You could be right there. I've been thinking about this, and it seems to me that the only difference between the cave build and the ISYHCANLS Build is the T-Track. Is it possible that the LED plate was added specifically for the cave, which left the front/top edge uneven? So they added the T-Track before the L-Angle simply so that the card had a nice smooth channel to slide along?... This brings me to think that ISYHCANLS didn't have the LEDs. Just the black switch block. I'd love to know for sure! Thanks for the reply.That’s the assumption that we’ve been building on. I almost wonder, if when Mark Hamill mashed the control box top he bent it down like that
You could be right there. I've been thinking about this, and it seems to me that the only difference between the cave build and the ISYHCANLS Build is the T-Track. Is it possible that the LED plate was added specifically for the cave, which left the front/top edge uneven? So they added the T-Track before the L-Angle simply so that the card had a nice smooth channel to slide along?... This brings me to think that ISYHCANLS didn't have the LEDs. Just the black switch block. I'd love to know for sure! Thanks for the reply.
I think my lever is a little large![]()
It's either very thin, or not there at all. I'm thinking the latter. If I knew the plate and the TTrack were being used, I'd just mill straight out the front. It's just dawned on me though looking at this image. They HAD to use the TTrack regardless! There isn't enough length in the corner section to go over the card and attach to the box securely (allowing the card to move) It'd only leave the tiniest amount of overhang. Whereas the TTrack can go right up in to the corner.I almost wanna say that by being able to see the green LED the way we can in this shot, that the box wall was indeed cut away (at least partially) and that the plate is all the grey rails have to rest on.
View attachment 1042308
Look where the wall of the box curves around that front left corner, and then dies just after the corner is turned and just before we can see the green LED.
Could be that the grey rail is just in the way, it's really hard to tell for sure.
So they added the T-Track before the L-Angle simply so that the card had a nice smooth channel to slide along?..
There's significantly less though. The addition of the TTrack has the advantage of attaching to the full internal wall, rather than just the left over overhang, after the card. I'm not sure it was a consideration, but brass doesn't play nicely with aluminium either. I'm leaning towards plastic TTrack to avoid contact between the two. I've got a suspicion that that may have been the original material anyway? I'd love to make an idealised ISYHCANL with LED plates, but matching the look of the Shuttle pad scene. I'm sure they would have matched it if they could. I think the TTrack was a compromise for whatever reason.In all the ISYHCANL shots I've seen the box, esp the top, always looks neater. In particular I struggle to see any T-Track at all. I presume this has been previously noted ?
Thinking out loud, if there were just the L-angle the card would still be able to slide so the T-track was added to increase the hight? or just make it work smoothly? It looks like there is enough depth on the L-angle to me to attach securely in the ISYHCANL shot. Just thinking.
I'm lucky enough to have sourced some angled brass with a nice crisp edge. It's 4mm though, which I think is a bit too wide. I'll have to get a file on it I think.They used a lot of super glue back then, as it was new.
I had to use square brass tube, and cut it into the right angle, because the right angle brass has a curved corner.
Apologies if I'm going over old ground. I'm a newbie here and this is my first proper scratch build. I've built plenty of model kits over the years and frequented the RPF. This project has become a bit of an obsession though, so I decided to finally join up. Digging in to the fine details/history now and it's great to have an outlet other than my wife (who will literally divorce me if she hears any more about it!).All of this has pretty much been covered, here.
The grey rails are ABS, probably Plastruct.
I've bought tons of different sized tees, I beams, H beams, channel, brass angle, brass rectangular and square tubing. I've even bent copper sheet to make copper angle, since it's ridiculously difficult to find any premade.
Mouse, correct, there's no grey rails in the ISYHCANL scene.
EDIT: I just realized this isn't the same thread where I posted all my progress with the rails. I'll have to hunt that thread down and link to my posts there. Sorry about that. Gimme a few.
Hopefully this link will take you to where I began researching/experimenting with all things "control box", but mostly focused on the rails.
Could really do with a few sub categories under "starwars costumes and props" considering the number of threads/projects.