MR Falcon Print Materials and Display

Hey, I was wondering if someone could help me out.

I bought my MR Falcon second hand. It did not come with a stand, but I found one on ebay. It also did not come with the printed materials such as the coa and the "story behind the prop" with photos, etc.

I bought the MR Snowspeeder new. It came with a very nice, tri-fold piece that has the story on the left, photos from the movie in the middle and coa on the right. I love how it looks displayed with the Snowspeeder.

I was wondering if the Falcon came with a similar piece? If so, could I ask someone who bought a Falcon new to make a hi-res scan of this for me so I could print it out and display it with my falcon? I don't need the coa, I would just like the story and photos (however it came with it, since I've never seen it).

Also, I've attached a photo of the display case that I just built for my Falcon! I didn't want to pay $400 or more to have one made and shipped, so I decided to make one myself! It was a project that I had put off for months because I thought it would be difficult. It was actually a lot easier than I thought! I just went to Home Depot, bought 36 x 30 acrylic sheets (the thick stuff), a glass cutter and a long, metal straight edge. Then I went to a plastics factory and bought a can of acrylic adhesive (the watery kind) and a small bottle with a needle at the end made to fill and squirt the adhesive out.

Putting it together was simple. Just have to measure the Falcon base, decide how high to make the case (15" since the sheets were 30" wide), score the plexi sheets with the cutter, break them and tape the whole thing together upside down. Then squeezed the glue into the seams and let it dry over night. That's it! I thought it would be so heavy that if I tried to lift it it would fall apart. But the next morning I tried and it didn't! My wife helped me place it over the Falcon onto the base and it fit like a glove! Total cost... LESS THAN $100!!! And NO added shipping costs!

The icing on this cake would be the printed materials I mentioned above. If anyone can scan them, I would greatly appreciate it! Please PM me if you can help.

Thanks!

Rick

Great job on the case :thumbsup I will have to try that for mine.

Nice job. I'm in the same boat. If someoen could pass me the scan as well, I'd appreciate it.

what thickness did you use for the plexiglass

Nice case! I was going to build one for mine too but I ended up finding a local plastics shop that made one for a little over 100$ so I decided to NOT make it myself =)

Maybe if I can track down a scanner I can copy them. Hopefully someone else can help. I don't have access to a scanner currently.

Ringa - I'll tell Ya what, you right up a tutuorial with the exact parts and supplies you used AND WHERE TO GET THEM to make the case and I'll scan the MR falcon stuff for you tonight :love

Ah Heck I'll scan it for you anyway - but really I NEED that tutorial! PM me with your email addy and such and I'll sensd you JPG scans you can take and have printed out on photo paper...

Jedi Dade

Jedi Dade said:

Ringa - I'll tell Ya what, you right up a tutuorial with the exact parts and supplies you used AND WHERE TO GET THEM to make the case and I'll scan the MR falcon stuff for you tonight :love

Ah Heck I'll scan it for you anyway - but really I NEED that tutorial! PM me with your email addy and such and I'll sensd you JPG scans you can take and have printed out on photo paper...

Jedi Dade

Click to expand...

You got a deal! Thanks! I'll get started on the tutorial tonight. I'll even post photos of the supplies I used. And I appreciate the scans! I asked MR directly, but they don't have any more of them.

MR Falcon Display Tutorial

First, my many thanks to Jedi Dade for sending me the scans I asked for!!!

Before I begin, I just want to say that I am no expert in making display cases. I just went about it the best way I could. That is the way I will describe in this tutorial. You may have better ways of doing some of this, but hopefully we can all learn from each other.


STEP 1 - MEASUREMENTS:

You must of course take measurements of the Falcon base, or whatever you want to make a display for. Don't forget to measure the height of the Falcon. I wanted enough clearance so as to not make it appear cramped inside. I felt 15" high would be just right.


STEP 2 - SUPPLIES:

Now that you have measurements, you can get your plexi sheet sizes. I went to Home Depot to get mine. You can also go to Lowes. They both have a section where you can get plexi in various sizes and thicknesses. For my Falcon case, I wanted plexi with some beef to it, so I got 3/16" thick sheets at 36" x 30" for $34.99 each. NOTE: You will need three sheets at 36" x 30" to complete this display. To save cost and weight, the top can be thinner plexi, if you so choose, and still be sturdy. The top of mine only cost $13.99.

You will also need a cutter (see photo). You can also get this at Home Depot in the same section.

The acrylic cement I used is called Weld-on #3 from a company called IPS Corporation. It is a watery liquid that melts acrylic fast. To apply it, you will need a syringe bottle (see photo) I bought both of these at a local plastics factory. Unfortunately, they don't have a website to order from. However, I included photos of these so you can find them or their equal.

