TM

BUILD THE MODEL – EXPLORE THE GALAXY

THE FALCON’S A VISITOR’S GUIDE QUAD LASER CANNONS TO STAGE 1 ASSEMBLY COCKPIT AND CANNON YOUR FIRST PARTS

COMPONENTS CHECKLIST Your is easy to put together (even if you have no previous 1 Rear cockpit instrument panel modelling experience), following the simple step-by-step instructions. 2 Cockpit bulkhead he pieces include metal castings, ABS plastic mouldings, self-adhesive panels, 3 Cockpit base and electronic components – so this issue’s parts give you a great idea of the 4 Laser cannon barrels (upper pair) T 5 Laser cannon barrels (lower pair) variety of assemblies you will be working on. The pieces provided include the 6 Left mounting plate upper quad laser cannon (cast in solid metal), parts of the cockpit and its 7 Right mounting plate instrument panels, and the first pieces of the hull frame and armour plating. This 8 Mounting yoke issue, you can get the build under way by assembling the cockpit bulkhead and 9 Fixing screws (x 3, plus 1 spare) taking a look at the assembly of the Falcon’s quad laser cannon. We’ll be giving 10 Hull plating TP-1 11 Hull frame TF-1 you more instructions on using your first parts very soon, so be sure to keep all 12 Hull frame TF-2 the components you don’t use at once safely until they are needed. WHERE THE PARTS FIT INTERIOR ELEMENTS OUTER HULL PLATING

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All the hull plating (such as Part 10) is screwed to 2 the Falcon’s internal metal framework, which is made from sections like Parts 11/12. The code numbers (eg TP-1) in the Components Checklist identify exactly where each part fits.

3 INTERNAL FRAMEWORK

11 12

4 6 8

METAL DETAILING Cast in metal for durability, the This shows a small quad laser cannon parts fit together area of the hull 9 as shown overleaf. Their turret structure, which you 5 7 mounting is provided with Issue 2. start to build in Issue 2.

10 11 BUILD THE FALCON ASSEMBLING THE COCKPIT BULKHEAD If you wish, you can fit the instrument 01 02 panel to the bulkhead, but you may prefer to wait until Issue 3, when you receive the communicating door that fits in the centre.

The cockpit instrumentation is printed Line up the instrument panel with the on a translucent, self-adhesive sheet. side of the cockpit bulkhead which has Carefully peel off the backing paper. a smooth, flat surface.

03 04

Part 1, the rear cockpit instrument panel, has a self-adhesive backing. It has translucent areas matching the holes in the bulkhead (Part 2). In your finished model, this part will have an Make sure that the doorway and two You can test-fit the tabs on the cockpit LED backlight to create the small slots match up exactly, and then base into the two slots at the bottom, instruments’ glow. smooth the sticker into place. but do not be tempted to glue them.

INSTRUMENT ‘GREEBLIES’ behind the scenes

Movie special-effects The interior of the Falcon’s cockpit is departments commonly use the packed with instrumentation, switches and glowing lights, which are reproduced term ‘greeblies’ for all the details in miniature in your model. added to a model or prop to make it appear more complicated used very detailed pieces from and visually interesting. The word plastic models (a technique they is believed to have been dubbed ‘kit-bashing’). Meanwhile, dreamed up by the team working the team building the full-size on , and when A New Falcon cockpit sourced real Hope was being filmed in Tunisia, switches and instrument panels customs officials found that parts from component suppliers and of C-3PO’s costume were scrapyards to give a convincing described as ‘assorted greebles’. impression of working systems – When the officials asked what This drawing from 6 April 1976 although this was often far from the case. shows part of the set for this meant, ’s what was then called On the 30th anniversary of The Empire explanation was reported to have the ‘pirate ship’. The Strikes Back, Harrison Ford gave an been ‘something that looks cool structure is wood interview in which he revealed how he but doesn’t actually do anything’. with built-in had to fake some of ’s interaction lightboxes, and with the machinery: ‘They purchased all of details were MODEL AND added by these toggle switches. Because we made SET-BUILDING sticking on the film on a budget, they hadn’t bought Greeblies appeared all over the greeblies. the ones with springs. So if in a scene you models and sets built for the Star would flip up some switches, if you didn’t Wars trilogy. To give a sense of scale, the get out of the frame quickly enough they modellers who were making the filming miniatures would go back down…’

