Star Wars 1/144 scale Millennium Falcon [WIP - Base]

Above the desert sands of Jakku, a planet in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Millennium Falcon finally made its big screen return after its original debut more than forty years ago in A New Hope. This fictional planet is actually based on the sand desert of Rub' al Khali in the Arabian Peninsula, whose almost silky smooth sand dunes are recreated in base provided by Bandai.    

Bandai Star Wars 1/144 scale Millennium Falcon - Desert Base [Completed]

Materials used to spruce up the Desert Base consisted of the Tamiya Weathering Master (Set B) specifically its Rust hue for the dune shadows and an application of the Mr.Hobby Mr.Super Smooth Clear matt topcoat over the weathered base in order to protect and seal in the weathering effect.

Materials used on Desert Base: Mr.Super Smooth Clear and Tamiya Weathering Master Set B

In terms of accuracy, the color that the base came molded in was actually too yellow for my taste. That usually would've been enough of a reason for me to repaint the base. But this time is was not. There was an overriding issue that made me decide to put in as little effort as I could get away with and yet still make the base look reasonably good. What was the issue? It's size. The desert base is way too small. In fact, it's smaller than the Millennium Falcon kit that it will eventually support. This is an unforgivable act by Bandai. If they were going to do things halfheartedly, why even bother?

Silky smooth sand texture is similar to the actual desert that Jakku is based on i.e. Rub 'al Khali

First, darker hues were applied onto the recessed areas to create shadows thus a sense of depth

Second, a clear matt topcoat was sprayed over the base in order to seal in the weathering effects

Key issue I had with the base was its size, which was way smaller than the Millennium Falcon

At the tip of the display stand there are three possible posing positions, each located on two separate axes, which are at right angles to each other. This should allow for a total of nine different posing positions for the Millennium Falcon atop its Desert Base. That's sufficient poses if you ask me. 

There are three possible posing positions each on two separate axes at right angles to one another

At the display stand's top are three cylindrical studs, which are used to fix onto the Millennium Falcon  

Finally, it's time for the cherry on top. Soon the Millennium Falcon will soar above the desert sands of Jakku ... in the next post. All it took was an enforced stay-at-home period to push this project across the finish line. A global pandemic no less. Speaking of which, Malaysia has restarted its economy as new cases continue to flatline in the low double-digits. While new viral clusters are still emerging, unemployment is also soaring and financial hardships piling-up. Amidst the risk of a second wave, the middle-class and poor find themsleves between a rock and a hard place. As Dolores Abernathy put it in Westworld Season 2 ... Strange new light can be just as frightening as the dark.