Re: 1:1 Millennium Falcon Console Replica
Hi Gang,
Yep. Poly is your best bet. It's the stuff they use on floors & tables. Put it on thick enough it completely removes the grain.
DANG IT! I was at the home improvement store and walked right past the poly... UGH... I really need to get that quad finished... Anybody want to come over and do it for me?
Ok...Just a little FYI on possible seats...
I had a nice chat today with the guy from classiccarseats.com, and he absolutely can make a set of exact replicas. In fact, he has another seat design that is not listed on the site that is already really close. It's like the Sebring design, but with a high back...The only real differences between it and the Falcon seat are stitch lines, and the shape of the headrest area of the seat.
Anyhow...Stinson is going to get me some basic overall dimensions from that cockpit photo-match that he did, and I should have a quote next week.
King...I realize that you are probably going to want to go the cheaper route for the current build, and that's cool. But I thought that it couldn't hurt for us to have a valid quote for accurate replicas...Especially for the eventual FSF build.
I'll update when I have more info.
Jason
Hey J,
Just want to thank you personally for taking the time and effort into looking at the different possibilities for the cockpit chairs! If this vendor can match the look and feel - we have winner! Let's wait and see what the price is. Also, let him know what the seats are for and see if he wants to be part of "history"... yeah... that sounded cheesy... lol
Thanks again for all your hard work!
Can you cover the base with hardboard? It's smooth and you'd only have to fill any seams. You can get it in 1/8" thick. I don't think MDF comes that thin. But that would work too.
Hi TK,
When I was picking up more wood for the cockpit walls I looked at hardboard. My only concern is getting the board to bend around the curve... I'll try the poly for now and hope for the best.
How about some plastic shrink film used for model airplanes. It can then be painted and weathered.
Hi C17,
I have NO IDEA what you're refering to.
Can you explain?
When I first saw the seats I immediately thought of the Recaro racing seats in my friend's old TA Firebird. Have you checked any salvage yards to see if they might have some old racing seats?
Hi G,
I've been looking on Ebay, Craigslist and various car sites... no luck. I think Jason might be on to something! Any chance your friend might be willing to loan us his seats?
I've done a lot of wood working and finishing, it will be very hard not to get the woodgrain to show though. mabey try filling and sanding a scrap, then varnish(real poly not water based), light sanding then use an enamel paint and see how many coats is takes to cover the grain. I'm guessing 3 or 4 coats at least. Formica is a real pain to work with but it might still be the least labor involved. A couple of nylon band clamps would make putting the formica on the round sides alot easier.
Hey BD,
Believe it or not... I used Formica on the console body and though I SWORE I would never use it again... LOL... I'm tempted to use it. It's a simple shape, no compound curves, no odd angles, etc... I can't believe I might use that material again after the pain and suffering it put me through...
I just need to find a quality primer I can lay on the Formica and have it stick. Any ideas?
Simply amazing work! I'm super impressed!
Hi B,
Thank you very much. I'm glad I started the side walls. I was getting a little burnt from those cockpit panels. It was nice to build something completely different. I'm looking forward to pinstriping these 4 side walls - and create the small shelf!
Thank you, Sir
It is great to see the progress on this build. You're at the hard part right now. The angles on the front of the cockpit would be the hardest part. It is likely you will be changing it to get it angled correctly. To save effort, I would make a partial wood frame and then mock up all the rest with cardboard.
Hi DJ,
You are ABSOLUTELY correct... these cuts were VERY difficult to make! But I measured 20 times and cut twice! (one board I actually cut twice). Because this is only a display/promotional piece, I changed the shape of the lower side panel. Because of the conical shape of the cockpit, the lower part of the panel actually bends upward about halfway across the panel. I removed that - there was no need for it... When it comes to working that part of the full scale project... I'll probably be in the john or call in sick...
Thank you!
Whew...
