Fine Molds 1/72 Millennium Falcon

[Scratchy]

I've used the Plastruct liquid cement, and the airfix liquid cement.... there's also another, I think it was called proweld or something or other.

I've always used a small round brush and not the the brush that comes with the bottle. I'll used the liquid cement on the small details and styrene.

I have the airfix glue that comes in a tube as well. When I use this glue, I'll squirt a small glob on a small piece of glass, then dip with a toothpick or thin brass rod and apply it to the part. Once the glue drys on the glass, I take razor blade and slice off the hardened glue.

I like to try different brands until I find the one glue that works for me. So far I haven't had a problem with any of these.

 

[Alaneye]

Plastruct, that's the one that Dana mentioned. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway, I primed the upper jaw and the single colour really does tie it all together. It has that 'busy' look I'm trying for.

 

[JMChladek]

I have the same glue problems, but I´ve built models for 10 years and it hasn´t changed. I use Revell glue. I usually press the bottle until a drop of glue hangs on the tube´s tip, if it´s too much, I´ll wipe it off the tube with a piece of toilet paper, if not, I´ll apply it to the part.
The room I build in is not frequently used by the other family members so usually it´s not heated, when I start building the glue is fine. Then I turn on the heating and the warmer it becomes the more glue will come from the tube. So it´s a temperature thing as well. I´ve never tried it with my model building glues, but at work, we´ve kept superglue in the fridge. Maybe try if it helps.

Believe me, you can do the 1/72 Fine Molds Falcon out of the box and end up with an outstanding model as I've done it. The trick to it is a clean build and a first class paintjob. Of course, I will recommend going the liquid glue route as opposed to tube glue as the parts some of the parts are tiny and the last thing you want is glue globs that are bigger than some of the parts.

What is being done to this Falcon though is just INSANE (in a good way mind you). I can't wait to see the finish.

 

[Alaneye]

What is being done to this Falcon though is just INSANE (in a good way mind you). I can't wait to see the finish.

Hahaha, tell me about it, when I'm cutting teeny tiny pieces of styrene and picking them up with the tip of my Exacto knife to glue them on I sometimes wonder what the hell I'm doing and will it be all worth it in the end.

 

[Scratchy]

Yes, it will be worth it. Just don't ease up on the details.

 

[ozzyguanche]

Looks worth it to me.!!!!

Blends in well with the other detail mate! Looks spot on.

Ozzy

 

[Starsunder]

I was just about to buy one of these kits myself, I will have to keep track of your progress.

 

[Watson]

Fantastic work so far I love it

 

[Blade90]

Great work. Keep it up, my firend!

 

[Alaneye]

Thanks. I've stalled a little on the build as I'm waiting for a couple of jars of Floquil Reefer White and Grime so I can spray the inserts before I screw and glue them in place. There's probably some other bits I could work on, but I've turned my attention to my Terminator sculpture

http://www.therpf.com/f9/listen-understand-terminator-out-there-122896/index2.html

I should be coming back to it soon though.

 

[MARK M3]

Amazing work Alaneye!

 

[PHArchivist]

I have been having a bit of trouble with the cement. It comes through a metal tube and even the drop it delivers is sometimes way too much for the tiny pieces of styrene I'm adding which then means I have to clean up around the part later. I've tried getting some on the end of a tooth pick but somtimes I end up with not enough on it and the piece isn't secure. Any tips from the kit building experts out there, or is it just a matter of practice?

Dude - brush on, water-thin styrene cement... Look it up!

 

[PHArchivist]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys




As far as I know it was never made available and I still don't know why Dana never finished his build. He and PHArchivist were friends at the time, both doing builds and they had a thread going at:

http://www.therpf.com/f11/building-falcon-7548/

Unfortunately the links to PHArchivist's photos have expired.

Dana and I worked side by side for quite a while on our birds. And it WAS quite a while ago. Probably about half of his model was completed in my workshop. It was simply amazing watching his evolve, along side mine. I'd be exagerrating if I said mine was 3/4 as good as his.

This thread brings back many memories. I'd forgotten about some of the detail we added, that are showing in this build here.

I honestly do not know Dana's status now, but I do miss him. Just sort of drifted apart. Not on bad terms by any means.

When we stopped work on the kits, Dana was - as mentioned - working on the dish.

