4' (AKA 5 foot) Falcon build

RealDaveWinter

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
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.

mounted.jpg
 
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Hey David,
Welcome to the group.

As far as the number of kits needed, check out Manugu's thread. He's doing a great job of compiling that info:
5-foot Millennium Falcon - parts lists & complementary Info

As far as the hull, I printed most of it with my 3D printer, but it just wasn't working. IF you want a better 3D way, check out Dimitri's build here:
And… another ANH 5FT falcon. My second attempt.

I ended up going with plywood for the hull patty and am trying to figure out the curved parts of the hull.

Check with eagle1 (Stu) as he is offering the domes and they are in your 2k price range.
 
Hi David,
great Falcon :) Do you share build pics somewhere?
Regarding your question 1: Thanks for the kind words John. I actually just collect number of occurrences of each part on the maps by now, should be easy to group that info by kit and part ID though. If you know how often a part is in a kit, you can then calculate how many kits you need maximally.
Some parts were cast in groups already by ILM and reused (FalGal, Mathilda etc) so it also depends how you want to build I think. And finally, the lists are jet to be completed & there are probably errors! (!!!)

Looking forward to see more,
Manu
 
Hi there.

I posted a bunch of photos in the Commercial Kit subsection of this section. You can see all my builds on my website (davidawinter.com) (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post my own website but...)

I may go with the cast part route for some things. Especially if the source kits are really expensive. If I get really really stuck, I have an 8k resin printer and I've purchased a collection of the 5' Falcon parts from Etsy, but I'd really rather stick to doing it properly as much as I can. That's sort of the whole point after all.
 
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David,
1. Original kit parts or castings are critical. Only way to go in my experience. Impossible for me to keep up with today’s Falcon map detectives especially on small parts. Larger parts are vital to validate dimensions after selecting materials. Especially true for determining thicknesses in spite of good 3 view drawings. One must consider section views that account for skin and armor. Inadvertent ”Stack-up” of tolerances you add can cause rework.

2. Several ways to proceed on a basic hull and it depends upon your skill level. I started out as a balsa model builder on aircraft & boats. Never was good with plastic models, so styrene scares me. Decide on ANH or ESB version before you start. In any case the Bandai PG Falcon is a priceless. Not available in the early days to original guys who started theirs. Excellent drawings available past few years, but insure your supporting armature is strong and designed into your build.

Regarding $2K for a basic hull, this may be an under estimate based on the disc size & armature mounting complexity. You built the 32” DeAgostini model so no surprise that the airframe amounts to significantly more than a flying saucer. Wings, cockpit, flaps, landing gear and engines are one thing. But, it’s a flying tank with things called mandibles, jaw boxes, airlocks not to mention over 10 maintenance pits and a landing craft ramp. Much of this integrates with the disc.

Welcome to the journey.
 
Another great thread that might help with anything, if you haven't seen it already, is Sean's awsome Falcon build that he finished 4 years. That 4 years sure went by fast.

 

Dang that thread is 8 years old. I've got to finish a project before I die, ; )
Well, I spent 20 years making a totally inaccurate Star Destroyer....so just keep the build at 19 years and your good....and also don't die before that.
 
Yeah, I understand that the complete build will be expensive. I have some of the kits and for some of those I've paid close to $600. So yeah, I'm guessing this will be a $25k build.

That $2k should be able to cover the domes for the blank hull though.
 
Well, I spent 20 years making a totally inaccurate Star Destroyer....so just keep the build at 19 years and your good....and also don't die before that.

Can confirm that dying during a project really delays everything so is absolutely best to be avoided if possible.

Really looking forward to seeing what you can do here! I'm slowly building up the courage to have my own attempt but it probably wont be as 'indepth' as you guys do it!
 
If you're doing an all-original build, you need 11 Sealabs. But if you're using castings, one will suffice from which to make your molds. If you want castings from existing molds, PM me for what you need. The Sealab is set to be re-released next year, but no one is just yet holding their breath, as this has been years in the "coming soon" category. And the original dies were lost, so this is remade with new dies and hardcore purists are eager to check originals vs. new parts with their micrometers to see if it's worth buying for Falcon purposes. Lots of Falcon builders have four or more "pre-ordered" in the hopes that it IS an exact match, myself included.
 
Hi there.

I posted a bunch of photos in the Commercial Kit subsection of this section. You can see all my builds on my website (davidawinter.com) (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post my own website but...)

I may go with the cast part route for some things. Especially if the source kits are really expensive. If I get really really stuck, I have an 8k resin printer and I've purchased a collection of the 5' Falcon parts from Etsy, but I'd really rather stick to doing it properly as much as I can. That's sort of the whole point after all.
Love that Spit for sure...I remember the Airfix kit of the '70s and admiring it in my local Hobby shop at the time:cool::cool:(y)(y)
 
Lots of Falcon builders have four or more "pre-ordered" in the hopes that it IS an exact match, myself included.

Thanks, that's a lot of SeaLabs. From what I've been told of the new release, it is a lot of resin parts. So my guess is that they just cast from one original kit. I've not held one in my hand though, so that could all just be gossip.
 
Love that Spit for sure...I remember the Airfix kit of the '70s and admiring it in my local Hobby shop at the time:cool::cool:(y)(y)
Thanks. That's the new Airfix MK IX that came out last year. A lovely kit, the only aftermarket I added was the Sutton Harness. The kit comes with one, but scaled up it would be about 6 inches thick. So I used PE buckles with paper. All the National and Unit markings are airbrushed. The only decals are the stencil data.

I have a few of the other 'vintage' 1:24 scale kits for this project, but for whatever reason the old Spitfire was not used on the Falcon. I guess the local hobby stores had been sold out and ILM couldn't get their hands on one :lol:
 
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