Our Collective 5-Foot Millennium Falcon Build

Studio Kitbash said:
A decent substitute will do in a pinch...
View attachment 1556344
Pictured at bottom in green: the original elusive mandible pit greeblie upper hull Tiger II deck.
In tan, above, on left and right, two reasonable substitutes in case you can't find the original.

In tan, on upper left, the Academy 1/48 Hunting Tiger.
In tan, on upper right, the Academy 1/48 King Tiger.

Now notice the teeny-tiny differences, think about the superimposition of additional greeblies, and make your choice accordingly.

Look closer - this isn't a "Where's Waldo?" mystery, this is a two-part game with consequences.
Part 1: Notice what the three hulls have in common, and then notice what the three have in differences -- no two are identical.
Part 2: Choose which differences you can live with, because those will either "show" or "be hidden" more, depending on the choice you make.

- Top line of the Hunting Tiger doesn't give you as much real estate on your horizontal surface thanks to the vertical plane of the upper box.
- Door hinge clasps are different between Hunting Tiger and King Tiger, but one of them is a closer match to Tiger II
- The two round vent centers on Hunting Tiger and King Tiger are very different, and one of them is identical to Tiger II
- The Tiger II has protruding nipples on the two small rounds at bottom, whereas on the Hunting Tiger and King Tiger they are both indented.

Don't know about you, but for my money, I would choose...

View attachment 1556351
1. You can always add a strip of sprue to the upper horizontal section of the Hunting Tiger for more real estate.
2. You can always "warm up" those cold inverted nipples on the two small rounds by adding two small pieces of round tube stock.
3. You can't possibly "fix" the two large round vent center differences between the Tiger II and the King Tiger, so go with the near-identical pattern on the Hunting Tiger as those "show" the most, and will be the key "tell" that let's people know you're using originals versus faking it.

And then of course, finally, get a life! NOBODY is going to notice this or care one way or another, ONLY YOU are, so really please never forget that you are not pleasing your audience, but only your inner obsession and nothing else... There will be exactly ten other humans on planet earth who would even notice this, and nine of them are never going to see your build anyway.
Click to expand...
The og looks to be the old rare aurora
 
Studio Kitbash said:
You already knew this, intuitively, but here's the mathematical proof for why the Millennium Falcon is the most beautiful space ship in Sci-Fi history: she's perfectly proportional, and fits the Fibonacci ratio like a glove.

View attachment 1556731

Now this is the Bandai hand-sized 1/350 scale Falcon -- which was made from digital scans of the original -- but this is a Fibonacci gauge accurate to 0.25mm, so it's fairly telling. And the golden cut shows up all over her...

View attachment 1556732

In the center-to-outside ratio of where the center of the radar dish base shows up:
View attachment 1556733

In the front-tip mandible width to negative-space ratio:
View attachment 1556755

You even find it in places you wouldn't expect, like in the relationship between the docking arm walkway length....
View attachment 1556736
...and the jawbox top width (which is to say, the calipers neither expand nor contract between the above picture and the below picture, they only change location)
View attachment 1556737


Or this relationship, which is the max width of the engine vent rings from far lower port OD to far lower starboard OD...
View attachment 1556738
... and the height of said engine arrangement, from center top OD to center bottom OD (again, the calipers have not expanded or contracted, only changed location), demonstrating the 1:1.618 ratio between the "length" and "width" of the engine layout.
View attachment 1556740



And the ratio of the nosecone max OD...
View attachment 1556754
...to the centerline length of the front nosecone tube section from the top:
View attachment 1556743
(Which, if correct, means that measure on the 5-footer should be 9.71")


And my personal favorite: the relationship of the rear lower landing gear bay box max width...
View attachment 1556765
to the max inner length of the lower forward mandible pits:
View attachment 1556756
(Again: calipers have neither expanded nor contracted between the two above pictures, they have only moved location, revealing that the ratio of the width of the lower landing gear bay to the length of the forward lower mandible pit is 1:1618)

These are stunningly consistent proofs that Joe Johnston had an almost "perfect eye" for proper proportionality when he designed these ships.

I figured all this out on the Y-Wing a few years ago, and made a post about it in 2016 on DaveG's Open Source Y-Wing thread.

Did Joe Johnston know about the Fibonacci ratio when he designed these things? No, he did not. He didn't learn about in industrial design school, and had never heard about it in 1975.

And yes, this also conclusively proves your gut feeling on why the SOLO movie's "original" Millennium Falcon design (with the escape pod stuck between the front mandibles) is so freaking ugly -- it's totally disproportional thanks to the addition of that escape pod, and something Joe Johnston would/could never have tolerated, for the simple reason that it just "looks wrong.
Click to expand...
Studio Kitbash said:
You already knew this, intuitively, but here's the mathematical proof for why the Millennium Falcon is the most beautiful space ship in Sci-Fi history: she's perfectly proportional, and fits the Fibonacci ratio like a glove.

