Hot Toys Millenium Falcon Cockpit

[Centrocal]

Man, that thing looks to be about the size of a roast turkey Can't think anything else to compare it to

 

[Tee-Kay]

Congrats, Tee-Kay! This is such a beauty. Did you have trouble finding place to display it? The size gave me pause.

I've been tempted to get Rey's speeder but the potential quality of the paint work has been a concern for me too.

i thought about it for a while before ordering. I won't lie, finding a spot to display it was a challenge. Currently applying a fresh lick of paint in the lounge and dining room, it's not even set in its final location. Clearly, if you are limited to a single display room, it is wise to pass on it.

How bad is the paint on the smaller details? Like just that it doesn't hold up in closer pics, or is it still a bit noticeable even from a normal viewing distance?

Global paint app is great though you can argue a lighter shade of gray would be more accurate for the hull. Interior could also benefit from a lighter set of paint. Still, not really a deal breaker for me as that seemingly darker look compared to other Falcon collectibles enhances that "hunk of junk" feel.

Clearly, if there's one thing that i would criticize on that piece is indeed paint application on details and specifically switches on the dashboard. I see where it's a challenge to get those operations done perfectly for such a small business but it detracts from the overall feel over that creation.

Yet, unless you are taking close up shots of the interior to insert in a photo novel, that is not something glaringly visible when you have it set up with a few figures in your collection room.

 

[Tee-Kay]

Took a few more close up shots to illustrate the paint issues on small details. Beside a couple areas on the dashboard and a few hidden spots here and there that could have benefited from decals instead of hand paint, it is honestly a fine work of art pretty much everywhere else.

 

[SwedishHeat]

It's too bad it looks like they just referenced one of the scaled shooting models and enlarged it, without actually scaling up the amount of detail. That dashboard just looks empty.

Compared to what IzzyMel put together, the JazzInc version is severely lacking.

If Hot Toys vehicles are $800, and the JazzInc is $1,300, I can understand the price premium for 'custom', but it shouldn't lack the detail of similarly-scaled counterparts.

 

[Tee-Kay]

Joost Falcon is not flawless by any mean. Still, even for a $1300/$1500 ticket, it is an impressive achievement. Surely Hot Toys could put a more detailed version on the market but i have my doubt they could release one under the $1000 mark (how much was the /12 Bat $800?).

About Izzymel cockpit, it is clearly more detailed but, if i'm not mistaken, it is a one off project. basically, the guy is making his own. How many hours does he put on that project? Could he offer the same level of details even for a small run? And how much would that cost?

 

[TaliBane]

It's too bad it looks like they just referenced one of the scaled shooting models and enlarged it, without actually scaling up the amount of detail. That dashboard just looks empty.

Compared to what IzzyMel put together, the JazzInc version is severely lacking.

If Hot Toys vehicles are $800, and the JazzInc is $1,300, I can understand the price premium for 'custom', but it shouldn't lack the detail of similarly-scaled counterparts.

Agreed, there are parts of this cockpit that look devoid of detail in areas where they shouldn't be, and other areas where reproduced detail has been greatly simplified vs screen accurate, and generally the type of stencil painting the cockpit has was obviously impossible to match.

But... it's pretty much a 100% certainty HT (or any other manufacturer for that matter) will never manufacture/sell a 1/6 Falcon cockpit.

So it becomes a question of whether it's better to pay more than a HT item - in this case 50% more - for something that's the level of a 2021-era Hasbro 3 3/4" (or maybe BS6" playset) Falcon cockpit blown up to 1/6 scale... or have nothing at all.

That's given the reality that it's pretty much impossible for a customizer, even one as good as Jazz, to achieve the level of detail HT delivers. With a run of say a few dozen I mean - IzzyMei's is a one-off, mind-blowing labor of love.

I have been blown away by some of the custom projects I have seen on here and elsewhere over the years, especially projects where an individual is able to do runs of dozens of the same complex object (with sculpting, casting/print, painting, lights, cut/sew etc,) and Joost is top of that list.

But even with all that talent and the newest tech like 3D printing and CNC, there are still many aspects that those types of projects will never be able to match a major manufacturer like HT on. And this Falcon, with its dense detail and complex paint apps, is a perfect example of that.

 

[SwedishHeat]

About Izzymel cockpit, it is clearly more detailed but, if i'm not mistaken, it is a one off project. basically, the guy is making his own. How many hours does he put on that project? Could he offer the same level of details even for a small run? And how much would that cost?

Everything starts as a one-off, that's your prototype, and you move on from there. You refine your process and iron out all the kinks, so by the time you're making the fifth iteration, you're making it in less than half the time it took you to make the prototype.

But you get to the point I'm making, I could reason that Joost looked at what IzzyMel did and just said "That would be too expensive to pull off in production", so they just simplified the design, and charged $1,300 anyways.

Joost's earlier dioramas were available in different price tiers, based on how accurate the customer wanted them to be, mostly based on size/scale. But for the cockpit, there was just one option, big and not accurate. How much more would it cost to make it accurate? I'd argue it really doesn't matter, if you're already paying $1,300, would you balk at $1,800? Probably not.

With the work that folks like DoggieDo and robbiethepainter do, the detail is not at issue. I'd imagine they could produce inserts that slot into cavities on Joost's model and you get the best of both worlds.

 

[Tee-Kay]

I see your point. R&D, building several prototypes and all to refine the product you market. Problem in that instance is that Joost did not have a cockpit in development when he took solicitations. He basically answered to a request from the community , gauged interest and feasibility and launched the program.

