Bandai 1/144 ROS Falcon kit as ESB/ROTJ era Falcon? That's my goal. And I seem to have reached it. Now it needs a few friends in its scale...

[Gregatron]

My build has been on hiatus for quite some time, but I’ve used nkg’s amazing parts (as well as reworking details like the underside pits and some of the hull plating) to convert the kit into an ESB version. So, it IS possible, but it just depends on how far you’re willing to go.

 

[Chrisisall]

Landing gear wells are not accurate width/length... whatever, I was doing in-flight anyway. I can fudge it or re-scribe it a bit.
Since I've determined the general look of this kit is of the 5 footer, I'll be be 'adjusting' the lower access pits to those

of the 5 footer. This calls for some surgery... I'll also have to move the 'guts' of the pits in more towards the center. Luckily, this will be the only major accurization I'll need to do. Basic templates:

 

[JNordgren42]

Age of Plastic and 308 Bits both have quite an assembly of 3D printed parts available including accurized maintenance pits, sidewalls and cockpit tunnel greeblies (one of the worst parts of the otherwise stellar kit). Unfortunately, you can rack up several times the cost of the actual kit if you go all out. Plus they can be a pain to get a good finish on and some of them are a ton of work to add to the model. But it's an option if you want to go that route.

The Age of Plastic by AgeOfPlastic - Shapeways Shops

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www.shapeways.com

308 Bits by TonyRR - Shapeways Shops

Highly detailed 3D printed aftermarket parts for sci-fi model kits totally screen accurate. All my custom parts are designed with passion. If you want to upgrade your Falcon or other spaceships, always with screen accurate detail sets, just keep my shop in your mind!<br /> Lots of upgrades and...

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[Jaitea]

Looks great,...I was trying to find that illustration that I made (green gearbox pic)....but it looks like you found it.

Brilliant project

J

 

[Chrisisall]

Looks great,...I was trying to find that illustration that I made (green gearbox pic)....but it looks like you found it.

J

Yeah, found it in your 2015 post here. SO helpful. I really wanted an accurizing-free kit, but that's not my option here, as usual...
Scaling down some tunnel greebles, dish rings or sidewall piping is simple.

 

[Chrisisall]

I cut into the inner panels just a bit, then made templates for the new panel area to make the pits smaller & the correct shapes.

 

[Chrisisall]

Small replacement pieces going a little less frustratingly than I'd expected.

 

[Gregatron]

The method I used was carefully Dremeling off the hull plating around the pits in the areas which needed to be modified, creating the new pit shapes from thin styrene, then adding new hull plating from paper-thin styrene on top of that. And lots of filler putty/sanding and thin coats of primer to blend it all in.

 

[Chrisisall]

The method I used was carefully Dremeling off the hull plating around the pits in the areas which needed to be modified, creating the new pit shapes from thin styrene, then adding new hull plating from paper-thin styrene on top of that. And lots of filler putty/sanding and thin coats of primer to blend it all in.

And from the pictures you provided you did quite the professional job of it man! I may be using similar techniques myself depending upon how the subsequent scribing goes as I am using thick styrene for replacement bits...

 

[Gregatron]

The trick is using a small, square file to cut out the notches around the perimeter of each hull plate, rather than trying to scribe or cut them out with a knife.

Here’s a closer look.

 

[Chrisisall]

The trick is using a small, square file to cut out the notches around the perimeter of each hull plate, rather than trying to scribe or cut them out with a knife.

I have paper thin styrene & a small square file. To quote Han, "It'll work. It'll work..."

 

[Chrisisall]

The pieces are glued in, when dry I take care of the final tiny cuts & some minor scribing.
also, looks like I won't have to move the 'guts' very much at all, just take out some piping.

 

[starks]

Clever job. That's a clever way to modify the base and looks like tedious work.
So you settled on the ANH Falcon in the end?
Cheers,
Josh

 

[Chrisisall]

Clever job. That's a clever way to modify the base and looks like tedious work.
So you settled on the ANH Falcon in the end?
Cheers,
Josh

No, this is the ESB/ROTJ five footer. And yeah, it's a little tedious, but it's really just this- the rest of the kit will be a breeze.
Here's the pit walls mainly finished, and the guts trimmed to fit & stripped of some excess piping.

 

[Chrisisall]

The hardest work is behind me, the rest is just fun.
I didn't realize this kit came with Chewie, cool. The next biggest figure will be Han, the next 3PO, and the smallest Leia. Also gonna sand down that ring on the dish center thingie.

 

[starks]

Ahh yes, I forgot they modified the 5 ft falcon for ESB. So on that note they have mostly used the 5ft falcon for the CGI model?
Cheers,
Josh

 

[Chrisisall]

Ahh yes, I forgot they modified the 5 ft falcon for ESB. So on that note they have mostly used the 5ft falcon for the CGI model?
Cheers,
Josh

Seems like...

 

[Chrisisall]

Took a few greebles off, added some on. Not a big deal, but I'll notice it.

 

[Chrisisall]

This just the piping I took off the mandible wells...

 

[Gregatron]

Those cockpit tunnel greeblies are just shocking wrong, even moreso considering the overall excellence of the kit. I replaced mine with nkg’s printed part, which took a lot of surgery, but looks so much better. I don’t blame you for not wanting to go that far!