The Imperial Shipyards
Imperial Creative Engineering => Dioramas => Topic started by: JDeck on October 29, 2014, 06:45:00 AM
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This is a ww2 inspired version of the battle of Endor. The walker is an AMT AT-ST with some ww2 parts and decals. The bunker is modeled after a German blockhouse type bunker. The figures are star wars miniatures that I customized with 1/48 parts. The ground work is mainly sculpting plaster. The Forrest litter I made myself by just grinding up pine needles and leaves. The trees are woodland scenic 7" conifer. The bushes came from a company that takes real plants and preserves them in something but they look really cool. Also the little ferns I made from reptile moss.
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LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!
few people have spliced SW with WW2. i always love how it looks
great job.
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If you like this diorama go to starwars/ww2 mash/ups in the custom vehicle section.
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Excellent work, you made the walker and troops fit right into the WW2 theme.
Ron
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I really enjoyed building that bunker. I used bluefoam and drywall spackel. Then I took my knife and chipped little bullet holes and different layers I had made with the spackel. I even added some exposed rebar in the larger holes. I used woodland scenic concrete paint and weathered it with oil paint.
I wasn't able to get a good shot of the figures so Ill take them off and show you. Like I said I used the star wars minifigures which comes out to 1/48 and sliced their helmets and guns replaced them with German equipment.
The walker comes out to 1/48-1/50 but I found if I scaled up the weapons to 1/35 they look a lot better. The veiwports were from a 1/35 kfz.222 German armored car and they fit almost perfectly. The main cannon was from a 37mm AT gun and I used part of the shield around the barrel to make it look like it belonged there. If I didn't the hole was way too big for the barrel.it was overall a fun project.
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Really enjoying this diorama. Had to get it on our front and Facebook Pages.
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So I started the ground work my sandy diorama. I decided to put my sandtrooper diorama project in this section because it makes sense. I appreciate all your kind words but I deleted my custom figure feed to make things easier.
This is sort of a test run to see how it will look. I still need to add some bushes and make some deviations in the sand color but that's about it. I've sort of fallen out of love with it over time. You know how things look cool in your mind's eye but in reality it doesn't turn out quite right. I've been working 60hr weeks since I started and I wanted to do things different. So I'll get it out the way and do better on the next dio.
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While I'm waiting for paint to dry I would like to tell you about an upcoming project. My Imperial Marine Heavy Blaster squad. I feel that every Imperial Marine platoon ought to have at least one heavy blaster squad. I would like to depict them attacking a group of resistance fighters on either Corellia or the Naboo courtyard.
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I like the idea of a Heavy Blaster squad and look forward to seeing more.
Ron
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I'm so used to working in 1:35-1:48 scale I'm finding my layouts to be complex and busy for 1:18 plus they're huge in comparison. But if I can do the blaster squad layout right it'll come out cool. I really think it would be cool to have a war ravaged version of the Naboo courtyard.
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Very cool, this is going to make for an awesome scene!
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Been piddling round with my civil war ravaged Naboo courtyard. Built the street section the tile streets reminded me of cobblestone which gave me some inspiration. Took some bluefoam and covered it in Spackle added the grenade holes, tile lines, and painted it. I'll build the wall soon enough.
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Great work yet again mate.
Ron
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Looks good on the front page.
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Been working on my Imperial era war ravaged Naboo courtyard wall. Inspired by southern French architecture I made it the same way as my street Bluefoam and Spackle. I still need to wait for my Ocher watercolor paint to come in but I painted it a concrete color as a primer undercoat. I'm also putting on some burnt vines and all that and some rebellion graffiti.
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Looking great. This is gonna be fantastic when finished. Off to share.
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Thanks Tamer for the feedback and encouragement. I have my own interpretation of the Imperial era battle of Naboo I might build more dioramas and vehicles depicting those events.
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Worked on my wall a little more. Painted it a yellow ocher it might be a little too dark but Ohh well. Added the soot to the blast holes. Put on the vines and added some brown to give it a burned look. Then I hand painted the rebel graffiti, the rebel symbol and the lettering that spells "REBEL".
I know I got carried away with the yellow I'm really thinking of rebuilding the entire thing it was virtually free I have plenty of building supplies. I'm not happy with the color or the archway and a few other things that stick out to me, but its cool it would only take me 2 days or so.
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This is a character for another dio I'm thinking about. He's Col Serra from one of my favorite games "Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron". I'm building a squad and a dio based on the game
I added some washes to my wall looks a little better.
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Very Nice. Keep up the Good Work !! ;D
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Glad you toned down the yellow on that wall. Off to share again.
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Thanks. I don't know what happened with that yellow it looked good wet then it dried bright and chalky. I hate yellow anyway so it was a big shock to my system. I wanted to rebuild anyway now I know what not to do. I'd like to make it an inch or two wider and make the archway different. I have all the materials in plenty so I'll tool around with it the next couple days see which is better.
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Built a couple other characters. Chewbacca is just a simple repaint of the Hoth Chewbacca I liked that sculpt because he looks the most pissed of all of the chewy figures. The sullustan I named Leiven Nubb is a nein nunb head, legs and arms on a B-wing pilot. I built this as apposed to using a Ten Numb because his skull cap and he is short and I feel sullustans are short people. Like I said I'm building renegade squadron in the future I'll build a Mon Calamari X-wing pilot and different commandos.
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Great work.
Ron
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I would love to front page this latest update, but the picture here is a bit to blurry. any chance we can get a new pic. Looks pretty good from what I can see.
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I would love to front page this latest update, but the picture here is a bit to blurry. any chance we can get a new pic. Looks pretty good from what I can see.
I'll be at work for the next few hours but this afternoon I'll re-shoot it I must have had a smudge on the lenses.
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Nice work! I can't wait to see more...
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Thanks Todd got a bunch of potj figures coming in not the most articulated but they have good detail for a great price. They're great for background characters. Also have some newer black series bodies I'll sacrifice for the cause. According to the pics Renegade squadron had some women pilots too so I'll build a couple of them. Soon enough I'll start on the actual diorama just need to figure some things out first.
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Tonight's Friday night figure of the week is...Mon calamari X-Wing pilot. A.K.A. Anto Akraf. As a citizen on Mon Calamari he saw the struggle of his people in the hands of the Empire. He decided to take action and fight back. During a routine Imperial exercise he mounted his father's old Republic era fighter and shot down half the convoy. He instantly became a fugitive and eventually joined the Renegade Squadron.
This Mon Calamari X-wing pilot was made from a POTJ Mon cal officer head the sculpt is great as well as his paint apps that is slightly different from Akbar. His body is a BS Dak Ralter I liked him because of his collar, it fits the Mon Cal's neck. I plan to customize the Mon Cal helmet to look more like the X-Wing helmet
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Great finished product on your diorama! Also loving these Rebels you are creating.
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Great finished product on your diorama! Also loving these Rebels you are creating.
Thanks Spry, next week ought to be a Rodian commando, but I'm not sure if I'll use a different base figure from what I have. The official dio for these guys is still pending but I'm leaning towards Ord Mantell cantina.
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Update on the front page. I really like your alien pilots.
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Great job ! Especially the mon cal pilot !
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Thank you Tamer and Mr Jedi, I'm pretty new to figure building but I can see I'm getting better. I agree the Mon Cal does stand out as my favorite. There are more rebels to come. I really want to figure out how to build a Bothan head. There is only one Bothan figure and I'm not fond of the sculpt at $20. I thought about taking a vinyl goat figurine head and sculpt around it make it more humanoid. We shall see.
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Tonight's Friday night figure is Rodian rebel.
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This Rodian looks good on the front page.
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Thanks again Tamer for the FP slot. Not much to say about the Rodian, just a simple head and hand swap. Just something different from a normal human commando. I did have to make his wrists/cuffs out of putty and paint his neck post. I like to keep my guys simple.
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that is one cool lookin Rodian ..looks more like a mercenary
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Thanks TS yeah he could be a mercenary. In my SW universe the Renegade Squadron is made up of scoundrels, smugglers, spice dealers, bounty hunters, anyone who has a problem with imperial authority. They don't share the ideology of the Rebel Alliance and distrust their authority if and when they gain control of the galaxy. But as for the moment they're a hell of a lot better than the Empire.
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My advice is if it ain't broke don't fix it. Sometimes I wonder why Hasbro doesn't have a fun day and between their SW, JOE, Marvel and other lines why they don't they just put parts together and see what turns out.
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Another great looking figure mate and the parts really work great together.
Ron
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My advice is if it ain't broke don't fix it. Sometimes I wonder why Hasbro doesn't have a fun day and between their SW, JOE, Marvel and other lines why they don't they just put parts together and see what turns out.
Totally agree Tamer. I want to know why Hasbro doesn't use its SL11 stormtrooper head on TBS stormtroopers. It looks a lot better. But I guess it makes guys like us buy both figures to make one figure that Hasbro should have made in the first place.
Another great looking figure mate and the parts really work great together.
Ron
Thanks Ron it takes a good eye to look a two or three figures and imagine them put together I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Next week I'm taking a break from my Rebels and building an Imperial dio with some custom Officers and Storm troops.
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Now that would make a good question to Hasbro we could ask during Toy Fair if you want to post it. I love the idea.
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JDeck, don't know how I missed the Rodian entry, but ironically I'm working on a similar figure right now. He looks great and is perfect edition to Col. Serra's Renegade Squad. BTW, what's the recipe for Serra's head?
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JDeck, don't know how I missed the Rodian entry, but ironically I'm working on a similar figure right now. He looks great and is perfect edition to Col. Serra's Renegade Squad. BTW, what's the recipe for Serra's head?
Thanks glad you like them. Col Serra was just bespin han body + episode II obiwan head. I colored the beard and the jacket and added an eyepatch with putty. I'd like to re-do the eyepatch but its alright for now.
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Brilliant - and thanks.
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Tonight's Friday Night Figure is.... Repulsorlift Captain, Derek Vateel. Captain Vateel is in command of a repulsorlift company consisting of 22 repulsorlift fighting vehicles, and 76 Stormtroopers. Vateel is revered by his men, they share a mutual respect for one another. His men would follow him in the depths of hell, as he leads from in front, instead of from behind.
This figure is an AT-ST driver with a snowtrooper chestplate. I like building these simple generic characters they are subtle but unlike anything Hasbro makes. They make cool support characters without stealing the show.
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I like it well done.
Ron
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Thanks Ron.
I plan on building a dio of an assault battalion outpost on Yavin IV. So I'm trying to make my officers and stormtroopers somewhat different from one another. Its a tricky task because they are supposed to all look the same. Also I'm coming up with a comprehensive ranking system using blue and red squares, it won't be exactly canon but it makes sense to the viewer. As I build more and you see them all together you'll see what I'm saying.
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You can read my comments about this one on the front pages.
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Thanks Tamer again for the FP spot. I built this stormtrooper I was talking about last week with the SL11 head on TBS body I think it looks a lot better. First pic is the factory TBS the bottom is with the SL11 head. I think the head would look even better on the 2005 SL25 body. Personally I think the SL25 is the best looking stormtrooper they made.
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Liking that Imperial Capt. Stormie looks good with both buckets.
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Thanks clonesnipe' its a good way to add subtle variety to the imperial officers. With the stormy I would like to have a squad with the SL11 head but it would be expensive someone on EBay had some resin castings of it but they sold out. If they could make more I'd appreciate it.
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Ask our very own Clonehead here in the Yards. He makes casts of just about every head and helmet there is.
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Tonight's Friday Night Figure is... Imperial Marine, NCO. He's not the most exciting figure but I think its cool. He's a TAC "clean" sandtrooper with an SL11 head. The cool thing is I added magnets so you can change backpacks remove the thermal detonator and his binoculars without the unsightly holes. I still need to clean up and paint his back but it will look good with or without the backpack. Also I'm developing his weapon based on the MP40 just need to make it "star wars-y". Notice the sandtrooper ammo pouches were reproduction WW2 German MP40 mag pouches so it makes sense to use a modified MP40. I plan on customizing different squad members this way wit different equipment and weapons.
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This is nice. I'm not usually one to comment on stormies but the SL11 head is so much better then most others makes it looks absolutely great. I gues its because the SL11 looks wider and gives it a fatter look to it and the head/eyes area is a bit more correct.
Most Stormie figures use the same size head as a non-masked figure which actually means they are smaller then the correct proportion, a bucket is supposed to be just slightly bigger ... anyways I'm just rambling.. awesome work!
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Thanks Rez. I 110% agree. The helmet is supposed to be big. The SL11 head looks more like the ANH/ESB helmet as opposed to the sleeker ROTJ bucket that the other figure helmets are trying to mimic. Personally I think the ESB helmet is the best, but I also think everything ESB is the best. So maybe I'm biased.
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greebled my NCO's blaster/mp40. Looks a little more "star wars-y"
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Really enjoyed the tank. That flashlight turret cover is just a great idea.
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Thanks Tamer. I pretty much had 3 options laminate styrene sheets,(which is very impractical) PVC pipe or flashlight. The flashlight head was cheaper and easier. But yeah I've got tonnes of ideas for scratch builds. I figured out the recipe for the imperial probe droid's pod. So I might build that sometime. I will attempt to recreate some ships like the Tantive IV and Rebel medium transport. Building figures was a nice change of pace, I never knew people did that until I joined the yards.
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The troopers look great and great work on the tank turret.
Ron
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I've been wanting to build some kind of NHL Washington Capitals star wars mashup for a couple years now. I figured I'd pull the trigger on a line of figures inspired by Capitals players, and the player's position determines the type of Starcraft they pilot. Center=A-wing, R/Lwings=X-wing, defenceman=B/Y-wing This figure is a Troy Brouwer X-wing pilot. I sort of painted his uniform/helmet in the style of the 2015 winter classic in which Brouwer scored an amazing game winning goal. In the next couple weeks I'll have a some waves with figures including Jon carlson, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, Tom Wilson, Joel Ward, Nicklas Backstrom, Egveny Kuznetzov and of course Alexander the gr8. I'm afraid by then they'll be knocked out the playoffs.
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I built a couple more first is Nicklas Backstrom. Center/A-wing pilot.
Second is Joel Ward. Right Wing/ X-wing pilot.
I still need to touchem up a little meybe add some paint here and there and on the helmets, but that's about it. Soon I'll have some more.
Had an ideer for a dio/display briefing room or hangar with a white floor and those glass tactical screens like on Hoth and Yavin with circles and lines on it similar to a hockey strategy board. To make a Hockey arena sorta look.
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Cool stuff! I have a set of x-wing pilots in 49ers colors. Look em up on my custom figures pages.
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Cool stuff! I have a set of x-wing pilots in 49ers colors. Look em up on my custom figures pages.
Yeah I saw them a few months ago they were awesome, they sort of inspired me to build these guys. I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to build custom NHL vehicles or pilots but I think the pilots are the best medium.
I ordered some Capitals nail decals to put on the helmets and such I thin it'll be a nice touch if they're not too big.
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Evgeny Kuznetsov center/A-wing pilot. Once I get my decals in it'll make a world of difference. But I think this anakin head looks just like him. Only thing is his fro doesn't allow his helmet to fit but, hell with it.
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What a great concept! This is a fun series of figures and they are turning out well. It will be interesting to see how far the Capitals go this year. Keep those customs coming.
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Interesting, I don't follow hockey much but some of the parts you are picking are dead ringers.
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Nicely done mate.
Ron
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What a great concept! This is a fun series of figures and they are turning out well. It will be interesting to see how far the Capitals go this year. Keep those customs coming.
Thankyou starchaser. I don't think the Caps are cup quality this year but if they tweek some things and develop their players more thell do well next year.
Interesting, I don't follow hockey much but some of the parts you are picking are dead ringers.
Thanks Tamer I was excited how the headsculpts fit so well with the actual player. I hope you fell better being sick sucks.Nicely done mate.
Ron
Thank you Ron.
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I added some Capitals decals to my backstrom and Kuzy A-wing pilots I think its the finishing touch they needed.
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Hockey Pilots to the front page.
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Great idea. Good work!
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Hockey Pilots to the front page.
Lol. Thank you Tamer. They're sort of a limited niche market, novelty figure series. But as far as I'm concerned, what's better than hockey and star wars?!
.Great idea. Good work!
Thank you Koth.
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I had posted some more pilots but I realized they needed more work. So disregard this message. But my boys are leading the series 3-2. Thanks to kuzy's two goals.
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Sorry to see the Caps are out of the series. I'm a Blackhawks fan, so still in it for now.
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I'm pulling for the hawks too, now. I don't mind too much the caps lost, just how they lost. They had the series lead 3-1 then ended up losing game 7 in over time. Dangnabbit!
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This is a Jedi figure I named Kenshi-Kan. Loosely based on Kyuzo, the stone faced Master swordsman from Seven Samurai.
Not much is known about Kenshi, he's a man of few words. Mostly his actions speak for him, judging by his actions he is a highly trained swordsman. He makes it clear though, he's out to kill Vader for his betrayal.
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Great work mate.
Ron
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Nice, time for the front page!
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Thanks Ron and Tamer for your encouragement. I'm building a group of ronin Jedi/Padawans who survive Order 66 and meet in a cantina on Ord Mantell. (Ord Mantell is the last place the Empire would step foot due to its high criminal population and lack of resources.) They each have their own speciality and agendas, but work together to fight the Empire on a nearby planet sparsely populated by farmers.
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Thanks Ron and Tamer for your encouragement. I'm building a group of ronin Jedi/Padawans who survive Order 66 and meet in a cantina on Ord Mantell. (Ord Mantell is the last place the Empire would step foot due to its high criminal population and lack of resources.) They each have their own speciality and agendas, but work together to fight the Empire on a nearby planet sparsely populated by farmers.
Wow... thank you for making this. He was my favorite of the 7 even though everyone likes Toshiro Mifune's character I liked the stoic samurai even *gets all emotional* tho.. snif... ya know...
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Thanks Rezikai, glad you like it. I'm working on a figure based on Mifune's character from Yojimbo. He was very deceptive and cunning like he was using Jedi mind tricks. He was also dsmn good with a sword especially against multiple targets. I have a rough prototype I want to add some clone war type armor but we'll see. Meybe I'll post my progress later this afternoon.
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I decided to post my WIP ronin Jedi/Padawan Order 66 survivor, (unnamed). Its a very rough prototype, I used a twist tie to hold the shield in place. I've got a lot of work to do I want to repaint his tunic dark blue/grey. Bleach/Dye the robe to grey/dark blue. Add stormtrooper armor, attach the shield with magnets, etc. Pretty much I want to make is what I had visioned when I was a kid, when I watched Star Wars and Obi Wan was talking about Jedi Knights. It really captured my imagination when I heard the prequels were going to be made back in 1991. But of course I was disappointed they just seemed more like Monks than Knights, so I'm coming up with my own.
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Kenshi looks great! I love the Duros head on the concept Kenobi figure - more love for the alien Jedi. The WIP is looking good too, I like the somewhat more "knight like" thinking that you are pursuing - it resonates with my own inclinations as well.
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I'm really liking the Jedi/Padawan Order 66 survivor and can't wait to see him complete
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It will be great to see this one finished!
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Thank you all for the encouraging words. I know I give the prequels a hard time, but as I've been watching the movies that influenced Star Wars (see: Movies that influenced Star Wars. In the Star Wars movie section) I've grown to appreciate them more. With the Jedi being "Monks" it sort of makes sense. Because if the Sith had been "extinct" for such a long time the Jedi would become thinkers instead of fighters. Much like post feudal samurai. BUT during the clone wars they would become knight like. Then hunted much like the Samurai and Knights Templars. But its still much different that what I anticipated those many years ago.
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So I pretty much finished my Order 66 survivor, Brutis Valli. I'll probably start working soon on a dio for this guy, I think he's pretty cool.
Brutis Valli was a student of the brilliant Jedi Master Wuden. During The Clone Wars Valli seved as Wuden's captain and right hand man.until Order 66 was carried out by Wuden's clone commanders. Valli watched helplessly as his master was shot in the back by his own men. He defended his master's lifeless body, so it wouldn't be paraded around as a war trophy, and was able to escape. As a fugitive of the Empire he spends his life trying to survive and do as much damage to the Empire as possible. He has cutting down Stormtroopers down to an art form, due to his expert lightsaber skills involving multiple targets. Its rumored he can single handedly take out an entire platoon one squad at a time.
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Great back story too. Off to share.
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Thank you Tamer for the FP slot. The back story and names were inspired by Norse mythology Valli is a derivative of Vali the god of fallen warriors. I think that's where we get "valiant" but don't quote me. Wuden is a derivative of Oden supreme god and Vali's father.
As far as the figure I used a Mcquarrie Stormtrooper chest plate that I cut up and dremeled thin. It worked pretty well because the Mcquarrie figure is made of a soft almost vinal plastic, so it shaped nicely.
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These are some great custom, the duro is my favorite! Like the poses you put them in as well! Top notch!
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Thanks Stan. I chose the stances of the figures to mimic samurai. The objective for Samurai is to kill their opponent by drawing their sword and striking in the same motion.
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I started getting into the 6" line usually I just keep them in package, but this Chewy I wanted to customize him for The Empire Strikes Back look. I just added some different washes and pastel chalk highlights, for subtle variations of color. I think in TESB chewy was a little greyer than ANH, meybe even a little longer, not sure what it is but it seems different somehow. In the next week or so I'll be building a dio including another custom figure, so stay tuned.
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Nice, off to share. Can't wait to see what you do for your diorama.
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Hello everyone. I bought this Bandai C3PO, and it is awesome! I know what I did to it could be considered sac religious but I had to, it's one of my favorite versions of him in the entire Saga. Threepio and Chewie are hilarious together. I added a bunch of wires and tubes to his torso and arm nub, then weathered it a little. I even put the little blast hole in his chest with a hot nail poked from the inside. Not quite finished with him. I need to make his cargo net to go on Chewie, I think I'll end up using a fishnet stocking toe.I don't like the netting I have. So it looks like I'm building a Bespin dio, stay tuned for more.
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Awesome job on both Chewie and 3PO.
Ron
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Sounds like a great idea to me. Off to share.
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Awesome job on both Chewie and 3PO.
Ron
Thanks Ron.
Sounds like a great idea to me. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. I think I'll do a Bespin escape dio, or more like a vignette. Chewie/3po standing at the landing platform door shooting stormtroopers
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aWESOME!!! You got talent! Wow! 0/
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aWESOME!!! You got talent! Wow! 0/
Thank you Stan! I can see my work getting better with each build. Plus these 6" figures pack a lot of details.
The dio is coming along swimmingly. I didn't take any pics, its just a bunch of foam and styrene tacked together, but I can see the end of the tunnel.
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Hello 'yarders, I made Chewbacca's C3PO net today out of a fishnet stocking. Looks better than the alternatives. It stretches well making the holes as big as I want. Its a nice weave, works pretty well.
As far as the Dio, I'm almost finished just need to add some details and what not. I figured I'd unvail it when I'm finished instead of showing my WIP since I'm so close.
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Looks great, makes me envious it will take Hasbro forever to do this. Off to the front page.
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Thanks Tamer, this really is a fun build. When I was a kid I did the same with my POTF Chewie/3po, but I made a net out of the bag you get when you buy oranges I even glued little wires to 3po's torn off limbs. This one is a lot better though.
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I finished my Chewbacca Bespin Escape diorama today. Bespin is my favorite Star wars location, the stark white and art deco is pretty cool. This is my first 6" Bespin dio, but it won't be my last.
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Brillant work mate, I love the lighting in the base 10/10.
Ron
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How did you make the base? Are those lights in the bottom of it? Do tell. Off to share. I am glad to hear you will be making another. I have always loved the Boba with Stormtroopers and the pushing of Carbo Han scene.
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How did you make the base? Are those lights in the bottom of it? Do tell. Off to share. I am glad to hear you will be making another. I have always loved the Boba with Stormtroopers and the pushing of Carbo Han scene.
First off thank you Tamer for the FP. I made the dio by first mocking up the walls with blue foam then I covered the walls with .003" styrene sheets. The panelled wall is made of .006" styrene that I cut and sanded, then I placed a painted .003" sheet in back and cut holes for the instrument panels. I made the instrument panels out of computer chip parts, and model kit parts that I glued to a piece of cardboard. Then I ran my LEDs through holes cut into the cardboard. Pretty simple stuff. Glad you like it.
Boba pushing Han in carbonite through Bespin is one I've been thinking about. I'll have to use stormtroopers instead of Bespin guards but it'll be better that way.
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Here is a sneak peak into the idea for my next Bespin dio. Inspired by the Mcquarrie concept art of Bespin, its a little more of an ornate style art deco than in the movie. I tried a non invasive way of adding his poncho without glue, but its not working. I'll probably end up using magnets and a different material. This Boba was a gift from my brother when it was really hard to find, but he gave me carte blanche to do what I do.
But first I want to do a Yoda/Dagobah dio. With the limited articulation of the 6" Yoda I'll do the scene where he lifts the X-wing. I'll resolve Yoda's eye problem by closing them so it'll be a static figure with puttied joints. So stay tuned for that.
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fantastic work ! Cant wait to see the next one !
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Begun the Dagobah diorama I have.
I'm going to build this Dagobah dio depicting Yoda lifting Luke's X-wing. Obviously I started my base with blue foam. Tomorrow I'll make some "muck" using a mixture of real dirt, water, paint, woodland scenic turf and white glue. If I have time I'll work on the Gnarltree roots/trunk. So stick around for that.
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Looks like you are off to a good start. Off to share.
I can remember my daughter being very young and loving that scene. She used her little arm to try and raise the Xwing herself. Its a great memory for me.
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Finished, soon will I be. I made my muck from coffee grounds, woodland scenic fine turf, a bit of sand, a bit of reptile moss, mixed with water and white glue. The tree was made from aluminum foil armatures covered with a tissue paper mache. I just need to paint it add a little ground work meybey some more vines and that'll do it.
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The Bespin dio is looking great mate but I got to say I'm very impressed with the Dagobah dio it is looking amazing.
Ron
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Great update, can't wait to see this when its finished.
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Finished it is. No more work will this require.
Its pretty much done its still really wet, my base coat was brown then a coat of grey. Then when dry I used green oil paint and green pastel chalks with a black oil wash. I added more ground work, natural elements I found or got on eBay. Then the slimy moss/algae was made of cotton balls dipped in thinned paste then painted. Now I will start on the figure itself.
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fantastic work ! Cant wait to see the next one !
Thank you Mr. Jedi, I can't wait either!
Looks like you are off to a good start. Off to share.
I can remember my daughter being very young and loving that scene. She used her little arm to try and raise the Xwing herself. Its a great memory for me.
Great update, can't wait to see this when its finished.
Thank you Tamer. The Bespin dios are cool but its fun making these natural environments. Dagobah is such a cool place. And Yoda still makes me laugh.
The Bespin dio is looking great mate but I got to say I'm very impressed with the Dagobah dio it is looking amazing.
Ron
Thank you Ron it means a lot.
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A few more pics in a different light after it dried. I also added his snake to the dio. I made a few other subtle changes that was to my liking.
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Your update sure looks good on the front page.
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What a great update !
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Thank you Tamer and Mr. Jedi. The tree turned out better than expected. The colored filter on the camera makes it look pretty much like Dagobah.
My next dio will be the search for Luke. Hoth Han and Tauntaun. The figures are relatively low quality compared to the other Deluxe figures but its freggin huge. So I'll modify them a little and build a dio base for them in the next week or so. Here is what I have layed out. Just a mock up now I'm making a better escarpment base tomorrow. Now that I've made my decision.
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The figures are relatively low quality compared to the other Deluxe figures but its freggin huge.
I hate to hear that. I haven't opened mine up yet, but I would love to see you do a full work up on the pros and cons of this figure. We have an Imperial Review Section where you can review figures. Heaven knows I don't tend to it regularly enough.
Can't wait to see how that Hoth Dio turns out.
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The figures are relatively low quality compared to the other Deluxe figures but its freggin huge.
I hate to hear that. I haven't opened mine up yet, but I would love to see you do a full work up on the pros and cons of this figure. We have an Imperial Review Section where you can review figures. Heaven knows I don't tend to it regularly enough.
Can't wait to see how that Hoth Dio turns out.
I'm not much of a critic up until last October I hadn't bought a figure since POTF2 so I missed a lot, but my opinion is this.
Well you know its a $40 figure. So it will be average since you have a figure and a large beast. The tauntaun has a nice headsculpt its just the plastic feels cheap all around. Real soft hollow plastic. I have a problem with most Black Series paint apps, so you know I'll repaint.Its articulation is okay swivel legs ball joint ankles but without the knees its not very posable. The saddle is the most disappointing part. Made of rubbery plastic The belts pockets and packs are molded on. Not convincing to me. and Han's scanner is permanently attached which sucks. It plugs into the back of the beast and the underbelly straps are painted on. The Han figure reminds me of the kenner figure the headsculpt is plain not as detailed as the smuggler Han. Han's coat is painted blue, I know its a debated topic but in the movie it is indeed brown. At a distance though it looks pretty good. Unless you plan to display him riding or in a dio or something special, I'd keep him in the box. Like I said its a lot of figure for the deluxe price.
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I constructed the dio base and applied a base coat. It reminds me of the "Stonewall Jackson" Monument downtown. Haha. I'm starting to like this Tauntaun it just needs a repaint. The first impression wasnt good but together with Han riding, it looks great, separately not so great. I put a mask on Han, I have a whole slew of things I want to do with these guys. Its a work in progress
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Excellent work mate everything from the tree to the ground work is just perfect 10/10.
Ron
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Excellent work mate everything from the tree to the ground work is just perfect 10/10.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Appreciate it bud.
