit snugly. I am guesing that the wankle engine was shaved down. I made the canopy as well tothe size suggested by the plans divided again by 3.5 to see how it looked. To me it looked a little bit stumpy, but I may have not made alowences for the nose piece thickness. Will lookat it again.



As mentioned above, I have been test fitting kit parts as I go and making changes to suit the kit parts. Fortunately much of it has been working out to fit just fine.



One choice I am having trouble deciding is the pit hole size. The re-sizedmeasurments comes to 22mm, but the kit bashed 1/100th parts seem a little too big for 22mm and look at home under a 25mm hole. Here are examples of a 1/100th Matilda tank top under the two holesizes. Whats do you think?



Personaly I think the 25mm hole (Which turns out to be simular to the original MPC hole) is the best match to the studio scale view.


Hopefully I will be getting most of the plating done by next weekend and start working on the pits.

Thanks for looking.

Ozzy

She already looks like the 5 footer, cant wait to see more Ozzy

J

Yes, it's looking more and more like the 5 footer indeed

Exceptional work so far Ozzy, and it's good to see work done on your build again!

Thanks guys.

Ozzy

Awesome. How I've waited for the return of the curvecorrected MPC. Saw you beginning a couple of years ago and have waited since.

She's looking great John! Glad your back brother!

Hi Kyuzo, apreciate your interest.

HiCap' nice to be back, hope we can share some work on some future falcons.

Anyone have comments on the cockpit size? Its 4.1cm diam according to the plans but it seems too small. I think the cockpit I made for my first AMT kit was 4.5cm. Cap, what size did you end up using. Am I not considering the plating or somehting else?

Cheers

John

Hi all,

Small update but not much progress. I have been working on the patterns for the plating both top and bottom. Its a lot more time consuming than I first though.

First go I attempted to draw them graphicaly (in MS paint) but it was not working out, so I photocopied the original MPC parts and drew in extra detail or removed incorrect detail while checking them against 5 foot falcon model pics. I was a bit surprised at how accurate the plating realy is on the old MPC kit.

As I am doing an ANH version with no extra landing boxes its been a bit difficult finding good reference for the original plating possitions, but since the rest of the MPC kits was so accurate I have left those areas I have no reference for as is, assuming the kit was correct.

I have then fitted paper cutout versions onto my model to ensure they line up with other kit parts. For instance, the engine vents match the top and bottom of the rear hull pits, and those match positions of the front hull pits. I have placed a few kit bash parts I am going to use over the plating and shrunk studio scale layouts shrunk to my version size to ensure it all fits and matches. It turned out close enough. My kit parts are not exactly scaled and my scratch build base is not perfect, so at this point I am ready to cut out the plating and apply to the base.

A few pics of the paper cutout fitting with kit bashed parts to check possition and scale. Hopefully I will have all this done in styrene by tomorow.





Hope to finish plating tomorow, then mapping out the greables. May just start with engine deck first then work out from there.

Thanks for looking.

Ozzy

Looking good, Ozzy! Got a question -- what brand apoxi-resin did you use to fill in the grooves of the original molded plating? And what glue will you use to stick the new styrene plating on? Thanks in advance!