BrickLinking a UCS Millennium Falcon

[LegoDad]

jFox -

You're a little ways ahead of me. We got the last of our parts last week and started the project Friday, as of now I'm working on the top and bottom gun turrets. Trust me, my wife is in utter disbelief about what we're taking on, but it's been fun to work on with my young one, even though he's still too young to do a lot of the steps, he helps me where he can. So even though that has definitely slowed the process, it has made it much more fun. I have no idea where it's going to go when it's done to keep it safe, as I have a very curious 2 year old that loves to destroy everything lego. Good luck on your project.

[kibosh]

To all of you undertaking this project, were you able to download or export a parts list to an Excel spreadsheet? I can find the list on Bricklink and Peeron, but I want the data in a format where I can manipulate it, sort it, track it, etc.

[jFox]

Here's what I did to get the list from BrickLink. It took me a couple of tries to figure it out (and if anyone else has a better method, by all means point out the foolishness of my ways ).

1. Open up the inventory page on BrickLink.

2. Switch from "List with Images" to just "List" view.

3. Select all the lines you want in your Excel sheet--probably just down to the yellow technic right angle bricks.

4. Copy and paste this data into Notepad. This step clears out any sort of weird formatting that will carry over to Excel.

5. Copy and paste the now-plain data from Notepad into Excel, and voila! It should be arranged into nice, neat columns. Then from there, organize and do as you wish with it.

I noticed when I did this there were two oddball entries with quantities but no parts or description. You can delete those with no problems. Hope this helps!

Edited May 2, 2012 by jFox

[Lobot]

To all of you undertaking this project, were you able to download or export a parts list to an Excel spreadsheet? I can find the list on Bricklink and Peeron, but I want the data in a format where I can manipulate it, sort it, track it, etc.

Hi, I did it as follows:

i) Find the inventory for the set (link here)

ii) Open Excel & save the file (I find it doesn't crash when you then do the next steps!)

iii) Highlight the parts & images on the inventory page (exclude everything above the sticker image!) I found that it's best to start at the bottom (yellow technic part 32555) and work upwards

iv) Right click on the screen & select 'Copy'

v) Then switch to Excel, right click on the sheet & select 'Paste' and wait for a bit....it might show 'Not Responding', but it will eventually transfer the data!

vi) Each item will take up 4 lines, & you'll need to re-format the total of each part required, as Excel doesn't recognise the Bricklink 'numbers' as numbers!! I found it simplest just to over-write the number...! However, the links will still work, which I found useful.

I've got a nice formatted copy of the parts list - if anyone wants a copy please PM me with your email address.

Cheers, Robin

[Wayno]

wow, great work! Cant belive you have brick linked all this!!! ive just bricklinked the AT AT 8129 & found getting parts for this was a pain lol

[jFox]

May the 4th be with you, everyone! I'll start off with update with the finished product:

Yep, she's finally finished! Estimated building time was about 30 hours, here and there over a couple of weeks. Maybe 10 of those hours were spent just staring in wonder at the pieces or building steps. "Holy crap, this piece combination is amazing!" "Whoa! Look at how these fit together!" "Oh crap, where did I put that 1x1 clippy thing for the bar thing to attach to the arm thing?"

Total time from the first BrickLink orders to completion? Just over 3 months. Although a good 5 weeks of that time was spent just staring at the parts after they were all purchased. 3 weeks before a move, and 2 weeks after getting settled in the new place.

A few more of the in-progress shots (which some might find more interesting than the finished product).

The rear section is covered up by 5 major pieces, with the center piece already attached. Once "attached" they're a little bit loose as they don't connect to each other, but still impressively arranged.

One of those back plates in progress. There's probably 80+ pieces in just this one section. Soooo many little parts. As always, the detail is incredible.

Holy greebles, Batman! You can see the lines separating the major sections. Also, the dark red pieces are fantastic. I think I might like to put more red tiles on this thing someday. A dark red coat of paint would look pretty cool I think.

The finished cockpit, with our brave heroes (Luke is manning the top gun). I can't help but feel there should be a fifth bar down the center. It feels a little bit open.

The radar dish and the top gun in place. You actually build this gun something like halfway through the whole thing, and just set it aside until the end. It overlaps all the big plate sections and keeps them from lifting up like the smaller Falcon sets do--which I think is kind of neat for play features in those sets. That damned dish was expensive but I feel like it was worth it. It's huge, and the printing on it is very nice..

I've said it before, but to anyone considering doing this (or for any set, really): Do it! It was such a fun process, from start to finish. Just acquiring all the parts one order at a time was enjoyable. Most of my non-LEGO-enthusiast friends thought I was crazy for starting this, but I can say it was definitely worth it in the end.

Possible mods in the future:

I love seeing the work people have done with LEDs, and would like to try my hand at that. The way the ship comes apart with each major piece loosely attached is nice for such a mod.

