Ok...
Back in late December, I got it in my head that I needed to try and convert one of my Millennium Falcon models into a YT-2000esque type ship...
It has been a long, and somewhat frustrating endeavour, but I am here today to show you my work.
Nobody has seen this project outside of my wife, and a few close friends...this is its first posting online for my peers to see and comment...bear with me...
I started with this snap-tite Millennium Falcon kit...I'm not sure who makes it...probably Revell...It's the current Falcon you can go buy right now at any reputable hobby shop...
The kit had already been assembled, and was parked on a shelf for a couple of years at this point, but trust me...there is no shortage of Millennium Falcons in my collection, so it seemed like the ideal donor.
I attacked the hull with my Dremel, and got busy...
After everything was cut into basic components, I had some major cosmetic work to do...I needed to remove the cockpit tube, and re-work that area so that it was flush, and also remove the antenna, and figure out what to do with the leftover empty space...I decided it would look best if I gutted that area, and built a recessed access area like the others on the ship...
It was at this point that my wife had started to doubt my vision...
I can see why...what a mess...
It became apparent to me that I would need to build a second access area on the opposite side to provide some sort of balance to the design...
I built a second access port, and started the daunting task of greebeling, and filling in some of the massive gaping holes...
It's amazing what some spare model kit parts and some primer will do to inspire! Re-energized, I moved forward, and started hunting for a central cockpit tube...
I ended up using the central core from a roll of plastic bags at my local gas station. The employees there were kind enough to save a few of them for me so I would have spares if I messed up.
Enter more greebiles...
It was taking shape! The end result was now apparent, and I couldn't wait to start each new step...
The whole ship got a coat of primer...
Then a coat of flat black...
Then a nice uneven coat of satin white...
Then the real fun began...
A nice generous wash of black acrylic paint...
It helps give it that nice "lived in" look, yeah?
I added some corrosion...
The engines proved to be a challenge...
I ended up taking the original blue piece of plastic from the kit, and covering it with a piece of 3M reflective tape...you know, from the hardware store.
After the tape was applied, I added strips from a window screen repair kit (also from the hardware store) to give it that "grid" look, and then applied bits of styrene to sort of flesh it out...
I painted the styrene bits black, and then gave them a silver dry-brush...I was very pleased with the results...
As you can see, the effect is pretty dramatic, especially when using a flash...the effect is a bit more subtle when it's just sitting on a shelf, but you get the idea...
Ok, here we are then...a few months later, this project is at a point where I feel comfortable sharing my work...there's still some details to clean up, but meh...I'll get to those...
Sorry for any crappy pics...I took all of these with my phone as I was working on it...
The only thing left to do is come up with a name for her...
Feel free to comment and critique...just be nice! This is my first time doing something this involved.
Cheers!