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Added some snow and ice to my Search for Luke dio. I'll probably add some more but just waiting for things to dry. I also repainted the Tauntaun and added some snow to it and Han.
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Another home run mate, this is just brilliant I love everything about it. The 6" figures just let you add so much detail and it shows here with this piece 10/10.
Ron
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Another home run mate, this is just brilliant I love everything about it. The 6" figures just let you add so much detail and it shows here with this piece 10/10.
Ron
Thanks again. What do they say, once you go Black (series) you don't go back. Haha. I find it much easier to customize and build dios for 1/12 than 1/18. The conversions are a lot simpler, 1 inch=1 foot. And they do pack a lot of detail.
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Well I'd say the dio is pretty much done I might work on the figures a little more. Basically its a bluefoam base I sculpted with a knife and a lighter. The snow is Spackle I got at the dollar tree, 1/3 the price I usually pay. To top off the snow I used baking soda, if its good enough for ILM its damn sure good enough for me. The ice was made from silicone goo the kind you use on bathtubs. That's it real simple stuff.
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Hello again. I just got finished building this Bandai AT-ST and I'm fairly impressed. I'm so used to the MPC models that I could build in my sleep. I has about 20 POA and many small details including individual tubes and bolts. The instructions, like all Bandai kits are in Japanese but its very well illustrated, just a few parts I wish were in English but I sort of figured it out. It needs paint and weathering and I plan to build a Kashyyyk (Wookiee home world) diorama. I still think they should have had the climactic battle on Kashyyyk instead of Endor, but it is what it is.
I painted and weathered it. I might have gone overboard. But it is a jungle version. What I call the Imperial Occupying Forces (Kashyyyk). In my diorama I'll be using the star wars miniatures because they come out to about 1/48. I'll have sand troopers redesignated to jungletroopers and Wookiee resistance fighters. The setting is about 10 BBY, during a wookiee insurrection.
While I'm on a Kashyyyk kick I'll make my 6" Tropical Stormtrooper, its just a Sandtrooper in the jungle. I wanted to do something with this guy. I may do a few more IOF(K) troopers.
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I started work on my 6" Imperial Kashyyyk Marine diorama. I still need to add tropical plants, water puddles and whatnot. I might change his position or weapon, he sort of reminds me of one of the 7 dwarves going to work, for some reason. Anyways I wanted the dio depicting a stormtroop entering the jungle from the beach. I made the tree out of aluminum foil and tissue paper. The ground work is sand/PVA glue on the beach side and same dirt as my Dagobah dio on the jungle side. The moss I used is several years old and is turning yellow it wasnt really noticable until photographed, so I'll replace that. So its close but still needs work.
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Wow, there has been some great work here since I have been gone. Love the Taun Taun and Hoth Han Dio. That Bandai AT-ST looks good too. What size is that? I didn't even remember them making something like this. Off to share.
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Hey thanks Tamer, glad you like the Hoth dio. The next thing I need to build is a light box for photos, you know. The AT-ST is 1/48 scale about 6 inches or so, you can adjust the stance and height. It was released by Bandai in February 2015 for around $26 American. They're pretty much revamping all the old MPC kits. Plus a bunch of 6" figure kits too. Stormtrooper Vader, c3po, r2/r5, scout/speeder bike, x-wing, snow speeder, tie fighter, advanced tie fighter. Soon will have sand troopers boba fett, slave I, Y-wing. Rumors include star destroyer and AT-AT! They are excellent kits waaayyy waaayyy waaayyy better than AMT-MPC-Revell kits.
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Making progress on my Kashyyyk dio. Again I made the tree from aluminium foil and tissue paper. The foil I think works great you get a lot of detail and its mailable. I also made the sand from fine sand plus PVA glue.
Also painted and added jungle side soil, made from same stuff as my dagobah dio. Just need my jungle plants and figures and I'm good to go.
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Looks good to me. Off to share.
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That looks really nice. I like the foil trick.
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Thank you, Tamer and Graeber. Appreciate the positive words. I continued work on my Kashyyyk trooper dio. It looks better with some jungle plants thrown on. I made them with preserved fern leaves. I bunched them together twisted it and glued it down. I think it looks better than the expensive plastic aquarium stuff. I did the same on my AT-ST Assault dio but in a smaller scale. I have a few more types of plants coming in soon to give a greater biodiversity. In the next couple days I'm adding some mud puddles with WS Realistic water. I'm still working on his position, I need to conform to the limits of the figure. The range of motion isn't that great.
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Nice, it sure looks more realistic to me. Off to share again.
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More excellent work mate, your really bring these figures and miniatures to life with these dioramas.
Ron
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Nice, it sure looks more realistic to me. Off to share again.
Than you again, Tamer. Using natural products is always the best. Plus 1/48 is really easy, its amazing how just sprinkling fine turf on the tree really makes it pop.
More excellent work mate, your really bring these figures and miniatures to life with these dioramas.
Ron
Thank you Ron. Your work has always been a big inspiration for me.
I decided to take off the macro binoculars it was just too much with the pauldron the backpack and the BFG. He looks less dumpy and awkward without it. I really like the binoculars but I'll use it on another project. Also added my mud puddles, in 24hrs it'll dry clear.
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Well its pretty much complete. I added some water/mud as well as some wookiees and stormtroopers.
The setting of the dio is Kashyyyk 10BBY. The Empire has gained a foothole on the planet Kashyyyk, and has been using the wookiees for slave labor. A group of freedom fighter Wookiees rose up against the tyrants. Expert guerrilla fighters the wookiees ambush their enemies at the most vulnerable positions.
I hope you all like it, as much as I liked building it.
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But wait there's more.
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Great job JDeck i like it !
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Wow, that is sweet. Great job. Shared on our pages.
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Great job JDeck i like it !
Thanks Mr.Jedi. appreciate the feedback.
Wow, that is sweet. Great job. Shared on our pages.
Thank you, Tamer. I really am pleased. The realism went beyond my initial expectations. its sort of bitter sweet, i enjoy building these dios better than looking at them on my desk or shelf, or whatever. I have another project ill discuss later when i update my 6" dio.
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Fantastic work mate.
Ron
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Fantastic work mate
Ron
Thank you, kind sir.
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Alright, its more or less done. I wanted to wait until my other plant came in but I need to move on with my life. I'll add it later.
He's an Imperial Marine commander assigned to Kashyyyk to defeat the Wookiee resistance. His expert use of a light repeating blaster matched with his ruthless aggression makes a worthy opponent for the Wookiee rebels.
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Well im starting another dio, but this one will test my abilities and my patience. That's right a 6" Jabba dio. Ive told people I'll never do a Jabba dio, because its one of those things that have to be completely accurate and I don't want to spend my whole life and all my money making it. Until I saw a SDCC Jabba at a really good price, and said why not all the cool kids are doing it why shouldn't I. So it will be pretty involved, a custom dio, two custom figures and many custom props. It won't be 100 percent movie accurate, I can assure you, but it will have the illusion. so stick around for updates, I'll start work soon.
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Nice work on the trooper dio too. I can imagine you must have a wonderful diorama display set up now. I can't wait to see what you do with Jabba's Palace. Off to share again.
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Thanks again Tamer! Yeah I have enough Kashyyyk building materials left to do another, but I might instead do an Enor scene. I'm really running out of places to put these. At the rate I'm going youll see me on hoarders or something. If I sell them I probably won't get my money back. I might give some away. That's why I'll take my time do this Jabba dio right, have fun with it.
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The trooper and base look fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing the Jabba dio.
Ron
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The trooper and base look fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing the Jabba dio.
Ron
Thank you, Ron. I'll have to say your work has been inspirational especially on this trooper dio.
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You start clearing out any of your TESB Stuff I hope you will give me a holler.
I would love to see an overall picture of your dioramas with how you have them displayed if you have time.
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You start clearing out any of your TESB Stuff I hope you will give me a holler.
I would love to see an overall picture of your dioramas with how you have them displayed if you have time.
Yeah I don't consider myself a collector more of a hobbyist all my free space is taken by tools and supplies. I don't really have a designated spot to put my completed projects. Sometimes i canibalize them for other projects or to make them better. I put my Yoda dio in with a potted plant, lol it looks pretty cool, my tauntaun and bespin dios are on my TV/entertainment stand. The ones I really want to get rid of are my two AT-ST dios, ww2/star wars and Kashyyyk assault just because they take up a lot of real estate. I really enjoyed building them but when I'm finished, I'm like ohh boy where am I going to put this. I might just put them in the garage, build a shelf for them. I've always wanted to build a tabletop diorama of both or endor in 1/48 or 1/72, but again big real estate.
I thought about redoing the dagobah Yoda dio if you want that without the figure I can ship it to you. Your just a state away. The cool thing about it is, it would go well with any 3.75 scale dagobah figure as well as 6" Yoda or r2. It only really cost me a few dollars, its only made of foam, aluminium foil, tissue paper, spent coffee grounds and glue. Stuff I already had.
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What a gracious offer. Thank you. I will pm you shortly, but I appreciate it!
Glad to hear you are thinking about displaying these as I think they would look cool anyhwere. I built some purposed cabinetry/shelving underneath my basement steps (my man cave) to house dios like you are making. I put my vehicle collection in em (which I wish I would have never done) so I haven't built a single dio!
I am really enjoying your builds though and hope they keep coming.
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I've been putting off my Jabba dio. I had to build a bandai c3po for my brother. He wanted one but he wasn't confident in his building skills. So I offered to build him the one I bought to trade for a 6" Bossk (I may put him in the background of my Jabba dio.). I know I lost that deal but, he needed one. Besides I won the last deal. This 3po is just a great figure, really sets the gold standard (no pun intended) for 3po figures. He is really easy to build. Like the others the instructions are well illustrated but in Japanese so if you don't know Japanese you just have to figure some things out on your own. None the less great kit. Just had to share it before I ship it.
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I've been playing around with the idea of a 6" Jawa, I'll use for Jabba's servant Herat. He's the jawa in back of Jabba with the fan. I made a foam and wire prototype body for him and put on a 3.75" robe, sort of the same concept as a puppet, but in a small scale. I ordered a 6" Obi Wan robe, I think will work better. I'll make his head from foam and black fabric meybe a couple yellow LEDs for eyes. Then give him some 3.75" hands.That should do it meybe a bandolier or something. So while I'm waiting for the robe I have several props and a custom figure to build.
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I started on my Oola figure. For now she's just a Slave Leia and a Star Trek Uhura head, that ill add the head dress tentacles with epoxy clay. Well i have a few ideas for her but, we'll see. I grinded her clothes off but I kept the shoes I didn't want to have to sculpt ankles, sandals and feet. I wanted to build this for the last 6" challenge but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a Jabba dio, plus I wasn't sure about my 6" figure skills. I'll make her clothes out of the same fishnet material as my Chewbacca cargo net. It should be enough to cover the unsightly joints without sculpting over them.
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JDeck, these dios are wonderful. Kashyyyk turned out really well. I love the foil trick for bark. Very creative. I'm looking forward to seeing the Jabba diorama complete. Great thinking on the Uhura head for Oola. Keep up the great work.
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JDeck, these dios are wonderful. Kashyyyk turned out really well. I love the foil trick for bark. Very creative. I'm looking forward to seeing the Jabba diorama complete. Great thinking on the Uhura head for Oola. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Starchase' I'm sort of the Martha Stewart of star wars. Haha. I try to make as much as I can out of cheap plentiful materials. But I'm going to be taking my time on this Jabba dio, I really want to make it great, because it will be a massive dio. relatively.
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Looking forward to seeing how this progresses. I like how Oola's coming along!
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Oh yeah, coming along nicely. Can't wait to see this a bit more finished. It is gonna rock!
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Thanks custom Jedi and Tamer. I can't wait until I get the ball rolling on this dio. Right now I'm just building as I get parts and supplies in.
I started on Oola's outfit. I just used fishnet stockings and string pretty much what the original costume was. Its just soft goods in scale, it never looks great but, I did my best. I'm still clipping the little strings waiting for the epoxy to come in so i can start the head sculpt. The last photo is with some grey wet washes on the costume it looks better wet, I may add a little glue wash so it adheres better, instead of being loose. This is a little unprecedented, I haven't seen an Oola in this scale.
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looking really good. Time to get some of this shared on the pages. I did see a six inch scale Oola somewhere, I just can't remember.
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Thanks Tamer for the FP spot. I've got a long ways to go yet. After I saw TBS Slave Leia, I thought instead of re working the entire figure to make it a little better, why not make an Oola custom. I'm just surprised its not a common customization. I'm sure I'm not the only one but I have only seen 3.75", 12" and a Barbie conversion, not sure what scale that is.
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Alright this'll be my last daily update for a while, if not it'll be like watching grass grow. I just wanted to show folks how my 6" Jawa concept figure is coming. I coated him in latex added the 3.75" robe and coated it again. That way he has some thickness so when I put on the 6" robe it'll sort of stick and flow better. Also the head is a cotton ball soaked in latex with the LEDs run through. His arms are fully posable due to the wire, foam and latex, construction. It'll be another 3 weeks before the robe comes in, so I just need to shorten the wires attach the battery so it will all stay under the new robe. I'll raise the forehead as needed for the hood.
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This is looking real good ! I sure cant wait to see this completed especially the 6 inch Oola Great job so far !
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You've done an awesome job with the characters from Jabba's Palace keep up the amazing work.
Ron
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This is looking real good ! I sure cant wait to see this completed especially the 6 inch Oola Great job so far !
Thanks Mr. Jedi. She is coming along nicely, of course I've been planning for a long time. Its all about preparation.
You've done an awesome job with the characters from Jabba's Palace keep up the amazing work.
Ron
Thanks bud I've been playing with the idea of utilizing Boushh Leia to build a background skiff guard since she has such a mannish stature
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The eyes on that jawa look great!
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Thanks Tamer, I like how he's turning out. Can't wait for that robe, he'll be awesome.
I made more progress on 6" Oola. I sculpted the head tentacles from epoxy. I experimented with latex because i thought it would be cool to have her tentacles posable, but it didn't work out. It was worth a shot. I also finished most of the Dais. I took the blue foam and covered it with Spackle then sanded it down. After doing that a few times I used woodland scenics watercolors to paint it. Instead of the cyclopse pulls I used dollhouse brass lion head doorknockers turned upside down. Big shot out to Bewize for the idea of dollhouse pillows, I didn't realize dollhouse miniatures were 1/12, its good to know. Next I'll work on the background barbeque area.
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Oola and the dias looks excellent mate, I can't wait to see more.
Ron
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Oola and the dias looks excellent mate, I can't wait to see more.
Ron
Thank you. I'm not completely satisfied with the head. My reference pics were from the special edition version, it was bigger than the original. It looked good when I was building it but when I placed it on her body it seemed large. By the time its all finished I'll rebuild it, but for now I'll press on.
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I started Jabba's BBQ. Just made the frame from.030" styrene, I like .030" it cuts easy and is pretty rigid. I'll add the ornate details and rotisserie next. The foam architecture is temporary mockup, just trying to get a basic shape to work with. The main thing is getting those steps done right.
Worked on the rotisserie a little more using parts from my greeble collection. I painted it brown to see how it looks so far. Not too shabby. I built the front facea just need to decorate it somehow, I'll use a combination of clay and wire to make the designs
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I got most of Jabba's BBQ done. I could do a lot more but how much time do I put into a background piece. I think it looks pretty good, better than I expected anyway. I do need to add the rotisserie drive belt and some other things.
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The BBQ looks excellent mate.
Ron
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The BBQ looks excellent mate.
Ron
Thanks for the moral support, I need all I can get. I still have a long way to go. Once the walls and lighting are up it'll be cool looking, but first I have a whole laundry list of little things that need to done. You know how it is building a dio in 6" scale, tons of details. Baby steps.
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Well you have no worries with the details mate and this is going to look amazing when it's complete.
Ron
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Well you have no worries with the details mate and this is going to look amazing when it's complete.
Ron
My objective is to have one of those dios that you can see it 100 times and not catch every detail. So I'm planning to put as much detail as possible. The upper level floors will have the same surface dot tread as the movie. its great that dollhouse stuff comes in 1/12 for all the pots and junk lying around. But the thing that will make or break it is the lighting. The whole dio will provide its own light. I'm trying to come up with an order list for LEDs, all the sizes and colors. Its a fun project, I'd rather do one big one than a bunch of small ones. Just a slow pace hurry up and wait for parts. Natural environment dios I can build in a couple days, this is slower than I'm used to, but its fun to take time and come up with props and so forth. That Oola took some time especially when I need to rebuild the head, I'm not sure what I was thinking, I had a bunch of stuff going on last week should have waited. Its not terrible just not to my liking, but Its all good though second times the charm.
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Wow, Oala turned out great. Taking this update to the front pages.
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I have no other words but , Just amazing !
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Wow, Oala turned out great. Taking this update to the front pages.
Appreciate it Tamer. I'm still rebuilding Oola's head. Her body I'm happy with, including the outfi. Its not screen accurate but the thinned glue helped. Like I said I referenced Special Edition Oola as a opposed to real original version. They re-shot the Max Rebo scene with the original actress. To me there are some big differences between the two Oolas, so I'm going with theatrical solely. Tomorrow Christmas is coming early, my "jawa robe" will be here. I just hope it works.
I have no other words but , Just amazing !
Thank you Mr.Jedi, its progressing slowly. I just hope my vision comes remotely close to reality.
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I got my package from my brother for the Bandai C3PO. the 6" Bossk I needed I think he'll look nice in Jabba's dio. He also added some vintage star wars figures with one stipulation, that I either restore them or customize them. Looks like ROTJ Luke, ANH Luke, tusken raider, skiff guard Lando, death star droid and a factory sealed salacious crumb. Other than crumb they're a little crispy and missing parts, but I think I'll restore them. They're just too cool to customize. With the crumb I may need to get a Jabba and throne and make a vintage 3.75 dio. I'm satisfied with the deal the Bossk exceeded my expectations.
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Great progress! If these are baby steps, I foresee marathons in the near future. Awesome stuff!
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I do like the six inch Bossk myself too. One of my favorite six inch figures.
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Great progress! If these are baby steps, I foresee marathons in the near future. Awesome stuff!
Thank you custom jedi. I started on the floors and soon the walls once they are assembled it'll be pretty dramatic.
I do like the six inch Bossk myself too. One of my favorite six inch figures.
I just realized his jaw opens and closes! That's awesome! I have to agree Bossk is one of the best. Id say my favorite, at least of what i own is x-wing Luke. My first 6" figure, very nice sculpt. I hear Darth maul is good but I'm not sinking that much lettuce to get him.
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I got my Jawa Robe yesterday so I've been altering the scratch figure and the robe to make it acceptable. I'm not quite finished but this is the gist of it. I may build him a bandolier of some type and fix the way the robe fits. Personally I'm very happy with the way it is turning out, and I'm my own biggest critic.
The last picture features him with a crude bandolier I made from a stormtrooper belt. I may alter it more to suit my liking.
I might build a few more of these guys. Only cost about $13. Just waiting for that robe is the hard part.
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The Jawa looks great where did you get the robe from?
Ron
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The Jawa looks great where did you get the robe from?
Ron
The robe is the 6" Obi Wan robe from a seller on eBay. Rickhor408 he makes fantastic soft goods, and I believe he's the only one that makes these. It ships from Malaysia and takes forever, but worth the wait. I took that robe cut the sleeves and the bottom. I didn't touch the hood, I just folded and stretched it to get the shape I wanted.
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That looks great! Off to share. Man, love the eyes on this too.
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That looks great! Off to share. Man, love the eyes on this too.
Thanks a bunch Tamer. I love him. The eyes are a little bright, in person and a little hard to photograph, but as the battery wears it'll be perfect. The robe supplier ran out of the red/brown robes but I bought a few of the darker brown. I think it'll be just as cool. I may make a sandcrawler scene in the future.
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COOOL!! 0/
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COOOL!! 0/
Thanks. Glad you like it so far.
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Can you pm or email me a link to that robe supplier you use or post it here? I would love to showcase them too.
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Yeah I sent a PM he's Rickhor409 I wrote it wrong earlier. But yeah he has great soft goods. Nice thin stretchy material with great looking seams they look awesome on Jedi/sith. It really makes 6" obi wan worth having. Although he has run out of the red/brown obi wan robe. Might ask if he pans to restock.
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Thanks for the email. I got it figured out this morning and added to the places so we will have it as a reference too.
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Thanks for the email. I got it figured out this morning and added to the places so we will have it as a reference too.
No prob. Anything I can do to help. I'm sure anyone who purchases these will be very happy.
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Im building a Bandai R5-D4 just for fun. I was really disappointed that he did not have a "bad motivator" option, so I just went ahead and made one. The bad motivator is what makes him R5-D4. I also gave him a restraining bolt from the C3PO kit. Even though for some reason he didn't have one in the movie. It was a fun little Saturday build.
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Nice, need to go get this one on the front page. Love the blown motivator look.
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Thats an awesome looking R5 unit
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Nice, need to go get this one on the front page. Love the blown motivator look.
Thanks a bunch!. Its an improvement over the POTF2 version with the rocket launcher. That was thing was crazy. Lol I just realized his legs are backwards.
Thats an awesome looking R5 unit
Thank you 'fett's nephew. I think he's pretty neat too.
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R5 looks great and I like how you added a bad motivator, is that a light saber hilt?
Ron
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R5 looks great and I like how you added a bad motivator, is that a light saber hilt?
Ron
Thanks Ron. The motivator is made from the end of a 1/35 German rangefinder, from the Tamiya 88mm kit. I had thought of using a lightsaber though. If I ever run across a part I like better I'll replace it, I just didn't want to rummage through all I had. They say you can't have too many greebles but I'm getting close.
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Thanks Ron. The motivator is made from the end of a 1/35 German rangefinder, from the Tamiya 88mm kit. I had thought of using a lightsaber though. If I ever run across a part I like better I'll replace it, I just didn't want to rummage through all I had. They say you can't have too many greebles but I'm getting close.
Actually great choice for the motivator mate and you can never ever have to many greeblies lol.
Ron
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Looks great man i got the same set but repainted r5 due to never really finding it interesting a color scheme like most of the background droid plus if the 6" line keeps going hasbro will make one almost guarantied. I might steal the droid control collar idea.
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Looks great man i got the same set but repainted r5 due to never really finding it interesting a color scheme like most of the background droid plus if the 6" line keeps going hasbro will make one almost guarantied. I might steal the droid control collar idea.
Thanks for the compliment! Yeah the possibilities are endless. I even thought of making a "realistic" chopper from Rebels, but I have enough to do. LOL.
I'm still working on the Jabba dio just the construction of the walls and so forth left. But I have a new custom 6" figure in the works, From SW ANH! I think it'll be pretty cool, So stick around for that!
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Ever since Hemble made his 6" droids when I first started here, and saw some droids built by Sprywalker and others. I've been wanting to build some of my own. Now that I've figured out how to make Jawas I need droids to go with them. This is the first step on my GONK droid. I still need to sand the face area, just waiting for putty to dry fully. I put more parts on him than I initially wanted, but if he's owned by Jawas he's probably pretty jury rigged.
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Looking good mate, I'm really looking forward to seeing it complete.
Ron
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Looking good mate, I'm really looking forward to seeing it complete.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Yeah I'm splitting my time between this, my Jabba dio and a custom figure. This shouldn't take long, and once this is finished I have a couple of other droids to build too. Busy busy.
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Awesome work!! 0/
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Man that is awesome. It looks great here and on the front page. You are making me want to attempt one of these.
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Awesome work!! 0/
Thanks Larifari!
Man that is awesome. It looks great here and on the front page. You are making me want to attempt one of these.
Thanks for the exposure, and comments. Definitely build one of these! If I had kids or something I'd build a 1:1 scale GONK the same way. I have a bunch of these little cups, enough to build an army of power droids. If this proves to be successful I may build some variants like PLUNK. I do have other kitbash droids in the works I'll get to shortly.
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I made my GONK's legs and feet today. The legs are plastic conduit, and the feet are made of Milliput. I also sanded his body so the paint would stick better. I figure I'd show him again before his paint job. I'll give his feet a once over after it cures, to make the lines straight and even. Milliput is too soft to get real sharp lines, but as it cures it gets easier.
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He's coming along great mate and the legs are perfect.
Ron
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He's coming along great mate and the legs are perfect.
Ron
Thanks Ron. The conduit does work pretty well. The clay feet gives him a little weight so he's more balanced, too.
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I need to figure out where to get some of these cups. I might try this project with my daughter this week!
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I got these cups from Family Dollar. You can order some on Amazon too.
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I got these cups from Family Dollar. You can order some on Amazon too.
Well daggone that was a quick response. I have a family dollar close so I can look there. Keep up the great work. I would love to create a start to finish tutorial gallery on our FB Page when you are done if you are game.
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I got these cups from Family Dollar. You can order some on Amazon too.
Well daggone that was a quick response. I have a family dollar close so I can look there. Keep up the great work. I would love to create a start to finish tutorial gallery on our FB Page when you are done if you are game.
I could start a new one and give specific step by step instructions, when I finish this one.?!
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That would be great! Heck, I could give you admin access to our FB Page for you to just create the gallery and type in comments for each pic if that would be easier and thank you for agreeing!
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That would be great! Heck, I could give you admin access to our FB Page for you to just create the gallery and type in comments for each pic if that would be easier and thank you for agreeing!
I really dont know much about FB. I'll post it in my miscellaneous scratchbuild section. You can do with it what you want.?!
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The Power droid is finished now. I plan to build a couple of other droids as well. Initially I wanted to build a diorama with Jawas and droids, but that is on the long term list. I just wanted to build this one while the idea was fresh.
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Very, very, very nice. I love it. Off to share.
Thank you for featuring the reference guide too.
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WOW I really like this!!Exellent job! 0/
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Fantastic work mate.
Ron
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Very, very, very nice. I love it. Off to share.
Thank you for featuring the reference guide too.
Thanks a bunch Tamer! I'm glad you like it! Making the tutorial was my pleasure. I always learn a lot from watching/reading tutorials. I just hope it inspires someone.
Fantastic work mate.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Your droids were a HUGE inspiration.
WOW I really like this!!Exellent job! 0/
Thanks Lari'. I'm glad you like it and I appreciate your encouragement!
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That is some outstanding work my friend !
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Wow! looks really good.
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That is some outstanding work my friend !
Thanks a bunch, Mr. Jedi!
Wow! looks really good.
Thank you, Darth Samurai.
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This is a WIP Garindan figure I'm working on. The construction and paint is about done, I may re work the head and add another coat of paint. What makes him Garindan other than his snoot is his iconic robe, which I will be receiving from Richor409 of course it takes several weeks, but I'm in no hurry. I wanted this guy finished for when the Bandai sandtroopers come out. So he can tell them where to find the droids they're looking for.
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Your really killing these 6" figures mate awesome work so far.
Ron
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Your really killing these 6" figures mate awesome work so far.
Ron
Thanks, Ron!! I just realized his snoot is too long , but its an easy fix. That's what I get for doing things from memory. :P
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Geez. ::) Alright this is the corrected Garindan figure. I don't know why I didn't reference him. He looked off, but i assumed it was the absence of the robe. I can be a goof sometimes. LOL. I may alter it further , but mostly just need to wait for the robe. I'll make a little dio for him when the Bandai sandtroopers come out. I have a feeling that if I want an OT figure I'll have to make him myself. I'm not holding my breath for Hasbro to come out with guys like this.
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Yep, probably right. I don't see them making this one anytime soon. I can't wait to see it with a robe.
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Yep, probably right. I don't see them making this one anytime soon. I can't wait to see it with a robe.
To bad it takes so long to get anything from Asia. I'm still waiting for Bandai TIE fighters to come in. Without the robe Garindan looks incomplete, but I'll just have to wait. I guess I'll let folks know the recipe. Jedi Luke body, Tie pilot arms, WWRP head with Milliput snout and stormtrooper Luke commlink. Still trying to figure out the gun, but he really doesn't need one.
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Do you have a certain Asian Seller you get your Bandai Kits from? Gonna have to have that at-at.
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Do you have a certain Asian Seller you get your Bandai Kits from? Gonna have to have that at-at.
I don't have anyone in particular. I usually use amazon or any reputable seller on eBay. BBTS has bandai models. I go with Amazon. They use Japanese sellers who are pretty good, sometimes they're available on amazon prime.
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Thanks for the info, I will give amazon a look see.
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I got the robe for 6" Garindan. Looks more complete. He's not exactly screen accurate, but recognizable.
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My comments are on the front page.
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Overall very recognizable l, great color!! Nice robe, keep up the good work!
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My comments are on the front page.
Thank you for the FP spot. Sort of disappointed in Hasbro's direction for the 6" line Rebels is cool and all but I just think 6" BS should be reserved for movie characters. SDCC only featured one OT figure and it was yet another Luke. That would make #6. Like I always say if Hasbro made everything perfect we'd be out of a hobby.
Overall very recognizable l, great color!! Nice robe, keep up the good work!
Thanks for the comment Stan!
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JDeck - really great work over the past couple of months (I've been out of the loop). I think your gonk droid is really masterful. Keep up the amazing work.
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JDeck - really great work over the past couple of months (I've been out of the loop). I think your gonk droid is really masterful. Keep up the amazing work.
Thanks Starchaser! I had fun building that GONK, very simple construction that just happened to work, I wish all my ideas worked that well.
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For some reason I bought a bunch of sa ewok figures. I dunno, I kind of like the little buggers. But I made a couple customs. One is the pipe smoking one, the other is a background character I always thought looked cool. I might do a cool little ewok village dio/figure display, for all my furballs.
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Your Ewoks looks great. Gotta have a big tribe!
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Love em mate, great work.
Ron
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I like em. I need to get some for my Twisted Trees Dio I got a few years ago, off to share.
