1:1 Millennium Falcon Cockpit Replica - Group Build

[SofaKing01]

Oh, great... Now you need to build an R2 unit to plug him in to fix the hyperdrive!

You know... sometimes I dont understand human behavior

 

[SofaKing01]

That update surely rocks Sofa:cool Wow, the amount of work/details is staggering!! Btw, that famous hose at the right hand side of the console is still "off" (my 2 cents). Why not pivot the main "hose holder" toward the bottom? That way, the hose can be attached at the bottom of the curved wall...with the proper attachment to hold that hose in place?

Hey J,

Thanks so much! I'm really trying to stay true to the original designers looks and feel. It was really nice to see the droid sockets finally come together. Let's hope I have the same luck with the main panel display!

The hose is just sitting in place. I stuck it there a few weeks back tossing some ideas ideas around and then moved on to something else never removing the hose. I would really like to tie the hose into the other misc hoses that round out the corridor. We'll figure it out!

 

[iloveyouiknow87]

hi thanks, yes i guess thats a lot of fun working together with your friends, hahaha mad house zoo lol:lol

 

[Rymo]

The design of those droid sockets is super clean and detailed. Love it!

 

[SofaKing01]

hi thanks, yes i guess thats a lot of fun working together with your friends, hahaha mad house zoo lol:lol

Hey I,

"Mad House" was an understatement! As much as I love these guys/gals... it can get CRAZY!

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The design of those droid sockets is super clean and detailed. Love it!

Thanks, R! Me too! I'm really happy with with they are turning out. I should have a near final product this weekend. I'm now going over ALL the other individual panels on the maint console to make sure they all work together. And I finally have a working design for the very top vent panel!

 

[SimplyTim]

Man, even in the smallest of things your work is so clean! I know a lot of it is machine guided precision, but still amazing work, even comparing it to an actual feature film prop. I know this is a "replica" but it has soul that something just cobbled together cant have. They just threw stuff together till it looked good to them and ran with it. Here, because of dedication as a fan, you're taking all efforts to match exactly what was shown in the films and that takes time, patience, and dedication right there. Nice work once again!

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

 

[Roughneckone]

Hey Sofa,

Thought you might find this usefull :-



Roughneckone:cool

 

[trainman]

Hey Sofa,

Thought you might find this usefull :-

Roughneckone:cool

I don't know what it is about the Ep. 7 cockpit, but I don't like it as much as the OT cockpit (even though the side and back lightbars were misaligned in ANH). Not enough grime on the seats? Too much of an LED look to the lights in 7 & 8? Not sure...

 

[SofaKing01]

Man, even in the smallest of things your work is so clean! I know a lot of it is machine guided precision, but still amazing work, even comparing it to an actual feature film prop. I know this is a "replica" but it has soul that something just cobbled together cant have. They just threw stuff together till it looked good to them and ran with it. Here, because of dedication as a fan, you're taking all efforts to match exactly what was shown in the films and that takes time, patience, and dedication right there. Nice work once again!

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

Hi ST,

WOW! I'm very humbled by your comments. Thank you so much for the very kind words. I've tried very hard, sometimes failed, staying true and keeping things as screen accurate as possible. It's been a heck of a ride! Again, thank you so much.

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Hey Sofa,

Thought you might find this usefull :-

View attachment 770651

Roughneckone:cool

It's nice seeing LS/MH back in the MF again! Looking forward to seeing this movie! I hope its darker than Empire was/is!

 

[SofaKing01]

I don't know what it is about the Ep. 7 cockpit, but I don't like it as much as the OT cockpit (even though the side and back lightbars were misaligned in ANH). Not enough grime on the seats? Too much of an LED look to the lights in 7 & 8? Not sure...

Hey T,

I know exactly what you mean and I think I know what it is that's missing when compared to the original(s). Aside from the slight panel color change MOST of the greeblies we see in the 7 & 8 (and the soon to be released Solo movie) cockpit appear to be 3D printed. I dont think there are any original parts - I could be totally wrong. The level of detail we get from 3D prints is nice but they dont have that same look and feel as an original metal or molded plastic part - especially when time isn't taken to fill in/smooth out the 3D print itself. Splashing a layer of wash over a 3D print only enhances the 3D look. That was my first reaction to the Ep VII cockpit.

It's still awesome to see on the big screen again!

 

[trainman]

Hey T,

I know exactly what you mean and I think I know what it is that's missing from the original(s). Aside from the slight panel color change MOST of the greeblies we see in the 7 & 8 (and the soon to be released Solo movie) cockpit appear to be 3D printed. I dont think there are any original parts - I could be totally wrong. The level of detail we get from 3D prints is nice but they dont have that same look and feel as an original metal or molded plastic part - especially when time isn't taken to fill in/smooth out the 3D print itself. Splashing a layer of wash over a 3D print only enhances the 3D look. That was my first reaction to the Ep VII cockpit.

It's still awesome to see on the big screen again!

