ILM Painted - Gifted Millennium Falcon - on Display at Oshkosh EAA Museum

[Treadwell]

Apologies, but this is the biggest stretch I've seen in a while.

 

[Hyde35]

Well, YMMV of course. My mileage goes to the moon and then to…

 

[joberg]

Apologies, but this is the biggest stretch I've seen in a while.

You and me both

 

[Leinads]

 

[Treadwell]

That wasn't very welcoming of me, was it? Glad you're here, Hyde35!

 

[Hyde35]

That wasn't very welcoming of me, was it? Glad you're here, Hyde35!

Don't worry, I have thick but very elastic skin. The Popeye addition was for fun but I hold to my idea that it was meant as an homage. Lucas has been heard to say that 2OOI inspired him greatly and among other things, the Death Star was inspired by the Discovery's Command Sphere. Again, Your Mileage May Vary.

 

[joberg]

Don't worry, I have thick but very elastic skin. The Popeye addition was for fun but I hold to my idea that it was meant as an homage. Lucas has been heard to say that 2OOI inspired him greatly and among other things, the Death Star was inspired by the Discovery's Command Sphere. Again, Your Mileage May Vary. View attachment 1779543

Who wasn't influenced by 2001

 

[Damon HF]

Hey All!

I went up to EAA's 2023 Oshkosh Airshow (Wisconsin) this year, almost specifically to see the Millenium Falcon that I've been hearing about for so long which they have on display in their museum up there. I don't know too much about it other than I've heard over the years that Ben Burtt and his team had gone up to the airshow back in 1975 or 1976 to record sound of all the airplanes flying in the show up there to record sound to be used for A New Hope. P-51 Mustang's slowed down engines, DC-3?, DC-9 etc. for the Millennium Falcon and other sorts of that stuff for the movie.

I do know that ILM donated a painted Millenium Falcon to the museum in 1977 or 1978 (or 1979?) after Episode IV came out, and they have had it on display ever since. What I don't know is what it is specifically, or if it was used for anything. To me it looks like an old MPC Falcon that received a totally awesome paint job by ILM. I'd be interested in learning some more about it if any of you have any info on it. It was pretty busy up there being it was the week of the airshow, but I did happen to talk to someone who works at the museum and he said that on tours he actually tells attendee's that it was used in the movie. I've never heard that before... that it was used in the movie. I had always only heard that they ILM painted this kit up and donated it to the museum as a thank you for allowing them to come up and record. If it was used for shooting, that would be news to me. As I'm up to my ears and elbows in Millennium Falcon research while I've been working on my 5 footer, I've never come across any info in regards to this model being used for shooting. So please let me know if anyone knows something different. For now, I'm only assuming it's an MPC kit that ILM painted up specifically for the Experimental Aircraft Association.

It's pretty small, 12" - 18" wide. It was hard to get shots all around it due to how and where it is mounted and displayed. I took a bunch of photos of the model while I was there of as much as I could. The museum was packed at the time, so I gave it my best! The display case was pushed up against a balcony wall, so I couldn't get any good shots of the port side, or the bottom for that matter. I almost wanted to break out the windex and a dust rag too! Haha! The case needs some serious dusting off as the dust looks like it was from the 70's too! People probably thought I was nuts wiping the case off. LOL

Figured I'd share all the photos with everyone to save them a trip up there. In case anyone wanted them for their research, here they are. At the very least, the photos might give a good paint reference for anyone with an old MPC kit. If anyone has any info on it, I'm interested in hearing it!

Thanks!

Yes, this definitely looks like the MPC kit given the high side walls and general iffy proportions elsewhere. However surprised the paint job is from ILM, because it does seem decidedly amateur and hasty. Always religiously follow the ILM paint and weathering schemes down to the last tiny speck and nuance on every Star Wars model when replicating them myself. Yet this museum exhibit just seems nowhere near the standard. Good luck with your five footer

 

[Hyde35]

As I alluded to when I was mentioning that the very same window pattern was in the Millennium Falcon as well as in the TIE fighters, (were they the same builders in the SW universe?), something occurred to me regarding the shape of the TIEs and the X-Wings. I’m certain that George Lucas made these shapes but I will leave it to others to confirm this. Here is my thought. Was George Lucas having the Empire and Rebel Alliance “playing Tic-Tac-Toe?” Xs & O’s.

 

[Hyde35]

As I alluded to when I was mentioning that the very same window pattern was in the Millennium Falcon as well as in the TIE fighters, (were they the same builders in the SW universe?), something occurred to me regarding the shape of the TIEs and the X-Wings. I’m certain that George Lucas made these shapes but I will leave it to others to confirm this. Here is my thought. Was George Lucas having the Empire and Rebel Alliance “playing Tic-Tac-Toe?” Xs & O’s.

And this rabbit hole just may have gone deeper... !!!

 

[Hyde35]

I am watching Star Trek First Contact and spotted this. It's a closeup of an Enterprise crewman being made into a Borg drone. This shows the difference between a standard TIE fighter's viewscreen (here) juxtaposed with Darth Vader's version and the gun viewports in the MF. The center "window" is circular on the MF and Darth's TIE while the standard TIE is hexagonal. This to me is no coincidence as it is a Borg "EYE" and would give the same perspective as if viewed by Han, Luke, and Darth. Oh, and the center of the main viewport of the MF is also the same.