Limited Run 5 Foot Millennium Falcon Blown Domes at Realistic Cost

Studio Kitbash

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Searching for seven interested parties to chip in together and save on the R&D jig-making and final manufacturing cost of officially accurate blown domes for scratch-building a Star Wars (ANH, 1977) 5.3-footer Millennium Falcon:

1. blow-molded 1/4" plexiglass upper domes of 3.75" max height at 47.5" diameter with 12" hole in center
2. blow-molded 1/4" plexiglass lower domes of 4.15" max depth at 47.5" diameter with 12" hole in center
3. blow-molded 1/4" plexiglass upper dome Quarter-Section of 3.75" max height with which to make the engine deck cover on back, with appropriate hole section cut out to match the previous.
n.b. - diameter of 1 & 2 is a full 48" when flat, but once "blown" pulls inward to about 47.5"

Cost without shipping will be $1300 per set, and will include 1.) one upper dome, 2.) one lower dome, 3.) one quarter-round section for making the upper deck engine ensemble. If you would like two domes of matching height at 3.75" that is also possible, but you would need to specify this request in your interest.

As far as I can tell, this will be about 1/6th of what it would cost to go it alone, and at least 1/4 to 1/10 of what others have charged for similar offerings. So even if the 5-footer is in your ten-year plan, and not "this year's current build project" do consider it, as you will likely not find it available anywhere else for even three to four times this price. This really is a good deal.

I'm gauging interest only, and the one variable I really do not yet know is shipping cost, so shipping would be in addition to this, and would vary wildly between USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia because the box would be a minimum of 48" square and would be extremely heavy (2 full sheets of 1/4" plexiglass worth of weight in each box).

If more than seven are interested, price may go slightly lower (by $100 or so), but seven is the minimum needed to make the price this low. Please PM me or simply post your interest here. Production would take place in spring/summer 2020, with shipment/distribution happening in the summer/fall of 2020.

IF there is interest, and IF there is goodwill, I will also be providing sets of the "very hard to find" greeblies (60psi pressure-cast, either one-part flat resin mold or 2-part molds, depending on details) needed to build this beast, but for the most part you should be buying all your own 8rads, Morser Karls, 1/15 tanks, and many of the other 152 (my current count, may not be accurate) kits you'll need to build this vehicle, many of which you'll need multiples of in order to build it properly, beautifully, and with all the right undercuts that only original kits can provide.

As a point of reference, my work is known for its detail, its affordability, its customer service guarantee, and its helpfulness in helping the first-timer figure things out. Check my Y-Wing Nurnies Limited Run and my Reddish Jammer Y-Wing build thread to see what folks said about that work, and you'll see that my work is guaranteed, that I always deliver within a reasonable time frame (and maintain clear communication throughout), and that I'm in this as a hobby and not as way to make money, thus allowing me to offer sets closer to cost than many simply because I enjoy sharing the passion and want to help other folks do the same as much as is reasonably possible for such an expensive hobby. So far I have had exactly zero disappointed customers, had exactly zero requests for returns or refunds, and in general deliver more than I promise (i.e., you get more greeblies than you pay for). My Ebay rating is 855.

N.B. - The front mandibles are NOT included in this offer, nor is any internal framing. These sets can be had for $800 plus shipping, if interested, and include the mandibles as well as 2 rear outer lips (one upper lip, one lower lip) for the rear engine section, and 5.) minimum of 8 "risers" of 3.75 max height and 8 "risers" of 4.15" max height so that you can make your own jigs, subassemblies, and other necessities on the accurately compound-curved sections of upper and lower hull (or, if you prefer, you can use these risers to simply make another upper and lower dome section using the pie-wedge method, and thus make 2 Falcons for the price of one). But the front mandibles are available as plexiglass cuts, either as mirrored or unmirrored sets, but are also most likely available to you locally for roughly the same amount (or less, once you include shipping). These are just flat pieces that need to be cut accurately and don't need to be melted/blown/molded to a specific shape, and can also be made using thinner plexiglass.

