Millenium Falcon 11

So I did a little more work on my Falcon last night after some initial work on the proton pack. I've added the Escape pods on which really make it look much better. 2 Giant holes on either side are not fun to look at especially when lit up. There are still some adjustments to the pods and the side panels need to be added. But the side panels need to go on once the top and bottom are glued together properly.

Next step..buy clothespins.

So here are some pictures as of now. This first one you can see the glow of the engines as well as some minor detail on the hatch

This is also the side that has the walkway lowered. I might need to do a little tweaking as far as detailing here. But it looks fairly good. You can see the engine light leaking through where the side panels need to go by the escape pod.
Here is a top front view of the falcon. Straight on the headlights are too bright and it will wash out any detail. Here you can see the light on top coming through the gunners seat. Behind which is mounted a tiny Luke Skywalker. You can also see the blue light leaking through the front. We'll get to that in a second. I do like the engine glow on my crate in the background.

Rear top angle. Fairly good engine glow spread. The angle washes out the center a little. You can see how bright the headlights are here as they burn whatever is in the background. And side blue spill from lack of cover panels by the pods.

This is just a darker side view of the newly installed pods. Here you can really the spill. Don't worry..obviously this will be fixed since i'm apparently focusing this blog on the side panels being missing. Looks good though, no?

And for some reason this to me looks like a Battlestar Galactica Shot. Of one of the raiders. I don't know why it reminds me of that. Now in the films, this section is closed off. You can't see in. For some reason the model has a little window here. I'm currently blacking out this window so I can glue it in.

This is all I have to update about now. If i really get my ass in gear I should be done with this within the next few weeks. It's just a matter of focusing. Now that the electrical system is up and running and the few bugs I had are fixed. It should last for some time with out anything burning out. Hopefully the only bad thing that happens is that the batteries die and need replacing.

Proton Pack Project

In Miniature!

Yup. So I've decided that my next project, while still tinkering with the Millenium falcon and the light sabre, Shall be a proton pack scaled down to about 1:7 of the original size. I'm not making this with any action figure in mind, so no it's not going to be scale to fit on someone's back. Just a little hand sized replica.

I've always wanted a proton pack. What kid, after seeing GB didn't want one after the movie ended? I've had these plans pulled from the net a long time ago. They're bits and pieces from several fans who posted their files on http://www.gbfans.com.

After some calculations and manipulating, here is the beginning of my miniature proton pack.

I started out figuring out the scale and then freehanding acurate images on simple white paper. After that i traced those images onto a second sheet that were eventually cut out.

Those cut outs were then used to outline the shapes onto a thicker piece of cardboard. Something that will last a little longer than paper.

Next step will be to get some sheets of plastic and use the cardboard to cut out the plastic shapes which is what I'm planning on making the pack out of.

Millenium Falcon 10

So this is just a quick update of pics. I was showing a friend the other day and realized several things. It's been years since I started this simple model. Some modellers scratch build in the time it's taken me to wire this. I've also realized that waiting so long in between working on this...I lose my place.

Anyway, here are some pics of the engines at 1/2 before being focused and directed where they are supposed to be.

From Built to, Build to

Rear. May cut out that stabilizer since it's so glaringly obvious

From Built to, Build to

Side shot. Again..stabilizer, but the glow looks fairly well diffused

From Built to, Build to

And rear above. SATBILZER!

Indiana Jones MK-VII Gas Mask Bag 2

Ok. So here we go. The amazing strap made by Magnoli came in and it looks amazing. It's sturdy leather and the color is perfect. It's extremely simple to attach it to the bag. What more could you ask for?


As for the bag? Well as you could see in my last post, the anchor that holds the ring to the bag itself is frayed and dry-rotted. What do you expect for a 60+ year old bag. But I took the original webbing and bag to a local tailor and he worked wonders. And as you can see it came out nearly flawless. I couldn't be happier.


This is the undamaged side.


And this is the repaired side. Like I said. Amazing, right?