As far as my own build, it has sat stagnant and incomplete for more years than I care to count. Main reasons...?

--Dish; was sort of waiting on Dana's, and not real sure where to go (use FM, or MPCs)
--Lighting; was hoping Dana would help, as I'm not an electronics whiz
--Yellowing; I am VERY heavy handed with clear-coat sealing, and the Testor's Flat Clear has yellowed significantly, virtually ruining my model; I BARELY have any heart left in it at all since it looks like an old yellowed newspaper.

 

[PHArchivist]

Here she is...

 

[crackerjazz]

Excellent work, Alaneye!

PHarchivist, that is one sweet paint job I don't mind the yellowing at all I'll willingly take that anytime and display it proudly. By the way, you mentioned somewhere what the best flat clear spray is that doesn't yellow - Testors is the only one my LHS carries and I bought one just this morning.

 

[Scratchy]

Yes, excellent work Alaneye!

PHArchivist, that is one fine Falcon.... ya gotta finish it.

 

[Alaneye]

Dana and I worked side by side for quite a while on our birds. And it WAS quite a while ago. Probably about half of his model was completed in my workshop. It was simply amazing watching his evolve, along side mine. I'd be exagerrating if I said mine was only 3/4 as good as his.

This thread brings back many memories. I'd forgotten about some of the detail we added, that is showing in this build here.

I honestly do not know Dana's status now, but I do miss him. Just sort of drifted apart. Not on bad terms by any means.

When we stopped work on the kits, Dana was - as mentioned - working on the dish.

As far as my own build, it has sat stagnant and incomplete for more years than I care to count. Main reasons...?

Here:
--Dish; was sort of waiting on Dana's, and not real sure where to go (use FM, or MPCs)
--Lighting; was hoping Dana would help, ans I'm not an electronics whiz
--Yellowing; I am VERY heavy handed with clear-coat sealing, and the Testor's Flat Clear has yellowed significantly, virtually ruining my model; I BARELY have any heart left in it at all since it looks like an old yellowed newspaper.

Ah, PHArchivist, glad you dropped in. The photos you posted look fantastic. I can see a little yellow here and there, but not as much as you suggest... does the yellowing look less in the photos than it does to the eye?

I'm the same when it comes to the lighting, but an online friend is hopefully going to be able to help me with that.

I read yours and Dana's whole thread and Dana's blog more than once while I was waiting for my Falcon to arrive.... it was a great inspiration and prepared me for some of the things I wanted to address with the model too.

 

[PHArchivist]

It does seem more yellow in person. Way more...

These pics were shot with my iPhone. Nice and big due to the mp rating, but the overall image quality is not great, and I think the phone camera washes out color ever so slightly.

If you look at the main saucer/circle, at about "11:00" you see the seam between the rear engine deck, and the "pie piece" that takes you up to 12:00.

See the color difference?

I used much less clear on the engine deck, and it appears more the bone color it should.

Or compare the pie piece I just mentioned with its counterpart on the bottom half - less clear and less yellowing down there.

Finally, look at the turret top/disc. Barely any yellowing, especially compared to the right half (in the image; front half of the ship).

 

[Alaneye]

Good tip on the clear coat. I'll have to remember that.

Anyway, my paint came: Floquil Reefer White and Grime, so I gave it a try through the airbrush to see what it's like and sprayed the access circles on the mandibles before gluing and screwing them in.

Next, a bit of silliness I picked up from one of the build blogs. There are some parts that have been simplified by Fine Molds as compared to the 32" model. The FM part looks like this.

I had glued them on and you can see one of them here.

So using strips of styrene to make a sort of miniature roof brace, I fashioned this and then cut thin slices off to make more complex versions.

I wasn't all that pleased with how they looked and wasn't going to use them, but I had mislayed one of the originals so I persevered, adding some little circles to the ends and the apex. Once primed they looked much better.

And in place on the model I think they look okay.

I've made them a bit longer than they should have been, but then again, so did Fine Molds

 

[PHArchivist]

On the clear coat, I used a LOT I think due to my weathering method - mostly pastels.

Since I was using a powder and didn't want it to rub off as I worked, I'd do a bit of a section, add some clear, do some more, add more clear, etcetera all to seal the powder.

Clearly I over did it.

The pastels don't really rub off that easily, and a single light coat of clear is sufficient to seal it up.