1/144 Scale Finemolds Millennium Falcon

[Agatheron]

I recently got my hands on a 1/144 Scale Finemolds Millennium Falcon. What a great kit!

After assembling the basic kit, I decided to keep the top and bottom pieces separate until much of the work has been completed.


The way to keep the top and bottom parts separate is to remove the plastic lugs from the foward tips of the upper shell, and glue those forward pieces just to the bottom half of the shell. Even without glue, the pieces fit extremely well, and are actually hard to get apart once snugly in place.

I decided to add physical battle damage to the model to match up with the 5' studio model. I tried to match up as best as possible and a tiny grinding bit with my dremel. Here's how those areas looked after spraying the model with white primer:







I also applied a dent to the rear of the cockpit section, as well as blast hole and slashes to the underside of the "driver's side" pod rings. I don't have pictures of those.

[Agatheron]

After priming the model, I went ahead with pre-shading, then a base-coat of Vallejo Model Air's Pale Grey Blue (#46), and then used oil paints to add some variation in the tones of the panels:

Here's how the progression looked from one angle:







In the last picture, I had also done contrast detail by adding a very light tone of the base coat to paint detail bits on the model.

I've since added the decals, but have no pictures of them. I've also gone beyond the supplied decals and am painting any areas that weren't covered by decals, but are present on the Studio models. Pics for that will be coming soon.

Any feedback or comments? This is my first starship project outside of my usual repertoire of gaming miniatures. I'm doing this as a gift for my kid brother's 40th birthday.

[Agatheron]

I've been working on this while the forums were down... so I'm doing three posts in a row...

Okay... a bit of an update. Here's how she looks with a combination decals/airbrushed markings as well as added chipping to various depths.

After I applied the decals, I knew that I would want to add additional colour panels to match the studio models more closely. I was able to match the red/orange colour reasonably well, but I really couldn't get the warm grey of the supplied decals. Not only that, the warm grey decals were really almost a grey brown... so I came up with a paint mix I thought would be better, masked off all the parts that were either decalled, or should have been, and then airbrushed it on.

I then chipped all the colour panels back to the base colour, and then applied general chipping across the model with a near-white... light sponging mostly, and then brushing on to match the studio models more closely. The interior of the heavier chips I did with a brownish black to represent where the damage had gone right down to the base metal.

This is how it looks so far... there's still lots to do:







Close up of the forward battle damage:


I still need to apply the dark chipping to the underside of the model, and then I'll be applying a filter before moving on to washes and other weathering.

How am I doing? This is my first Star Wars model in more than 30 years! Quite a different approach from when I was 10.

[Tobias Bayer]

Good work, it´s a good Falcon

[Mark Snel]

Very Nice!!! Currently I am working on the X-wing of finemolds.

Have a nice day,

Mark

[Geronimo]

like STAR WARS and all related stuff therefore i really like the MIL-FAL

impressive build and realistic battle damage (although i do not know how laserdamage looks like) ...

[Agatheron]

Here's a quick update with a mess of pictures. Last night I applied this stuff:



The effect is very subtle, and may not really be all that visible between the last pictures and the current ones. Even so, this batch of pictures shows the finished chipping on both the top and bottom of the model as well... In person, the filter warms up the grey nicely, but the basic tones are still there. on this model, I did two layers. Even with it being subtle, I didn't want to overdo it.

Anyway, speaking of overdoing it... a whack of pictures.

Top View:






Close shot of some of the damage:




Underside:






The big gash on the underside:

Very Nice!!! Currently I am working on the X-wing of finemolds.

I'm hoping to acquire the 1/48 Finemolds X-Wing tomorrow... as long as the store that I saw it at still has it. I like this MF kit that much!

impressive build and realistic battle damage (although i do not know how laserdamage looks like) ...

Technically neither do I... I figure scorch marks mostly... If one wants to really geek out, the laser weapons in Star Wars are more plasma bolts. So scorched impact hits are viable... the heavy damage on the model are more from collisions than they are from blaster hits, except for the ones behind the radar dish.

[JSteinman]

[Agatheron]

New update... here's how it looks with the Wash still "curing". I used Neutral Wash for the pin wash.

Here's how it ended up looking on the whole model:












And a couple of close-up shots:




I think I'll be adding some of the rust-coloured weathering next... but I have to let this cure for a little while first.

[Agatheron]

Right... time to call this one done. The oil & rust streaks were handled with oil paint... specifically Abeiltung 501 "Light Rust Brown" and "Starship Filth". I applied the oils in tiny dots where the streak would start, basing their location on the actual studio models... or as close to that as I could. I then took a feathering (flat) brush and streaked the oil/rust down the panel.After letting the oils dry for a day, I gave the model a final matte varnish before using Black weathering powders to do small scorch marks, or the first stage of the blast damage. Again, placement of the scorch marks were based on the 5' studio model. I used a tiny brush to apply a small amount of weathering powder to where I wanted it, lightly pressed the brush to make sure the pigment stayed in that location... blew off the excess, and then used a large drybrush to streak the scorch mark in the desired direction. Lastly, I airbrushed black around the larger blast marks, as well as the exhaust venting across the back of the model.

I had to do some correction to the cockpit, as the masks I used didn't work very well at all. Ah well... can't expect perfection on the first time out.

Anyway here's the general pictures of the completed build and paintjob:








Gotta have an action shot too

[Agatheron]

Here's some close-up shots of some of the finalized detail:














What remains now is for me to paint up the basic stand the Falcon came with, as well as working up a diorama base. My brother's birthday is September 14th. Hopefully I can get this done in time... especially given that I will be away on holidays until the 18th.

[Tobias Bayer]

Really good work, looks like the movie Falcon

[ManfredL]

Very good painting Agatheron.

This is really a painters model.

[domingohm]

good work, very good weathering.

Cheers

[Agatheron]

Thanks... I loved working on this model so much that I nabbed the 1/48 Scale X-Wing, as I mentioned earlier. I have a few other projects in front of it, but the X-Wing will be making its debut soon.

The next stage with this model is to create 2 separate bases, one very basic, that will take the existing flight stand that comes with the model onto a small wood plinth, and a second, more complicated diorama base that has the Falcon doing a very close flyby of an asteroid. The idea is to provide my brother with the option of the basic stand or a more fancy one, depending on where he needs to display it.