I am posting this build on many forums... so I'll just be cut & pasting (saves me from having to type the same thing 20 different times! I've been at it for awhile, so I'll have to catch up slowly. However, here's my build log for everyone to enjoy...

If you don't know about this kit, or haven't heard about this kit by now then you are either not a model builder, not a Star Wars fan, or DEAD. In any event this kit is the talk of the entire modelling community. And guess what... I've got it! For those that truly don't know... there's a kit company out of the UK called DeAgostini. They have basically focused on wooden ships, race cars, motorcycles, etc. They've been around for over 100 years. Anyway, the models they produce aren't your typical injected plastic mold kits. No... the models they produce are musuem quality multi-media kits that are completely accurate to the originals only at scale! Now, the way they sell their kits is kind of unique to me, seeing as I've spent most of my life buying kits in boxes off the shelf and then building and getting extra parts and modifying etc. Well, how they sell their kits is in part packs that are included with a magazine in a subscription form. What this means is that you subscribe to receive their magazine and for each issue of the magazine you receive a pack of parts. Each pack allows you to usually build a section of the completed model. When you've gotten all the issues you have a complete model kit. They usually include all the tools you will need and there's always room for customization.

Now... recently they wanted to get into the sci-fi realm and immediately thought about doing a Millenium Falcon. So they tested the waters so to speak and produced a few early test packs. What they didn't expect was the popularity and the criticism for the lack of and/or the inaccuracy of detail the parts they had made. So, they contacted Steve Dymszo (you know the guy who co-founded Master Replicas) and asked for his help.

Well... Steve said sure, and being as OCD as most of us around here, he gave them a hand, because secretly there were alot of things he wanted to do with the MR Falcon but didn't get a chance to do, as well as fix all the "missing" or "broken off" pieces that were left off the original 32" Studio Falcon scans that he and his company did for the MR. But he took it a step further... he also included an interior and and fully accurate cockpit. But there's alot more then that as well. Best way to think of this version is "MR Falcon v2.0"!

Well the thing that probably kept me from getting all the Falcon's before was probably the price... the MR Falcon was going for anywhere from $1500 to $2000 (with shipping of a close to 100 lb package), the Fine Molds Falcon was going for $250 but after shipping costs from Japan closer to $350. The Hasbro Legacy Falcon was selling in Walmart for $150. But now you can't buy these things anymore because they don't produce them anymore. You might be able to find one on eBay but you may want to double or even triple the original price if you find one.

Recently they came out with the Hasbro Hero Falcon for $30... I grabbed one. It's got alot of good detail, but it's also missing alot more. Just the scratch building and modifications alone on it would take a good long time to get to look semi decent. However, now we've got the DeAgostini Falcon. And wait til you get a load of this beauty!

I wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to get a good quality Falcon again... and I'm glad I didn't. I just got my first month's worth of parts and I gotta say I am blown away by the detail on this thing. You can go online and look at photos of the original 32" inch Falcon and compare the pieces and it will be difficult to spot anything missing. All the parts are prepainted based on the Pantone scans of the original Falcon. It's almost as if Lucasfilm produced a model... it's that good.

Now... what made me buy this thing? Well first off it's not cheap... The entire subscription ends up after shipping ends up being around $1500-$1800 bucks... however, it's monthly charge for 4 magazines (with parts) a month spread out over a period of 2 years (25 months). So that works out to about $15 an issue or $60 a month. I've put stuff on layway that was more expensive then that. Now I don't know about you, but that's a pretty darn good deal seeing as the original MR Falcon was selling for $5000 and this is basically MR Falcon v2.0! I can go without having to eat fast food for awhile (I'm sure my gut will appreciate it).

Now that I got this first pack in my grubby little mitts, I am gonna make sure I do it right. I want to be able to pass this on to my grandchildren and their grandchildren for years to come. I want this to be my MASTERPIECE. Over the next few months I'm going to take my time and post my progress on it. I hope you all enjoy it and if you get a chance I highly recommend picking one up before you kick yourself for not doing so later! Here's a few pics of what I've gotten so keep the drool off your keyboard! What you get with each pack is a Magazine, and he first issue contained a full scale 1:1 blueprint as well as complete frame plans on the back. The pics below show the first 4 packs I received.

Just a few things I'm making notes on before I begin building... ideas that I've been considering.