10 11 STAGE 1 ASSEMBLY QUAD LASER CANNON ASSEMBLY DETAILS The upper and lower halves of the quad laser cannon fit together over the mounting plates and mounting yokes as shown, held together by three screws inserted from the underside. A screwdriver is provided free with Issue 2, but if you already have a suitable one, you may want to test-fit the parts together now. We will be showing you how to finish off the cannon later.

01

Following the checklist on page 10, take the two halves of the metal laser cannon and the three parts of its mount (Parts 4, 5, 6 , 7 and 8), plus the screws provided.

02 03

Holding the mounting yoke as shown, carefully fit the left Fit the right mounting plate over the other pivot. It is a mounting plate over the gun pivot. Note the locating tab mirror image of the first, and once again the locating tab (arrowed), which needs to be uppermost on the inside. needs to be uppermost on the inside.

04 05

Carefully holding the parts together, take the lower laser cannon barrels and fit the mounting yoke over it, with the Take the upper laser cannon barrels and fit it over the pivots in the groove between the screw holes and the two mounting yoke, lining up the pivots in the mounting yoke locating tabs in the recesses beside the two rearmost holes. with the groove under the barrel assembly.

12 13 BUILD THE FALCON

06 07

Make sure the upper cannon barrels line up with the lower Carefully turn the assembly over to expose the single screw ones and that the mounting fits snugly together. hole just behind the barrels.

08 09

Insert one of the fixing screws into the hole. Use a Repeat the process with two more fixing screws. Leave a screwdriver to tighten it enough to keep the parts little slack in all three so that the mounting yoke is free to together, but do not tighten it fully yet. pivot. You will tighten this up later.

10 AUTHENTIC DETAILS rrrrrr Central to George Lucas’s vision of Star Wars was what he called a ‘used universe’. In place of the sleek look seen in most previous sci-fi movies, he wanted his ships to appear dirty, rusty and worn, like machinery does in the real world. The parts of the model have been moulded and finished so that you can assemble an authentic replica Falcon with the minimum of previous modelling expertise. However, you may wish to add your own extra scorch marks, oil smears, battle damage, and wear and tear to personalise the Falcon and bring it to life. As your model progresses, we will provide hints and tips on how to achieve the ‘used universe’ look.

A detail of the cannon on the original filming miniature in the Lucasfilm That completes the assembly of the quad laser cannon for archive. Like the other props, the model was painted and then distressed to the present. The end result should look like this. Store the match George Lucas’s vision of a world in which the equipment looked used. assembly carefully until you are ready to fit it.

12 13 TM ISSUE 2

build the model – explore the galaxy

Understanding the A visitor’s guide cockpit control layout to building the falcon your next parts

This issue brings you a selection of parts for your model Millennium You can also start screwing together the hull frames – including Falcon. First of all, you can continue building the dorsal quad laser the two you received with Issue 1, and the next pair, supplied this cannon, by putting the cannon itself together and fitting it to the time, together with the first of the connectors used to join them. turret. This issue includes not only the turret itself, but also the Finally, you have received the iconic hologame table seen in precision screwdriver that fits all the screws used in the assembly. Episode IV, and the pilots' control panel to fit in the cockpit. where the parts fit components checklist quad laser 1 Control desk 6, 7-R, 7-L Connecting plates turret 2 Pilots’ instruments 8 Fixing screws (x 7) 3 Quad laser turret 82 Hologame table 4 Hull frame 83 Dejarik game board 5 Hull frame Screwdriver

hologame board

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instruments Part 2, the pilots’ instrument display, has a 82 self-adhesive backing, and T he two pieces of has holes to match the the holographic control desk (Part 1). In the table used to play finished cockpit, these will the Dejarik game be used to mount the are the first parts control yokes supplied that fit inside the with Issue 3. cutaway in your model Falcon. 2 hull frames

