32" Falcon Help-Cockpit Tube

[Spartan17]

Hi guys,
This is my first time on this section of the site, I usually hang out on the general modeling page but I posed a question today and it was suggested some of you might better be able to anwser it for me, here it is:

Hi everyone, first off I want to thank you all for all of the advise you have given me on past projects it is much appreciated. So to show my gratitude I have another question. I am in the early stages of building a 32" Millenium Falcon from scratch. I am confident in how I will build each section with exception of the cockpit tube. My idea is to use 2 hollow tubes with the ends cut at 60 degree angels and glued together. For the part that runs up the hull I was going to just cut a slot in the hull which narrows towards the top and slide the tube section inside to give it that sliming look as it moves closer to the top. Does this seem like it will work and if anybody has attempted this build how did you go about the tube section?

I would greatly like to avoid cutting pvc to match the curvature due to the fact it is not easy so do you think this method of cutting the hull around the tube will work? Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks for reading

 

[peza]

eh up buddy.
i can`t help eith the way your suggesting because i did it the other way but cutting the 3" down pipe to the shape of my curve and then milliput the small inperfections.have you any images of ya work mym8..cheers peza

 

[Spartan17]

Thanks for the reply peza. No images yet I am still making some drawings and I like to think through any problem areas before I start building so I dont get half way in and relize Im screwed. I wil be sure to once I start construction though. Did you find it difficult cutting the pvc and how did you tracs the arc on before you cut?

 

[peza]

eh up buddy.
i used my dremel with a metal circular blade.
it was a series of cut and scribe with a pencil then cut again until i got down to the right height.then i using a big old stanley knife very carefully.and finally some small files to give me a flat edge to bond to.i used 2 part epoxy to stick my cockpit tunnel down..cheers peza

 

[Spartan17]

Ah the dremel does sound easier I was going to use a short blade on a jigsaw but I would like to keep all my fingers so that may be a bad idea. I think I can get the pattern down easy enough by tracing the same curvature as one of the ribs. Thanks for the advice hopefully it goes smoothly!

 

[BrundelFly]

Well...you look at ALOT of pictures..and measure where the tube meets the hull..then draw it on the tube and cut.
Fit...trim and sand....repeat.

Pretty much it.

 

[Jaitea]

I could give you the dimensions of the cockpit tube from the FineMolds 1/72 if that would help

J

 

[daverep]

Getting a bit nervous myself about this. If anyone has the cutting template files that joewhite made available, that may help. I've got them and will see if I can figure out if the rib template that Joe made will help. But I'm not quite there yet. My biggest problem is that I keep second-guessing myself! :facepalm

 

[BrundelFly]

Ok..Sorry,
I need to add my two cents.

And this is NO WAY DISCOURAGING, quite the opposite, just trying to save ya from taking the wrong approach. Building the Falcon, is one of the most rewarding things you can do in the hobby/genre. GOD SPEED!

However, Building a Falcon, is a darn near a right of passage. Anyone who thinks you can scale it up from
another model, or borrow someone else's template is in for a huge shock.

You need several critical skills, One of which is that you must be able to LOOK at a photo, and accurately deduce WHAT the measurements are in relation to the other 1000 measurements you are going to have to take.

The only eye you need to satisfy is your own. Which is WHY it is dangerous to use someone else's drawing or template. Is YOUR Eye ball calibrated to theirs ?
If not, you risk other critical dimensions will be off significantly.

Wanna know a secret? The Basic hull shape can be done in an afternoon. It lulls you into a sense of OH THIS IS GONNA BE EASY! Trust me. its not.

How difficult is based on HOW accurate you want to be.

Randy Cooper built on in 30 days. But he is Randy Cooper. It looked great, proportionately is was awesome, detail was completely non film accurate.

Im not sure how long Neil took. He might Chime in.

I have been working on mine for 15 years. It is STILL not done.
Before you laugh, one of the MANY projects that has interrupted me was (along with Brother Moe) consulting with Master Replica's so THEY could build theirs and have to available to the NON-Model Building folks.

Which brings me to: You Must ask yourself, WHAT are you trying to build?
A) a Studio Part for Part Accurate Model or
B) Something that looks just as nice.

You need to understand / know:
1) How to calculate Proportions, ie solve for "x" Hint: its a ratio
2) You need ALOT of kits parts, and they aint cheap.
3) The Concept of photographic distortion, and how to compensate for it.
4) a BUT load of picture reference
5) Patience...LOTS of it.


Food for thought,
Happy Building!

Frank Cerney

 

[McGraph]

Don't be nervous about cutting its just styrene or abs you can always go back and buy more. Plus those 3 inch pipes are usually pretty big so plenty to play around with and if you mess up one cut you have plenty more to work with.

 

[mofo77]

i'm about a third of the way into my build and there is a ton of work to do but i'm lovin it.i plan to start building the cockpit/ tube in the next few weeks.there is some good advice here and i will be taking it on board but at the end of the day just have a go.things start to come together once your in the thick of it.

 

[BrundelFly]

If this is obvious, forgive me, but for the new folks, they might need it.

Its all about Proportions.
Lets say you are trying to find the spacing on the model. You have a picture of the area, and a couple of found parts in your hand that are in the picture.

Measure the found part in your hand (A) , and then in the photo (B) in the same way.
The measure you are looking for is (X) and the measure as it appears in the photo is (Y)

Solve for X.

Tank Rim in your hand is 8mm across. In the picture it is 10mm
The space next to it in reality is what you are looking for, in the picture that space is 4mm.

8/x = 10/4

4*8/10 = x X should get you close to reality.

Incase you noticed, I build using the metric system. Much more accurate. Hard to do this with fractions.

I sincerely hope this helps.

 

[daverep]

I read this waaay to early in the morning. :eek

Thanks Frank, much appreciated. I may have to get some really strong coffee and read this again. :lol

It looks like all of that math that I was horrible with in high school is really going to FINALLY pay off!lol

 

[BrundelFly]

Its an easy calculation, but thats how we did it.

When we got to measure the laser scan CNC at MR, Moe's blues prints were +/- 1 mm off with two exceptions. It was scary how close he got it.

There is also another thing everyone needs to know.

The Falcon is NOT Symmetrical. It was built by several stoned hippies...and a couple of nerdy college kids.

And done in very quickly as they decided to build it as an afterthought.

You will know when you get to that spot and everything doesn't quite fit right.
Measure from each picture, never assume LEFT is same as RIGHT in terms of measurements.

It is not.

 

[McGraph]

Hey frank while your doling out some wisdom which is much appreciated by the way. Mind if I pick your brain for favorite site for picture reference on the 32". I have been picking up some here and there got a bunch from the falcon yahoo group but what I'm looking for is some really big pictures taken as close up as the could from the star wars tour of the 32" it seems like there is a ton of the fiver but I haven't found any really great views of the 32" everyone seems to take pictures of it as an afterthought after seeing the big one. Also I was wandering if you would recommend using the MR falcon as reference also ?.

 

[BrundelFly]

For general dimensions...sure. It will get you close...then pretend you do not have the reference..and make your own measures. Same is true for the details.

There are pics out on the net. Not sure what I have that is shareable that isnt out there.

I will check.