I know I'm new, but... Falcon info.

I've been lurking here for a very long time. I say that because even though I registered in Nov. 2006, I've only posted 8 times. Anyways, I remember a thread from a while back that I just can't find. I don't remember what the name of the thread was, but it was full of pictures of Star Wars stuff in what looked to be some type of back yard museum or something. It was some time during mid-summer, I think. From what I can remember, much of it was very rare, or original, or pre-production stuff. I searched through more than 100 pages of the Prop Forum turning up nothing, plus I tried many searches with a number of different words and frases. The reason I'm looking is because I remember one or more of the pictures was showing a scaled frame for the Falcon, which if I remember right, the tag for the picture said that they had planned to build a full scale life sized model of the ship for filming in either ESB or RoTJ. I would be thrilled if someone could point me toward that thread.

Basically, I'm looking for all the info available on the Falcon. My goal is to one day be able to build a full sized replica of the ship to use for storing and displaying my prop collection. I know that there are a few issues such as the on-screen interior being larger than the on-screen exterior, but I'm not opposed to making some minor compromises, such as scaling up the ship a bit to make it 'fit'.

So along with any production info on the on-screen Falcon, I'm also interested in what is available in way of blueprints. I have a copy of StarWars Technical Journal, which is cute, but what are the best blueprints out there? Through the searching that I have done, I came across what is little more than a reference to the blueprints done by Shane Johnson in 1982, dubbed the "Selyana plans". Does anyone know anything about these blueprints? Rare? Am I able to get a set or decent scan of them somewhere? I know that Shane Johnson is the same person who wrote SW Technical Journal, but the selyana plans from what I gather is four pages of very technical information, floorplans, and exterior blueprints of the falcon from different angles. SWTJ is little more than a kid's book, and only has one very simplistic image of the falcon blueprint.

Thanks,
ds

This link takes you to a pretty exhaustive analysis of the Falcon, but not sure if it will contain exactly what you're looking for.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030201092205/www.synicon.com.au/sw/mf/falcon.htm

Yeah - I actually found that page while I was wading through the forum. That page is where I found out about the selyena plans. Thank you though. There is quite a bit of info to digest there. It goes into a fantastically detailed analysis of the ship, but like I said, I'm not necessarily looking to make what is in the movies 'fit.' I'm trying to make the ship 'real.' I'm not really as concerned with the details of making sure the foreword hold is perfectly rectangular, or whether the ship did or did not have escape pods in the movies... I want it to be as close to what is seen on screen as possible, but I'm not opposed to some small compromises.

deathscythe said:

My goal is to one day be able to build a full sized replica of the ship to use for storing and displaying my prop collection.

Click to expand...

:eek
:eek
:eek
After building that are you sure you will still have money left for a prop collection?!

Good luck. I'd love to see you achieve it.

If you build a full size one you have to do 3 things:

1. Let us all come ogle.
2. Sell tickets to the public lol
3. Find some way to get your soul back from the devil lol

There are no such things as "small compromises" when making the interior Falcon sets fit into the exterior.
There are inconsistencies everywhere - size and proportional differences abound.

There are a few set construction blueprints contained in the Star Wars Blueprints released in 1978.
There's the Star Wars Incredible Cross-Sections book with a very nice cutaway illustration of the Falcon.
Star Wars 365 Days is a great book with several pictures of the different Falcon sets built.

Then there's Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection coming from DK later this year. It will have the most definitive "real" Falcon floor plan yet (if I say so myself - since I'm doing it).
http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/ref/news20071105.html


The Falcon framework model you're thinking of is the one in Steve Sansweet's collection. It was a scale mockup for the full size framework of the ESB Falcon.

I think there was an article in the french version of "star wars insider" after the only full-size falcon made for ESB-then kept for ROTJ but only appearing in the cut-scene of the sandstorm on Tatooine (the rebel fregate hangar is a matt painting).

I remember seeing blueprints there...I'll look into it. :confused

Didn't Anil have some blue prints? I think his boardname Gologo13.

Now this is a nice thread isn't it

deathscythe said:

My goal is to one day be able to build a full sized replica of the ship to use for storing and displaying my prop collection. I know that there are a few issues such as the on-screen interior being larger than the on-screen exterior, but I'm not opposed to making some minor compromises, such as scaling up the ship a bit to make it 'fit'.

Click to expand...

Hey, maybe we should form a 1:1 Falcon Builders Group...

http://www.chrislee.tv/falcon/index.html

http://chrislee.tv/falcon/blog/falconblog.html

lonepigeon said:

Then there's Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection coming from DK later this year. It will have the most definitive "real" Falcon floor plan yet (if I say so myself - since I'm doing it).
http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/ref/news20071105.html

Click to expand...

Hmmm... that's just what I've been looking for. My architect needs more accurate reference.

