Tan Fine Detail Plastic
Perfect Grade Falcon, 1:72 Ramp Hall 3: Lights
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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 ESB/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 3.
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 very 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 is the version you're looking at. And it's the same as the low ledge version, only the inner 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. Also I've included two-part wall sconce parts for ease of lighting, and have designed 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
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 cannon turret 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 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! The lowest section in step 2 must also be treated with caution, as part of the bottom is also visible on the underside. DON'T just cut while looking at the model from above! Flip the piece upside-down and make sure that the plastic you're removing isn't important.
Take your time and test repeatedly with all the components, such as the undersaucer round turret disc, 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 lip at the top of the ramp. Don't position the part too low, or else you'll end up with a gap at the top of the ramp corridor, where the door comes down.
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.
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 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!
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.
Please read the following if you're interested in this item.
This accurizing part is not a mass-market commercial product. I designed it for my own use, and have put it here in case it's of interest to someone else. Possibly you, since you’re reading this.
This is a component for the serious model maker who wants to build a more accurate miniature. It requires finishing and cutting of the Bandai plastics to install. If you don't want to trim, file, sand, and glue, then this isn't the part you're looking for!
The part is tiny, and easily broken. It pushes the limits of today's 3D printers. The detail in the digital previews is all there, but it won't always be visible at the miniscule sizes that this scale requires!
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 ESB/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 3.
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 very 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 is the version you're looking at. And it's the same as the low ledge version, only the inner 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. Also I've included two-part wall sconce parts for ease of lighting, and have designed 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 ANH/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 on the Docking Bay set 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 gas planet. And even then the corridor is mostly obscured by humans, a hairy alien, and a robot. 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/Episode IV ship, which had square wall lights. Accordingly I've made the wall light for this model square. If you want a round wall light, let me know and I can probably make another version.
- I've included two wall sconces with this model. Both are attached with a thin sprues and will need to be cut off. One is a single part that's not intended to be lit. The other consists of a square post which can be painted with clear green paint, and a cylindrical post to paint black and put inside the square post. You may need to drill out the square post and clean it of any residual wax, however.
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, complete with highly detailed pipework and insulation.
- 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
- Floor grids are included in this version, though of course the floor isn't visible from outside the model. The reason I included slots in the floor is so you can install wall-washing underfloor lights.
- 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 that Han hits during the "Chewie 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.
- I'm making this model available in both grades of "frosted detail" plastic. But frankly there's no point in paying extra for the "extreme" version - the "ultra" version is just fine.
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 cannon turret 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 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! The lowest section in step 2 must also be treated with caution, as part of the bottom is also visible on the underside. DON'T just cut while looking at the model from above! Flip the piece upside-down and make sure that the plastic you're removing isn't important.
Take your time and test repeatedly with all the components, such as the undersaucer round turret disc, 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 lip at the top of the ramp. Don't position the part too low, or else you'll end up with a gap at the top of the ramp corridor, where the door comes down.
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.
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 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!
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.
Please read the following if you're interested in this item.
This accurizing part is not a mass-market commercial product. I designed it for my own use, and have put it here in case it's of interest to someone else. Possibly you, since you’re reading this.
This is a component for the serious model maker who wants to build a more accurate miniature. It requires finishing and cutting of the Bandai plastics to install. If you don't want to trim, file, sand, and glue, then this isn't the part you're looking for!
The part is tiny, and easily broken. It pushes the limits of today's 3D printers. The detail in the digital previews is all there, but it won't always be visible at the miniscule sizes that this scale requires!
Details
What's in the box:
Ramp Corridor, PG Falcon
Dimensions:
Success Rate:
First To try.
What's this?
Rating:
Mature audiences only.