4 1

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7-R free screwdriver 6 5 7-L 9 9 your next parts building the falcon assembling the assembling the hull frames You have already received two frames quad laser turret for the hull above the boarding ramp, This issue's parts include the circular turret for the upper quad laser cannon. and this issue includes their mirror The metal parts of the cannon itself were provided with Issue 1 and you may already images. You have also received three of 2-12 have test-assembled them, in which case you can skip to Step 5. If you haven't put them the connecting plates and the together already, this issue provides a screwdriver of the right size to use. screws used to assemble them. It is important that these 1-8 1-9 2-5 01 02 03 connectors go the right way round to match the 2-4 angles of the frames, so it pays to 2-6 practise aligning them before putting in the screws. 2-7-L 2-7-R 01 02 03

T ake the two halves of the laser cannon Fit the parts together as shown. Note Fit one of the fixing screws onto the and its mount that were supplied with the part number (arrowed) should be tip of the screwdriver so that the Issue 1 (Parts 5, 6 and 7). on the same side as the screw hole. magnetism keeps it in place.

04 05 06 Referring to the diagram above, note Screw connector 2-7-L to the correct Take the hull frames (Parts 8 and 9) from how each connecting plate is numbered hole on the underside of Part 8, making Issue 1, together with the connectors and underneath to show where it fits and sure that the smooth face of the fixing screws received with this time. which way round it goes. connector faces the hull frame.

04 05 06 T ighten the screw carefully until it Check that the cannon will stay in the With the screwhole underneath, slot the clamps the crossbar of the mount position you place it in. If the barrels square pin on the end of the mount into tightly, but do not overtighten it. start to droop, tighten the screw. the matching hole in the turret.

authentic details rrrrrr M ost parts of your model are pre-painted and ready to assemble, but there is plenty of scope for enhancing the Align the hole in Part 9 shown above Insert a second screw to join the T he completed assembly should look basic paintwork to get as close to the ‘used universe’ look of with the hole in the connector. components together. like this, with connectors 2-6 and 2-7-R the original prop as possible. For example, the armour plating unused at this stage. on the quad laser turret was scavenged from a variety of sources so that panels were different colours, including brick red, ochre and mid grey. 07 08 09

As well as painting the laser cannon itself, you may wish to paint some of the armour panels to match the original prop. The techniques involved Now take the two frames provided with Join them using connector 2-7-R in a Finally, test-fit the hull panel from Issue are covered in detail in this issue (Parts 4 and 5). similar way to the steps above. Then join 1 by pressing the two moulded lugs a later issue. both assemblies with connector 2-6. into the circled holes in the frames.

10 11 your next parts building the falcon behind the scenes assembling the the steelwork falcon h ologame board You can fit the chequered Dejarik game board to the table now, but you may prefer to keep the parts until you are ready to fit out the interior of the hold. 01 02 03

