1:1 Millennium Falcon Cockpit Replica - Group Build

Another fun and game with that "Laser Juice" Sofa?:lol That machine is certainly giving you grief! Glad to see some progress, despite the heat and that damn machine.
 
Forgive me, bit of a daft question - and I may have missed it in the thread - but is there a reason as to why you call the Volvo panels, well, volvo panels? :)
Forever impressed by your and your teams work, Sofa!

Hi D,

Thanks so much for the kind words. Despite the laser cutter or the redo's or the daily mishaps... it's been one of the best projects I've ever worked on. We're having so much fun!

The reason we refer to the upper nose cone panels as the "Volvo Panels" is because the original designers used an actual Volvo Dash Cluster as a greeblie. You might know them better as the 6 (3 per side) display clusters on the "Han in Carbonite" prop. The original designers used this particular part (and many others) all over the Star Wars universe. Not only in the MF cockpit and HiC but also in the Hoth Med Bay, the Star Destroyer bridge (it might be in Bespin as well) and even other areas of the MF.

So... now ya know. :)
 
Another fun and game with that "Laser Juice" Sofa?:lol That machine is certainly giving you grief! Glad to see some progress, despite the heat and that damn machine.

Hey J,

Bad me for spilling the laser juice... ;)

OH MAN! As much as I love the laser cutter she put our patients to the test this weekend. It turns out (I updated the post) that the config file is in fact bad and not config'd for this specific controller. The vendor is sending out the correct config file along with new s/w and updated manuals and written docs. We HOPE this clears up the issues.
 
Hi Gang,

A quick morning update for those who enjoy greeblies...

Nav Computer Tank Lid
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This is going to look neat when finished!
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Don't you just love primer!
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Once the primer dried I sanded the ends and added the small knob to the bottoms
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OK! Let's add some color!
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And silver! That's actually drying right now... Wont be able to see them in place until this afternoon...
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Stay Tuned!
 
Hope the new config file works! Amazing work as always on this beast!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Hey FM,

Thanks so much! :)

So far no good news has come from the Vendor. Daniel used the laser cutter last night and said it was working really well - but still has issues. GRRRR
 
Hi Gang,

Quick morning update!

I popped over the shop after work and managed to knock out a few things. One of them being removing material from the bottom on the nose skin so the front and rear edges align. So, I marked out what needed to be removed
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After I cut out that small curve I adhered / added 2 panels to both ends. These panels will then be trimmed to fit - maybe tonight!
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The 2x4 is applying pressure
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Once dried, I'll attach, trim to fit and then we have the beginning of the new nose cone skin
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I also cut a few more greeblies
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And painted some others! Nice!
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More to Follow!
 

Nav computer??!!?? I was just looking at that particular piece on the Falcon today and was wondering what it was made from.. I guess a laser cutter... LOL Oh man, I'm excited to see this come together..
 
Nav computer??!!?? I was just looking at that particular piece on the Falcon today and was wondering what it was made from.. I guess a laser cutter... LOL Oh man, I'm excited to see this come together..

Hey D,

I'm getting really excited too! As much as I am going to hate doing to Volvo panels, I'm looking forward to getting the cockpit finished!

The Nav Computer greeblie is a gas/oil tank lid. I think fellow RPFer Wavey has one (Wavey?). I designed and then laser cut acrylic. I have to make a few mods and add a few more little greeblies before painting. The plan is, if all goes well, I'll be building the Nav Computer this year or early next year to accompany the cockpit and quad laser(s). The more props we have, the better and more exciting it will be for guests.
 
Howdy G, yup I has one. I'll take some pics and measurements asap. I think it has a small size baked bean tin sitting between the centre cap and its base - I'll have some more beans.
 
Howdy G, yup I has one. I'll take some pics and measurements asap. I think it has a small size baked bean tin sitting between the centre cap and its base - I'll have some more beans.

Really? A small tin in between the cap and base? Interesting! Detailed images would be fantastic! I really want to be as detailed and as accurate as possible. :) Thank you, my friend!
 
Hi Gang!

Time for an update... What a frustrating weekend! As most of you know we've been having some real issues with the laser cutter. Well... we finally figured out that the software (Lasercut) is the culprit. For those familiar with the "Lasercut" software, Ver 6.0 is the latest. Well, 6.0 is also a BETA version... UGH! And there is a reason it's still a BETA version! The s/w is plagued with so many issues we finally just uninstalled it.

