SW – ANH (5 Foot) - Studio Scale Millennium Falcon Build
- Thread starter vfxsup64
- Start date
I've been peering in on this thread for awhile now and I just gotta ask... is this Falcon actually gonna be built for real or is it all just gonna be created in the computer as a mesh object? Personally, I would love to see a real one be built. I can understand creating a few pieces in 3D to be printed to replace the ones that cannot be found anymore for the full 5'footer, but I didn't think that the whole thing was going to be modelled in 3D. In that case, you may wanna change the name of the thread to reflect a 3D full scale CGI model, instead of an actual physical one. But then again, if a full scale model was created in 3D that was accurate to the original 5'footer, a myrid of parts could be printed as well! So I'm just confused as to what the objective of this thread is. Maybe it's just me!
Junk Pilot
Sr Member
Let me know if this post is out of line with the course of this thread but I am wondering how many people would actually be able to afford the approx. $15,000 for all the kits for a build of this scale or even afford to buy cast copies of the parts? I doubt many could so I'm sure compromises would need to be made to get the "general look" of the Falcon. That being said what kits would be considered absolutely essential for this build?
According to a post from another thread there will be a 5ft model kit available in June.
MonsieurTox
Master Member
Lots of people... Look at the R2 builders club... An all aluminium R2-D2 costs between $15000 and $20000 (depending on the options), there are thousand of R2 that have been built all around the world. Several of them are all aluminium droids.
I myself are close to the 10K worth of kits for the ISD and it's not even finished. I bet Galactica builders spend around the same on their models.
I dont want to speak for the autor of this thread but making a 3D model before making the physical model help to figure out dimensions, shapes etc... This is part of the process.
Vacformedhero
Sr Member
One of the things as a newbie has taken time for me to understand is that many of the projects are long burners, and it took me to start my own build to fully appreciate the difference between a normal model build and the dedication it takes to make an actual accurate copy of a prop ( which I still am not technically doing)
In a lot of ways I am an armchair engineer, and love watching others build , whether it's aircraft, real cars or model props, watching skilled model makers is brilliant, but where this forum differs from many others is the amount of information that is shared, like this 5 foot forum, work that has taken individuals years to calculate minute details, all freely shared , absolutely brilliant, I may never build an accurate 5 footer but peoples help here have given me dimensions to make my ANH falcon more accurate, and some day I will use the 5 foot dimensions to build something ........
So while at the moment a 3d printed object of 5 foot is very expensive ....in the future we will definitely see cost efficient ways of printing ,laser sculpting or growing an accurate 5 foot falcon and when we do it's the pioneering work here that will get us there, imagine travelling back in time to your self aged 8 or 9 and telling you that your children can design and print their own toys! Then Imagine going back to 1977 and walking into ILM and telling them as they worked on these obscure futuristic models that not only would every nuance of which kit they used as detailing would be scrutinised and poured over, but also that the technology that they were using that was in its infancy then is now common place and green screen can be done by anyone with a phone and an app .
so if a 5 footer is never created , I still appreciate and admire the work being done here.........thats the joy of this hobby
In a lot of ways I am an armchair engineer, and love watching others build , whether it's aircraft, real cars or model props, watching skilled model makers is brilliant, but where this forum differs from many others is the amount of information that is shared, like this 5 foot forum, work that has taken individuals years to calculate minute details, all freely shared , absolutely brilliant, I may never build an accurate 5 footer but peoples help here have given me dimensions to make my ANH falcon more accurate, and some day I will use the 5 foot dimensions to build something ........
So while at the moment a 3d printed object of 5 foot is very expensive ....in the future we will definitely see cost efficient ways of printing ,laser sculpting or growing an accurate 5 foot falcon and when we do it's the pioneering work here that will get us there, imagine travelling back in time to your self aged 8 or 9 and telling you that your children can design and print their own toys! Then Imagine going back to 1977 and walking into ILM and telling them as they worked on these obscure futuristic models that not only would every nuance of which kit they used as detailing would be scrutinised and poured over, but also that the technology that they were using that was in its infancy then is now common place and green screen can be done by anyone with a phone and an app .
so if a 5 footer is never created , I still appreciate and admire the work being done here.........thats the joy of this hobby
There are at least a couple people in this thread building actual physical SS 5' Falcons. Some further along than others. Research is always the first step in any SS project, at least in my mind. I've been researching and planning my X-wing and Tie Fighter builds for 5 years now, and have only recently begun actual physical construction. Research takes a long time, not to mention collecting all the needed kits.
blackeagles
New Member
Good Evening,
I post this picture, to have your opinion on engine size .
Do you have other dimensions and plan?
Thank you in advance :facepalm
Trust me I know. I spent a few years researching my R2 and 3PO builds to make sure I had all the details right! I'd love to build a full scale X-Wing for Snowspeeder one day! I've been collection reference pics for years of those two.
blackeagles
New Member
Personally, this will soon be a year since I assemble the kits for the realization of Falcon and other models "Star Wars" ...
