Building The ANH 5'Millennium Falcon

[eagle1]

Ha, I wish mate!

My new tube arrived last week, so Iv'e cut it to the right size with the 60% cut. Of course the measures are slightly diiferent now compared to the 5 1/2" tube of which I'll [post soon with some piccys.
After alot of thought regarding the cockpit cone Iv'e decided to vac-form it over a turned buck (which is done) for the initial layer, then lay up the next layer manually while still on the buck. This will result in a strong cone with the desired thickness. Windows will then be cut out & underneath plating glued on.

Another batch of kits arrived/arriving soon including the M8 carrier which has always been elusive to me.

One thing that has become apparent with the Bandai Panther strips is that they 'taper' in considerably towards the bottom of the cockpit. This was throwing my kit placement out heaps, but after realising this was the case, ill do the same on mine, which will result in all donors fitting sweet.
Stu

 

[Nwerke]

ILM built their original 5-foot Falcon model to be 1/24th scale. But that first model seems to be the only time the Falcon was ever depicted that big. Even the "oversized" cockpit interior set for ESB was probably still a bit smaller.

"That first model" is the main means by which the ship is depicted in all three movies, however. And since all the interior sets won't fit into the role-playing-game statistics, I don't really see why the role-playing-game statistics should be taken so seriously. I realise a lot of folks grew up playing it, but the film trumps it.

Nick, I feel your pain - my ten-year-delayed bathroom rebuild is on again. :lol

Stu, thanks for that piece of info! I have some cutting to do tonight and hope to have pics of something worth taking a pic of during the coming week...

 

[eagle1]

No worries Martyn, every problem I find will be posted so others don't feel the pain:lol

One thing that completely bambuzzels me, is you draw a plan view of the cockpit on paper with all the measures taken & then you mark out the tube, cut the tube with the 60% cut, sand the cut/elipse on a flat surface & the measures come out different. ILM would have had the same anomolies so no worry there, but really strange me thinks:confused
The donors are the truth, so if they fit as they should, all's well in my Falcon build hell:lol
Stu

 

[Gort]

Glad to hear you are progressing Stu. Will look forward to more pics. I've got to do more map updates at some point too. This Falcon building lark is like having another job sometimes!

Hey Martyn, maybe we should start our own thread called. 'NOT building a 5' Falcon and having to do a bathroom instead!'

'Nick, I feel your pain - my ten-year-delayed bathroom rebuild is on again. :lol'

 

[Cadeus]

No worries Martyn, every problem I find will be posted so others don't feel the pain:lol

One thing that completely bambuzzels me, is you draw a plan view of the cockpit on paper with all the measures taken & then you mark out the tube, cut the tube with the 60% cut, sand the cut/elipse on a flat surface & the measures come out different. ILM would have had the same anomolies so no worry there, but really strange me thinks:confused
The donors are the truth, so if they fit as they should, all's well in my Falcon build hell:lol
Stu

Do your measurements account for the thickness of the plastic? It sounds like a stupid question, but it is a common mistake. The best of us make it... Two outer-walls at 1/16in. each is 1/8th possible error, and then the wall-thickness of the consoles, panels ect. Just a query.

 

[eagle1]

Glad to hear you are progressing Stu. Will look forward to more pics. I've got to do more map updates at some point too. This Falcon building lark is like having another job sometimes!

Hey Martyn, maybe we should start our own thread called. 'NOT building a 5' Falcon and having to do a bathroom instead!'

'Nick, I feel your pain - my ten-year-delayed bathroom rebuild is on again. :lol'

Heya Nick, yeah getting there mate.
I'll have to input some more finds into your thread too mate, as the kits keep arriving, new finds are found & noted. There's quite a few lined stacked up at the mo.
Stu

 

[eagle1]

Do your measurements account for the thickness of the plastic? It sounds like a stupid question, but it is a common mistake. The best of us make it... Two outer-walls at 1/16in. each is 1/8th possible error, and then the wall-thickness of the consoles, panels ect. Just a query.

