SS 8 inch Millennium Falcon Build

JoeCS

Active Member
Hey everybody,

I wanted to do a SS build, and I really like the Millennium Falcon, yet the 5 footer and 32 incher are (just a little) out of my price and skill range. So, I am taking a stab at the 8 incher made for the underside of the Nebulon B at the end of Empire Strikes Back. The model also had lighting, suggesting it was used for far away shots. It's a simple model, and definitely gets ignored since the other two larger iterations are better models, but I think in the end it'll make a nice desk model -- it's the perfect size for one too.

IMG_1583.jpg

Note that any photos I use of the falcon aren't mine. I scoured the internet for every photo of this model, and my collection of "borrowed" photos is here < https://1drv.ms/a/s!AjRuknkctW_qgb47HJHiHl5hIloGEg >. Also, if anyone has photos that I don't already know about of the undersides of the mandibles, I would greatly appreciate if you could share them, because I can't make out the kit parts...

So, my build:

The original model, the main saucer, was wood turned on a lathe. I don't have a lathe so I am making mine out of styrene, using a ribbing and "pizza" slice process I'm sure we've all seen before. If anyone wants to know, the diameter of the saucer is 6 inches on the dot and the mandibles extend forward another 2 inches. I determined this by making a 3D dot model of the ship from the collection of photos I have and then extrapolating dimensions from kit parts. Long story short, it was a tiring process and I second guessed myself many times, but now I know the dimensions with certainty.

falcon1.JPG

So far I've made the top saucer and am working out the kinks of the various large parts that go on top of it. I've also tracked down a couple Fujimi and Tamiya kits (thanks in part to some fellow builders on the RPF), and I will be adding kit parts as soon as I can. This model is little and may be lack luster compared to the others from the OT, but it has grown on me. I'll update when I make substantial progress.

Thanks,

Joe

Also, if anyone asks for designs of the model, I can probably make them up. It's just a matter of getting around to them and making them look appealing.
 
Joe,

Nice. Studio Scale. Scratchbuilt. Kit parts. New build i havent seen before. Nice.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the build pics.

Marvin
 
I've seen it say the 8 inch one is the one thats on the back part of the star destroyer, but I know thats not right. Theres a picture from the link above where there is a smaller one. Looks about 3 or 4 inches. But I didn't even know about the 8 inch one. So that makes 4 Falcon models they made, thats all right?
 
Joe,

Nice. Studio Scale. Scratchbuilt. Kit parts. New build i havent seen before. Nice.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the build pics.

Marvin

Looks cool, I like it. Great subject for a ss scratch build.

Thanks for the support!

I've seen it say the 8 inch one is the one thats on the back part of the star destroyer, but I know thats not right. Theres a picture from the link above where there is a smaller one. Looks about 3 or 4 inches. But I didn't even know about the 8 inch one. So that makes 4 Falcon models they made, thats all right?

Excluding stuff like this and the full scale sets --

15965217_1338819932859907_7890379369978139223_n.jpg

-- then yes, there were only 4 models. Someone actually just posted a build of the little falcon, which was used on the back of the star destroyer < http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=273519 >. As far as I can tell, I don't think the 8 inch falcon was used for much more than the Nebulon B shot. Like I said, it had lighting, which makes me think it was used for far away shots, but it is impossible to tell in the film. But what confuses me the most is that the access bays on the madibles in the movie are not detailed, yet the current model does have them detailed.

RedemptionFalcon.jpg

who knows......
 
having seen this guy in person 90% of the detailing on it is simply paint. very few greeblies for the major areas then the rest is all paint.

Good Luck!

Jedi Dade
 
Here are a couple of shots I took in Orlando.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the photos!

having seen this guy in person 90% of the detailing on it is simply paint. very few greeblies for the major areas then the rest is all paint.

Good Luck!

Jedi Dade


I definitely see that. There are many times when I look at the photos and wonder why they used paint in some areas instead of kit parts (such as the access bays on the hull and the tube leading to the cockpit), and then I look at my model and remember how absolutely tiny the thing is. The photos always make the model look much bigger than it actually is. I give props to the ILMer who probably squinted a lot when making this. Thanks for the comment!

Speaking of greeblies, I might as well ask about some of the parts I need help identifying.

There's this:

kitpart.png
For reference, this part is probably no bigger than 4 mm.

And this:
kitpart2.png

This second one closely resembles the end of an antenna from a Testors Jadgpanzer kit I have. But of the other Jagdpanzers I've looked at, they don't seem to have this part. Also, I have ordered several Tamiya 1/700 crafts that use parts on this falcon, and I'm fairly certain the Tamiya kits don't included these parts pictured above, but I can't know for sure until they arrive.

As always, thanks

Joe
 
Thanks for the support!



