Cleaning the Falcon

Last week I mentioned rediscovering my old Millennium Falcon playset at my Dad's house. This weekend, I started the task of cleaning it up and taking inventory of what is missing or needs replacing. I started Friday night by taking the entire thing apart.

There was a lot of dirt and mildew on the inside of the Falcon. Amazingly, the cardboard interior wall of the toy was untouched. Just to be safe, I scanned it in in case I needed to replace it. I also took care to keep all the relevant screws together with the components they attached.

Since the dirt and mildew were my first concern, I hand-washed the plastic parts with warm soapy water and let them air-dry. After that, I went about the task of removing the stickers using nail polish remover. Most nail polish removers contain acetone, a chemical used for removing paint and glue. (Helpful hint: If you ever get super glue on your skin, just apply some nail polish remover and you'll be unstuck in no time.) Nail polish remover is also cheaper than store bough acetone, so it's a good alternative to the product sold in paint and hobby stores. After removing the stickers, I rewashed the parts to get the remaining acetone off as I will be applying new stickers in the future.

Once I had the parts cleaned, I reassembled the Falcon so I wouldn't lose any pieces. Unfortunately, it seems the nail polish remover may have damaged the console in the cockpit, as shown by it having a cloudy appearance. I tried to get as much of that cleaned off, but I may need to put a coat of paint on that part before applying new stickers. Overall, it was a productive weekend. Now I have some parts to shop for.