- Pop out the top window frame and rotate it about 15 degrees.
- Make some scans of the stickers to make decals instead. Will be committing to buying Tony's cockpit details as soon as I get the money and love the detail of the stickers, so to compromise, by doing a high-res scan of the stickers, I can print them up on photo paper, then create my own decals by spraying the print with clear gloss spray paint. When the printed parts come in, use the printed decals for the fine details. I believe I may be able to get the white long wall lights by placing a sheet of paper in the holes of the lights that will provide a good base and scatter the lights. Still trying to figure that part out yet. (Update: Was pointing out to me that the sticker is wrong... there are no bottom light strips... so will have to edit the graphic before printing out a decal).
- Get some self flashing LEDs in red, blue and white and use fiber optics to light the cockpit consoles.
- I think I'm gonna build the framework as I receive the parts. This will allow me to have the shell frame to build and work on when the parts arrive and can put the hull parts on after the entire frame is together.
- Work on a good match color formula in paint that will match the hull color that the parts are provided in. I'm thinking 1 part yellow, 1 part black, 8 parts white. That should get me close but will come up with a better formula later as I start comparing on the actual parts.

Will be adding more notes as I come up with more ideas.

Notes:

- Get some side emitting fiber optic and use under the access panels in the interior. Also try to build some kind of pit mockup in those hatches after getting Tony's interior flooring and tools sets.
- Try detailing out the back wall on the interior where the arch to the hallway is. More piping, hoses, etc.
- Gonna have to make a display case for this when complete... Am thinking either a pedistal or a coffee table. Either way, not sure what scene from the movie I want to replica yet. Any scene would be huge regardless. Am leaning towards the Bespin scene when they meet Lando.

Ok... I think I've decided on the base diorama I'm gonna make for this thing (hate calling it a thing, she's more of a baby). I'm gonna try and replicate this scene:

Ok... here's my first video... its just the preview page, but more to come.

Well I got the main turret gun painted... still gotta get out my airbrush and do some more detail work on it, but I painted it a light tan... seems to match pretty well with the base color of the falcon parts. Also have to drill out the barrels, but here's what I got so far.



I've also done a bit of work on the cockpit... even thou I'Il probably be replacing it with Shapeways pieces.






I haven't added the stickers yet because I'm fixing them to be more accurate. More to come on that later.

The problem with the DeAgo cockpit is that the chairs are all wrong, the side panels are all wrong, the console and the back wall are all just big stickers, and the lighting is just basically a flashlight shining behind a round piece of plastic with holes in it. There's no fiber optics, no detail that is right in the cockpit at all. It was almost put together as an afterthought ("Hey, before we release this, why don't we throw in an cockpit and interior"... "Oh that would be so cool man!") It feels as if they really didn't do any research at all when they designed the interior pieces. Almost the entire cargo bay will need to be redone as well. The oval bunk is terrible and don't get me started on the flooring and nav console. And you'd think they would have at least put the little controls on the seat cushions, but nooooooo! And I still don't understand why they left out the whole wall behind the bunk. That was probably seen more then anything else.

But as an update...

Been doing some Zen modeling (for those that don't know that's the art of thinking about modeling without actually doing any modeling) lately. One of the things that I think I may have solved is replacing the hoses for the interior that come with this kit. They are all smooth and the hoses on the set were ribbed. That's presented quite a unique challenge in trying to figure out how to simulate that type of detail, but I think I may have a solution.

OK... time for an update... it's been awhile and the reason being is that I moved into a new house. So during that time I had to pack up my workbench and all my tools and parts into boxes... then move them all into a new house, and find them all again, set up a new work area and I'm glad to say I think I got it all set up. However since I haven't glued anything together I've lost somewhere in the move one of the little cresent controls for the cockpit. Which really sucks, so if anyone has a spare, please let me know!

Ok.. onto the build... I'm up to issue 20 so far. Got most of the lower hull put together. One thing that I HIGHLY recommend when assembling the hull panels on the framework, following the order of attaching each panel as it's laid out in the instructions. Reason being is that each one interlocks and overlaps the one that came before it. I learned the hard way that if you just start attaching the panels willy nilly, before long they don't fit... so you end up having to take them off and start over again. I think I did that about 3 times before I went back to the instructions and finally laid them on in the order they were suppose to fit. Once I did that they went on perfectly. Fitting the plastic studs in the metal holes makes it a little difficult at times, but once they go in they fit like a glove, and they are a tight fit!

Next little piece of advice when putting the metal frame pieces together with the long thin ribs make sure you use the right screws. There are 2 types of gold long screws. One has tightly spaced threads and the other has threads that are wider apart. The wide threaded screws will slide in easily and won't screw at all. The tight threaded screws are what you need to use. I got a small little container with separate compartments that I put all my screws in. I separate them so that I can find them when I need them. Would be a good idea if you did the same thing.