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Your Ewoks looks great. Gotta have a big tribe!
Thanks buddy!! I never knew Hasbro made so many ewoks. I have a bunch but still not all of them.
Love em mate, great work.
Ron
Thanks Ron I had to get back used to 3.75" scale. Then these guys are smaller yet. The pipe smoker was my first, i had a little trouble with the paint apps. Then the "skullhead" I like the way the sculpt came out on the skull.
I like em. I need to get some for my Twisted Trees Dio I got a few years ago, off to share.
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Thanks for the comments and the FP treatment! I'm going on my second year of customizing, I really learned a lot on this forum. Thanks for all the sweat and tears you put in to this it means a lot to everybody.
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Nice guys. I find ewoks really difficult for the simple reason , without reference shots, they end up looking the same. Love the pipe.
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I kinda like the little buggers too, and I like these too.
Over at JTA, we call it Furball Fever.
Yup Nub buddy.
BTW
I have more than 250 pics in my Ewok board on Pinterest, but I'm sure I don't have one with the skull on his head.
https://www.pinterest.com/sjefke59/ewoks/
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Well done on the ewoks ! Keep the little furball's coming !
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Nice guys. I find ewoks really difficult for the simple reason , without reference shots, they end up looking the same. Love the pipe.
Yeah I hear ya! To Hasbro's credit. They use 3 body styles Wicket, graak, and logray. Logray is nice because you get the added elbow articulation, but his body is bigger than the Graak and even smaller Wicket. I just have a tough time painting fur, especially on the ewoks.
I kinda like the little buggers too, and I like these too.
Over at JTA, we call it Furball Fever.
Yup Nub buddy.
BTW
I have more than 250 pics in my Ewok board on Pinterest, but I'm sure I don't have one with the skull on his head.
https://www.pinterest.com/sjefke59/ewoks/
Thanks bud! You do have a couple great pictures of "Skullhead" I wish I'd seen that before, but great reference for future furballs.
YUB NUB!!
Well done on the ewoks ! Keep the little furball's coming !
Thanks a bunch Jedi! Your ewoks were a big inspiration.
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I started work on my ewok village. Im starting obviously with the trees. Since it'll be a relatively small display piece I made the trees a little bit different from Diorama Workshop, but his way would work too, I'm just using what I have readily available.
First I took some toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and a postal tube I got a while ago, I figured I'd use it somehow. With those I constructed the inner frame of the tree. Then I filled the gaps with aluminium foil and gave it a natural uneven look. After that I gave it several layers of paper mache using construction paper torn in long irregular strips. Then spray painted it. On the right is the final product, middle the aluminium foil tree meat and on the left is the paper towel tube frame. I'll get into the specifics of the bark later.
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Well done on the ewoks ! Keep the little furball's coming !
Thanks a bunch Jedi! Your ewoks were a big inspiration.
[/quote]
Thank you JDeck i love the head piece on the One ewok and moer accurate then my version what did you use to make it ?
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Well done on the ewoks ! Keep the little furball's coming !
Thanks a bunch Jedi! Your ewoks were a big inspiration.
Thank you JDeck i love the head piece on the One ewok and moer accurate then my version what did you use to make it ?
[/quote]
The skull I sculpted with the epoxy clay Milliput. Then I just used random things for sculpting tools. Then I just gave it a few strokes of off white. It turned out much better than I thought it would, I lucked out.
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I made the second tree. It turned out alright. Basically after I covered the tree paper towel tube frame with foil, I taped paper towels covering the surface. You need to do that because the paper mache will not stick to the bare foil. Then I saturated the paper towels in the white glue/water mixture. Then I applied the construction paper in strips about an inch long soaked in glue/water mixture. When it was mostly dry I just pulled a few strips off, to look like bark was shedding. Then I spray painted it. Unfortunately gloss brown was all I could find but I gave it a flat brown wash. It was a noble experiment with mixed results, not exactly what I wanted but the Ewok huts will cover most of it anyway.
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The trees are looking good mate, this is going to be one great diorama/display when done.
Ron
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This looks like so much fun. Off to share.
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The trees are looking good mate, this is going to be one great diorama/display when done.
Ron
Thanks Ron! I just have one more tree to make, then I can start the treehouse floors.
This looks like so much fun. Off to share.
Many thanks! It is pretty fun I enjoy making natural things because it doesn't have to be very precise, the less perfect the better. I just find it a little ironic to make trees out of recycled paper, circle of life kind of thing.
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I've been stupid busy lately, I haven't been able to work on my dioramas much these few weeks, but I started a quick little WW2 Stormtrooper project. I'm a self proclaimed ww2 buff so I like doing these crossovers. A few months ago I was able to get some WWRP accessories fairly cheap so that's what I used for the helmet. The decals are leftovers from old ww2 model projects. The stormy is the Hasbro 6", I think it works well for this project because he has that lanky skeletal look. Also the soft vinyl plastic helmet was easy to cut.
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Wow, I like that a good bit. Evil looking. Good to see you check in and off to share.
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Wow, I like that a good bit. Evil looking. Good to see you check in and off to share.
Thanks for the FP exposure Tamer. I've been wanting to find a purpose for my Hasbro stormtroopers since I've been going with bandai. Last night for some reason I just started cutting the helmet up. Its too bad the WWR figures are so expensive, but I did find a guy that makes resin 1/12 German helmets, so I'll try that out. I can see doing a WW2 Kylo Ren or Stalingrad snowtrooper.
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That post got almost 5,000 hits on our Facebook Page JDeck. I think they like it!
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Love the SW/WW2 cross over well done indeed.
Ron
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If anyone was wondering how the Ewok dio is coming, well I decided to change directions. Seeing how I have over 25 Ewoks and counting, I would have to build quite a large Tree village to display them. So I'm making an Endor Forest display, that I'll be working on the next few weeks.
I enjoy making forest dioramas, and I pride myself in my homemade soil "recipes". I use spent coffee grounds as my base. Then i added dried parsley flakes. The soil in most temperate coniferous forests, like Endor ( Central Pacific coastal forest), is reddish in color, so I used a combination of chili powder and cinnamon. You can also throw some tea leaves from teabags, for some dead leaves. It sounds really crazy, but whatever works. People actually spend a lot of money on just a small container of pre mixed dio soil. I made a bunch for pennies. The dio will be overall 2.5 square feet of ground cover, so I think I might have enough. 0//
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Looks like a great soil recipe to me. Off to share.
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Looks like a great soil recipe to me. Off to share.
Thanks Tamer! My methods are a bit unorthodox but they work sometimes.
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I started making some forest litter to be spread over the dirt I made yesterday. Its made of mostly found materials, dried moss, twigs, leaves, bark and pebbles. Along with parsley flakes, and tea leaves. I think ill need quite a bit more.
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I like where this is going JD and with that background and your dio this is going to be great.
Ron
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wow, that looks good too. Off to share again!
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I like where this is going JD and with that background and your dio this is going to be great.
Ron
Thanks Ron! Im trying to figure out a backdrop for it. What I'm doing is a diorama within a bookcase shelf. Make the whole shelf a diorama. Meybe I'll either print out a photo or just paint it, or buy a poster.
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wow, that looks good too. Off to share again!
Thanks Tamer! Yeah using natural products is the best, especially in this scale, it would work great for 6" too. I actually found a redwood today and grabbed up some fallen branches, so I'll add that to my mix as well.
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This is my first attempt at a small lanky fir tree, for my Endor dio. First i took a dowel rod and carved it into a spear. Then I took a wire brush to it, to carve the bark. I cut some lengths of wire, longer on the bottom smaller at the top, and twisted them around the trunk. Then painted it brown followed by a black dry brush. Afterwards I applied some clump foliage to the wire armatures. Finally sprinkled static grass over the clump foliage, to give it the pine needle look. This is a good concept, I just need more practice. Ill definitely get practice, as I need a bunch of these.
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Wow, pretty sweet for your first attempt.
Off to share. I can't wait to see all this put together.
Thanks for taking the time to document your process and share your recipes.
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Wow, pretty sweet for your first attempt.
Off to share. I can't wait to see all this put together.
Thanks for taking the time to document your process and share your recipes.
Thanks Tamer! Pleasure is all mine. Every once in a while someone asks, how do you make a diorama. And I never know what to say, because there's infinite ways to build one. It just comes to which way works for the individual, based on experience and comfort level. I figure I'd show folks how I like to do things, meybe it'll spark an idea of their own.
As for the trees, these, really are cool. You can buy commercially availible armatures, but they're cookie cutter trees, in other words, theyre all the same. And they're made for 1/86 scale, so they don't always work in 1/18 or 1/12. With these you can make different trunk diameters, or heights. You can make the branches any way you want. High, low, long, short, whatever. So, yeah it was a worth while experiment. Now I can put it into assembly line type production.
Man I just came up with a great idea to make a big hollow tree.
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This is my first attempt, or the beginning of a larger coniferous tree. For now ignore the limbs. The trunk I'm using a 1 inch diameter dowel rod. If you notice the texture on the bark, I achieved that by basically carving it with a serrated knife. Afterwards I gave it a good going over with a wire brush. Im not making the entire tree, just the bottom half.
The limbs are some kind of preserved and dyed plant, similar to a Norfolk Island pine. I drilled some holes around the trunk and started jamming them in, just to see how it looks. I think I'll try a different approach. Possibly using small dowels for branches and glue the limbs to that. I dunno, I still need to drill more holes and paint the trunk.
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The small tree looks great but I have to say that I am really looking forward to seeing how the larger tree turns out.
Ron
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Great start to the larger tree. Time for a front page update methinks.
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The small tree looks great but I have to say that I am really looking forward to seeing how the larger tree turns out.
Ron
Thanks Ron! Yeah the small trees are just filler, these larger ones will direct more attention. I worked on the one more today, its more or less finished. I used a whole package of those branches, and I only did one side, but thats all you'll see anyway.
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Great start to the larger tree. Time for a front page update methinks.
Thanks Tamer! This project is going to take much longer than I thought. Once I get all the trees finished, the groundwork should be easy. I want to depict them doing Ewok stuff, hunting, trapping, hang gliding, gathering, ect. I hope I have room for the catapult too. I may do some smaller separate dioramas, if I cant get it all in one. Or I could just change up the diorama every once in a while, the figures won't be fixed.
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Yeah I see where you are going with the tree's and the first one looks excellent.
Ron
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Looks fun to me. Off to share the latest.
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Yeah I see where you are going with the tree's and the first one looks excellent.
Ron
Thanks Ron! Yeah man I have several different diameter dowels, and many different types of foliage. Some I got from joefix, some from a more local manufacturer. I think it's more realistic to have a broad range of biodiversity, and trees of different heights.
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Looks fun to me. Off to share the latest.
Thanks Tamer! Yeah it is a lot of fun the potential for dioramas are great. Im going to try and knock out all these trees. Im going into super tree manufacturing mode, now that I have some basic concepts. Ill start seeing trees in my sleep.
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I am really liking how this is coming together ! keep the updates coming !
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JDeck, this is looking great so far. Thanks for the updates showing your process as well as the progress. I love the ideas you have shared about ways to do ground cover - those are really helpful. I look forward to seeing more of your work on this project.
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I am really liking how this is coming together ! keep the updates coming !
Thanks mr.jedi! Will do.
JDeck, this is looking great so far. Thanks for the updates showing your process as well as the progress. I love the ideas you have shared about ways to do ground cover - those are really helpful. I look forward to seeing more of your work on this project.
Thanks Starchaser! I hope this will be helpful to someone looking to learn basics.
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Here is another type of tree you can make. I took a dowel rod and carved it into a spear. Then I spray painted it using rust-oleum camo brown. I like that because it dries very flat in color, no gloss at all. Then I drilled tiny holes with a finger drill. Then I took some preserved/dyed seamoss dipped the ends in woodglue and stuck them in the holes. They are taking me about an hour each to make, it's going to be a long day. I want to get all the trees and some bushes done before I start on the terrain.
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I like the looks of these new ones too. Off to share the latest.
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Wow, these trees look very similar to the original ones in the Redwoods/Endor! I am amazed by the detail and how great they fill up the background! Thanks for all the details and pictures! I didn't know "J. Peddinghaus Zinnfiguren" before and just found out that it's actually a German brand! :)
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wow looking really good i too agree the detail is really good !
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I like the looks of these new ones too. Off to share the latest.
Thanks Tamer! Soon I will start the terrain, that's when it will really take shape.
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Wow, these trees look very similar to the original ones in the Redwoods/Endor! I am amazed by the detail and how great they fill up the background! Thanks for all the details and pictures! I didn't know "J. Peddinghaus Zinnfiguren" before and just found out that it's actually a German brand! :)
Thank you Legion! Yeah J. Peddinghaus Zinnfiguren has great products, I assumed it was a central European company, but a local distributor close to my area sells them on ebay. Germany and Australia make the best diorama supplies. Here in the U.S we just have model train products, not ideal for this scale.
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wow looking really good i too agree the detail is really good !
Thank you Mr. Jedi! Tree making used to be very intimidating to me, but it really is simple.
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It sure does look like you have the forest now. Such cool trees!
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Forest looks great! I wonder how a wire wheel on a drill would do for rapid bark texturing? Eye protection a must.
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It sure does look like you have the forest now. Such cool trees!
Thanks Tamer! I think ill make a simple background using poster board spray paint and tree limbs. To fill the gaps.
Forest looks great! I wonder how a wire wheel on a drill would do for rapid bark texturing? Eye protection a must.
Thanks Jaeger! Ill have to try that out, I have a wire wheel attachment for my dremel, and I need one more big tree.
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Here is how I'm making the backdrop for my Endor diorama. I'm using my redneck engineering camouflage technique. What you need are poster board, dark green, light green, brown and tan/white spray paints. You will also need sticks/dowel rods, tree branches and or artificial plants.
First I spray painted the poster board brown, after that was dry I placed the dowels and sticks vertically to simulate trees. Then I sprayed it all light green. After that was dry I used various plant limbs and artificial pine branches as stencils and painted over them in tan. Afterwards I sprayed a few places, like the top and bottom dark green, using the artificial pine as a mask. Then remove the sticks/dowels. Thats it, easy backdrop.
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This is the end result more or less, I just tacked it in place temporarily. Not bad, better than all black, or whatever. What you want to do is round off the corners, if its a straight angle it doesn't look as convincing. Im making the backdrop first so I can just slide in the landscape, when Im finished with it.
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That is a excellent idea JD and it looks awesome.
Ron
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That is a excellent idea JD and it looks awesome.
Ron
Thanks Ron! A few days ago I saw the shadows of the trees cast on the back of the shelf and remembered how we used to make camouflage, and gave it a try. Originally I was going to use a terrarium background or a poster, but they didnt look like Endor.
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That looks great--interesting technique!
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What a cool backdrop. I like it! Off to share.
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I never saw something like this before! I thought of printing a background for my next dio, but your idea is just brilliant for Endor! It looks so real. It's amazing what you can do with spray-paint!
This Endor diorama is getting more and more shape! It looks great already! And I am amazed how hard and quickly you work on it! You make much progress in just a bit of time.
Thanks for all the insight!
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That looks great--interesting technique!
Thanks Jaeger! You can also make a night version, by spraying blue over black. As well as the Starkiller base forest, and Dagobah, using different trees and colors.
What a cool backdrop. I like it! Off to share.
Thanks Tamer! I should have this all complete in a week or so, and I almost have all the modern era ewok figures exept for Kaink, from the Star Wars Tours set, but I was able to get Teek. This is a really fun project, and it's great to have some encouragement as well.
I never saw something like this before! I thought of printing a background for my next dio, but your idea is just brilliant for Endor! It looks so real. It's amazing what you can do with spray-paint!
This Endor diorama is getting more and more shape! It looks great already! And I am amazed how hard and quickly you work on it! You make much progress in just a bit of time.
Thanks for all the insight!
Thanks Legion! I have a lot of fun building this dio. Sometimes I get an idea while Im at work, and try it out as soon as I get home. There are a lot of cool things you can do with an Endor diorama.
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OUTSTANDING!!!!!! What a really cool idea , and the effect is great ! Take a bow my friend!
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OUTSTANDING!!!!!! What a really cool idea , and the effect is great ! Take a bow my friend!
Thank you Mr. Jedi. I try to find unconventional ways of doing things, it makes things interesting, and I may come up with a good idea.
I got this CollectA Daeodon figurine. A Daeodon is a prehistoric half boar half wolf, found in North America. The figurine is in 1/20 scale, so it's close enogh to 3.75". He's pretty freggin big. The details are very nice, from the teeth to the fur. Everything is very well done no noticeable cast marks. It isn't cheap, $20 or so, but I thought it was cool. I got it becase it looks like something the Ewoks would hunt on Endor. I thought it would make a cool alternate scene for my diorama.
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This is how I like to make large terrains. First I like to use blue insulation foam, its lightweight, thick and sturdy. I made my base with insulation foam, and added some steps one on either side. That gives it some variation and it will allow me to have seperate mini scenes within the display. I blended the steps by taping wadded paper in the seams. After it had the general look I wanted I placed plaster cloth over the entire terrain. This will blend everything together seamlessly, and it has a cool effect. Then I placed my trees, and attached them with woodglue.
Once it is all dry I will paint the entire terrain brown.
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The Forest moon Ewok display diorama shelf is just about finished. The first thing I did, I mixed my dirt with glue and water to create a paste. I applied that around the tree trunks, to give it a rootball look. Then I sprayed the terrain with spray adhesive and sprinkled my dry dirt, then the forest litter. After that I made some small bushes and plants, using different mosses and dried plants. Thats about it, with all the prep work I did it didn't take long at all.
The next step is to address the lighting. What I'm going to do is get some small warm white LED under counter lights, attach them under the top of the shelf. Then take some artificial cedar garland and make a forest canopy. That way the light will be filtered, and create realistic shadows. That's the plan anyway.
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Very Impressive indeed JD and the back drop really makes it as well it gives it depth.
Ron
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Very Impressive indeed JD and the back drop really makes it as well it gives it depth.
Ron
Thanks Ron! I guess I'll be making Endor dios for a while, I have a ton of leftover materials.
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It is really coming along. Nice. Off to share.
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Man that is really an awesome effect i like this very much ! well done indeed !
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It is really coming along. Nice. Off to share.
Many thanks Tamer.
Man that is really an awesome effect i like this very much ! well done indeed !
Thank you Mr Jedi!
I added some lighting. I attached 8 warm white LED undercounter lights to the top of the shelf. If you use regular cool white LEDS it might look like disco Ewoks. Then I taped some deer fence, sort of a plastic chicken wire, over the lights. Then I stuck some artificial cedar branches throgh the holes. That's it. I think it looks much better, it's not as drab and gloomy. I've been wanting to build an in shelf fully light diorama for a long time.
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Mate that lighting looks awesome it actually looks like sunlight beaming thru.
Ron
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Your diorama turned out great! I love the idea of an Ewok hunt.
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What a great display. I love how you did the lighting. Great work and off to share again.
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Mate that lighting looks awesome it actually looks like sunlight beaming thru.
Ron
Thank you! Originally I was going to use Christmas lights, but I didn't think they were strong enough to crate a beam. It would be just a glow.
Your diorama turned out great! I love the idea of an Ewok hunt.
Thanks Jaeger! I like the hunt scene too, but it's a little crowded with all my Ewoks. I'd just use a handful of them to make the scene. I have a bunch of ideas for scenes, that I'll change up from time to time.
What a great display. I love how you did the lighting. Great work and off to share again.
Many thanks again Tamer! I'm pleased with it. A while back I swore off dioramas for good, because of the cost and mess. But I can't stay away for too long. I might make a Hoth Scene for my next shelf display diorama thing.
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Here is a sneak preview of my next project. I bought a 1996 AMT battle of Hoth action scene model kit. Its a direct repack of the 1981 MPC battle on ice planet Hoth snapfit kit. It comes with a diorama base, 2 AT-ATs in walking positions, 1 AT-AT in a destroyed position. 1 AT-ST, 3 Snowspeeders, 3 rebel turret cannons, 2 rebel dish type cannons, 1 X-Wing and several Rebel soldiers, along with several snowtroopers. The kit is basically 1/150 scale, but its all over the map. Thats why I never got this kit before. Until I realized no other manufacturer will ever make these models anywhere near the same scale.
GAME PLAN
I'm going to make another shelf diorama, similar to the Endor one, but a different scale. First I'll toss the base, it's just a piece of vac form plastic. I plan to make my own, out of insulation foam board. Which means I'll have to scratch build a power generator, nothing fancy, I think a chewed up piece of gum would be an improvement to the one in the kit.
The AT-ATs have some issues, but they aren't bad. I will need to putty them because the seam line is very noticeable, when assembled. The only tough part will be individually painting all the Rebel soldiers. I'm not going to use the snowtroopers, they weren't deployed until after the generator was destroyed. I might look into a second kit, that way I'll have 3 walking AT-ATs. Its Tuesday, so I might start tonight or tomorrow. I've been collecting parts for the generator, so Ill feature that soon, when I start assembling it.
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I forgot how cool this kit is, thanks for the pics and I look forward to seeing your dio.
Ron
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My comments are on the front pages. Looking forward to seeing this unfold.
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I forgot how cool this kit is, thanks for the pics and I look forward to seeing your dio.
Ron
Thanks Ron! It is pretty cool, to have all these items in a close enough scale. Using one or two kits you can make a really cool scene.
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My comments are on the front pages. Looking forward to seeing this unfold.
Thanks Tamer! For being a 35 year old kit, it has a lot of potential.
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I started making the power generator today. I used 4 Icebreakers mints containers, 8 condiment containers with lids, styrene strips and a plastic tube. The good thing is my breath will be minty fresh for the next several days, the bad thing is I don't know if I'll use it in my diorama. The generator was quite a distance from the battlefield. The entire diorama will be at most 2.5 feet, so in 1/150 scale its about 114 meters. Well within point blank firing range of an AT-AT. :( It'll be one of those last minuet decisions, we'll see. It depends how I want to do it. If the scene is at the end of the battle, that might work.
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Looks pretty spot on realistic to me. I can picture you eating a ton of mints right now. LOL.
Kind of a shame if you can't use it, but that just means you can make another diorama with rebel troops protecting it in trenches or some such thing. Off to share!
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Looks pretty spot on realistic to me. I can picture you eating a ton of mints right now. LOL.
Kind of a shame if you can't use it, but that just means you can make another diorama with rebel troops protecting it in trenches or some such thing. Off to share!
Thanks Tamer! Yeah I put all those mints in a sandwich bag, its a little suspicious looking. LOL.
I've been watching the rebel retreat scene over and over, it does seem to be in close proximity. It could be the AT-AT had to move into point blank range to penetrate the generator's armor, because it does seem they fired at it once or twice earlier, and nothing happened. Either way I think i will build a rebel retreat dio, that'll be cool, with a bunch of explosions and stuff like that.
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Hey JD mate those generators looks excellent I can't wait to see more.
Ron
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Hey JD mate those generators looks excellent I can't wait to see more.
Ron
Thanks bud! I'm starting to get some pretty cool ideas for this dio. Until then theres those pesky details like putting the models together and painting them. It'll definitely look like a war zone when it's done. In a good way.
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Hey JD mate those generators looks excellent I can't wait to see more.
Ron
Thanks bud! I'm starting to get some pretty cool ideas for this dio. Until then theres those pesky details like putting the models together and painting them. It'll definitely look like a war zone when it's done. In a good way.
I can't wait mate and that's one reason I have been enjoying the Bandai 1/144 kits you can make a great dio's with them and still have space for other projects.
Ron
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Hey JD mate those generators looks excellent I can't wait to see more.
Ron
Thanks bud! I'm starting to get some pretty cool ideas for this dio. Until then theres those pesky details like putting the models together and painting them. It'll definitely look like a war zone when it's done. In a good way.
I can't wait mate and that's one reason I have been enjoying the Bandai 1/144 kits you can make a great dio's with them and still have space for other projects.
Ron
Yeah I hope they continue making the 1/144. Most of them are TFA though. Don't get me wrong I like TFA, but from a collecting/customizing standpoint it's OT or nothin. They have Slave I, X-Wing and Y-wing. A trench run using the A-wing DS cannon would be cool. I dont think they'll make an OT Falcon in 1/144, unfortunately.
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Yeah, I think you could argue it either way you want to approach it. It is hard to exactly pinpoint in TESB.
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Yeah, I think you could argue it either way you want to approach it. It is hard to exactly pinpoint in TESB.
Yeah OT Star Wars has some inconsistencies in scale and distances, but it's still amazing how they did it all. I think I will use the Generators, even though it isn't at an exact proportionate distance. Each generator holds a 9v battery perfectly inside. Which is advantageous since I plan to add some LED effects. Everything is on ice right now waiting for lighting materials.
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Lighting sounds great. I can't wait to see how you light em up!
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Lighting sounds great. I can't wait to see how you light em up!
I have a few ideas for lighting effects. Here is a taste of what I'm cooking up. I would like to have the laser "float", but this, I think is the best I can get. I used a .03" fiber optic, a 3mm red LED with a shrink tube connection. At first I used a 1/16" acrylic rod, but it was too wide for this scale. It's still in the experimental stage. I melted the tip of the fiber optic with a lighter, and painted the base of the optic with clear smoke, so it isn't a steady laser beam. I think it has the general look I wanted. I enjoy doing things like this, it involves a lot of problem solving.
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Now that looks fantastic! Very good. Off to share with thew world.
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Now that looks fantastic! Very good. Off to share with thew world.
Many thanks Tamer! Initially I wanted to use the lasers that are included in the Bandai kits, but they were too dark.
Here is the beginning stage of the landscape. I'm just using a bluefoam base with taped newspaper to create the basic topography. Sort of a model train technique. I still need to build up the generator side a little higher. I'll add more ground effects with plaster cloth, spackle and so forth. I still need to make a background too. Buncha stuff to do. Im hoping to get this done by new years.
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Looking great to me. off to share again!
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Looking great to me. off to share again!
Many thanks again Tamer! Yup its coming along.
Here is another example of some of the lighting effects I'll use. The lights are a fire kit from Evan's designs http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/fire-led.html. it really is great. Yes you could use the flicker tea lights, they're certainly a cheaper route. I like the fire kit because it's brighter and the flash is much more dramatic. Its all pre wired, you just select the bulb size (I used 1.8mm), voltage (9v) and wire length (14", better to have too long than too short.). You still have to buy the battery holder and switch. It's basically 1 solid orange bulb, 1 flashing red, 1 flashing yellow. The flash rates are at different speeds, and the effect is really cool. If you want a big flame you can use multiple kits, or supliment it with red, yellow or orange lights.
For the smoke i just fluffed up some cotton, and sprayed it flat black. Sometimes less is more, so just spray little squirts at a time. I still need to practice, by the time this is done I'll be an expert.
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Sweet effect. Off to share.
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Wow!
Really cool.
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Damn awesome work JD, I'm really enjoying the WIP pics and I'm really looking forward to seeing the completed dio.
Ron
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The smaller the scale is the more opportunities there are to go BIG! This is a great Hoth dio! And the light effect looks phenomenal! It does look like a real explosion which is in my opinion one of the hardest things to portray in model building. Amazing job on this one!
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Sweet effect. Off to share.
Thanks again Tamer! Yeah ive seen his tutorials videos he did back when I was building ww2 dios, they helped a lot with making explosions. Even though it's much smaller it's still the same concept.
Wow!
Really cool.
Thanks Sjefke! I still need practice, but its not difficult.
Damn awesome work JD, I'm really enjoying the WIP pics and I'm really looking forward to seeing the completed dio.
Ron
Thanks Ron! I was hoping to get this done soon, but last week was hectic.
The smaller the scale is the more opportunities there are to go BIG! This is a great Hoth dio! And the light effect looks phenomenal! It does look like a real explosion which is in my opinion one of the hardest things to portray in model building. Amazing job on this one!
Thanks Legion! I like working with small scale, you can build a huge dio without taking up real estate. It's actually easier to build small as opposed to 3.75 or 6, not as many minor details.
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Alright I finally got back on this dio. Corporate was nice enough to give me an extra day off, however I had to do more work in less time. so I ended up sleeping on my extra day, instead of working on my dio. Plus it's been raining on my days off lately.
The weather was great today, so I decided to plaster my dio. Of course I ran out of plaster cloth half way through , so I used a plaster mix and paper towels. It worked just as well as the plaster cloth. So I'll use that from now on, its just more messy. I also did addition sculpting using sculpting plaster, but I don't like using that stuff. It's like some kind of a pulpy mashed potato gloop. Next Ill run my wires, tape over the wires and then add my final ground effects.
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Looks awesome JD.
Ron
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Looking pretty sweet still to me. Off to share the latest.
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Been off the board for about six weeks and just saw this JDeck. This is shaping up to be beautiful. The explosion looks amazingly real. Fantastic work.
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Thanks guys for the great feedback. Im going to wait until the Bandai AT-AT releases along with the Snowspeeders. It'll be 1/144 instead of 1/150, overall It will look better.
In the meantime I've been on a GI JOE kick lately. I like GI joe because theres certain things I can do with them i cant with Star Wars, so its a good balance.
I started on a Storm Shadow Arashikage mountain temple diorama. Im almost finished, just need finishing touches.
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Looks great. Ultra realistic. Off to share.
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Looks great. Ultra realistic. Off to share.
Thanks Tamer! I've gotten out of practice on terrains in 1/18. Stepping stones.
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I'd say this one is done. I gave it a little more snow, and added the repainted foo dogs. I think it's a neat little piece.
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
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Wow, that is very nice JDeck. Classic scene. Wonderful execution. Off to share the finale.
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
Thanks Ron!
Wow, that is very nice JDeck. Classic scene. Wonderful execution. Off to share the finale.