For the first Star Wars movie, only half the full-size Falcon was built in the studio, with optical compositing used to complete the illusion of reality. In 1975, ILM had to work fast to confirm Position the board centrally on the the design of key ships ahead of the Take the diecast metal hologame table The game board is self-adhesive. table. Align the outer black panels with principal filming for the first Star Wars (Part 82) and the printed circular game Carefully peel off the backing paper the edges of the recesses as shown and movie in the UK. One of the most crucial board that fits on top. without touching the sticky surface. smooth the board into place. was the Millennium Falcon, which would appear in several important interior and When The Empire Strikes Back went into production and a new full-size Falcon was needed, ILM built a exterior sequences. When George Lucas miniature structural framework using plastic modelling strips. This was scaled up and copied by a team of was forced to abandon the original steel fabricators working in Wales, who built 16 full-size radial wedges that were bolted together on set. design, the replacement Falcon came wedge-shaped ‘slices of cake’ that could Spitfire hub caps, seen in the shots where together in less than a week and the crew be transported to Elstree on a convoy of Han and are working on top assembling the instrument panel at Elstree Studios copied the model as flatbed trucks and bolted together on site. of the Falcon in the hangar of the Rebels’ You may also wish to fit the pilots' instrument panel now, but you can leave it until exactly as they could – even scaling up The giant version of the model-makers Echo Base on the planet Hoth. you receive the remaining parts for the cockpit interior in the next two issues. errors such as where the core of the model vision was covered with wooden frames, The finished hull eighedw some 25 tons, was exposed. The lack of time and vast onto which thick plywood was fixed to and to help move it around the huge Star scale of the ship meant that only half of it form the outer skin of the hull. Each had Wars stage, it was fitted with air jets.T hese 01 02 03 could be built of wood and plaster on to be cut and shaped precisely over the would raise the massive weight off the Stage 3, which was re-propped for key complex formwork underneath. floor enough to allow the ship to be scenes such as Docking Bay 94 and the With time running out, the last plywood nudged into place by the props men. The hangar. armour was added, followed by parts air-lifting mechanism was used for a shot As there were no firm plans for a sequel, scavenged from car scrapyards to give the showing the Millennium Falcon the original part-built Falcon was hull its ‘used universe’ look. These manoeuvring across the hangar, but this scrapped, but when The Empire Strikes famously included a row of Triumph was cut from the final edit. Back was greenlighted, it soon became obvious that Han Solo’s ship would feature heavily yet again, and that the set would T ake the cockpit control desk (Part 1) The cockpit instruments are printed The cockpit control desk has two have to be rebuilt. The finished set, with actor Harrison Ford taking the and the instrument display panel that on a translucent, self-adhesive sheet. holes in it that match the holes in the gunner’s seat for filming the first Star Wars movie at fits on top (Part ?) Carefully peel off the backing. instrument panel. the real falcon’s shipyard Elstree Studios near London. This time, it was decided that the Falcon would be built like a real ship, with a metal 04 05 skeleton and outer panelling. In 1977, ILM’s modelmakers built a structural model using polystyrene modelling strips. This would act as a template for a full-size fabrication in steel. The full-size Falcon was constructed in a former flying-boat hangar at Pembroke Docks in Wales, where local heavy engineering company Marcon Fabrications cut and welded huge Carefully align the holes in the Y ou can test-fit the control desk to the sections of metal to match the model. The instrument panel with the holes in the front of the cockpit base as shown, but material used was two-inch box section The finished framework was clad with painted plywood panelling and topped off with scrap components desk and smooth it into place. do not attempt to glue it yet. steel, which was made into 16 huge from a variety of vehicles to complete the illusion of a battered old smuggling vessel.

12 13 PUBLISHED WEEKLY ISSUE 3 PRICE £8.99

BUILD THE MODEL EXPLORE THE GALAXY

THE FALCON’S A VISITOR’S GUIDE COCKPIT INSTRUMENTS TO BESPIN BUILDING THE FALCON YOUR NEXT PARTS

This issue brings you a selection of parts to complete most of the wait until you receive the next batch of parts with Issue 4. These interior of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit, including the seats and include an extra panel to complete the front of the instrument controls. You can assemble these as shown, but you may prefer to console, but this can be fitted when you receive it. WHERE THE PARTS FIT COMPONENTS CHECKLIST 1 Cockpit door 4 Control yokes (x 2) 2 Pilots’ seats (x 2) 5 Throttle levers (x 2) 3 Passengers’ seats (x 2) 6 Hull plating 6

1

Part 6, your second piece of hull plating, fits together with the first you received. You will be assembling this, together with the metal frames that support it, in the next issue.

4 5

2 3

ASSEMBLING THE COCKPIT BULKHEAD Start by adding the recessed doorway that fits into the bulkhead at the back of the cockpit. 01 02 03

Take the bulkhead from Issue 1 and the door provided this time. If you have not Press the door all the way in so that its fitted the instrument panel as shown on Fit the door into the hole in the pale grey surround fits flush with the page 12 of Issue 1, do so now. bulkhead. matching recess in the bulkhead.