Now with the lower hull done as far as I can go I put together the cargo bay. Mind you I haven't screwed or glued anything together yet... still got a lot of painting to do on it. The access corridor is gonna look good too. I still have to put together all the padded rings. There are about 8-10 of them in total and each one has about 16 pads that need to be glued onto it. I plan on sanded them down a bit and rounding the edges a bit more then they are. I also haven't glued anything together yet... am probably gonna put the greeblies on the cockpit tube thou. Guess we'll see what happens soon!

I also plan on stealing my friend Ian's ideas for the interior cargobay and doing a lot of detail work in there. Anyway... I was really pleased to see the first pit. I'm not gonna do any external painting until everything is all together. But this thing looks incredible! LOVE IT! Here's the pics... enjoy!

Very cool Jim, is this up to date with where the build is at other sites? I checked the rpm thread and it looked like your making a lot of shapeways 3d printed customs for this? I still haven't started that jabbas dungeon model I bought (somewhere about two years ago now?). I just don't have model makers patience. I also don't have very good eyes for small details.

It not completely up to date with the RPF yet... figured I would trickle the posts from there here instead of throwing everything here at once. I dunno why you haven't started working on that model yet bro... all you gotta do is paint the little figures basically and then give everything a brown wash! It's one of the easiest models AMT ever made.

I can tell you a couple of reasons I haven't yet Jim. 1. Time constraints, seems I am endlessly busy sometimes and when I do have down time I spend it on the forum. 2. I am not so good with detail oriented stuff. 3. This one is the biggest one..........I am a lazy s-o-b.

I know it would probably be a really easy build to, just have t done it yet. Still want to customize it for a rancor pit underneath also. Several projects I am wanting to get done and this is on the list.

Well you'll never get it done if you never start it! Besides... I'm sure you can skip watching the Bachlorette and the Housewives of Beverly Hills a few times... it's not like you'll miss anything special! LOL

Jim, come on with some more. Fantastic build going underway so far. I have an unfair advantage as I have seen the rpf thread. I don't know if I am still a member there or not, been about two years since I tried to log in. :scratch:

Man that is sweet looking, I have so many models that need doing but I would not mine having that in my stash.

Thanks all... here comes more for ya!

I just got Issues 21-24 yesterday and put more of the bottom hull together. It's interesting that the corridor cover is all one piece instead of two like what came in the first package. The nice thing though is that the bottom edge of the hull plating on it has the notched (unlike the first corridor pieces). In this package also came another part to the jig that is suppose to support the bottom hull during assembly to keep the shape of it from warping while working on the upper levels. Looks like about half of the bottom hull is now done. One nice thing is that this shipment also includes one of the bottom hull panels that has visible damage. It's a long streak of damage however it looks more like someone scribbled with a magic marker and then sunk in the details. Will have to fix that before painting the hull at a later stage. Oh and for those that are posting here about other stuff, just remember this is my build log for this kit. There are other threads for posting pics and stuff of your own progress... thanks!



Now something I highly recommend is getting yourself a small container for your screws and what-not. I found this nice little 6 compartment plastic box for beading at Wal-mart in the craft department. Its perfect for holding all the screws... here's what mine looks like:



Once I got the everything together that I could up to this issue, I noticed the weight of the whole thing. So I decided to see just how heavy just the lower hull has gotten so far. Was amazed to see that this thing is already almost 2 lbs so far (1.80 lbs)... this is without the recess, just the framing and the hull panels on the bottom so far. So the way I figure it, if this is about halfway thru the bottom half, without the center turret section, then when the whole bottom is together, I figure it'll weigh about 5 lbs (give or take a few ounces when it's all together).



Now I realize I have missed a few postings lately but don't worry. I've gotcha covered... I've watched other build logs and keep hearing people complain about the rings with the pads and how tired they were of putting them together... sure there are a lot of them. 9 total... each with 18 pads, making 182 pads total. That's a lot of pads, but here's what I did and did them all in about an hour. First I waited until I had all of them... makes it a lot easier when you have all of them together at once rather then doing them one at a time as they come in. First thing, I worked on each ring one at a time... removed all the pads from the sprue and didn't worry about sanding the sprue nubs yet.



I glued each pad on the ring...



and when dry, I sanded the nubs off to give the rings a more even look. Then I sanded the hard edges down to round them off a bit to give that look of a rounded pad.




In the end they came out looking pretty good, and couldn't help but take a few pics of them in place in the corridors to see how they look.