You will also need a long metal straight edge, a pencil or thin marker, a beach towel or thin blanket and (very important) any thin sheet of wood (about 1/8" or 1/4" thick will do) or something heavy roughly the same size as your plexi sheets (will explain as I go).

Now you are ready to begin!


STEP 3 - SCORING PLEXI

You will need to work on a large table about waste high that has straight sides/edges. First lay the beach towel or blanket over the surface of the table. This is for two reasons; to keep from scratching the plexi when you lay it down for measurements and cutting, but also for moving and turning the piece as you work. You don't want to slide this heavy, upside down display case on a hard surface even with the protective film intact. Instead you can grab the towel and turn the piece without touching it.

Carefully take your measurements. Mark your longer sides first. Be aware that even though these sheets say they are 30" wide, measure them anyway. You may find them slightly larger. Compensate for this before you go and measure at exactly 15". Mark the halfway point and set your straight edge down as your guide. Take your cutter and first do a light scoring along the edge. IMPORTANT: DO NOT MOVE THE STRAIGHT EDGE WHILE SCORING. If you find that you made a double line in spots instead of one single clean line, it will affect the cut. This is why you want to make a light scratch first. Now you have made a "track" for your cutter to follow while making a deeper cut the second time. Just apply more pressure as you do the second cut, but be very conscious of keeping the straight edge still.

[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION] Make several passes with the cutting tool until you no longer need the straight edge to follow your scored line. You should see plexi shavings as you drag the cutter. The deeper the cut, the easier it will break.


STEP 4 - BREAKING

Now that you have your scored plexi sheet, time to break it! Position the plexi sheet so that the scored cut is just off the edge of the table. Place the piece of wood (the size of the plexi sheet) over the half of the plexi that is still on the table so that the plexi is sandwiched between the wood and table with the other half of the plexi sticking out. Put your right forearm on the wood to hold it down. Put as much weight as possible on the wood to keep it down. Then grab the extended plexi with your left hand at one end and your right hip at the other. Using your hand and hip (because it is just too big to use just your hand) push down on the extended part of the plexi to cause it to bow (put your body into it!). You'll find it will bow about 45 degrees before it breaks. Make sure that your score line is just off the table when you do this! Because the plexi is so thick, you may need someone's help to hold down the other end. When the plexi breaks it will make a loud POP! If you made a good score line, the break will be perfectly straight, and you should not even have to sand it. Do this for all your cuts. Believe me, it is much easier than you may be thinking!


STEP 5 - ASSEMBLY

At this point you need to peel the protective film off the pieces for assembly. What I found very helpful was to use regular scotch tape to assemble all the pieces first. Do this upside down so you are assembling the walls on top of the top. I set the walls on the top so I could make sure it was all square. I taped the walls together, but before I taped them to the top, I test fitted taped walls on the Falcon base. When I was satisfied that it would fit right, I set the walls back on the top (again, so it is upside down) and taped the rest together. I only put five pieces of tape per side, just enough to keep contact all the way from corner to corner.

Once you have the entire structure taped, and you have good contacts, you are ready to cement. You have to fill the syringe bottle with acrylic cement first. To do this, you have to squeeze some air out of the bottle, then holding it that way, dip the needle into the cement liquid and release your grip. As the bottle retains its shape it will suck the cement into it. You don't have to fill the whole bottle! You'll be surprised just how little glue you need. And too much in the bottle can cause you to drip glue where you don't want it. Starting at one corner, carefuly place the needle against the joints. Apply light pressure to the bottle as you run it along the seam from one end to another. The cement will seep into the cracks and immediately begin to melt the pieces together. You do not need a lot of cement. This stuff works best when used sparingly. It might be a good idea to practice this on scrap plexi just to see what it will do. After I applied the cement, I removed the tape and let the whole thing sit over night.

WARNING: I used tape to keep my pieces together while cementing. If you are not careful, the glue could seep between the tape and plexi causing an unwanted, permanent spot. I did not have this problem, but it is possible. The point is that the pieces must be touching for the cement to seep into the cracks properly. You may have a better way.


STEP 6 - CLEAN AND POSITION

By morning the display case should be ready to handle. I was able to turn my case right side up by myself, and it held together just fine! Using a cotton towel and window cleaner, I cleaned off all the dust and finger prints inside and out. I then cleaned up the Falcon and its mirrored base. My wife then helped me place the case over the Falcon and this project was complete!

I hope this tutorial was helpful. I hope you have as much success with yours as I had with mine! Believe me, it is not that difficult! I was intimidated by this before I started. When I finished I couldn't believe how easy it was. Now that I did the Falcon, I am going to make another case for my MR Enterprise!

ENJOY!

Very cool thanks!

A quick Google search yeilded this:
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=131

Looks like a one stop shop for glue and applicator!

Disclaimer - I've never used this company - I just found it... I'll order some stuff shortly and let you all know if it was a proper company or not...

