Bandai 1/72 PG Millennium Falcon (also the Revell Germany rebox)

[zjunlimited]

So I want to avoid lacquer as much as possible so I’ll pass on the Mr. I’ll experiment with the Vallejo stuff I have and see how durable it is.

That said, are you guys priming parts on the sprue or after you’ve assembled the model? Pros and cons? Seems like you might get better coverage but at the potential expense of parts not fitting??

 

[StevenBills]

I'd advise against priming/painting stuff on the sprues, as they might not fit together properly when you go to put them together. Yes, the tolerances are that precise with this kit.

SB

 

[korben44]

I prime and paint on the sprues all the time... I haven't really run into an issue with parts fitting.

 

[zjunlimited]

Thanks guys...I guess I’ll play it safe and not paint on the sprue.

I started on the mandibles. And already this is looking to be a fun build but dang, some of these parts are TINY.

For those that used Tamiya AS-20 as the base coat (over black primer), how many cans (and coats) did you use?

 

[DanielB]

via Imgflip Meme Generator

 

[StevenBills]

I used 2.5 cans of AS-20.

SB

 

[Analyzer]

I have painted stuff before assembly, but there been times that it caused some fit issues so I usually scrap the paint off of any of the snap connectors, or occasionally just mask them off really quick to begin with when painting.

For things like interior cockpits I will assemble them, prime, the take them apart to detail paint it

With the Falcon though, most everything is going to be the same color so I would assemble all subsections first and add the surface greeblies, then paint and put them all together.

 

[zjunlimited]

I used 2.5 cans of AS-20.

SB

Thanks. What was your primer color? # of base coats?

 

[zjunlimited]

Wrapping up the mandibles and a few things I’ve noted... I’ll prime the maintenance bays before final install so I can get access to everything and then base coat assembled. There are a few items I may end up priming on the sprue but for sure the base coat will be applied assembled. Thanks guys.

 

[StevenBills]

Thanks. What was your primer color? # of base coats?

I just used Tamiya's gray primer from the can. Here's a shot of the back end of mine:

SB

EDIT: I didn't do a build thread, but I uploaded all of my WIP pics here: Bandai 1/72 Perfect Grade Millennium Falcon model

 

[Hunk a Junk]

When I was building mine, my goal was to try to achieve the look of the 5-footer paint job without necessarily following the same methods ILM used to paint the original. Though the 5-footer was black-based and then sprayed by Reefer White, I didn't do that for a couple of reasons. One was that I've had inconsistent results from spraying white over black on my models. I usually end up with a bluish hue that I don't like. The 5-footer has a warmer tone and I didn't want to risk having a blue Falcon. For a kit this pricey, I only had one shot to get it right. I was also worried about a primer coat being too thick and obscuring the kit's finer details. Others didn't have this problem, but I didn't want to risk it. A big consideration for me was scale. I imagined the ILM guys using airbrushes to get into tighter spaces, like the mandible maintenance bays, that might be harder for me to spray at a smaller scale. I imagined that if my kit was the size of the 5-footer, my airbrush would'be been a paint-spraying bazooka! So there were some things I painted before assembling. What I finally ended up doing -- and I'm sure it's heretical to some -- was to use some Tamiya panel line wash before I started painting. Yup right on the bare plastic. I didn't flood the parts, I just dabbed and let capillary action draw the wash into the details. I did this to create artificial shadows and draw out details and THEN over-sprayed with my Polyscale acrylic reefer white base coat. I used thin coats so as not to completely obscure the detail wash. This gave the suggestion of a black base without actually doing one. I never had any problem with the panel line wash attacking the plastic (which was definitely a fear) or the white base lifting off the plastic. Completely unorthodox, but it gave me a thin base coat that looked in scale to the 5-footer.

 

[Hannoc]

Here goes.

DropMeFiles – free one-click file sharing service

As to the wiring, the wires just goes through the gun turret window and that's it. The shafts I use to mount the Falcon are not hollow, so the wires are attached to the back side of the shafts so that they are hidden when seen from the "front" side of the display.

Hi Lab,

I know a bunch of people have asked for the .stl file for the mount past but would you share it again please?
I just started building the falcon myself and think mounting through the bottom turret is the way to go.

Thanks
Adam

 

[Lab]

Hi Lab,

I know a bunch of people have asked for the .stl file for the mount past but would you share it again please?
I just started building the falcon myself and think mounting through the bottom turret is the way to go.

Thanks
Adam

Here goes.

DropMeFiles – free one-click file sharing service

Share your pictures, send large videos, exchange music or transfer big files. No registration required. Unlimited upload/download speed.

dropmefiles.com

 

[Hannoc]

Here goes.