And here is the completed bag. For those of you who are sticklers, i have the strap attached opposite the way Indy wears his. He wears his on his left side. Perhaps it is me being right handed, i don't know, but i wear mine on my right side. So you'll notice its "backwards." I wanted the buckle in the front so its switched. If i ever want to truly make it match, it is an easy fix thanks to the famous "chicago screws" that hold the strap togeather.


Closer detail of the bag and strap/buckle.

And there you have it. My very own Mk-VII bag. I should photograph the markings on the inside, but they are already fading. I doubt they'll come out on camera. Maybe next time.

Indiana Jones Mk-VII Gas Mask Bag

The little child in me is jumping for joy at my newest acquisition.  I have managed after some diligent searching to find an actual, un-used gas mask bag identical to the one used by Harrison Ford in the Indy series.

Here I am proudly displaying my much sought after prize.

Sadly.  It was made in 1942.  The markings on the inside flap clearly say MK-VII and 1942, but as for the manufacturer, I don't know.  Its in the midst of fading away.  Along with slowly vanishing lettering, the strap is somewhat dry rotted.  I knew this upon purchasing it and have always planned on replacing the strap with a more authentic Indy style leather strap.

With flash on camera

Without flash on camera

Unfortunately the bag gave out a bit earlier than I thought.    I had planned on being resourceful and making my own strap.  But I'm lazy and working on too many projects aside from the ones on this site.  So, I've ordered one from Magnoli Clothiers, who have been making fine leather goods for quite some time.  As well, they've been specifically recommended concerning this strap.

Undamaged side

To be repaired

As you can see, the anchor is the part that broke on my bag, so I'm going to have a local tailor create a new strap anchor from the existing webbing shoulder strap.  More than likely I'll ask him to reinforce it with some stronger newer material underneath.  I'm a bit sad to have to cannibalize this vintage strap, but I was never going to use it again.  After i get it all fixed and pieced together I'll post more pictures.  As well, I'll try to decipher the manufacturer.

Millenium Falcon 9

Today has been interesting to say the least.

I stopped by RadioShack this afternoon for a case for the batteries for the falcon. What happened to things being easy? I went in, grabbed my case and a 4-pack of AA's. Neville, the annoyingly incompetant sales clerk talked me into getting 3 more packs of batters. 4-for-10. not bad. Well apprently after i paid and all Neville made a mistake and the batteries i bought were NOT on sale. So of course i'mnot gonna pay for em. I spent the next 10 minutes waiting there while 3 other clerks came over and tried to figure out how to refund all this.

By this time i just wanted to leave and didn't wind up buying anything. And to top it all off, Radioshack doesn't sell wire. Speaker wire, sure. But what about good old electric wire?

So i went home, cooled off and went back a few hours later. After all i needed the battery case to begin wiring things correctly.

And behold the fruits of my labors. I figure that 4 AA's running the few LEDs that I have will be sufficiant enough to power the Falcon. The case for the battery fits perfect in the rear of the ship between the two landing gear bays. The whole thing will run off of one battery pack with an on/off switch.

Not too bad so far I think.

The blue glow from the engines is actually looking pretty damned good. Instead of direct light i'm going to angle the LEDs a little to spread the light and avoid harsh glares which you'll see still show up in pictures.

Right now I only have one blue engine light in. Its a slow process of making sure they're alligned correctly as well as gluing them in. I've contructed little stands to that the lights can be positioned at the right height behind the plastic shield.

Top view. You can see the tape holding on the front of the cockpit while the glue drives. There is a small LED inside the cockpit that will more than likely be overpowered by all the others. As well, there is one in the center under the gun turrets. Currently its not plugged in. But when complete, light will be seen through the small circular windows on top and bottom.

Here you can also see the spill from the blue of the engines. The model isn't completely glued together, so there is going to be tons of spill. Once all the lights are in and up and running i'll be able to seal it shut. The only access point will be the top engin turret which I am not securingits going to be the only way to turn the ship on and off as well as replacing batteries.

And of course some nice darker shots so you can get a look at what the lights will look like glowing in the darkness.

I think this is my favorite one so far. Granted its a bit blurry, but you can see some detail of the ship with the lights fired up.

