After what felt like months, and months, the top frame to the most famous starship in the galaxy – the Millennium Falcon – was complete. My eight-year-old daughter, Ember, and I had been busily working on this project for over eighteen months, and we could really start to see the Falcon coming together. However, a few magazines ago, we had a lengthy delay. A missing installment had taken us a little out of our flow, and meant that we had spent two months idle, not working on the project. When the missing issue had arrived, I could tell, we were not quite as in sync as we had been.
It was time for a new delivery though, a new part of the project now that the frame was complete. I was fully expecting to have to start putting the plates on the frame itself. On the lower frame Ember absolutely loved this. While I was the one busily screwing most of the panels into place, Ember was my director, finding the correct pieces, telling me where to go and hurry up! It was at this point with the lower frame when the size of the project really hit home for both of us and the Falcon that we knew from the films really started to show itself. I must admit, I was rather excited to be doing it again!
I would be remiss not to mention this delivery. Five issues… well, technically four. Four issues arrived with this installment actually missing from the delivery. It is again another crucial part that can’t be skipped. Now while the initial delivery had missed this one out, we couldn’t have continued with the build without part sixty-three, so it was not a problem. Thankfully, when the missing magazine had arrived, so did a host of others, including this one. While the pause the previous time had been frustrating, I appreciate that Fanhome wasted no time and sent me a large package with all the missing magazines included we didn’t need to be delayed again!
Like always, I looked, rather eagerly, through the magazine to check what we would be doing. Anyone with a child will tell you that forewarned is forearmed and throughout this project I have tried my best to prepare everything so when I sit down with Ember, we can enjoy the daddy-daughter time without having to start and stop because something needs doing. As I had thought, it was attaching the panels to the upper frame… a lot of panels. I knew immediately that I was going to have to rummage through every single part I had to find everything we needed. Thankfully, I knew Ember would enjoy sorting them, but that’s a rather large backlog to go through! I didn’t even bother to check if we could do two magazines in one sitting, this was going to take us long enough!
With panels found, a wide space on the carpet found, it was time for Ember and me to breathe life into the upper hull. The joys of your daughter now being eight is that she is starting to realize how to delegate a little too well. As soon as she knew the panels I could tell she remembered doing this last time. I was pushed to the side, told to keep out of the way and she got to work ordering all the pieces so that they looked just like in the magazine. She was a bit perplexed that one of the parts was missing, until she realized that we had already attached it to the frame as per the instructions in the magazine.
When she had completed the organisation, she sat down and began reading what to do. Turns out that was my job! I asked if she wanted to do the screwing to which she replied that she was directing me, that was her job! Daughters! In all fairness, I knew how difficult this could be. With lining up the plates, there is a constant movement of the hull frame from front to back. It’s why I end up doing it on the floor, so we have some room. One thing I had forgotten since the last time, is that the plates should really click into place, actually giving a click as they are pushed in. I was being a bit too gentle to begin with, and the plates were not sitting flush.
As I screwed in each plate, Ember was handing me the next one, telling where it was going. I suppose I shouldn’t moan, Ember was practising her reading skills, and I was having so much fun bringing the Falcon to life. It was hard going, ninety-four screws in total and by the end of it, my hands were feeling it. Of course, looking at it brought a smile to my face. Ember’s face had far more energy as she was holding the frame up, I can’t think why!
This is the part that I love about the project, when things really start coming together and the weeks of work start paying off. The upper hull is starting to resemble the Falcon, and I have no doubt we will be finished with the rest of the upper hull soon, although I imagine we might need some more plates as the ones that have been sent, we’re all used for this issue. A great start to this delivery!
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