Our Collective 5-Foot Millennium Falcon Build
- Thread starter Studio Kitbash
- Start date
There, I fixed it -- I had put those last two "faucet handle" greeblies in a separate Ziploc baggie for some reason, and couldn't find them for two weeks!
If you want to make your own domes, it is possible, though a lot of work, very time consuming, and pretty much just as expensive as that one vendor you no longer use because he now charges triple and refuses to do it anymore because your tolerances are too exacting.
So you start with a girder design, starting at zero and tapering up. You can sci-fi design the inside of the girders if you like, even though it won't ever get seen, and it does also save weight:
The girders were cut from acrylic as was the center ring. The little green tabs were laser cut to my specs on a Glowforge lasercutter.
Then, when you like the rough approximation of it, you start layering Plastruct strips over the whole thing, like so:
Then you just keep going. When your 30-inch strips are too short to span the whole thing, you double them up making sure the 'cut' for each abutting end is sharing the same real estate of a girder's edge. The Plastruct orange bottle glue does a Very Good Job of gluing 2 unlike plastics to each other, and what I like about it is it sets up fast.
Don't worry about imperfections at this stage, there's going to be LOTS of them...
And you keep going...
... and going...
...and going...
... and then I got anxious and excited about structural integrity and figured I needed to sandwich the inside/outside with two different custom-cut steel plates with five 1/4-inch holes for nuts/bolts to really tie it all together and make sure there was no "wiggle" in the lateral forces department...
and then flipped it over to insert the smaller center ring on the other side...
... and no, it did not take two separate visits to my metal welder to get the holes cut to the right size, and no, this did not cost four times what I expected it to... more like eight times...
... and then you just keep going... leaving a big center space for the stuff that goes in the center space (duh)...
... and slowly... you start to "get there"...
...and then you finish it...
... and then you finish it...and then you dry test fit your handmade corporate-office-chair-with-Razor-scooter-wheels-rolling stand...
...and then you finish it... with a heavy lathering of Bondo...
... and then you finish it... with let's see... injection of "Gaps and Cracks" spray expandable foam filler from Home Depot so you can put some serious downward and lateral pressure on it when you sand it at high speeds with your circular sander 60-grit paper wheels...
... and then you finish it... by marking the center dowel with a circular compass pencil marker to draw the ring around the right diameter...
...and then you finish it... by checking the circular line...
...and then you finish it... by making the circular cut...
... and then you finish it... by realizing you don't have nearly enough expandable spray foam under there to give you any real stability...
... and then you finish it... by realizing your diameter's OD is actually 1.5 inches off, and how you got to be this stupid with a Ph.D. and as a college professor you're still trying to figure out... so you go and fix that... by adding another layer of 3/4" ABS strip "all around the outside" with all the cut-off ABS strip leftovers...
...and then you finish it... by just adding like 60 of these pieces, no big deal, not like you didn't have an extra week of time just lying around... and you add more spray foam this time making sure... oh, daggummit, what have I done now...
... and then you finish it...by Bondoing it again... and again... and again... until your budget for Bondo makes you wonder if you shouldn't have just used Bondo as your primary medium to start with...
...and then you finish it... and this really is the fun part, because you get to actually finish it... by dry-fitting it on the rest of the armature and going "Pew-Pew!" real loud in between muttering and swearing under your breath...
... and then you finish it... by realizing you can't lift it thanks to the weight of those steel plates you so cleverly built in for structural stability so you remove those now that it's effectively "one solid piece" thanks to all that spray foam...
... and then you finish it... by removing the bottom plate...
... and then you finish it... by spray-painting it ILM flat black in the hopes of detecting any surface imperfections in your 60-100-180-320 sanding grit routine (the 60 and 100 on the circular sander, the 180 to 320 done by hand)...
...and then you finish it... by realizing it'll never be finished and you'll have to keep going forward to go back, and keep going backwards to go forward, and knowing that there might just be enough Bondo in the universe to actually one day, finish it...