Where Izzymel is in total control of his schedule and has no one to please beside himself until he decides he's ready to offer this up for purchase, Joost had people to answer too in terms of delays from the get go.

 

[TaliBane]

Everything starts as a one-off, that's your prototype, and you move on from there. You refine your process and iron out all the kinks, so by the time you're making the fifth iteration, you're making it in less than half the time it took you to make the prototype.

You're missing the point that can't "refine the process" for something like a 1/6 Falcon cockpit without adding major manufacturer's tech and labor capabilities.

Whatever the development process, you're left with the insurmountable challenge of producing smooth/crisp intricate cockpit details (non-resin 3D printing isn't capable of that and resin prints are brittle so hard to drill/cut,) fitting hundreds of working LEDs, and producing hundreds of precise/sharp 1mm pinstripes - all without injection molding tech, workers to assemble so many lights/panels/wiring, or tampo-like tech to deliver those crisp, intricate pinstripes/paint apps on dozens of panels.

I would assume Joost will in the end produce several dozen of his cockpit. Citing one-off labor of loves like Izzy's cockpit is not really relevant - with unlimited time on a single custom project, almost anything is possible.

 

[SwedishHeat]

Citing one-off labor of loves like Izzy's cockpit is not really relevant - with unlimited time on a single custom project, almost anything is possible.

Why is Joost's cockpit not an 'unlimited time' thing? Why is he not making it perfect? Or at least near enough. Is it not a custom-made item? No other customizers are on a time schedule. They keep working at their prototype until they're satisfied with it.

Though I understand it may be a rhetorical question as Tee-Kay explained above that, for whatever reason, Joost is beholden to customers to deliver some product on a timely basis ... which is not something I can agree with.

 

[DCFett]

I got mine! Haven’t opened yet.
these two cockpits appear to be based on different models. To add to the convo, when I talked to Joost about the details way back when the first Falcon cargo hold was done, he said they had to switch to the cold casting. I know in the past that’s produced softer outcomes but with the latest tech, let’s say, premium formats, have much sharper detail. I’m betting Joost just doesn’t have access to that tech...yet. Hopefully someday soon he will. I’m just glad the project is done and the LEDS look sharp. Once I have access to another laser plotter, I’d surely like to punch up the details.
Thanks for the pics, Tee-Kay!

 

[Tee-Kay]

Here are a few more shots. I know, sequel based but, with most other owners going for "Original Trilogy" or "Solo", i thought it would be a nice angle. And besides, while i'm applying a new lick of paint in the living room, a good chunk of my 1/6 collection is back into storage for a few weeks.

 

[dukefett]

I've seen pics of these issues and sure, they're annoying, but I have to imagine if/when I get one of these, 99% of the time I won't see them or won't be focusing on them as most seem to be on the control panel facing away from typical viewing angles.

I'm buying a 1/6 play set for Hot Toys, I'm not exactly expecting an exact 1/6 replica down to each little spot, especially stuff that isn't visible a lot of the time. I would care about the paint job on the outside as I've seen some kind of darker than others.

 

[DCFett]

Tee-Kay, nice pics with ST Luke. Very cool.

 

[Tee-Kay]

Thanks. I know lots of fans called this sequence pure fan service but it did work for me. An older Luke reflecting on the past and possibly remembering the first time he entered the Falcon cockpit while they were chasing that lone Tie Fighter and soon got caught into the Death Star tractor beam.

 

[TaliBane]

Why is Joost's cockpit not an 'unlimited time' thing? Why is he not making it perfect? Or at least near enough. Is it not a custom-made item? No other customizers are on a time schedule. They keep working at their prototype until they're satisfied with it.

Though I understand it may be a rhetorical question as Tee-Kay explained above that, for whatever reason, Joost is beholden to customers to deliver some product on a timely basis ... which is not something I can agree with.

IzzyMei's one-off project has been WIP for more than five years. Maybe you're planning to live to 130, but most aren't.

 

[DCFett]

Thanks. I know lots of fans called this sequence pure fan service but it did work for me. An older Luke reflecting on the past and possibly remembering the first time he entered the Falcon cockpit while they were chasing that lone Tie Fighter and soon got caught into the Death Star tractor beam.

Well, the ST SHOULD have fan service imo. The attempts to "subvert the expected" was where it went wrong in the most important turn in the story. Thanks for re-living it with your model!

 

[TonTon]

IzzyMei's one-off project has been WIP for more than five years. Maybe you're planning to live to 130, but most aren't.

yeah, I think they struck their balance of time/price they thought would still be palatable, considering all the different projects they have going on aside from this.

Based on their prior dioramas, highly detailed paint work has never been their forte as far as I can tell, and as Tee-Kay said they might have been better off relying on stickers/decals for certain areas. But it's still a super impressive final product to me.

I'm still of the mind that if Hot Toys had produced this I would have tried to make it work for whatever price they put it at. The best part with HT too would have been putting all the tiny batteries into 20 different places and having to turn on 20 different switches for all the lights to work.

 

[Wor-Gar]

That's an awesome couple of pictures, Tee-Kay.

 

[FlyAndFight]

:
I'm still of the mind that if Hot Toys had produced this I would have tried to make it work for whatever price they put it at. The best part with HT too would have been putting all the tiny batteries into 20 different places and having to turn on 20 different switches for all the lights to work.

Oh, how true!