Domo arigato, Mr. Tamer-o. I have a couple more Joe projects, then its back to SW.
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I know our bread and butter here is SW Customs, but I sure do like seeing other genres and environments too. Joe being right up there too. I can't wait to see if someone does some King Kong stuff or Logan stuff too.
Spread the word Yarders we like customs of any genre here at ISY.
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Yeah this site is perfect for me. I dabbled in other forums, but they were a little too specific. I like to build all sorts of stuff, dios, figures, models, Joe stuff. This is a very versatile forum. And Tamer, you do a great job of putting it all together.
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Aw shucks, thanks though JDeck. I appreciate the comments. I just enjoy seeing what new projects the folks here get into. I am always amazed. It gets me through my week, especially when I have rough ones like last week!
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I just started my Jabba's throne room display. I'm building it in a bookshelf, so it's more of a stage seeing everything will be on one side facing out. I have most of the flooring rough cut, and I started on the main archway over Jabba's throne. A good trick when mocking up foam walls is to use scewers cut short, stick em under the wall section pointy end out, place it, and jam it into the floor. Helps hold when gluing too, in addition to clamps. Well, that's what I do anyway.
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Damn this is looking great already JD.
Ron
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Looks good on the front page.
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I've started a JP 3 times. Finished 0. Have parts. Some that end up in other works. :D
In the meantime until I start number 4 (which will probably fail too.) >:(
I like to watch other peoples success. This is looking very good so far. Keep up the good Work. ;D
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Damn this is looking great already JD.
Ron
Thanks Ron! A big thing is the lighting, as you know. Thats why I like these in shelf dios. I can manipulate the lighting, almost like a movie set.
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Looks good on the front page.
Thanks Tamer! Yeah it's looking pretty cool so far. Just need to build a few more wall sections and some stairs.
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I've started a JP 3 times. Finished 0. Have parts. Some that end up in other works. :D
In the meantime until I start number 4 (which will probably fail too.) >:(
I like to watch other peoples success. This is looking very good so far. Keep up the good Work. ;D
Yeah I know what you mean. I started a 6" version a couple of years ago. I ended up selling what I made, but to me it wasn't anywhere near done. This is just going to be real basic. If it comes out even slightly better than the POTF2 jabba's palace 3d diorama I'll be happy.
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I did a little more work on my Jabba's throne room display this weekend. I got a few walls fabbed up, I built the stairs on either side of Jabba's dais, and I got the inside of the main arch covered. Granted its all held together with toothpicks essentially, so its a little wonky. I used foamcore for the inside of the archway. I had to strip off the paper, because it will fold instead of bend with the paper. So I spent most of yesterday soaking and stripping. Next I'll start finishing the flooring, including an attempt to make the floor grate.
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Wow, this is gonna be great. Off to share the latest.
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This is looking really cool man, I found steaming the paper off works wonders if you have wallpaper steamer or something similar.
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Wow, this is gonna be great. Off to share the latest.
Thank you Tamer, it's coming along. Once it all gets a coat of stucco it'll really take shape.
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This is looking really cool man, I found steaming the paper off works wonders if you have wallpaper steamer or something similar.
Thanks Panther. Steaming is a good idea, it would loosen the glue pretty good. I don't have any device, and I dont want to take too many chances, this foam melts like butter. At one time I could get paperless foam at Dollar tree, but they stopped selling it.
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Looking impressive JD.
Ron
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This is looking really good ! Cant wait to see more updates and finished pictures !
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Looking impressive JD.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Yeah I have to take a lot liberties to put Jabba's entire palace into a 23"×11" shelf. I would have loved to do a whole dio, but I don't have the space.
This is looking really good ! Cant wait to see more updates and finished pictures !
Thanks Mr Jedi! I find the more work I do, the more I realize I still need to do. It might be a while before it's finished.
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This is gonna be a masterpiece.
I can't wait to see the finished dio.
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Looking impressive JD.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Yeah I have to take a lot liberties to put Jabba's entire palace into a 23"×11" shelf. I would have loved to do a whole dio, but I don't have the space.
This is looking really good ! Cant wait to see more updates and finished pictures !
Thanks Mr Jedi! I find the more work I do, the more I realize I still need to do. It might be a while before it's finished.
Thats quite ok my friend you cant rush perfection lol !
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What a great idea! You divided the space of your shelf for the diorama very well! This is coming along great!
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This is gonna be a masterpiece.
I can't wait to see the finished dio.
Thank you Fala! I don't know about a masterpiece. Lol. But it should be pretty neat. Still much more work to do.
What a great idea! You divided the space of your shelf for the diorama very well! This is coming along great!
Thank you legion! I had to take artistic liberties. Max and the band go on the opposite side facing Jabba, but that would be impossible. The final stages will be real slow going.
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I have just a very minor update, more of a gameplan. I'd like to show folks how easy it is to do this. Easy but time consuming.. I started working on the flooring. I made the floor grate, it's not screen accurate, but it's more of the Kenner style. I just cut .03 styrene to shape drilled holes and used a small file to shape the holes.
Also I put the first coat of lightweight spackle on the floor. The reason I do this is; 1) it fills gaps, seams and smooths out inconsistencies. 2) it creates a stone, concrete or stucco texture. 3) I like to use Woodland Scenics earth color watercolors and they work perfectly with plaster or plaster like products.
I will probably apply 3-4 coats, sanding between coats. I've done this several times before, and I find the more coats the better. As you can see on the Star Wars WW2 bunker I made on the very 1st post on pg.1. It's just time consuming, but I have plenty of time. I have to do the same with the wall sections, then fill the seams after the wall sections are assembled. So it's a process.
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Sounds and looks good to me. Off to share.
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Sounds and looks good to me. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer! Right now it looks like a really sad birthday cake, but it's supposed to at this point. Meybe I made it too thick, but any mistake at this point can easily be rectified. Just thin coats until you can't see blue anymore.
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LOL. I don't think it looks that sad.
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LOL. I don't think it looks that sad.
Its alright though its just the first coat. See the spackle doesn't like to stick and spread on the bare foamboard well, so you have to really glob it on. Once its sanded the other coats can be applied thinner. I sanded and applied second coat yesterday, and looks more like a concrete floor than a really sad looking cake.
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Nice, more progress. Off to share.
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Nice, more progress. Off to share.
Thanks Tamer. I think I'll give it one more sanding, and that's it, a fourth coat isn't necessary. I will probably start on the wall sections today as well. Same exact process.
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Yesterday I started spackling the main archway wall section. It was actually dry enough to sand today.
Also last night I colored the floor sections. I originally was going to wait and do everything at once, but I want the floor to be a different shade than the walls. First coat was Woodland Scenics concrete earth color watercolor. Second WS concrete and WS Raw Umber mix. Third coat WS concrete and WS burnt umber mix.This is why I'm taking the extra time to spackle everything. The seams are blended and it takes the watercolors perfectly.
Next I'll continue working on the wall sections. I do them in sections because its easier to handle in the application and sanding process.
BTW. there is a product similar to spackle made by Woodland Scenics called Foam Smooth-It. It costs twice as much but it's purpose made for foam. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't vouch for it, but it's another option.
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Wow, great progress. Look for it on the front page soon.
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Wow, great progress. Look for it on the front page soon.
Thank you Tamer! Yeah it's coming along. I should have the major construction finished by this time next week, weather permitting. Still have a lot of work to do.
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Its coming along real nice , I am really liking this !
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Fantastic work, this is going look amazing.
Ron
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Its coming along real nice , I am really liking this !
Thanks Mr.Jedi! It's coming along slowly, but I might drag it out, make it a Summer project. I'm wrestling with a few ideas, right now.
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Fantastic work, this is going look amazing.
Ron
Thank you Ron! I really like the watercolor effects, it really works well with the spackle texture.
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I started a real quick Aquaman diorama. This is pretty much the basic idea. The statue is an aquarium decoration of Poseidon. I first cut it in half, then I sanded it to make it look like it had been underwater for a couple thousand years. I started making some ruin blocks, one of which I added the Aquaman symbol to using epoxy clay. The plants are leftovers from the ones I used on my Endor display, I forgot what company it was. Im also using some tiny shells, and ground up shells, for added details. I just need to paint some things, pour the plaster/sand and suspend Aquaman in a floating position.
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I like it. It looks good on the front pages.
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This is going to look awesome. I have ordered the Icons Batman and Superman so I can do some small dio's with them. Now seeing the Icons Aquaman I'll have to get him as well.
Ron
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I like it. It looks good on the front pages.
Thank you Tamer!
I did some weathering on the Poseidon statue. I used pastel chalks. First white to create a pitted look, then different browns for dirt, or silt. Then I used a small amount of fine turf for algae, and finally a coat of WS concrete watercolor.
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This is going to look awesome. I have ordered the Icons Batman and Superman so I can do some small dio's with them. Now seeing the Icons Aquaman I'll have to get him as well.
Ron
Thank you Ron. These Icons figures are pretty nice. Im looking to get Batman myself. Im not a big Superman fan, but the Icons figure looks like it's worth getting.
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Wow, that looks like it has sat on the ocean bottom a few years. Perfect. Off to share.
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Yeah totally agree with Shawn it looks like it has been on the ocean floor for a thousand years excellent work.
I like the Icons figures as their articulation looks great so it means less work for me when I pose and glue and cover to the joints for the dios.
Ron
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Wow, that looks like it has sat on the ocean bottom a few years. Perfect. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer! Yeah briny is a good adjective for it. I'm working on the ruin stones. Had to use a different method. So they will be more like limestone, or sandstone.
Yeah totally agree with Shawn it looks like it has been on the ocean floor for a thousand years excellent work.
I like the Icons figures as their articulation looks great so it means less work for me when I pose and glue and cover to the joints for the dios.
Ron
Thank you Ron! Yeah I was really satisfied with the quality of the Icons figures. I usually dont stray from Hasbro or Bandai, after the Funko Rocketeer I bought broke while I was taking it out of the package.
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Man, I haven't been able to work on any projects in a while. First I got really sick for two weeks. Then I decided to do the Bandai reviews. The past couple of weeks I've been very distracted, a good distraction, but that's it. Anyways, I needed to get back to this Jabba display.
I worked on the wall sections, making damaged stucco effects. I painted the main archway section with WS watercolors. I had to totally rebuild the far side wall section, because it had a huge gap, that I overlooked, that is still in the process. So, you know, it's coming along.
I'll take better pictures of the details, when I pull it all apart again, just wanted a test fit.
Much to do I still have.
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These are just a few shots of the damaged sections so far. I'm thinking of backlighting a couple of them with green LEDs.
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The walls look awesome mate I really can't wait to see more.
Ron
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The walls look awesome mate I really can't wait to see more.
Ron
Thank you! I'm really going to lose myself in this project in the next coming weeks. Got to keep on running.
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Looks pretty sweet to me. Off to share.
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That's looking really cool, well done mate.
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Looking really well ! i Can relate to your story as i am in the same situation , except i moved about a month ago and finally getting settled in But i am lurking in the shadows here trying to keep up lol . I am now setting up my work area so i can get back to work . Any way keep the updates coming my friend !
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Looks pretty sweet to me. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer!
That's looking really cool, well done mate.
Thank you Panther, appreciate it bud.
Looking really well ! i Can relate to your story as i am in the same situation , except i moved about a month ago and finally getting settled in But i am lurking in the shadows here trying to keep up lol . I am now setting up my work area so i can get back to work . Any way keep the updates coming my friend !
Thank you Mr.J, yup, I should be knocking this one out soon. Can't wait to see what you build in your new workspace.
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Loving this project, looking great, keep it coming. Very authentic my friend.
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JDeck, the Jabba dio is looking excellent. I really like the realism of your paint applications. Can't wait to see more.
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Loving this project, looking great, keep it coming. Very authentic my friend.
Thank you Stan! My original expectation was to at least make it better than the POTF2 jabba's palace 3d diorama, so I think with some detailing, I can do that.
JDeck, the Jabba dio is looking excellent. I really like the realism of your paint applications. Can't wait to see more.
Thank you Starchaser! The Woodland Scenics concrete watercolor did all the work, that stuff is great. It actually looks like concrete.
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Dang man. I haven't been able to work on this very much. I've been uhhm........going insaine, yeah that pretty much sums it up. Lol. :) but uh everything is perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine, here, now, thank you. How are you? :)
So I did a little bit to the far left, as you look at it. Same procedure as the other walls. Spackle, sand repeat. Woodland scenics water colors, concrete, and a little brown. So Im going to do more details on the Han in carbonite display part. Its a bit too narrow, but WTH, its a display. You know?
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
Thank you Ron! You know, I think it's almost done. I don't know how much detail I want to put in it. Meybe some lights, perhapse. So I need to order that. Meybe a TaunTaun head taxidermy. Meh its done when its done.
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Looks great to me. Off to share.
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Looks great to me. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. This is my idea for the next project. I know, I was going to do the Battle of Hoth, but I think this would be really rad. TIE fighter, Y-wings, assault tanks, ect. It would be epic.
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Thank you Ron! You know, I think it's almost done. I don't know how much detail I want to put in it. Meybe some lights, perhapse. So I need to order that. Meybe a TaunTaun head taxidermy. Meh its done when its done.
Anytime mate and yeah you are so right a project is done when it's done, I have a few displays that I look at them and say I think I might this or add that and then leave them alone and go back to them later.
Ron
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Thank you Ron! You know, I think it's almost done. I don't know how much detail I want to put in it. Meybe some lights, perhapse. So I need to order that. Meybe a TaunTaun head taxidermy. Meh its done when its done.
Anytime mate and yeah you are so right a project is done when it's done, I have a few displays that I look at them and say I think I might this or add that and then leave them alone and go back to them later.
Ron
Honestly, none of my projects are "done". In the back of my mind I think, i could do this, or add that, or I didn't get to do everything I had intended. Sometimes, I just have to say, hey thats good enough, next project. Haha. But that is the artist mentality.
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Sounds like a great idea to me.
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I am just getting around to looking at this and i can totally relate i havent had time to work on my stuff at all lol its crazy ! but i am slowly getting there . Anyway love the palace update that is a dio i have wanted to tackle for a long time now, yours is looking fantastic ... keep the updates coming when you can
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That Jabba's throne room area is wonderfully done. I've seen dozens of customs ones over the years and this is definitely one of the better ones in my opinion.
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I agree with CHEWIE! ;) Jabba's Throne Room looks top-notch! Can't wait to see it completed with Han in carbonite! What did you out on the walls? As far as I understand your description, it's sanded screed painted with Woodland Scenics colours, right?
- Philipp
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Thank you everyone for your comments. Recently I bought the Jabba's Palace adventure set, which pretty much finished the construction of the project. I still need to add some details.
Anyway, I was fooling around with the extra TBS Han in Carbonite, and decided to try a Han in Carbonite in the thawing process. I painted it using Tamiya red and Tamiya clear orange. I couldn't find my clear red. I heated up a nail with a lighter while holding it with pliers, then I melted holes in the Carbonite block. The plastic is thicker than I thought, but it's not too bad. I was hoping for a thinner plastic, so it would glow more. Ideally, I'd like to make a clear resin cast, and paint it, but I have no experience with resin. It's a work in progress. Worst case scenario I just dremmel out the Han, add a clay indentation, for a post thawing empty Carbonite block. I need to order LEDs for the palace display anyway, so I'll order some for this. Right now I'm just using one of those little tap lights. I think I need to make the holes bigger, and more of them.
I dunno he's starting to look like Meltman from Kablaam.
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Oh yeah, works for me. Nice.
Off to share.
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JD, that's such a cool display for Jabba and all of your figures of his palace! I'm very excited to see how your Han in carbonite turns out! Have you made a mold of it before you dremeled it?
- Philipp
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JD, that's such a cool display for Jabba and all of your figures of his palace! I'm very excited to see how your Han in carbonite turns out! Have you made a mold of it before you dremeled it?
- Philipp
Thanks Philip! I still have the Han in Carbonite that came with the set unaltered. This was just a spare. I did see a resin casting kit at my hobby shop, but I don't know if I'll go that route. It would really be the best way to do it.
Oh yeah, works for me. Nice.
Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. It was a noble experiment at least. I've never seen it attempted.
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Jabba's palace looks great. I really love the experimenting you are doing to get a "thaw" in the carbonite block - very ingenious!
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Jabba's palace looks great. I really love the experimenting you are doing to get a "thaw" in the carbonite block - very ingenious!
Thank you. I think I'm going to try making a clear resin Han in Carbonite. My hobby shop has a beginner's resin set. $25 is worth a shot. I think I'll just scoop this one out, and make a post thawing block.
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I'm planning on moving soon, I'm not sure if I'm going to have a hobby room, or a home office for a tax write-off. At any rate I want to use up the diorama stuff I have, because most of it will end up in the dumpster, otherwise. I have my homemade Endor Forest-In-A-Bag™ (Ground cover) Army painter grass Tufts, fiber clusters, vines, and green fine turf, a few little bits of preserved sea plants. Also I have some palm trees, that made into ferns, by pulling off the tops, and glueing them to the bases. I repainted them, and I think they look lovely.
I am debating on whether to build a 1/18 Scout Trooper mission diorama, or a 1/48 AT-ST using a Bandai kit I haven't put together yet. Oooorrrr I can rebuild my Ewok display, bigger, better and more ewokeier. What do y'all think?
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Also I found two huge pieces of insulation foam in the dumpster at my warehouse. Bath fitters has their warehouse across from me, and sometimes they throw out some cool stuff. They're about an inch thick, twice the thickness I'm used to using, but maybe I can carve out a topography.
I'm still finding more forest stuff in my Dio box little trees that I painted, different mosses, and fiber clusters. I gotta use all this stuff up. Maybe I'll make both a 1/18 and 1/48 dioramas. I got enough stuff to build an entire forest. So if anyone is interested, I'll be showing you all how to make an endor forest using all the crap you see here.
Also I have some Desert white fine terrarium sand. Maybe I can also build a Kashyyyk diorama with all this junk. Stay tuned for Kashyyyk Jungle-In-A-Bag™.
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Heck you could even do a Scarif Dio with that stuff. Think I would still go Endor AT-ST cause you could do that as the main theme and then do a bunch of mini-scenes around it if you have more stuff; like the Biker Scouts getting whacked by Ewoks with stone axes, etc. Off to share your question. Have fun with the move, but I hope you are able to have your collection.
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Heck you could even do a Scarif Dio with that stuff. Think I would still go Endor AT-ST cause you could do that as the main theme and then do a bunch of mini-scenes around it if you have more stuff; like the Biker Scouts getting whacked by Ewoks with stone axes, etc. Off to share your question. Have fun with the move, but I hope you are able to have your collection.
I'll still keep my collection, and build figures and Bandai kits. It's just building dioramas would require a designated space. I don't absolutely need a home office, but it would be nice. And the itemized deductions would be in the thousands. Let's say your home office is 10% of your home by square footage, you can deduct not only 10% off your mortgage/rent, but also electricity and WiFi. It's a really tough decision. Either way, I don't want to carry all this stuff with me.
Absolutely, I could also do a scarif diorama with the sand I have. I have the Bandai U-wing and tie striker still. I've always wanted to do a battle of Scariff. I'll have to check out those new gaming miniatures, scout trooper and bike sets they have. I don't know if they have Ewok's, but I can use the old FFG pieces
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I think a AT-ST dio would be awesome and as Shawn said you could build around it and make smaller scenes and have the AT-ST as the main story/scene.
Ron
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I think a AT-ST dio would be awesome and as Shawn said you could build around it and make smaller scenes and have the AT-ST as the main story/scene.
Ron
Thank you. Yes I agree that would be great, and easy to move. Then it's settled. It will be an Endor diorama extravaganza! Multiple scales, scenes and yes, Ewoks! I'll start with the AT-ST, I already have a neat idea. I've even started the mock up, with a donor AT-ST.
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Thank you. Yes I agree that would be great, and easy to move. Then it's settled. It will be an Endor diorama extravaganza! Multiple scales, scenes and yes, Ewoks! I'll start with the AT-ST, I already have a neat idea. I've even started the mock up, with a donor AT-ST.
Cool can't wait to see more.
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Cool can't wait to see more.
It's going to be the Ewok AT-ST trap with the swinging logs. I've been wanting to build a the scene in the process of getting smashed, but I like it this way, because, we've all seen the movie and we know what's going to happen. It builds suspense, the moment right before getting smashed, the very last step, the point of no return. And the drivers are completely oblivious. In a way, I think that's more interesting than smashing up a perfectly good model kit.
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Oh yeah, that will work. You gonna do any smaller stuff around it later? Either way, awesome start. Off to share.
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Oh yeah, that will work. You gonna do any smaller stuff around it later? Either way, awesome start. Off to share.
Thank you. You mean like different scenes on the same base? Like a collage. That would be cool. I just don't have all of the pieces I'd need. I can buy the legion speeder bikes, and scouts. I think I'll try my hand at sculpting my own Ewoks. I'm not a bad sculptor, at that scale, you just basically need the impression of an Ewok, not super detailed. I'll try it out. I could do a kickass Ewok tribute, with different traps and things.
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I read through all the previous comments and see that you already got strong support by Tamer and hemble! The materials you collected are fantastic! Now the years? of collecting this stuff pays off and you can start right away! I'm sure you've already put much thought into it, so getting rid of some of it might be the best choice for you. If you have any diorama builders close to you or within the U.S. you could also pack a box with "crap" you would throw away before moving. I'm sure there is somebody who will be happy with your materials! If shipping overseas wouldn't cost a fortune I would definitely buy one of your trademark "Forest in a Bag"!
I'm working hard to have a hobby room later where I can actually display most of my collection. It's probably the best & rational decision to have an office at home. Maybe you can still put one shelf in there dedicated to your hobby. I can already see your AT-ST diorama on there!
Again, this is completely your choice, but you wouldn't be asking us if it was that easy, right?
So if Star Wars stuff won't distract you from getting your tax stuff done, I would go for a home office with some dedication to the hobby we all love & care about.
Ron has shown us a lot of good stuff of those SW Legion miniatures! I think you cannot go wrong with them! I'm still a little upset when I got in touch with Hasbro back in 2007 and mentioned my idea of a "Star Wars Galactic Battle Game" - they never answered by mail (which they ususally do), but released their dice game three years later, instead...still I'm glad they had Wizards of the Coast and now we have Legion. My brother and I always wondered why there was nothing similar to Games Workshop for Star Wars or why they didn't have the license for Star Wars, but for Lord of the Rings.
Anyways I'm glad you still got time before moving. I'd be happy to help if it wasn't that far away. I'm looking forward to seeing how this dio turns out! Aluminum foil has proved to be well suitable for trees/bark, but I've never worked with it, yet. hembles projects are also very inspiring here.
I hope my contribution was helpful a bit and am sure you'll make the best decision for you!
Once again congratulations on your lucky score on the BIG AT-AT!'
Best wishes from Germany.
- Philipp
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The vegetation looks great. I'm sure your AT-ST trap dio is going to be another masterpiece.
I can't wait to see more.
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It will be interesting to see what you do with those Ewoks.
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I read through all the previous comments and see that you already got strong support by Tamer and hemble! The materials you collected are fantastic! Now the years? of collecting this stuff pays off and you can start right away! I'm sure you've already put much thought into it, so getting rid of some of it might be the best choice for you. If you have any diorama builders close to you or within the U.S. you could also pack a box with "crap" you would throw away before moving. I'm sure there is somebody who will be happy with your materials! If shipping overseas wouldn't cost a fortune I would definitely buy one of your trademark "Forest in a Bag"!
I'm working hard to have a hobby room later where I can actually display most of my collection. It's probably the best & rational decision to have an office at home. Maybe you can still put one shelf in there dedicated to your hobby. I can already see your AT-ST diorama on there!
Again, this is completely your choice, but you wouldn't be asking us if it was that easy, right?
So if Star Wars stuff won't distract you from getting your tax stuff done, I would go for a home office with some dedication to the hobby we all love & care about.
Ron has shown us a lot of good stuff of those SW Legion miniatures! I think you cannot go wrong with them! I'm still a little upset when I got in touch with Hasbro back in 2007 and mentioned my idea of a "Star Wars Galactic Battle Game" - they never answered by mail (which they ususally do), but released their dice game three years later, instead...still I'm glad they had Wizards of the Coast and now we have Legion. My brother and I always wondered why there was nothing similar to Games Workshop for Star Wars or why they didn't have the license for Star Wars, but for Lord of the Rings.
Anyways I'm glad you still got time before moving. I'd be happy to help if it wasn't that far away. I'm looking forward to seeing how this dio turns out! Aluminum foil has proved to be well suitable for trees/bark, but I've never worked with it, yet. hembles projects are also very inspiring here.
I hope my contribution was helpful a bit and am sure you'll make the best decision for you!
Once again congratulations on your lucky score on the BIG AT-AT!'
Best wishes from Germany.
- Philipp
I can probably get away with "decorating" the office with Star Wars stuff, but technically it has to be used solely for business purposes. I might just say to heck with the office and have a diorama workshop, I hate taking work home with me. I'll see when I get there. I didn't buy that BAT-AT, he wanted to sell it as a lot for $200, and wouldn't budge. It wasn't for me. At any rate, yeah, I think I should sell my Endor Forest in a bag, I spent a lot of time on it. It's mostly all natural. I even have some Redwood leaves and bark in there. Actually the thought crossed my mind to go to California, ( I can't believe I'm saying this) go to where they filmed the Endor scenes, and pick up some materials there. Then it would be Endor in a bag. Yes the aluminum foil makes great trees and I'll show you how I do it, step by step. Stay tuned for that, maybe tomorrow.
The vegetation looks great. I'm sure your AT-ST trap dio is going to be another masterpiece.
I can't wait to see more.
Yeah I find some cool forest stuff, either naturally or online. I appreciate the vote of confidence, I screwed up big time on the AT-ST kit. After that I said son of a b!+&# give me a drink! All is well, I'll just epoxy glue it together one it's fitted, and no one will know. Lol.
It will be interesting to see what you do with those Ewoks.
Yeah I'll definitely try my hand at sculpting the Ewoks. For some things, I don't like the old FFG figures, they're expensive for what they are. I'd have to modify them anyway, why not just sculpt them myself? We'll see though. I ain't as good as I once was.
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So, I made a tree trunk today. I experimented with using plaster for a bark texture, with mixed results. That's why I only got one done. I ended up going with my usual technique, using dowel rods, aluminum foil, white glue/water mixture and tissue paper.
Step 1). Grab a fist full of dowel rods and bind them together using rubber bands.
Step 2). Wrap the bound dowels with aluminum foil, at least a few layers. If you use too many layers, you start to lose the definition of the dowel rods.
Step 3). Mix white glue and water. Then wrap tissue paper over the aluminum foil, and paint on the glue/water mixture using a sponge brush.
Step 4) while the tissue is still wet, I sprinkled some tile grout to give the bark more texture.
I ended up painting the trunk while it was still wet, because I'm impatient. It's not recommend, but my results came out pretty good. Once it's all dry, I'll give it a dry brush, and add some moss. I'm going to keep the dowel rods in, but they can be removed, for a hollow log affect.
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Also in my forest diorama arsenal, I have this fake cedar Garland. I haven't really used it because it's just lanky and out of scale. So, I dipped them in my white glue/ water mixture, then sprinkled them with fine turf. The results are pretty good. They're no longer lanky or out of scale. Man alive I got a lot of forest stuff. I better get going on these dioramas.
Also I made my first attempt at making a 1/48 Ewok. I think I have the scale right. Maybe a little short, but I'll try again. I have to find a technique to model the face, but they'll just be hidden throughout this scene, they won't be the main focus. I fixed the AT-ST model, it's doing well and resting comfortably. It's been a productive Sunday.
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Wow, very nice work on that tree. Love seeing how the stuff goes together and you gave us a great tutorial there. Off to share.
Interesting work on that casting too. I think you have the scale good.
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Wow, very nice work on that tree. Love seeing how the stuff goes together and you gave us a great tutorial there. Off to share.
Interesting work on that casting too. I think you have the scale good.
Thank you Tamer. I take great pride in my trees. With the dowel rods, it does make them a bit heavy, but I have the super thick insulation foam, so I have it anchored using four scewers running all the way down, that tree ain't goin no where. I will probably work on the second tree tomorrow, I'm a bit tired tonight. Maybe I'll do half tonight, well I'll do the toilet paper mache, let it dry overnight, and all day, then tomorrow paint it. I can't wait to start the groundwork.
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Looks good. Those skewers ought to work great. Off to the front pages.
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This is looking really great. It looks like a lot of work :) but will be most excellent in the end. I do appreciate your sharing how you build the trees.
Nice job on the Ewok sculpt, too. The scale looks right to me.
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Looks good. Those skewers ought to work great. Off to the front pages.
Right on. I stuck it in the mock-up base I had, it's solid as a rock. I almost finished the second tree, same process as the first. I'll probably need to cut out a new base, the trees are wider than the ones I had on my mock-up. But I am thinking about the multiple scene idea. I bought the legion core set, just the imperial side, from a guy on eBay, so I saved a few bucks. We shall seeee.
This is looking really great. It looks like a lot of work :) but will be most excellent in the end. I do appreciate your sharing how you build the trees.
N8ce job on the Ewik sculpt, too. The scale looks right to me.
Thank you Starchaser. I just figured I'd share some ideas, maybe one day someone will find it useful. I'm always learning new diorama techniques, everyone basically has their ways of doing things.
The Ewok, could use some details. With this Miliput, I have to do just a little at a time, wait for it to harden, and then do more. Because it's so soft. I'll get plenty of practice with these guys. When it's all said and done, I'll be like the Michelangelo of Ewoks.