Now comes the most haunting thought and tantalizing temptation... maybe I could "remove" all that undersurface girder and foam and bottom circular plate and have nothing left but "the dome itself" ... I mean, after all, I'm... almost finished...
I've just shown you a four-year, multi-thousand-dollar process in one post. Don't confuse the ease of reading this post with the ease of doing the same... but if you do, don't worry, you're almost... finished...
So you start with a girder design, starting at zero and tapering up. You can sci-fi design the inside of the girders if you like, even though it won't ever get seen, and it does also save weight:
The girders were cut from acrylic as was the center ring. The little green tabs were laser cut to my specs on a Glowforge lasercutter.
Then, when you like the rough approximation of it, you start layering Plastruct strips over the whole thing, like so:
Then you just keep going. When your 30-inch strips are too short to span the whole thing, you double them up making sure the 'cut' for each abutting end is sharing the same real estate of a girder's edge. The Plastruct orange bottle glue does a Very Good Job of gluing 2 unlike plastics to each other, and what I like about it is it sets up fast.
Don't worry about imperfections at this stage, there's going to be LOTS of them...
And you keep going...
... and going...
...and going...
... and then I got anxious and excited about structural integrity and figured I needed to sandwich the inside/outside with two different custom-cut steel plates with five 1/4-inch holes for nuts/bolts to really tie it all together and make sure there was no "wiggle" in the lateral forces department...
and then flipped it over to insert the smaller center ring on the other side...
... and no, it did not take two separate visits to my metal welder to get the holes cut to the right size, and no, this did not cost four times what I expected it to... more like eight times...
... and then you just keep going... leaving a big center space for the stuff that goes in the center space (duh)...
... and slowly... you start to "get there"...
...and then you finish it...
... and then you finish it...and then you dry test fit your handmade corporate-office-chair-with-Razor-scooter-wheels-rolling stand...
...and then you finish it... with a heavy lathering of Bondo...
... and then you finish it... with let's see... injection of "Gaps and Cracks" spray expandable foam filler from Home Depot so you can put some serious downward and lateral pressure on it when you sand it at high speeds with your circular sander 60-grit paper wheels...
... and then you finish it... by marking the center dowel with a circular compass pencil marker to draw the ring around the right diameter...
...and then you finish it... by checking the circular line...
...and then you finish it... by making the circular cut...
... and then you finish it... by realizing you don't have nearly enough expandable spray foam under there to give you any real stability...
... and then you finish it... by realizing your diameter's OD is actually 1.5 inches off, and how you got to be this stupid with a Ph.D. and as a college professor you're still trying to figure out... so you go and fix that... by adding another layer of 3/4" ABS strip "all around the outside" with all the cut-off ABS strip leftovers...
...and then you finish it... by just adding like 60 of these pieces, no big deal, not like you didn't have an extra week of time just lying around... and you add more spray foam this time making sure... oh, daggummit, what have I done now...
... and then you finish it...by Bondoing it again... and again... and again... until your budget for Bondo makes you wonder if you shouldn't have just used Bondo as your primary medium to start with...
...and then you finish it... and this really is the fun part, because you get to actually finish it... by dry-fitting it on the rest of the armature and going "Pew-Pew!" real loud in between muttering and swearing under your breath...
... and then you finish it... by realizing you can't lift it thanks to the weight of those steel plates you so cleverly built in for structural stability so you remove those now that it's effectively "one solid piece" thanks to all that spray foam...
... and then you finish it... by removing the bottom plate...
... and then you finish it... by spray-painting it ILM flat black in the hopes of detecting any surface imperfections in your 60-100-180-320 sanding grit routine (the 60 and 100 on the circular sander, the 180 to 320 done by hand)...
...and then you finish it... by realizing it'll never be finished and you'll have to keep going forward to go back, and keep going backwards to go forward, and knowing that there might just be enough Bondo in the universe to actually one day, finish it...
