DeAgostini Millennium Falcon By Moska, 2022

Hi guys.

This is my progress since my last post:

I have aged all the padding in the kit. The technique has been to use a piece of foam to stain them, dabbing them with Vallejo acrylics in various shades of tan and gray. Once the paint was dry, I dabbed again with a foam moistened with alcohol to blur and correct the stains. To finish and protect the work, I applied a layer of Marabú matte spray varnish.

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For the flooring in the hallways I went back to using black vinyl cut at the sign shop. I first glued the vinyl onto clear Evergreen plastic, then ran fine sandpaper and fine steel wool all over the vinyl until I got a smooth matte finish. Next, I painted the vinyl using AK Interactive's True Metal Iron and, without waiting for the paint to dry, I rubbed all the paint with a cotton ball until it was almost completely removed. The result is much better than what I had imagined. The vinyl takes on a totally realistic iron plate look. To finish, with the tip of an awl I peel off the vinyl from all the openings through which the light has to pass.
I cut the sides of the floor pieces that come in the kit and glued my new floors on them.
For lighting, I glued white vinyl to the bottom of the floors, and self-adhesive aluminum to the bottom walls of the tubes. I used warm white led strips glued to the bottom of the floor pieces.
I use 12V LED strips, but feed them 9V to dim their brightness and hopefully to ensure their durability.

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For the wall sconces I also used black vinyl glued on clear from Evergreen. I cut the plastic circles and made a hole in the center of each applique. For the centerpiece of the sconces I used my mini lathe. I made a small piece of plastic to which I glued some strips of plastic. With that "master" I made several quick molds of Blue Stuff and made several copies using acrylic resin. Then I glued a piece of resin in the center of each of the appliques. To finish, I painted the appliqués a medium gray color and peel off the vinyl from the areas that should be transparent.
I made the holes to light the sconces in both the gray tube and the pads. The appliques have a diameter of 5 mm, so I made the holes of the padding 4.5 mm to be able to glue the appliques.
For lighting, I used cool white 12V LED strips. Since the distance between the LEDs on the strip does not match the distance between the sconces, I cut the LEDs and the resistors. On black Evergreen polystyrene I glued each LED at the appropriate distances for each case. And I used the same logic that the LED strip uses: groups of 3 LEDs connected in series with its corresponding resistance for each group and, in turn, the groups connected in parallel to the power supply.
To finish, I made a small black polystyrene box for each set of LEDs, so that each one would adapt to the outer curves of the tubes where it was going to be placed.

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I also did the small instrument panels for the straight aisle. I used again black polystyrene in which I made the main openings for the illuminated areas. Then I glued printed white decals and made the holes to put pieces of fiber optic. Also in these cases I used LEDs extracted from a strip and I also made black polystyrene boxes to avoid light leaks.

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Thanks for watching.
Rafa
 
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Moska,
You are a master craftsman on these detail. Really appreciate the precise discussion.

While have noticed some discrepancies in the model, they have in no way been the of the type your trained eye has seen. Maybe a few more years experience I will. In the mean time, Falcon lovers have the excellence from sharing you have provided.
 
Thank you very much for your kind comments. I'm glad that you like my progress and my tricks.

As I said, I'm not convinced by the fact that this model contains the interior areas. I know from experience that, once the model is finished, it will remain closed wherever you decide to display it. And it will only be opened very few times to show its interior.
Doing the interior with good realistic finishes, lighting, etc. is too much work to be appreciated so seldom. So I'm seriously considering the possibility of not including it inside the ship and exhibiting it separately. As a standalone model.
I don't know what you will think about this idea, but… to me, it seems more and more appealing.

Thanks for watching.
Rafa
 
The decision to have your incredibly detailed work of the interior of the Deago MF displayed externally, was something that many (myself included at the time) have faced. I decided early on to display mine ( interpretation of it & MF landed ), with an accessible protective cover/case that would allow me to remove and ‘show-off’ the work hidden inside.
As mentioned, other builders who faced the same dilemma due to space, mounting restrictions/methods, or overall preference, decided to display their MF interiors separately.
I personally haven’t seen any as yet, here or on the Facebook pages I belong to regarding this project, but I’m hoping that if that’s your intention then you’ll be willing to share it with us Rafa ! :D(y)

Ged
 
Hello friends.

These are the latest progress on my model.

I've made the room attached to the main hold. To detail its walls I made a selection of pieces from other kits and tried various configurations until I found one I liked. I really want to see it painted and lit.

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Finished the lamp that is above the seats in the hold. I used two micro-leds to illuminate it.

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Painted the bunk bed. I was careful to prepare all the pieces but without gluing them. In this way, it has been much more comfortable for me to paint the different elements.

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Also made the two steps that separate the hold from the corridors. Of course, with its grids so that the interior lighting can be seen.

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I have tried to give depth to the grid on the floor of the hold, but my piece has little relief, it's impossible to achieve the perfect effect that photo-etched parts create. So I've painted it to the best of my ability.

