Building the Millennium Falcon Piece by Piece

Already a multi-year project, a group of makers in Tennessee have embarked on a mission to build a full-scale Millennium Falcon. “Don’t worry – she’ll hold together.” They’ve cleared away an area in the woods west of Nashville and hope that one day their craft will be visible in satellite photos! For now, they’re building piece by piece, focusing on exterior armaments and interiors, namely the cockpit. Working from an array of art and blueprints from the films, and of course research watching the original trilogy over and over (now that’s research!), the makers are combining readymade objects with custom components. They’ve molded switches, as well as acquired vintage Triumph Spitfire hubcaps used to decorate the exterior of the Millennium Falcon.

An ambitious project to say the least, here’s the footprint of the vessel to-be completed:

• Length: 114 feet
• Beam (docking ring to docking ring): 81.485 feet
• Height to top of body (not counting quad-laser turret): 24.878 feet
• Height to top of dish: 30.889 feet
• Clearance: ground to landing gear bay level: 7.779 feet
• Clearance: ground to outside bottom of cockpit tube: 13.081 feet

And before you ask, “Will it fly?” “Heh. Not likely,” say the makers.