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"The Michaelangelo of Ewoks" - that could stick:)
I can't believe I posted without correcting errors...d'oh. Had to go back and fix them.
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"The Michaelangelo of Ewoks" - that could stick:)
I can't believe I posted without correcting errors...d'oh. Had to go back and fix them.
It's cool. I know what you mean.
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The last couple of days, I've been working on the groundwork. First, I made a subterranean root system, out of dead bonsai, and grape vine roots. This will mostly be covered, but a few little roots will be visible. Then I mixed the soil using; white glue/water coffee grounds, tea leaves, dead leaves sand and roots. Then I spread it around the base. It's still damp wet, but I went ahead and painted it today. I was going for a terracotta color, like most of the Endor references. It looks less orange in reality, the lighting in my hobby room is terrible. Then I highlighted the emerging roots.
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Wow, that ground work is fantastic. So good to see if go from the ground up so to pun. Off to share.
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Wow, that ground work is fantastic. So good to see if go from the ground up so to pun. Off to share.
Thanks Tamer. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's good to get back to my roots.
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I pretty much finished the groundwork, I'd like to get some more small shrubs or low plants. I started by sifting my Endor Forest in a bag, into fine, medium and course, and separated them into different containers.
After that, dabbed on white glue one small section at a time, to the places I wanted my forest litter. I applied the course, then the medium.
Lastly for a finishing touch, I rubbed some areas, where I wanted bare spots.
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Looks pretty fantastic, JD! Your forest in a bag looks very accurate! Thanks for the detailed description!
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Looks pretty fantastic, JD! Your forest in a bag looks very accurate! Thanks for the detailed description!
Thank you DM! I'll reveal my secret family recipe for Endor in a bag. I started off with coffee grounds and tea leaves. Then I'd just pick up, pine branches, and dead material from coniferous trees, pine, cedar, Norfolk Island pines are awesome for this. Richmond, in their Devine wisdom, thought it would be a great idea to plant Redwoods throughout the city. They did the same thing decades ago with Willow oaks, and it tore the sidewalks to shreds. But at any rate, I grabbed up some small branches in the fall when they shed. I ground this all up by hand, but do yourself a favor and get a cheap coffee grinder, and chop it all up. For color, I added cinnamon, chilli powder, parsley flakes and ground up moss. I made this two years ago, and the color held up pretty well. Also I had an old stale cigar, that I chopped up, and it actually makes for pretty good brown leaves. That's pretty much it. That's my secret recipe. Like don't tell anybody, or anything. Lol.
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Wow that looks real. Thanks for sharing how you did this! Off to share.
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JD, outstanding mate the whole thing looks awesome.
Ron
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Wow that looks real. Thanks for sharing how you did this! Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. I just have the swinging logs to do, and that'll be it. I have a pretty good idea of how I'll do it.
JD, outstanding mate the whole thing looks awesome.
Ron
Thank you Ron. This small scale stuff is pretty simple, especially with the wide variety of products available. Well it's even easy to make my own products that work.
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Your vegetation work on this from the trees to the ground flooring and plants is just fantastic.
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Your vegetation work on this from the trees to the ground flooring and plants is just fantastic.
Thank you Tamer. I tell ya, it's hard to stay humble around here. I just can't wait to get my Stormtroopers. I've been playing with the Mimban troopers, because they have the same sculpt/articulation. I can get them in some cool action poses. The soft hands make for gripping different items, easy too. I'm going to see if I can form the hands into different positions using hot and cold water. But I'll get into all that when I finish this, and get the troopers, whenever that may be.
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JDeck - that forest floor looks really outstanding. Your composition of layers worked very well and rubbing out some bare spots adds that extra realism. Excellent attention to details.
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JDeck - that forest floor looks really outstanding. Your composition of layers worked very well and rubbing out some bare spots adds that extra realism. Excellent attention to details.
Thank you Starchaser! It's too bad most of the root system was covered, it looked pretty gnarly. Maybe a dagobah diorama is in order for the future.
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I got my legion figures today. It's pretty much a Darth Vader, four sandtrooper, eight Stormtroopers and two Speederbike and scouts. I can at least use the Stormtroopers and speeders for Endor.
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It will be interesting to see how you paint these up and use them in your display.
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Hmmmm...green and brown pauldrons on the sand troopers to convert them to forest engineers?
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Hmmmm...green and brown pauldrons on the sand troopers to convert them to forest engineers?
Awesome idea!
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Hmmmm...green and brown pauldrons on the sand troopers to convert them to forest engineers?
Awesome idea!
Indeed Starchaser. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm not the best at painting these things, so need more practice. I think if I spray paint them white, then add the black, would work best.
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I went to Walmart, and in the stationary section, they had these little boxes. I started painting them, and I think they would make cool Imperial cargo crates. What's cool is, you can put weapons and accessories in them to use in the diorama or display.
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These look fantastic in your diorama. Great work.
Off to share to the front pages. Can I ask how much these little boxes cost?
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Agreed! That is one brilliant idea, JD! I would've never thought of that, seriously. Next time I'll look for those at my local dollar stores...
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These look fantastic in your diorama. Great work.
Off to share to the front pages. Can I ask how much these little boxes cost?
Thank you. The big ones are $ 1.00 and the smalls are 88¢. I only got two of each because I can be a tight wad sometimes. The big ones I might modify further.
Agreed! That is one brilliant idea, JD! I would've never thought of that, seriously. Next time I'll look for those at my local dollar stores...
Thanks, yeah they're neat little things. I think these are from a company called Stacker.
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I decided to glue the two big boxes together. I just took the lids off and glued the open sides together. Then I added decals, dry brush and a black wash. Pretty cool for little dollar boxes.
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Now that looks fantastic. You are really working these up. Off to share on the front pages.
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Pretty sweet idea and one I would like to borrow for my base I’m currently working on, and they look pretty amazing as well
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Now that looks fantastic. You are really working these up. Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you. I was going to add some model kit parts and greebles, but keep it simple.
Pretty sweet idea and one I would like to borrow for my base I’m currently working on, and they look pretty amazing as well
Thanks man. Go for it. I might look around at some other containers, or possibly vac formed plastic, to make different ones. But these are almost perfect for 1/18.
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Yeah, I think you have the right take on these. They really have a nice feel. Heck, you could use in all kinds of different dios too. I mean you have to have crates of various sizes, dimensions, colors, etc.
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Yeah, I think you have the right take on these. They really have a nice feel. Heck, you could use in all kinds of different dios too. I mean you have to have crates of various sizes, dimensions, colors, etc.
True that. Wars are won by logistics. I had to go to WM anyway, so I picked up a few more. I found some mini lip gloss containers that are shaped like soda cans. I grabbed them, maybe they would work for some kind of gas can.
Here's the basic layout of the Stormtrooper diorama. I think I will make a stone floor, maybe some plastoid/durasteel plates. I'm debating on making a wall on the E-WEB side, or just keep the diorama open.
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Wow, you’re on fire JD! That layout brings some Battlefront nostalgia - especially the FX7 Medical and GONK Droids!
Can’t wait to see the progress of this project! And I think I need to visit those 3 dollar stores around me tomorrow - I’ll do a report, too.
Let’s see what we got on shelves here in Germany. You really get my imagination back to work, JD! Thank you for that!
I also hope, you didn’t spend a fortune on those lip stick cans - they look awesome as gas tanks though!
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Wow, you’re on fire JD! That layout brings some Battlefront nostalgia - especially the FX7 Medical and GONK Droids!
Can’t wait to see the progress of this project! And I think I need to visit those 3 dollar stores around me tomorrow - I’ll do a report, too.
Let’s see what we got on shelves here in Germany. You really get my imagination back to work, JD! Thank you for that!
I also hope, you didn’t spend a fortune on those lip stick cans - they look awesome as gas tanks though!
Thanks bud! That's what I was going for with the medical and Gonk droids. Years ago I made a "Command Post" out of an old watch and LEDs. I want to revisit that, and make another one.
The lipstick things were around $4usd, and you get 6 canisters. It's more than I'd like to pay for them, but it adds a little more to the Dio. (The idea is for an imperial supply Depot, of some kind, or a freighter dock). The problematic thing is taking the stickers/glue off. Maybe if I had "Goof-off" it would have been easier. So I just painted, and weathered them.
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I agree, smoking! Looks fantastic. Man those new crates are awesome too. Keep it coming! Off to share.
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I agree, smoking! Looks fantastic. Man those new crates are awesome too. Keep it coming! Off to share.
Thank you Tamer! I've been wanting to build a Dio like this for years, just been waiting for the definitive trooper. That look good, and have the articulation needed to position them in action poses. Also I enjoy repurposing everyday items into diorama accessories. That's fun to me. And my DS order got pushed back to October, which I'm hoping to move by then. I'm glad I bought the case on eBay, I'd be up the walls by now. Lol speaking of driving up the walls. A Squirrel got in my warehouse, and I can't get him out. I did manage to piss him off real good. That I can do. I'm good with people and animals that way. Lol.
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Mate this is looking awesome and the positioning of the equipment and poses of the figures is excellent.
Ron
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LOL! Too bad we didn't live closer we could hang out regularly. I am about the same with animals and people. Let us know how it works out!
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Mate this is looking awesome and the positioning of the equipment and poses of the figures is excellent.
Ron
Thank you! They're pretty great figures. I still don't know if I should build a wall, as a backdrop. I'll get the flooring done soon. I'm gonna try a new technique, that might work, or might not.
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LOL! Too bad we didn't live closer we could hang out regularly. I am about the same with animals and people. Let us know how it works out!
Yeah it's too bad. I think the squirrel is gone now. I left the bay doors open for a couple of hours, and when I came back he was gone. This happens from time to time, but I never had one stand his ground like that. Usually they just run around until they run out the door. I got in at about 5am, he saw me and darted up the wall, made it half way, then fell, then he finally made it to the rafters. I tried to nudge him with the pole I use to open the doors, and he started growling and squeaking at me. Lol he wouldn't move, as long as I was still around. I thought he was stuck, because, when I got back from my deliveries at 3pm, he was still hunkered down. But he's gone now. I did do one smart thing, I poured my cooler water outside the open door, maybe he was thirsty. Water is scarce in the warehouse.
Last year I had a rabbit get in there, he stayed for several days and did hundreds of dollars worth of damage to my product. One day I was unloading my truck, and I saw something in my crate move, there he was. So I encouraged him to leave. LOL. I get birds mostly, they're easy, to get rid of. Thank God, I've never had a skunk get in there, that would not be good for business in the least bit. That would probably ruin thousands of dollars worth of product if it sprayed. Knock on freggin wood!
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Mate this is looking awesome and the positioning of the equipment and poses of the figures is excellent.
Ron
Thank you! They're pretty great figures. I still don't know if I should build a wall, as a backdrop. I'll get the flooring done soon. I'm gonna try a new technique, that might work, or might not.
As you said do the floor first then go from there as sometimes just the ground work with the equipment and figures is all you need to make a display/dio look great.
Ron
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I find your WIP very inspiring and took this occasion to sum it all up on this topic:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213074#msg213074
Thanks again, JD. It's been a while since I wanted to share this. To be continued...
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Those boxes were a great find. You have an excellent eye for diorama fodder. You've done a really nice job painting and and with decals. These fit in really well. The cans are excellent too. I like the layout of the diorama as well. I like the idea of a wall (though it makes more work). I don't know if the durasteel panels in the floor are necessary. Great job!
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Mate this is looking awesome and the positioning of the equipment and poses of the figures is excellent.
Ron
Thank you! They're pretty great figures. I still don't know if I should build a wall, as a backdrop. I'll get the flooring done soon. I'm gonna try a new technique, that might work, or might not.
As you said do the floor first then go from there as sometimes just the ground work with the equipment and figures is all you need to make a display/dio look great.
Ron
True dat. I think a wall would be unnecessary, I kind of like being able to have a 360 view of the Squad, doing squad stuff. Having a wall would only work at one angle.
I find your WIP very inspiring and took this occasion to sum it all up on this topic:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213074#msg213074
Thanks again, JD. It's been a while since I wanted to share this. To be continued...
Yeah I saw that, very good finds. The only limitations is your own imagination.
Those boxes were a great find. You have an excellent eye for diorama fodder. You've done a really nice job painting and and with decals. These fit in really well. The cans are excellent too. I like the layout of the diorama as well. I like the idea of a wall (though it makes more work). I don't know if the durasteel panels in the floor are necessary. Great job!
Thank you. I really would like to make a wall, the work is the fun part, but for this I don't think it will be necessary.
My idea for the floor, was to make something like an ancient castle ruin, converted into a modern spaceport, as a dichotomy of new and old. So, I had this idea to use air drying clay, to make megalithic stone flooring. So, I layed down the clay, drew my lines. However, first off it looked more like bathroom tiles than stone, and second, as it was drying it started to shrink and crack, it looked like hammered dog doodoo. So like Bob Ross, turn a mistake into a happy little concrete floor. So, I put on a layer of spackle over it, dried and sanded. Then I "painted" it with woodland scenics Concrete and stone grey watercolors. I think it looks like really old concrete. Reminds me of old abandoned runway, or factory floor. That'll work for me.
First picture is before (hammered dog doodoo) second is after (distressed Concrete).
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The floor is looking awesome JD, can't wait to see it completed.
Ron
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The floor is looking awesome JD, can't wait to see it completed.
Ron
Thank you Ron. It's like I did it on purpose. Lol. To be honest I never had a clear vision of how it would look, so I'm glad it looks the way it does. The Woodland scenics watercolors can be funny sometimes too. The concrete can either be yellow or stark white, I guess depending on the washes, but it looks good, I'm happy with it.
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You had me at Bobb Ross. Off to share the update. Nice way to fix that too!
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You had me at Bobb Ross. Off to share the update. Nice way to fix that too!
Thank you Tamer. Evidently, the clay is still drying, and shrinking and further deepened the cracks. Worry not! I just filled the cracks with spackle, just like a cracked wall. So, that'll end up shrinking, and I'll have to do it again. I'll keep it under observation for a few days. I figured I'd document my failures along with my successes. It's not a failure if you learn, I guess.
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Wow JDeck, its looking just like my garage floor:) Actually I really like how you are adapting the challenges to make the floor look genuinely concrete-like. Its shaping up really well, I look forward to the final product.
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Wow JDeck, its looking just like my garage floor:) Actually I really like how you are adapting the challenges to make the floor look genuinely concrete-like. Its shaping up really well, I look forward to the final product.
Thank you Starchaser. It's evolving slightly since the thicker areas of clay have finally shrunk down. See, the foam board base was slightly warped from being in my hot toolshed, so I wanted some thicker areas to correct it, so things don't fall off. Well, that created a different problem. In hindsight I'd do it again, the overall effect is pretty gnarly, I like it. Like I said, I'll keep it under observation for a few days. The rest is just placing the equipment and figures.
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Looks like the perfect floor to me. I like how you are handling the problems that pop up and not letting it get you down at all. Off to share.
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Is that an insulation foam base? That stuff is super cheap and easy to work with! You can get a 5'x5'x'5 for like 8 dollars here in the U.S. from Home Depot or Lowes.
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Is that an insulation foam base? That stuff is super cheap and easy to work with! You can get a 5'x5'x'5 for like 8 dollars here in the U.S. from Home Depot or Lowes.
Oh yeah, I'm very familiar with foam board. I use it for all of my bases. I just don't like sculpting it. I don't like the grit, or the texture. It chips, and peels, it doesn't look natural to me. In order to get the effects I'm looking for I use some kind of medium to add a more natural texture. Usually it's thin coats of spackle, or plaster. I tried clay this time, with mixed results. Actually I think it looks cool.
*Edit* like the Jabba's Palace Dio, I built, it was all bluefoam, coated with several layers of spackle. One thing it blends all of the seams. Second, it gives it a stucco or concrete finish. Also watercolors react well with plaster, and spackle, the watercolors give it a really deep layered look, almost like a woodstain. The first time I tried it was on my WW2/Star Wars bunker. I'm not sure where I got the idea.
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I had the same thought as Clanleaderyautja. Why didn't you use foam this time? Using clay is definitely not the cheapest solution, BUT it does look amazing! I had the same shrinking issues with my "Swamps of Kashyyyk" diorama/Swamp Speeder Display.
So did you use wood as base plate or is it actually foam? Your diorama of Jabba's Palace looks incredibly good, too! Excellent work all the way through and working with the modeling clay was an interesting experience for sure.
Thanks for sharing!
Add: I think you did a great job adding the spackle to the surface to make it even. Looks very good, indeed! Is it called ModPodge or what's its name?
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I had the same thought as Clanleaderyautja. Why didn't you use foam this time? Using clay is definitely not the cheapest solution, BUT it does look amazing! I had the same shrinking issues with my "Swamps of Kashyyyk" diorama/Swamp Speeder Display.
So did you use wood as base plate or is it actually foam? Your diorama of Jabba's Palace looks incredibly good, too! Excellent work all the way through and working with the modeling clay was an interesting experience for sure.
Thanks for sharing!
Add: I think you did a great job adding the spackle to the surface to make it even. Looks very good, indeed! Is it called ModPodge or what's its name?
I was just trying something new, and thought to document it. Maybe someone will use it, or improve on it. I use the spackle technique on pretty much all my dios, it's time consuming (even more than what I'm currently doing). I think modgepodge is a clear coat, spackle is what you use to fill nail holes or cracks in drywall. It's thicker than plaster, it doesn't run, and it sands easily. Someone gave me the clay several years ago, to make dioramas with, or something, and I figured I'd see what happens. I have so much crap, it's ridiculous. I have sculpting plaster, which feels like ground up toilet paper, but that would make cool stones, maybe, lol. I have a different type of sculpting plaster, that has the texture of cat litter, that makes cool Rocky ground.
I knew it would crack, but not to that extent. I wanted it to crack slightly, but not like that. Basically, the spackle isn't getting rid of the cracks, it's just making the cracks smaller, and more in scale with the rest of the diorama. However, my only disappoinment is that it's concrete. It's the most realistic concrete diorama floor I've made, but not what I was initially going for. Ohhh wells. I still like it. I'll probably do this technique in the future for distressed concrete. It beats layering spackle and sanding all week.
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Looks like the perfect floor to me. I like how you are handling the problems that pop up and not letting it get you down at all. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. This is why I enjoy experimenting, I may want it to result one way, but in this case I think I stumbled upon something cool, that I couldn't have imagined. Initially I was just going to scrape off, all the dried up clay, and try for plan B, but I figured I could resurrect it, make it into something else. It's been 3 days, and no more signs of shrinking. It's painted, and ready to go.
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Glad it finally stopped shrinking on you. Now you can get on with your life. I remember mudding my drywall in my basement and putting it on way too thick and then having to sand forever. I will never do drywall (at least mudding and sanding) ever again so help the maker above!
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Glad it finally stopped shrinking on you. Now you can get on with your life. I remember mudding my drywall in my basement and putting it on way too thick and then having to sand forever. I will never do drywall (at least mudding and sanding) ever again so help the maker above!
Lol. Reminds me of, the early years of the Recession, I had the idea to move to Texas, to do construction, after hurricane Ike. I ended up doing; drywall, tiling, roofing, concrete, demolition, even worked on a horse farm . Of course I wasn't really that good at any of it, but I settled with landscaping, I was good at that. So, now when it comes to construction or landscaping, I'll keep it in small scale dioramas. Lol.
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Word!
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I'd say my Stormtrooper squad display is finished.
The Stormtroopers are defending an Imperial supply depot on the moon of Galgrebaa, one of the largest ports in the Galaxy, located between two major trade routes. Galgrebaa is of great strategic importance to the Empire, as it's used as a hub to distribute weapons, fuel and supplies throughout the Galaxy. The Empire's vast supply depots, draws attention from Rebel cell groups, pirates and gangsters.
For over a thousand years, Galgrebaa had been an independent monarchy, with a free market for manufacturing and interplanetary trade. With it's enormous stone fortifications, Galgrebaa had never been officially conquered. Years before the Clone Wars the administrators working under the king, collaborated with the Trade Federation, sending the king into exile. The Trade Federation, in order to ensure their monopoly while inflating prices, seized, and suspended manufacturing, and mining, sending the moon into a massive trade deficit, and high unemployment.
With the end of the Clone Wars and the dismantling of the Trade Federation, the large vacuum of power was filled by, pirates, gangs, and even Rebel cell groups looking to flee the Empire. This in turn caught the attention of the Empire. The Empire sent a Garrison, to protect the citizens, then they realized what strategic significance the moon had. Factories went back into production, the mining guild began mining the host gas giant, for Tibanna, putting people back to work. Overall the Galgrebian citizens approved of the Empire's presence, since an Empire was not much different from the Monarchy they had been used to.
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Yep the floor looks awesome JD and it really brings the figures and equipment together and gives it awesome realism.
Ron
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Yep the floor looks awesome JD and it really brings the figures and equipment together and gives it awesome realism.
Ron
Thank you! I ended up sticking with my original layout, I was pretty pleased with it. The only drawback is the figure stands. Maybe I can find acrylic rods, the size of the foot holes, drill into the floor, set the rods with super glue, and attach the figures, without permanently mounting them.
Pretty much everything is loose, except for the crates, skid platform and barrels.
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I really like how diorama turned out. Great composition, and the it looks very real. I enjoyed the pictures with the troopers in the scene. I love that you experimented with the clay process. I agree with you about foam board, I don't enjoy carving it unless its with a heat knife, but there's some serious limitations with that process.
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Wow that turned out nice. I like it. You could even get some 12 guage wire (think that is the right size) to make a peg or two for your action figures if you don't like the stands, but they don't detract from it at all imo. Off to share.
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Fantastic work! Looks straight out of Rogue One's last ground battle scene on Scariff.
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I really like how diorama turned out. Great composition, and the it looks very real. I enjoyed the pictures with the troopers in the scene. I love that you experimented with the clay process. I agree with you about foam board, I don't enjoy carving it unless its with a heat knife, but there's some serious limitations with that process.
Thank you. Yeah basically my extent to sculpting foam board, is running a lighter across it. Lol. I'll get a basic shape, then add some kind of surface to it.
Wow that turned out nice. I like it. You could even get some 12 guage wire (think that is the right size) to make a peg or two for your action figures if you don't like the stands, but they don't detract from it at all imo. Off to share.
Thank you. I might have some brass rods that would work, but I like being able to move the figures around a little. I'll see what I have, if I got it, great, if not, no biggie.
Fantastic work! Looks straight out of Rogue One's last ground battle scene on Scariff.
Thank you. You know, that gives me an idea. I should build a scarif trooper diorama. Maybe not as large, or as many figures, but that would be cool.
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Looks amazing, almost like a image captured in time 10/10
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Looks amazing, almost like a image captured in time 10/10
Thank you. That's what I was hoping for. I have my static, at attention army build, which I also like, but I wanted to use the articulation, and make something I've been wanting to for a long time.
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Wow that's really amazing how it worked out. I really wish (begging aside) that Hasbro would've made products like your dio. Those WalMart cases scream disneySW production value (I mean that as a compliment... Look at how cobbled rouge one was designed). Your creations are VERY spot in SW style
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Great idea on your Scarif Dio too. Still, its gonna take you awhile to beat this Stormtrooper Diorama. I could so see you getting your other squad in (one on order from Dorkside) and then doing something even more massive. Heck you could even make a second dio that would sort of attach to this one. I know you had a heck of a time with the flooring on this one, but man it really works well for this.
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Damn this Scarif dio is going to be great and can't wait to see it completed.
Ron
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Wow that's really amazing how it worked out. I really wish (begging aside) that Hasbro would've made products like your dio. Those WalMart cases scream disneySW production value (I mean that as a compliment... Look at how cobbled rouge one was designed). Your creations are VERY spot in SW style
Thank you. I enjoy piecing together parts, to make Star Wars things. I've always found it fascinating how they make props out of, junk, basically.
Great idea on your Scarif Dio too. Still, its gonna take you awhile to beat this Stormtrooper Diorama. I could so see you getting your other squad in (one on order from Dorkside) and then doing something even more massive. Heck you could even make a second dio that would sort of attach to this one. I know you had a heck of a time with the flooring on this one, but man it really works well for this.
Thank you, the Stormtrooper diorama is unusual for me, I like to keep my dioramas within a square foot, that was 16", which isn't much bigger, but I'm trying now to find a place for it. That's why I made a defensive scene, it's not so spread out. The scarif diorama, will be around 6 square inches, small enough I can almost put it anywhere, even the bathroom lol. And it will be quick, a few days max, and I already have everything I need. I might make a squad leader and Captain.
Damn this Scarif dio is going to be great and can't wait to see it completed.
Ron
Thank you, it's just a mock-up I made spur of the moment, they just need guns though, right now it's like the ET special edition, where they replaced guns with walkie talkies. Lol.
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... For the Scarif dio you could do the ditch of Baze's last stand and build removable background of the "front door" of the base. So that way it can be anything.
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... For the Scarif dio you could do the ditch of Baze's last stand and build removable background of the "front door" of the base. So that way it can be anything.
I could, however I'd like to have a "super articulated" Baze. I can't even make the Scarif Troopers kneel , in a prone position, because of the figure's lack of range of motion. I'm gonna have to build a lot of figures, to pull this off. Lol.
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I started the groundwork, I used my Scarif jungle soil mix I made of Coffee grounds, tea leaves, crushed chopped leaves, sand and other stuff. I mixed that with white glue, spread it and added some of my jungle plants. Then I added my grass plants. Good thing about using coffee and tea, it's self painting. The coffee stains the glue, sand, leaves or whatever you mix in with it when wet.
I might paint the plants, to tone down the funkiness.
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I'm almost finished with the diorama part. I just added a few little details, painted the plants a little. The colors look a bit funky because the lighting in my hobby room is, well, funky. Anyhows, I just need to address the figures. I have a couple of E-22s coming Friday. I can't for the life of me, figure out why Hasbro didn't pack in an E-22 for this figure, instead an E-11. I attached the figures to the base by cutting the ends off of scewers, glueing them into the foot holes and poking the scewer into the base. I want to make a squad leader, maybe a captain too.
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Well, did I miss anything? WOW JD! Both dioramas look superb! The imperial base brings some EA Battlefront vibes! The barrels and containers look awesome next to your garrison of ultimate Stormtroopers!
And I just love that concept art of Scarif! Those plants look amazing all together. 10/10 for both!
Add: You gotta have a patent on your ground mixtures. Looks like a perfect mix!
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Wow, I don't think anything looks funky at all. It looks great, I mean wow! That plant work is amazing. Looks like the jungle to me. Off to share.
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Excellent work, that dio looks fantastic!!
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Well, did I miss anything? WOW JD! Both dioramas look superb! The imperial base brings some EA Battlefront vibes! The barrels and containers look awesome next to your garrison of ultimate Stormtroopers!
And I just love that concept art of Scarif! Those plants look amazing all together. 10/10 for both!
Add: You gotta have a patent on your ground mixtures. Looks like a perfect mix!
Thank you. Scarif Jungle in a bag. All I need is an industrial strength Coffee grinder, and I can go into full production. Endor, Scarif, Kashyyyk all kinds of terrain.
Wow, I don't think anything looks funky at all. It looks great, I mean wow! That plant work is amazing. Looks like the jungle to me. Off to share.
Thank you. I had some plants, but I ended up going to PetSmart, and got some plants, then Michael's was next door, so I found the grass mat there. Yeah the lighting in my hobby room is really funky, some kind of 70s light fixture, makes everything look pinkish orange. It gets decent natural light, during the day of course.
Excellent work, that dio looks fantastic!!
Thank you very much.
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I ended making my Scarif Trooper Squad Leader today. I wasn't planning on working on it until tomorrow, but I got carried away. I made the belt/skirt out of a tank driver belt, and a modified Snowtrooper commander skirt. I swear if I don't slice my finger open at least once, the day is lost. Anyway, I painted him up in Squad leader fashion and gave him 5poa E-22 and helmet, which has a little more detail than TBS/TVC. I'm not going to make a Captain, they don't go on patrol, they stay behind and drink coffee.
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Daggone he looks great. You are realling covering all parts of this one. Hope your cuts get better! Ouch!
Off to share.
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I'm glad you got carried away with the Squad Leader! It looks fantastic! I hope you didn’t have to sacrifice a finger for it though! Those blades can be nasty - happens to me at work once in a while, too...
Take care JD! And thanks for the recipe & tell your knifes to be nice.
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Daggone he looks great. You are realling covering all parts of this one. Hope your cuts get better! Ouch!
Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. I bought the 5poa squad leader, mostly for the rifle, and the head, but also as a paint and skirt reference. That way I get it mostly right.
I'm glad you got carried away with the Squad Leader! It looks fantastic! I hope you didn’t have to sacrifice a finger for it though! Those blades can be nasty - happens to me at work once in a while, too...
Take care JD! And thanks for the recipe & tell your knifes to be nice.
Thank you DM! In order to get the belt off the tank driver, you have to get your blade under the belt, cut the glued in tab, without cutting the belt. Well, I didn't cut the belt. I even boiled the figure in order to loosen the belt to get the blade underneath. It's probably a sign I need new blades.
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I would agree on that! If you have a new blade inserted it should go through the skirt like a knife through warm butter.
The cutting action on the two Airborne Troopers for the Purge Trooper was quite exciting, too. First time I cut something off my figures.
Hope everything goes well for you and your injury JD!
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I would agree on that! If you have a new blade inserted it should go through the skirt like a knife through warm butter.
The cutting action on the two Airborne Troopers for the Purge Trooper was quite exciting, too. First time I cut something off my figures.
Hope everything goes well for you and your injury JD!
Yeah I just patch up my boo-boos with super glue, it's just irritating. Situation normal. I'm fine, we're all perfectly fine... Here.... Now. Thank you. How are you?
