Bandai release schedule

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Yep. A scene conceived when they were lateral turrets on the "linear" Falcon, handwaved for the top-and-bottom of the saucer Falcon. And one of the reasons the interior set just don't work. Given the structure of the assembly as seen as a discrete unit (guns, gunnery stations, ladder, access door), the ladder is mounted on the forward wall of the access tube (not an oblique angle), the door is in the aft wall of the tube (not the opposite oblique angle), and when the gunners get up (or down) to the turret, stepping out of the ladderwell the forward wall of the turret becomes "down". For both, I'd imagine it suddenly shifts from feeling like you're climbing a ladder to crawling on all fours.

Boba Fett's ship also has this feature. When landed the pilot is facing up, relative to the landing surface. Not really sure how the rotating cockpit became a thing when the fixed cockpit is shown in both ESB and AOTC.

 

[Analyzer]

Also don;t forget, early on after switching from the blockade runner design, the original flight orientation for the "hamburger" falcon was that it would fly "sideways" with the cockpit side at the top and only lay flat with it on the side for landings. I believe that's one of the reasons they made the rotating cockpit. I think as one of the ILM guys or Lucas put it, like a "sunfish".

So that scene may have also dated from that time

Also, the whole circular turret part rotated as far back as the original MPC Falcon. I am sure they got that idea from somewhere in the source material

 

[Analyzer]

delete duplicate post

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Also don;t forget, early on after switching from the blockade runner design, the original flight orientation for the "hamburger" falcon was that it would fly "sideways" with the cockpit side at the top and only lay flat with it on the side for landings. I believe that's one of the reasons they made the rotating cockpit. I think as one of the ILM guys or Lucas put it, like a "sunfish".

The 'like' was for this bit.

So that scene may have also dated from that time

Nope. It predates the sunfish. The linear Falcon model had them. Heck, IIRC< even the Cantwell concept model had them. I'd have to check the McQuarrie paintings. Pretty sure Goerge wanted his "12 O'Clock High" scene from very early on.

Also, the whole circular turret part rotated as far back as the original MPC Falcon. I am sure they got that idea from somewhere in the source material

You'd think that. But MPC made the cockpit of the Slave I model a rotating unit with zero precedence. Never once in Nilo's sketches does he hint the cockpit rotates (I was talking about this cockpit, not the Falcon's, rotating, BTW). And we see it pointing skyward on the Cloud City landing pad, reinforced on Kamino in AOTC. And, for some reason, the Incredible Cross-Sections guys missed the movie evidence and included the model kit's rotating cockpit. I've speculated it was inspired by the Kenner toy having a rotating pilot chair to get Boba in, rather than an opening canopy. But sometimes things just originate from nowhere. Maybe there were molding issues with the Falcon's hull halves that made doing the turrets separately a better call. I dunno. But nothing I've ever seen on the filming model or in Joe Johnston's sketches indicates to me it was ever intended to rotate.

 

[Richard Baker]

If Slave One's cockpit assembly rotated 180 degrees while pivoting 90 degrees it would work fine- as it is now the seat pivots so he is facing away from the front of the craft when it is in landing orientation, which just looks plain stupid.

The Falcon's turrets rotating does not really accomplish anything plus having the gunners tube offset from the center requires the interior to have a large circular sweep area in the center of the hull as both need to rotate at the same time being connected. Again- just looks stupid.

 

[Analyzer]

I guess, based on toys and the old MPC models I just always assumed the whole part on the falcon rotated ever since I was a kid.

For Slave-1, I always thought it was probably just a limitation/time constraint for the model makers to actually have his chair or something pivot for the landed configuration.. When I did my Slave-1, I left the whole platform in the standard orientation, but modified it so only the chair part kind of worked like a pivoting lift

 

[Dedalus5550]

I must have missed this part of the conversation, but what is with the three extra openings on the bottom of the SD? Were they contemplating landing gear? I seem to recall some other kit with a landing gear option. Revell, was it?

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Also, the whole circular turret part rotated as far back as the original MPC Falcon. I am sure they got that idea from somewhere in the source material

The MPC model is definitely the first iteration of a rotating turret disc. I remember getting the kit for Christmas 1979 and thinking "WTF?" (I swore a lot even then) when I saw the instructions saying not to glue the discs. I've looked through source material for 40 years and have never seen anything to indicate it was ever meant to rotate.