View attachment 1556731

Now this is the Bandai hand-sized 1/350 scale Falcon -- which was made from digital scans of the original -- but this is a Fibonacci gauge accurate to 0.25mm, so it's fairly telling. And the golden cut shows up all over her...

View attachment 1556732

In the center-to-outside ratio of where the center of the radar dish base shows up:
View attachment 1556733

In the front-tip mandible width to negative-space ratio:
View attachment 1556755

You even find it in places you wouldn't expect, like in the relationship between the docking arm walkway length....
View attachment 1556736
...and the jawbox top width (which is to say, the calipers neither expand nor contract between the above picture and the below picture, they only change location)
View attachment 1556737


Or this relationship, which is the max width of the engine vent rings from far lower port OD to far lower starboard OD...
View attachment 1556738
... and the height of said engine arrangement, from center top OD to center bottom OD (again, the calipers have not expanded or contracted, only changed location), demonstrating the 1:1.618 ratio between the "length" and "width" of the engine layout.
View attachment 1556740



And the ratio of the nosecone max OD...
View attachment 1556754
...to the centerline length of the front nosecone tube section from the top:
View attachment 1556743
(Which, if correct, means that measure on the 5-footer should be 9.71")


And my personal favorite: the relationship of the rear lower landing gear bay box max width...
View attachment 1556765
to the max inner length of the lower forward mandible pits:
View attachment 1556756
(Again: calipers have neither expanded nor contracted between the two above pictures, they have only moved location, revealing that the ratio of the width of the lower landing gear bay to the length of the forward lower mandible pit is 1:1618)

These are stunningly consistent proofs that Joe Johnston had an almost "perfect eye" for proper proportionality when he designed these ships.

I figured all this out on the Y-Wing a few years ago, and made a post about it in 2016 on DaveG's Open Source Y-Wing thread.

Did Joe Johnston know about the Fibonacci ratio when he designed these things? No, he did not. He didn't learn about in industrial design school, and had never heard about it in 1975.

And yes, this also conclusively proves your gut feeling on why the SOLO movie's "original" Millennium Falcon design (with the escape pod stuck between the front mandibles) is so freaking ugly -- it's totally disproportional thanks to the addition of that escape pod, and something Joe Johnston would/could never have tolerated, for the simple reason that it just "looks wrong."
Click to expand...
S.K.
Had to go to U-tube for dummies to learn more about Fibonacci series and the Golden ratio. Must have been sleeping in those chapters of math and art appreciation.

Now I know that nature has mimicked this in snails, flower petals and many other beautiful shapes. Must get a pair of my own Fibonacci calipers and start measuring things. If I get into trouble, I will blame it on you.
 
Last edited:
What are your favorite tools?

Two of mine are fairly recent discoveries, but I'm now to the point where I can't work without them.

1.) Q-Tip Precision Tips. I just learned today that these are discontinued at Walgreens Drug Stores, where they used to sell for $2.99 for a box of 170, and apparently discontinued by Q-Tip themselves. So Ebay is your last place to get them, and they are now at quintuple the price.
1647667127744.png

I like the Precision tips because they are the perfect tool for the application of the...

2.) Perfect Plastic Putty. This stuff is water-soluble and water-wash-up, but squeezes out of a toothpaste-style tube, goes right where you want it, and smears in flawlessly. On big holes or gaps, you'll see some shrinking/cracking and need a second layer/application followed by sanding after drying, but still the best stuff for hiding/closing/filling gaps in your models, and it takes paint like a dream.
1647667240612.png


This is also the perfect material for filling gaps between your Falcon hull and your Durasteel plating. I'm not trying to replicate every gap that ILM created in their over-budget/behind-schedule mad rush to finish. I'm trying to create a super-accurized Falcon that looks better as a static model than flying by on film at 24fps, and thus looks "less" like a studio scale movie prop and more like a large scale spaceship that is super-detailed, realistic, and plausible looking. Thus, I am going through the Precision Tips and the Perfect Plastic Putty like crazy.
 
Some times Alligator clips won’t work. Bamboo skewers are great. You can jam them in just about anywhere and the length makes them easy to handle.

And with the skewer I sometimes use poster tack. Stick it on the tip and then into the part. It holds great for painting.
 