Now comes the most haunting thought and tantalizing temptation... maybe I could "remove" all that undersurface girder and foam and bottom circular plate and have nothing left but "the dome itself" ... I mean, after all, I'm... almost finished...
I've just shown you a four-year, multi-thousand-dollar process in one post. Don't confuse the ease of reading this post with the ease of doing the same... but if you do, don't worry, you're almost... finished...
Definitely doesn't look easy! Nice work though!
Something that might make your life easier. If you spray the whole thing with a catalyzed primer like Evercoat Feather Fill. It's basically a thinned down spray able bondo. It will fill all the unevenness and then you can sand it smooth. I find it best to do one heavy coat, wait 20 min and then do a second heavy coat. It will look like nothing was filled really, but once you start sanding it will come out super smooth. Some times it will take a second coat. Also, safety wise, it's best to spray it outside and wear a respirator.
Something that might make your life easier. If you spray the whole thing with a catalyzed primer like Evercoat Feather Fill. It's basically a thinned down spray able bondo. It will fill all the unevenness and then you can sand it smooth. I find it best to do one heavy coat, wait 20 min and then do a second heavy coat. It will look like nothing was filled really, but once you start sanding it will come out super smooth. Some times it will take a second coat. Also, safety wise, it's best to spray it outside and wear a respirator.
Hey! Thanks for the pro-tip, much appreciated. Is this readily available in suburbia, at Home Depot or similar, or do I have to go to some specialty supplier for it?
Also, do you hand brush this on? Or put it through an air brush? I just found it on Amazon -- PRICEY (but then again: what should I have expected?)
Yeah unfortunately it's specialty and pricey but really good stuff. It's best if you spray it, but you don't need some$200 gun. You can pick up any cheap spray gun, Lowes, Harbour Freight, etc...
Just make sure you clean it well. I know people who have run acetone through the gun thinking, hey I cleaned it, only to have whatever's left in the gun harden and ruin the gun.
Just make sure you clean it well. I know people who have run acetone through the gun thinking, hey I cleaned it, only to have whatever's left in the gun harden and ruin the gun.
Bjorn
Sr Member
Wow!
Just make sure the Evercoat is compatible with the Plastruct plastic strips.
Hate to see a molten mess ensue.
TDS suggests that it is good for hard plastics but not sure what plastics they refer too. Jonathan might know given his experience with the product.
Upol have a similar product.
Just make sure the Evercoat is compatible with the Plastruct plastic strips.
Hate to see a molten mess ensue.
TDS suggests that it is good for hard plastics but not sure what plastics they refer too. Jonathan might know given his experience with the product.
Upol have a similar product.
Last edited:
SWGeek -- Per Bjorn's question, is ABS compatible with Evercoat Feather Fill G2? I have several airbrushes, but certainly don't want to accidentally create a chemical catastrophe? Or can it "only" go on top of Bondo? Because after sanding, my dome is about 50% ABS and 50% Bondo in surface area.
Bjorn
Sr Member
If it is similar to the Upol product that I have used it's probably too thick to spray with an airbrush.
You will need a medium to large sized spray gun with a reasonably large tip, say 1.2mm. But per swgeeks comments, a cheapie will do.
They are a true high build primer.
Failing any info I would do a test first. It may actually work really well.
I typically use the Upol product to seal timber, craft wood or fibreglass.
You will need a medium to large sized spray gun with a reasonably large tip, say 1.2mm. But per swgeeks comments, a cheapie will do.
They are a true high build primer.
Failing any info I would do a test first. It may actually work really well.
I typically use the Upol product to seal timber, craft wood or fibreglass.
Okay, thanks guys for all the input and info -- not going to go there just yet, but good to have it in my arsenal of upgraded tools if my own Bondo skills prove insufficient.
Bjorn
Sr Member
Going off the pics, it looks like your basically there already with the Bondo. Well done!
