![\"Package\"](\"https:\/\/www.disneyexperience.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/mfbj02_04.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe first package arrived exactly one week after ordering the subscription. The box was small, and everything fit just right.<\/p>\n
The magazines are standard sizes as far as magazines go, and are only 13 pages long. Issue 2 arrived damaged, with a bent corner and a small tear, but nothing to really complain about. I foresee these things getting a lot of use over the next two years as I rifle through them for reference.<\/p>\n
There is one anomaly that I noticed, and didn\u2019t really care for. The first two issues have a nice, glossy cover. The covers of issues 3 and 4 have a matte finish, which isn\u2019t as nice. I hope they return to the glossy cover; glossy covers just make a magazine feel right.<\/p>\n
The two magazines with the matte finish display European prices in the upper-left corner. This leads me to believe that there are two different stocks: one for the UK, and one for the US. If true, the US magazines are nicer, and what we Americans are use to.<\/p>\n The first two-thirds of the magazines are filled with fun articles and facts about the Millennium Falcon and the Star Wars<\/i> universe. But, wanting to dive right into building, I skipped right past them. They\u2019ll make good reading material until the next package arrives.<\/p>\n The last one-third of the magazine are, naturally, the assembly instructions, which are fully illustrated. The person responsible for writing up the instructions even anticipated my want to jump ahead, glue things down, and paint by continuously posting small warnings and notices. Since I don\u2019t know what lies ahead, I\u2019ll do as I\u2019m told.<\/p>\n The parts come in protective blister packs with cardboard backing. To be able to quickly identify each pack, I wrote the issue numbers on them with a Sharpie<\/i> before removing the cardboard.<\/p>\n The blister pack is made of two pieces, sandwiching the parts. I was surprised and elated when I discovered that the pieces lock back together. That feature saved me from having to jury-rig something to safely store the parts in their blister packs. My thanks and appreciation go out to whomever included that feature.<\/p>\n Also included with the package was a series guide and a double-sided blueprint. The series guide just pointed out the features of the model, and isn\u2019t really much. If anything, I can quickly hand this to someone when they ask about the model.<\/p>\n One side of the fold-out blueprint features a 1:1 scale top-down layout of the model. It\u2019s big, and it\u2019s fun to position parts to see where they will go. The other side of the fold-out displays the interior layout and the metal frameworks.<\/p>\n Since the last build journal, I have discovered that the parts that create the ship’s hull are made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic. As such, solvent-based glues (i.e. standard model glues) will not stick; the model will eventually fall apart. Instead, ACC (Alpha Cyanoacrylate Cement) glues (superglue or zap-a-gap) should be used. Will my Tamiya Extra Thin Cement work? Possibly. But, I\u2019ll test it out on some scrap pieces before I use it on the model.<\/p>\n Inspecting the instructions, I bought a few extra supplies to finish this month\u2019s build. First was an extra nail buffer, which goes pretty fast when used on metal, and works wonderfully to get out the rough scratches.<\/p>\n There are six different screws used throughout the kit, and a few extras are supplied. To separate and store them for easy access (and to prevent loss), I found a clear, 7-day pill case.<\/p>\n To clean and prep parts for painting, I needed a small brush. A toothbrush is perfect for the job. I couldn\u2019t find my current toothbrush (used strictly for hobbies\/artwork), so I picked up three super cheap ones of varying firmness: soft, medium, and firm.<\/p>\n To prime parts, I chose a flat gray primer suitable for metal, wood, and plastic alike. When dry, the surface can be sanded if needed (wet sand for metal, dry sand for plastic). However, the can says that for maximum adhesion and durability on plastics, the paint should be allowed to dry for 5-7 days! I\u2019m eager to paint, but I\u2019m a patient person.<\/p>\n This paint is oil-based. If you need to thin or clean it off, you will need Xylol or mineral spirits. See the Painting section of this article for more paint features.<\/p>\n For the screws, a long, narrow screwdriver is supplied. Oddly, it is supplied with the second issue, not the first. The first issue does mention this in the instructions. I wonder how many people were disappointed in the United Kingdom when they got to the quad laser cannons, and didn\u2019t have a screwdriver on hand to assemble them.<\/p>\n The screwdriver\u2019s handle has a cap that spins for comfort against your palm, but it doesn\u2019t work very well. To fix this, I removed the cap (it pulls right off) and sanded the end of the handle to a smooth shine. I did the same to the bottom and inside of the cap as best I could. Then, I coated the inside of the cap and the end of the handle with silicon lubricant using a cotton swab. The cap now spins freely, and is very comfortable against the palm.<\/p>\n The laser cannons came in three deceptively simple parts. Removing the four cannon barrels increased the number of parts to seven, which turned out to make sanding them easier.<\/p>\n I used metal files to quickly trim as much flashing (material that oozed out of the mold seams) as I could from the cannon parts. I then followed up with one of the rough emery boards, which I didn\u2019t like too much. They were very stiff. I\u2019ll have to find some rough emery boards that have a cushioned middle, like the nail buffer. The nail buffer worked very well. Because it had a soft foam core, it conformed the the curved surface of the barrels. That means less work, and a neater job.<\/p>\n Holding the small parts securely between my fingers did eventually begin to hurt. It\u2019s taxing on the fingertips. But, by using a piece of craft foam, I could hold the parts down in place with my thumb. The parts sank into the foam at key pressure points, which helped to keep them secure. It made sanding a lot easier, and I could use my thumb to rock the pieces side to side.<\/p>\n I liked the foam as a work surface so much, that I made a larger tri-fold version.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t able to get down into some of the tight crevices, but I have time to find a solution. If not, the cannons still looks way better than it did. To use the nail buffer, I cut it down the center, lengthwise. That made it a lot easier to get into small areas, and it double the life of the tool.<\/p>\n Finished, I assembled the quad laser cannons with three screws, leaving one extra. I don\u2019t know what kind of metal they are made of, but I sealed them inside a reclosable bag to prevent tarnish and dirt buildup.<\/p>\n Always having reclosable bags on hand has been a Godsend. I highly recommend them, and they come in many different sizes.<\/p>\n Applying the cockpit instrumentation sticker was only slightly disappointing. I\u2019m confident in my sticker-placing abilities, so aligning it with the wall wasn\u2019t a problem. My displeasure came with the fact that the sticker\u2019s printed instrumentation didn\u2019t line up with the holes that illuminate them. Since the sticker\u2019s placement depended on precise alignment, I couldn\u2019t shift it. But, I decided to let it be, and just have fun.<\/p>\n I later fixed the offset by using watercolor paint to black out areas and enhance colors by applying them to the backside.<\/p>\n The sticker itself is a stiff, translucent plastic onto which the graphics are printed. Nice; paper stickers wouldn\u2019t allow for any needed prying and repositioning.<\/p>\n The holotable was next, and only required a sticker. Looking back, I may need to clean up some flashing.<\/p>\n Another blunder reared its head, only this time, it was my fault. I applied the sticker to the pilot\u2019s instrument display, only to realize that I had to paint the part with primer first. D\u2019oh! No worries, though. I simply masked the sticker with blue painter\u2019s tape before I sprayed it.<\/p>\n I should also note that the edges of the stickers are white, which do not blend in with the black instrument display. Having been primed, the sticker edges are now ready to be painted to match. I guess it didn\u2019t turn out to be such a blunder after all.<\/p>\n Moving to the metal framework was a nice change of pace, and a pleasure to work with. The parts all fit together so well. Screwing the hull to the frame did present a defect, however.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nSupplies<\/h2>\n
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