It was time for a new delivery, with five new installments of the Build the Millennium Falcon. The last set of issues had been a bit of a mixed bag but that didn’t mean that I expected this delivery to literally show up in one! Every delivery that my seven-year-old daughter (Ember) and I have had, has been delivered securely in a thick cardboard box. When this delivery arrived, I was horrified and a little worried when I saw that it had been delivered in a bag. The number of delicate parts included in the issues was enough to panic me.
Thankfully, apart from a few slightly bent corners on the magazines, everything else seemed to have survived the perilous journey to my front door. Not only were there the standard five issues but the next subscriber gift: the t-shirt. The t-shirt is a simple affair, with just the image of the Falcon. It is the simplicity of it that I really like, it’s not in your face and I’m sure I’ll enjoy wearing it… if I’d be allowed to wear it. Much like the cap that was sent, Ember saw it and before I knew it, she had it on. Now I tried to argue it was too big for her, to be told it was perfect for sleep wear. Sigh, easy come, easy go, I guess!
With a happy daughter and new issues to construct, all seemed to be going in the right direction. My homework between issues was to have a look at the painting guide for the Millennium Falcon I had come across by Josh Wraith. I mentioned it in my last review and now I had some time to look through. This guide is unlike any other, showing you how to paint this Falcon with Archive X paints. This had always been my desire since before Ember and me had begun construction on the model. In case you’ve missed the many times I’ve mentioned this painting company, their paints are an identical match to the ones used by Industrial Light and Magic in the seventies and eighties. These are Star Wars paints. I have used them on my models for Star Wars: Shatterpoint and they are incredible, you can just tell by the pigment that these are like normal paints. While the colours provided on the Falcon are fine, they aren’t a perfect match to what we see on screen. I wanted to see what was on screen in my own house! The way to be able to do that is by using these paints.
Looking through the guide and being a total newbie when it comes to airbrushing, I was relieved to see that the book isn’t aimed at experts or those that have been doing the hobby for years. There’s not lots of technical language to get lost in, it is simple and clear. The guide takes you through each layer you need, where it’s located and an image from the ‘real’ Falcon. I’m not going to lie, I have been concerned about the painting aspect of this project for some time, yet reading this guide put a lot of more worries to bed. Its simplicity is its greatest strength, and it takes the onerous task of research out of the equation. That’s not to say that the research isn’t a fun part – I’m sure it is – but for a first-time project (and certainly one at this scale) and with a child undertaking it with me, the simpler the better! I have noticed that some people wonder why a guide like this is needed, that there are plenty of guides out there online using different paints. The point of this guide is that it exclusively uses the paints used by ILM, that this is the closest you can possibly come to getting a studio scale model of the Falcon all those years ago. Having been to the Archive X studios and seen the models they have painted there, I can tell you, I wouldn’t settle for anything else. If you are interested in getting a copy of the guide, the easiest way is to email Josh directly.
With my homework (and my trepidations) sorted it was time to get back to the issue at hand. As always, I took a look through to see what problems might occur and what would need some preparation before I could bring Ember in to join me. Looking at part 42, we would be detailing the recess, so some cutting and filing but not much for us to do. When I checked the next installment, which was to add some cover plates, I knew we could do both issues in a single sitting. I did have one complaint, however. In issue 42 (and included with this delivery) there are instructions for using a thread-cutting tap, for screws that are difficult to get into place. Seriously? I didn’t even know this was a thing and I really wish this had been included in the very first issue! I mean why wait until we’re almost halfway through to provide something that could get rid of some of the frustrations of the build?! Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! With no pre-painting to be done, I could sit down with Ember and begin.
We started by sorting the thread-cutting tap, which even Ember looked at and realised how helpful that would have been during the build. After this, it was onto detailing the recess. Ember was able to cut and file some of the pieces, something she was able to do with confidence. She has got to the point now where she is selecting the file she wants to use out of my selection of four. While she could do some of these, there were a few she left to me because of how thin they were. Even I was a bit nervous as some of the pieces are that thin. I didn’t need to worry as with care, they came out perfectly. And that was it for issue forty-two.
If I thought issue forty-two was short, forty-three was even shorter. For this, we had to match the cover plates, which Ember loved doing. It saved me a job! Then it was a straightforward job of adding pins and magnets. I’ve used magnets in my tabletop gaming and Ember has always been fascinated by them. While she realised that there would be superglue involved, which instantly meant it was a daddy job, she did want to push the pins in once the glue had been applied. The magnets for these plates are so small she got me to do the last bit. While slightly fiddly none of this presented me (or Ember) with much trouble. The issue was over before we knew it!
These are two very short issues, I think with what we had to do, we could have probably carried onto issue forty-four. That said, with Ember in tow, it meant that she was still engaged and interested in doing the issues. Myself personally, I wanted a bit more. It’s great to see the Falcon coming together, but I’m starting to become a bit impatient, I want to see it happen quicker. That’s certainly on me and not the issues themselves. With three more installments in this delivery, I’m sure Ember and I will have something to sink our teeth into soon enough!
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