Jabba The Hutt Diorama (The Viewing Frame WIP)

skywalkersaga wrote:OMG, those giant Jabba eyes are so freaking awesome!!

They were radio controlled too so that his eyes moved.

Mike Edmonds who I met last year was inside Jabba operating his tail.  He was also Longray the Ewok in ROTJ.

Paul

Very cool. Thanks for those. That first concept art of Jabba (upper left) reminds me of Mr. Toad in Flushed Away (try getting that reference out of your head). Like the Leia pose — I tried that one with the Jiaou Doll Leia bash, but I just couldn’t get it to look “natural”, so I ended up using the Madame Tussaud’s pose instead:

https://metro.co.uk/2015/04/13/star-wars-fans-can-now-meet-jabba-the-hutt-and-princess-leia-kinda-5147731/

Too bad all that’s left of Jabba is the eyes, but it’s understandable, I guess.

a suggestion for staining, shading or weathering is the good old british tea bag, after you have let it cool from the pot or cup.

Thanks for the tip, Delanie. I'm definitely going to have to do some experimenting before I tackle the actual piece.

Stryker2011 wrote:Very cool. Thanks for those. That first concept art of Jabba (upper left) reminds me of Mr. Toad in Flushed Away (try getting that reference out of your head). Like the Leia pose — I tried that one with the Jiaou Doll Leia bash, but I just couldn’t get it to look “natural”, so I ended up using the Madame Tussaud’s pose instead:

https://metro.co.uk/2015/04/13/star-wars-fans-can-now-meet-jabba-the-hutt-and-princess-leia-kinda-5147731/

Too bad all that’s left of Jabba is the eyes, but it’s understandable, I guess.

I think he was built in situ which would cause problems moving him after filming possibly, but also made from lots of foam latex which over time deteriorates very badly, especially the stuff from the eighties.

I thought you might find these pics interesting if nothing else, and seeing the process of a character developing is always interesting I find.

Paul

Well, after about a week of effort, and error, I finally finished 2/3 of the back wall of the dio. It was a bit of a nightmare, as structurally it wasn't very sound, and it actually fell apart on me at one point -- and I had to start over. I tried to keep it thin, but added structural supports to the back of it to keep it more stable. Luckily, my second attempt worked out.

The back wall from the front, it goes all the way behind the band area at this point.



And this is how the back looks -- kind of ugly, but, as I said, it works. And the largest portion of it is completely removable for easy access.





And the only thing holding this entire section in place is pegs like on the outer wall and this simple little wood lever.

Geepers! This is seriously amazing, I say that every time I see updates, but each update blows my mind! And I'm taking notes as I want to make Serenity as well

A Serenity diorama would be so cool. What section are you planning to do? The bridge, cargo hold, infirmary, crew’s quarters, the kitchen/dining area, the little sitting room, Inara’s shuttle? There are so many areas, so many possibilities. Can you imagine how freaking big all of that would be...?

This is looking really great. Everything but the final surface touches is basically complete.

It’s getting there. Still need to finish up the back wall, then I can start the diorama ceiling. Once that’s done, it’s time to build the cabinet, then the table. I’m hoping to get most of it done this month, as I need to get back to work — whether my shoulder is fully recovered or not — and that means very little time for building. Plus the wife is getting crabby about not being able to park in the garage.

I was going to mention that you were very smart to make the back wall openable, not only to help you pose figures, but also so that you can insert the printed background when it's ready. I saw that blackpool downloaded the image I sent him.

I’m excited to see what he’s done, that’s for sure. He’s progressed further than what he sent to you and I, and it sounds cool. Having the back open also helps with access to the lights. The ceiling is going to have at least one access panel, as well.

Been working on the ceiling. It's a large, two-part piece, held together using those same jewelry box clasps, but also pegs on the four outside corners. It's still a WIP, of course, and I still need to work out the shape and size of the holes for the overhead lights, but this gives you an idea of what I'm doing. The piece in the middle holding up the ceiling won't be there when the piece is finished -- I'm going to attach a small bracket to the front of the display case at that same spot that won't be seen.

I love the way it has come together as a 3D space. Even without the figures, background, or final wall treatment, and despite the shortened floor plan, it still succeeds in conveying exactly what you were going for. I'm always impressed.

Thanks, Guv. Glad it’s looking okay. It definitely is having a cave-like feel.

Just testing out some overhead lights.

Looks good as a test, of course this might best be postponed until you know exactly what figure would go where and how you like the light to fall on it. In principle, there ought to be some light behind Jabba himself, although you might want to test out how this will work with the background blackpool is working on. Since your diorama is understandably shallow at that end, that might be a bit tricky to achieve.

Another lighting test. The two spots to either side of the Carbonite display will get the grate treatment, I just wanted to make sure I made the cut-outs in the ceiling in the right spot -- and it looks pretty good to me. There's another spot angled over Han, but for some reason it's not really showing up as a spot, as much as just an overall light. Need to figure that one out better.

But you are right, Guv. Seeing how dark the Jabba alcove is at the moment, I have a feeling trying to figure out some sort of backlight source is going to be difficult. I'm wondering if I put the background image that Blackpool is working on on top of a frosted piece of plexiglass, and have the entire thing backlit, if that would sort of work. Here's where I really didn't think things thru completely.

I think a backlit solution is a remarkable idea -- it might just do the trick, and might be more practical than other options.

Hi stryker,

one thing has been bugging me for a while and you might have already covered it but where you have the carbomite display what are the irregular black marks/holes for?

Delanie wrote:Hi stryker,

one thing has been bugging me for a while and you might have already covered it but where you have the carbomite display what are the irregular black marks/holes for?