The thing is, models DO have an influence on designers. The MPC's kit's too high sidewalls and too flat hull curvature are definitely present in ILM's CG Falcon used in the Special Editions. It wasn't until TFA that they finally got that part right. Then when they were designing the Lando Falcon for Solo, the concept modelers used the Fine Molds 1/72 kit as their basis with it's infamously parallel mandibles and (again) too high sidewalls. If the PG Falcon had come out 3 years earlier, that design may have ended up looking different. Even the refit Enterprise mimics some of the wrong dimensions present in the old classic E kit rather than the OS studio model, particularly the angle of the saucer's edge.

Which all goes to prove that we need to constantly demand better and more accurate models so future designers won't keep getting things wrong!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I guess, based on toys and the old MPC models I just always assumed the whole part on the falcon rotated ever since I was a kid.

For Slave-1, I always thought it was probably just a limitation/time constraint for the model makers to actually have his chair or something pivot for the landed configuration.. When I did my Slave-1, I left the whole platform in the standard orientation, but modified it so only the chair part kind of worked like a pivoting lift

That would be my guess too. From a functional standpoint, I don't think you'd want to land laying on your back.

 

[monsterpartyhat]

Don't try to apply logic to Star Wars.

Just.

Don't.

Down that path lies madness and shattered childhood dreams. You must unlearn what you have learned.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

I'll dig up pictures of the miniature set built for ESB. There are all manner of conduits and braces. That thing's fixed in place in the ship. The only time we see the cockpit in its landed orientation, it's a matte painting. No constraints in depicting it rotated if Nilo had wanted it such. The wings' articulation was already built in. Doing the cockpit, too, wouldn't have been a problem. It's a pretty big miniature.

And it wouldn't feel like landing on your back. The gravitational "down" in the pilot's seat is toward the snout.

 

[Thomas Guycott]

A giant, rotating cockpit section is silly and nonsensical for a civilization capable of manipulating a ship's internal gravity on a dime.

 

[Analyzer]

I'll dig up pictures of the miniature set built for ESB. There are all manner of conduits and braces. That thing's fixed in place in the ship.

I'd love to see those if you can find them. I had such a hard time finding any reference pics for the interior of Slave-1 and anything like that would be appreciated. I've still got my Fine Molds 1/72 that I want to try building an interior for

 

[Hunk a Junk]

That would be my guess too. From a functional standpoint, I don't think you'd want to land laying on your back.

Artificial gravity deck plates in SW also work while ships are parked in gravity environments, like planets. Hence Finn jumping into and sitting in the Falcon's lower gunport while staring directly at the ground through the window.

Young Boba plops down into the seat while Slave I is parked on its back, so the same thing applies. Though his peaking out the window to watch Obi fighting Jango involves some cheating.

Bottom line, there's no reason for Slave I's cockpit to rotate since it wouldn't help the pilot land visually anyway.

 

[Analyzer]

I'm sold as far as hand wavium tech in the movies go

For my own though personal canon, I'll stick with the rotating thing

 

[edge10]

Don't try to apply logic to Star Wars.

Just.

Don't.

Down that path lies madness and shattered childhood dreams. You must unlearn what you have learned.

Quote the sage: If you are wondering how he eats and breathes, and other science facts. Just repeat to yourself "It just a show, I should really just relax".

 

[Dmitriy311]

it may have happened before

バンダイ1/144 ミレニアム・ファルコン（スター・ウォーズ／スカイウォーカーの夜明け）　レビュー

 

[edge10]

Just when I thought they had given up on their Star Wars site:

404 NOT FOUND｜バンダイホビーサイト

 

[TazMan2000]

Just when I thought they had given up on their Star Wars site:

404 NOT FOUND｜バンダイホビーサイト

I wonder why the layout of the site changes when you select a different language. I miss the "schedule".

TazMan2000

 

[SawbonesAdmiral]

Just when I thought they had given up on their Star Wars site:

404 NOT FOUND｜バンダイホビーサイト

Huh, didn't notice the new silver ring in BB-8.