DropMeFiles – free one-click file sharing service

Share your pictures, send large videos, exchange music or transfer big files. No registration required. Unlimited upload/download speed.

dropmefiles.com

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it.

 

[3Dsf]

Okay. So, with Lab's kind permission, I've uploaded the STL file for that nifty internal bracket, to my website:

Google Sites: Sign-in

Access Google Sites with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

sites.google.com

Hopefully that will be around for a while, depending on what Google does with their free "Sites" system!

 

[Hannoc]

So I thought I'd share my Falcon build so far, I am a complete beginner model builder and airbrusher.
I hadn't built and painted a model since I was a kid, like 25+ years ago which was terrible from what I remember.

Before the falcon I built the Bandai 1/72 X-wing as practice, it's by no means perfect or accurate but I had a lot of fun.

So over the last few weeks I've been building and painting the Falcon and this is where I'm at.

I'm pretty a happy with what I've done so far, at this point I think I want to put on the decals and do the chipping and weathering.
Again I'm not going for super accurate, I just wanted a Falcon.

I've also done a couple of mods, I've used an RGB usb strip light with the existing light tube? for the engine light and wired it to the light control box so it can run on battery or usb. I decided not to use the open ramp and used that LED to light to top turret where I placed Luke, also modified C-3PO so he's standing at the back of the cockpit.
I've mounted it on a cheap mini projector stand, I was going to use Lab's mount but I wanted to keep the lower gun so I cut a piece of scrap polycarbonate to fit tightly in the hull and put a 1/4" stud extending out through the turret window just right of center.

If anyone has and input or tips on what weathering techniques I could try, like how can I tone down some of the brighter coloured panel? Or anything I could try differently please let me know.
I've had a lot of fun so far and have really enjoyed seeing everyones work in this thread, it really helped me a lot.

Thanks for looking
Adam

 

[Hannoc]

So I've finished weathering my Falcon and gave it a matte coat.

I tried my best not to over do the weathering and it's not perfect but I'm pretty happy with the final result, I just need to finish my display stand.

It was a very fun and enjoyable build, well except for maybe all those tiny little decals that was a bit mind numbing hahaha but it was worth it.

Please let me know what you think, what you like or what you would do differently. I definitely want to build and paint some more models in the future so any input would be very helpful.

 

[zjunlimited]

So I've finished weathering my Falcon and gave it a matte coat.

I tried my best not to over do the weathering and it's not perfect but I'm pretty happy with the final result, I just need to finish my display stand.

It was a very fun and enjoyable build, well except for maybe all those tiny little decals that was a bit mind numbing hahaha but it was worth it.

Please let me know what you think, what you like or what you would do differently. I definitely want to build and paint some more models in the future so any input would be very helpful.

Very nice job. I think the weathering is nicely restrained and not overdone.
I’m curious about the inside of your Falcon for your mount. Any photos of your setup? I like that you preserved the lower guns.

 

[Hannoc]

Very nice job. I think the weathering is nicely restrained and not overdone.
I’m curious about the inside of your Falcon for your mount. Any photos of your setup? I like that you preserved the lower guns.

Thank you.

I thought I took a photo but I can't find it.

Basically what did was cut a template out of card paper that tightly fit inside the bottom half of the hull, it's kind of a circle with a couple of cut outs. I did this with the inside "hallway" part removed because I didn't want to use it. I traced the template onto a scrap piece of polycarbonate, cut it out on a bandsaw and sanded it to make a tight fit. Then I drilled a hole to the power cables and a hole for a 1/4 screw which I tapped out that lined up with the hole in the turret just off centre. It's a little tight for the screw to come through the window so I trimmed away the frame a tiny bit. The screw is locked in place with a nut on each side, the underside nut I countersunk into the PC to clear the frame. The part fit very tight but I super glued it in place just to be safe.
Hopefully these photos help with my explanation.

The bolt screws into a 1/4" threaded tube I found then that screws to the projector mount.

 

[zjunlimited]

Thank you.

I thought I took a photo but I can't find it.

Basically what did was cut a template out of card paper that tightly fit inside the bottom half of the hull, it's kind of a circle with a couple of cut outs. I did this with the inside "hallway" part removed because I didn't want to use it. I traced the template onto a scrap piece of polycarbonate, cut it out on a bandsaw and sanded it to make a tight fit. Then I drilled a hole to the power cables and a hole for a 1/4 screw which I tapped out that lined up with the hole in the turret just off centre. It's a little tight for the screw to come through the window so I trimmed away the frame a tiny bit. The screw is locked in place with a nut on each side, the underside nut I countersunk into the PC to clear the frame. The part fit very tight but I super glued it in place just to be safe.
Hopefully these photos help with my explanation.

The bolt screws into a 1/4" threaded tube I found then that screws to the projector mount.

Thank you. Your explanation and photos are very clear and helpful.