Bricklinking 10179 UCS Falcon. First BL. :)

[Comptrekkie]

Hi everyone. I am new here. I recently rediscovered my love of Lego’s. I use to spend many a day as a child building Lego tree forts, ships, castles. I recently saw the new Legos released with Force Awakens. Specifically the Millennium Falcon 75105. This immediately reminded me of 10179 USC Falcon that I wanted so much back in the day but was too busy with a new child and active duty military pay. I bought 75105 and it immediately re-sparked my love for large Legos sets. After building it, I bought the new 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier. I built it in three days and found myself wanting more challenge. I am a Systems engineer and this feeds the same part of my brain that loves to take random requirements and building them into a working system. It is very satisfying taking all these parts putting them together, and seeing the awesome finished product. Especially when it combines my passion of Star Wars.

This bring me to my current project. Bricklinking the USC 10179 Millennium Falcon. I looked for about a week for an original set but $3k-$5k for a new one, about $2k for a decent used one, and $800-$1.2k for an already Bricklinked one, I figured I would do it myself. This way I get the joy of doing it all myself, and knowing what substitutions were made. I thought it would be fun and maybe useful to see what issues and substitutions I made, along with total cost in the current market.

At this point I have already sourced all the parts and all is shipped. The last week a few packages have arrived each day. I currently have a little over 4000 of the pieces. My total cost including shipping is: $900. There were somethings I was willing to substitute to save money, but some things I just was not. Definitely could have done it cheaper. This price was a combo of first time bricklinking, and paying more for some pieces I really wanted to keep original or close to.

I did a lot of researching on the web (most from this site) from others that did this. I found the common substitutions and used many of them. I will post picks of all I currently have tonight when I get home and post progress of the different stages as I make them. Currently the last few orders I am waiting for somehow has just enough key pieces I cannot finish a single section. Lol I have a few partly completed parts sitting on my table. I was able to complete the UCS Plaque the sticker attaches to. Lol

I do not plan to sell this so I do not care about all original parts, and I chose used parts any time I could unless new were same or cheaper price. A few times they were. I want the exterior to look as original as possible, but interior does not matter.

I figure when it is all done if I have some parts I would rather get new, or some of the substitutions that are visible and I do not like, I will put just order replacements.

Below are some of the bigger substitutions I made. Once they arrive I will take pics.

I bought a replica sticker set from EBay for about $9 that looked very good. I will post a pic once it arrives. It has the Plaque sticker and the few stickers for the cockpit.

I also bought a radar dish sticker off EBay for $5 and then the alternate part 50990b from Bricklink for less than a dollar. The print on the sticker was a bit too dark black looking from the pics so I also grabbed a radar dish off EBay for $20 that had the sticker already applied that looks to be closer to the lighter gray color the original printed one was. The cheapest original dish I could find was $250! I will post pics once these arrive as well.

The 60 antennas 4592c05 are way overpriced. The cheapest I could find all 60 from one source was $9 each about $160!! And all the cheaper sources together did not come close to the 60 need. I found a BL shop in Spain that hand painted and varnished the black antennas and sells them for $0.75 each. The pics looked very good online. I will see when they arrive. I grabbed 60 for $50. A huge savings. The black ones really affect the finished looked, and it saves me the time and effort of doing it myself.

I originally bought the black boat riggings because no way I am paying $400-$600 for the original pair. I saw where many painted and varnished them, but the paint always chips off when clipped in. So I figured I would try out the pair of 3D printed ones I found on EBay for $90. They look almost spot on. Mabey a little bit lighter, and you can see the lines when looked at very closely from the 3D Printer. But overall they look very good. They should arrive today. I will get pics up when they do to see for sure.

Below are some of the more common substitutions I made:

30364 “Dark Bluish Gray Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger Vertical End” for “Dark Gray”. Saved $40.

30365 “Light Bluish Gray Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers Vertical End” for “Light Gray”. Saved $35.

3307 “White Brick, Arch 1 x 6 x 2 - Thick Top with Reinforced Underside” For “12939”. Saved about $30, this was due to them being very hard to find. I grabbed a few from BL shops I was already ordering from.

