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 Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?

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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 11:52 am

Hey all,

I'm cleaning up my childhood Falcon finally and I wanted to get some thoughts from you. My Falcon is only "randomly yellowed" in little edges and stripes and random small blotches. Overall, the hull is generally now off-color to the cockpit cover and the rear lid, but it is not extreme. In fact, the real yellowing is quite random, looking almost like, well, a weathered ship hull.

Some people have suggested RetroBrite or Novus plastic polish or even the peroxide solutions, but my reading has shown a lot of fear toward this method as many claim it actually damages the molecular structure of the plastic beyond what the yellowing indicates has already happened internally over time.

I have attached a video of the first step toward a cleaning and rebuild. Part 2 is being posted this evening. Any advice or help with any of my questions will be greatly appreciated.



Michael
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Section 8
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 12:06 pm

I'd sell it, and buy a stripped Falcon without any yellowing. Can often be found on ebay and should have a net cost of no more than £10 - £15. Would save the cost of polish and the time of cleaning it up.

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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 2:19 pm

Section 8 wrote:
I'd sell it, and buy a stripped Falcon without any yellowing. Can often be found on ebay and should have a net cost of no more than £10 - £15. Would save the cost of polish and the time of cleaning it up.


I appreciate the practicality of your solution, but I'm a bit too sentimental. I couldn't possibly sell my childhood Falcon.
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 3:06 pm

Honestly , if it's your childhood toy, leave it be. You've aged, so let it come along for the ride!

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Rawlin
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 4:24 pm

Unless it's very yellowed I wouldn't do anything about it.
Usually yellowing that's spread all over dissapear very easily from hard plastic. But there is another type that does not go away no matter what. Since your yellowing is only on spots I don't think you should do anything about it. You could just replace the parts that got yellowing with non yellowed parts. Since the procedure of removing the yellowing is not safe. I've removed a lot of yellowing on stuff, the largest was an imperial shuttle. And the hydrogen peroxide that is used in most recipes is very hard to deal with, including leaving toxic gases if done indoors.
If treated to long it will "unarm" the plastic making it fragile and breaking easily.

Let me know how it goes with the engine Smile
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trappedtexan
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 4:38 pm

To go with what John said I would leave it be and remember all the good times you had "flying" it around your yard or house. If you want a whiter one buy a different one. I don't know how much a minty example goes for but it is better than possibly destroying the childhood toy you had. Just my opinion.

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Dr Dengar
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 4:46 pm

Hey Michael,


The yellowing adds to the vintage charm, I would leave it as is.

BTW: I watched your Millennium Falcon video last weekend and learned something new about the different cardboards used for the vintage and POTF2 versions. Thanks! Very Happy

And Off Topic: why did Youtube dare to remove your epic video about the downfall of the ROTJ line? ("sticks instead of guns!" )

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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 5:27 pm

Dr Dengar wrote:
Hey Michael,


The yellowing adds to the vintage charm, I would leave it as is.

BTW: I watched your Millennium Falcon video last weekend and learned something new about the different cardboards used for the vintage and POTF2 versions. Thanks! Very Happy

And Off Topic: why did Youtube dare to remove your epic video about the downfall of the ROTJ line? ("sticks instead of guns!" )


Thanks everyone. I washed it last night with warm water and mild soap. I have decided not to try to use chemicals to de-yellow it. It means too much to me to put it at risk.

Hey Dengar - YouTube randomly decided the YubNub song and the Parade of Ewoks music clips were no longer allowed. Despite the fact that I had acknowledged them and YouTube was cool with it for over a YEAR. They changed the rules - and never notified me. But I was able to re-edit and re-upload it rather quickly, so it's back, just with different music. Smile
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Dr Dengar
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 5:49 pm

nohandluke wrote:


Hey Dengar - YouTube randomly decided the YubNub song and the Parade of Ewoks music clips were no longer allowed. Despite the fact that I had acknowledged them and YouTube was cool with it for over a YEAR. They changed the rules - and never notified me. But I was able to re-edit and re-upload it rather quickly, so it's back, just with different music. Smile

lol! about the start of your re-edited version, with a sense of drama.

Please let us know when Part 2 of your Milllennium Falcon project is being aired.

Cheers

Marco
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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 22, 2013 11:15 pm

Thanks Dengar!

And as promised - here's Part 2 of the restoration!

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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 12:56 am

I have to agree the yellowing gives it charecter that's why I left mine alone I do however have parts from another falcon I found at a flee market that IS use to test cleaning ideas on once I find something that works I will let everyone know IF have figs for the same reason.
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Rawlin
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 2:16 am

Michael, I'm sorry to say looking at part 2, that looks just like the type of yellowing that wont go away. I'm not sure why it becomes like that and why it won't dissapear like normal yellowing. It's a pretty distasteful color like yellow brownish.

When you come to the stickers you can use a mild toxic free glue stick.
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Rawlin
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 6:11 am

arohk wrote:
I have to agree the yellowing gives it charecter that's why I left mine alone I do however have parts from another falcon I found at a flee market that IS use to test cleaning ideas on once I find something that works I will let everyone know IF have figs for the same reason.

It's already been discussed a lot about yellowing here on the forum if you do a search. Here is an X-Wing I removed yellowing on half and used some homemade stickers.

