Bandai 1/144 Millennium Falcon

1
March 12, 2023
Started with the base with a coat of Primer and a bit of pre-shading.
2
March 12, 2023
Top coat of white grey added over the pre-shade, looks OK to me 🙂 The open bays got a coat of neutral grey ahead of adding some interest with metallics to pick out some of the pipes/greeblies
3
March 17, 2023
Small update. I ended up spraying the bays with Metallic Steel then picking out some bits with grey black and brass then lots (and lots) of rust. Once I clear coat it and add wash that should look suitably worn and old.
4
March 17, 2023
One for Treehugger ? I masked the clear parts using my usual technique of sticking on the tape, tracing the outlines with a cocktail stick then cutting out with a nice new scalpel blade. I did try the decals but they looked awful, just paint to add then cleanup with the cocktail stick.
5
March 20, 2023
Weekend update.... The bays have had a coat of gloss clear and a bit of Nuln Oil wash, look nicely oily and rusty now. Think I'll stick with the gloss finish and not bother with a matt coat on these so they'll go in at final assembly. Clear parts matt coated then cleaned up after the masking was removed. Look ok considering they'll be covered up by the guns.
6
March 20, 2023
Decals and a gloss coat which didn't go down very well at all !! Used everybody's favorite floor polish (Pledge/Kleer) which decided to selectively stick in different places causing beading and made a bit of a mess. Sprayed about 6 very light coats altogether and tried to even up between coats using X-20A thinners to wipe the high spots and runs but eventually got a good coverage that's smooth. One to watch out for on the top side.
7
March 20, 2023
I don't like photoetch part 1. Oh, this stuff is fiddly, not sure if it's the scale or having to use CA glue but I had lots of issues making this. There wasn't even a give up and go back option as it involved cutting away parts first to replace with the PE parts. It's a mess but it'll have to do 🙁
8
March 20, 2023
I don't like photoetch part 2. I had similar issues with the cockpit but at least these bits were additional and not replacement. The sticker were nice and went down well but all the bending and sticking extra (really, really small) bits onto different bits of metal using CA defeated me and I made the best job I could then gave it up as a bad job! Note to self: avoid PE in future 😉
9
March 20, 2023
Cockpit assembled. At least you can't see the worst of the mess I made and the figures are (sort of) identifiable as Rey and Finn. Glad this bit is done and I'm not going to bother with the gun ports replacements, just too much like hard work, this is supposed to be enjoyable 😄
10
March 26, 2023
Coat of primer on the top and a bit of pre-shading.
11
March 26, 2023
Top coat added and connected up the cockpit assembly.
12
March 26, 2023
I did the same as the open bays on the bottom, primed then a base coat of metallic steel. Picked out some bits with greys and metallics. Just need to add rust then seal and wash.
13
March 26, 2023
Went for the supplied gun positions and not the photoetch. Primed them black then a coat of medium grey for the position. I won't bother to do any more as you can't see these when assembled anyway.
14
April 1, 2023
Decals added to the top.
15
April 1, 2023
Rust added then a gloss coat before some nuln oil wash.
16
April 1, 2023
Weathering on the bottom. Light grey wash as a filter and various rust, grime and oil stain washes used for streaking etc. Extra attention paid to the feet of the landing gear.
17
April 1, 2023
Weathering on the top. Same washes as the bottom and used black pastel for the engine exhaust.
18
April 2, 2023
Top & bottom got a coat of Matt varnish so everything is ready to assemble 🙂
19
April 2, 2023
Assembled and mounted on the stand. The base got a coat of Sand Primer and an Agrax Earthshade wash. All done !
20
April 2, 2023
All completed so here's the 360 against a nice plain background
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023
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April 2, 2023

Treehugger
Heh, when it comes to masking the clear parts, one might just want to relax and take it easy.
What I did, was using many tiny bits of masking tape. Instead of trying to cut accurate patches of masking tape, I just added tiny bits of tape, eventually covering every corner and filling the larger open area of the clear part after that.

One could try simply use a hand and a brush, but I think that won't look as nice as when using an airbrush (and then one has to add masking).

12 March 2023, 17:52

Gareth Lloyd
Thanks @Treehugger I'll bear that in mind, although... current thinking is that I'd use the windowless cockpit and the decals on the gun positions but we'll see when I get to that bit. My main worry with those but is that they've got PE replacements and I'll be breaking out the learning curve to work out how that works 😁

13 March 2023, 11:09