Millennium Falcon Main Hold

So many details, and yet I haven't even begun to get to all of them. It's a labor of love I guess...

T-16 Skyhopper

I spent some time this weekend perfecting a model of Luke's T-16 Skyhopper. One of my favorite ships throughout the world of Star Wars.



The ship shows up in the garage scene on Tatooine. Luke holds a model of it while complaining about his bleak future. Something it took me years to notice was that there was a full scale T-16 in the background of the very same scene.

I made the model using Sketchup's Photomatch tools, combining a number of photos of the original scale model made by Colin Cantwell. I've also been building in such a way that it will be 3D-print ready. Once complete, I may even sell some kits.

here an image of the actual model

and the scene where the ship shows up.

IG-88 Blaster

Bit of a change of pace. A client, and fellow member of the Replica Prop Forum, comissioned me to replicate the tip of IG-88's blaster. The model is being printed by shapeways as I write this.

After I finished modelling the part, I got curious about the rest of the weapon. I was able to find a CG model of the MP44 rifle that the ESB production department used as a base for the blaster, and from there I modelled a number of other parts that were added on (such as some scopes and a pair of model v8 pistons)

A few more parts would need to be added to finish the model off, but it was kind of fun to reverse engineer the kinds of modifications the art departments made to create their distinctive blasters from existing guns.

And here's an image of the original blaster, from the Star Wars Visual Dictionary.

Millennium Falcon and Deathstar Docking Bay (Part 8)

Millennium Falcon Exterior Details

Lots of work added to my exterior model of the Millennium Falcon, but lots and lots more to do. Arriving at this point has been a matter of referencing the full scale movie set built for A New Hope, and filling in the blank spots with "DNA" from the 5' Studio Scale Model built for effects shots.

The last image, for instance, showing the rear undercarriage assembly, was detailed completed from the studio model. That area was virtually blank on the full scale set. Almost all that bulky junk was kitbashed, in the studio model, from WW2 tanks. Painted all one color, it does lend the ship a sense of a working machine. 

The phrase "Drive Safely" really was on the rear end of the effects model. It was one of many joke decals, applied by the art department, which would have been too small to be caught on the silver screen.  

the Millennium Falcon Exterior in the Deathstar Docking Bay

Uploaded a video flyby of the exterior model of the Falcon. All the details you see on the Falcon are composited from the full scale movie set built for ANH, and the 5' Studio Scale Falcon used for effects shots. The movie set itself was only partially constructed, and lots of details are completely omitted from the top side, to save on budget.

In case you're wondering, the words "DRIVE SAFELY" and that long serial number really are on the back of the studio scale model of the Falcon. A fun little in-joke by the art department.

Lars Homestead Garage

A start on Luke's garage from blueprints found in the Rinzler tome. A good start, getting the lighting right has been key. The T-16 in the background was also built from production blueprints. The so called Lars Family Speeder was built from some basic plans that appear in the Star Wars Techinical Journal (Shane Johnson, 1994), but needed a lot of modification. Lots of details to be added, including the possibly modified Gaudi chair.