Bandai 1/72 PG Millennium Falcon (also the Revell Germany rebox)

Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Thanks for the compliments, guys! The streaking technique I use is pretty low-tech. I made three masks out of thin clear sheet plastic and used an Xacto to cut thin strips out. One mask was a narrow straight rectangle and the other two were tapered. I used clear plastic so I could see where to position each streak.
View attachment 791484View attachment 791486View attachment 791485
On the tapered ones, I cut the tapered end all the way to the edge of the plastic so that I could flex the plastic back and forth to narrow or widen the taper as needed. I'd hold the chosen shape using some tape. When it was time to paint, I would use tape to mask off the top of the panel on the model where the streak would start (to avoid the streak starting above the panel line) and then hold the plastic mask in position. I'd hold it a couple millimeters above the surface of the panel while spraying, varying the height to soften (farther) or sharpen (closer) each streak. I usually held the mask at the bottom of the taper so the bottom would be a little farther away from the model surface than the top. This helped the streak fade from top to bottom. On some of the really faint, wide streaks I just used some ground gray chalk pastel and a stiff brush to put them directly on the model. If the painted streak wasn't quite right (which happened a lot), I'd either scrape at it lightly using a blade or give it a light sanding to get it closer to what I wanted. Where needed, I also brush painted little blobs at the top of some streaks to indicate the oily source of the leak.

I definitely recommend airbrushing the streaks to give it that authentic 5-footer look. Most of the streaks are narrower and fainter than you think. It's better to have a lot of faint streaks than it is to have fewer darker ones, IMHO. Keep the streaks from getting too uniform in thickness and darkness. Build up layers. Mist with some hull color to blend and finish up with a dusting of grime and viola!

To be honest, I kind of rushed the painting this weekend because I'm recovering from surgery and couldn't stay vertical for too long. This isn't a perfect technique, but it's working pretty well.
View attachment 791488
Well the results look fantastic! Something that you may have tried that I find that works well when I'm trying to line up a stencil to airbrush through is lightly drawing the line you want to follow with a pencil and then lining it up through the slit in the stencil. The paint covers the pencil mark and I find it easier to line up. You probably have already thought of it, but worth some consideration.

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Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Well the results look fantastic! Something that you may have tried that I find that works well when I'm trying to line up a stencil to airbrush through is lightly drawing the line you want to follow with a pencil and then lining it up through the slit in the stencil. The paint covers the pencil mark and I find it easier to line up. You probably have already thought of it, but worth some consideration.

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Funny you should mention that. I did figure that out -- on maybe my second to last streak! :lol No, that's an excellent tip. I also used a gray colored pencil to fill in some streaks that needed a little extra something.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Thanks for the compliments, guys! The streaking technique I use is pretty low-tech. I made three masks out of thin clear sheet plastic and used an Xacto to cut thin strips out. One mask was a narrow straight rectangle and the other two were tapered. I used clear plastic so I could see where to position each streak.
View attachment 791484View attachment 791486View attachment 791485
On the tapered ones, I cut the tapered end all the way to the edge of the plastic so that I could flex the plastic back and forth to narrow or widen the taper as needed. I'd hold the chosen shape using some tape. When it was time to paint, I would use tape to mask off the top of the panel on the model where the streak would start (to avoid the streak starting above the panel line) and then hold the plastic mask in position. I'd hold it a couple millimeters above the surface of the panel while spraying, varying the height to soften (farther) or sharpen (closer) each streak. I usually held the mask at the bottom of the taper so the bottom would be a little farther away from the model surface than the top. This helped the streak fade from top to bottom. On some of the really faint, wide streaks I just used some ground gray chalk pastel and a stiff brush to put them directly on the model. If the painted streak wasn't quite right (which happened a lot), I'd either scrape at it lightly using a blade or give it a light sanding to get it closer to what I wanted. Where needed, I also brush painted little blobs at the top of some streaks to indicate the oily source of the leak.

I definitely recommend airbrushing the streaks to give it that authentic 5-footer look. Most of the streaks are narrower and fainter than you think. It's better to have a lot of faint streaks than it is to have fewer darker ones, IMHO. Keep the streaks from getting too uniform in thickness and darkness. Build up layers. Mist with some hull color to blend and finish up with a dusting of grime and viola!

To be honest, I kind of rushed the painting this weekend because I'm recovering from surgery and couldn't stay vertical for too long. This isn't a perfect technique, but it's working pretty well.
View attachment 791488
You just broke the forum.

This is it.

