White Processed Versatile Plastic
Perfect Grade Falcon, 1:72 Ramp Hall 2: Low Ledge
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Product Description
Bandai's 1:72 “Perfect Grade” Falcon model is a pretty impressive piece of engineering, with very few flaws. But one of a handful of things that's arguably a minor error is the small section of corridor visible at the top of the ramp.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH BANDAI'S RAMP CORRIDOR?
Bandai modelled this interior corridor as a cylinder, which means the two vertical rows of cushions run straight up and down. The actual movie set had a toroid (doughnut shaped) corridor, meaning the rows of cushions appear to curve outwards when seen from the ramp.
So, who cares? After all, the only time this fragment of corridor is actually visible in any movie is a split-second moment in Episode V. But hey - I want this model to be perfect, and that means correcting this stupid corridor!
THREE DIFFERENT RAMP CORRIDOR VERSIONS.
I have made three versions of this corridor part. ALL VERSIONS REQUIRE MODIFICATION OF BANDAI'S PLASTICS. You're currently looking at version 2.
Version 1: Ledge. This version is the easiest to install. It requires removal of the Bandai mounting pegs at one end, but does not require any heavy-duty cutting of the saucer part. It has a notch in the floor (not visible from outside) to accommodate internal Bandai parts. It does not have any holes in the floor for lighting (you can see the recesses for the holes in the photo, but they don't go all the way through). Like the Bandai part it has protruding lower wedge which forms a visible ledge at the top of the ramp – one which isn't screen accurate.
Version 2: Low Ledge. This version is more work to install, since in addition to removing the mounting pegs as above, you also need to cut out a bunch of plastic at the bottom of the saucer. This version has no holes for floor lighting (just recesses), and has a thin ledge at the top of the ramp. It's the low ledge, and the fact that corridor is positioned lower than the Bandai version, which make it look more screen accurate.
Version 3: Lights. This version is the same as above, except the floor is perforated with little holes. You won't be able to see these holes when the model is finished, but you can put lights under the floor to give a more realistic wash of light up the walls from below. There are also lightable wall sconces and a highly detailed missing cushion area. For printing reasons this version is only available in the "frosted detail" plastic material.
THE REAL MOVIE SETS
WALL LIGHTING
THE MISSING CUSHION
OTHER DETAILS
CHOICE OF MATERIALS
I designed this part to be printable using affordable "strong white" plastic. It's also available in "frosted detail" plastics for the sake of completeness.
But, to be honest, I wouldn't buy this version if you want "frosted detail" - go for version 3 of this model, since it has lightable lamps and more detail in the missing cushion area.
INSTALLATION
This part is NOT for beginners. To install it, you will need to cut out the two plastic pegs and tabs that hold the Bandai original part in place. I used a pair of plastic sprue clippers for this - biting out bits of plastic slowly. Note that the Bandai plastic is a bit more brittle than many types of styrene used in model kits. If you're not careful, especially if you twist the tool, the shock waves from snipping pieces off can travel along the plastic, causing splits further down!
Next you will need to use a very sharp knife and cut out the flat top part of the lower saucer, where the turret disc slots into place. Again, take care with cutting to avoid the plastic splitting.
Follow the notes in the photos very carefully! You'll have to do a lot of cutting and shaving of Bandai's plastics, and some areas are extremely tricky. For example, the area marked with a blue oval in the photos will need to be shaved down diagonally to accommodate the bottom of the 3D printed piece, but that whole edge is very risky because if you cut too much out the hole will be visible from below!
Take your time and test repeatedly with all the components in place.
Once the plastic has been cut out, you will be able to glue this piece of hallway directly to the end of the ramp assembly itself, using epoxy or superglue. It should look like a continuation of the ramp. The floor of the corridor will not be visible from outside the model, but you won't get an ugly raised ledge at the top of the ramp.
It is possible, if you shave off enough plastic from the lower edge of the saucer part itself, to eliminate the ledge/step at the top of the ramp, but you have to be insanely careful or else you'll damage the lower part of the saucer, which as noted is visible from below! There's a flat area around the cannon turret that can easily be cut away by mistake if you're not careful. You have been warned!