I haven't put the wall cushions on yet... am working on something special to create a couple of ripped up ones to see if I can make them look good. That's it for now. More to come later!

Lately I have been doing a lot of epoxy putty work lately and one thing I've discovered is that when you do putty work, you always end up with a little extra putty that if you don't do anything with it, it hardens and you end up throwing it away. Well being the frugal guy that I am, I found a good way of putting it to use. Now, needless to say I don't have many spare parts for making greeblies, so I figured why not just go ahead and use the extra putty to make some greeblies of my own. Here's what I made so far...



I'm sure I'll be able to find a place to put them somewhere in this build. I've been working on the interior walls and arches... I knew I had to cut out the long holes in the arches but I also wanted to put the ribbing in between the arch holes. After many failed attempts with styrene, I decided to use putty instead. Came out looking pretty good, but I also wanted to hollow out the inside of the arch to allow me to put some wires and greeblies. So using my Dremal, I cut a long trench on the outside all the way down to the bottom and sanded it out using needle files. I think they didn't come out too bad... what do you all think?




As you can see above I also cut out the holes in the side wall and intend to put some greeblies there as well. But since that came out so well, I figured I might tackle the wall behind the nav computer with putty and see how it comes out... I cut a couple of square holes out of it where I intend to greeble and here's the result.




Well that's where I'm at right now. As soon as I get some primer and paint on these I'm sure they will look really good. Lemme know what you all think!" />" />

I did come up with some new stickers for this puppy. The ones that come with the kit aren't very accurate and basically suck in the graphics department... here's comparision of the ones I've made to replace the ones in the kit. I am still working on a few other things for them, but all in all what I got came out pretty good.


If you'd like a copy of these, you can download them for free here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/es5y0pghayiyz3z/DeAgo%20New%20Stickers.pdf?dl=0

If you use them, please post pics and let everyone know where you got em, that's all I ask!

Oh... and just as a sidenote here... The stickers are slightly offset with the original backwall part, so to fix that problem (and to add the bottom lightbars) here's what I came up with:



This part will completely replace the one that comes with the kit and work perfectly with the new sticker replacements above! Lemme know if you use them and send me a pic or two when you're done with them! Would love to see! You can get it here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/D2333CDEA/deago-cockpit-backwall-for-use-with-sticker-replac

Jim, this is looking great so far. Thanks for the updates

Artoo_Detour wrote:

Jim, this is looking great so far. Thanks for the updates

Thanks bro... so much more to go. This is gonna be a very long build!

Great thread Jim, very cool man

Looking foreward to the updates

Nico wrote:

Great thread Jim, very cool man

Looking foreward to the updates

Thanks... glad everyone is enjoying... I will try not to deluge everyone with posts and post a few at a time. Makes it easier to keep up with that way... besides... like Bryan, I'm a bit lazy... just not as much as he is when it comes to modeling! LOL

I've just been having way too much fun lately making various random greeblies for general use throughout the interior and various other uses. Can never have too many odds and ends greeblies. But here's what I've got so far... Whatcha all think?

Been working on a map of details for the interior... I think I have it mapped out pretty well for the hallway cushions and light sconces. Here's my map... I'm also gonna work on the details of the walls, etc.



The biggest problem I see is the one mentioned in the graphic above. They moved the entrance to the cockpit hallway about 2 feet down the hallway and in effect stretched out the whole cushion panel. It should also be noted that there should also be a cushion ring right next to it, I may have to fabricate one but not sure yet, but a happy compromise would be to cut the middle cushion in half to allow for those details to be placed in the proper place. If anyone else has a better idea, please let me know.

Here's another plan for the hallway damaged wall cushions I came up with.



The top and bottom halves should be cut slightly smaller then the cushion to allow for detailing. A sheet of styrene glued behind the opening will allow it to appear sunken into the wall. The gray lines represent structural beams, the white lines pipes/wire lines, and the tan represents torn insulation.

Been doing more detail work on my Falcon... Around the edges of the holes in the main wall it appears as if it is framed with two separate frames the top having a bridge making it look like 3 different cutouts but there's only two. Here's what I've got so far.



I've also been working on some other details for the cockpit. Don't know why these little greeblies were never added to begin with... but there's also 2 more below the top ones on each panel that I'm going to put on as well.



I can only do greeblie per panel at a time... why? Because I have to let the putty dry totally before putting the next one on, otherwise with all the handling I'm doing while making them, if they aren't dry, I end up messing up the first one no matter how hard I try to keep from touching it. So I do one, and wait 5 hours, then do the next... makes things take so much longer then I wished. But lemme know what you think so far!