UCS 10179 Millenium Falcon – Cosmetic MOD

[mortesv]

The 10179 is widely regarded as THE Star Wars Lego set (it’s in the banner of this very page for crying out loud ). It is also a very popular set to mod in various ways – most notably to create an interior, fill up with beautiful lighting or add new features such as an antipersonnel turret.

Personally I think all these initiatives are great, but I was wondering if one could – and should - mod the actual exterior detailing of an already excellent set? It’s not like the set really needs modding (*cough ‘10221’), but hey, it’s Lego - so why not give it a try?

There exist many Falcon MOCs out there and a few of them are even larger than the 10179 - and have different strengths and weaknesses compared to the 10179. However, I’m not trying to rebuild the set into a MOC, but simply research ideas of how to improve the existing.

Below are some of these ideas:

Due to the modular building technique used, the 10179 have some odd gaping holes. Most notably around the turrets and next to the cockpit.

Here I have tried to close these holes:

Next to the side hatches I also felt the ship could be “closed up” a bit more

Like this:

The 10179 sports beautiful detailing – especially in the engine section (hooray!). The “real” Falcon has a lot of piping which the 10179 have tried to mimic - with great results. However, it seems that when the designer got to the mandibles, mimicking piping wasn’t deemed necessary.

I have tried to remedy that in the pic below – and to give the ship’s detailing a bit more “balanced” look. I have also moved the two prongs on the edge of the saucer more outward – more in line with the film model:

I have also changed the dark grey 2x2 tiles with light grey 1x2 tiles. This is done to mimic the film model a bit more closely.

Another easy tweak is the piping next to the dish – it leads nowhere:

It should actually lead into the dish:

The 10179 has some sweet detailing in its middle line, that cuts through the entire ship. You can see how the designer has interpreted the reference material.

I have tried to add a little more detail by looking at reference photos as well:

The turret base of the 10179 is done very symmetrical. This is the designer’s free interpretation, but I always felt it was a bit too neat for the “old bucket of rust”:

Below I have tried to remedy this and also added some extra mechanical detail leading from the center slope onto the turret base – again based on the film models.

When doing this mod I have tried to keep as much intact of the original 10179 as possible, by simply only “adding” bricks. A few places I have moved existing pieces and in one place – the turret base it was necessary swap pieces.

Lastly some overall pics of the modded model:

So what do you guys and girls think?

[Brickadeer]

So what do you guys and girls think?

Honestly, I don't know what to think. When I look at the pictures I do not instantly recognize what you changed, and as a consequence I can't tell whether I like these changes or not.

[mortesv]

Honestly, I don't know what to think. When I look at the pictures I do not instantly recognize what you changed, and as a consequence I can't tell whether I like these changes or not.

Well, some of the changes a very subtle, but they are explained in the text However the changes may be more apparent if you look at the original set and compare them to my pictures

[Mr Man]

Have you thought about using This for some added greatness .

It's really good mortesv , although maybe if you bought less Lego you could afford a better camera .

[cavegod]

The changes are obvious to my eyes, very subtle and give added feel to the model, what you should change is the engine area and add the flaps, raise the docking ring spines as they are to low and add the landing gear doors.

[BobBongo1895]

Wohooo, yes this looks fantastic.

Thank you for the ideas, I will implement a few of them in my build.

Good work, it´s looking much more detailed than before.

Klaus

[mortesv]

@Mr. Man - you have a sick sense of humour! But you are right about the camera

@Cave - Thanks for the suggestions - I'll pm you with a few questions

Wohooo, yes this looks fantastic.

Thank you for the ideas, I will implement a few of them in my build.

Good work, it´s looking much more detailed than before.

Klaus

I'm glad you like it! Let me know If you have any questions.

- oh and did you notice my Superman?

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

Your cosmetic mods look good but it's hard for someone that doesn't have this model to really appreciate what you've done. They are pretty subtle but the side by side close-up photo's do show the mods nicely. I wonder how noticeable your mods are from a wider view.

[JackJonespaw]

Wow, nice mods! This is looking more like the true Falcon!

[Aeroeza]

Nice dude! Subtely respects the original set while contributing to its aesthetics. Limited Edition UCS Falcon #1605 just became #0001!!!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

I like the turret and its technical details!

[mortesv]

Your cosmetic mods look good but it's hard for someone that doesn't have this model to really appreciate what you've done. They are pretty subtle but the side by side close-up photo's do show the mods nicely. I wonder how noticeable your mods are from a wider view.

Thanks. From afar it is pretty notable - especially if you know the model I'll see if I can get a wide shot when I get better lighting

Wow, nice mods! This is looking more like the true Falcon!

Thanks - the mods are based with the 'true' Falcon in mind - and now I'm continuing the work - looking at Cavegod's suggestions

Nice dude! Subtely respects the original set while contributing to its aesthetics. Limited Edition UCS Falcon #1605 just became #0001!!!

Flattery will get you everywhere! - But if I continiue to mod it will the number go negative?!

I like the turret and its technical details!

Yeah, I really like all those functional details on the Falcon - the more I can mimic on the model the better

[Robianco]

I think it looks beautiful.

I never got a chance to buy the UCS Falcon on it's release as I was just coming out of my dark ages and didn't appreciate what you got for what seemed like a lot of money.

From reading several threads it looks like BL'ing the Falcon is getting harder and more expensive so I'll be holding out for a revised version in a few years (The UCS X-Wing has given me hope).

If that happens then I'm sure I'll me modding it similar to yours to get those extra greebles, pipework and plating to make it more accurate.

Excellent work!

[mpaisana]

Your mods are good but your socks are awesome my friend!

[Kelso]

That is very impressive, nice work!

[HanShotFirst]

Awesome, that looks really good! Might have to copy you around the mandible area. Most impressive.

[MikeMo]

Wow, great improvements wrt attention to detail!

[Schneeds]

I enjoy replicating his mods, especially the ISD engines one.

[mortesv]

I have actually modded the falcon a bit more since these pics were taken :)

[Vodnik]

Show us!!! :)

[rahservizi]

I'm very curious too.

[MikeMo]

I have actually modded the falcon a bit more since these pics were taken :)

Well don't leave us hangin'!

[ScottishDave]

+1 for genuine interest .

[mortesv]

Flickr has messed up my login since they changed their password policy, byt here is the most recent pic of the mod - I have changed the proportions of the turret base, made the cockpit tube 2 studs longer and rebuilt the antenna supports. There is also details underneath :)

[ScottishDave]

Thank you for the updated photo. You've made some great changes :-). The turret base looks really good.