Dark red paint job. Dark red pieces kind of make me drool a little bit, and seeing more plates/tiles on the top of this would be pretty nice. It might not be THE Millennium Falcon after such an overhaul, but it would be MY Millennium Falcon, and I'm okay with that.

Mounted on the wall with a TV mount. The pictures I've seen of that were pretty spectacular, and that solves two problems: 1) How to display this in the most badass way possible, and 2) Gets it off my desk, where it takes up about 80% of the work space.

And maybe seeing about getting a UCS sticker for the little stand. I like those big info stickers, but don't have a good printer to make them on my own. Anyone know of an online service that will print custom decals for cheap?

Edited May 4, 2012 by jFox

[Geoffrow]

I brought the sticker on ebay about 3 weeks ago

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110852841425?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Edited May 4, 2012 by Geoffrow

[Masked Builder]

Excellent work! This is one set I have to get one of these days. Even if I and up Bricklinking the parts...

[LegoDad]

Excellent work jFox. We finished up ours last night as well, I had a hell of a time getting all the hallway-to-cockpit area to fit together, but otherwise, all went well. I am with you that it would be nice if the big ceiling pieces "clicked" in, but it is amazing no matter what. Unfortunately, it turned out I was a few pieces short here and there, so I have another blasted bricklink order to finish this thing up. Thanks for the inspiration.

[juzo]

Wow, i congratulate you guys on such dedication. I want this set but given i'm just soooo fussy about having everything original, i'll be paying big $$$ and buying one sealed up, i just gotta have the box and instructions, plus i'm too lazy for bricklinking such a big set. Still haven't finished doing my 10027 train shed yet!

[lokipei]

Wow, i congratulate you guys on such dedication. I want this set but given i'm just soooo fussy about having everything original, i'll be paying big $$$ and buying one sealed up, i just gotta have the box and instructions, plus i'm too lazy for bricklinking such a big set. Still haven't finished doing my 10027 train shed yet!

I'm thinking of Building one this way, has anyone from Australia done this and have any idea how much postage would add to the cost? The more from the one seller the better obviously but is there a weight/size where it starts to get more expensive?

[juzo]

I'm thinking of Building one this way, has anyone from Australia done this and have any idea how much postage would add to the cost? The more from the one seller the better obviously but is there a weight/size where it starts to get more expensive?

As you know, living in oz can suck a bit when it comes to shipping. I have found however that you need to bundle as much as possible in one order to cut down on your costs. Most places will charge you a minimum, regardless of whether there's one piece or 100 pieces in there, so make sure you order as much as you can from one shop. I also found the shipping from europe is nearly always cheaper than shipping from the states. When you're in bricklink in a shop having a browse just check out their splash pages, most have their shipping costs and weights in there, gives you a good idea.

[aminster85]

That is a very time consuming project, I commend you for the undertaking. The UCS Millenium Falcon is one of my prized posesions, and I'm glad I got it when I did, before it was discontinued.

[Jcandmeirality]

I'm thinking of Building one this way, has anyone from Australia done this and have any idea how much postage would add to the cost? The more from the one seller the better obviously but is there a weight/size where it starts to get more expensive?

Hi,

I read this forum about a week ago and it was all the inspiration that I needed to get started on building one myself. So naturally the next night I started out making the orders on bricklink. I decided to purchase all the parts, rather than use existing parts. That night was oh so long and resulted in me staying up until.... 5am :S making all the orders that I would need for all the 5 million (5000+) parts. This was a mission as I was determined to get the ordering finished in one night and some sly people were buying things that were in my shopping cart before I could! Especially on the chrome bricks store!!! I ended up having to go through a checklist the next day to find out which parts I had lost which was a massive task in itself.

I live in Australia... So shipping was expensive... Although I am quite proud of being able to buy all the parts- including shipping for:

$796.60 AUD (approx 650.00 EUR) which I don't think was too bad!) I found that having two or so predominant large stores is really important in shipping costs as I ended up purchasing 4000 of the parts between two stores, which cost approx $20AUD/kg shipping

Total of 28 orders on bricklink.

If you like I can email you the 28 orders from the bricklink stores that I purchased the parts from :)

Now all that is left is the wait for all the parts to arrive in Australia. The poor postman on the day when they all arrive together.... Hahaha

[juzo]

Hi,

I read this forum about a week ago and it was all the inspiration that I needed to get started on building one myself. So naturally the next night I started out making the orders on bricklink. I decided to purchase all the parts, rather than use existing parts. That night was oh so long and resulted in me staying up until.... 5am :S making all the orders that I would need for all the 5 million (5000+) parts. This was a mission as I was determined to get the ordering finished in one night and some sly people were buying things that were in my shopping cart before I could! Especially on the chrome bricks store!!! I ended up having to go through a checklist the next day to find out which parts I had lost which was a massive task in itself.

