Screen Accurate Millennium Falcon Cockpit (CG Model)

[Stormy320]

Rats -

Cool links. I hadn't seen those.

I'm currently building the NAV chair and have a MK4 seat as the base. One thing surprised me and has me frustrated. The defining feature of the seat in Star Wars is the upper headrest. My MK4 headrest is slightly different. I didn't notice it until I really got into building the chair. The Star Wars head rest has a wider angle to it and points to the sky at about 20 to 30 degree angle. My headrest points forward at about 0 degrees. All the MK4s that I have seen look like mine.

You can actually see this in this picture Rats posted...

http://www.martin-baker.com/getdoc/2...ESCAPE_03.aspx



Another Star Wars mystery perhaps.

I would love to find out why this is.

Also, Stevestarkiller - what are the differences between the Nav chair and the 2 cockpit chairs? I cant say I really noticed any other than the tupperware lid/circle seems to be recessed more on some of the seats.

 

[MFP 2020]

Great build and cool photos! I was happy to see control yokes in ESB; I've always hated those "flying complex maneuvers with random unmarked switches" scenes ("Forbidden World" is a particularly stellar example). During the ANH Death Star escape/TIE battle, Chewy looks like he's rocking out on an electric piano.

 

[Rats]

Rats -

Cool links. I hadn't seen those.

I'm currently building the NAV chair and have a MK4 seat as the base. One thing surprised me and has me frustrated. The defining feature of the seat in Star Wars is the upper headrest. My MK4 headrest is slightly different. I didn't notice it until I really got into building the chair. The Star Wars head rest has a wider angle to it and points to the sky at about 20 to 30 degree angle. My headrest points forward at about 0 degrees. All the MK4s that I have seen look like mine.

You can actually see this in this picture Rats posted...

http://www.martin-baker.com/getdoc/2...ESCAPE_03.aspx



Another Star Wars mystery perhaps.

I would love to find out why this is.

Also, Stevestarkiller - what are the differences between the Nav chair and the 2 cockpit chairs? I cant say I really noticed any other than the tupperware lid/circle seems to be recessed more on some of the seats.

I agree, I thought that the Mk4 upper headrest was slightly different too and initialy thought the seat looked more like a Mk 5 (?GU5A), but Martin Baker's own newsletter should get it right (you would think?).
The hole in the side of the headrest (where the parachute straps go) looks like it's in a different position in the Falcon to all of the Mk 4 pictures I've seen online. There are a multitude of variants of all the MB seats though...

Maybe we should email MB and ask which variant they think it is??

 

[SteveStarkiller]

Rats -
Also, Stevestarkiller - what are the differences between the Nav chair and the 2 cockpit chairs? I cant say I really noticed any other than the tupperware lid/circle seems to be recessed more on some of the seats.

the clearest difference is the absence of the 'second' head rest. A sort of skullcap shaped deal above the ejector seat part (see attached)

the cockpit chairs also (I suspect) have no arm rests. It's difficult to say, but I can't imagine they would with the limited space, especially in the cramped ANH cockpit.

I just went over the movie with a fine toothed comb looking for screen grabs I could use for referencing, and the cockpit chairs are never seen fully or clearly below the headrest. There's a possibility that their dimensions, aside from the ejector seat head, are smaller, but I won't know until I try to fit them in. They'll probably be the last part I build.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

got some panel work done last night, but all my renders turned out for crap. I'm still trying to figure out the render software I'm using (indigo) and it's making me pull my hair out. I left my machine rendering while I'm at work today, so hopefully I'll have something good when I get home and I'll post them.

Stay tuned, same falcon time, same falcon channel.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

in the meantime, how about we make this a ANH falcon reference thread?

Here's a couple of the best one's I've got.

The last one above is actually either the ESB or ROTJ cockpit under construction. Note the extra depth of the rear section. The bare wood paneling there, as contrasted to the black, is the new section. Otherwise, comparing this to the model I constructed from the ANH blueprints, it's virtually identical.

A further note about the differences: the console of the ESB falcon is oriented low and tilted forward, as it appears in the blueprint. The ANH console is raised up about six inches and tilted back so that the top surface of the center column is horizontal (see the picture above with the guy standing in the cockpit). My best guess is that they made this modification after they found difficulty fitting Peter Mayhew in the original low/tilted plan...

