DeAgo Falcon tools/tips recommendations?

Mudron

New Member
Hey guys -

I hope you guys don't mind me posting this here (I posted something similar to this a while back in the Deagostini Millennium Falcon corner of the forum), but:

I just received the final parts of the Deago Falcon kit, and now I'm looking at all the stuff I need to properly put that thing together this summer - the only problem is that I haven't built a model since I was a kid in the 80s (when I built a bazillion EMT/ERTL Star Wars kits and weathered them with a lighter and my poor mom's eyeshadow kit).

Now I'm drawing up a list of stuff I should grab in order to do up the DeAgo Falcon right. I've got a couple of recommendations for an airbrush (I've never used one before), a dremel tool (same), and I'm looking for any more tips and recommendations regarding those tools OR any of the stuff below. Thanks in advance for ANY recommendations you fine folks might have!

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That's all a good start.

If you need to make holes in the thing for any of the modifications, I've given up using power tools for plastic as I've found using hand tools do a much more reliable and accurate job. Some mini drill bits and a pin vice drill are useful. For bigger holes, I use an awl then a tapered reamer.

Nail buffers are great for getting the scratches out that sanding sticks can leave.

Clear-drying wood glue is also good for clear parts and generally useful.

If you intend on painting it using the Tamiya Insignia White and decanting it so you can airbrush it, some small glass jars and bendy drinking straws will be useful. You can get spare Tamiya jars, but I found some in a discount store that will do the job for my 1/144 falcon.

Masking tape! You can never have enough, and I use four different types: Cheap white stuff for holding stuff together, blue painter's tape for masking semi-crucial things like backs of parts and pegs, Tamiya thick for masking things you see, Tamiya thin.

Foam blocks - don't get those things florists use. They shed too many bits. See what you have around the house... You can use expanded polystyrene packaging if it's the firm stuff rather than the flakey and bubbly stuff, especially if you wrap it in some newspaper.

In addition to the airbrush cleaning pot, considering the size and expense of this project, I would say it's worth investing in an ultrasonic cleaner right away. They're actually quite affordable. I'm picking one up soon.
 
If you need to make holes in the thing for any of the modifications, I've given up using power tools for plastic as I've found using hand tools do a much more reliable and accurate job. Some mini drill bits and a pin vice drill are useful. For bigger holes, I use an awl then a tapered reamer.

If you intend on painting it using the Tamiya Insignia White and decanting it so you can airbrush it, some small glass jars and bendy drinking straws will be useful. You can get spare Tamiya jars, but I found some in a discount store that will do the job for my 1/144 falcon.

Masking tape! You can never have enough, and I use four different types: Cheap white stuff for holding stuff together, blue painter's tape for masking semi-crucial things like backs of parts and pegs, Tamiya thick for masking things you see, Tamiya thin.

Foam blocks - don't get those things florists use. They shed too many bits. See what you have around the house... You can use expanded polystyrene packaging if it's the firm stuff rather than the flakey and bubbly stuff, especially if you wrap it in some newspaper.

In addition to the airbrush cleaning pot, considering the size and expense of this project, I would say it's worth investing in an ultrasonic cleaner right away. They're actually quite affordable. I'm picking one up soon.

Thanks tons for replying!

Hmm, I hadn't thought about hand tools - the only power tool I was considering was a dremel (especially since I'm thinking about making some modifications to the interior to allow for a recessed engineering hold), but I'll keep that in mind if I start thinking about investing in anything else that plugs into a wall.

Yeah, I've got six(!) cans of the Tamiya Insignia White on hand now - though I hadn't seen anyone talk about decanting the stuff to run through an airbrush yet (I just assumed most everybody was just using it straight from the cans) I was wondering how to maybe apply that stuff in a finer fashion than just going The Warriors on the model directly.

I've already grabbed some wee thing Tamiya masking tape, and I've got oodles of blue painter's tape on hand for the big stuff. I'll look into the fat Tamiya tape!

I've got enough dumb stuff coming via mail that foam blocks won't be hard to find, but, yeah, good point about making sure it's got some grip and won't pop apart the moment I jam a toothpick into it.

And holy crap, I'd never even heard of ultrasonic cleaners before. Do they clean airbrush parts more thoroughly than doing it by hand, or is the process just faster/easier with an ultrasonic? Either way, I'll definitely look into those!
 
Dont forget this to keep your little screws organized.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/e...-large-colors-may-vary/ID=prod6143312-product.

Doesnt have to be this one, but Im sure you will recognize this and can find a suitable substitute.

- - - Updated - - -

Dont forget this to keep your little screws organized.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/e...-large-colors-may-vary/ID=prod6143312-product.

Doesnt have to be this one, but Im sure you will recognize this and can find a suitable substitute.

Spraying the insignia straight out of the can is fine. I wouldnt mess with airbrushing it on.
 
Dont forget this to keep your little screws organized.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/e...-large-colors-may-vary/ID=prod6143312-product.

Doesnt have to be this one, but Im sure you will recognize this and can find a suitable substitute.

Ha, your link just redirects me to Walgreens' homepage for some reason, but you must be talking about getting a pill organizer or something like that! Good idea - in fact, if there's enough screws used in bolting the Falcon together, I might also want to invest in a cheap magnetized hobby mat so those screws don't get lost between the pillbox and the model.
 
Yes, cheap pill organizer. Put the small black screws in Mondays compartment, brass metal screws in Tuesday, self tapping screws Wednesday, frame connectors in Thursday etc. The magnetized mat prolly wouldnt be a bad idea either. I did the bulk of the construction in my office with hard wood floors, so a flashlight could find most tiny screws. Carpet....forget about it.
 
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