Thank the Maker that I still can get those Q-Tips at my local store;) Thanks again Studio Kitbash for that great lesson in ratio/proportions and the likes. Some people are simply geniuses and are capable of "seeing" the space and the look of said space ( that is the solid and the invisible around the solid) as a tool they can use for their design. I remember reading that Joe Johnston was going around the model shop with a chisel and would remove some of the greeblies that other model makers had glued on their work. Simplicity is always the challenge and the subconscious is always there to tickle our sense of esthetics into making us love or hate a model/design. The mystery in Art(y)
 
joberg said:
Thank the Maker that I still can get those Q-Tips at my local store;) Thanks again Studio Kitbash for that great lesson in ratio/proportions and the likes. Some people are simply geniuses and are capable of "seeing" the space and the look of said space ( that is the solid and the invisible around the solid) as a tool they can use for their design. I remember reading that Joe Johnston was going around the model shop with a chisel and would remove some of the greeblies that other model makers had glued on their work. Simplicity is always the challenge and the subconscious is always there to tickle our sense of esthetics into making us love or hate a model/design. The mystery in Art(y)
Click to expand...
Joberg - IF you can still get Precision Tips at your local store, please go buy ALL of them and send me a bill. I can't find them anywhere in Chicagoland, and it was only the Walgreens franchise that carried them around here.
 
If you have Kroger grocery stores near you, check their pharmacy/cosmetic sections: Kroger and Walgreens did a corporate 'sharing' thing where they are carrying much of each other's products.
 
Hey, anyone who can get Q-Tip precision tips at their neighborhood friendly Kroger's for $2.99 -- please send me a PM as I would like to ask you a favor in acquiring me some, as Mariano's in my neighborhood (a Kroger's-owned store) does NOT carry them. I can pay you cash and shipping, or we can trade for greeblies, whatever you'd prefer. Would like about ten boxes.
 
Originals or Castings?

I started out as an all-originals only purist.

1649257505987.jpeg


But then I started to get pretty good at the castings.




1649257544841.jpeg


And while I'm currently using my castings primarily as my 'test subjects' in the "measure twice, cut once" category, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I don't have to use only originals on key sections of the build, esp. for the pieces that come from the $500 kits.

Anyone have an opinion or any certainty of knowledge on how well plastic parts (originals) hold up over time versus resin parts (castings)? Does resin degrade or break down faster than styrene or abs plastic? Does it hold up longer? Or are they roughly the same, being both petrochemical byproducts?
 
I'm unsure of the longevity of parts from either process.
It would be very interesting to hear from people doing model and prop restorations as to what parts tend to break more.

Many of the original studio models seem to hold up well over time and they use a mixture of both materials, so it's probably safe to assume they are comparable. That said, if being stored in a museum or archive, they may be exposed to less harsh UV light than the average private collection?

UV light is a major contributor to weathering and aging of materials. Given that pretty much all parts are painted they are reasonably protected and should have a reasonable lifespan.

Probably another good reason for shooting black primer over a model first, as a light blocker. Working to protect the model from ambient UV, rather than the exposure of light from within a lit model to a film camera.

Congrats on the awesome castings! They look very crisp.
 
The Studio Kitbash FalGal Plate:

1649297489389.jpeg


(Tax, tag, and title extra. Offer null and void in certain states. At participating retailers only. Your mileage may vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. If you see something, say something. No castings were harmed in the making of this subassembly. If you or someone you know has a greeblie problem, please call. Long distance and roaming charges may apply. Unexpected side effects may include dreariness, sleeplessness, somnambulance, loss of motor control, headaches, dizziness, constipation, sudden cortisol spike syndrome, Kessel Run Parsec's disease, missing original greeblie syndrome, phantom greeblie syndrome, twitchy buy-it-now Ebay finger syndrome, multiple red-herring syndrome, modelpalooza grandiosity, social awkwardness, strange-looks-from-wife syndrome, repeated "Dad, Dad, are you there?" questions from children, and runner's high, second high, and long-distance marathon jubilation feelings which will last for exactly one social media posting before expiry, as well as runny nose, fever, sweats, and empty-pocketness for months at a time. Ask your doctor today if FalGal Plate is right for you!)
 
Studio Kitbash said:
The Studio Kitbash FalGal Plate:

View attachment 1563398

(Tax, tag, and title extra. Offer null and void in certain states. At participating retailers only. Your mileage may vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. If you see something, say something. No castings were harmed in the making of this subassembly. If you or someone you know has a greeblie problem, please call. Long distance and roaming charges may apply. Unexpected side effects may include dreariness, sleeplessness, somnambulance, loss of motor control, headaches, dizziness, constipation, sudden cortisol spike syndrome, Kessel Run Parsec's disease, missing original greeblie syndrome, phantom greeblie syndrome, twitchy buy-it-now Ebay finger syndrome, multiple red-herring syndrome, modelpalooza grandiosity, social awkwardness, strange-looks-from-wife syndrome, repeated "Dad, Dad, are you there?" questions from children, and runner's high, second high, and long-distance marathon jubilation feelings which will last for exactly one social media posting before expiry, as well as runny nose, fever, sweats, and empty-pocketness for months at a time. Ask your doctor today if FalGal Plate is right for you!)
Click to expand...
You forgot " WhoShotfirstitist". But otherwise perfect, ; )
 
You guys are too nice and polite. Nobody said, "you're missing two key pieces still" -- which I am. They'll be added this week. Still trying to ID a base piece for one of them.
 

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