Thanks Ringa! Looks liek a proper case for "around" $100 and a couple hours careful construction and I'll know how to do it form My MR Enterprise as well.... love Awesome!

Thanks,
Jedi Dade

Awesome, you make it look so easy! I have often thought about doing this but now you have given me the courage to try. :thumbsup

Awesome tutorial ringa! You make it seem so simple, I am definitely going to give it a try. I hope that I can do as good a job as you.

Jedi Dade said:

A quick Google search yeilded this:
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=131

Click to expand...

Looks like that website has exactly what I used. It is strong stuff! They even have a similar kind of bottle with needle like I used.

Thanks for the complements too, guys! It really isn't that hard to do. Though, I highly recommend practicing with the cement before you do the real deal. I found that if you are not extra careful small drops of this watery cement can come out of the needle just by tipping it upside down without squeezing. Be aware of this when you go to apply it to your work. This stuff starts to melt the plexi instantly! Even a small drop will leave a scuff mark when you try to wipe it up––even when you think you are wiping it up quickly!

With a little practice, I know you guys will do a great job! The cool thing about this is once you've done it (especially for something as big as the MR Falcon), you can make covers for just about anything!

Oh, Jedi Dade, I printed the scans you sent on glossy photo paper. They look SMACKIN'! You did a great job scanning all of the panels! It must have taken a long time too! I SO appreciate it! I'm going to go to Office Depot today to get 8.5" x 11" plexi sign holders to display them. I'll shoot and post pictures tonight! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

It did take a little while but the kicker was that it "uncreased" the folder when I opened it up enough to scan... It left little greyish markings in the folds of the folder :thumbsdown Not complaining its a function of cardboard and folding... It started to "creak" when I opened it flat.. I knew I was in for trouble as soon as I hear that. Its not "ruined" by any means but it is "visibly stressed" :angry I could probably hit it with some black sharpy marker but that might look worse... Oh well taking one for the team is part of what makes this a good hobby - we're not all in it for the money/value of what we do. More for the coolness an comradery or what we build/make/buy and the people we deal with /show off to :cool

Your tutorial looks great I've copied it into a word doc for posterity on my hard drive and I'm gonna buy some glue today :thumbsup After I get it I'm gonna go get some plexi and start cuttin' and gluin'...

Jedi Dade said:

It did take a little while but the kicker was that it "uncreased" the folder when I opened it up enough to scan... It left little greyish markings in the folds of the folder.

Click to expand...

Oh no! I'm sorry that happened! I was imagining it would be similar to the MR Snowspeeder's cardboard, tri-fold brochure, only with a quarter-fold instead. Sounds like the Falcon came with a booklet (?). I do appreciate that you were good enough to take the time and risk to do it. I could not have asked for better scans!

ringa said:

Oh no! I'm sorry that happened! I was imagining it would be similar to the MR Snowspeeder's cardboard, tri-fold brochure, only with a quarter-fold instead. Sounds like the Falcon came with a booklet (?). I do appreciate that you were good enough to take the time and risk to do it. I could not have asked for better scans!

Click to expand...

It was like te speeders but I had to unfold it pretty far to get it to lay flat on the scanner... PLus it had been neatly folded for quite a while and it "creaked" when I started opening it. I know it was gong to be trouble at that point but WTF... Its not like its ruined - just not "pristine"... Its all good!

Jedi Dade

Guys, I want to change something I said in my tutorial. When it comes time for you to score your thick plexi, make a deep cut with the cutter tool. You will have to go over it a few times to do this.

Why am I changing this? Because I was just in the process of making a display case for my MR Enterprise. I scored my 36" x 30" sheet (3/16" thick) with a couple of passes with the cutter, pressing down harder the second time. It did not break along the scored line because it was not deep enough. When I did the other sheet much deeper with several passes, it broke perfectly.

I will change the tutorial to reflect this.

Hi Ringa,
I know Jedi Dade has already made some nice scans for you but I have an extra packet myself and I'd be glad to send it your way, just drop me your address.

nightrider said:

Hi Ringa,
I know Jedi Dade has already made some nice scans for you but I have an extra packet myself and I'd be glad to send it your way, just drop me your address.

Click to expand...

If he passes I'm game for them!:angel

nightrider said:

Hi Ringa,
I know Jedi Dade has already made some nice scans for you but I have an extra packet myself and I'd be glad to send it your way, just drop me your address.

Click to expand...

PM sent.

OK! I finished the Enterprise display case. Besides the one screw up (read about above), this one turned out even better than my Falcon case! I have it sitting on a shelf at eye level. The Enterprise looks fantastic in it! And the engine motors are MUCH quieter in there. The case is 36" x 20" x 15".

My thanks again to Jedi Dade for the Falcon scans. You can see in the photo that they really add a lot to the display!