An important point - this hallway piece is designed to fit on the end of the ramp interior, which is the separate ramp part with the ramp floor and hydraulic struts, etc. It doesn't fit the outer ramp frame that's part of the lower saucer.
CLEANING IS REALLY IMPORTANT
Finally, this part is a partly enclosed cylinder and thus the "fine detail" versions require a lot of wax support to print. That means that there'll be a lot of oil and wax to clean off before you can assemble it! Use a lot of hot water and stiff-bristled paintbrushes, and scrape off any rough-textured white residue using a sharp knife before painting.
I highly recommend a #16-type offset blade, and strong magnifiers! Scrape with the side of the blade, getting things down to raw plastic. Any leftover wax will make it difficult for paint to stick, and can also result in crystalline wax residue showing up.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH BANDAI'S RAMP CORRIDOR?
Bandai modelled this interior corridor as a cylinder, which means the two vertical rows of cushions run straight up and down. The actual movie set had a toroid (doughnut shaped) corridor, meaning the rows of cushions appear to curve outwards when seen from the ramp.
So, who cares? After all, the only time this fragment of corridor is actually visible in any movie is a split-second moment in Episode V. But hey - I want this model to be perfect, and that means correcting this stupid corridor!
THREE DIFFERENT RAMP CORRIDOR VERSIONS.
I have made three versions of this corridor part. ALL VERSIONS REQUIRE MODIFICATION OF BANDAI'S PLASTICS. You're currently looking at version 2.
Version 1: Ledge. This version is the easiest to install. It requires removal of the Bandai mounting pegs at one end, but does not require any heavy-duty cutting of the saucer part. It has a notch in the floor (not visible from outside) to accommodate internal Bandai parts. It does not have any holes in the floor for lighting (you can see the recesses for the holes in the photo, but they don't go all the way through). Like the Bandai part it has protruding lower wedge which forms a visible ledge at the top of the ramp – one which isn't screen accurate.
Version 2: Low Ledge. This version is more work to install, since in addition to removing the mounting pegs as above, you also need to cut out a bunch of plastic at the bottom of the saucer. This version has no holes for floor lighting (just recesses), and has a thin ledge at the top of the ramp. It's the low ledge, and the fact that corridor is positioned lower than the Bandai version, which make it look more screen accurate.
Version 3: Lights. This version is the same as above, except the floor is perforated with little holes. You won't be able to see these holes when the model is finished, but you can put lights under the floor to give a more realistic wash of light up the walls from below. There are also lightable wall sconces and a highly detailed missing cushion area. For printing reasons this version is only available in the "frosted detail" plastic material.
THE REAL MOVIE SETS
- The shooting miniatures used in the films never had any interior detailing for the boarding ramp. Bandai's ramp is thus modelled after the full-size physical sets that were built for the actors.
- The section of corridor at the top of the ramp was likely built for Episode IV as part of the Falcon's interior set, but was never shown to the audience at any point. The area of the ship appeared in two scenes, but the camera was situated in the corridor that leads to the hold, and therefore this wall is never visible. No set photos of this area are known.
- It seems unlikely that the exterior Falcon set for ANH included this bit of internal corridor. The ramp was always photographed at an angle in the first movie, so the top of the ramp is never seen.
- There was a 1976 interview with Alec Guinness which shows the top of the ramp, but only the edge. It appears to be unfinished, but it's really hard to tell.
- The ESB full-sized exterior set was thus the only on-screen appearance of this part of the Falcon, when our heroes arrive at the city in the clouds. And even then the corridor is mostly obscured by humans, a furry alien, and a droid. The only other time I've seen it is in a brief behind the scenes low-rez video clip, and some on-set photos.
WALL LIGHTING
- The corridor wall glimpsed in ESB had a round wall light.
- The Bandai PG Falcon, however, is meant to be a model of the ANH ship, which had square wall lights. Accordingly I've made the wall light for this model square.
- I've included a wall sconce with this model. It's attached with a thin sprues and will need to be cut off. The reason it's a separate part, even though it can't be easily lit if you use the strong white plastic, is to make it easier to paint. Note that it may need some filing down on the end if you choose the "strong white" printing process, since that technology sometimes results in small projections on the end of small objects.