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Absolutely love this one JD, everything is just perfect 10/10.
Ron
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Like I said this is a three day build, and even with a custom figure, I kept it under three days. Today, I just added another black wash to the base. I don't know, I wanted it to look like stone, instead of just black. Also I had another E-22 arrive in the mail. I bought the Scarif Trooper Captain/ Bistan two pack, it's a really cool set. I already have an idea for my next project, I'll be using unconventional materials, I've never seen used before, so it'll be interesting at least.
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Absolutely love this one JD, everything is just perfect 10/10.
Ron
Thank you! It was fun, I like building natural landscapes, slightly better than architecture.
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That is a brilliant little dio JD.
I love the realistic vegetation.
Excellent work.
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JDeck, Scarif turned out really great! I thought the "log" the trooper was stepping on was a great touch. Your squad leader turned out really well, too. Sometimes getting the right part off another figure can be a real pain (literally). Sometimes I wrap a key finger ( often the left thumb) in duct tape to protect it when cutting - I've wondered about a thimble. :)
Really fabulous job putting the scene together.
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I agree it turned out great. Off to share this.
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That is a brilliant little dio JD.
I love the realistic vegetation.
Excellent work.
Thank ya sir. I got the plants at the pet store believe it or not. I barely painted them, just toned down the brightness.
JDeck, Scarif turned out really great! I thought the "log" the trooper was stepping on was a great touch. Your squad leader turned out really well, too. Sometimes getting the right part off another figure can be a real pain (literally). Sometimes I wrap a key finger ( often the left thumb) in duct tape to protect it when cutting - I've wondered about a thimble. :)
Really fabulous job putting the scene together.
Thank you. That log, came inside a box of reptile moss. It looks exactly like a decaying log, scaled down. I have no idea what kind of plant it's from, but it's not exactly wood. I don't know what it is. I wish I did, I'd get more.
I agree it turned out great. Off to share this.
Thank you! Here's the mock-up on my next project. Death Troopers on Lah'mu. The black rocks are lump charcoal. I'll start tomorrow. A friend wants to go out, and I kind of owe her one for missing the Taco Festival. Otherwise I'd start now.
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Looks great!!!! I love the DEATHTROOPERS never thought I would (original leaked photos were sooo poor it looked like just a black stormtrooper...) This dio looks perfect with the figures!
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Cool deal already onto the next project. Off to share.
Can't believe you missed the Taco Festival!
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Looks great!!!! I love the DEATHTROOPERS never thought I would (original leaked photos were sooo poor it looked like just a black stormtrooper...) This dio looks perfect with the figures!
Thank you for the kind words. Yeah, the Death Troopers reminded me of Spy vs Spy from the MAD comics. I wasn't thrilled, but it's definitely grown on me.
Cool deal already onto the next project. Off to share.
Can't believe you missed the Taco Festival!
Thank you Tamer. Yeah I missed the Taco Festival because I was having a diverticulitis flare up, and the last thing I wanted was a bunch of tacos and walking around. I had been planning to go for weeks and months. Next year.
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That's a great start. Looking forward to how this one develops. Sorry to hear about the diverticulitis, bummer.
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Crazy, I have that same dreaded condition. Had to give up a lot of the foods I love. Anything with seeds. The latest food I had to give up was tomatoes.
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Looks great JD.
Ron
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That's a great start. Looking forward to how this one develops. Sorry to hear about the diverticulitis, bummer.
Yeah it won't take long. I'll have it done soon. It is what it is, you know?
Crazy, I have that same dreaded condition. Had to give up a lot of the foods I love. Anything with seeds. The latest food I had to give up was tomatoes.
Yeah man that sucks. With me, I don't really bother with a diet. I figure I'm gonna get an occasional flare up regardless of what I eat. I can eat seeds and stuff I shouldn't and be fine, but then eat something benign, and get a flare up. I just get it twice a year, and it's gone in three days.
Looks great JD.
Ron
Thank you. I should be done soon. I just had a crazy last couple of days.
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I got a little bit of work done today. The last couple of days have been weird, I'm not real sure if I'm lucky or cursed. Like today I hit a cop car, in my work truck. He ran a red light with no lights or siren. I didn't get charged, but I needed to calm my nerves when I got home, that's for sure. Happy freggin birthday to me. Lol.
I got the base cut out and painted, and I applied the base groundwork. The soil is made of a mixture of Coffee grounds and sand mixed with white glue and a little water. Then as it's still wet, I placed my "rocks" where I wanted them, then I sprinkled on some Woodland scenics fine cinder. I'll let that dry. I'll work on the finer details tomorrow. Then that's it really. I'll use the scewer technique for placing the figures.
Eh I figured I'd place some of my army painter swamp tufts, while the base was still wet. Also I added some grey washes to the rocks. They're charcoal, and just like activated charcoal, used in water purification, it's very absorbent, so I'll probably have to go over it several times.
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Now that it's out of the box it looks excellent JD the whole thing looks very realistic and Happy Bday mate.
Ron
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Well you had a wild day thats for sure. Happy Birthday.
Your dio looks great. Spot on. Off to share.
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Now that it's out of the box it looks excellent JD the whole thing looks very realistic and Happy Bday mate.
Ron
Thank you Ron. I put my coffee grounds and sand in the model kit box to dry. It's not really necessary, but sometimes I like to sprinkle some dry mix on the finished product. And yeah I always say it's just another day, not this year. Lol.
Well you had a wild day thats for sure. Happy Birthday.
Your dio looks great. Spot on. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. A hundred bad days make a hundred good stories.
Yeah I think it's turning out really cool. It'll look good with some Death troopers.
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The landscape is looking really excellent. Great job combining elements to produce the effect you are looking for. This is going to look amazing when you're done, and it's populated.
Happy birthday, BTW
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The landscape is looking really excellent. Great job combining elements to produce the effect you are looking for. This is going to look amazing when you're done, and it's populated.
Happy birthday, BTW
Thank you Starchaser. Lah'mu is cool, because the colors compliment the Death troopers, with the black and green accents. I wanted to really incorporate that. Sort of a bleak Rocky dark terrain with the only vegetation is the lichen.
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I'm going to call this one done. I just added a few small details. I used scewers again for the foot holes, they fit perfectly, but I glued them inside. Then I just stuck it in where I wanted it.
My take away on this project is, lump charcoal makes for really cool shale type rocks. I can paint them or drybrush or watercolor them. It's great because I still have a 30lb bag I haven't used this year, because it's been so hot. I don't have anything specific in mind for my next project, so I guess I'll go back to Endor.
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
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Happy belated birthday JD! I'm glad that nothing serious happened on that crossroad. Charcoal always calms me down, too! But seriously using charcoal is a brilliant idea! I never thought about that.
Your dio looks coal excellent!
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Now that just looks tough. I like it a lot. Perfect from what I remember. I need to go rewatch that movie soon.
Off to share.
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Fantastic work JD.
Ron
Thank you, it was fun.
Happy belated birthday JD! I'm glad that nothing serious happened on that crossroad. Charcoal always calms me down, too! But seriously using charcoal is a brilliant idea! I never thought about that.
Your dio looks coal excellent!
Thank you Philip. Yeah the accident could have been much worse, for both of us. Building these dioramas is kinda therapeutic, like a mini Zen garden. Yeah the charcoal makes cool rocks. I saw a little piece on my deck and thought it looked like a cool volcanic rock.
Now that just looks tough. I like it a lot. Perfect from what I remember. I need to go rewatch that movie soon.
Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. It reminds me of a Metallica album cover or something, but instead of guitars, they have blasters.
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Really looks good. I resonate with your mini-Zen garden thought.
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Really looks good. I resonate with your mini-Zen garden thought.
Yeah building things definitely takes your mind off of things. You're so concentrated, there's not much room for anything else.
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Okay, so I'm done with this Vandor Mountainside. It didn't turn out as well as I'd like, but the main focus will be on the Swoop. I ran out of foam board, so it'll have to do.
So basically I cut the bottom and back of the mountain out of foam board. I cut out a square on the bottom to insert the battery for the swoop. Then I attached a plastic tube to both hold the swoop and run the wires to the battery. Then I filled the bulk of the mountain with foam and charcoal. Then I covered it with sculpting plaster and plaster cloth. Then I sculpted the plaster, to make it look Rocky. Then I used Woodland scenics watercolors for the rocks. Then I mixed glue, water and woodland scenics snow shaker, to make the snow.
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Looks good to me. Off to share before my interest goes kaput again. Not very happy with my ISP this morning.
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Thanks Tamer. My lighting system should be arriving by Thursday. In the meantime, I don't have much else to do. If I keep fiddling with the mountain, I'll just make matters worse. I think it looks good as a background. It's kind of funny, I started building dioramas again to get rid of all the stuff I have, and now I have more stuff than when I started. Now I have to go out and get more foam board.
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Looks good JD.
Ron
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Yeah, we could definitely hang. My logic is very much along your lines. LOL.
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Looks good JD.
Ron
Thank you Ron. I managed to salvage what I had. I tried using the charcoal for outcroppings, and uhhh yeah it was an interesting hypothesis, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Yeah, we could definitely hang. My logic is very much along your lines. LOL.
Definitely. I said I'll hang up my diorama hat, but I can't, it's just too fun. Messy, but fun.
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Well I'm going to call this one done. I mounted the Swoop that I lighted up in my vehicle section. http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9458.msg213793#msg213793 and that's about it. I used hot glue to attach the 5poa head on the TVC Enfys. Done deal. I like how it turned out. I've been wanting to do this for a long time, I just dragged my feet on buying the Forcelink Swoop. I think if I had gotten the 6", it would be too big, heavy and more difficult to mount.
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That turned out great. Thanks for showing us what you did with the lights too. Off to share on the front pages.
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That turned out great. Thanks for showing us what you did with the lights too. Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you Tamer. Yeah model train software makes some great lighting products. And they're really easy to install. The bulbs switches and battery packs are pre soldered, you just connect the wires, and either shrink tube or electrical tape the connections. I noticed they have side glow fiber optics, that will be great for the energy shield project I'm thinking about. Unfortunately they're sold out.
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side glow eh? Sounds interesting.
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side glow eh? Sounds interesting.
I never heard of side glow fiber optics, until recently. The basic common type is end glow, you put a light source on one end and the light passes through to the other end. I believe the side glow is hollow, it's much thicker at 2.5mm. I'll have to get some and play around with it. I got a snowglobe kit that would make a good personal shield, but I'd rather have the hemispherical dome. I can probably make the 1/48 legion figures a dome shield. If 1/48 figures are 1.5", then a 4.5"-6" dome would work well.
I made a little Squad Shield Generator. It's a bit big for 1/48, but it'll just be a larger variant. I don't think I can make it any smaller while being able to fit everything inside. It's mostly made of 1/144 Y-WING parts. I'll place the LED inside, and run the fiber optics out of the top, like in the game version. It'll need modifications once I get the LED in there. I think it'll be doable. I'll go ahead and order the parts I need. I was able to find side glow fiber optics on Amazon, with a 1.5mm thickness, coincidentally the thickness of the penny. So that'll work, I want to fit four strands of fiber optics in that device.
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Cool project. Neat light kit. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.
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Cool project. Neat light kit. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.
Thank you, Tamer. I got my Amazon packages in today. Star Wars Legion Rebel Commandos, 5.5" fillable Christmas ornament, and my side glow fiber optics. I finished detailing my generator, and I'm test fitting everything now. All I need is the lights coming in from Evan's designs, 3mm 9v purple bulb, with corresponding battery pack and switch.
I cut the 3 ft. fiber optics into 8 pieces, I ended up hot gluing 4 of them onto the dome. It looks messy, but that was the only way. So I covered the glue mess with clear blue and red paint, making a plasma effect. It needed something other than just the fiber optics. It'll look really cool with the light passing through.
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Yep, gonna look cool all lit up. Nice.
Off to the front pages. I like what you did with the red and blue paint.
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Yep, gonna look cool all lit up. Nice.
Off to the front pages. I like what you did with the red and blue paint.
Well thank you Tamer, yup just playing the waiting game. Model train software is really good about shipping, but they're based out of Colorado, which is a ways away. But seriously thank you Tamer. You make this happen. I've been here and I've seen forums come and go, I've gotten banned from a few. I really and truly enjoy it here. I can't go anywhere else This is where I grew up, as a customizer. I've learned A TON, here This is my home. Seeing and sharing ideas is what it's all about. You've been diligent and patient, through, ups and downs. I just figured I'd reciprocate the support you've given me and everybody else throughout the years. I know all about some thankless jobs, but I believe I can speak for anyone who has been here. Thank you.
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Sniff. Sniff. Small tear. Appreciate the comments.
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Okay, I got my lighting kit. 9V 3mm purple bulb with 9V snap connector and switch. I don't have a base yet, I think I have a big enough scrap piece to do this. Anyway, I just wrapped electrical tape around the bulb and fiber optics, made my electrical connections and that's it. So now, I can either paint the figures or work on the base. I'm going with an Endor environment. Hoth would have been cool. It would have been like a badass snowglobe, but the figures wouldn't work for Hoth. Oh well.
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Wow that looks tough. I know you were setting wires and what not but that paint work really sets this off. Off the share on the front pages.
Man, Hoth would have been so cool. Heck I could see you doing quite a few environments like this, but yeah you are gonna have to try this with a Hoth Theme sometime. Man, wouldn't it be cool to do a SW Xmas Dio like this too. All kinds of ideas.
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Wow that looks tough. I know you were setting wires and what not but that paint work really sets this off. Off the share on the front pages.
Man, Hoth would have been so cool. Heck I could see you doing quite a few environments like this, but yeah you are gonna have to try this with a Hoth Theme sometime. Man, wouldn't it be cool to do a SW Xmas Dio like this too. All kinds of ideas.
Yeah you know, I proved the concept, it's looking just like I imagined. I'm really happy with how the generator itself turned out. Originally, I was just going to build a simple bow, but I looked at the reference pics, and realized it's made out of Y-WING parts.
This might sound dumb, but I always wanted to build a Christmas Ewok village. Little Christmas lights and a tiny Christmas tree, and a Ewok in a santa suit. I dunno. Lol.
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Whoa, I'm way behind on commenting. I love how the lighting turned out on the "Cloud rider" speeder. But thus shield generator is off the hook , as they say. It looks fantastic. The fiber optics work well and your paint solution was really clever. I'm very impressed!
I think a Christmas Ewok village would be really fun, BTW
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Damn that shield and lighting looks awesome mate.
Ron
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Whoa, I'm way behind on commenting. I love how the lighting turned out on the "Cloud rider" speeder. But thus shield generator is off the hook , as they say. It looks fantastic. The fiber optics work well and your paint solution was really clever. I'm very impressed!
I think a Christmas Ewok village would be really fun, BTW
Thank you Starchaser! Yeah I'm going to build a non Christmas Ewok village. Maybe later I can Christmas it up.
Damn that shield and lighting looks awesome mate.
Ron
Thank you Ron. At the moment I'm stuck on how I want to run the wires. It's difficult to place the dome assembly to the base/ lightbulb. I'll figure it out.
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I've been super busy, I always forget how busy it is in the fall. Fall is also the time of year when I get into an Ewok kick. I don't know why, maybe it's the leaves changing? I have a tradition on Thanksgiving Eve to watch the Ewoks movies, while drinking Moscow mules.
I've been wanting to build an Ewok village for a long time. My other Ewok display is cool, but I need the village. This is just a mock-up. It's just going to be a display for my Ewoks. I'm not looking to build some elaborate diorama.
I made the trees by first balling up some brown packaging paper, then wrapped foil around it, and glued brown paper around that. Then I used instant papier mache to make the bark. That ended up taking a couple of days to dry, even though it's "fast drying". Then I painted them. I bought these natural sticks on Amazon they're 5" in length, and fairly uniformed in thickness. I ended up getting 400 of them. I think it'll be enough. About 1/3 are not straight enough, but I can still use them for something else. I just mocked up the flooring using foam core and scrap pieces of foam board. I made it about an inch smaller, so the sticks will overlap, and it won't be visible. I'll glue it all together and paint it Black.
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Now I like your Thanksgiving Tradition. Mine usually involves a new craft beer (anything but pumpkin), but I like your idea. Off to share your great new project. I like the work so far!
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Now I like your Thanksgiving Tradition. Mine usually involves a new craft beer (anything but pumpkin), but I like your idea. Off to share your great new project. I like the work so far!
Thank you Tamer. I heard that on pumpkin beer. Dude, here in Richmond there are a TON of micro breweries. If you go downtown, all the bars are nothing but craft beers. Scott's addition, used to be an industrial ghost town, but now, nothing but breweries. You can't find a PBR for miles lol.
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That tree trunk looks awesome! Can't wait to see the whole thing done.
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Thank you Ron. At the moment I'm stuck on how I want to run the wires. It's difficult to place the dome assembly to the base/ lightbulb. I'll figure it out.
My pleasure buddy and are you having the shield attached to the base? if you are you could run the wires down thru the base so that they will be hidden.
The tree is looking awesome I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it's completed.
Ron
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Thank you Ron. At the moment I'm stuck on how I want to run the wires. It's difficult to place the dome assembly to the base/ lightbulb. I'll figure it out.
My pleasure buddy and are you having the shield attached to the base? if you are you could run the wires down thru the base so that they will be hidden.
The tree is looking awesome I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it's completed.
Ron
I figured it out. I'm going to do the groundwork figures etc. Then glue the bulb to the bottom of the generator, while keeping the wires loose. Then when placing the shield, pull the wires through the base. Done deal.
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That tree trunk looks awesome! Can't wait to see the whole thing done.
Thank you Starchaser. It's coming along little by little.
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I started working on the main floor. I just hot glued the sticks to the piece of foam core. From the set references, it looks like they used some kind of mud on the wood flooring, I guess to blend and fill in gaps. So I made up a mud mixture made of water, spackle, leftover homemade dirt, from my l'ameu diorama, and some black/grey paint. I slathered it around. It's still wet as of now. We'll see how it looks when it dries. It's great because the figures will be able to stand better.
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Looks spot on with that reference image. Off to share the update. Real materials equals real looking stuff imo.
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Wow. You're really putting in the work on that Ewok village. Looks amazing! I can't wait to see that thing finished!
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That's a great reference shot! The floor looks really good, and seems to match the reference picture quite well. I think your right about helping figures stand up as well. This is going to be most excellent.
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Looks spot on with that reference image. Off to share the update. Real materials equals real looking stuff imo.
Thank you. That's true, I was going to use dowel rods, but these sticks look better, most of them are straight enough.
Wow. You're really putting in the work on that Ewok village. Looks amazing! I can't wait to see that thing finished!
Thank you. I'm aiming to have it done by Thanksgiving. I just have to do the flooring on the second level, build the huts and I want to add some lighting torches and a fire pit.
That's a great reference shot! The floor looks really good, and seems to match the reference picture quite well. I think your right about helping figures stand up as well. This is going to be most excellent.
Thank you. The great thing about Ewoks, they have a low center of gravity and they have a wide stance, I rarely need stands for them.
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Sorry for my late comment, JD! It's always fascinating where you find all these reference pictures I'd have never seen without you! That shield with lighting above the generator for your LEGION figures looks spot on! What a fantastic idea! It's always great to see some dedication to videogames!
Your current Endor project is looking great so far! An Ewok village is probably the perfect place to display all your Ewoks!
I also got another big endor diorama in the pipeline, but I won't spoil anything, yet. If you explored the map of Endor in EA's Battlefront you've prbably seen the place I have in mind.
Awesome progress so far! I really dig such excellent ideas!
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I was wondering how you found such straight sticks. Was it a particular wood or just walking through and area with some trees and picking as straight a stick as possible?
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Sorry for my late comment, JD! It's always fascinating where you find all these reference pictures I'd have never seen without you! That shield with lighting above the generator for your LEGION figures looks spot on! What a fantastic idea! It's always great to see some dedication to videogames!
Your current Endor project is looking great so far! An Ewok village is probably the perfect place to display all your Ewoks!
I also got another big endor diorama in the pipeline, but I won't spoil anything, yet. If you explored the map of Endor in EA's Battlefront you've prbably seen the place I have in mind.
Awesome progress so far! I really dig such excellent ideas!
Thank you Philip. I just get the reference pics from Google, you just have to get the exact wording right to find what you're looking for. Like Return of the Jedi Ewok village movie set, or production, I forget what I used. I ended up finding some really interesting pictures of the set and set construction.
I look forward to seeing your Endor diorama, you have my curiosity now.
I was wondering how you found such straight sticks. Was it a particular wood or just walking through and area with some trees and picking as straight a stick as possible?
Actually I bought them on Amazon. I know it sounds stupid to buy sticks, but they're pre cut to 5" and most of them are pretty straight. I ended up getting 500 of them. Lol. Sounds like a lot, but I think it'll be just enough to finish it. I have no idea what kind of wood it is, I'm guessing Maple, or it could be dyed oak.
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Looks great so far.
I have a small army of furballs too and someday, I’d like to make a village.
What kind of sticks are you using?
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Looks great so far.
I have a small army of furballs too and someday, I’d like to make a village.
What kind of sticks are you using?
Thank you. Definitely, you should. The only challenge I see, are the huts, but I've got a good plan on how to make them, I'll start that next week.
200pcs 5 Inch Long 0.1-0.2 Inch in Diameter Wood Log Sticks Twigs for Crafts Photo Props by HANBEN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P1WSVW1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_X1AWDbJ3CM2TH (https://amzn.to/34ERHPJ)
Here's the link. They're just natural wood sticks, cut to 5". I got 400 of these and 100 of the 4".
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Hey thanks for the link to the sticks. Time to go share that.
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Thank you Philip. I just get the reference pics from Google, you just have to get the exact wording right to find what you're looking for. Like Return of the Jedi Ewok village movie set, or production, I forget what I used. I ended up finding some really interesting pictures of the set and set construction.
I look forward to seeing your Endor diorama, you have my curiosity now.
Thank you JD! This link to Amazon is very helpful! I'll definitely use similar sticks, too! I'll probably get them at my local pet shop, though. (Sorry Amazon.)
Well, you got me. Don't want to be a fool and let you wait 'til the end of time. That's just not fun.
So I made a quick setup for you to show the general idea and approximate dimensions (60x50 cm) and took a couple quick shots with my phone.
This idea is from October 27, 2016. And I don't know when I'll start/finish it because it involves quite a bit of epoxy resin...
Three years ago I watched my brother play EA's SW Battlefront. I was especially amazed by the map of Endor. And the idea of making "peaceful" scenes came to mind. No war.
This diorama is to be set before the Empire...before the dark times, before the war began to rage on Endor...
Lakes of Endor:
This project is going to involve one of those towers/tents/tippis and a boat, a fishing-rod & net and some fish...
Apparently the tent will be much bigger than in my draft. It will also have one level above the water to save the fish and maybe to live. I'm looking forward to making the docks, but I might leave them out so that the tent is just accessable by boat...
If you don't mind the pictures, I can remove them any time!
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Awesome! Yeah, I've seen those concept pictures, evidently the Ewoks were going to live in a lake house. That'll be really cool.
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Construction Is well underway, the second level is just about complete. I had to cut down my trees, because I'm going to fit this whole display in a bookshelf, so you get to see a cross section of the tree. I went to the hobby shop to get the materials needed for the huts, also I grabbed up some dead stalks from a decorative grass of some kind, for the thatched roof, so that'll happen soon enough.
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Ah, these pictures are pure enlightment, JD! Looks like your Ewoks build their village themselves...and their huts will look amazing! The material you got is of the finest quality! I'm thrilled for this project and you lit me on fire - I need to go to the construction market this weekend to get some wood for the base plate...
Thanks for the update and the hint for reference pictures! Awesome work there!
- Philipp
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That just looks sweet. Nice.
Off to share.
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Damn JD, this is looking awesome buddy.
Ron
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Ah, these pictures are pure enlightment, JD! Looks like your Ewoks build their village themselves...and their huts will look amazing! The material you got is of the finest quality! I'm thrilled for this project and you lit me on fire - I need to go to the construction market this weekend to get some wood for the base plate...
Thanks for the update and the hint for reference pictures! Awesome work there!
- Philipp
Thank you. I'm glad I could inspire.
That just looks sweet. Nice.
Off to share.
Thank you Tamer. On a side note, the next time you're in Richmond, there's a place called Beer is the Answer, AKA Answer brewpub. It has over 160 craft beers, many made on location. If you like Vietnamese food, Mekong is next door, they have a ton of beers too. If you like Mexican there's a real authentic Mexican restaurant across the street, with about a dozen imported beers from Mexico and central America, many I've never heard of.
Damn JD, this is looking awesome buddy.
Ron
Thank you Ron. It's coming along. I've been thinking this project through for many years, and it's really coming together.
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Okay, so I started on the huts. Currently I'm working on the secondary hut. I built the frame up using polystyrene rods and hot glue. I started using styrene cement, but it works too slowly, and doesn't hold the pressures of the bent rods as well as I'd like, because I'm super impatient. Anyway, it's the frame, it's not perfect, but it'll do.
Also here's a sneak peak WIP custom Ewok I have in the works. He's gonna be the Rambo of Ewoks.
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The structure is looking awesome JD and that Ewok and custom E-11 look fantastic.
Ron
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Great projects on both fronts. Off to the front pages.
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Love the custom blaster!
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The structure is looking awesome JD and that Ewok and custom E-11 look fantastic.
Ron
Thank you. Yeah the hut came out pretty much as expected. Now I know what to do different for the primary hut. I'm eager to see how it looks when I cover it.
Great projects on both fronts. Off to the front pages.
Thank you Tamer. Didn't get anything done tonight, I fell asleep after work, now I have to go to bed.
Love the custom blaster!
Thank you. I dubbed it the E'wok-11, it's a blaster, spear and club all in one.
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I love that construction Ewok - maybe a hard-hat is in order (or a Stormtrooper helmet) :) I am impressed that you are building the huts from the ground up. Those frames look really good. I'm looking forward to the final product, but I really appreciate the WIPs along the way.
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I love that construction Ewok - maybe a hard-hat is in order (or a Stormtrooper helmet) :) I am impressed that you are building the huts from the ground up. Those frames look really good. I'm looking forward to the final product, but I really appreciate the WIPs along the way.
Thank you Starchaser. Yeah everything so far is scratch built. Just the way the Ewoks would want it. I actually have some experience building primitive structures. I built this kid a fort, using nothing but Paracord and a knife. I thatched a roof using pine saplings. It looked like a big green igloo. It was actually weather proof, during a heavy rain it stayed dry inside. Anyway I'm going to use the same technique for the hut roof. I think it'll look more authentic than glueing straw that runs the whole length of the roof. We'll see how it looks.
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Here's a little update, I just want to show you guys how I'm building these huts. Once I built the frame I used a mixture of water and white glue, I dipped pieces tissue paper into the mixture, then laid them over the frame. I let it dry for a few hours, then painted them. I'm working on the roof right now. I got my bundle of straw and cut them into short pieces, then starting at the bottom glue them around. Then the second layer I do the same, but overlapping the bottom row. I'll just keep going around and up the roof until it's done. A bit time consuming but I think it'll pay off.
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Nice, this is really coming along nicely now. Off to the front pages.
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Nice, this is really coming along nicely now. Off to the front pages.
Thank you Tamer. I'll definitely have it done by Thanksgiving. Just finish the huts, by then my LEDs will be here, then build the railings/torches, steps, firepit, that's it. I tried to get a guy to make a custom backdrop, but he said he can't. So on to plan B.
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Really like this. Cannot wait to see it finished / populated.
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Really like this. Cannot wait to see it finished / populated.
Yeesss.
Soon it will be complete according to my design. Probably next week. Maybe. Or something like that. Out there on the sanctuary moon there is an entire legion of Ewoks ready to inhabit the village. Oohh I an afraid the Ewoks will be quite happy with their new home when you arrive. Hehehe.
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I was going to wait until I'm finished to update, but screw it I'll show you what I'm working on.
The torches are made of plastic tubing wrapped in brown paper, with twine wrapped around that, with a flickering orange LED. Then of course a cotton flame.
The roof is made of straw I found on a decorative landscaping grass.
The bonfire is made of "Fire" LEDs by Evan's Design. It's basically flashing red, orange and yellow 5mm bulbs.
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Seeing this progress warms up my heart. The flame effects look superb! Thanks for sharing the "secret progress". Looking forward to the reveal of this stealth project!
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Seeing this progress warms up my heart. The flame effects look superb! Thanks for sharing the "secret progress". Looking forward to the reveal of this stealth project!
Thank you. It's just a matter of fiddling with the cotton to get it to look good. I'm not trying to be clandestine, I don't think anyone wants to see glue drying. Most of my parts are in modular pieces, so I can work on them easier. The whole thing is in shambles right now, and there's straw everywhere, it's a beautiful mess. I haven't been real diligent the last few days, but it should still be done soon. The roofing was the most time consuming, I glue a segment then wait for it to dry. I used gorilla wood glue, because it's awesome, and it dries in a Woody color. Hot glue would have been a hot mess, with boogers and strings all over the roof and I wouldn't have any fingerprints left.
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I declared the day before Thanksgiving to be Ewok Wednesdayay. In the spirit of the holiday, I will reveal the Ewok Village. I'm not 100% finished. I hit a snag with the wiring. Evidently I had too many bulbs, and the 9v battery couldn't light them all. So for the left side hut I'm just going to use a cheap electronic tea light. Also I need to glue down all the different floor sections to the base, now that all of the Fab is done. But this is what I have. I'm still waiting for a backdrop too, so it's still on the bench. I'm going to spend the rest of Ewok Wednesday watching Ewok movies and drinking Moscow mules. Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to all, even you non Americans.
