Jabba The Hutt Diorama (The Viewing Frame WIP)

That's the Sideshow 2.0 version (I'm thinking of adding his serving tray and drinks -- even though it wasn't part of his look until the Barge scene, I think it would still look kind of cool). Still waiting on my Sideshow Luke Skywalker so I can add him with his hooded robe. Still waiting to see Sideshow put up the Guard disguise Lando, it'll be interesting to see how badly they manage Billy Dee's features, or if they'll make it so the helmet can't be removed... If HT does a Bespin Lando, I'll skip the Sideshow version.

Stryker2011 wrote:That's the Sideshow 2.0 version (I'm thinking of adding his serving tray and drinks -- even though it wasn't part of his look until the Barge scene, I think it would still look kind of cool). Still waiting on my Sideshow Luke Skywalker so I can add him with his hooded robe. Still waiting to see Sideshow put up the Guard disguise Lando, it'll be interesting to see how badly they manage Billy Dee's features, or if they'll make it so the helmet can't be removed... If HT does a Bespin Lando, I'll skip the Sideshow version.

Good to know! I still don't have an R2 in 1/6 form as most of the ones I've found are quite pricey. I was thinking of just getting an old Kenner one, but wasn't sure how to-scale it actually was. I think adding the trays would look great, though it looks awesome as it is right now, as well. : )

The Sideshow RotJ Luke looks really nice from the pics I've seen!  I already had the 40th anniversary Hot Toys one by the time they announced it though, so I couldn't justify it. :/ I also recently noticed a deluxe version of the HT RotJ Luke, which looks really awesome, but again.... I can't justify getting the whole boxed set, as I already have an RotJ Luke. I really like some of the extra headsculpts in it though, and once it is out I will be scouring ebay for any loose ones if they should ever come up. :3

And that sounds like a good plan re: Lando. You can always kitbash the guard version if need be.

Ubahn chone aleepa !
What a great set!
Does Jabba really have a tail scar in the movie? I constantly miss stuff like that. What a great detail.
I love everything about this.
I'd love to see more pics as they become available.

Thanks, Pontiacivan. You know, I honestly don't know about the scar, but it is a really cool touch. It's like an open wound on the piece -- kind of gouged out and angry looking. However, I believe it must be accurate to the character, as the wax figure of him at Madame Tussaud's has the same detail.

This is looking awesome mate. It's coming together so well. I think Leia's pose looks better in these picks, more balanced somehow.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Paul

Thanks, Brother. Coming from one of our resident Star Wars experts, that means a lot.

I think your new arrangement turned out great. The new Leia pose looks a bit more natural (as a sustained pose, anyway), and the extra characters, including the Jawas, add more depth and dynamism to the scene.

Thanks, Guv. It’s good to hear from the other SW expert. Appreciate it. I think she needs a bit more futzing, but it’s close.

Oh, look. I found a screen cap of Jabba's tail. He does have a cut on it:

Started working on some floor plans for my display. Using photos, measurements from the new Jabba, and floor plans that I found online, I started trying to make measurements as close as possible to the real thing. Not easy -- and I suck at math. Then I realized, I wasn't going to be able to display the entire throne room, anyway, so I made some adjustments based on space limitations, and trying to keep the focus more on Jabba and the Han in Carbonite display. I want to leave enough floor space so I can at least make a partial mock-up of the grate, the trap door, and leave room for any additional characters I might be able to scrounge. I'll probably end up putting figures in their that aren't supposed to be there -- like Mythos Obi Wan, and even my Dejah Thoris. I'm even thinking of picking up a few of the Hasbro 12" figures -- since it's not looking promising for Sideshow to revisit characters like Greedo, Hammerhead, the Gamorrean Guards, or even give us the Max Rebo band they teased all those years ago that never got made.

It all sounds so amazing.... and having cameos of figures that aren't neccessarily canon compliant is a really fun idea and a great way to personalize it. Love it!

I too am terrible at math, so such an undertaking seems very daunting, but no doubt worth it!

Looks like a good start. If you have a way of placing the whole thing in a corner, you could abbreviate the depth of the space (sideways) and put your Han in Carbonite environment at a right angle to the throne slab and stairs/platform.