The answer.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

To be honest, I kind of rushed the painting this weekend because I'm recovering from surgery and couldn't stay vertical for too long. This isn't a perfect technique, but it's working pretty well.
View attachment 791488

Cut off the whole cockpit cone, eh? I've thought about doing this too because that seam is so ugly. I'll have to get a precision saw.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Cut off the whole cockpit cone, eh? I've thought about doing this too because that seam is so ugly. I'll have to get a precision saw.

Yeah, the cockpit is such a visual focal point that I didn't want to muck with the seam either. Now I can paint and weather it before attaching it to the rest of the model. Plus, it allows me to save the cockpit for last and just pop it in. I know I'm using your original cockpit, and that will be where I finish the build.

- - - Updated - - -

You just broke the forum.

This is it.

The answer.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

:lol Nice of you to say! I doubt it's "the" answer, but it's an answer.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Definitely cutting the cockpit cone. I hate that seam. But I’m just really apprehensive about the risk of damage when cutting it... so knife or razor saw?
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

so knife or razor saw?

Razor saw. But after I cut mine and glued the two cone pieces together I found there were slight gaps when I dry fit the completed cone back on to the cockpit tube. I had to glue a couple thin strips of styrene to the cockpit tube and then carefully sand them down to make the tube completely flush with the cone. Not a bit deal, just fiddly.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

What seam are we talking about?

The seam between the upper and lower halves of the cockpit cone. I separated the lower half of the cone from the rest of the cockpit tube so I could glue the cone together as one piece, like the way its molded on the MPC. Here you can see the two strips I had to add to make sure the cone was flush when put back against the tube.
IMG_9109.jpgIMG_9110.jpgIMG_9111.jpg
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

The seam between the upper and lower halves of the cockpit cone. I separated the lower half of the cone from the rest of the cockpit tube so I could glue the cone together as one piece, like the way its molded on the MPC. Here you can see the two strips I had to add to make sure the cone was flush when put back against the tube.
View attachment 791544View attachment 791545View attachment 791546
Nice! I was thinking of getting the shapeways one because I also want it was one piece.

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Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

If you only need one cone, you might not need the Shapeways one. Back when I was thinking about having swappable cockpits, I was going to get a second cone, but I'm now going with Joe CS's original 5-footer cockpit as my permanent interior. Bandai's cone is perfect.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Looking perfect, Lab! You're nailing the warm tones.
lab1.jpg
What are you doing for these smaller blast hits? I'm thinking of spraying them through a pin hole stencil, but still experimenting to get the right windswept look. You nailed 'em.
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Thanks for the compliments, guys! The streaking technique I use is pretty low-tech. I made three masks out of thin clear sheet plastic and used an Xacto to cut thin strips out. One mask was a narrow straight rectangle and the other two were tapered. I used clear plastic so I could see where to position each streak.
View attachment 791484View attachment 791486View attachment 791485
On the tapered ones, I cut the tapered end all the way to the edge of the plastic so that I could flex the plastic back and forth to narrow or widen the taper as needed. I'd hold the chosen shape using some tape. When it was time to paint, I would use tape to mask off the top of the panel on the model where the streak would start (to avoid the streak starting above the panel line) and then hold the plastic mask in position. I'd hold it a couple millimeters above the surface of the panel while spraying, varying the height to soften (farther) or sharpen (closer) each streak. I usually held the mask at the bottom of the taper so the bottom would be a little farther away from the model surface than the top. This helped the streak fade from top to bottom. On some of the really faint, wide streaks I just used some ground gray chalk pastel and a stiff brush to put them directly on the model. If the painted streak wasn't quite right (which happened a lot), I'd either scrape at it lightly using a blade or give it a light sanding to get it closer to what I wanted. Where needed, I also brush painted little blobs at the top of some streaks to indicate the oily source of the leak.

I definitely recommend airbrushing the streaks to give it that authentic 5-footer look. Most of the streaks are narrower and fainter than you think. It's better to have a lot of faint streaks than it is to have fewer darker ones, IMHO. Keep the streaks from getting too uniform in thickness and darkness. Build up layers. Mist with some hull color to blend and finish up with a dusting of grime and viola!

To be honest, I kind of rushed the painting this weekend because I'm recovering from surgery and couldn't stay vertical for too long. This isn't a perfect technique, but it's working pretty well.
View attachment 791488

That narrative of your technique is gold for those of us who take in information textually. Thanks so much!


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Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Great work Captain Han Solo, Lab, Hunk a Junk and Darth Saber

It's getting hard to tell whose falcon is whose :).

They are all looking great and all look like the studio model and all have the right tones (and those are all good things)

Hopefully mine will look just like any of yours
 
Re: Bandai 1/72 Millennium Falcon

Yes,...I'm starting to crap myself,....I don't think I'll be able to do her justice like these guys here

J
 

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