Oh, yeah. Totally agree. I think it's a number of little details altogether that just make for a slightly different feel from the OT cockpit. I'll still enjoy the movies regardless though. Seeing a near-perfect Falcon interior on-screen is still better than none at all ...and here's hoping the ship survives Ep. 9, to maybe go on to a future set of (non-Skywalker based) Star Wars films!

 

[BigBigDave]

I think there's something about the specular highlights on the panels themselves that makes it look... let's say "not as cool". The panels have a lot of gloss, and there are almost no features on some of the panels, so that really smooth surface seems lacking. I mean... it's still cooler than any my personal spaceships, of which I have... none.

 

[SofaKing01]

Hi Gang,

Time for that "End of the Weekend Update"! VERY PIC HEAVY! I got a new camera and got a little excited... Enjoy!

I did a lot of work on the droid socket. It's almost finished and near ready for the electronics! Be warned, I'll be all over the place on this post so bare with me.

Let's start with the droid socket. Designed and cut these new pieces

It adds a little more depth and visual interest to one of the socket cups

Maybe this one?

Decided on this guy and added filler

Remember these little Fresnel lenses?

I carefully drilled out the necessary material

I then laser cut some new rings

This raises the lip a little bit but also acts as a guide

In place. Note the red lens.

The lip has been sanded and primed and everything dry fit

More sanding and filler primer

Paint

Both socket cups

Dry fit again - why dry fit? Paint can ADD just enough "material" so these pieces don't fit as snug as they used to. Its important to dry fit as you go

I love all the different layers

These little details are the things the original designers did for the OT even though the prop would be on screen for only 2 seconds. It was that love and the attention to detail that made the OT so special!

Dry fitting more details

Lets get some more paint going!

More paint & details

Mounting holes drilled - gotta mount these guys somehow!

Paint

One concern that has been bothering me was how to keep the socket cups in place. I didn't want to simply adhere them in place making it difficult to work on if there was a problem so I designed these rings

One ring is perfectly aligned and adhered to the socket housing(s) back plate

The other ring is adhered to the socket cup(s)

A bolt/screw then marries the two pieces together allowing me to remove the cup if/when necessary

Second socket

Perfect!

The new rings required me to design and laser cut a new back plate - old plate

New plate

Dry fit in place!

I then found the rest of the Fresnel lenses

Time to mount the socket inputs - I threaded these bolts through the bottom and into the socket input

Mounted!

Dry fitting other details

I forgot about the holes on the housing sides... I carefully drilled the holes by hand so the lenses would fit

When I say drill ed by hand... I actually mean by hand!

I laser cut some more donuts

A few of the original donuts popped off... UGH. I adhered the new donuts in place and gave the housing(s) a light but thorough sanding

One side didn't have any holes or details so I designed this

Drilled the holes for the LEDs / Lenses

I like it!

Once I finished sanding I primed the housing(s)

Once that dried I added paint

I laser cut and primer/painted this redo detail

Add the white paint

Gave the cups a final sanding and repaint

I created another little minor detail for one of the inputs

Silver

And a few more details

These little guys will be painted silver and mount inside the magnifying box

Primed - I didn't sand the edges for a reason

Silver - the hard edges give it a metal/machined look

Getting ready to go final and started to adhere everything in place (no functional socket this time around)

I adhered the magnifying boxes in place and added all the red lenses

Its all coming together!

In place

Note the silver tip on the socket input

I love the "slightly" off-center socket cup

Still had to work on this detail... more filler of course

I then added the mag box details

I didn't want to add them to all of the boxes

Without lid

With lid

Its a simple greeblie but it adds another layer of detail and visual interest

I was fudging with the lighting on the camera

Finally... I painted and mounted the second input in place

Love this pic!

Just a few more details to add then we can illuminate!

I then worked on the monitor panel. I didn't like the 3 designs I had before. So... I'll try this. I designed and laser cut a monitor surround

And then I cracked the MDF... :facepalm

New main panel

OK... I like it so far

The surround was SO flimsy I had to add some structural pieces to beef it up

And of course add filler

First round of sanding and primer filler

Filling the edges

Second round of filler

Primed and dry fit in place - I LIKE much better!

Those empty gauges above the monitor surround look so lonely

Old IPad in place

More primer

COLOR!

The surround was still a bit weak so I laser cut these simple interior and exterior edge pieces

Interior

Exterior

I forgot to take pics... but the pieces are all sanded, filled and primed

Another dry fit

Another panel greeblie

And finally! I addressed the upper part of the maint console. I laser cut these new pieces

I went round and round, design after design and couldn't figure out how to move forward. I then saw a greeblie panel in RotJ that I really liked

Basic layout

I had to remove this center piece from the main console

Mark the line

Gone!

New face plate

Adding some color and going through my greeblie collection

Coming together

I laser cut and adhered 3 layers of .25" MDF. This adds depth to the panel and also acts as the 4 side walls. I might add one more .25" layer

You can really see the depth

Lots of sanding and filler

And primer

I found these old knobs

Drilled a hole through each

Will attach to the panel using a bolt

In place

I then painted and pin striped this detail

I added chrome pin stripes to the back plate

Putting it all together

Dry fit in place

With face plate... another dry fit

I'm going to counter sink the 6 larger bolts in the face plate (only 4 are showing). I don't like how they stick out

Still have to add some white pin stripes but this guy is close to being finished!

