Hello everyone. I'm David. I just joined this group a day or so ago and have been absorbing information like a sponge.
My personal grail build is a 4 foot Falcon replica. Over the years I've assembled a collection of the various kits required, and I've been purchasing additional ones as new part maps have been created. Thank you very much to jcoffman99 for putting together that excellent part map thread. It's helped a lot.
Anyway, I do have two questions to start.
1. I have the list of the various donor kits required, but I do not have any information on the number of kits of each I need. Some are obvious, like I at least need 3 of the Tamiya Pathers for the engineering deck, but how many of the SeaLab kits do I need? I have been able to source one original kit, but is that enough? Basically I'd just like to know if there's an updated list or document that also mentions how many per kit is required.
2. This is a bigger question. I have the full scale blueprints for the Falcon hull, but how are most people building theirs? I'd considered 3D Printing the base hull, but that wouldn't be very 'replica like' and my FDM printer is only 350mm^3, even sliced into parts that would be difficult to get a full hull. I did stumble upon a photo that someone had laser cut thin plywood frames and then lay a surface on top, but I can no longer find that information and I'm not sure if the frame CAD files were ever made public.
So I guess the short version of that long question is, what is the suggested best approach to making the base hull with a budget max of say $2000.
Thanks everyone for any suggestions. For kicks and giggles, this is my 32" build. It's mounted on a rolling TV stand so I can show people the bottom and move it out of the way if needed.
My personal grail build is a 4 foot Falcon replica. Over the years I've assembled a collection of the various kits required, and I've been purchasing additional ones as new part maps have been created. Thank you very much to jcoffman99 for putting together that excellent part map thread. It's helped a lot.
Anyway, I do have two questions to start.
1. I have the list of the various donor kits required, but I do not have any information on the number of kits of each I need. Some are obvious, like I at least need 3 of the Tamiya Pathers for the engineering deck, but how many of the SeaLab kits do I need? I have been able to source one original kit, but is that enough? Basically I'd just like to know if there's an updated list or document that also mentions how many per kit is required.
2. This is a bigger question. I have the full scale blueprints for the Falcon hull, but how are most people building theirs? I'd considered 3D Printing the base hull, but that wouldn't be very 'replica like' and my FDM printer is only 350mm^3, even sliced into parts that would be difficult to get a full hull. I did stumble upon a photo that someone had laser cut thin plywood frames and then lay a surface on top, but I can no longer find that information and I'm not sure if the frame CAD files were ever made public.
So I guess the short version of that long question is, what is the suggested best approach to making the base hull with a budget max of say $2000.
Thanks everyone for any suggestions. For kicks and giggles, this is my 32" build. It's mounted on a rolling TV stand so I can show people the bottom and move it out of the way if needed.
Last edited:
Your MF is really looking sharp and I'm eager to see what steps you'll take to build your 5 footer
