Fine Molds Falcon!

Check out this new info from the HLJ site.. 800 parts. ENGINE DETAIL. B)

According to Fine Molds' President Kunihiro Suzuki, he and his staff took over 600 photos of the actual 60cm dia. model that was used for principal photography of the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to give them all the reference information they needed to create the perfect replica. The building process will be much like the way the prop was built, with numerous detail parts being attached to the large hull pieces. When completed, the model will be about 30cm (about one foot) in diameter -- just slightly smaller than the MPC/Ertl kit. It will take a lot more effort to complete this than the older kit, however, as some 17 runners will house over 800 parts that you'll need to attach.

Other features we know: Landing ramp will be able to be built open or closed. Display stand will be included to allow landed or in-flight display. Landing gear will be able to be attached either deployed or retracted. Figures of some kind will be included, but no details on those are available yet. The kit will also include the first-ever Millennium Falcon engine detail. As that part of the ship normally appears simply as a blue-white special-effects glow, details were missing in previous products, but Lucas' artists created "official" information specifically for Fine Molds as to how that part of the ship is structured as well (based on the brief, added special effects shot from the original movie when the Falcon lifts off from Mos Eisley).


fnmx-01.jpg


"Stolen"? Harsh. I was giving free publicity, morons... :lol

Anyway HLJ (which is a fine company BTW) has a special page up on the Falcon, check it out.

http://www3.hlj.com/shs05/falcon/index.html

- k
 
Originally posted by Treadwell@May 12 2005, 06:45 PM
It's an ESB, too. Lookin' good.

I wonder, though, why so many add-on parts are necessary. Most of them have no undercuts, so they could've easily been tooled as part of the base hull pieces, eliminating a tree or three. That would've driven down production cost (and price) tremendously.
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Just think how much easier this will be to paint. With the hull halves being a mostly blank deck with no greeblies in the way, you can do all sorts of panel masking and weathering and paint all the bits seperately and then assemble it. Personally, I prefer it like this. I can't wait to get my hands one...just hope I can afford it when it hits the shelves.

Raygun
 
So, anyone think they know what the MR scale is going to be? I highly doubt it being 32". Plus, I think it's just too big to display. It'd be overbearing. What's the diameter of the FM 1/72 Falcon?
 
Originally posted by Raygun@May 21 2005, 02:58 AM
Just think how much easier this will be to paint.  With the hull halves being a mostly blank deck with no greeblies in the way, you can do all sorts of panel masking and weathering and paint all the bits seperately and then assemble it. 
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But on the studio model most of the greeblies are the same color as the hull and weathered along with it at the same time.

No big deal, mind ya.
 
Words cannot describe my elation regarding the news of this release. I was 12 when I opened my first MPC falcon and was almost as disappointed as the last AMT falcon that I opened about 6 months ago. I had forgotten how bad it was. After several thousand (it seems like) e-mails to falconkits, I made an order for styrene sheet from Plastruct - I'd make my own sidewalls. And I'm glad. I've learned a lot. But I'll be a lot more glad when I have a Fine Molds Falcon on my bench. I imagine it will be a useful reference for fixing the AMT. Maybe I'll cast new sidewalls and meet the WIDE OPEN demand for those unable to afford the Fine Molds. Maybe?

Viva La Fine Molds.

Cliff
Super-Glued My Fingers
 
Originally posted by Betamin@May 24 2005, 10:38 AM
Anyone have a rough estimate as to how much they think this'll cost??
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Pricing as of right now, but will most likely change, is in the $175 - $185 range USD.

JDH
 
Originally posted by Betamin@May 24 2005, 10:38 AM
Anyone have a rough estimate as to how much they think this'll cost??
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Last I heard was about $180. Figure in shipping and I'm saving up $200.00

Seemingly expensive, at first glance. But let's add this up:

AMT Falcon Model: Oh, about $25.00 on a good day.

Trilliance Gunwells: $21.00 (each) x 2 = $42.00 (plus Shipping)
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/store/store_2.cfm?Line=5
or
http://www.triliance.de/products.html

Falconkits: $115.00 maybe more due to lack of availability - IF you can find a set.
http://www.falconkits.com/html/order.html

MMI Grills: $48.00
http://www.federationmodels.com/products/millennia%5Fmodels/
or
http://www.coldnorth.com/millennia_models/...ucts/index.html

Trilliance is also offering accurized turbo laser cannons for about the same as the gunwells, so you can tack on another $40.00 or so for a total of:

$270.00

And you still have a flattened, greeblie starved, aftermarket laden falcon that STILL isn't accurate. Let's face it: falconkits sidewalls - nice, but inaccurate. The cockpit insert - not even close. The trilliance gunwells are nice too - but again, not real accurate. At $200.00 for a falcon with finemolds accuracy - IT'S A STEAL.
 
Wow - I think I just wet myself.

So, this is basically the same scale as the TIE and X-Wing...think of the diorama possibilities....I'm reeling. I've always wanted to do something with the Falcon getting sucked inside a hangar on the Death Star. At this scale, that just might be doable. Recreate the scene with the Space Troopers...

Cool. Thanks for the news..

Allan
 
Though not cheap, that's not a bad price for something that detailed. I was afraid you guys were going to say "Do you have children? If so, prepare to sell one if you want this kit." :lol
 
This is the best news I've heard in a long time. I For those of you wondering - this will be the ESB version not some hodge-podge of the 5 footer and 32" versions. With over 800 pices I'm dropping those runners into RTV and making molds - it should make my parts bin into a greeblie orgy ;) With the falcon being one of the most greeblie intensive models of all time (the only one that are more are probably the original BSG and SDs) having all of the parts individually cast is a gold mine for detailing other projects. Things like a blockade runner for example. This model should wind up being around the same size as the Code 3 Falcon - Maybe I'll pick up a code 3 falcon case...hmmmmm

I'm definitely getting one of these falcons - maybe 2 ;) I'm also going to light that sucker with a florescent bulb(s) for the engines no doubt.

Jedi Dade
 
I was at Hobbytown USA over in Kansas a few weekends back, and they had the rerelease of the AMT Falcon for about $30. I came VERY close to buying it, thinking I'd modify it, add parts, etc. I think I'll stick my money away for this puppy instead. :D I wonder how long it'll be before it's available for order..... ?
 
It will take a lot more effort to complete this than the older kit, however, as some 17 runners will house over 800 parts that you'll need to attach."

Well, there's a whole winter's worth of something to do.
 
Me too. Where can the best reference pics or info be found for colors, painting, etc? Anyone?
 
This set of pics is about as good a reference as you're likely to find...

http://www.studioscale.com/images/referenc...Maths/index.htm

You can also pick up the chronicles and a few other prop reference books that ahve pics of the ESB falcon... Its all good stuff. Before you go too nuts though you will need to develope a new skill. Be able to identify pics of the 5 footer from the 32" model. Out on the internet the pictures are sometimes miss-labeled and the details are a bit different so before you take a reference pic and use it to do your model make sure its of the 32" model since that is what the Fine-Molds people reference when building this puppy ;) The site I listed above though does not have any mis-labeling problems though :)

Jedi Dade
 
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