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Scratchbuild Millennium Falcon cockpit glass?


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Hi all,

I'm still pretty new to model making, so this might be an obvious question, but is there any easy way to build a replacement clear part for the cockpit glass? I stupidly cracked the kit part after the below picture was taken, and it really is beyond repair. I can't afford to get into vacuum forming either sadly.

This is only my second model building project, an old MPC Millennium Falcon I got for a reasonable price - and being the novice I am, I was totally unaware (or rather didn't read up before making an impulse buy at a convention!) of the amount of inaccuracies with this kit. I've made some minor modifications, such as building a new engine grill, lighting it, as well as ordering some aftermarket parts (the inner cockpit detail and a smaller radar dish), but I wasn't brave enough to correct the scale of the cockpit section.

My hope with this kit was to get some experience using oil washes/weathering techniques, rather than getting a screen accurate model, as my only previous experience was building the Voyager from Star Trek (so, pristine and very little weathering).

It's still not finished yet, so i'm hoping it will get a little darker/dirtier with the later layers.

Hope you can help, as I'd rather not leave the glass out if possible.

IMG_5191_zpsyezwkp2g.jpg

(the top half isn't attached yet, hence all the light leaks)

IMG_5213_zpsemwmryml.jpg

IMG_5149_zps8kgc8ss2.jpg

IMG_5173_zpsppoogat0.jpg

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You can do something called "crash moulding" (or "plunge moulding). Is the cockpit glass piece repairable --- I mean can you glue it back into one piece? Stick the pieces together, and smooth off the surface over where the cracks have been fixed. This is going to be your "master", so take your time getting back into shape. Fill it with Milliput (or Blu Tak at a pinch, but that won't support the plastic anything like as well. ) Stick a piece of dowel 4-5" long into the middle at the open end before the Milliput sets. Then you'll need some clear plastic, a good few inches bigger than all round than the cockpit piece -- say 6" square. The kind of hardish clear packaging material that cuts your fingers when you open it is ideal. It wants to be fairly thick, more like card than paper. You'll need to look around for it, but things like easter egg packaging will do the trick. The clearer the better! Then get some hardboard or thin plywood, and cut a hole slightly bigger than the largest diameter of the cockpit. Attach your plastic to the hardboard using drawing pins (you'll probably need to drill slightly too small holes to push them into, because hardboard is, well... hard), all the way around but a couple of inches from the hole. Don't put the drawing pins too close to the hole in the board -- it's the plastic between the board and the hole that has to stretch to cover the whole thing...

Now for the fun part. You need a source of indirect heat -- the oven grill will do. Using an oven glove, carefully hold the board and plastic under the grill, not too close. You'll see the plastic soften and start to ripple. Whip it out, and supporting one end of the board on the worktop, push the canopy master steadily through the plastic, which will give and then wrap around the master. If you're lucky, it'll even pick up the frame detail. Don't push too far and make it too thin --- just far enough until the plastic has properly matched itself to the master. You may need to practice a few times to get it right!

That's your 1000 words, now here's the picture:

crash-moulding-airbox-L.jpg

Good luck!

bestest,

M.

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Thanks, that really is brilliant! I've got a heat gun, would this work as well as using the oven?

Is there any really clear sheets of plastic you'd recommend that i could buy online? I'll test the results with some scrap pieces of clear plastic, but as i want it to be crystal clear are there any particular types of clear plastic sheets that would be best?

thanks again

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Heat gun is perfect -- actually better than the grille, but I don't have one. PET sheet (and definitely NOT clear styrene) is what you want if you buy it, but you'll need a better chemist than me to tell you exactly what sort!

All the best,

Matt

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well, that went better than I thought it would! Thanks again Matt.

cheers for the suggestion Housesparrow, I would definitely have tried that if the plunge moulding hadn't gone well.

Here's some pics:

IMG_5268_zpse43am4ee.jpg

IMG_5269_zpsblfkjiio.jpg

First try:

IMG_5270_zpscldao5tu.jpg

second try:

IMG_5272_zpscuv0txgh.jpg

Going to go and dip it in some Klear now :)

Thanks again!

Pete

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Great job, Incubus35. This site can be relied on to provide someone with advice for all enquiries. But sometimes it needs a bit of courage to follow the advice!

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  • 3 weeks later...

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