Bandi PG Millennium Falcon, My Turn :) **WIP**

[skahtul]

I think I might be getting me one ever seen my work benches to many but I do have one or two model building benches one area is where the viper is being built which I just finished Thanks I will be following your build with excitement looking very cool and you are doing it up rite Thanks Jim

Thanks!

I would love to know where you got those LEDs. Do you have a link you could share? Great work! Following this closely!

2mm Tower / Lighthouse LEDs

The 2mm tower / lighthouse leds are a unique LED because of the shape. It allows them to be installed through thicker surfaces and provide light through the 2mm tower of the LED.

lighthouseleds.com

I have been ordering LEDs from this site for years, good prices (at least I think so) and gets orders out super fast.

 

[skahtul]

All of the wiring is finally done! I did have one failed experiment that I will point out in a few, but as with all things, getting this wired up took a bit longer than I thought.

I did stumble on my new favorite thing for working on this. As mentioned previously, this thing is delicate and I am trying my best not to touch it at all and now I don't have to.

This is my old 'work' stand for working on these larger kits, pretty crude, not super flexible but got the job done.

Here is my new one made of a few parts from Amazon. The best part is I can orient this anyway I want and there is no reason to touch any part of the actual kit any more

And, until I install the top gunner's position, I can even mount this 180... This setup will be used for the actual stand but I will be working on a version of this for use on all my future builds as a 'working stand'.

 

[skahtul]

I thought I would be really smart and paint the rear light diffuser black to avoid some light bleed:

The issue was, for reasons I am not 100% sure of, it literally killed the effect. Even though the front and rear are 100% clear and have no paint, it killed the effect. I think the black paint absorbed too much of the light. I guess it's lucky I have another one of these for now. I guess lighting the rear engines on my next one is a problem for future me

 

[skahtul]

Lights are fully installed and working, time to close it up and get to painting!

 

[kermet]

Doing A knock it out of the park job on this, and I love your stand I need me one of those Great Job

 

[skahtul]

Okay, time to wrap this project up!

Worked up a simple base out of oak so that it can easily be wall mounted.

It was a shame to paint such a nice piece of wood....

 

[skahtul]

Okay, here goes nothing! Last week I put primed it and put down a base coat of AS-20. Let's see what I can get done in 2 days

In addition to online, here is a bit of my current favorite references with shots of the Falcon:

I went a bit crazy with the paint tape. Does anyone else ever find that somehow red just oversprays everywhere... I had the same issue on my Blockade Runner, not this time!

I have found that shoving soft foam into some of the openings helps with paint blocking:

 

[skahtul]

It's always at this point that I think to myself, yup, "pretty much painted a model and turned it into a toy"...

So, many, decals... And no, there is no way I sat down and put them all in the right spot. I put on like 3 or 4 in the correct spot and then just threw the rest on randomly It's just not my thing to get it 100%.

If you don't have one of these, snag one, they are great for things like this (have to love that photo etch!).

 

[skahtul]

In my next one, I will also narrow up the streaks, they came out a bit thicker than intended, but overall, not bad for a weekend paint job! For some reason, try as I might, proper streaking completely eludes me. I am finding that the watercolor pencils are my favorite as they dry quickly, are more robust than you might think, and can be easily removed and re-applied before they are fully dry. Plus, they are water colors so they really have zero effect on the previous layers.

 

[skahtul]

Once I flat coat in a few days (another thing I would not normally do..) I will get some pics of it 100% with the lights. This is pretty much how it will look. I have a bit more to do but for the most part, this is it. I am going to try hitting my next version with some oils as I really just like the effect they bring to a weathering job.

 

[edge10]

She doesn't look like a toy anymore!

 

[Jaitea]

Looks Class, hope you don't mind me firing some of those images through PhotoShop

J

 

[skahtul]

Looks Class, hope you don't mind me firing some of those images through PhotoShop




J

Ha, nice, thanks!

Yeah, still messing with my camera trying to get shots that show the detail yet not so dark, WIP for sure

 

[Jaitea]

Truely beautiful painting

J

 

[skahtul]

Truely beautiful painting

J

Thanks!

Calling this one done!

 

[Padawan311]

Beautiful and inspiring work! I will be referencing your build whenever I start mine.

 

[skahtul]

Beautiful and inspiring work! I will be referencing your build whenever I start mine.

Nice, thats the best type of compliment, thanks!! I will be throwing a guide in here as soon as I am done with it detailing the full color choices and high level process. Nothing earth shattering but might help some.