by Volker Wurth

This Falcon trook me 3 years to build, from November 2000 to December 2004, while I had lots of breaks in between were I couldn't work on it. I used the MPC ROTJ kit which is a disaster in details and proportions.I decided to go for the “A NEW HOPE” version with three landing gears For a primer I used “ Citadel Colour Caos Black” and “Scull White” also from Citadel available thru GAMES WORKSHOP . For colouring and weathering I used TAMIA acrylic paint.

I have to admit that am not a hobby modeller. When I started I had nearly no experience, so had to spend lots of time on trial, error and research.

It was a big challenge doing the electronics, especially finding a way integrating the inverter into the model that feeds the engine lights with 12 V into 230 V high voltage without having a cable running out of the model and still building a skeleton inside the model that helps it stable. The engine light is extremely bright. The colour can be changed from white to yellow, green, blue,and violet by potentiometer. The brightness can be manipulated by potentiometers inside the Falcon, too The model is well arranged inside but pretty packed. All in all it weights about 2 kilos.

The entrance was completely rebuilt by scratch including the inner round corridor which is illuminated for perfect atmosphere. The same is done with the corridor of the cockpit in 3D.

148 0.3mm fibreoptic cables feed from 7 different lights from the inside of the model. They were organised in the extreme tight space of the cockpit. The sometimes blinking lights (5 different rhythms) are organised at the sidewalls of the cockpit, too. Not finding the perfect glue, 20% of the lights were blinded by the superglue I used. It´s still astonishing watching the 120 that survived.

A special image are the front lights. I decided to use halogen lights which effect you can see when you look into the light of a mag light. The beams build the chape of a 16 or 17 beam star. It looks so realistic and warm that I couldn't compromise with LED's. Problem was: they run with 3V and had to be feed by the 12 V that feed the 230V, too.

All movable parts are still movable and the upper gun turret is lightened and originally rebuild inside. You can look down the tube with the climbingl adder and the chamber has the octagon shape.

The Radar Dish was my first challenge when I started in November 2000. It was way too big originally, so I scaled it down. The base of the Radar Dish Rotor has been accurized with lots of generators and hoses.

Hundreds of self made resin parts, styrene rods and strips were placed all over the ship. I also sanded down all edges around to give the model an all in all more dynamic look.

Side panels all around took me 4 month because I had to build them from scratch twice. The first time they were 1,5 mm too high. Organising and designing them with the little opportunities I had nearly drove me mad, because my expectations were so high and my finances so low. All in all I invested around 180 Euro for the whole project

March 2003 I decided that the back part of the falcon was in quality so extremely lower than the rest of what I've done so far that I had to redesign it, too. I tried to find compromises with the already existing for month, but it never satisfied me. I rebuild it from scratch. Another 3 month work. The lower back parts were accurised, too. Including Han Solo´s number plate "DRIVE SAFELY". All original decals like "CHAMPION" and "Cumming Powered" were self-made and added on the right places.

Image: Beauty shot, lights on

Image: Cockpit lighting

Image: Cockpit

Image: Scratchbuilt sidewall detail

Image: Above the engines

Image: Engines, lit up

Image: Entrance corridor