Yep, took all that into consideration, same thing happened with the scrapped 5 1/2" tube as well.
Even accounted for the fact that Plastruct tube, especially the larger sizes are just not true round!. When it's sanded on a flat surface, the tube is pushed right down in a tight hold to get fairly level.
I'm gonna put in round bulkheads in acrylic anyhoo to keep true. The finished cockpit should then 'marry' up to the walkway quite well. That's the plan, but as always, tweaking along the way.
Stu

 

[Cadeus]

Awesome... I figured you had... YOU DA MAN!!! We will continue to watch your build with great interest. opcorn

 

[batguy]

"That first model" is the main means by which the ship is depicted in all three movies, however. And since all the interior sets won't fit into the role-playing-game statistics, I don't really see why the role-playing-game statistics should be taken so seriously. I realise a lot of folks grew up playing it, but the film trumps it.

I don't refer to any RPG stats. I refer to the movie itself. I don't think any of the 1:1 cockpit tunnel sets reflect an 11-12fit exterior tunnel size. Etc. I see nothing in the finished films to suggest a 136ft Falcon.

Yeah I know the shots don't agree on a single size. But that doesn't mean we should go picking a size that's way outside all of them.



We all know ILM & Lucas changed their ideas about the Falcon tons of times, and they even added a few more things after ANH was done. I think of the 136ft size as just another detail during the development of the ship that was later revised before the first frame of ANH was shot.

Bottom line - nobody walked out of ANH in 1977 thinking the Falcon was 136ft long.

.

 

[ozzyguanche]

Anyone know anything about "photogrammetry". I was thinking that considering we now have some excellent photographs of the falcon, and recorded camera information of these photographs, that photogrammetry may be the answer to nailing these dimentions.

Thoughts?

Ozzy

 

[SteveStarkiller]

this is something I've been thinking about for a while. There is a program called 123D Catch, which can translate a series of photos taken of an object into a 3d model. The models that come out of the program can look a bit choppy and a little like papier mache, but it could answer some questions on proportions for sure.

one more precise method I've seen for making programs like that work really well is to shoot a video, walking around the model, and then to take all the frames and use them for the model, instead of just a handful, or even a lot, of still shots.

 

[SteveStarkiller]

if someone shot a careful walk around the next time one of the studio scale Falcon's is on display, it could be turned into a fairly accurate 3d model. Precise measurements could be obtained by measuring the display case, which would also show up in the model, and then scaling the resulting CG model to that...

 

[ozzyguanche]

I remember seeing someone giving the display case measurment, and there are a few walk arounds available already. Anyone know were the big F is at the moment? Can someone do a walkaround?

PS: Sorry Stu for diverting your thread.

Ozzy

 

[Darth Ronnow]

Howdy,
Just wanted to say... this is one of my favorite builds on RPF. I've really enjoyed watching your progress. Keep up the astounding work.
MORE PICTURES PLEASE!
thumbsupthumbsup:thumbsup
Cheers,
Clint

 

[Tsophika]

Anyone know anything about "photogrammetry.

There is a program called 123D Catch, which can translate a series of photos taken of an object into a 3d model.

Sorry, too many variables. The only true measurements we have are the kit parts themselves. Besides, the work is already being done and I'm confident it is accurate to the millimeter.

Who wants a CNC'd hull? A sample:

 

[Tsophika]

How's that cockpit tube, Stu? Can't wait to see the new one!

 

[jedimaster]

Ooh ooh... Pick me Craig...

 

[ozzyguanche]

Your right, the true measurments are the parts themselves, and I am sure as they are build the dimentions will be made to suit the parts. But for those of us who do not own any of those major parts that makes it a bit difficult.

And great work has been done on the sizing of the falcon, but accurate to the millimeter at the moment is a bit optimistic. In 3 pages here there have been opinions about sizes with differences greater than inches.

I was thinking of only the basic shape in regards to photogrammetry, not every detail. Very few variables there.

Ozzy

 

[ozzyguanche]

PS; Would love to see the hull.

 

[eagle1]

Ozzy- Your'e ok mate, all comments are well recieved.

I do endorse totally with Craig & the Falcon group that having the kit parts are the only way to get the true measures as close as possible.
The hull measures are getting closer by the day with all the staggering work some folks are doing to reveal an accurate hull.
I am with Wayne in the thinking that by building the Falcon as sub-assemblies as much as possible, all the measures will 'tie' into the build as a whole.

Even good photographic ref lies too, as I found out with my first cockpit tube.

I'm plugging away at the cockpit, will drill the holes this weekend, been putting it off. There are so many areas to tie into each other that it has taken an age to get this piece right. I'll post some pics very soon.
All kit parts that I have will mostly be 'placed' only as they will be sent away for casting. I myself can't wait to see this cockpit done, it's one of my favorite areas of the Falcon.
Stu