32555 “Yellow Technic, Brick 5 x 5 Right Angle (1 x 4 - 1 x 4)” for “Black”. Saved $190.

4589 “Dark Bluish Gray Cone 1 x 1 without Top Groove” “4589b”. Saved $65.

3456 “Dark Red Plate 6 x 14” “Dark Blueish Gray”. Saved $25.

3703 “Dark Blueish Gray Technic, Brick 1x16 with holes” 39 of these I went with “Black” saved $30. I kept 8 of them the original color. From all the picks and manual I have seen about 6-8 of these in the mandible are still a bit visible.

4095 “Light Bluish Gray Bar 6.6L with Stop Ring (Patio Umbrella Stand)” with “63965”. Saved $210.

75535 “Light Bluish Gray Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L (Pin Joiner Round)” with “62462”. Saved $150.

40344 “Black Technic, Brick 4x6 Open Center” with “Light Bluish Gray”. Saved $20.

42445 “Bar 1 x 12 with 1 x 2 Plate End and 1 x 1 Round Plate End” with “99784”. Saved $20.

2476 “White Plate, Modified 2x2 with pin on bottom” for “Light Blue Gray”. Saved $30. This part was very hard to find in White.

Below are a few part that were very hard to find. Less than 10 stores had them. Had to order the few there were from different stores, and some of the few stores that I had to buy from that were outside the USA:

3048c “Slope 45 2x1 Triple – with inside bar”.

47753 “Slope, Curved 3x1 No Studs”.

The 3 Hoses.

6538b “Technic, Axle Connector”.

4285b “Black, Dish 6x6 Inverted (radar) Webbed”.

I made a total of 23 individual orders. 5 main ones, 1 with 1700 pieces, 2 with 1000 pieces, and 2 others in the 500 plus range. Also grabbed 500 pieces from Lego replacement parts. Most of these were cheaper than the used parts on BL and some were very hard to find on BL. This order saved me a large amount of $ on shipping and a few hard to find ones. The rest of the orders were all to grab harder to find pieces that I could not find together in the same BL store or Lego replacement pieces. I am sure I could have saved some more money on shipping if I was more patient. I placed all the orders over the course of 3 days. So far my experience with BrickLink has been very good. I have received 11 of the orders already. Out of those only two had wrong parts. Both times they did not have the correct lot (1x14 technics instead of 1x16, and 4x8 plates instead of 4x10), both said they were mismarked and did not have the right part. Both refunded the cost of the lot. One shop even refunded the shipping so I did not have to pay shipping reordering the one lot.

Ok this was a long post, but I like to be informative and thorough. Pics will follow tonight, as new orders arrive, and once I start building. Should be a lot of fun!

Edited March 21, 2016 by Comptrekkie

[slenos]

Good luck! I am currently doing my first bricklink of 10221 and I find it to be much more interesting to piece it together rather than just buying a set off eBay. I also want to 2nd the use of the Lego replacement parts site, their prices are competitive and shipping is very reasonable.

[Comptrekkie]

Good luck!...

I too have found that BL it has made it much more fun. Good luck on your BL as well.

[Comptrekkie]

Pics as promised:
Here are my first few orders:

Here are about 4000 Lego's in their bins:

Here is the little I have assembled so far:

7 of my small order arrived today. A few of them my first international orders:

The most interesting ones were the 3D printed ones. I placed them next to the official black Lego pieces for comparison:

Witch I am very happy with. The color and dimensions are almost perfect. a lot cheaper that the real thing and no painting!

Also the painted antennas from the BL seller in Spain:

I am very impressed with these as well! if you look closely you can tell they are painted. But at regular distance they look very good and at the fraction of the cost. I was very worried about these chipping in shipping. not a single chip. The lacquer layer really held up well. My other worry was that they were not removed from the base during painting and would have unpainted spots once moved into a different positions, or that they were reassembled too wet and would be locked into place. I tested each one and they moved freely and were fully painted in all visible areas. Very nice!

