Perfect Grade Falcon, 1:72, static fans, FUD
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Product Description
Bandai "Perfect Grade" 1:72 Falcon, engine deck fans.
Version 4A: Static (Non-Motorizable) Fans
The simulated engine deck fans that come with Bandai's 1:72 "Perfect Grade" Falcon model kit have three minor problems.
First, they're injection moulded as a single component with the whole back piece, so the blades sort of meld into the sides and bottom of the fan interior. This doesn't look right and makes them a little awkward to paint. Second, the rectangular slots in the middle of each fan seem longer than those on the movie miniature, and some are misaligned. And third, you can't motorize the fans because they're all one piece of plastic.
So I decided to make this 3D print, which addresses the first two points. This version of my model isn't motorizable, but I have another version which can contain motors, if you're interested. That version is a lot more work to install, since the motors protrude downwards and interfere with the Bandai-supplied lighting system and battery box.
This static version can't be motorized, but does not require any modifications to the Bandai kit other than the obvious omission of the supplied fan part.
I call this set "static" since the rotors and blades are fixed in place. However, I made each one in two parts, which must be glued together with epoxy or superglue, for ease of painting. Photos of the prototype suggest that the discs and blades were black plastic, and the general dish area of the fan was a medium-dark grey. Since the Bandai grilles let a lot more light through than the Koolshade original parts, you'll probably want to darken the dish area for less contrast, and make sure all surfaces are matte.
Model accurate.
A lot of add-on fans for various Falcon kits feature all kinds of random designs, but I tried to make these fans as accurate to the five foot shooting miniature as possible. That means a big flat central disc with concentric scribed rings, nine blades, and a rectangular slot. (not that it really matters, of course, since you can't see the fan details in any of the movies anyway...)
Note one difference from the Bandai-supplied part. Bandai's fan tops and blades are moulded parallel to the horizon, as it were. (ie: the motor shafts are vertical) My model, on the other hand, has fan tops which in line with the curvature of the engine deck, so each motor is at an angle. Which is correct?
I don't know. I've spent a bunch of time looking over every photo I can find of the five foot Falcon fans, and because of the Koolshade grilles I can't tell for sure which is right. I'm going to guess that aligning the fans to the engine deck is the way they did it, partly because I think it looks better, and partly because it's frankly easier to do.
Plastic type.
The fans are available in Frosted Ultra Detail plastic. If you want the slightly higher resolution Frosted Extreme Detail I've had to make a slightly different version, because the larger sprued part of this version is too big to print in Extreme.
Printing in Ultra isn't a big deal, though. The fans are underneath a grille, and should be painted dark grey or black, so you don't really need the highest resolution possible. The light stripes visible in the photos are caused by the Shapeways printing process. A light sanding with fine emery cloth and a bit of paint causes most of those lines to become unnoticeable. (see the painted and sanded version above)
Version 4A: Static (Non-Motorizable) Fans
The simulated engine deck fans that come with Bandai's 1:72 "Perfect Grade" Falcon model kit have three minor problems.
First, they're injection moulded as a single component with the whole back piece, so the blades sort of meld into the sides and bottom of the fan interior. This doesn't look right and makes them a little awkward to paint. Second, the rectangular slots in the middle of each fan seem longer than those on the movie miniature, and some are misaligned. And third, you can't motorize the fans because they're all one piece of plastic.
So I decided to make this 3D print, which addresses the first two points. This version of my model isn't motorizable, but I have another version which can contain motors, if you're interested. That version is a lot more work to install, since the motors protrude downwards and interfere with the Bandai-supplied lighting system and battery box.
This static version can't be motorized, but does not require any modifications to the Bandai kit other than the obvious omission of the supplied fan part.
I call this set "static" since the rotors and blades are fixed in place. However, I made each one in two parts, which must be glued together with epoxy or superglue, for ease of painting. Photos of the prototype suggest that the discs and blades were black plastic, and the general dish area of the fan was a medium-dark grey. Since the Bandai grilles let a lot more light through than the Koolshade original parts, you'll probably want to darken the dish area for less contrast, and make sure all surfaces are matte.
Model accurate.
A lot of add-on fans for various Falcon kits feature all kinds of random designs, but I tried to make these fans as accurate to the five foot shooting miniature as possible. That means a big flat central disc with concentric scribed rings, nine blades, and a rectangular slot. (not that it really matters, of course, since you can't see the fan details in any of the movies anyway...)
Note one difference from the Bandai-supplied part. Bandai's fan tops and blades are moulded parallel to the horizon, as it were. (ie: the motor shafts are vertical) My model, on the other hand, has fan tops which in line with the curvature of the engine deck, so each motor is at an angle. Which is correct?
I don't know. I've spent a bunch of time looking over every photo I can find of the five foot Falcon fans, and because of the Koolshade grilles I can't tell for sure which is right. I'm going to guess that aligning the fans to the engine deck is the way they did it, partly because I think it looks better, and partly because it's frankly easier to do.
Plastic type.
The fans are available in Frosted Ultra Detail plastic. If you want the slightly higher resolution Frosted Extreme Detail I've had to make a slightly different version, because the larger sprued part of this version is too big to print in Extreme.
Printing in Ultra isn't a big deal, though. The fans are underneath a grille, and should be painted dark grey or black, so you don't really need the highest resolution possible. The light stripes visible in the photos are caused by the Shapeways printing process. A light sanding with fine emery cloth and a bit of paint causes most of those lines to become unnoticeable. (see the painted and sanded version above)
Details
What's in the box:
1/72 Bandai engine fans, static
Dimensions:
Success Rate:
First To try.
What's this?
Rating:
Mature audiences only.