Alright. Thats all for now. Within the next week or two I hope to have it all up and glowing. After that its just a matter of sealing off any cracks or seams to reduce spill light leaking through.

Enjoy.

Millenium Falcon 8

Engines!

One of the most notable aspects of the Millenium falcon aside from its hamburger shape is the glowing blue strip of light in the rear. That glowing blue of the engines and hyper drive. Now the model comes with 2 strips of clear plastic which are apparently supposed to be painted blue and glue in the rear curve of the ship. 2 things about this. 1, that would look like crap. And 2, that would look like crap. So i sat down trying to figure out how i could simulate that glow in a more realistic way. Some modellers out there have talked about their use of light sheet and such, but i am pretty sure i can do it for cheaper. So first thing i got was a clear/frosted 3-ring binder.

I took one of these inexpensive folders, you know the kind. The ones you use for subjects in school that you don't care too much about. Well i cut out a strip approximately a foot long and an inch and a half high which will be glued into the back of the ship. Eventually this will have blue leds behind it illuminating the engines. A few tests have shown that the frosted plastic helps to diffuse the light from the leds, so it should give a nice even glow.

After making a few more measurements and cuts, the strip for the engines is ready to be glued in place. Its not going to provide any real structural re-inforcement, but the clear plastic pieces that came with the model weren't going to provide much more. You can see how this material picks up the flash from the camera. Its reflecting, but the flash is being diffused just a tad. I'm thinking this is going to work out really well.

Here is the piece being held in place with painters tape. (painters tape has come in handy throughout this whole project) Next will be to build some kind of light box behing the engines to help direct the light, but also the keep blue light from spilling into the rest of the model. In this pic you can see some of the spagetti of wires as well as the lower gun turret with does indeed turn 360 degrees. The upper turret will have the Luke Skywalker character that i painted with orange and white like the X-Wing fighters. Through the glass you'll be able to see him when the interior of the model is lit up.

And here is the back end of the Millenium Falcom with the Engine piece in place. Still drying and clamped down with tape as you can see. As of now the landing gear is going to be set so that you can take it off, but this means the doors to the landing gear will open on their own accord. Something else to address later on.

Lightsabre 1

So I have decided to try my hand at replica making. So while I am elbow deep in wiring the lights for the millenium falcon, I'm here carving away. I have no idea how i should have begun, or what materials i should be using. So of course all of this is my best first attempt.

I started with a piece of styrofoam. Nothing fancy, just something of enough size that i could whittle down to the right shape. After making some markings here and there i started slicing away chunks of foam until i got it down to a somewhat recognizable shape and size. I think in the end its going to end up too thick, but again....first attempt.

like a weird monolith from 2001..

So as you can see its looking much more like that hilt of a generic lightsabre out of the Star Wars galaxy. I decided to model if off of pretty much all sabres. So there is a little of Kenobi's from the original films as well as Luke's. And of course a little of my own invention.

It started out with a little more detail. But as I am going I'm learning that foam is not the best medium to work with. No matter how sharp the knife. Its also horribly light. I'm hoping once the layers of paint and such are added it will give it a little more weight. And of course if i decide to illuminate it in some way. I'm contemplating putting something on the very top where the blade would emminate from.

Here is a better view of the finger grip section on the lower half.

And the other side. The little section that rises on the left side, i'm debating on putting a strip of leds in it. There was something there in the movies, so we'll see.

After i carved it out of the foam and got the best shape i could. As well as creating some of the detail, the next step was to give it some strength. After all its foam. I mean, come on. My trip to pearl paint yielded me modelling paste. Its just really thick elmers glue which is sandable. The only thing with this is that its glue. And as we all know, cause as kids we all glued our hands, its a bit rubbery when dry. So its taking forever to sand and smoothe down. I think its going to be a coat of this and then a coat of something thicker with more weight to it before I even think of priming it.

So this is my lightsabre. I started this several months ago. Why i'm finally posting I don't know. But hope you enjoy. I'll continue to update as the weather gets nicer and I can actually work on it outside.