If you’ve made it all the way through the DeAgostini, ModelSpace, or Fanhome Millennium Falcon, congratulations—you’ve finished one of the most impressive Star Wars models ever produced.
Now comes the hard part… how to display it!
The included TV mounting bracket works, but to me it always looked more like something I’d find in the bargain bin at Best Buy than something worthy of displaying one of the most iconic ships in science fiction.
I wanted something cleaner. Something that looked more like furniture than hardware. Borrowing a page from how I did the display stand for my X-Wing, I figured, why not try that, but with something a bit more hefty.
Here’s how I did it.
Things you’ll need
18” Round Wood Disc
- Purchase from Home Depot
- Purchase from Lowes
- Purchase from Amazon
- I could only find a 15” round wood disc on Amazon. It “should” work, but no promises since I used the 18”.
Projector Mount
I used the Elexa ELPM-01 which is now no longer manufactured. Search Ebay and you can usually find them, or check out the non-verified alternatives below from Amazon! These two looked promising.
Note: I haven’t personally tried these ones, so I can’t vouch for the quality. When searching, just look for mounts that can hold 30lbs or more
Nuts and Bolts
Paint
Instructions
Step 1 – Prep the Base
Depending on the quality of your wood base you may need to do some prep work. Mine was a very knotty pine so I had to fill some holes and cracks with wood filler which was just some wood glue mixed with fine saw dust.
Once dry, give it a nice sanding, stepping up from low grit to high grit. In my case, I started with 120 and worked my way to 220.
Step 2 – Painting the Base
I used Rust-Oleum Gloss Black spray paint. Not because it was the perfect finish… Because it’s what I already had in the shop.
I applied two coats, letting the requisite amount of time to dry in between.
Once cured, give the surface a very light sanding if needed before your final coat. The goal is a finish that disappears visually so all the attention stays on the Falcon.
Step 2 – Position the Projector Mount on the Base
This is probably the most important part of the build.
Why? Because the Falcon’s weight isn’t perfectly balanced. While I don’t fully know the science behind it, but rather than centering the projector mount on the wooden base, I intentionally shifted it slightly off-center.
Step 3 – Attaching the Projector Mount
I used a Forstner bit to create a countersink for my 1/4″ bolts. I then drilled some pilot holes. In hindsight I should have done this before painting, but whatever it still looks good.
I then attached the mount with nuts and bolts thinking that this was going to be a stronger way to hold the weight of my beast of a model. I was correct.
Step 4 – Attaching the Projector Holder Piece to the Falcon
Using the spacers and screws that came with the TV mount from ModelSpace/FanHome, attach the projector holder portion of the mount to the Falcon. Easy peasey.
Then add the neck thing to the projector holder. You’ll want this nice and tight.
Finally, and it may be hard to figure out upside down, but now’s probably a good time to adjust the angle, or at least get your starting angle for the mount. Just loosen the lock nut and reposition until you feel like it’s in a decent ballpark.
Step 5 – Connect the Two!
Carefully lift the Falcon and insert the tube from the Falcon into the bigger tube on the display stand and adjust the angle again as necessary (you may want to enlist a buddy though, since you have a 24lb brick to contend with). When happy, tighten up all the screws.
Step 6 – Marvel at a Job Well Done
Bonus Step
Originally, I envisioned this just sitting flat on a table, but then I realized that the weight of the entire thing is so much that if I wanted to move it, well, there wasn’t an easy way to do that. I didn’t want to have to grab it by the projector stand every time, so I hopped into Fusion360 and created some 3d printable legs and feet for the display stand. The legs easily screw onto the base, and the feet were designed to cover the screw hole. I actually put felt on the bottom to make sure my table doesn’t get scratched. This is totally optional of course. Download the files here!
Final Thoughts
After five years of building this model, I wanted a display stand that looked like it belonged in my home—not in an electronics store.
The projector mount turned out to be a surprisingly elegant solution. It’s sturdy. It’s adjustable. It keeps the Falcon at a great viewing angle. And best of all, it lets the model be the star of the show.
The only problem left?
I still have to figure out where in my house I’m actually going to display a three-foot model.
If you’ve built one yourself, I’d love to hear what solution you came up with.
Leave a comment below or tag me on social media—I’m always looking for clever display ideas and don’t forget to check out the full video at the top of the page!