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Looks fantastic, JD!! :o It makes sense that the Ewoks fixed their platforms with clay. The gaps would fill up with mud over time anyway. The lighting effects look excellent as said before! Your idea made me add one more detail on my list for the lake dio, too!
It's good to see that you have some time to relax over the holday! Fancy mug by the way!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope you're all doing well! I need to take an exam tomorrow, so I don't really have the nerves to relax. Just wanted to come by and check out your progress very quick ;)
By the way we also celebrate Thanksgiving here in Europe. In German we call it "Erntedankfest".
Cheers & niubniub!
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Looks fantastic, JD!! :o It makes sense that the Ewoks fixed their platforms with clay. The gaps would fill up with mud over time anyway. The lighting effects look excellent as said before! Your idea made me add one more detail on my list for the lake dio, too!
It's good to see that you have some time to relax over the holday! Fancy mug by the way!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope you're all doing well! I need to take an exam tomorrow, so I don't really have the nerves to relax. Just wanted to come by and check out your progress very quick ;)
By the way we also celebrate Thanksgiving here in Europe. In German we call it "Erntedankfest".
Cheers & niubniub!
Thank you DM! I actually have two days off in a row, that never happens. In fact I'm taking the entire day off, no business related work today. I'll work for maybe an hour tomorrow, but that's all. You can't have a Moscow mule without the copper mug, it's essential.
I can't wait to see your Ewok lake house, I'm a big fan of McQuarrie concepts.
I hope your exam will go well, I'm certain it will. Happy belated Erntedankfest.
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Now this is a holiday I can get behind. Looks great. Off to share.
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Wow! I'm super jealous. That's amazing!
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Now this is a holiday I can get behind. Looks great. Off to share.
Thank you Tamer! I can't wait to get a backdrop for it. Hopefully it will be soon.
Wow! I'm super jealous. That's amazing!
Thank you Chuck! I have been wanting to build an Ewok village for many years. It wasn't really difficult, but just a lot of work. Once I get it placed in the shelf and get a backdrop it's going to be awesome.
I can't wait to get started on Dagobah. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do. I'd like to incorporate different scenes into one dio. I got the AMT Encounter with Yoda on Dagobah kit. It's roughly 3.75 scale, needs modifications, but it's a good starting point. I dug up the wild grape vine, to use the roots for some of the groundwork.
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That’s amazing. I’m speechless 😶
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I saw your Degobah score. that is gonna be great too.
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That’s amazing. I’m speechless 😶
Thank you Customjedi. Well what can I say?
I saw your Degobah score. that is gonna be great too.
Indeed. I think I'll do the shelf thing, with the hut as part of the scenery. I want to do Luke meets Yoda scene (my favorite), Luke swinging on yodas hairy vine, and cave of evil in one dio. The hut is actually pretty big, so I'm going to cut a 1/3 off the back and place it in the corner.
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Sounds like a great plan to me.
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Thank you DM! I actually have two days off in a row, that never happens. In fact I'm taking the entire day off, no business related work today. (...)
I can't wait to see your Ewok lake house, I'm a big fan of McQuarrie concepts.
I hope your exam will go well, I'm certain it will. Happy belated Erntedankfest.
Thank you so much JD! Yeah, our Thanksgiving was back on October 6 this year. It's always the 40th Sunday of the year. Anyhew I'm looking forward to getting started on the lake, too! Didn't even know it was a concept of McQuarrie! So thanks for the insight. I already set the soreline and ordered another tree! It's gonna be treesome! Visitied a buddy last Sunday who also built an Ewok village. I can share pics of you want!
The exam was excellent! My brain was melting the days before though. Physics will never be my favorite science.
And I know holidays are crazy in the U.S. - everyone has at least 3 jobs working 90 hours a week and get no day off. Here in Germany 24 days (excluding weekends) are the minimum amount of days off. I still don't understand where parents can have their kids looked after when they have 3 MONTHS off in summer?!
And yes, I don't know anything about drinks so shame on me...still love that mug! Hope you have a great time and much fun with your new Dagobah project!
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Well...that turned out magnificently! I really love the "final" product, JDeck. This is definitely a dio to be proud of (and I'm sure the Ewoks are happy to have huts for Thanksgiving. The lights are a cool addition and look really good. Make sure to show us pics when you get the backdrop done. But in the meantime, this is a great playset:) Happy (belated) Thanksgiving.
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That village looks sick. Cannot wait to see Encounter with Yoda mod.
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Thank you DM! I actually have two days off in a row, that never happens. In fact I'm taking the entire day off, no business related work today. (
Thank you so much JD! Yeah, our Thanksgiving was back on October 6 this year. It's always the 40th Sunday of the year. Anyhew I'm looking forward to getting started on the lake, too! Didn't even know it was a concept of McQuarrie! So thanks for the insight. I already set the soreline and ordered another tree! It's gonna be treesome! Visitied a buddy last Sunday who also built an Ewok village. I can share pics of you want!
The exam was excellent! My brain was melting the days before though. Physics will never be my favorite science.
And I know holidays are crazy in the U.S. - everyone has at least 3 jobs working 90 hours a week and get no day off. Here in Germany 24 days (excluding weekends) are the minimum amount of days off. I still don't understand where parents can have their kids looked after when they have 3 MONTHS off in summer?!
And yes, I don't know anything about drinks so shame on me...still love that mug! Hope you have a great time and much fun with your new Dagobah project!
Lol. I don't know anyone who has three jobs and works 90 hours. Two maybe, but they're usually bartenders or waitresses.
I'm running a distribution franchise, that I'm supposed to have bought it by now. Business owners/managers never get a day off in reality. There's always some crisis or something to do. Like today is my day Off but I spent an hour or two merchandising product. Of course, I could pay someone to take over for a week or whatever, but that costs money. I might take vacation next year. I'm single with no kids, no alimony, no child support, it's pretty great. I don't really need a week off every other month. Lol.
I have no delivery Wednesday and Sunday, which is great, because I can run errands on Wednesday and recover on Sunday. I usually work from 5am-2-5pm, so a lot of times I still have a good part of the day left.
So, let's say 10hrs/day 5days/week + 3hrs/week "homework", 53hrs/week.
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Well...that turned out magnificently! I really love the "final" product, JDeck. This is definitely a dio to be proud of (and I'm sure the Ewoks are happy to have huts for Thanksgiving. The lights are a cool addition and look really good. Make sure to show us pics when you get the backdrop done. But in the meantime, this is a great playset:) Happy (belated) Thanksgiving.
Thank you Starchaser! I'm waiting for cardboard Galaxy to restock their Ewok village backdrop. I wanted them to make something custom, but they didn't really want to, so I just told them to give me a heads up when they restock.
That village looks sick. Cannot wait to see Encounter with Yoda mod.
Thank you Sid! I'll try to keep it simple. The windows need to be re placed higher and smaller, and the chimney added. Also the doorway needs extending.
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So here is my basic layout for the Dagobah "My home this is" diorama. I ran out of foam board, however I do have small pieces. I might just use this extra shelf, that I use as a template, for the base.
The first scene I'm going to work on is when Yoda says "Mud hole? Slimy? My home this is." That part still makes me laugh. I am going to make a custom R2-D2, out of several different figures, unfortunately. I want to light up the lamp, and make a custom orange lantern power cell thing.
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Now this is gonna be nice. Off to share.
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Looks great! I'm excited to watch the build. I will refrain from comment on the work schedule front since I'm sure I'm an anomaly (but there is a reason I only build a few figures a quarter and no vehicles or dioramas).
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Don't know where ur location is but dollar tree has x-mas lights (battery powered) in very small size. Might be perfect to rig since the wires are tiny.
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Lol. I don't know anyone who has three jobs and works 90 hours. Two maybe, but they're usually bartenders or waitresses. (...)
Yeah, I was exaggerating a bit, but I got the impression that people got way too few holidays throughout the year in the U.S.
I wish you all the best for your business plan and hope everything works as you wish.
That's a nice progress on Dagobah already! (SID)'s suggestion is excellent! The Christmas season is perfect to find some nice deco, lights and artificial snow. I'm also watching out for some suitable lights to light up my Cantina tables, landing platforms and hallways...
I'm glad you can rest your mind with the hobby a little and relax a bit.
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Now this is gonna be nice. Off to share.
Thank you. I think I'll just build it one scene at a time, then blend them together on the same shelf. I don't have a timetable on it.
Don't know where ur location is but dollar tree has x-mas lights (battery powered) in very small size. Might be perfect to rig since the wires are tiny.
I usually get my lights from Evan's Design https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/
For the lamp, I can either drill through it, and run a fiber optic through it, or use a "Pico" chip LED. As for the orange power thing, I'll have to fabricate it somehow.
Looks great! I'm excited to watch the build. I will refrain from comment on the work schedule front since I'm sure I'm an anomaly (but there is a reason I only build a few figures a quarter and no vehicles or dioramas).
Yeah you always seem real busy. It's going to be a slow process. I hope to get R2 finished soon.
Lol. I don't know anyone who has three jobs and works 90 hours. Two maybe, but they're usually bartenders or waitresses. (...)
Yeah, I was exaggerating a bit, but I got the impression that people got way too few holidays throughout the year in the U.S.
I wish you all the best for your business plan and hope everything works as you wish.
That's a nice progress on Dagobah already! (SID)'s suggestion is excellent! The Christmas season is perfect to find some nice deco, lights and artificial snow. I'm also watching out for some suitable lights to light up my Cantina tables, landing platforms and hallways...
I'm glad you can rest your mind with the hobby a little and relax a bit.
Thank you. I know how Europeans like to rag on Americans about how much they work. There's a company here in the States, Evan's Design, that I get all of my lighting from. There are a ton of options.
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I made a custom Dagobah R2-D2, specific to the Yoda R2 fight scene. I used the TLJ Forcelink R2. I used the door from the mission r2 Yoda two pack, and the arm is from POTF2 R2, with pop-up scanner. I like the Forcelink R2, the paint apps are really well done, it's the same thing as the TVC except no weathering. I just would rather add my own weathering, especially something specific like this. Now come to think of it, I need to make another door for his charger, once I build that power cell lantern thing.
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Your R2 does look really incredible! The weathering knocks him off the park! Truly amazing, JD! Didn't expect you to accelerate on this project that soon, already!
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That is nice. You are really getting into great detail here. Off to the front pages.
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Your R2 does look really incredible! The weathering knocks him off the park! Truly amazing, JD! Didn't expect you to accelerate on this project that soon, already!
Thank you DM! Kind of a rush job, it was just a matter of getting all the parts. I think I'll work on the Hut next. I'm just going to do a little work here and there, because I have a lot of stuff to do this month. I might go out tonight, but tomorrow I have to fill out all of these business loan applications and various forms. Like a phone book. Once that gets approved, then I'm moving.
That is nice. You are really getting into great detail here. Off to the front pages.
Thank you Tamer. One a deeza days I'd like to make an ultimate R2-D2 in 1/18 scale. With opening compartments and LEDs. I got lazy here, it's basically a prop. The Forcelink R2 is a good base figure. Same as build a Droid and the paint apps are good. Best basic R2-D2 I've seen.
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The weathering on R2 looks amazing JDeck. It's a great combination of parts. I look forward to seeing the progress on the hut. I think the diorama will be awesome when it's done. As to busy - my six word life description "Too many pots, not enough fingers" - yeah I've got more commitments than I should have. Hopefully, I'll get some of that under control with some time off this winter.
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I would love to do a video round up with a few Yarders like you sometime on the best figures of all time. Maybe that would be a good new years resolution for next year?
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The weathering on R2 looks amazing JDeck. It's a great combination of parts. I look forward to seeing the progress on the hut. I think the diorama will be awesome when it's done. As to busy - my six word life description "Too many pots, not enough fingers" - yeah I've got more commitments than I should have. Hopefully, I'll get some of that under control with some time off this winter.
Thank you Starchaser! Outside of this business I don't make many commitments, this job is pretty demanding. I had to get my truck fixed today, to have it working by Tomorrow, on top of mechandising, some day off.
I would love to do a video round up with a few Yarders like you sometime on the best figures of all time. Maybe that would be a good new years resolution for next year?
Yeah I'd be down for that! After I move, hopefully January 19. I wouldn't know where to begin. I do like that Rogue one Stormtrooper. That figure would be great if it has accessories. I don't want to get into another rant about accessories. But I never did a video before.
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You know I still haven't been able to find the Vintage RO Stormy. So sad. My collecting has been all over the place lately. THIS IS THE WAY!
Yeah, the live video thing through YT wasn't too bad, need a webcam and a mic that doesn't get feedback. If I could figure it out I figure everyone else would be golden.
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You know I still haven't been able to find the Vintage RO Stormy. So sad. My collecting has been all over the place lately. THIS IS THE WAY!
Yeah, the live video thing through YT wasn't too bad, need a webcam and a mic that doesn't get feedback. If I could figure it out I figure everyone else would be golden.
I still haven't gotten my Stormtroopers from Dorkside. I want to see how long it's going to be until they say hey we screwed up, we oversold our product, my bad. TVC distribution has been terrible, pretty much it's been wave one and TFF figures and that's it.
I'd probably have to do it on my phone, with earplugs so there's no echo.
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Yeah, phones work pretty good too.
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I'm putting Dagobah on hold for a bit. But I wanted to get started on Babu Frik's workbench. It's 6" scale so of course I'm not doing the whole shop, just the chair/workbench. I just used styrene sheets, rods and trusses. My reference pictures are blurry and grainy, so I'm not sure what exactly the design is. What I thought was part of the chair is actually part of the wall behind. So I kept it simple.
I'm not sure what I want to do with 3PO I might light his eyes, but I'm not sure how I'll diffuse the light. The eyes to turn slightly red with cold water, but not for long. I'd also like to make Sparks using LED and fiber optics. The perfect thing is I wouldn't have to hide the wires! I dunno I'll figure something out.
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Looks like what I can remember. I like 3PO with those Sith Eyes. Creepy.
Off to the front pages.
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Looks like what I can remember. I like 3PO with those Sith Eyes. Creepy.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you! that scene was cool, he sounded like a Cylon
Through some trial and error I'm working on the eye lights. For the eyes themselves I'm using acrylic rod pieces. Then I put a red light through the back of the head.
I sliced open the back side of the head in order to position everything easier. I don't know how I'll do the Sparks. I ordered a flashing warm light and .03" fiber optic cable.
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It's looking great mate and love the eye's.
Ron
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JDeck, the eyes are looking really good. I like the idea of a "small" part of the scene, this is going to be cool!
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Now those are some cool eyes. Back to the front pages.
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It's looking great mate and love the eye's.
Ron
Thank you! I thought the eyes looked a little off. I took a little too much off. I need to touch up the paint, maybe I'll add a touch of putty.
JDeck, the eyes are looking really good. I like the idea of a "small" part of the scene, this is going to be cool!
Thank you Starchaser! I don't always uses 6" scale, but when I do, I keep it simple.
Now those are some cool eyes. Back to the front pages.
Thank you! I'm just waiting for some parts to come in. I don't want grass to grow under this project, I just want it to be a quick build.
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I can only agree with previous comments! Love what you've done with Babu Frik and 3PO! Great work on the chair! Little Scene, great effect! I think I need to get to know more about Babu. Thanks for sharing!
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I was kind of stuck on this Dagobah Camp Diorama. I ran out of foam board and I wasn't sure how to do the charging lantern or the lamp. I came across the Saga R2-D2, he came with a few camp accessories, including the charger. I was just going to hollow it out and use that, but it didn't work. Back to square one. I found a gel pen in the parking lot the other day. If you unscrew the point, the end of the tube is transparent and grooved. So I used that, along with a base and a top made from model kit parts. I might add some more details to it. Also wired up the lamp, using a Pico chip LED. It was super dooper bright. I covered the chip with a drop of glue and it was still bright, so I added some paint, except for the tip. now that I have foam board I can do some tree work and groundwork and that's it.
I made the trees. I used the Grapevine I pulled up several months ago. I like grapevine roots, they're pretty gnarly. I was going to make things really complicated and try to replicate the gnarltrees like in the movie, but keep it simple. I made the soil out of Coffee grounds, white glue, spackle, water, watercolors. It's still incredibly wet.
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It was already awesome to read your description when I woke up this morning. But seeing the attached pictures now blows my mind! This is getting along excellently! The lamp looks gorgeous and the wood looks just perfect for Dagobah! You got me thrilled once more!
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Wondered if you were working on this man. That light work is fantastic. Like the trees too.
Off to the front pages.
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It was already awesome to read your description when I woke up this morning. But seeing the attached pictures now blows my mind! This is getting along excellently! The lamp looks gorgeous and the wood looks just perfect for Dagobah! You got me thrilled once more!
Thank you! I think with a little details, the lantern droid charger thing will look good. As is it gets the job done. Grapevine roots are great, I used them on a few dioramas.
Wondered if you were working on this man. That light work is fantastic. Like the trees too.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you! Yeah it was just a matter of figuring out some of the details. Then when I bought a large sheet of blue foam for my spaceport project, I was good to go. I didn't want to buy a whole sheet for just one little diorama.
I pretty much finished the groundwork. I added some vines, and moss to the trees. The dead leaf litter was made using my leaf shaped hole punch and brown packing paper.
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Brilliant! I love the hole punch idea, that's a great tip. It's amazing how helpful someone else's cadt - off can be. The whole diorama looks most excellent!
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Man, I have those lines going through my head, "like were being watched!" I so love that scene with R2 and Yoda fighting over the light too. Great stuff.
Off to the front pages.
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This looks awesome, especially like the R2 with the light reflecting off him, top work 8)
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Brilliant! I love the hole punch idea, that's a great tip. It's amazing how helpful someone else's cadt - off can be. The whole diorama looks most excellent!
Thank you! Yeah I was going to Walmart to pick up some supplies for this project and thought I'd get a gel pen, just to see if it would work and I found one in the parking lot. Just the right size, and it even has a slight tint, so the lantern isn't too bright. Could not have worked out better if I planned it.
Man, I have those lines going through my head, "like were being watched!" I so love that scene with R2 and Yoda fighting over the light too. Great stuff.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you. Yeah, Yoda's introduction scene is great. I've been tainted by the Star Wars parodies I watch on YouTube. I can't get the BLR seagulls song out of my head. There's another one where they edit the scene so when Yoda says "Feel Like What?" Luke turns around and shoots him, then says, "now all I have to do is find this Yoda." Funny stuff. But it is a great scene.
This looks awesome, especially like the R2 with the light reflecting off him, top work 8)
Thank you. I think when I shoot the final pics I'll wait until dusk, so the LEDs will throw more light, then put on a blue filter.
Speaking of the lantern, I'm thinking they used a part of the Snowspeeder to make the top. So I used a 1/72 Snowspeeder part to make my top. Then added some rubber rods. Not perfect but better.
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This is awesome!
If you made the soil out of coffee grounds, does it still smell like coffee? ;D
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This is awesome!
If you made the soil out of coffee grounds, does it still smell like coffee? ;D
Thank you! Yeah it still has a very slight coffee smell, but it will dissipate in time. I used cinnamon once for color additive with Endor soil and it smelled like cinnamon for a long time. I've never once had anything mold, I guess enough glue keeps mold from forming.
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That Lamp looks spot on to me. I like it. Off to the front pages.
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That Lamp looks spot on to me. I like it. Off to the front pages.
Thank you. I like it when LFL recycles parts, it makes my work easier. I'm going to call it done. I just made some finishing touches, like mounting the switch and painting the boxes, stuff like that. I'll take some final pictures this weekend, with different scenes.
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Sounds good to me. I hope you do the one with R2 and Yoda fighting over the light!
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Sounds good to me. I hope you do the one with R2 and Yoda fighting over the light!
Sorry I haven't gotten around to taking these pictures. I've been laid up this whole entire week with a Diverticulitis attack. Then having to work on top of it. Usually it only lasts a few days at most, but this one is a solid week. I'm better today but I just feel really gross. Working in 90 degree temps with a fever sucks.
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I have those same attacks. It stinks big time. I know mine got better when I stopped eating tomatoes. It is weird what foods will set me off.
I sure hope you get to feeling better.
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Brilliant work mate.
Ron
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Looks really awesome!
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I have those same attacks. It stinks big time. I know mine got better when I stopped eating tomatoes. It is weird what foods will set me off.
I sure hope you get to feeling better.
I was talking to a guy in my Depot that had Diverticulitis one time, and hasn't gotten it since. So he told me he takes a lot of fiber supplements and that's it. So I'm trying that out, we'll see in time.
Looks really awesome!
Thank you! It's nice when I don't over think things and just keep it simple. I could still be working on it.
Brilliant work mate.
Ron
Thank you. I still have the hut, I need to figure out what I want to do with that.
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Let me know if that works and I will try it. Cutting out tomatoes and foods with any type of seeds is about all I know to keep me bout free. I sure do miss some of that stuff. Pico de gallo about the most!
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Let me know if that works and I will try it. Cutting out tomatoes and foods with any type of seeds is about all I know to keep me bout free. I sure do miss some of that stuff. Pico de gallo about the most!
I've been taking a combination of metamucil in the morning and fiber capsules in the evening. They're practically the same thing, Phisillum powder, just a matter of if you'd rather take five horse pills, or a tall glass of gritty orange Kool aid. I've noticed a change already, and also it suppresses appetite.
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Might have to try it. Thanks for the info and sorry about taking your thread down intestinal lane.
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Might have to try it. Thanks for the info and sorry about taking your thread down intestinal lane.
Anything to help. I know it sucks when I get it. I don't think I want to start a new thread. That would give a new meaning to S#!t-posting. Lol.
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LOL! That one has me laughing hard this morning. Yeah, I don't think we want a thread just for that.
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Like when designers put in lights in dio work. great job!
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Finally took some pictures of my Dagobah dio. Only a couple years late. Now I have some equipment to make my pictures better. Still a learning process.
This is one of the first pictures I took using the microfogger3. Also I used a couple of RGB lights, they're full spectrum adjustable, for $20-30 each, but they're worth it. There are some that are $150 each, which I think is crazy.
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Wow, that diorama is great and the pictures are really, really cool. Great work!
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Man looks right out of the movie set. My daughter and I just watched TESB on Sunday. Nice.
Off to the front pages.
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Wow, that diorama is great and the pictures are really, really cool. Great work!
Thank you. I'm trying to get better at photography. A lot of time is spent making something, have to make it look it's best. I don't photoshop, other than lightsaber effects or something like that.
Man looks right out of the movie set. My daughter and I just watched TESB on Sunday. Nice.
Off to the front pages.
Awesome thank you! I used to watch a Star Wars movie every Sunday, but I got out of the ritual. Need to start that up again.
I know I promised to take final pictures when I finished but I got sick. Now is just as good a time as any.
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Those are some fantastic shots!
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I agree, I love your Dagoabah diorama so much! So awesome that it is in 1/18 scale and the light and fog effects add all the magic to it! These are some high-quality pictures there. Excellent work, JD!
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Those are some fantastic shots!
Thank you!
I agree, I love your Dagoabah diorama so much! So awesome that it is in 1/18 scale and the light and fog effects add all the magic to it! These are some high-quality pictures there. Excellent work, JD!
Thank you! I like my little fog machine, maybe i like it too much, i use it in almost every picture. It creates atmosphere along with lighting.
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So I have this idea to make a modular Endor forest, so I can set up different scenes take pictures and pack it up. If you know me i like Endor, so i have plenty of Endor forest diorama materials.
I bought some coconut lizard substrate for ground effects. Made a ton of forest litter using mostly ground up moss.and found materials. I think it was Darth more who gave me the idea to use palm tree tops for ferns and they work great! I just stuck some scewers in the bottom so I can later stick the ferns into the foam bases.
I made a bunch of shubbery using Crape Myrtle sticks and woodland scenics fine leaf foliage. I have about 14, but I have a lit more materials left. It's all about the layering.
I cannibalized some of the trees I made for my endor forest shelf diorama, but made them better. I drilled new holes, placed wire in the holes, then glued some poly fiber to the wire then spray glued the poly fiber and sprinkled static grass on it. I think they turned out pretty good. So im going to finish making the smaller trees then work my way up to the larger ones. I found a cardboard tube from a shrink wrap tube that will work great for a large redwood or Douglas fir. I'll probably buy a few shipping tubes, to make more. Ill show yall when the time comes.
Once all my trees are made I can make different bases and terrains using all of the materials on peices of foam board/Styrofoam/floral foam.
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This is a great idea. I love the downed log - it looks great. I'll be watching with tremendous interest!
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This is a great idea. I love the downed log - it looks great. I'll be watching with tremendous interest!
Thanks, the downed tree is from a pretty big wild grapevine i dug up a couple years ago. Most of the root system I used for the Dagobah dio, but I still had this part. I think I'll make it into a big root from a fallen tree or something.
I've been doing my best Bob Ross impersonation making happy little trees and bushes. Like I said just took some crepe Myrtle clippings and glued "Fine Leaf Foliage" to it. The PVA glue WS makes isn't that great, Gorilla woodglue is the greatest, I use it for almost everything.
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
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Love the modular idea. Man, great work so far.
Off to share this on the front pages before the day's work gets me.
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
Thanks. That is on my bucket list, go to Humboldt County CA, and visit Endor, pick up a bunch of forest litter and make an endor forest out of the endor forest. That would be at least a 3 day drive, if I can drive my best of 800 miles a day. Only problem is the actual filming location is privately owned, by a logging company, so I don't think they take kindly to star wars fans coming in there playing scout trooper.
Love the modular idea. Man, great work so far.
Off to share this on the front pages before the day's work gets me.
Thank you! It's gonna rain all day, so ill probably chill today, but this weekend will be nice. I do most of my dio building outside. Less mess and I use a lot of Aerosol paint and glue. I might drill out some more trees, get them ready for paint and glue.
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
Thanks. That is on my bucket list, go to Humboldt County CA, and visit Endor, pick up a bunch of forest litter and make an endor forest out of the endor forest. That would be at least a 3 day drive, if I can drive my best of 800 miles a day. Only problem is the actual filming location is privately owned, by a logging company, so I don't think they take kindly to star wars fans coming in there playing scout trooper.
Its a beautiful spot. Living on the West Coast, my wife have visited the national forests there a couple of times and, in fact, planted a Sequoia seedling purchased there in our backyard a number of years ago (they grow quickly). I've been happy to call Redwood National Park "good enough" for my purposes. :)
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
Thanks. That is on my bucket list, go to Humboldt County CA, and visit Endor, pick up a bunch of forest litter and make an endor forest out of the endor forest. That would be at least a 3 day drive, if I can drive my best of 800 miles a day. Only problem is the actual filming location is privately owned, by a logging company, so I don't think they take kindly to star wars fans coming in there playing scout trooper.
Its a beautiful spot. Living on the West Coast, my wife have visited the national forests there a couple of times and, in fact, planted a Sequoia seedling purchased there in our backyard a number of years ago (they grow quickly). I've been happy to call Redwood National Park "good enough" for my purposes. :)
Thats cool! The city planted a bunch of Redwoods along the sidewalk outside of this elementary school i deliver to. In about 50 years it's probably going to totally destroy the sidewalk. They already have willow oaks planted out there and it's roots have made most of the sidewalks in Northside unusable. The stupidest thing is if someone busts their ass on the sidewalk in front of your house you are legally liable, so they're setting people up. But anyway, I sometimes collect the Redwood dead leaves and fallen sticks for my endor litter.
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
Thanks. That is on my bucket list, go to Humboldt County CA, and visit Endor, pick up a bunch of forest litter and make an endor forest out of the endor forest. That would be at least a 3 day drive, if I can drive my best of 800 miles a day. Only problem is the actual filming location is privately owned, by a logging company, so I don't think they take kindly to star wars fans coming in there playing scout trooper.
Its a beautiful spot. Living on the West Coast, my wife have visited the national forests there a couple of times and, in fact, planted a Sequoia seedling purchased there in our backyard a number of years ago (they grow quickly). I've been happy to call Redwood National Park "good enough" for my purposes. :)
Thats cool! The city planted a bunch of Redwoods along the sidewalk outside of this elementary school i deliver to. In about 50 years it's probably going to totally destroy the sidewalk. They already have willow oaks planted out there and it's roots have made most of the sidewalks in Northside unusable. The stupidest thing is if someone busts their ass on the sidewalk in front of your house you are legally liable, so they're setting people up. But anyway, I sometimes collect the Redwood dead leaves and fallen sticks for my endor litter.
I concur, to make citizens liable for roots from city plantings is really pretty stupid. The root systems of Redwoods spread out too, but ours is deeper than the willows, alders and maples around our house. I had this funny picture earlier of gathering up the bark shed and leaves, packing them up in a box, and shipping them to you :)
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I look forward to seeing what you do with this.
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Love the Dagobah scene JD it has a lot of eerie atmosphere to it and I can't wait to see the Endor dio as you can tell by the tree's and foliage it's going to be an awesome dio.
Ron
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Love the Dagobah scene JD it has a lot of eerie atmosphere to it and I can't wait to see the Endor dio as you can tell by the tree's and foliage it's going to be an awesome dio.
Ron
Thanks man! Yeah I need to find another wild grapevine and dig up the roots to make more Dagobah trees.
Yeah I made a few more smaller trees yesterday. Kind of a monotonous job of carving, painting gluing on moss and flocking. I think I'll start on the bigger trees for something different to do. But once theyre all done then the majic happens.
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Today is a rainy day, so I started basing the trees I've already made. I have 13 trees so far each with their own base. They can be arranged in any way I want to create different configurations.
I just took some foam, whether floral or insulation foam and made irregular shapes and rounded them off. Then i painted them using my special formula of Modge Podge, brown paint and cocunut substrate for texture. Then I sprinkled them with my Endor forest litter, then apllied ferns and bushes.