Excluding stuff like this and the full scale sets --

View attachment 708392

-- then yes, there were only 4 models. Someone actually just posted a build of the little falcon, which was used on the back of the star destroyer < http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=273519 >. As far as I can tell, I don't think the 8 inch falcon was used for much more than the Nebulon B shot. Like I said, it had lighting, which makes me think it was used for far away shots, but it is impossible to tell in the film. But what confuses me the most is that the access bays on the madibles in the movie are not detailed, yet the current model does have them detailed.

View attachment 708393

who knows......

Wow first time I see that that big falcon section looks like a 1/6 scale, must have been used when you see Lando puppet coming out of the Falcon top hatch to save Luke hanging from the cloud city antenna.
 
Small update...

falcon2.JPG

I've made about 90% of the top jaw. Little did I know this would be one of the most frustrating parts to get right. Now I get to make all of this again for the bottom half of the falcon... hooray. But it is fun to see all of this coming together, and I'm pretty happy I don't have to cover this thing with panels :D. More updates at a later point . . .
 
If you have casting stuff handy...cast it and flip..

Jedi Dade

I don't, at least not enough for these parts. I'm saving what silicone I have for the kit parts. But making another half from scratch won't be too bad, and I want to make room for mounting and make the seams cleaner than I did with the top half
 
very cool, looking forward to more of this thread. That giant falcon section is a trip: if that really was for the Lando puppet shot, then that implies the hatch is on the starboard side, putting it right over the ramp. Weird... Then again, there are unused shots with Hamill and Williams showing them on a set piece that would have them entering the Falcon through a hatch in the middle of the nose.. so.
 
I took a very big hiatus on this project because I was ultimately unhappy with how the saucer shape looked. The seams made the surface uneven, and even if I sanded down the seams to hide them, there was a danger of sanding through the styrene since it is so thin. Plus I did not feel like repeating the process again to duplicate another saucer for the bottom half of the falcon that would look just as bad or not consistent with the first half. So I turned to 3D modeling, which is more precise and simpler.

mfalcsaucer.png

I have yet to 3D print this, I am currently trying to find ways to lower the volume (which will likely be in the way of putting holes in the model where they would never be seen). Nevertheless, this mesh is far more accurate than I could probably make by hand with my current resources. Though I will be able to salvage the jaw and sections above the escape pods (what are those called again?) that I already made.

I also have five of the kits that make up surface details: Tamiya 1/700 Prince of Wales, Hornet, and Enterprise (the Hornet and Enterprise detail pieces are pretty much the same) and Fujimi 1/76 Sherman and Matilda. I still need to get a Tamiya 1/700 Scharnhorst, as it makes up several of the rear engine deck details and mandible maintenance bay details, but I am not in a huge hurry. There are also the many kit parts which I have yet to identify, I've spent a good amount of time on the kit scans thread but have had little success.

Until next time!
 
Last edited:
The details on the mandibles was probably added for shots used in ROTJ (just a guess) as the Nebulon docked shot wasn't in the original theatrical release. After it had already premiered, Lucas always tweeking, felt that the back and forth between Luke and Lando was confusing in some way and asked ILM to create that establishing shot with the Falcon docked. Apparently they did it in a couple days and had it inserted into future prints, hence many of us saw that shot the first time we saw the movie,some did not. I want to say I read that in maybe the ILM effects book from maybe '89-'90?
Thanks for the support!



Excluding stuff like this and the full scale sets --

View attachment 708392

-- then yes, there were only 4 models. Someone actually just posted a build of the little falcon, which was used on the back of the star destroyer < http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=273519 >. As far as I can tell, I don't think the 8 inch falcon was used for much more than the Nebulon B shot. Like I said, it had lighting, which makes me think it was used for far away shots, but it is impossible to tell in the film. But what confuses me the most is that the access bays on the madibles in the movie are not detailed, yet the current model does have them detailed.

View attachment 708393

who knows......
 
The details on the mandibles was probably added for shots used in ROTJ (just a guess) as the Nebulon docked shot wasn't in the original theatrical release. After it had already premiered, Lucas always tweeking, felt that the back and forth between Luke and Lando was confusing in some way and asked ILM to create that establishing shot with the Falcon docked. Apparently they did it in a couple days and had it inserted into future prints, hence many of us saw that shot the first time we saw the movie,some did not. I want to say I read that in maybe the ILM effects book from maybe '89-'90?

I agree that the details were probably added for Jedi. It is very possible that they added the details but still decided to toss the model aside due to it being obsolete compared to the 32inch falcon. What is unique, though, is that many of the details present on the rear of the model (which were added during the production of ESB) are of the same kits as the details later added to the front of the model, suggesting that maybe the front details were added during the production of ESB but never filmed, or it is a coincidence that whoever picked up this model after filming the Nebulon B shots happened to use the same kits (also possible since not too many kits have as small as parts as 1/700 ships and 1/76 tanks).

Nevertheless, I think I want to recreate the prop as it looks today, save for the pieces that are broken off.
 
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