Official C3 X-Wing Restoration Project Planning Thread

I can't bring anything but I will be there around 1=)

 

The only thing a cleaner will be used on is the plexiglass on the canopy and the metal feet (which were dipped into the sand at Ewok Pond at Skywalker Ranch - along w/ the rest of the bird, but that part was already cleaned off).

Another thing that will help clean off the bird would be large, soft bristle, paint brushes. It could look a little like an archealogy dig, but what the heck

 

THOSE i can bring.

Not sure if i will have time to get the other stuff...though I think we have a long swiffer extention thing.

 

I will try and come this morning but I can't stay for long unfortunatly. I am supposed to meet up with my sister and family for a romp at the zoo. I'll give Zoo a call before I come. I can bring paint brushes for cleaning and I have a long swiffer type handle just not sure how many cloth thingies I have left to put on the handle. I'm excited to see it again--especially the new signiture!

 

I have compiled a list of damages and stuff that needs to be fixed. The good news is those cracks should be easier to fix than we thought. I'll tell you tomorrow.

 

That's awesome!

Sorry I couldn't stay any longer yesterday, but BB and got the whole thing unwrapped and removed about 6lbs of crud from the whole thing Let me know if I need to swing by there this week for any additional cleaning chores

 

let me know if we should stock extra duty hand cleaner at the desk in my office

that thing was cruddy!

 

Well, the good news is that the fuselage cracks aren't as bad a problem as I had anticipated. I crawled inside the bird on Saturday and discovered that because the X-Wing fuselages were fabbed in 3 sections, it's just a matter of tightening up the screws on the supports that hold the sections together. Looks like the same nuts that hold the wings on. So that's very good news.

The bad news is that there's still a LOT that needs to be done...
- Engine mounts/etc.
- Replace cracked panels near hinges with 1/4" MDF
- Recast some detail pieces in resin
- Find a gunport replacement (maybe RTV rubber vs resin that's currently in use)
- Hide wiring better
- Remount effects boards in rear of fuselage & ensure they stay put
- Repair tops of engine housings
- 3' length of 1/2" electrical conduit for missing gun deatil
- All landing skids need redone (they all fell apart)
- R2 apparently needs attention (wasn't able to inspect him yet)
- And the VERY LAST thing, autographs need to be clearcoated but tested to ensure it doesn't damage them in ANY way.

That's pretty much a good start at what we need to do. There is a lot of interest from folks who want to help work on her (2 guests asked me while I was inspecting her and I gave them volunteer forms).

Things I'd like to see (after clearing with LFL & museum)...
- Finish the cockpit detailing per Tim's original idea
- Fab floor lights like the movies
- Add landing lights to wings per ESB Dagoba scenes
- Better detail on landing gears
- Torpedo mockup like on the Code 3 model (so people can see what it looks like)
- Perhaps an interactive information kiosk (movies/powerpoint/sounds/pics/etc.). I have a spare junk laptop we could use to put someting together if we built an enclosure

We'll see what happens, but we'll probably need to have a strategy session to see what we can work out.

 

Cool. I was told the electronics were in a kind of disarray. If the sounds are still playing out, at least that means the high dollar board is still operating.

So it appears I may have to rewire just about everything. Let me know what you think. Good news is that I have a new dome rotation board for R2 that will work much better and provide more stable operation.

 

i am sorry i didn't make it out saturday. unexpected plans...hopefully next time!

 

did somebody leave a note in my box for the curator?

 

Don't feel too bad, MA. I broke down yet again getting up there (this time on Quebec and Evans). Luckily it was just a $2 hose and a Pep Boys was right there. So far, I'm 0/2 for getting there without breaking down in the Green Beast.

 

That stinks Kev!


I was there in the morning but had to leave about 11ish for other obligations

 

Hey guys-

Glad you guys got her cleaned up- I've got some black towels over her that used to be light blue... she does seem to collect grime. I actually kept windex and paper towels in the cockpit to keep the canopy plex clean on a weekly basis.

Some notes on condition prior to shipping:

Electronics:
Sounds and Engine lights were still working great.

R2:
I did a bit of work on him to keep him going- this includes:
Filling/Sanding/Repainting the dome to fix bumpy, pitted surfaces.

Filled/Sanded radar eye, fixed broken corners.

Replaced broken holoprojectors with new ones.

Replaced the wooden disk that the head mounts to, and added stronger magnets for the travel switches.

Made an emergency replacement collar from aluminum flashing to replace the broken styrene collar.

Added pinstriping tape to simulate bodypanels.

Things I DIDN'T fix:
Front logic state light only flashes blue- red LED is out.

Main head drive motor broke its mount (looks like someone prior to me did a quick fix with urethane glue and styrene shims)-
it is currently friction-fit into the "neck".

Was going to send a blank security mirror dome I had to replace R2's battered one with, but the diameter as an inch too large- 17" vs. 16". If I do find one in the right scale laying around, it's yours.

Body:
All autographs EXCEPT George's are covered with a thin layer of spray-on marine-grade matte clearcoat as per a previous discussion and approval with Lucasfilm. They need more coats (I did this 7 months ago), and George's needs to be coated. Also coated the "Fallen" panel EXCEPT Katie Johnson and Mike Randleman. The signature panel under the bird has not meen coated.

I used compressed air to keep the auto panels clean, as I didn't want to erode the signatures.

Tony Daniel's amd Ray Park's sigs are faded badly (I tried to have Ray touch his up when he visited, but he got dragged off by Daniel Logan). I'm not sure how to bring them out more, although more clearcoat may ayt least help the contrast.

You guys are going to want to replace some (or all) of those wing hinge pins- some are pretty banged up. I couldn't find any the right diameter down here.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head- I love your suggestions for add-on display items, and had wanted to do the
trapezoidal hangar floor lights myself for the FIDM gig, using 12v LED truck projector lamps. Only needed more time and money...

Shawn

 

Yeah Shawn - between you and Damien in LV, I think we all had good ideas of what to do with her next. And thanks for the update of what you did.

There's a lot of work ahead of us and I think we can get it done for C4.

The biggest thing is to get the welding done so her rear frame doesn't continue to sag under the weight of the engines. Crawling way back inside her, there's a lot of welds they missed when they first built her.

 

Hey COS, did you notice the weld that is on the Lower Engine Mount that was broke at C3? Looks like they welded a plate to support the whole thing, in addition to the previous welds... I think it would be awesome if we could get the same thing on the other side (and upper mounts, if they are the same)

 

Ahhh, the jb quik I put on didnt hold?!?!

 

It lasted through C3... That was all we needed... I think Damien hit the engine mount when it got to Vegas, since he was talking about some ideas he had before it left Indy

 

Yeah, that'd hold up nicely if we did that to all of them. And Jim, you're the McGuyver of quick fixes that get us out of trouble.

 

Here's a little something I received that helped to brighten an otherwise dreary day for me:

 

ooooo000000o0oo0oooooooh





do we have a plan of action yet for repairs? Royal keeps bugging me

lol

 

Still gathering the info on what we need to do - the list is pretty much finalized, we just need to come up with the priorities and schedule work days (and what will be worked on that day).

 

Kewl


just keep me in da loop and I will pass along info=)

 

Will do. Darned work has gotten in the way.

 

I actually sent Karl some scans and pics after reading Zoo's post. Makes my day every time to see our baby on the web.