crazypoet

True that. Does that mean it fits our "1:32 or larger" requirements? i've done some browsing of their build logs. There's an amazing amount of room for detailing and weathering of both the interior and exterior of the ship. fortunately (or not) I'm not married to making this *exactly* as it existed for the movie. This was a busy working ship between episodes, so there's scope to do a bit of "wandering" with details. I noticed that they've made the interior far too clean and tidy. I need to fix that... all those sharp and/or lumpy and/or explosive bits of kit they wore around are sure to have done at least some damage to the upholstery. And I suspect that Chewie probably shed a bit and left unclothed-large-furry-humanoid stains wherever he sat for any length of time. not to mention that never once did I see any of them wipe their feet prior to entering the ship...

Ah - I found the scale and it's smaller than I thought. It shows as 1:43 on the website. Seems like it should be larger. Oh, well - I'm getting it anyway. Now we need to get Eduard to work *their* magic... I can already see places where a bit of PE and resin could be quite handy. I'm gonna have to do *something* about those dead-flat instrument panels...

This shows some of the hull detail a bit better - the somewhat-battered prow, stains and a bit of slime: and the stern, with tiller, hatches and mast socket. If I decide to move the mast, it will go on he centerline just behind the tiller. Still undecided on that...

The deck fittings are essentially complete, though I'm still doing a bit of fine-tuning on the masts. the front mast would of necessity been removable - it sits directly in way of the gun muzzle and would be just a bit of a mess should they forget one time to take it down! For this reason, I chose to just do the mounting socket here. For the rear, I'll mount the mast permanently, hung with an appropriate Naval Ensign. Getting the blocks and cleats the way I want them is an ongoing process at the moment, so it's not quite ready for its closeup. The mast sockets were punched from card stock, stiffened with CA and drilled through before getting a coat of graphite. I'm doing a bit of second-guessing on the location for the rear mast. It was shown offset from the centerline and ahead of the rudder post in the old drawing, but it just doesn't look quite right. I may move it before I make things permanent. If I do move it, I'll have to cover the hole i already drilled in the deck, but that is just a "design challenge"... a day in the life! i've started weathering the hull - left side in-progress just now. I've temporarily mounted the rudder/tiller and prop for reference, to help with splash patterns and the like. The weathering needs to be strong enough to be visible, but not over the top. Finding that space between just enough and too much... so herewith the progress of the moment: foredeck: hull and waterline: cockpit and stern: it doesn't show up well in these shots, but there's a layer of brown algae sludge along the waterline. That is going to be the biggest headache, I think - it's a fine line between enough and overboard. The hull has been in heavily sedimented rivers and nearshore waters for months, with groundings on sandbars and beaches along the way, but is also not yet a year old... more to come as continue along and scratch my head!

Order going in today... I'm already planning enhancements, lol i read up on it a good bit yesterday, and the modular approach to construction really does lend itself well to the sorts of "improvements" we do around here. it doesn't specify anywhere in the literature (that I've yet seen at any rate) but from the raw dimensions on this beast, the scale seems to fall somewhere between 1:32 and 1:24. Lots of room to play!

Well, bugger! i was half hoping everyone would say that it's crap, so I wouldn't have to get it... now I'm stuck! it absolutely won't be done in the same timeframe that the pieces arrive (other items in the stash are ahead in the queue). but.. Damn. It's the Millenium Freaking Falcon, in huge crawl-inside-the-thing-and-explore-it scale...! ok. Mrs Poet's eyes will roll back in her head - but she's a fan as well... I also have exactly the *perfect* spot, once it's done.

Greetings! Extraordinary inspiration here - wander around and have fun!

So I'm interested in this very large scale Kit of the Millenium Falcon - supposedly a 1:1 scale model of the actual prop from the Empire Strikes Back. This is not an inexpensive kit, and is sold by subscription. does anyone have any experience with this supplier and kit? http://www.model-space.com/us/build-millennium-falcon.html I like the level of detail they provide - seems a great platform for adding additional detail. I guess my concern is with the overall price vs kit quality. If I'm going to shell out the serious coin they're asking, I want a kit hat is essentially perfect in fit and finish... any thoughts?