10 11 YOUR NEXT PARTS FITTING THE COCKPIT SEATS AND LEVERS The two pilots' seats and two passenger seats are a simple press-fit onto the four mounting points on the cockpit floor. 01 02

Take the four seats supplied this time Fit the first of the passenger seats over and the cockpit base that came with the square mounting point at the back Issue 1. of the cockpit base.

03 04 05

Fit the second passenger seat in the Fit the first of the pilots’ seats over the Fit the second pilot’s seat in the same same way and press both of them firmly square mounting point in the middle of way and press both of them firmly into into place. the cockpit base. place.

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Take one of the two throttle levers and Align the throttle lever as shown, then The completed throttle control assembly fit its locating pin into one of the small fit the second lever to the other hole. should look like this. holes beside the pilots’ seats. (You may find it helpful to use tweezers.)

10 11 YOUR NEXT PARTS BUILDING THE FALCON ASSEMBLING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL You may also wish to assemble the pilots' instrument panel now, but you can leave it until you receive the remaining part for the cockpit console in the next issue. 01 02 03

Take the control panel that you Locate the pin on the back of one of the assembled in Issue 2 and the two control yokes in the hole in the instrument control yokes supplied this time. panel, noting which way up it is. Press the control yoke firmly into place.

04 05 06

Fit the pin on the second control Press the yoke firmly into place. Both control yokes should be in the yoke into the instrument panel. same position. ASSEMBLING THE COCKPIT To see the cockpit interior taking shape, you can add the forward and rear instrument panels, which are a simple press-fit on the base. 01 02 03

Carefully align the two pins on the Gently press the control panel into Slot the two tabs on the back of the underside of the control panel with the place. cockpit base into the slots near the arrowed holes in the central console. bottom of the bulkhead.

12 13 PUBLISHED WEEKLY ISSUE 4 PRICE £8.99

BUILD THE MODEL – EXPLORE THE GALAXY

THE FALCON’S A VISITOR’S GUIDE ENGINEERING STATION TO BUILDING THE FALCON YOUR NEXT PARTS

This issue brings you a selection of parts to continue assembling have received. The parts also include an extra panel to complete the Millennium Falcon's hull framework. Once these have been the front of the instrument console, the assembly of which was added to the existing frames, you can attach the hull plating you begun in Issue 3. WHERE THE PARTS FIT COMPONENTS CHECKLIST Part 1 completes the front of the cockpit internal assembly that was explained in 1 Cockpit console front panel 4, 5L, 5R Connecting plates detail in the previous issue. 2 Hull frame 6 Fixing screws (x 14) 3 Hull frame 7 Fixing screws (x 7)

1

Parts 2 and 3 (plus the three connecting plates and screws supplied) extend the There are two sizes of screws, metal framework of the hull both of which include a to support the plating that spare. The ones with has been provided so far. countersunk heads are used to assemble the metal framework. The ones with 3 wide, flanged heads are used to attach the hull plating.

7 5L 4 5R 6 2 COMPLETING THE COCKPIT CONSOLE Fitting the cockpit console front panel provided this time will finish off the front of the pilots’ control panel. 01 02 03

Take the cockpit console front panel (Part 1) and the cockpit interior that you Press the front panel back into position assembled in Issue 3. Align the two tabs so that its top edge fits under the and slots as shown in yellow. instrument panel as shown. This completes the front of the cockpit.

10 11 YOUR NEXT PARTS EXTENDING THE HULL FRAMES The basic techniques for joining the hull frames provided this time are the same as you used in Issue 2. You have also received three more connecting plates, plus the screws used to assemble them. It is important that these connectors go the right way round to match the angles of the frames, so it pays to practise aligning them before putting in the screws.

Parts recieved this week 4-2 01 02 4-3

4-5-L 4-4 4-5-R

Take the frames you joined in Issue 2, Use two countersunk screws to fit plus the frames, connecting plates and connecting plate 4-5-L to frames 1-9 Parts recieved last week screws supplied this time. and 1-8, aligned as shown.

