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Casey Gray
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Building Lando Calrissian’s Millennium Falcon Part 1

August 12, 2018 · in Sci-fi · · 11 · 3.1K


just released a new model depicting the legendary ship under the ownership of one Lando Calrissian, as it appears in the movie "SOLO" before Han won it in a game of cards. The kit is beautifully molded and very well detailed for is diminutive scale (1:144). Oddly Bandai chose to release this kit with out the options of landing gear, open boarding ramp or sub-light engine that is not powered up. Thankfully I saved these unused items from my previous Falcon build and they fit this kit with zero required modification. I guess maybe an alternative boxing will be released or this was done to get modelers seeking these options to purchase two kits to the tune of $120.

A clean desk and ready to build


I started by building the major sub-assemblies of Lando's Falcon and hitting them all with a coat of my favorite primer, black Stynylrez. Once the black was dry I laid down some highlights of warm taupey gray color. The overall color of the early falcon is a very light, almost white gray. I mixed a color to my liking out of 95% XF-2 white and 5% XF-18 medium blue. Initially I stopped short of the correct color because I was so pleased the with the color modulation I had achieved but after staring at it for a day I knew I had to go lighter. Happy with color I could resist a preview of the Falcon on her perch.

Building a base

After the success I had with my previous Falcon "vignette" I knew this would have to have a base of some type to set her on or it wouldn't feel complete. I didn't want a massive diorama just a small slice of landing pad to bring the Falcon to life. the "saucer section of the Falcon is roughly 7.5 inches in diameter so I selected an 8 inch artist cradled panel as my base. The idea for the hex-tile base was sparked by my bathroom floor tiles. I've always been fascinated by the"honeycomb" pattern as it is something that forms in nature but is also very clean and modern looking, The base draws inspiration from two very different things, Giant's Causeway in Ireland and pre-formed hexagonal pavers used by the Soviets to build remote airbases in the 50's.I started by cutting 60-ish .75 inch hexagons out of polymer clay and texturizing them to look like volcanic stone. After baking them they were then glued to the cradled board, the edges sprayed with some textured Krylon paint to blend them with the base and given a uniform base coat of black. I applied a heavy coat of kosher salt and begin to lay down layers of color to simulate the dark gray volcanic stone. Not happy with how the the colors where blending I misted the base with water. I was unsure of how the the acrylic paints and washes I used would react but I couldn't be happier with my experiment. The base was then sprayed with a coupe coats of Testor's dullcoat and set aside until a few supplied I needed arrive to complete it. A Sunday Amazon delivery provided the Olfa circle cutter, frisket film and ballast I need to move forward with the base. I added markings, "ballast" between the stones and some spots of grass. If my skills are up to it I will fabricate some type of coms tower to go with the base. pic19]

Reader reactions:
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1 additional image. Click to enlarge.


11 responses

  1. Spectacular weathering/detail work there, Casey...I'm likin' this one.

  2. Show off! Yet another great looking build, Casey. Just make sure that this one comes to the next meeting.

  3. Bandai released a few new SW subjects in the past year or so - all seemingly well designed and deservedly popular.

    Nice work here.

  4. Looks like a great kit to have some fun with! Painting it just like I would do such as black-based then highlighting panels. I never built a space ship but it really looks cool! Very creative thinking for the base. Look forward to full build!

  5. Casey, some great creativity that went into that base. You've got a nice touch for adding dimension to your sci-fi projects! It's looking great!

  6. Well done Casey, I like the affect.

  7. Mr. Sci-Fi, this is really looking good. The base is unique. I like it, keep up the good work. Can't wait to see it at the next meeting or even the one after it.

    • Hey Kurt,

      Good to see you on iModeler. Hope you plan on sharing that Arado with the folks here.

      The plan is to bring the Falcon to the meeting twice. Once with all the lighting in place but not closed up yet and another once complete.

  8. Any version of the Falcon is a good one. Love your weathering.

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