I love this ship! I look forward to watching your build. This is fun!

Every time I see an update on this it inspires me to take on bigger challenges. Beautiful work!!!

Nicely done! It's a challenge to do a complete replacement like this is any media. Thank you for sharing the process pictures.

Thank you! The work that I see posted here day in and day out is my inspiration. I look at the work posted by everyone in these forums and it encourages me to up my own game and take on new challenges. The deck fittings are almost done - a few more cleats and the masts are what remain in that department. I need to pay a visit to my LHS to get the right sized stock for the masts. I have 3/32" and 3/16" stock on-hand, and of *course* the masts need 1/8"... it never fails, lol. The delay will give me more time to work out exact placement and mounting options. Once the fittings are installed I'll finish weathering and stain-washing the hull and decks. After those, it's down to the home stretch - pulling together all the earlier sub-assemblines and associated plumbing. I did some test fits today, and it all sort of works. Photos to follow as I get more bits connected up. Meanwhile, I'm digging up patterns and pictures of the various tools that would have been carried aboard. Spanners, hammers, oil cans and suchlike, along with a coal shovel and the tools for loading and firing the gun. I can be working on these while I sit on conference calls at work...

Put me down for matte charcoal gray

I'm tempting fate here, I know! So far, the largest piece I've lost is a bit of PE brass, for which I had to scratch-build a replacement. Everything else I've been able to find - sooner or later, usually after much cursing. now having said all that, fate will cause me to lose the entire fuselage of my next project!

Bit of progress on the deck fittings. The forward spar hanger was a bit of a headache, fit-wise. The location makes fitting the support brace a challenge - took about 30 mins and two pairs of pliers to get all the curves and twists just right. Hmmm. Realizing that a black brace, in shadow, against a black section of hull doesn't show very well ! Foredeck almost done

Today's new arrival is the Signifer conversion kit which transforms their excellent Grumman Goose into the G21B seaplane flown by the Portuguese Navy This will be fun!!!!

Thank you for the update! I would *love* to see a Dc3/C-47 from them - it would be an amazing bit of work

So I got impatient and finished the aft torpedo mount, because I just had to see how everything worked. I finished it with a couple layers of graphite, then pinned it to the hull with brass pins of the appropriate scale, likewise finished with graphite. With this bracket out of the way, I started the forward piece. This one's a bit more complex since multiple pieces are riveted together and have to articulate in multiple directions. So - out comes the home blacksmith shop... These are the first three pieces, riveted together and shaped. There's two more pieces to add. I'll add a touch of tamiya primer/filler to help smooth the half-millimeter-wide bend lines in the Model Expo PE, and connect it all up and mount it tomorrow-ish.

Damn. In this crowd, I'd be thrilled beyond my ability to express to get a 2nd or 3rd spot!

Working on deck fittings today. These include the cleats for lines of various sorts, the spar torpedo mounts and cannon fittings. The first pieces are the foredeck cleats and the aft mount for the torpedo. The cleats are pretty straightforward- Britannia metal casts that just needed a bit of cleanup and primer before hitting them with graphite. The torpedo mounts are fairly thick PE brass. The aft mount is two pieces that needed to be both riveted and adjusted to fit. Pretty straightforward, but needs a bit of primer to help smooth out the creases.

I recall seeing a note somewhere that HpH was working up a 1:32 A-20 Havoc with a projected 2017 release. Has anyone heard any news on this? I've been looking for the Havoc in 1:32 for the longest. I already plan their 1:32 PBY for my birthday gift to myself this year; if they add the A-20, I'll just have to celebrate a bit *more*

I've seen the occasional spokes-model... but for some reason not many of the builders!

I love this bird, and enjoy watching your work as it progresses

Got the hawse holes done today, and a start on painting the topside. I'd originally planned to do the hawse holes in brass, but ended up taking the 1/64" plywood/rat tail file/superglue/graphite approach instead. These are intended to be iron components set into the hull, and I *think* I got the look right. And after the first layer of paint and stain on the top deck: The decks and cover rails need another coat of gray, then it's on to masts, weathering and placement of the supports for the spar torpedo.

This is on the shopping list for my B-17... it's a beautiful bit of scale engineering!