SPA Modeler

Thanks guys! Those reference pics are awesome Bruce! I'm sure I'll have lots of questions once this build gets going so hopefully some of you will be able to help me out. I'm planning on building the Force Awakens version of the Falcon since I'm not up to doing the necessary mods for the Falcon from the older movies. The round dish will simply be an interchangeable option.

Stikpusher wrote:You may want to look into lining certain portions of the interior with foil or something similar to eliminate light bleed thru of gaps or thru the plastic. But this looks to have some serious potential for awesomeness!

That and other thoughts after I purchased the lighting kit were the cause of my loss of mojo. Some pre-planning needed to be done in terms of the lighting and I really didn't know where to start. Before the kit got put on the shelf, I did one thing construction-wise that I can share.

Prior to starting, I referenced a few other Bandai Falcon builds. I would not have noticed this were it not for those builders. The ridge of raised details on the cockpit tube... notice the level of detail and how the features stand noticeably higher than the surface of the tube.



The ridge on the Falcon is less busy and does not stick out like the kit.


So I used a razor saw and carefully cut the ridge off.


This ridge can now be set lower so as not to protrude from the surface.


The piece is not glued into place because I wasn't sure if I needed wiring access to the cockpit tube. Not a perfect fix but I think it looks better.

Congrats to this clean cut, surgeon. I'd never had noticed it for myself, but now with the modified part on my screen I have to admit that it really improves that part of the model. Good find!

You're good...

Wow. Nice kit. I don't think I'd have the patience to do the lighting though. But the weathering options are endless!

BEAUTIFUL WORK, JOHN!!!

I am so excited to watch your progress on this kit - when the time comes post Dora!! I saw a fella offering a Cloud City display base and thought... "hmmmmmm."

Now you got me thinking, "hmmmmmm"! Is that a Shapeways base? I have not opened the Falcon box since starting on the Dora but hopefully, the Force will drum up some motivation to start on it again.

You can never top the original Ralph McQuarrie vision of that...

John! Yes, the maker is 308 Bits on Shapeways. I'm seriously thinking about this one:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/ATE99 ... arketplace



Carlos! Such a beautiful painting by McQuarrie!