It is a long process , especially as some kits are not found or overpriced! :facepalm
Sorry for my bad english, I 'm rusty because it's been years since I practice more ..
forgive me...:unsure
It is a long process , especially as some kits are not found or overpriced! :facepalm
Sorry for my bad english, I 'm rusty because it's been years since I practice more ..
forgive me...:unsure
bwayne64
Master Member
Andre, am I correct that the 47.5 inch diameter on the hull is the outer edge of the plexi. I know there's an overhang of the plating. I'm making my plug a bit over size, so I can cut my parts to exact measurements. Also have you figured out how much overhang there is on the plating ? Thanks again, to you and all who are figuring this beast out, Cheers,
Joe
Joe
LrdSatyr8,
There are two primary reasons for this thread.
All of the content in this thread, up to this point, is but the first phase of research and preparation, so time and money are not spent needlessly.
It has been a subtle blend of donor kit part reference/research, 3D feature-point tracking, surface photogrammetry and extensive sculptural modeling. They’ve all made up a myriad of techniques that dovetail very nicely together and may be of use to others on their projects.
Everything we’ve made freely available, the CG assets and 2D Draftings, have come about over the course of over 2 years of very specific intensive work and collaboration.
Given the scale and investment required of this project, I prefer a slow and steady approach – measure twice, cut once, so to speak…
Regards,
André
There are two primary reasons for this thread.
- Initially, it was to document and share progress on my actual, physical studio-scale MF build. That has not changed.
- It has evolved to highlight certain techniques and workflow that we have used to inform a build – and perhaps others builds as well.
All of the content in this thread, up to this point, is but the first phase of research and preparation, so time and money are not spent needlessly.
It has been a subtle blend of donor kit part reference/research, 3D feature-point tracking, surface photogrammetry and extensive sculptural modeling. They’ve all made up a myriad of techniques that dovetail very nicely together and may be of use to others on their projects.
Everything we’ve made freely available, the CG assets and 2D Draftings, have come about over the course of over 2 years of very specific intensive work and collaboration.
Given the scale and investment required of this project, I prefer a slow and steady approach – measure twice, cut once, so to speak…
Regards,
André
blackeagles,
With regards to the engine vent rings, I think eagle1 (stu) can help you with that.
Regards,
Andre
With regards to the engine vent rings, I think eagle1 (stu) can help you with that.
Regards,
Andre
Joe,
I hope this helps to clarify:
In the first image, I turned the .040” plate proxy model off so one can see the plexi-domes and how they relate to the mandible.
The 45.5” diameter is flush with the core wall and tangent to the mandible as it joins up to the core wall - moving aft.
In the next three images, one can see some 3D donor kit parts and how they fit with the current model survey.
The 47.5” diameter is the overhang of the plexi-domes along the outer circumference with it’s routered horizontal inner surfaces (surfaces A). The outer most edge thickness looks to be about .040 and that along with the .040 plating really adds some nice complexity and visual detail.
A note about the armor plating overhangs (cyan colored proxy model) - the overhang length varies around the ship. Especially the starboard and aft forward areas (near the McLaren boxes).
When you get there, we can help out with the actual lengths in certain areas (at least to the extent we’ve divined them!).
Hope this helps!
apb
I hope this helps to clarify:
In the first image, I turned the .040” plate proxy model off so one can see the plexi-domes and how they relate to the mandible.
The 45.5” diameter is flush with the core wall and tangent to the mandible as it joins up to the core wall - moving aft.
In the next three images, one can see some 3D donor kit parts and how they fit with the current model survey.
The 47.5” diameter is the overhang of the plexi-domes along the outer circumference with it’s routered horizontal inner surfaces (surfaces A). The outer most edge thickness looks to be about .040 and that along with the .040 plating really adds some nice complexity and visual detail.
A note about the armor plating overhangs (cyan colored proxy model) - the overhang length varies around the ship. Especially the starboard and aft forward areas (near the McLaren boxes).
When you get there, we can help out with the actual lengths in certain areas (at least to the extent we’ve divined them!).
Hope this helps!
apb
bwayne64
Master Member
Wow, wasn't expecting pictures too. Thanks so much Andre ! I'm in the process of refining the plug for the hull now. Just want to make sure I get it right before I pull the mold. I think I'm going to make a generic mold that will be a complete circular form. Then I can either make inserts for the mold for the front and back halves, or just cut the parts after their made. I'm during something similar for the mandibles. I only want to make one mold for a mandible. So I'll make movable silicone disks for the mandible wells. This way I can be lazy and make one mold, LOL. Thanks so much for all this info, everyone should be as generous with this stuff. It would be a better modeling world, 
Cheers,
Joe
Cheers,Joe
maruska
Sr Member
LrdSatyr8,
Andre and I have been tackling our respective projects from different angles - but has worked out into a really enjoyable collaboration. I've been looking to make digital archives of the kit parts used to build the props from the 70's - specifically the Falcon.
You can see my part library on my thread over here.
http://www.therpf.com/f11/millennium-falcon-parts-3d-printing-168520/index10.html
It's slowly growing - but will take a very long time to flesh-out all the bits. I'm always looking for more collaborators too. Many hands make light work.
Cheers,
J.
Ah man...I was hoping the measures for the engine vents requested by blackeagles was going to be posted here too....guess I could request eagle1 to send me the info too? yes-no eagle1?
Also was wondering about the depth of the floor in the maintenance pits on the mandibles?
One other thing I have always wondered about is how are the mandibles attached to the main saucer body? What keeps them secure? Do they insert into it a bit, or just hang on there?
imurme
