Death Star 2 Port Attack Diorama

Thanks.  Work projects have had me swamped (still), but finally getting some action in...

Got the top mounting holes permanently fixed into the inner surface panel and the white gridwork that appears under the surface is completed. Also finally lit the inner "laboratory" bay. Still deciding between green or blue filter under the light... comparison shot included. Have seen both lighting wash schemes used. I can switch them, so no biggie.

Started laying out the surface. Looks like they used standard ceiling light diffuser egg crate grid (or similar 1/2") on the original. Since mine is in smaller scale, I've been looking for smaller gridwork. Interesting that a 1/2" egg carton grid panel I had bought when I started is now "smaller" than the 1/2" grid panels you can buy now. Gotta love "standards". Both are too big of a grid anyways.

Have been playing around with 3/8" paint bucket strainer grids I found. They seem like they will work... might have to double them up for more prounounced thickness. At least they have the squared crossbars (not rounded). Will mock up a prototype structure in the next couple of weeks... off we go on the fun part... finally! 

Looking great, Kevin! I can't wait to see this with the steel structures around it in red. This will truly be one of the all time great builds! I would love to see this in a museum. 

                                                                           ~ Cobra Chris

WOW! That's wicked cool..

Yeah, I know... it's been two months.   I got put on the lead of a massive work project when I got back from Labor Day.  That, and we had to clean up from three recent days of 60+ mph winds.  Also always take a break between phases to work on other stuff (note the side project freshly basecoated in the background).

But, Phase 3 has begun... finally!

I decided to do the entire port, after all... will make pictures easier and more robust.  Now you see why the top surface will be removable... 40" by 48".

More soon... I promise...

Inspiring.

Oh boy this just gets better and better.

Oh, now, "This is where the fun begins..." haha. This project is great man! 

An awesome display for micro machines ships 

Simply amazing.

Decided to finish up all of the smaller details of the tunnel.  Wrapped up the front section of the rack and the sanding, painting, and mounting of the final light tube...  p.s. the only light used is from the tunnel lights.

Off on a trip the next week... but will be working on the design of the top port and surface.  "This is where the fun begins..."

Oh yeah, do the whole port!  This is an impressive project in every way, so go big!

If it were me, I'd build them out of styrene rod.  Evergreen has a great selection of shapes and diameters, and it's waayyy easier than using wood glue and clamps.  Since it's mostly an open latice-type structure, I would avoid resin.  It'd be brittle, and you'd spend too much time cleaning up flash on each part with the risk of breakage.

Either way you go, I'm sure it will look great!

Chris

Thanks!  At least it feels like progress, finally... 

Now for the fun part...

Top surface layout... still deciding on building out the whole port, or the 3/4 sliced-off front like it is now.  Leaning toward doing the whole port, as long as I've come this far.  Now to cast the set of frames in resin or scratch them all from wood, like the originals (or so I understand)...

Amazing work!  It inspires me to try an ambitious but cool project I have been scheming for a while now.  Keep it up!

Chris

!! !!

Wow, man. Awesome stuff you've got going on here.

Finally got some good painting weather for the longer pieces.  Found some 1/4i square channel in my stock and figured out how to make the inner structure connections all pretty and square.  Also used real wood cross-pieces, just like a lot of parts on the original.

Got all but the lower left light tube done.  Ran out of small tubing, but got most of the right side and front tubes on.  Will wrap up the last light tube and couple of missing smaller tubes this week, and then time to (finally) buy some more MDF for the top and start the port.   

And all the light tube bulbs can actually be changed if they burn out (which took most of the time on this phase)...

Working my way around the right tunnel and starting to mock/line up the front:

Hope to be painting/glueing up all the structural right and front parts by this weekend... then onto the design of the top port (finally!).

Got the final light tube roughed out for the main tunnel (whew!).  Added another little cheap trick to cut the oblong holes...  used my grinder to cut a hunk off a cheap metal tool hanger shelf and used to rough out the oblongs.

The tunnel shots are with all tunnel and backlights turned on -- NO other lights on in the room.  Lights the whole tunnel up nicely.  I held a cheap piece of blue cellophone in front of the camera lense and really like the "eerie blue" effect, like they did in shots in the movie.

Just need to sand and clean up the rest of the oblongs, paint all of the light tubes and run final wiring, finish the tunnel grid structure and static tubes, and on to the top of the port.

First time seeing this, wow.  Very talented.  Will watch this one for up-dates.

This is the kind of stuff that gets me fired up (when it works).     I came up with a cheap sanding trick to make the oblong holes even out and have matching ends... I clamped the metal hole guide to the pipe and used it as a straight-edge to slide/sand the holes even in both directions.  It gives uniform straight height, too.  The dowel sander is from a cheap foam brush that was just the right size.
 
Got to paint/mount the back light tube and onto the last one in the front left of the tunnel.  Progress - haven't made this much in a while!

Thanks.

Got the first light tube painted up and started on the first long light tube. Still need to route out between several of the upper holes and file/widen the rest to standard width, but coming along. These were just rough cuts to trial it.

Hope to finish up the first long light tube this week, and then start on the final long tunnel light, and then FINALLY on to the top/surface port in June or July.

Wow. That's just unbelievable. Awsome job do far. Can't wait to see it all.

It has all been said already! 

this honestly needs to go to a major convention like CelebrationV in Orlando...full size props show up to those and there is no reason that small scale dios should not either....they do it with Legos!

Two months... and little progress...   Took a month to rebuild the computer.  Gone all next week (again), but will be at WF (woo!).  Finally working the other light tubes.

Designed up the back right light (first long tube).

Very nice!

There are no words to descibe how great that is

WOW, that is a fabulous idea. Looks very very good. Keep up the work. Should be stunning when your done.

Thanks for the kind words all.  It is up to seven layers to make "depth" and allow light to filter through.  When the camera flys through quickly they didn't need as good of detail in the innards.  I just get it close to what they have in general layout and then detail out each section.  On to the second light tube.  This one is a full length one with all oblong light holes, so we'll see how this one goes.

That has got to me the most interesting origin for a display/diorama that I've seen yet!  Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Subscribing to this one! Very cool idea, and it's cool that it's not just staying on paper.

Josh

wow, detail is staggering. almost as bad as doing a borg cube. It'll make for some great photos of the ships screaming out of it (maybe add some digital fireball behind them).