 

[Stormy320]

I'm positive in ESB the cockpit chairs have the armrest. I can't tell in ANH. You can see this in the new book "Making of the Empire Strikes Back".

You're right. I forgot about the "skull" cap.


RATS - If someone can contact MB, that would be awesome. I'm not sure how to go about it. I did talk to an online owner of a ejection seat website who is somewhat an expert and he didn't offer an explanation.

As they say - ship of riddles.

 

[superjedi]

Here are a couple of ref shots. I realize one is from ESB but it may be useful.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

I'm positive in ESB the cockpit chairs have the armrest. I can't tell in ANH. You can see this in the new book "Making of the Empire Strikes Back".

As they say - ship of riddles.

I gotta get that book.

I have Rinzler's Making of Star Wars, but surprisingly it has all of three stills from the cockpit. One of them is nice and big, but still, you'd think there would have been more.

I'm thinking there are no armrests on the ANH because of the way that Luke and Obi Wan get into them so easily, without having to swivel the whole chair over. Like I said there's not a lot of room in there. Still I could be wrong.

I wish I could see the rest of the firlm-roll on some of these behind the scenes photos. Maybe they're not great pictures, but I bet I could learn a lot from them. Does anyone know where these pictures originated from? Lucasfilm archives or something? I know some of them have been mentioned as appearing in Eurpean magazines, but where did they obtain them?

 

[SteveStarkiller]

@superjedi

Hey, actually that is super helpful. I just noticed that two of the panels on Han's side look like they could be identical to their ANH counterparts. I have to compare some notes, but that would be amazing, since those two panels are mostly obscured or out of focus throughout ANH.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

I just did some cross-checking, and it looks like, aside from a few extra blinky lights and square light/button color changes, the panels are the same.

any body got screen caps of this area?

Can anyone make some!?

 

[SteveStarkiller]

More pictures as promised

 

[faustus100]

Looking good Steve!! I think the hardest part will be the ceiling:confused

 

[SteveStarkiller]

Working on some of those asymmetrical panels behind han and chewie.

about the ceiling: you're telling me, faustus. The ceiling panels themselves won't be impossible, there are some decent, if shadowy, views of them. The real trick will be the cluster of levers and I-don't-know-what-else that's nestled into the overhead of the canopy...

Maybe I'll give myself a break from all these lights and switches and work on the broad strokes of the corridor.

 

[Treadwell]

The bare wood paneling there, as contrasted to the black, is the new section.

? The ANH set was not leftover for ESB. It was remade from scratch.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

oh, I just meant 'new' as in added to the design. I knew that they made an all new cockpit for ESB, but I think they used the exact same blueprints--with a few modifications like extra depth. All guessing of course.

I'm also starting to wonder if some of the panels for the ANH interior were saved and reused in the ESB cockpit. There are one or two that are very dead on, where everything else has changed. Maybe I'll put together a comparison to show what I mean.

 

[Stormy320]

I agree. I find it hard to believe they would have started from scratch and remade the seats as well?

 

[TK-326]

I just did some cross-checking, and it looks like, aside from a few extra blinky lights and square light/button color changes, the panels are the same.

any body got screen caps of this area?

Can anyone make some!?

http://fullscalefalcon.com/reference_images/dvd_caps_interior/cockpit_pilot_detail1.png

http://fullscalefalcon.com/reference_images/dvd_caps_interior/cockpit_pilot_detail2.png

http://fullscalefalcon.com/reference_images/dvd_caps_interior/cockpit_toggle_switches.png

 

[CessnaDriver]

Looks like some kind of power curve graph display inside that "scanner" box or whatever it is on the pilot's side.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

TK-326, thanks a ton for those, they will be very helpful. In the meantime here's some corridor work.

and a bonus cutaway view of how much corridor I've completed. Who knows how far this will go.

None of these angles would actually fit in a ship; just to be clear I'm not trying to solve the ship of riddles (although I almost tried, and was just barely pulled back from the brink) These dimensions and angles are all screen-based, trying to figure out what the set might have looked like.

link below for extra large version.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5252603691_839495c6b1_o.jpg