Our Collective 5-Foot Millennium Falcon Build

[Studio Kitbash]

Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.
Reverse-engineer from the greeblies.

This is what I keep learning, and re-learning, with each successive step.

 

[Bjorn]

Impressive work SK!

This is the way.

 

[bwayne64]

Yes, yes, and yes - I think I would call this build aesthetic a "continuation of the willing suspension of disbelief" that good cinema engenders. I leave the theater, resume my normal life, but start to imagine that other world really is (or could be) "real" and thus want to replicate it's "imagined reality" far more than replicate its actual physical existence as an object. So that's a big part of it.

Bwayne64, you say, "Oh well I've been called worse"...

... but have you ever admitted publicly, "I've been told it's too small?"

I mean, some things are worse than confusing this part for that part, no?

; )

In all seriousness, though, I appreciate the comment -- and I also see and "get" both points of view. My personal aesthetic sensibility is one thing, which is simply me being me, but another large part of it (perhaps the bigger part) is pleasing my perceived "audience" and my perceived audience is not a Star Wars nerd who knows every rivet, bolt, and greeblie like RPFers do, but rather the general public who likes Star Wars, has seen the movie(s), and who would normally wonder, "Why is that mistake on there?" if my model were an exact replica of the filming miniature.

So it's my hunch that at 24fps, most people "see" what they want to see on screen, and don't/can't perceive all the imperfections until/unless they become obsessed with replicating the exact miniature themselves. So I do this a lot like giving a public speech -- I think of my audience as the primary "user" of this content, not myself, and thus have to build it to their expectations and desires as much or more than my own. But again, this is just my weird internal algorithm, and I totally get the point of view (and love to see the builds of) those who want to replicate every false move and handling mistake of the original prop.

One theory of mine, which I'd love to know the truth of, is that the underside dent/hole in the cockpit tube is simply because they dropped the model too abruptly at some point, and that it does not represent battle damage that was intentionally placed there. So mine won't have that.

Guys who can replicate that impress me, but to my sensibility it's also weirdly like learning how to burp and fart just like Abraham Lincoln did when he gave the Gettysburg address. You COULD replicate each and every "noise" he ever made in that speech, but it might distract the audience -- and that's why I'm personally choosing not to do it.

(Full disclaimer: the above is just an illustrative analogy, not a statement of fact, truth, or historical claim. Though the average human being farts 14 times per day, I don't know if Abraham Lincoln (or any famous speaker) burped or farted during his most famous speech -- I am merely assuming that humans are human most of their lives, including during their most memorable moments.)

Maybe all that farting is why Lincoln didn't have security on that fateful day. A little methane wouldn't stop a southern boy, but might have been too much for a cultured Yankee, ; )

 

[Studio Kitbash]

Duplicate post.

 

[JSchneider]

Eagle1,

Your comment refers to the fact that it's Sealab parts back there, not Pontoon Bridge. I'll amend my ways. And fine tune my prescription lenses!

Cheers,

Read

All I can say is PG and a *very big* magnifying glass! Hehe. *edit

 

[Studio Kitbash]

One more for the "Maybe the real purpose of your life is simply to serve as a warning to others" Department:

Handy-dandy nifty jig for making sure your structural support mandible rods are perfectly aligned/unified with the mandibles themselves...

Overhead shot

The view from underneath.

This is so that, when you're done, you get this...

And then you can glue your ribbing frames to these square alignment jigs, and know pre-emptively that the whole thing will fit perfectly in place.

But if you look closely, you'll see the problem immediately at the left side of the picture where the mandible meets the dome ring: the metal rods are straight, but the mandibles camber "in" by quite a bit on their journey to the front. So I had to cut off the last few square alignment jigs so they'd have enough space to take the sidewall fascia, and even so may not have enough "real estate" purchase for a full 1/8" sidewall all the way to the back.

And THIS is because...

Back when I was first guesstimating my armature structure three years ago, I somehow came up with "9 inches on center" as the distance needed to run the length of the mandibles WITHOUT running into my mandible pits. If I had to do it again, I'd use either 9.5inches or 10 inches dead flat as my width measurement, and then I wouldn't have had this issue.