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Lastly, I realized too late the difference in scale between the cockpit and the hold. The seat and stools I made are too big when placed next to the console. So I was forced to make a new seat and stool. Now they are smaller, so it was an even more complicated job.

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That's all for today. Thank you very much for your interest.

Greetings.
Rafa
 
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Hello colleagues.

I'm still working on the interior of the Millennium Falcon. I'm currently painting the inside of the hold and adding various pipes and wiring to make it even more like the original set. The work is very advanced, although I still have a few hours left to finish different details and touch-ups.
Of course, my goal is for the interior to have an appearance consistent with the exterior. If on the outside it's "a hunk of junk", the interior also has to show that "used" aspect that we modellers like so much.
I have applied the first layers of paint with an airbrush, creating from the beginning different tones and lighting on the walls and in the details. Then I used pastel colors to enrich the tonal range. For this I used brown colors, oxides, grays, creams, white,... The more colors you use and mix, the greater the chromatic richness you get.
I then applied a coat of clean oil thinner to all surfaces. This not only helps to fix the pigments of the pastel colors, but also leaves the surfaces prepared to later apply selective washes with black oil color to accentuate the reliefs and create a greater sensation of depth.
Right now I'm quite satisfied with the result, but when I see the whole set assembled, I will see if it is necessary to correct something or accentuate some highlights with a dry brush.

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Thanks so much for looking.
Rafa
 
I thought the outside of this model was challenging. Incredible work on the inside. Appears as if some of that detail is 3D printing and some kit parts. In any case, many steps on the ladder above those that are skilled in this type of scale modeling.

Also, appreciated your explanation your approach on weathering and highlighting technique. I have used an air brush, done some dry brushing and even played with washes per the weathering books it convinces me never to pick up a brush on my build. If ever I get to that stage, I will need a “master” for painting.

I would like to point out that in careful review of first hand seeing larger sized museum scale model boats, many are scratched built extremely well. However, few I have seen are weathered, and if they are, not done done like the pro’s on this web site or the specialty model magazines.

Congratulations.
 
Hi guys.

Last weekend I was able to put all the pieces of the interior together and do my first complete lighting test of the hold and corridors.
The result is exactly what I was looking for and I'm very happy.
I still need to complete different details and place all the barrels and boxes to create the messy environment inside the Falcon. But this test has encouraged me a lot. I'm really enjoying building this model.
Here are a few photos and a short video. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Thanks for watching.
Rafa



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As usual you’re doing ‘Fantastic’ work Rafa !
Just one small suggestion, the angle of your dejarik (?) table isn’t in ‘keeping’ with the film sets portrayal. R2 is playing Chewie (ANH) and he’s positioned ‘opposite’ the ‘Nav’ station whilst ‘losing’ to him...., he needs access to the tables controls....
It’s a very small ‘bug’ of mine and not that important, but it’s something that is notable for film geeks!
 
As usual you’re doing ‘Fantastic’ work Rafa !
Just one small suggestion, the angle of your dejarik (?) table isn’t in ‘keeping’ with the film sets portrayal. R2 is playing Chewie (ANH) and he’s positioned ‘opposite’ the ‘Nav’ station whilst ‘losing’ to him...., he needs access to the tables controls....
It’s a very small ‘bug’ of mine and not that important, but it’s something that is notable for film geeks!
Hi gedmac66. Thank you very much for your comment.
There is no problem with the table. It's not stuck to the ground yet. It's only on to see the effect.
 
Hi guys.
I have continued to advance in my work, but now there is not much to tell.

I made resin copies of my barrels, boxes, etc... and, after trying various compositions, I painted and placed all these "junk" in the hold.
Since there is no exact reference of all the elements distributed throughout the hold, I decided to put them at my discretion. Without following any set pattern.

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From that point on, I've just followed the instructions on the kit. With the only modification to putty and eliminate the "damages" of the fuselage, which is so poorly reproduced in the model.

As any of you who have built this model already know, mounting the metal structures and fuselage panels is just a matter of screws, screws, screws, screws…

I'll post something when I have something interesting to say.

Until then, take care.
Rafa
 
Love the interior detail Moska. Just enough not to be cluttered and well thought out. Interesting fix on flak damage. Important that the builder modifies when he feels the need.
 
Beautiful work Rafa ! Absolutely stunning !
I’m hoping that you’re still enjoying this project, even though you’re correct in exclaiming that there’re ‘ screws, screws and more screws ‘ etc.....:rolleyes:;)
Have you decided on how to display your incredible interior as a separate entity from the main model ?

Ged
 
Love the interior detail Moska. Just enough not to be cluttered and well thought out. Interesting fix on flak damage. Important that the builder modifies when he feels the need.
Hello Searun. Thank you for your comments.
The truth is that the damage to the fuselage is so badly done and looks so artificial that it is the worst part of the exterior of the model. When you have such correct pieces and with so many good details, you can't ruin the finish by leaving those ugly marks. Anyone can do much better.
 
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