Now off to see if I can build anything else with the pieces that arrived. Mot likely not since my two big order that make up about the last 900 pieces have not arrived yet.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Comptrekkie

[Comptrekkie]

I was able to mostly build this section thanks to the small orders that arrived today. I still need 2 taps and 4 cones. :) The taps are part of my Lego replacement parts order and the cones are part of my last big BL order.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Comptrekkie

[strider117]

Good luck Comptrekkie! I've always wanted to bricklink the falcon (or the imperial shuttle 10212) and have never thought of it as being this difficult . I'm glad everything has worked out pretty so far in the construction process and good luck on the rest! This is a big task

[Comptrekkie]

A few more piece arrived. was able to make part of the engines! Just need my last two big orders to come in and I can start the build!!

Edited September 18, 2017 by Comptrekkie

[khemical]

Very impressive. You've gotten a lot further than I have with my BL 10179. Glad to head you liked those antenna's, as I was going to order those soon.

[Solscud007]

Very cool! I am BL my 10179 myself. I have 2400 pcs already gathered from my collection of lego. Now to buy the rest. I may get the 3D printed ladders. They look great! I plan on printing the data sheet on a 8x16 tile.

[Midlife-crisis]

did you mix light bluish with light gray?

Picture 5 looks like this.

edit: oh i see part 30365.

Would not do this to be honest. Have Bricklinked 10179, 10212, 10174, 10129, 10178 mostly with new parts and in the right color.

i started with 10174 with mixed colours from my stock and it looked horrible, trust me you will regret it not now but when you have finished it.

No offense, have fun

Edited March 23, 2016 by Midlife-crisis

[Solscud007]

did you mix light bluish with light gray?

Picture 5 looks like this.

edit: oh i see part 30365.

Would not do this to be honest. Have Bricklinked 10179, 10212, 10174, 10129, 10178 mostly with new parts and in the right color.

i started with 10174 with mixed colours from my stock and it looked horrible, trust me you will regret it not now but when you have finished it.

No offense, have fun

To each their own. For the MF, I do not see any reason you can't mix non bluish gray with bluish gray. The MF is a dilapidated "hunk of junk". So having mix matched shades of gray is fine.

[Midlife-crisis]

true, for me - i never had the feeling that the model was really finished, this was very unsatisfying for me.

[Comptrekkie]

@khemical and @Solscud007 thank you for the kind words. Has been a lot of work getting to this point. Good luck with your builds.

@Midlife-crisis the only pieces I did this for are “30364” and “30365”. From the research I did once assembled they will not be visible. I did just notice they are used on the feet as well and may be visible. If so, no big deal. Once I am finished assembled it, any pieces that I feel are not the right color, too faded, or in any way not visually appealing to me I will put in an order and replace.

I knew going into this, being my first time, there may be some pieces that I needed to do this for. I have read many that feel the same as Solscud007, the MF is old and rusty. So it may add to the look. I will see how I feel once it is completed. I also noticed that many of the dark red pieces I ordered are various shades. I am going to mix the shades together. These are supposed to represent rust, so it may look more real with the different shades of oxidation, or I may decide to buy all “New” condition dark reds if I do not like it.

My original intent was to replace as many non-visible pieces with cost saving colors, and the visible pieces all original. After reading many threads on 10179 BL builds, I like how some look with the various different shades. I will see how mine looks and adjust as needed. I am obviously no looking to go the purist route with this build. If I was I would have just bought an open box, in like new condition for about $2500 and called it a day.

I will post the stages of the build as I go and am more than happy to take any and all opinions, observations, or comments from experience on the look and method. In the end I will decided on any changes I want to make. Based on opinions and thoughts given, and of course my personal preference.

Thank you too all who take the time to read and or comment.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Comptrekkie

[Comptrekkie]

Bit of an update. I received one of the last big orders I need! a little over 700 pieces. Over half were plates.

This gave me enough pieces to complete the engine section.

All I am waiting for now is the Lego Bricks and Pieces order and I will have enough to start the build. I contacted them for a status and they said it takes 10-13 days. I guess that is the only down side to ordering there. I ordered on the 15th of this month, so I am hoping that I will receive them some time this week. The only other items I am waiting for is the sticker set, radar sticker, and radar with sticker attached from various overseas locations. These can all be done last. Somehow I managed to put just enough key pieces in the Brick and Pieces order that I cannot even start step one. lol

Edited September 18, 2017 by Comptrekkie

[Gunman]

Good luck with your project mate :)

[Azrielsc]

It is always so nice to read up about people's 10179 bricklinking journey! Each and every one is unique!