It's thankfully NOT that big of a deal, not a dealbreaker, and does NOT require me to start over with a third armature. But it does, I hope, serve as a forewarning to anyone out there who hasn't built one yet, is thinking of it, and still in the planning stages of their armature.

So next will be the task of adding all that internal framing with 3/4" holes drilled through right where the framing butts up against the alignment jigs, placing of all the outer sidewalls, and then internal placing of all the mandible pits populated with the right greeblies. And no, since you're asking, I'm NOT sure I've got the mandible pit holes either a.) in the right place or b.) at the right diameter currently. But I'm going to add in or subtract material if/where I'm off, by once again... yup, you guessed it...

REVERSE-ENGINEERING FROM THE GREEBLIES

 

[joberg]

No words...it's seems, to me, so difficult to make all of the engineering + fitting all of the greeblies on top of that
I really admire the work and the various RPF members involved in going into that crazy idea that a 5' MF is a project worth tackling

 

[Searun]

SK,
Nice work. Your mock-up and jig work certainly have helped significantly even after figuring out attachment. I spent some time & rework to obtain proper rigging. Still must build out the mandible pits in place since their cups have already been installed. Otherwise, reverse Cesarean operation will be needed.

 

[bwayne64]

One more for the "Maybe the real purpose of your life is simply to serve as a warning to others" Department:

View attachment 1660339

Handy-dandy nifty jig for making sure your structural support mandible rods are perfectly aligned/unified with the mandibles themselves...

View attachment 1660340
Overhead shot

View attachment 1660341
The view from underneath.

This is so that, when you're done, you get this...
View attachment 1660342
And then you can glue your ribbing frames to these square alignment jigs, and know pre-emptively that the whole thing will fit perfectly in place.

But if you look closely, you'll see the problem immediately at the left side of the picture where the mandible meets the dome ring: the metal rods are straight, but the mandibles camber "in" by quite a bit on their journey to the front. So I had to cut off the last few square alignment jigs so they'd have enough space to take the sidewall fascia, and even so may not have enough "real estate" purchase for a full 1/8" sidewall all the way to the back.

And THIS is because...

View attachment 1660343
Back when I was first guesstimating my armature structure three years ago, I somehow came up with "9 inches on center" as the distance needed to run the length of the mandibles WITHOUT running into my mandible pits. If I had to do it again, I'd use either 9.5inches or 10 inches dead flat as my width measurement, and then I wouldn't have had this issue.

It's thankfully NOT that big of a deal, not a dealbreaker, and does NOT require me to start over with a third armature. But it does, I hope, serve as a forewarning to anyone out there who hasn't built one yet, is thinking of it, and still in the planning stages of their armature.


View attachment 1660344
So next will be the task of adding all that internal framing with 3/4" holes drilled through right where the framing butts up against the alignment jigs, placing of all the outer sidewalls, and then internal placing of all the mandible pits populated with the right greeblies. And no, since you're asking, I'm NOT sure I've got the mandible pit holes either a.) in the right place or b.) at the right diameter currently. But I'm going to add in or subtract material if/where I'm off, by once again... yup, you guessed it...

REVERSE-ENGINEERING FROM THE GREEBLIES

That's just Purdy ! I love all the different ways people tackle the same project. The engineering is awesome. This forum is a master's degree in model building. And no tuition. Can't beat that !

 

[Studio Kitbash]

And here we go...

Test fitting of the theory...

Tight as a drum. Fits like a glove.

So far, so good.

 

[Searun]

S.K.,
The “ledge” looks perfect, top & bottom. Now the Duster barrel ends will fit under the gap when armor plate goes on the skin. Make sure the Sheridan fits in the recessed mouth so the “smile” is correct.
Mandible side rails will confirm mandible inboard length. Interestingly, in plan view, those kit part edge distance profiles also confirm upper jaw box length, lateral position and helps define the vertical slope of the jaw box nose as its length ends just above the mandible surface.
I credit Andre’s drawings on this web site as being excellent in making this complexity happen, including the mandible toe in and toe out since I did not have kit parts when started.
That said, jigging and rigging adjustment, as you have shown, are required. Now back to work myself.