Most people have this dream, but Chris, you are really going for it, Godspeed to you in your quest.:thumbsup The last valid effort fell apart if I remember correctly, but kudos to them for doing it.
Best
Anil.

lonepigeon:
What I mean by 'small compromises' are things like the scale. I realize that it will need to be scaled up to accommodate for an interior. And, although I plan to try to stay as true to the 'real' thing as possible, I probably will make a few adjustments for practicality that would probably make Robert Brown cringe- such as making the area in the back ,where the engines should go, into a larger room. That will probably be the biggest difference, though- as far as I can tell for now. The reason being because it is such a large area that could be a usable space. After all, it will primarily be to display things. Other than that, I plan on making it as close to Robert Brown's "compromise" floorplans, or Shane Johnson's 1982 Selyana plans.

Speaking of which, is there anyone who knows where I can get a copy of Shane Johnson's 1982 plans? Or some decent scans, at least?

Does anyone have pictures of the scale mockup for the full size framework of the ESB Falcon in Steve Sansweet's collection?

Anyways, lonepigeon- yes, I'm very interested in seeing what you come up with!

TK-326- I'm amazed... :eek It'll be a while before I'm able to get anywhere near working on this, but I plan on following your progress!

soloyan- I can't wait to see what you can dig up.

The real problem you face is whether you wish to have life-size or film-size, to accommodate the life size, you must increase the film size exterior by as much as 40-50%, as already mentioned and thoroughly debated on the site you talk about for many years now. This I feel is the only true way to go to having it serve you in the truest sense of compromise. You could stay Elstree set measurements, but you are then going to have to squeeze and breakdown to fit the internals which aint much room, unless you're a hobbit or ewok.

On one of my blueprints, (as this has also been a childhood to adulthood dream of mine too) has the placement of the film's set location, geographically speaking, within the layout of the Falcon shape (the area where our heroes chill out) in an area again geographically, where not anyone has placed it yet, that would be in any unofficial or official release thus far, and considering how to layout the rest of the films sets as we know them to be in line with the films truth, is always going to contradict what we wish and wish not.

The only way to maintain the films truth and keep your integrity to being authentic is to build all the sets as they did and then run up and down the ramp of your life set size set.

So it's going to be a compromise on any and at any level, just how much you want to compromise is up to you. Ideally the resolve you'll want end up with, is to feel, when you are inside the built thing, emotively speaking that is, geographically correct, to how you feel in the films placement of the locations, and as long as you get that part right, you should be fine. I'd start from the Cockpit and landing ramp, where they converge and then work from that to get to the other positions.

I'm still miffed when Chewie stands in the smuggling compartments. At his height and where the placement is near the landing ramp, the hold there has to be 8ft deep or more, and that would stick out from the bottom of the falcon like a sore thumb, the cockpit is the most obvious one, more Tardis than Star Wars.

In any case as stated before, make it work for how you want it to feel and have that as best you can correspond with the exterior, but start inside out otherwise it aint gonna work! Mostly.

I agree with you Golgo13. Inside out is the best approach. That's the main reason I'm looking so hard for a copy of Johnson's '82 Selyana plans. I can see Brown's 'version.' I greatly admire the research done by Mr. Brown on that site. His floorplan is extremely well done because of the time he spent thinking about the ship from the inside out. Johnson, from what I can gather, is a very gifted technical illustrator, and Brown's review makes me want to take a serious look at those plans also. His list of 'bad points' are the sort of things that I would consider 'small compromises,' and none of which are things that would make me pick Brown's "compromise plans" over Johnson's "Selyana plans." I'm waiting to see what lonepigion cooks up for his set of blueprints also. As far as I'm concerned for now though, my 'ideal plans' will be based on either Brown's plans or the '82 Selyana plans.

Lots of proportional issues with the Falcon, not just size.
If you scale the set blueprints to the size of one of the models (I'm using the 32" one) - The main room ends up being almost half the width of the saucer section. If you orient the cockpit hallway correctly the room ends up at an angle. I sized the main room down around 90% and trimmed some of the width to make it fit.
Gun turret tunnel is too short of course and doesn't match the gun turret set.
Every blueprint incarnation has it's own compromises.
As Anil said you have to decide what feels right to you.

I'm not sure which are Shane Johnson's 1982 plans.
Are they the fan made ones that come in 4 sheets with 60 numbered callouts on them? If so I have scans.

The plans I'm talking about came in four pages. I found out about them here: http://web.archive.org/web/20030210171936/www.synicon.com.au/sw/mf/selyana.htm
That is the only image I have of them so far.

Could I get a copy of the scans? I would be interested in whatever you have that you are willing to share.


By the way, I found a couple images of the scaled ESB frame mock-up from Sansweet's collection in case anyone is interested. They really aren't very good reference pictures. They both could have been shot better, but they're all I can find...

I wasn't aware there were that many issues with scale
with the Falcon. Perhaps if you are serious about it you should make a CAD walk through which would at least let
you see proportionately what affect compromises and different measurements might be having?

Google's Sketchup is a free program.

Yeah- I found out about Sketchup from reading through the progress TK-326 has shared on his blog. I plan on giving it a try.

lonepigeon said:

I'm not sure which are Shane Johnson's 1982 plans.
Are they the fan made ones that come in 4 sheets with 60 numbered callouts on them? If so I have scans.

Click to expand...

I would really appreciate a copy of the scans as well, if that's OK