Kind of you to say so -- it's not 100% "perfect" but it does occur to me that about 95% of the surface area of the dome is going to be covered with walkways, decking, plating, gun turret or other superstructure elements, and so to my mind I'm thinking that any visible imperfection that shows up "between the cracks" of the Durasteel plating can be attributed to battle damage.
But I'll still give it at least two more passes with Bondo and black primer before I'm satisfied...
But I'll still give it at least two more passes with Bondo and black primer before I'm satisfied...
joberg
Legendary Member
Great description of your process building that thing
I don't know if I have to cry, or laugh at the same time reading it
But, yeah; welcome to the "Club-O-Pain" as the wife says! I'm sure that, if you make a 2nd one (biting my tongue and running fast, away from my PC), it'll be better because of all the challenges/solutions you'll have developed building the first one
Keep up the great work!!
I don't know if I have to cry, or laugh at the same time reading itBut, yeah; welcome to the "Club-O-Pain"
as the wife says! I'm sure that, if you make a 2nd one (biting my tongue and running fast, away from my PC), it'll be better because of all the challenges/solutions you'll have developed building the first oneKeep up the great work!!
SK ,
Been watching your thread from the beginning. Given your past several fabricator provided plastic domes to this new photographic journey of airfoil rib construction emphasizes a few things. Certainly shows persistence in spite of rework labor and outrageous financial expense. No one who has not tried to build a studio scale Falcon could possibly understand. All the Doctorate & engineering degrees along with careful research and even being a good listener makes no difference. Addiction and an artistic type drive is necessary.
Don’t sweat the small gaps in the dome surface that armor segments will cover as long as the surface curve smooth. And, need I say, insure the radius, jaw box set back, engine flaps and wall thickness dimensions are spot on per the kit parts. If I had to do it over again I would not hesitate to take my “small reference model” discs to Office Depot for full scale surface print generation to help with disc armor segments & major component location (factor in true length when required for proper center point measurement). I did not know this kit existed or really understood the ANH & ESB subtleties when I first started until, later down the road, when pointed out by a Jedi. That said however, Andre’s Falcon measurements are excellent & compliance with them a life saver for me when the project began.
You do awesome engine pit work in the ANH style by the way. Keep up the good work.
Been watching your thread from the beginning. Given your past several fabricator provided plastic domes to this new photographic journey of airfoil rib construction emphasizes a few things. Certainly shows persistence in spite of rework labor and outrageous financial expense. No one who has not tried to build a studio scale Falcon could possibly understand. All the Doctorate & engineering degrees along with careful research and even being a good listener makes no difference. Addiction and an artistic type drive is necessary.
Don’t sweat the small gaps in the dome surface that armor segments will cover as long as the surface curve smooth. And, need I say, insure the radius, jaw box set back, engine flaps and wall thickness dimensions are spot on per the kit parts. If I had to do it over again I would not hesitate to take my “small reference model” discs to Office Depot for full scale surface print generation to help with disc armor segments & major component location (factor in true length when required for proper center point measurement). I did not know this kit existed or really understood the ANH & ESB subtleties when I first started until, later down the road, when pointed out by a Jedi. That said however, Andre’s Falcon measurements are excellent & compliance with them a life saver for me when the project began.
You do awesome engine pit work in the ANH style by the way. Keep up the good work.
swgeek,
I love to use an airbrush in my model detail work to avoid paint build up that otherwise covers small details. Use my favorite solvent, acetone, thinking this cleans the internals. Your comment on acetone rings true with airbrush internals.
Why is it a such a good solvent with the paints I am using, but still not cleaning the brush adequately without disassembly? Should I be using enamel thinner with Model Master enamel paint?
You should ALWAYS dissamble your air brush/paint gun at the end of a painting session. Not always between colors but definitely at the end of a paint session. No cleaner will clean out all the internals without scrubbing. Unfortunately it's a necessary step in painting. It's one thing I hate about painting with a gun.
joberg
Legendary Member
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