 

[Studio Kitbash]

S.K.,
The “ledge” looks perfect, top & bottom. Now the Duster barrel ends will fit under the gap when armor plate goes on the skin. Make sure the Sheridan fits in the recessed mouth so the “smile” is correct.
Mandible side rails will confirm mandible inboard length. Interestingly, in plan view, those kit part edge distance profiles also confirm upper jaw box length, lateral position and helps define the vertical slope of the jaw box nose as its length ends just above the mandible surface.
I credit Andre’s drawings on this web site as being excellent in making this complexity happen, including the mandible toe in and toe out since I did not have kit parts when started.
That said, jigging and rigging adjustment, as you have shown, are required. Now back to work myself.

Thanks for the tips, Searun! I'm very grateful to those who have gone before me for their guidance, and your shipbuilding experience and amazing "Aluminum Falcon" are no small part of that.

I'm spending most of the next phase reinforcing the connections and ribbing on the inside of the mandibles, then will get to the inner side rail, then the mandible pit precise locations via the greeblies, and then, just possibly, attaching the mandibles. But I also may build it in such a way that these are permanently removable, since my fit is so tight and snug without any epoxy, so I'm noodling on the risk/reward of that approach in terms of future maintenance of internals, mostly regarding the replacement of LED lights if they should burn out.

 

[Studio Kitbash]

Ribbing support. Internal framing. Mandible box rigidity enhancement. Stiffeners.

Here you can see why 10" on center (instead of 9") would have worked better as you head back to the base mount location.

 

[jcoffman99]

At least it’s supporting out at the end where it needs it the most. You’ll be fine.

 

[eagle1]

Mandible inner support structure looking beefy Read!.
An observation...I can't see how you will fit in the circular pits though, as the support structure looks overlapping or very close to the pit hole. But could be camera angle?.

**Edit: I see from your building description previously, that you hadn't determined final pit hole positions, so your inner structure may well be clear of where the circular pits sit.

Stu

 

[Studio Kitbash]

Mandible inner support structure looking beefy Read!.
An observation...I can't see how you will fit in the circular pits though, as the support structure looks overlapping or very close to the pit hole. But could be camera angle?.

**Edit: I see from your building description previously, that you hadn't determined final pit hole positions, so your inner structure may well be clear of where the circular pits sit.

Stu

You may be right, Stu, and I may have to trim/remove some of the lateral supports once I get my hole locations fine-tuned. It's not the camera angle, it is currently a conflict if the holes are in the right position, but that's still a few steps/days away of confirming or denying.

 

[joberg]

It's always the case while adding stiffeners, or additional trans beams to make a long construction sturdier. Too many adds weight, which overtime might bend your mandibles. Too little and the same results will happens (gravity is a b*tch).
Great work btw...eager to see your next update!

 

[Studio Kitbash]

How the sausage gets made...

Had to trim my endpiece as we hit the base to accommodate the pipes.

So the pipe comes right up to the inner edge, with about 1mm to spare.

This shot reminds me, for some reason, of the Death Star laser station as they blow up Alderaan.

This is right side up, with mandibles in "dry-fit" position. Nice-n-snug! At this angle, though, the mandibles look way pointy...

Here's a view of the bottom of the armature, with mandibles in situ.

Mandibles up close. They still look "a little skinny" but that's simply because they're naked. Once they get dressed up in the chassis greeblies inside and out, they look really good.

Reverse-engineer from the greeblies, and you literally can't go wrong.

Overhead view of inner sidewall greeblie length.

Figuring out the mandible pit locations. See those three lines that intersect the hole? The middle one is the sweet spot.

I think we're in spitting distance, which means that support brace underneath will need to either be trimmed or relocated.

 

[jcoffman99]

That’s an update and a half. Holy cow. Looks great!

 

[Bjorn]

Totally awesome!