GubernatorFan wrote:Looks like a good start. If you have a way of placing the whole thing in a corner, you could abbreviate the depth of the space (sideways) and put your Han in Carbonite environment at a right angle to the throne slab and stairs/platform.

I thought of that, but the entire thing is going to be inside a wood box (more or less), with a plexiglass front for viewing; I was kind of afraid, that it'd get lost if it was facing sideways, even after strategically placed lighting...

Is there a a way you can have part of the side of the box as glass as well?

skywalkersaga wrote:Is there a a way  you can have part of the side of the box as glass as well?

Not really. There’s going to be another, equally long, cabinet on top of this one. I’m going to need to reinforce the structures as it is to support the weight. Making things tall and lean is relatively easy, but elongated and stacked requires a different approach to keep the wood from warping, and sound side walls is important.

Can you have two (front and top) or three (front, top, and one side) sides of the box in transparent plexiglass or something?

GubernatorFan wrote:Can you have two (front and top) or three (front, top, and one side) sides of the box in transparent plexiglass or something?

If I wasn’t planning on lights, I could possibly get away with it, but I need the ceiling, sides, and back wall enclosed to hide the lighting scheme I’m trying to work out.

Plus, I’m planning to build another case to go on top of this one for either a Lord of the Rings display, or the remainder of my Star Wars figures — I need a considerable amount of support; Jabba and that new throne weigh roughly 35 pounds by themselves. The table I’m planning to build is Farmhouse/workbench style to support the size and length of two long cabinets 2’ tall, and 6 1/2 feet long. With the cost of this stuff, I’m not taking any chances.

Thanks for clarifying. I think I had sort of misunderstood the design of the set-up you were planning, and hadn't realized it was going to have a ceiling or anything above it. I'd pictured a table with the diorama on top of it...sort of like how you see a raised/relief map of a city on platform in the middle of a historical area.

That’s what my wife thought I was going to do, too. But I have too much issue with dust, so I decided on enclosing it. Then I thought, “Why not add strategically placed lights?” Then I thought, “Why not try to replicate different colors in the lighting scheme?” Then I thought, “How about different levels of brightness to emulate the different levels in the movies?” The only problem with that — I don’t really know a thing about lighting except plugging in a lamp and flipping a switch.... Oh, I’ve done basic electrical things, like changing an outlet, but nothing on a grand plan.

Could you not still do the table thing, but instead just cover the whole thing with glass? like it's in a museum? then you could still light it, but maybe from above, like have lights strategically shining down from the ceiling, or somewhere else angled toward it?

Idk....I, too, know nothing about this stuff, so perhaps what I'm suggesting is not logistically possible, but j just a thought. : )

Plexiglass and real glass (particularly that glass that breaks into tiny beads as opposed to the dangerous “shards of death”) is crazy expensive, particularly when cut to custom specs. The one sheet of acrylic I was going to get from the hardware store just to cover the front was over $113.00, and that’s cheap compared to some places I’ve seen where they want a few hundred bucks per sheet (double that to make the second cabinet). I have a lot of wood in my workshop, so that doesn’t cost me anything (not anymore anyway).

Ah, totally understandable!

Well, I played around with the blueprints some more. I was actually looking into the idea of turning the Han/Carbonite display sideways, as suggested. Then I found a good deal on the Max Rebo Band 1/6 statue by Gentle Giant. (Even though that was probably the silliest element of the entire Jabba sequence, it somehow felt wrong not having the band). Adding them put the entire plan to spin Han sideways out the window, as it would have made the depth of the piece 15" bigger than I wanted. As it is, I ended up going over on length 3.5" more than I would have liked -- even though I have the space to do it. And I sort of worked out where most of the lights would go -- kind of hard to read but I placed them roughly where I think they should go based on still photos from the movie.



Now I need to start working on 3-dimensional drawings to get the arch placements figured out, alcoves for the lights to be hidden in, etc.

I'm sure you'll make it work whatever you decide on. I haven't done more with this than get that Power of the Force cardboard palace environment. Hasbro is making a Han-in-Carbonite chamber environment. The Khetanna (Jabba's sail barge) for 3.75" figures is now available for preorder on Big Bad Toy Store (and presumably elsewhere), but for $1200. I am not sure I could justify the cost or the space, though it does look pretty good and could easily be made even better.