Sure yellowing does have it's charm but I don't think it did in my case lol, might be a good opportunity to update. it's been around 2 years now after all.
This x-wing have been abused a lot since it was "half" restored 2 years ago, it was done to show how much difference it can be. It's been a bit everywhere by now mostly just thrown in a box of damaged parts and it's been having a lot of sunlight for 2 years now. It's still white but the stickers have yellowed. The plastic was not damaged by the treatment, however I have done tests with letting stuff being treated to long and I've had some items damaged, they became fragile and broke very easily. Doesn't work well on figures, unless they are hard plastic, I'm happy about that with all repro stormies around.

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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 10:34 am

Hi Michael,
 
I have had a similar dilemma myself, not with my childhood Falcon, but a very dirty one a bought. I think the thread has already stated certain things like DON'T bleach it or anything.
Like it has been said, the discoloured look is unfortunately inevitable in many toys and does add to the charm in some respects, so be happy with it, as for the stickers, I faced the very same dilemma, and ultimately decided, I'd rather have none than repro's so stuck with the damaged one's I had, in terms of resticking them, I just simply applied double sided sticky tape to the back of the old stickers and then carefully cut around the edge and then re-applied them.
You can see my restoration project here.
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Rawlin
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 11:17 am

That was a rather dirty falcon you had there Kahn, Well done! Always enjoy seeing before and after pics Smile
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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 23, 2013 8:37 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone. Tonight's intended video was a bust. The alarm motor is completely toasted and there's no bringing it back. Looks like I will need to acquire another.
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeThu Jul 25, 2013 10:50 am

Looks like I spoke too soon!

Brought the motor back to life last night after two days of troubleshooting it. Was a good feeling to see it come to life again and hear that noise.
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeThu Jul 25, 2013 2:22 pm

nohandluke wrote:

....
Some people have suggested RetroBrite or Novus plastic polish or even the peroxide solutions, but my reading has shown a lot of fear toward this method as many claim it actually damages the molecular structure of the plastic beyond what the yellowing indicates has already happened internally over time.
...

Finally....I see all my posts on that matter at least reached one guy!! Happy about that! If I can only save one childhood Falcon it was worth the trouble!! Very Happy 

Great you got the motor back to life. Most of my childhood toys motors just neede some cleaning, oiling and then tipping them on and let them run for while again. If not: I once found the exact same motors (there is seriously no differneces to my X-Wing motors at all...they are exactly the same) on the fleamarket...so I will always have some spares!! Very Happy;) So these must be out there and maybe not even hard to find?!?!?

PS: My childhood Falcon didn't survive. He had one cozy night in front of a heater.....and melted down (the back rear). I cried like a baby (and I was 14 or 15)......
Anyway....as soon as I discovered ebay I replaced mine. and left him as it is....a childhood Falcon from another child...but still played with...and a loved one!
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nohandluke
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeThu Jul 25, 2013 2:36 pm

wbobafett wrote:
nohandluke wrote:

....
Some people have suggested RetroBrite or Novus plastic polish or even the peroxide solutions, but my reading has shown a lot of fear toward this method as many claim it actually damages the molecular structure of the plastic beyond what the yellowing indicates has already happened internally over time.
...

Finally....I see all my posts on that matter at least reached one guy!! Happy about that! If I can only save one childhood Falcon it was worth the trouble!! Very Happy 

Great you got the motor back to life. Most of my childhood toys motors just neede some cleaning, oiling and then tipping them on and let them run for while again. If not: I once found the exact same motors (there is seriously no differneces to my X-Wing motors at all...they are exactly the same) on the fleamarket...so I will always have some spares!! Very Happy;) So these must be out there and maybe not even hard to find?!?!?

PS: My childhood Falcon didn't survive. He had one cozy night in front of a heater.....and melted down (the back rear). I cried like a baby (and I was 14 or 15)......
Anyway....as soon as I discovered ebay I replaced mine. and left him as it is....a childhood Falcon from another child...but still played with...and a loved one!

Sucks to hear about your childhood Falcon! Sad But I'm glad others like yourself have taken the time to research these chemical baths that seem to be the rage these days among toy collectors. You really cannot undo that kind of damage. I think there's been a lot of good advice on here about allowing things to age gracefully. I always go into a repair or cleaning with the utmost care - moreso with my childhood Star Wars toys for sure.

In fact, the only time I've really compromised on that even slightly was when I was fixing my childhood G.I. Joe Hovercraft. The steering vanes on the back were long since gone, and so I found a massive pile of already-broken ones for sale and cobbled them together to create a frankenstein set that I screwed together with miniature hinges from a hardware store. (Again, the parts were already broken and there was no seamless/rugged way to put them back together otherwise)
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 02, 2013 3:19 am

More progress! Any recommendations for re-attaching vintage decals?

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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 02, 2013 3:33 am

nohandluke wrote:
More progress! Any recommendations for re-attaching vintage decals?


You can use a mild toxic free glue stick, it don't eat its way into the stickers like liquid glue does. Just apply carefully. Usually its easier to apply on the plastic instead of the sticker but some places are pretty hard to get too. It sticks fairly, but atleast it don't damage the stickers.
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wbobafett
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PostSubject: Re: Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice?   Millennium Falcon Restoration Advice? I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 02, 2013 4:24 am

nohandluke wrote:
More progress! Any recommendations for re-attaching vintage decals?

Glue stick will do and doesnt harm the plastics, not the stickers:
This
http://www.papierprofi.de/bilder/produkte/gross/STA9HPK411_Klebestift-Pritt-ohne-Loesungsm-11g-EAN-40151595.jpg

or this i.e.
http://www.softgate.ch/thumb_uc_66727_z450_UHU_Stic_Klebestift_21g.jpg

Wink
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