03 04 05

Use two countersunk screws to fit Use two countersunk screws to fit Add frame 4-3 (provided this time) to the connecting plate 4-4 to frames 1-9 and connecting plate 4-4 to frames 2-5 and assembly and use three screws to fix it to 2-5, aligned as shown. 2-4, aligned as shown. connecting plates 4-4 and 4-5-R.

06 07 09

Add frame 4-2 (provided this time) to The completed frame assembly should The completed frame assembly should the assembly. Fix it to connecting look like this from the top. Make sure look like this from the underside. Make plates 4-4 and 4-5-L using three that the screw heads are driven in flush sure that the connecting plates have more screws. with (or below) the surface. all been fitted the right way around.

10 11 YOUR NEXT PARTS BUILDING THE FALCON FITTING THE HULL PLATING You won’t be attaching the hull plating permanently until you have completed the whole of the hull framework, but now that you have completed a large section, you can test-fit the panel supplied with Issue 1 to see the principles involved. 01

Take part 4 from Issue 1, together with the completed frame assembly and the fixing screws supplied this time.

02 03 04

Turn the assembly over and check that The hull plating is fixed with the flanged Fit the plating over the frame the six lugs on the plating have all fitted screws supplied. If you decide to test assembly as shown. into the matching holes in the frames. this, do not overtighten the screws.

05

The completed assembly looks like this, but you will need to remove the plating to fix adjacent panels later on.

12 13 BUILDING THE FALCON behind the scenes UNDER THE FALCON’S SKIN Work under way in the giant studio set built at Elstree to depict the ’s Echo Base on Hoth, with an X-wing under the gantry in the foreground, and the Millennium Falcon at the back. The movie technicians and their equipment give a sense of the huge scale of the starship, which required an internal frame to give it structural integrity – much like the design of the Falcon itself, according to Star Wars fiction.

Before the advent of digital technology, most of the work that went into creating the full-size vehicles of the Star Wars universe was carried out by the film industry’s traditional setbuilders – including carpenters, plasterers, painters, electricians and specialist metalworkers. For the first movie, the crew working on the exterior sets of A New Hope built an exact copy of the miniature model Falcon – even accidentally scaling up errors, such as where the plastic core structure of the model was visible through the detailing. Plans to build the whole ship were abandoned, as it would have been too big and too heavy. Only half the Falcon was constructed, on Stage 3 at Elstree Studios north of London, and as it was impossible to move the vessel without damage, the other sets were built around Han’s ship. shipping to Elstree, where, after it had ENGINEERING DETAILS been reassembled like a giant model kit, Finishing off the Falcon set took two METAL AND WOODWORK the studio carpenters fitted the last few months work before the final touches, To give the movie makers more scope to plywood panels to the steelwork, before including the rectenna dish and the work around the ship, the second full-size the detailing was added to give the ship internal cockpit details, were put in place. Falcon mockup, built for filming The its final ‘used universe’ look. In the interests of saving time, much of Empire Strikes Back, was constructed This method of construction actually the finishing parts were sourced from around the steel framework fabricated in followed the way that the real Falcon was numerous junkyards dotted across Wales. The factory fitted this with wooden built, according to Star Wars fiction. The London, while fittings that needed to subframes and an outer skin of half-inch ship had a reinforced frame built like a function were engineered by specialist (12mm) plywood trimmed to fit the giant metal spider’s web, over which companies. For example, the irregularities of the structure. The duralloy plates were fitted and flush- pneumatically-driven landing ramp was steelwork ensured that the ship had a welded. On top of this, Han Solo bonded constructed by local company Norank structural integrity that allowed it to be mismatched sheets of armour plating Engineering – which also built much of moved around the studio. scavenged from a derelict Imperial bulk R2-D2, C-3PO, the , the The Falcon had to be dismantled for cruiser called the Liquidator. X-wings, Y-Wings, and the .

The full-size Falcon nearing completion. Its hull is skinned with plywood sheeting, while Director Irvin Kershner on set with Billy Dee Williams as , dwarfed by a second layer, with shaped and notched edges, simulates extra armour plates. the mandibles of the completed full-size Millennium Falcon.

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