Eventually those crevices will have a screen material and colored gel (with a light behind them) to sort of replicate these -- which in other shots from the film -- had a green glow to them:



They will be similar to this one, but all green:

Looking Great Stryker 2011,

Lighting this will surely be a challenge, but looking good so far.

I wonder if a flat EL panel behind the backdrop might work.  I have used EL panels in a couple of Blasters that needed lights, but had limited space.
They are thin (about the thickness of cereal packet), they can be curved and cut to shape too, and produce light across their whole surface to give a very even light output.  They come in different colours as well, and can be run from batteries or mains via an adapter.  I wonder if one would be bright enough to light through the back scene if fitted behind it.

Here is a link to the sort of thing I mean:  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EL-Panel-White-10x10cm/142502959246?hash=item212dd6988e&enc=AQADAAACwFjVrDbVsZ8oH%2F8PNHtt9VX4%2Fw7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduV16SzNlva6bOt2fisa7Z%2Bywu8aJ4SA0fK8nocDPzS9pozOXnS4VSA9coWX8OryuXvGyCYvNDHKYpZW%2BA2ZIfjbJxD1tjVJK3xCRNodYEexT12LNj6Hl5a8KGDBdyLeD5go9%2BFNZPYYbqduYj25SbClK5J73m%2BEItH%2F7tZFdSzk7yUnqjgPgdDnToLlzMqaVTRA4Sr4SZMWb2CQ3poq0dZCdnfWb2iW9JBzLg2t%2FzWUQTI8iwTqQF2S5eiommutqHg15m3SYE8zQ0WZhC%2F8gOHrkF5Dbr29X6yt0tgmICLryiP4xFtDI1E8%2FRehQ0fO%2FYhVuSzPkfbzPpkPoGvsGZjnDHL9ibx8Fd%2B9lzluLzll3OnAZRcaDr5vTfnMyYptHhcw%2FWL8NGt19vn6Hu5LyqMN%2F4%2BkE9t%2FyDcFubA1XxaA0pC2X5ibqE7CwGDJhXmtIHtQg1EB3mC%2FSDrjcZKkNh52cCoI%2Fi51xvPvf3zVmMnu8TmFmhIWfiiB4qBMRHFOe2Ue7p8LNMZRFstPC5cxGrsO5oKwdJ0uY2cieMcLqALzHil2zOaPPIbugnm3CnfQCTtHTi96J0oHLpufy6W7gLKUgn4eZ4I5Io3dvZdPsQJx6YFsNTjUQT%2FJYkcQ9NLGca8RVVGvIBeUsz2Ar2D8jWblFLpk%2FLIl%2Fafbp0%2BaPbSBVGkn%2BY71twyrifnVqOdCMltPa6ky2aDPXLC8NN3Dj6b5HATLevFQySjGT5ej4o1WwsLd1DT1LQQOLW7TG%2BLDleblbcycFZU6n9I7v0H6Ie1tX0iXd%2BhA%2FRHuUfqo2E3JXer8FEDVy%2BZwM4twM7ZaId0lT6%2BYDmAs1wNwge79UYxcobRFNKzmdi%2FYjV69WxupQsl%2FUcguXh7gIVOtQ2sCKNv&checksum=14250295924673b5423d84c545828ec10e2ad1046f52

Just a thought on a possible solution, and I'm thinking out loud here really but it might help.

Paul

That’s a great idea, scalawag. Thanks for the suggestion and link; I’ve never seen anything like that before.

Stryker2011 wrote:That’s a great idea, scalawag. Thanks for the suggestion and link; I’ve never seen anything like that before.

I'm glad it was helpful mate.  Like I said I have used them a couple of times where space was restricted, and a mate of mine has used one on a star wars costume as a sort of electronic screen/computer thing attached to his arm armour.  
I am thinking of trying to use one to replicate the glowing credential cards officer K has in his wallet in Blade Runner 2049 in my own officer K wallet. The problem I have to solve for this is hiding the battery/inverter somewhere, but for you those could all be tucked away behind the scenes somewhere.

They seem to be incredibly durable and provide a great even light output across the panel as well as seeming to be quite efficient.

Paul

That wallet idea sounds pretty interesting. I’ll have to find a power supply for the EL pad (or two depending on the size); I want to have everything powered off one surge protector for a 1 switch on/off.

Great idea, Paul. Like Stryker I hadn't even heard of these particular lighting solutions, but they seem to have a lot of potential for all sorts of things. Stryker, I get the feeling you will need one looooong surge protector

GubernatorFan wrote:Great idea, Paul. Like Stryker I hadn't even heard of these particular lighting solutions, but they seem to have a lot of potential for all sorts of things. Stryker, I get the feeling you will need one looooong surge protector

Well, so far, all the lights are only using two power supplies — one for the overhead — which can handle up to 10 lights — and one for all the crevice/crack lights with the use of a distribution panel. The EL would make it three, maybe 4 depending on what’s required.

Another light test with one of the grates done. I'm not entirely happy with the results, mainly because, in order to get the look I want, the light has to be about 10" inches from the grate/hole, and about 8" above the diorama ceiling -- meaning there's going to be an awful lot of dead space above this thing that has to be covered up. I tried using a 500 lumen tactical flashlight, and that can be a lot closer, but I don't know enough about wiring to even be able to attempt adding AC wires to a flashlight instead of going through the batteries. It's hard to capture the lights the way they look in person using my cellphone, but this is pretty close -- though the grid pattern is a little clearer through normal vision.

I see where you're going with that. Would using those EL pads Paul recommended help?