Bandai 1/144 Falcon mandible gap problem

[jake88]

I have a considerable gap where the mandibles and the edge of the hamburger bun meet. Ive tried sanding the pegs and posts a bit but just cant get the whole thing to snug down and look correct. Anyone have some advise?

 

[JoeCS]

The gap is there on purpose and is correct. Whether you like the gap or want to remove it is a different story

 

[3Dsf]

What JoeCS says.

 

[Dedalus5550]

I just looked at the one I have press-fit together for experimentation. First, I will say that pictures online often distort things for me. Perfect example is recessed panel lines. I can't think of how many reviews have made them look overdone, but when I get the kit they are exactly what I want. Having said that, my gap might be the same as yours. And to me, mine looks out of scale by a bit, but not so much that it ever bothered me. When I first saw that kit, I almost felt like Bandai was putting the modeling world on notice that there is, in fact, a bit of a gap there as every previous kit had no gap. It was like the size of the gap was meant to emphasize the point.

Anyway, about minimizing it. If yours is "correct" but it's a bit to big to live with, you have to realize that there are lots of side panels and other parts that are sized for what the kit has. It may be all those other parts that are also holding it up. If you can get the mandibles apart, my method would be to put some kind of spacer to make the mandibles a little taller. This might/should also create a gap or something around the edges, but it's an area where it might be filled with smalll strips of styrene--thinking of those tiny square pieces that Plastruct has/had. Anyway, something like that stuck into gaps along the edged of the mandibles, I could live with.

Mike Todd

 

[astroboy]

In my personal opinion, those gaps were a tad too big. I think they wanted them noticeable at that scale so they exaggerated them.

But it makes the mandibles a bit too thin looking.

 

[jake88]

Thanks for all the help guys!

Jaitea or HH, if you guys have any input it would mean a lot.

 

[Dedalus5550]

I just looked at mine a bit more, and I'm pretty sure I have the same gap. The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced it's overdone/out of scale, like others have said, AND that it actually doesn't bother me. (It might still bother you and others, though.) Try staring at it and getting used to it. And notice in your pictures how the deflector shield generator (think that's what it's called) has an angled base that the saucer section snugs up to. That's just one place where things have to be altered. I tried squeezing mine in that area, and it just doesn't come down. Likewise, the area near the outer edge of the mandible is also, mostly, snugged up. And so you can see that removing material on the pegs and other areas won't be enough. You can only, with your fingers, really mash it down right in the middle. A good thing about Bandai kits is they go together so solidly. A (sometimes) bad thing about Bandai is they go together so solidly.
Mike Todd