N.B.2 - This offer does not include the very necessary and very important internal metal tubing armature. I am having that priced, however, and if my metalworker can make multiples of this for less than the cost of single sets, I will also offer that (though my current impression is that he won't be able to lower the price, as each one of these would be handmade by a highly skilled metalsmith)

PLEASE Post Interest Here or PM me, either one is fine.
 
In case you haven't priced these yourself, the cheapest I've seen them is USD$4,000 for one set. And there is one set going for $12,000. So this is, as far as I know, the very best price you're likely to find.
 
Bump.

Typically the 5 footer Millennium Falcon is at minimum a 40k to 50k build. Let's make it more affordable. Seriously.

Three more...
 
PRICE DROP !!!

Good news: this offer is now at $1000 per set, as we will NOT be using two separate heights for upper and lower domes, so BOTH upper and lower domes will have 3.75" heights at the center, and this will save a lot on the tooling costs. This is how the two best 5' Footer Falcons were built, and the received wisdom is that even though Bandai's 1/72 Perfect Grade Millennium Falcon has a "bottom heavy" lower dome, that is most likely the effect of sagging over time due to heating of the plexiglass with intense lights for the engines, and not how the original was originally made/intended to look.

So everyone who's already signed up, your costs just got lowered by $300 per set, and anyone else interested, now is the time to jump in. You WON'T find these domes for less than this price anywhere, ever. (And if you do, PLEASE tell me, and I'll join your sign-up list and drop my own!)
 
Good news/bad news: Found a local fabricator who can do it, saving cost of transport/shipping from Canada. Bad news is the price now even higher, back above original asking price and hovering around $1600. Still cheaper than going it alone, but not cheap by any means. Taking time off for Christmas break, will find out more soon and post when I can. But meanwhile, let me know if this is in your five-year plan, because at this point I am still only gauging interest.
 
Engine Vents cast according to my 4th prototype drawings, and meshed with original 23-louvres-per-inch vintage 1975-era KoolShade: $400 each, or $1800 for the whole set of six. Does NOT include individual plating added to lip and top of each of the six vents: that misery is for you alone, so that you can say you made it yourself.
Vent Ring Complete.JPG
Vent Ring.JPG
IMG_0022.JPG

Update on the pricing of the blown domes: looks like $1800 is going to be the lowest these can be produced. That's not the price point I was hoping for, but still the cheapest you're going to find it. (And if not, PLEASE tell me and I'll cancel my run and join yours)
 
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Seven is the magic number - and we're off to the races.

If you still want in, let me know within the next 30 days from today - i.e., by April 11, 2020.
 
Okay, so coronavirus has made some people drop out, and others may want in. If you're like me, and surmising that voluntary (or involuntary) self-quarantine means a LOT more model-building time, then now may be the time to invest in a lifelong dream project.

I have two more spots open, possibly three, so let me know if this is of interest to you, ASAP via PM. Blown domes for the five-footer Falcon for $1800, after which a community of support from folks who can supply parts maps, parts, and guidance.
 
Starting to make and cast multi-part (multi-greeblie) subassemblies, with VERY limited castings available because these Really Do start to break down after a few too many pulls. Here's the first offering:

Jawbox Multi-Part Subassembly Casting Overhead White.jpg

This is the multi-greeblie subassembly that you need three of, two for the upper/lower inner jawbox in between the forward mandibles, and one (with pipes all over it) for one of the rear quarter deck maintenance pits. $35 each, or $100 for three of them, cast in white 50/50 resin under 60psi.

Here's the original (c. 45 pieces) on the left and one of the cream castings on the right, before I ran out of Sil-Pak resin:
Jawbox Multi-Part Subassembly Original and Casting.jpg


PM me if interested. These will go fast, as the latex mold breaks down a lot faster when you have this many multi-faceted greeblies in one casting - so I expect to have a very limited number of these produced before I have to toss the mold itself. If you want me to make a mold for you, and send you that in unused/mint condition, let me know that too, but let me know now, BEFORE I start inserting the original subassembly into permanent/irremovable place on the model.
 

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