The Millennium Kestrel: older Wonderfest build

[BB43MAN]

Hey, first time posting in years. I'm going to post this in sections to keep it interesting. A few years back I was wanting to attend Wonderfest in Louisville, KY and I didn't want to go empty-handed to the model competition so, I started looking for design ideas online. I had never built Star Wars anything but, when I I saw some Star Wars-style concept art by Gavin Rothery that I really liked, I knew that was what I wanted to try. It was his riff on the Falcon and something about it really stood out for me. The more I looked at it, working the angles in my mind, the more I could see how I could pull it off but, I didn't want a small build. I wanted something big. The only pics I could find from him were renders at low rez, and there were no orthos of his design so, I had to draw it out draftsman-style, using his pics as guidance, then I enlarged it to something that could be a filming model size. I started trying to interpret surface details with what I could ID from his thumbnails and noticed a few were the standard Falcon detail parts. I didn't have any of those so, I resigned myself that I would have to scratch pretty much all of it....till my friend, Blappy, stepped in with a surprise karma bomb gift of cast resin detail parts. Saved me a TON of time and Blappy, I thank you again. I couldn't call it the Falcon so, what's in the family like that? Kestrel. The Millennium Kestrel was "hatched" and the build began. Enjoy and hit me up with questions you may have.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 2. The renders doesn't have a radar dish so, I wanted one but, not the round one from ANH so, I kind of riffed off JJ's rectangle design. Using brass parts from a 1/96 radar I had laying around, and some brass wire, I made it work. The sides were next, and not having a Sealab kit, scratched those too. The main gun was next. A discarded PC mouse was the base, with various tubes and wires to try to knock something up that would pass a "guns". The cladding is .020 sty with .040 ribbing, for strength.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 3. The length of the mandibles dictated I couldn't use an existing Falcon kit so, had to make the tops and bottoms of the "escape pod arms" bigger. It was like building two starfleet shuttlecraft, TBH. I didn't feel like building another gun for the bottom (that hardly anyone would see) so, I used that point as the hole for the display stand, which was galvanized pipe. More test-fitting to make everything mirror the opposite side. Last pic is a test fit of the gun/topside.

 

[rbeach84]

Too much fun to fit in a can...
Wow!
Regards, Robert

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 4. The bigger base skin is laid down and I started working on the stern curvature. I first tried it in one-piece fashion but, had to do it in smaller panels to avoid buckling. I mounted it on the angled stand to get a sense of how big this was going to be. When I couldn't stop smiling, I knew I was on the right track. For the cockpit, I drew out the shape, taking a few tries with file card first, to get it right. Then I cut the first layer out of .020 sty, rolled it into a cone, then I cut another layer with the windows and wrapped it around the first cone. I was going to create a lighted cockpit but two things changed that plan: 1. Time crunch for the trip to Kentucky and 2. I just didn't feel like it. The back deck was next and you can see some of Blappy's donated parts in yellow. That man is a true hero to this build.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt 5. Next was the detailing beginning on the bottom. Being lazy, I pulled out some older molds I had made for a large scratchbuilt battlestar I did. The under "rockets" was next from a block of resin, and details being added on that. Back to the back deck. The vents/fans were made from the docking ring of a 1/32 Apollo Command Module from Monogram and the screen was cut to size, a mold made, and I cast 6 of them. Works like a charm. Since I decided lights weren't going to be added, I didn't have to worry about lighting the engine area so, I moved onto to the final base skin before the paneling began.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 6. Let's talk about hull paneling. As everyone knows, those ILM boys/girls are a crafty bunch and to replicate the distinct paneling on the Falcon, I would have to figure out how to do it without wasting a ton of styrene. Enter: file folders. I drew guide lines on the hull, using Gavin's renders as a guide, then cut each panel out of file card with an Xacto and metal ruler, laid them on the mandibles and checked for fit. When they worked, I then traced them onto sheet styrene and cut them out. For the opposite mandible, I just flipped the cards, traced them onto more styrene sheet, and cut them out. I used a nibbler to make the notches and cleaned up the edges with a file.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 7. Next was the side details. Again, as everyone knows, the Falcon is loaded with details and greeblies on the sides but, I didn't want to spend weeks on each panel so, masters were made, molds poured and castings were made from that. More detailing took place, with more of Blappy's incredible greeblies, and me making what I couldn't find. Test fitting continued, making slight corrections here and there till it resembled Gavin's version. The test fitting and completion of the cockpit happened about this time and, thinking of the incredible Lasse Henning, I threw a few shots of me in there for scale.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 8. Cockpit access tube was built up from sty card at .040, and more hull detailing started going on. About this time is when I couldn't stop grinning. It was nearly ready for paint and markings.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 9. When I was happy with everything I moved on to the base coat of paint. Rattle can was the order of the day (Testors MM) and I gave her about two coats overall. The gun was painted separately and attached later. I used different colors for the cockpit windows, to simulate "glass". Next up, the wash and decals, and dullcoat.

 

[BB43MAN]

Pt. 10. Finally at the end, the washing could start. I used a combination of both paint thinned and acrylic cut with water. The Testers spray grabs the acrylic pretty nice. I wiped excess with a folded clean paper towel. The red/gray markings are painted on, using masking fluid for the "chipped areas". I made sure to wait for a nice sunny day to take the beauty shots. The data plate was custom made. Enjoy.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

That looks incredible! Great job.

 

[division 6]

Outstanding job.

 

[publiusr]

That is just lovely...more deserving of the name Condor or Roc.

I could see a Planet of the Titans Enterprise having that paneling...

 

[JimmyB]

That's absolutely stunning!

 

[Moska]

Just beautiful!!

 

[userd1402]

Beautiful build.

 

[Carlb]

Fantastic work!

 

[JamesM242]

Outstanding! Thanks for sharing your work - such a joy to read through and see all of your fantastic progress!

 

[joberg]

Solid workmanship from beginning to end, from top to bottom...and in my scale