Having delved into the most recent delivery with a hefty build, I was very eager to carry on. My study (a rather small affair) now has a sizable chunk of it dedicated to the Falcon construction since there is now a large piece of wood holding the jig and the lower hull. Seeing the jig and the hull itself not yet finished every time I entered my study, I really wanted to get it looking somewhat complete.
I looked through the next issues to see if they would be as meaty as the last part. Doing this build with my seven-year-old daughter – Ember – I always make sure that I scout ahead to see how many issues I think we can do in a single sitting and if there’s anything that needs preparing before we can begin. Looking through part twenty-eight, I could see that we would be assembling the port corridor and then the whole interior that we’ve so far built up. This looked amazing, the culmination of several issues worth all coming together. It didn’t look too complicated so I thought Ember, and I would be able to manage another issue. I was also ever so slightly disappointed we wouldn’t be working more on the hull – I really wanted to add more to it!
I didn’t need to fear as stage twenty-nine would see us fitting the turret ring. Not only would this add some much welcome support to the lower hull but it was a rather short issue that would work brilliantly with the former. Also, the skills required in each issue would be different and create some variety for Ember. The last few parts that have been on the chunkier side, have seen a variety of different areas being worked on. These short bursts work great with younger enthusiasts as they never get a chance to get bored.
The contents of the magazines for these stages were also fascinating for both of us. My daughter really likes droids and the feature in part twenty-eight engrossed her. It also has images of the Firespray. I mention this as the following part has a feature on the a-wing. I initially came to this project after visiting the Archive X store and becoming fascinated by the studio builds that were there. While the Falcon has taken up much of my time in this department, I still look at other model kits that Ember and I could do between deliveries. The photos in these issues – including the behind-the-scenes images – will be a great starting place to work out the colours and effects used on these crafts.
It was a pleasant surprise to find that these two issues would not require any prep work: particularly going to the local DIY store to get a big piece of MDF! With no painting needed either, Ember and I could quickly settle down to constructing some more of the Millennium Falcon. As I started to get the pieces we would need for the first stage, I noticed that the bringing of all the pieces together was simply temporary; a way to see what it looked like. This has happened several times in this project. I understand why they do this, but for Ember and me, it’s a step we don’t take as we know we will just have to pull them apart again in the future. Knowing this made this first issue even simpler.
The construction of the port corridor follows exactly what we have done in previous instalments. Clipping out pads, glueing them and then an arch full of cushions (you might notice I’m getting a little tired of all these tiny cushions!). Ember, knowing what to do, knowing that we each had our assigned roles, was straight into it. Clipping and filing and then letting me glue. As I knew these issues wouldn’t take us too long, we spoke about the different files I had in my collection, that some were finer and what that meant. She absorbed it all and switched between them depending on how good her clipping had been. It was lovely to see her so engrossed with this part of the build, which is usually only saved for the screwing parts.
Once the padding and arch was glued, it was bringing the corridor together. Ember loved seeing the finished result and there was a slight worry that maybe she might want to fix everything together to see how far we had come. When I explained it to her, she was adamant that there was no point until we could permanently fix them – that’s my girl!
We then went onto stage twenty-nine. Simple is certainly the word. We just had to attach the turret ring. After having to pry the ring (or imaginary steering wheel) away from Ember, we were able to place it. The instructions in this regard are really well done, there is a clear notch to find to ensure it is in the right place and Ember had no problem identifying where the ring should go. We then just had to screw it into place. We worked directly on the jig, which made life very easy. I did support the frame when Ember was using the screwdriver – just in case – but I think the jig would have withstood the pressure she would have used.
We were finished relatively quickly, even Ember looked at me and said is that it? Although short, the turret ring really does offer a huge amount of support to the structure, I was able to pick it up with far less worry than I had been. Ember’s eyes lit up when I held it up and she’s now trying to work out how much we’ve done and how much more to do. She was sure we’d done over half of the ring and then I said “well, of this ring”. She looked at it and it dawned on her that we would have to be constructing another to go on top. Visually, she’s starting to understand where everything is fitting and how it fits into the overall build of the Falcon.
These are two brief issues, although the latter is essential to giving some much-needed support to the hull. Although short, Ember and I loved it all. I’m certainly at the stage where I just want to focus on the hull, I love seeing it come together. I get the feeling that Ember is starting to feel the same. Hopefully the next two issues bring us more hull work but I’m not going to complain at the fun we’ve had for daddy/daughter time doing these two parts.