One of the new features to 6.0 is called the "Set Point". This feature allows you to not only see but also change/set the start point where the laser starts to cut your object. It's supposed to look something like this - notice the green circles and the yellow squares
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It's not supposed to look like this... I don't even know how many "Set Points" there are in this image!!!!!
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The "Set Point" is nothing more that a visual reminder of where the laser cutter will start cutting. It's not a path, layer, mode etch, cut, etc... The S/W is so corrupt that when the file is exported, the s/w is actually referring to these visual reminders as a legitimate path and cuts the line! NOT GOOD!
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Insert Face palm here... :facepalm So... We're going to reinstall Ver 5.3, walk through the config file line by line and see if that fixes the issues.

Enough with that! Let's move on to the good stuff! I did make some forward progress. I began by designing a template for a new cover to hide the nose and floor transition to the window. I would like to add some visual interest as well, maybe a vent or screen to allow air flow?
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I still have 2 more pieces to design and cut but I like it. Maybe I'll create some custom greeblie boxes similar to the Volvo dash clusters? That would be cool! You guys/gals have any ideas? Let's see some sketches! :)
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I temp added the new "Eye Bolt" greeblies - nice! These are MUCH MORE screen accurate
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I then turned my attention to the nose cone panel. In order to apply the skin I need more surface area for the skin to grab so I added these vertical mounting strips. These strips also add depth. This added depth will help in many ways to include meshing the nose to the the front window.
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Checking alignment
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I then removed it from the platform, flipped it over, found center and started to lay the skin. This was NOT easy
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The closer you get to the edge the stiffer and more rigid the skin becomes so more screws were required to keep the skin from popping away from the frame
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Because of the vertical strips, this pushed the skin away from the main frame. This resulted in my having to remove almost 3" of material from the underside curve. Another 1/2 - 3/4" and it will be prefect
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Still pinching the skin when laid flat.... UGH
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I then put it back onto the platform to check the sides for alignment and sanding
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So far so good!
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I then turned my attention to the two large gaps next to the shelves...
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I sketched out the basic shape on a 2x4, took a deep breath and cut this template. But does it fit?
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BINGO!
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A few minor adjustments and its time for the real thing! Let's do this!
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I debated whether to cut the piece below or level with the shelf. It made MORE sense to be level with the shelf. The added surface area gives me a little more room when I begin work on the new Volvo Panels
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Note how far the panel is away from the main arch. I'm planning on a metal frame that will mount to the main platform then curve around the main body but not actual mount or add stress to the body panels
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I'm going to cut thin strips of the darker material and cover the exposed area to bring the skin level with the shelf
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Wasn't able to cover the entire nose... No biggie. The skin will be covered with another layer of 1/8" MDF (or similar) to hide the errors, screws, etc...
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Time to cut the other side
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PERFECT!
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I VERY quickly realized that this was the area I bolted the nose to the frame... UMMM... No access... So, I have to drill 2 holes that will allow me to bolt everything together. But we'll cover those with the removable armor plating. Not sure what those will be made of... we'll burn that bridge when we get to it! ;)
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I love that curve! I am a little concerned with the exposed screw heads and how it will affect the second skin layer. Anybody have any ideas?
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The laser cutter is now the top priority. We're going back to Lasercut Ver 5.3 to see if that resolves all the issues. Fingers crossed!

A huge thanks to Scott for taking time away from his projects and helping with the nose!

More to Follow!
 
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WOW, awesome update SK.

That skin is looking beautiful. Thinks about how to add your second skin.

SOOOOO it was the cutting software causing all of your issues!!!! ARGHHHH!!! That's some detective work undertaken there. Well done. Fingers crossed for you the downgrade sorts it all out.
 
WOW, awesome update SK.

That skin is looking beautiful. Thinks about how to add your second skin.

SOOOOO it was the cutting software causing all of your issues!!!! ARGHHHH!!! That's some detective work undertaken there. Well done. Fingers crossed for you the downgrade sorts it all out.

Hi R,

Thanks so much! It was nice being able to cut those 2x4s in one shot and not have any do overs! Which I am a master of! ;)

One more step to go with the nose skin. We just have to figure out the best way to hide those screws. I'm wondering if we should switch gears and change the skin to a thinner and more flexible 1/8" ply. It would solve the screw head issue and you know how much I love redoing things! ugh...

After all the trouble and looking through the config file it turned out to be the Lasercut S/W. Going back to what worked isn't, in my opinion, a downgrade. Ver 6.0 is a BETA and its terrible! Ver 5.3 worked and worked well. Those 1/4 scale cuts I was getting are amazing. We have to get back to that point. :)
 
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Looking good! With regards to the Laser Cutter software, I find that "if it ain't broke, don't update" works most of the time. The skin is looking great too! Personally, I think you could get away with painting it gray and covering up whatever access holes you cut.
 
Skins are looking great, the full set covering will be insane! It reminds me of the de Havilland Mosquito construction, I think that was a mostly wooden frame with molded wood skins. I wonder if any tips and tricks can be taken from some of the Mozzy restoration sites?
 
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