I live in Australia... So shipping was expensive... Although I am quite proud of being able to buy all the parts- including shipping for:

$796.60 AUD (approx 650.00 EUR) which I don't think was too bad!) I found that having two or so predominant large stores is really important in shipping costs as I ended up purchasing 4000 of the parts between two stores, which cost approx $20AUD/kg shipping

Total of 28 orders on bricklink.

If you like I can email you the 28 orders from the bricklink stores that I purchased the parts from :)

Now all that is left is the wait for all the parts to arrive in Australia. The poor postman on the day when they all arrive together.... Hahaha

Wow, that's not too bad that price really, nice job.

I've come across a guy that's selling 2 of these. One is new and sealed and the other has been made once and taken apart and sorted into ziplock bags. At $1200 for the second one which includes all the parts, instructions and box, i'm thinking about jumping on this. The new one is also not bad at $2000, the cheapest i've seen in a while.

[Jim]

I also just finished building my bricklinked falcon, and went with the boat riggings in black. I did paint them in grey. I just used a plastic primer and a gray spray paint. Post will go up soon, when I find the time. Result is good, hard to see it's a paint job

Long story short - it's quite easy and possible to paint them.

I am waiting for my last orders to arrive. Can't wait to start building!

Which color did you use to paint the riggings? Obviously light gray, but were you able to find the exact RAL or Pantone color?

[deanorth]

I must say I started collecting parts three days ago on bricklink.

And really, thanks for the tips on the two black things on the back, I can't pay 120$ for the gray one, so the black one are going to do it for now, I'll try to spray a grey color to my best later:(

[Jim]

I must say I started collecting parts three days ago on bricklink.

And really, thanks for the tips on the two black things on the back, I can't pay 120$ for the gray one, so the black one are going to do it for now, I'll try to spray a grey color to my best later:(

Have fun collecting the parts. And of course with building the actual model.

Paying top dollar for the two grey riggings is a waste of money. I have ordered ten of them in black, so I can ruin some during the paint process. The worst thing is that these parts don't even look and feel like Lego parts.

Here's the Lego color chart:

http://www.peeron.com/cgi-bin/invcgis/colorguide.cgi

http://www.u-do-design.com/187/Colour-Reference.html

As you can see, Light Bluish Grey (Medium Stone Grey) = Pantone 429C = RAL 7045 (Telegrau 1)

http://scalemodeldb.com/paintdetails/4338

[harmacy]

Good idea to paint that rigging piece - The BL price is just atrocious! Im thinking I might do the same for all those lever pieces too. The base's are cheap enough, but the levers (part 4593) themselves are very expensive considering the quantity required.

I think that painting bricks in small quantities is an acceptable stopgap until the parts are being produced again so the BL prices come back down!

[Jim]

Good idea to paint that rigging piece - The BL price is just atrocious! Im thinking I might do the same for all those lever pieces too. The base's are cheap enough, but the levers (part 4593) themselves are very expensive considering the quantity required.

I think that painting bricks in small quantities is an acceptable stopgap until the parts are being produced again so the BL prices come back down!

I have purchased the levers in black with a light bluish grey base, which were very cheap. I am thinking about painting them too, but I don't think it looks horrible leaving them black.

I am glad I have collected all the pieces, because I think it will be hard to collect all of them in the near future. Some pieces will not be available anymore.

Edited July 15, 2012 by Gekke Ted

[deanorth]

I have purchased the levers in black with a light bluish grey base, which were very cheap. I am thinking about painting them too, but I don't think it looks horrible leaving them black.

I am glad I have collected all the pieces, because I think it will be hard to collect all of them in the near future. Some pieces will not be available anymore.

I have all my Citadel color paints, but the ideal would be to find a good grey color in spray can, wonder if that exist though

[Jim]

I have all my Citadel color paints, but the ideal would be to find a good grey color in spray can, wonder if that exist though

I have found several webshops selling every Ral color spray you need

Where are you from?

In Dutch:

http://webshop.nieuwenhuisverf.nl/product_info.php/spuitbus-ral-kleuren-belton-serie-7000-grijs-400ml-p-384

Provided that I made the right color conversion

Edited July 15, 2012 by Gekke Ted

[deanorth]

I have found several webshops selling every Ral color spray you need

Where are you from?

In Dutch:

http://webshop.nieuwenhuisverf.nl/product_info.php/spuitbus-ral-kleuren-belton-serie-7000-grijs-400ml-p-384

Provided that I made the right color conversion

Reunion island:(

I will try to find the equivalent thing that you've linked in french, it should exist.

[adello25]

Hi all-

Not sure if anyone wants them but I do have 2 Light Bluish Gray Mast Riggings available. Can provide a picture if needed. If anyone is interested PM me

[deanorth]

Hi all-

Not sure if anyone wants them but I do have 2 Light Bluish Gray Mast Riggings available. Can provide a picture if needed. If anyone is interested PM me

Definitely interested, but I can't seems to be able to send PM, so... sigh:)