Big props!

[Comptrekkie]

Got few more deliveries this weekend.

Here is the EBay replacement plaque sticker, and an anxious Han waiting for his Falcon.

Here are the rest of the stickers. another plaque sticker and two sets of the other stickers.

I am very happy with how the look and the quality. I also got the below sticker for the dish. I think it looks a little to dark. I ordered another one that should be here in the next few day that is suppose to be the lighter gray color.

Another worried Han, lost in a sea of Falcon parts. :)

I am starting to get a little worried upset at Lego Brick and Pieces though. I put my order in for around 400 piece back on March 15th. There has still not been a single update to my order. I called customer service after the first week and was told they were a few day behind and I would see shipment in a few days before the weekend. Never updated. called again on March 25th and was told that my order was being fulfilled at the Denmark warehouse and that they got a week off for Easter and would not be back to work until Monday! But that were all caught up and it would ship that week. After no update I called again on March 30th. This time I called to cancel my order. They told me that my order was showing in the system that it had been picked and that it would ship by Friday at the latest, and that since it was already picked I could not cancel it. And still today no update, and my card has not even been charged. I was ready to just cancel my order and make the five orders through Brick link and have them within a week. It will cost me about $100 more. If I would know it was going to take this long and give me so much grief I would have jut spent the $100 more. I and calling tomorrow to see what they say. Has anyone else had this happen before? All I need is that order and I will have all the pieces.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Comptrekkie

[rahservizi]

Brick and Pieces is slow but it will arrive: 100$ difference is enough for me to wait more time.

[Hold0511]

I find that the Lego B&P service is very slow and updates are rare if any, but they always do arrive - but they do seem to take a lot longer than advertised....for that amount of different in money I'd give them a few more days.

[slenos]

I am in that exact same situation right now with bricks and pieces. I am waiting on a 600 piece order to finish 10221. Called them after 10 business days and they said they were behind and it would be 14 to 18 business days till i would get my order.

[Markalus]

I am starting to get a little worried upset at Lego Brick and Pieces though. I put my order in for around 400 piece back on March 15th. There has still not been a single update to my order. I called customer service after the first week and was told they were a few day behind and I would see shipment in a few days before the weekend. Never updated. called again on March 25th and was told that my order was being fulfilled at the Denmark warehouse and that they got a week off for Easter and would not be back to work until Monday! But that were all caught up and it would ship that week. After no update I called again on March 30th. This time I called to cancel my order. They told me that my order was showing in the system that it had been picked and that it would ship by Friday at the latest, and that since it was already picked I could not cancel it. And still today no update, and my card has not even been charged. I was ready to just cancel my order and make the five orders through Brick link and have them within a week. It will cost me about $100 more. If I would know it was going to take this long and give me so much grief I would have jut spent the $100 more. I and calling tomorrow to see what they say. Has anyone else had this happen before? All I need is that order and I will have all the pieces.

Be patient. It actually says on the B&P website that "due to a large number of orders deliveries will take longer..." Putting in five more bricklink orders at $100+ higher cost seems like insanity to me when you've gone to so much trouble to rationalize costs by substitutions, use of fake parts etc. B&P are more reliable than any BL store I've come across.

[Comptrekkie]

At least they told you what appears to be accurate information. If they would just be honest and tell me how long it will take it would not be as bad. The fact they keep telling me it is about to ship in the next few days and already picked is what is messing with me. I guess I will see what happens this week. I am at 3 weeks right now. I am just so ready to build this.

[slenos]

I know! It turns out I'm missing the pieces that will allow me to start each of the separate modules so I just have all those pieces sitting around and can't even start.

[Only Sinner]

This is real swell, thanks for sharing. I like reading these threads, even though there are several already because some people do things differently. If I were good with BL (I don't do office programs and spreadsheets either) I would consider tackling a project like this. I am OK with spending some hundreds of dollars on a UCS MF. I would probably spread mine out over several months, though to better disguise the cost. And Yeah, it really is hard to be patient when you're already so close.

[Mapashote]

Awesome proyect. I´ll do one for myself as soon as I can.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Mapashote