I like the simplicity of the design but the reflection in the chrome pin stripes helps make it jump just a bit

Slowly coming together and with all the elements in place

And this is... whew... where we are!

More to Follow!

 

[SofaKing01]

Oh, yeah. Totally agree. I think it's a number of little details altogether that just make for a slightly different feel from the OT cockpit. I'll still enjoy the movies regardless though. Seeing a near-perfect Falcon interior on-screen is still better than none at all ...and here's hoping the ship survives Ep. 9, to maybe go on to a future set of (non-Skywalker based) Star Wars films!

Agreed!!! I really enjoyed EPVII and I hope VIII is an even better ride!

a quick follow up... I think the lighting in the OT is slightly different than EPVII. There is almost a "grey-ish" wash that seems have been applied to EPVII? I dunno... still awesome!

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I think there's something about the specular highlights on the panels themselves that makes it look... let's say "not as cool". The panels have a lot of gloss, and there are almost no features on some of the panels, so that really smooth surface seems lacking. I mean... it's still cooler than any my personal spaceships, of which I have... none.

LOL! It really is difficult to put your/our collective finger(s) on one thing that differentiates the two cockpits. Whether its greeblies, lighting, panel color, film style, etc I guess they all play together in some sense or another.

 

[68Brick]

Looking Great Sofa.:thumbsup

As I've been watching this build I've always thought to myself, "what happens when "Joe-Public" gets their hands on this thing? That cracked MDF realized my fears. MDF is relatively fragile when cut thinly, and I imagine, that at some point people will be allowed to explore the cockpit; will it be a hands-off scenario? Or are you building so people can touch, switch, pull, etc? Personally ... I scared for the details!!!

 

[Katuna]

That whole console is freaking awesome! The iPad surround looks great. Less is more, right? The only thing I think are the magnifying boxes need to be painted (save for the lens of course). It kinda looks like a box that a toy comes in. I'm guessing you were planning on adding lights to the little grommets you put inside?

The only other thing I see (because you need more opinions, right?) is all that detail you put into the droid sockets is lost with the black color. Those thing came out so cool and with so much detail, it's a shame it's lost in the dark.

Ok, unsolicited internet critique over. Carry on.

 

[SofaKing01]

Looking Great Sofa.:thumbsup

As I've been watching this build I've always thought to myself, "what happens when "Joe-Public" gets their hands on this thing? That cracked MDF realized my fears. MDF is relatively fragile when cut thinly, and I imagine, that at some point people will be allowed to explore the cockpit; will it be a hands-off scenario? Or are you building so people can touch, switch, pull, etc? Personally ... I scared for the details!!!

Hi 68B (cool droid name)

Thanks so much! There's no doubt that many, if not most, of the greeblies and panels would break when yanked and/or pulled but that's the nature of prop building. Every show/con we've done there is always a greeblie casualty. The person doesn't mean to do it, it's just the way it is. We can usually tell the over anxious guests vs those who know to keep a hands off approach so damage is kept to a minimum. But again, that's part of the game. The only way to prevent battle damage is to either make the cockpit off limits to guests or make everything out of metal similar to a real aircraft cockpit.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Greg Grunberg a few years back and he told us a few great stories from the set of EP VII. He played a XWing pilot and even he saw greeblies popping off and being taped/super glued back in place in between shots.

Early on in the build I was using nothing but acrylic for greeblies. This was VERY costly. When we found a supplier for 1/8 and 1/4" MDF (a lot of it is free) it made sense to switch over. MDF can be easily replaced/repaired.

Its all part of the fun!

 

[SofaKing01]

That whole console is freaking awesome! The iPad surround looks great. Less is more, right? The only thing I think are the magnifying boxes need to be painted (save for the lens of course). It kinda looks like a box that a toy comes in. I'm guessing you were planning on adding lights to the little grommets you put inside?

The only other thing I see (because you need more opinions, right?) is all that detail you put into the droid sockets is lost with the black color. Those thing came out so cool and with so much detail, it's a shame it's lost in the dark.

Ok, unsolicited internet critique over. Carry on.

Thanks so much, K!

Yes, less is DEF more. I was trying to cram too many ideas into one panel and it just didn't work. The mag boxes within the droid socket housing(s) are a direct "copy" from the Bespin socket housing(s) from ESB. I really wanted to get that same look and feel. But no lights. There are so many illuminated elements in those housings I think adding LEDs to the mag boxes would be overkill.

I haven't finished the socket cups just yet. I know the black parts gets lost but I plan to weather them a bit to help make them pop. I still need to add a few more details as well.

Keep those comments and ideas coming and thanks again!

 

[Katuna]

I guess I'll have to go back and check out ESB then. It's one of those things you never pay any attention to...until now. Hmm.

 

[joberg]

Man, lot's of work and good results all around:cool