- If you want a lightable sconce you can either scratchbuild one from clear plastic, or else buy the "Low Ledge, Lights" version of this part, which includes a small translucent plastic piece that will fit.
THE MISSING CUSHION
- In ANH there's a missing wall cushion to the lower right as you go up the ramp, revealing a bunch of pipes, conduits, and raw insulation. The spot is visible in a couple of different scenes in the movie.
- I've replicated this wall opening in this version, but because it has to be printable using low-resolution "strong white" plastic, it has only basic pipework and no insulation.
- If you want a more realistic version, you'll need to get version 3 of this part. Version 3 has a higher level of detailing in the cushion area since it was designed for "frosted detail" high resolution plastic only.
- Of course, you can barely see this part of the model's interior wall when you look up the ramp, so it's all for utter completists anyway!
OTHER DETAILS
- I did not model the floor grids in this version, because the slots would be too small to be printable using the white strong plastic process. You can see shallow depressions where the light grids would be, but the floor isn't visible from outside the model anyway. If you want wall-washing floor lights, you can get the "Low Ledge, Lights" version.
- I've included the lower edge of the door, since it's clearly visible in ANH.
- I didn't model the outer wall (eg: the door switch hit during the "get us outta here!" moment) since you obviously can't see it in the finished model.
- The original movie set corridor was circular in cross-section. However, to allow clearance with Bandai's gunbay I had to make this model a squashed oval shape. It looks the same when you peer up the ramp, however.
CHOICE OF MATERIALS
I designed this part to be printable using affordable "strong white" plastic. It's also available in "frosted detail" plastics for the sake of completeness.
But, to be honest, I wouldn't buy this version if you want "frosted detail" - go for version 3 of this model, since it has lightable lamps and more detail in the missing cushion area.
INSTALLATION
This part is NOT for beginners. To install it, you will need to cut out the two plastic pegs and tabs that hold the Bandai original part in place. I used a pair of plastic sprue clippers for this - biting out bits of plastic slowly. Note that the Bandai plastic is a bit more brittle than many types of styrene used in model kits. If you're not careful, especially if you twist the tool, the shock waves from snipping pieces off can travel along the plastic, causing splits further down!
Next you will need to use a very sharp knife and cut out the flat top part of the lower saucer, where the turret disc slots into place. Again, take care with cutting to avoid the plastic splitting.
Follow the notes in the photos very carefully! You'll have to do a lot of cutting and shaving of Bandai's plastics, and some areas are extremely tricky. For example, the area marked with a blue oval in the photos will need to be shaved down diagonally to accommodate the bottom of the 3D printed piece, but that whole edge is very risky because if you cut too much out the hole will be visible from below!
Take your time and test repeatedly with all the components in place.
Once the plastic has been cut out, you will be able to glue this piece of hallway directly to the end of the ramp assembly itself, using epoxy or superglue. It should look like a continuation of the ramp. The floor of the corridor will not be visible from outside the model, but you won't get an ugly raised ledge at the top of the ramp.
It is possible, if you shave off enough plastic from the lower edge of the saucer part itself, to eliminate the ledge/step at the top of the ramp, but you have to be insanely careful or else you'll damage the lower part of the saucer, which as noted is visible from below! There's a flat area around the cannon turret that can easily be cut away by mistake if you're not careful. You have been warned!
An important point - this hallway piece is designed to fit on the end of the ramp interior, which is the separate ramp part with the ramp floor and hydraulic struts, etc. It doesn't fit the outer ramp frame that's part of the lower saucer.
CLEANING IS REALLY IMPORTANT
Finally, this part is a partly enclosed cylinder and thus the "fine detail" versions require a lot of wax support to print. That means that there'll be a lot of oil and wax to clean off before you can assemble it! Use a lot of hot water and stiff-bristled paintbrushes, and scrape off any rough-textured white residue using a sharp knife before painting.
I highly recommend a #16-type offset blade, and strong magnifiers! Scrape with the side of the blade, getting things down to raw plastic. Any leftover wax will make it difficult for paint to stick, and can also result in crystalline wax residue showing up.
Details
What's in the box:
PG Falcon ramp corridor, no ledge
Dimensions:
Success Rate:
First To try.
What's this?
Rating:
Mature audiences only.