I made a couple mounds out of floral foam bricks, that I can stack my tree bases onto.
The pink/purple area is going to be my subject area, that ill leave flat so I can add figures and plants or whatever.
I ordered 6 3x24" shipping tubes to make into larger trees, hopefully that will be enough to fill out the table. The more trees I make, the more I realize I need.
I came up with a really cool idea the other night. I ordered a really badass figure from EE, it's processing now, hopefully I can be just about done with all my peices when it arrives.
The last picture is a test shot with my fogger. Lighting was overcast at 4pm, I used a sheet of foamcore for a backdrop with a red LED light shining on it. I just need to make a few more ground peices and trees to take a wider shot and it'll be perfect for a background. Once it gets dark, I'll try it with a blue LED, see how a night scene would look. The possibilities really are endless with this setup. I could do Endor day or night, E.T, Rambo, Friday the 13th, werewolf, just a lot of different scenes.
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That looks great! I think the fogger picture works really well. I'm excited to see how it turns out.
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Sure looks like Endor to me. That fogger pic looks spot on perfect.
Off to the front pages.
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That looks great! I think the fogger picture works really well. I'm excited to see how it turns out.
Thank you! The fogger is one of my favorite tools. It's like photoshop or a filter. It gives the scene a sense of depth, it filters the light, it blends and hides imperfections and it makes everything look cooler.
Sure looks like Endor to me. That fogger pic looks spot on perfect.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you! I played around with some night shots. I need to figure out how to make a moon without photoshop.
I think i figured something out. I have this clear plastic dome that I accidentally frosted, and was made useless for the thing I was making, but I kept it, and it'll make a cool moon. I can mount it to black foamcore using strong magnets, so I can move the moon wherever I want and use the remote to turn it on, off and change colors.
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Man, once again spot on perfect it looks to me. Hey, I went kinda Yodaey there.
Off to the front pages. Oh yeah, its Friday.
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That's a pretty ingenious solution to your challenge. I think it will look great, and it has dimension, which will be much better than a flat disc. The night shot of Ham looks really great, too.
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Man, once again spot on perfect it looks to me. Hey, I went kinda Yodaey there.
Off to the front pages. Oh yeah, its Friday.
Lol. I figured you might like that AT-AT foot I think that TBS centerpiece scales better with 3.75.
That's a pretty ingenious solution to your challenge. I think it will look great, and it has dimension, which will be much better than a flat disc. The night shot of Ham looks really great, too.
Thank you! We'll see how it works in practice, theoretically it should do fine. As long as the moon is far enough back. Im more or less just building Miniature movie sets, more so than a "diorama".
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Thank you! We'll see how it works in practice, theoretically it should do fine. As long as the moon is far enough back. Im more or less just building Miniature movie sets, more so than a "diorama".
Maybe we should call them "terrain sets" since they are intended for multiple uses?
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Yeah, that AT-AT foot was fantastic. There is so much you could do with this.
Off to share your latest to the front pages.
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Thank you! We'll see how it works in practice, theoretically it should do fine. As long as the moon is far enough back. Im more or less just building Miniature movie sets, more so than a "diorama".
Maybe we should call them "terrain sets" since they are intended for multiple uses?
Lol that'll work. I guess all the peices put together with figures that tell a story makes it a diorama.
Yeah, that AT-AT foot was fantastic. There is so much you could do with this.
Off to share your latest to the front pages.
Thanks! My masking taped moon lol. Went to Michael's but they didn't have super magnets, but I picked up more foam. Yeah there are a lot of possibilities. I'm thinking about that little bandai DS2 model, it might be too small tho. The shuttle model I have would look cool flying in the background. I found a BATAT incomplete for $60 shipped, but I missed out. I was going to set everything up outside and shoot fireworks at it for explosions, but I still have my AT-ST. A lot of different things I can do. I'm still waiting for the figure I ordered, it's still "processing". Hopefully it'll work out the way I want, it won't be way too big, there's a lot I can do with that.
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Thank you! We'll see how it works in practice, theoretically it should do fine. As long as the moon is far enough back. Im more or less just building Miniature movie sets, more so than a "diorama".
Maybe we should call them "terrain sets" since they are intended for multiple uses?
Lol that'll work. I guess all the peices put together with figures that tell a story makes it a diorama.
Maybe a diorama is a scene that's permanent, while terrain sets, like movie sets, can be used for different stories? Or maybe, just maybe, I'm wasting my time overthinking it :P
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I got some super magnets from Amazon. They're not as strong as I was hoping but it was a pack of 10. So I cut out a piece of foamcore the diameter of the moon, then hot glued the light to one side and 5 of the magnets to the other. Then stuck the other 5 magnets on the other side of the black backdrop. I put the light on the lowest setting but it's still pretty bright. But it's a success, I'll take it. The third shot was turning the moon light off, and shining a light from under the moon. Interesting effect.
Beware of the Endor Moon.
Steer clear of the moors.
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Yep...That works really well! Great solution. You could maybe use tissue over it (or inside it?) to give it appearance of texture, like our moon. Just a brainstorm.
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Yep...That works really well! Great solution. You could maybe use tissue over it (or inside it?) to give it appearance of texture, like our moon. Just a brainstorm.
Thats a great idea! It'll diffuse the light and give it a texture as you said. Id probably put on the inside, just wad it up, see how it looks. Thanks!.
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I'll be curious to see the outcome ;)
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Nice effect. It looks good.
Off to share on the front pages.
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Nice effect. It looks good.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! Im still playing with the lighting but its pretty cool. Photographers describe it as painting with light, and that's a pretty accurate description.
I've been working on my big trees. I made them out of mailing tubes for posters or whatever., 3"×24". I mixed up some "paper mache" but its like paper pulp mixed with plaster basically. I formed a rough tree shape, thicker on the bottom and used my fingers to make the redwood bark lines going from top to bottom or bottom to top. Once that was dry, i took a wire brush and just went in sweeping strokes from top to bottom, over and over until all the goose turds were knocked off and it had a nice bark texture. Then I painted using Woodland scenics burnt umber water color. Then once that's dry, I added a grey wash using black/white WS watercolor. Thats it. I think it turned out really well. Being that they're 2ft tall, they'll be tall enough for the AT-ST. Now I have to base them all. I might need to make a couple more, it's pretty much a 3 day process with all the drying time.
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Those are spot on! You got the texture of the bark really well. Nice job.
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Yep, bark looks spot on to me too.
Off to share on the front pages.
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Those are spot on! You got the texture of the bark really well. Nice job.
Thank you! I've been making trees for years now, but I think I found a technique that works. I would like to try air drying clay, but I like the randomness of this plaster mache stuff.
Yep, bark looks spot on to me too.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! Yup It's starting to look like Endor now with the big trees. I just need to do some ground work and it'll be ready for making dioramas.
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Over the weekend I finished up the groundwork, for this particular set up, the only problem is, my special figure that, is pretty much the main star of the diorama is still not here. So I could either wait 2 or more weeks, or move on, and remake that setup later. I do have another set up I want to try, involving a stream, so I'm going to try to make that using materials I already have.
Anyway I took the 1sqft foam board and coated it in my modge podge dirt cement, i did a thin watered down coat so it would lay smooth, since that's where the figures will be and it'll be easier to stand them up on a smooth surface. Then once dry, I added my forest litter, along with plants, deadfalls, moss and so forth. I also added for this set up the campfire from my ewok village. It's all loose, nothing fixed so I can clear it off and make a different scene later. So the last picture is a night shot with various RGB lights and a fog affect from my microfogger, with no photoshop at all. Belive it or not.
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Can I just say...BRILLIANT! Endor looks really, well, real. That's a scene you can be really proud of.
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Can I just say...BRILLIANT! Endor looks really, well, real. That's a scene you can be really proud of.
Thank you! Too bad that figure hasn't come in yet. Oh well I'm moving on and I'll come back to it when it does arrive. It took 10 minutes to rearrange things to come up with a different scene. This is just a test shot, but that's pretty much it, as far as the layout goes. That's why I like my modular setup. Just need to make a few finishing touches and it'll be ready for shooting.
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Wow, this is really nice.
Love the streambed idea.
Off to share the lastest on the front pages.
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This is a truly fantastic project. The box of ingredients looks like Endor already! I agree with Starchaser: the scene with lights looks absolutely brilliant. Could be part of the Blue Milk Archive Book if Hasbro had already made the Speeder Bike and Biker Scout part of The Vintage Collection...
Thanks for the shout out, too! You've become a true master of the environment of the moon of Endor. Thanks for sharing these amazing images.
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Looking good so far. Thanks for the tip about Gorilla wood glue. I think the shrubs look great and the tube for a Redwood is a great idea (since the Endor stuff was filmed in Northern California among the Coastal Redwoods and Sequoia trees).
Thanks. That is on my bucket list, go to Humboldt County CA, and visit Endor, pick up a bunch of forest litter and make an endor forest out of the endor forest. That would be at least a 3 day drive, if I can drive my best of 800 miles a day. Only problem is the actual filming location is privately owned, by a logging company, so I don't think they take kindly to star wars fans coming in there playing scout trooper.
Its a beautiful spot. Living on the West Coast, my wife have visited the national forests there a couple of times and, in fact, planted a Sequoia seedling purchased there in our backyard a number of years ago (they grow quickly). I've been happy to call Redwood National Park "good enough" for my purposes. :)
Thats cool! The city planted a bunch of Redwoods along the sidewalk outside of this elementary school i deliver to. In about 50 years it's probably going to totally destroy the sidewalk. They already have willow oaks planted out there and it's roots have made most of the sidewalks in Northside unusable. The stupidest thing is if someone busts their ass on the sidewalk in front of your house you are legally liable, so they're setting people up. But anyway, I sometimes collect the Redwood dead leaves and fallen sticks for my endor litter.
I concur, to make citizens liable for roots from city plantings is really pretty stupid. The root systems of Redwoods spread out too, but ours is deeper than the willows, alders and maples around our house. I had this funny picture earlier of gathering up the bark shed and leaves, packing them up in a box, and shipping them to you :)
Seriously though, if you sent me a small box of redwood litter and small trimmings I'd send you some fodder figures.
Wow, this is really nice.
Love the streambed idea.
Off to share the lastest on the front pages.
Thank you! I think I'll create a silt layer with watered down modge podge and paint. Then I got some clear Aloe gel I'm going to try to make some water effects that will be temporary. We'll see how that works.
This is a truly fantastic project. The box of ingredients looks like Endor already! I agree with Starchaser: the scene with lights looks absolutely brilliant. Could be part of the Blue Milk Archive Book if Hasbro had already made the Speeder Bike and Biker Scout part of The Vintage Collection...
Thanks for the shout out, too! You've become a true master of the environment of the moon of Endor. Thanks for sharing these amazing images.
Thank you! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the idea for the ferns. There are two things that makes endor, redwoods and ferns, without them it isn't endor.
The TRU Speeder bike is awesome and I hope they repack for TVC. I'm just afraid to know how much they'd want them for. Probably close to $50, for the bike, scout and flight stand, not including the e-web or kickstand. I have 3 now, I think that's enough for my needs.
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Just a tiny update. I made the creek bed a little dirty and messy, like it should be. The sand and rocks were just too clean. First I sprinkled some of my forest litter in areas where debris would collect, like in front of deadfalls or large rocks and in the edges. Then, I made a mixture of Modge Podge, grey/green paint and water, put it in a spray bottle and sprayed the whole bed down. Then, I added some ground up moss to the edges, then sprayed it all down again. So I'm going to try and use clear Aloe gel (no alcohol added) for a temporary water effect. Im not going to add that until I'm just about to photograph. I ordered a camo net to give the lighting a forest effect, so I won't be able to shoot until the weekend. So effectively 2 days work for a temporary photo set, but it's a more complex setup with the creek.
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I like how the river bed looks. That's well done, and I love that you used real stone. BTW-I "PM'd" you regarding Redwood elements.
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I like how the river bed looks. That's well done, and I love that you used real stone. BTW-I "PM'd" you regarding Redwood elements.
Awesome thanks! I had a bunch of these "natural" river rocks, which are the store bought probably polished ones and figured I'd use them up. I try to use natural stuff, it looks natural. I had someone ask if anything ever molds. Only if I store it wet. I had a jar of "dirt" I made with coffee, tea and all sorts of stuff, but I sealed it up while it was still damp and it molded big time. Otherwise no problem.
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Man this looks real! I mean awesome. I keep expecting to see the red lazers!
I could you doing another dio of who is doing the blasting. Just a fantastic job here.
Off to share on the front pages.
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Man this looks real! I mean awesome. I keep expecting to see the red lazers!
I could you doing another dio of who is doing the blasting. Just a fantastic job here.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! I have an app for lightsabers, but it works alright for blasters. I've been looking for sparklers that are designed for indoor use, with low temp and no smoke, but I'll have to just use regular sparklers.
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I like how the river bed looks. That's well done, and I love that you used real stone. BTW-I "PM'd" you regarding Redwood elements.
Awesome thanks! I had a bunch of these "natural" river rocks, which are the store bought probably polished ones and figured I'd use them up. I try to use natural stuff, it looks natural. I had someone ask if anything ever molds. Only if I store it wet. I had a jar of "dirt" I made with coffee, tea and all sorts of stuff, but I sealed it up while it was still damp and it molded big time. Otherwise no problem.
Yeah - if you keep things dry, they will actually store for a long time if its sealed well.
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I like how the river bed looks. That's well done, and I love that you used real stone. BTW-I "PM'd" you regarding Redwood elements.
Awesome thanks! I had a bunch of these "natural" river rocks, which are the store bought probably polished ones and figured I'd use them up. I try to use natural stuff, it looks natural. I had someone ask if anything ever molds. Only if I store it wet. I had a jar of "dirt" I made with coffee, tea and all sorts of stuff, but I sealed it up while it was still damp and it molded big time. Otherwise no problem.
Yeah - if you keep things dry, they will actually store for a long time if its sealed well.
That's the problem I have with the coconut substrate that im using. It came in this little brick, that you have to soak in watter to dissolve. It took two weeks to completely dry, because it so absorbant. It works great but I have to make sure its completely dry before storing.
I did get my camo net today. I think it works alright. I just need to perfect the lighting and hopefully a white backdrop will suffice. I have it in an akward spot and it's such a large set . I kept knocking over trees and my white poster board fell between the table and the wall, so I got fed up and quit for the night. But I'm happy with the netting effect. I saw ILM used it in a behind the scenes photo of ROTJ (pictured).
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It will be interesting to see how that works. I'm intrigued!
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Well I never knew they used camo netting in ROTJ. Makes sense though.
Man, I remember putting that stuff up all the time when I was in the service. It got stuck on everything. It wasn't worth a dang in the desert either. You could never get good enough stakes to keep it anchored in the sand!
I bet you get some interesting shade effects with it. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with this.
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It will be interesting to see how that works. I'm intrigued!
It makes a difference just not a huge difference, that's why I didn't post a picture. Im almost done. I just need to pull the table out, get a trifold poster board, rearrange some trees, pour the water effects and adjust the lighting and I'll be ready.
Well I never knew they used camo netting in ROTJ. Makes sense though.
Man, I remember putting that stuff up all the time when I was in the service. It got stuck on everything. It wasn't worth a dang in the desert either. You could never get good enough stakes to keep it anchored in the sand!
I bet you get some interesting shade effects with it. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with this.
Lol yeah kind of reminds me of when I was trying to pitch a tent on the beach, you have to anchor it down with rocks or sandbags.
I'll try to get some work done tonight. I have to go back to the three stooges that changed my oil, because they left the skid plate dangling by a thread. Odds are they threw the screws away after I left.
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Good luck with that. I know how trying some service centers are. Don't get me started.
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Good luck with that. I know how trying some service centers are. Don't get me started.
Take a wild guess what the guy said. It was already like that. Lol. I'm just going to the dealership for everything now. Peace of mind.
I got some fireworks for explosion effects for future outdoor set ups. Basically I got flashers, sparklers, smokers and crackling balls. I tested some stuff out, and they'll work for what I need.
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Sorry to hear that. Too bad the chain places don't care more about quality. A good mechanic is a precious
I'll be fascinated to see how your fireworks experiments go for pictures. I'm really curious.
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Sorry to hear that. Too bad the chain places don't care more about quality. A good mechanic is a precious
I'll be fascinated to see how your fireworks experiments go for pictures. I'm really curious.
Yeah it's just the way it is. I have basically an exotic. It's just a Mazda, but everything has become so complicated you need someone who knows that make and works on it all day everyday and is certified to do so.
The fireworks were more fire than spark. I was hoping for more sparking action. The crackling balls have great sparking, but they're illegal to sell now. I got them by a loophole, because they were attached to a fountain, so I just pulled them out, and I have crackling balls, but I bought all he had, so I have to make them last, until I can get to south Carolina.
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Finally some final pictures. It was a successful experiment. The camo netting worked as well as it can, not a miracle worker. The aloe gel made some cool water effects with no bubbles surprisingly. I wish I could have done some more action, but I didn’t think that far ahead. It's a learning experience. The modular forest is a success.
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Looks awesome! You used aloe hair gel for the water, did you mix it with anything?
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Looks awesome! You used aloe hair gel for the water, did you mix it with anything?
Thank you! No it's just clear Aloe gel, for sunburns/skin moisturizer. I was going to use hairgel the cheap stuff you get in those big jars, but this I think is better, it's just aloe, with no other chemicals that might react with the acrylic paints. It's only temporary, i wouldn't use it in a permanent diorama, just for photography.
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Man that water looks real! I wonder if you could cover it with a clear varnish or something to get it to stay set? Man, hate to think of you having to remove that as it looks so realistic. Bet is smells awesome too.
Off to share on the front page. I would definitely call that dio a success!
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Man that water looks real! I wonder if you could cover it with a clear varnish or something to get it to stay set? Man, hate to think of you having to remove that as it looks so realistic. Bet is smells awesome too.
Off to share on the front page. I would definitely call that dio a success!
Thank you! Somebody makes a clear gel that hardens, for something permanent, but I know what you mean. I started breaking it down and it's bittersweet but on to the next scene. I might go back to my night setup and add in the Kessler wolf I got the other day. Or I might do an outdoor AT-ST scene with the fireworks. Not sure. But I have a lot of cleaning up to do.
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Man that water looks real! I wonder if you could cover it with a clear varnish or something to get it to stay set? Man, hate to think of you having to remove that as it looks so realistic. Bet is smells awesome too.
Off to share on the front page. I would definitely call that dio a success!
Thank you! Somebody makes a clear gel that hardens, for something permanent, but I know what you mean. I started breaking it down and it's bittersweet but on to the next scene. I might go back to my night setup and add in the Kessler wolf I got the other day. Or I might do an outdoor AT-ST scene with the fireworks. Not sure. But I have a lot of cleaning up to do.
I'll bet its bittersweet. It looked really good, but I'm curious to see what comes next. BTW - I hope to have some redwood detritus in the mail this week:)
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Man that water looks real! I wonder if you could cover it with a clear varnish or something to get it to stay set? Man, hate to think of you having to remove that as it looks so realistic. Bet is smells awesome too.
Off to share on the front page. I would definitely call that dio a success!
Thank you! Somebody makes a clear gel that hardens, for something permanent, but I know what you mean. I started breaking it down and it's bittersweet but on to the next scene. I might go back to my night setup and add in the Kessler wolf I got the other day. Or I might do an outdoor AT-ST scene with the fireworks. Not sure. But I have a lot of cleaning up to do.
I'll bet its bittersweet. It looked really good, but I'm curious to see what comes next. BTW - I hope to have some redwood detritus in the mail this week:)
Awesome thank you! I'll put together some fodder figures for you. I don't have a lot, but at least some aliens or something, I promise no clones lol. Actually I have a few sought after clones that I would trade for ewoks or imperials.
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This is flawless! I love it!
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This is flawless! I love it!
Thank you! I'm putting together some junk to make into a modular Imperial base, to go with my modular Endor forest and/or any other environment I choose to make in the future, like Scarif Mimban or Sullust.
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That's a great idea. Look forward to seeing how that develops.
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Well now this looks fun.
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That's a great idea. Look forward to seeing how that develops.
I may or may not use all of this stuff, but definitely a lot of it. I have some other stuff coming. I need to get another POTF2 Endor bunker, I have one but it's all janky and fell apart and I lost a panel, besides that I super glued the doors shut, because again it was falling apart. I'd like Hasbro to remake the bunker, I little bigger and better quality.
Well now this looks fun.
Yeah junk building is one of my favorite things.
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We've lost a command post! I lost the command post I made several years ago, can't for the life of me find it, so I made another one. Inspired by Battlefront, which is canon now, but I just wanted to give it a practical utilitarian look. In my head canon, it's a communication device set up at strategic defensive positions, like Fuel/supply depots and airfields. It's used so the various platoon leaders can communicate with each other, and with Battalion command. They're loaded with real time battlefield maps and troop movements. This makes the position even more important to defend, as you don't want your enemy to gain important information.
I made it using a part from a rocket ship model kit, ILM used the same kit for some of the original ships, so it has this retroactive star wars look. I just added some greebles and an antenna made from a spray bottle part, a 1/12 gun part and a bandai R2 sensor scope. I wired up some blue and white LEDs, and used corrugated plastic for the hologram figure base and diffuser. The hologram figure is the old FFG hologram Veers.
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Lost a command post! Count that a Rebel victory:( No really, I think that mobile hologram projector/communication center looks great. The LED's are a nice touch as well.
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Lost a command post! Count that a Rebel victory:( No really, I think that mobile hologram projector/communication center looks great. The LED's are a nice touch as well.
Thank you! Yeah those damn rebels must have captured my command post. I like this one better anyway. I figured I'd start knocking out some of my Imperial base props. I'm stranded at the house because I dropped my car off at the dealership, and the person who scheduled my appointment scheduled for a drop off, so I have to leave it overnight because they found a few small issues including the stuff the three stooges broke. They even overfilled the oil, so that has to be drained. Idiots. I did start on my fuel tank, but I was hoping to pick up some plastic sheets at the hobby shop. Nope, not today.
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So sorry to hear about the ongoing car saga. Hopefully all will be put to right by tomorrow! Its a bummer when our plans get derailed. But maybe a day at home isn't all bad? I have to fight for a day at home (that's not still full of work).
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So sorry to hear about the ongoing car saga. Hopefully all will be put to right by tomorrow! Its a bummer when our plans get derailed. But maybe a day at home isn't all bad? I have to fight for a day at home (that's not still full of work).
Yeah it'll all be at factory specs tomorrow $1400 later. Oh well I wanted to get it all done right and that's what I'm getting.
I didn't need plastic card anyway. I worked a little more on my tank. Based on the ones from the new battlefront games. The tank is made from an Armorall wipes can, some Y-wing parts, DIY straws, and plastic card. I do need to get some either german grey or Japanese navy grey spray paint. The German grey might be too dark. I used Japanese grey on the command post and it's dark but not too dark. I hope to have a lot of props done within about a month, when my Stormtrooper/E-WEBs and possibly my scarif troopers come in.
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Wow two great updates.
I like the tank and the command holo.
Off to share on the front pages.
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The fuel tank (or whatever is stored in it) is looking good. I think a medium gray makes the most sense. Hope your car is back and functioning today.
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Wow two great updates.
I like the tank and the command holo.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! I had some time on my hands yesterday, and it helps to dry fit everything ahead of time. Something about building that's therapeutic, makes stress go away.
The fuel tank (or whatever is stored in it) is looking good. I think a medium gray makes the most sense. Hope your car is back and functioning today.
Thank you! I reckon it's fuel unless it's Mountain Dew, I like to think it's Mountain Dew. I'll pick up some Japanese grey tomorrow. I had to get a loaner car. I asked for a MX-5 (Miata) half jokingly, but they gave me a CX-5 (SUV), i was like, come on man you're only one letter off.
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I pre-fitted this the other day, figured I'd glue it together, and prime it. I suppose it's a long range communication relay. It can send, receive, intercept and jam transmissions.
It's made from the carbon freezing chamber thing that han goes into, some plastic cups, a Five Below radar dish toy, a hoth cannon model kit piece, and the antenna is from the vandor playset. And of course it started raining right after I shot it with primer. I kind of like the color, so I might shoot it with clear, another coat and clear again.
I did add some little parabolic dishes around the main dish to look more like the dish on Endor. They don't all match but it's just
background filler. Of course I have to paint it anyway, no big deal.
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Wow awesome communications relay! Looks great.
Off to share on the front pages.
These are the types of things I would love to buy from Hasbro with a figure as a deluxe pack or something along those lines. We so need things like this for our action figures.
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Wow awesome communications relay! Looks great.
Off to share on the front pages.
These are the types of things I would love to buy from Hasbro with a figure as a deluxe pack or something along those lines. We so need things like this for our action figures.
Thank you! I want a TVC Endor Bunker with a satellite dish thing about this size but screen accurate, and a Rebel Commando figure packed in. I'd pay $50 all day. I just "won" an auction for the POTF2 Bunker, just the bunker for $40. There's definitely a demand for cool display pieces and diorama accessories.
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I painted my fuel tank. Light grey primer coat, dark grey, then a light spray of light again, a light spray of dark, then a clear coat. Then I added some rusty dirt using some black pigment powder and woodland scenics burnt umber watercolor, then another clear coat.
Also I got 4 of these WWE "Highwire War" playset latticed towers. It's starting to look like an Imperial base. The comm tower looks pretty good at a distance. I think if I add some small trees around it, it'll have the illusion of being very big and far away.
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Your communications tower looks excellent. I love that you used "solo" plastic cups. I really like the paint job on the tank and those towers are great. I might have to look for some. I think your base is shaping up nicely!
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Your communications tower looks excellent. I love that you used "solo" plastic cups. I really like the paint job on the tank and those towers are great. I might have to look for some. I think your base is shaping up nicely!
Thank you! The towers are cool they're about 18 inches tall (they're soft enough to cut easily) comes with 4 towers, zip ties and some cordage. I got mine on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/Highwire-War-Wrestling-Action-Figure-Playset-by-Figures-Toy-Company-/232239094882?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Highwire-War-Wrestling-Action-Figure-Playset-by-Figures-Toy-Company-/232239094882?mkcid=1&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337377665&customid=&toolid=10001) for $26 shipped, but I've also seen them on Amazon but not prime. I'll probably paint these, but they look pretty good as is.
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JD, I think your recent projects are nothing less than spectacular! You captured the look and level of detail of those objects so well and it's just great to look at the results! Reminds me of all the screenshots I've already taken of EA's Battlefront...
These are such cool projects to build environments and I'm really looking forward to seeing you build a diorama for all your Scarif Troopers!
I really need to get back to the workbench again and continue my Battlefront Project (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10513.msg207917#msg207917) as well. Thank you so much for the new motivation and w.i.p. shots!
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Man, I was playing Battlefront with my daughter last night and this is so looking like the Imperial Base from the game. Nice work. Thanks for that tower link too.
Off to the front pages with this update.
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JD, I think your recent projects are nothing less than spectacular! You captured the look and level of detail of those objects so well and it's just great to look at the results! Reminds me of all the screenshots I've already taken of EA's Battlefront...
These are such cool projects to build environments and I'm really looking forward to seeing you build a diorama for all your Scarif Troopers!
I really need to get back to the workbench again and continue my Battlefront Project (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10513.msg207917#msg207917) as well. Thank you so much for the new motivation and w.i.p. shots!
Thank you! I guess we inspire each other, I ran across your Scarif Dio on Google images looking for reference pictures and it looks tremendous. I need to find that and make a comment. I don't know how I missed it.
The EA Battlefront designs are interresting, they borrow design elements from a lot of different mostly OT designs. For example, the fuel tank, has design elements from both an AT-AT and a Y-wing. So if you have some old star wars model kits, you can make a lot of these things.
Man, I was playing Battlefront with my daughter last night and this is so looking like the Imperial Base from the game. Nice work. Thanks for that tower link too.
Off to the front pages with this update.
Thank you! I never played the EA Battlefront, but I always use it as a reference. It's cool that they expand on the military side of star wars. The last gaming console I had was PS2, and someone stole it, so I got PSP, and played Renegade Squadron, and Elite Squadron like crazy.
But yeah It took a while to find those Towers, I almost bought this $50 toy crane, but I'm glad I found this. Hope someone can find it useful.
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I'm glad to hear that! I think we both gathered a lot of ideas on the material thread (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205459#msg205459) as well. Cool, that google search spits out some of my pics, you can find the original post here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216617#msg216617).
I really like the fact that the crew of EA went above and beyond as far as map design goes. They shared a nice documentary about that on YouTube, which I can't find anymore now.
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I'm glad to hear that! I think we both gathered a lot of ideas on the material thread (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205459#msg205459) as well. Cool, that google search spits out some of my pics, you can find the original post here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216617#msg216617).
I really like the fact that the crew of EA went above and beyond as far as map design goes. They shared a nice documentary about that on YouTube, which I can't find anymore now.
I think I remember seeing that video on how they made the terrain for Endor, it turned out amazingly. Speaking of crates, I bought on ebay, the droid factory mystery crates, just the crates, for less than $5 each. Which is fair, they're $15 retail exclusive to the parks, and I really just want the crates. Ill paint them up see how they look when they arrive.
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All this props are excellent! 110% fitting within the SW universe.
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All this props are excellent! 110% fitting within the SW universe.
Thank you! I try. I was watching a video on what makes star wars design star wars. It was interesting.
I painted up a Vintage Death Star Cannon. Originally I was going to add detail and rebuild it basically, but honestly it's pretty good as is especially being 40+ years old.
It was already painted black from the previous owner, so that saved a step. I did cut off the chair. That thing looked like a Lazyboy chair. Then I painted it light grey, then dark grey, dry brushed silver, then gave it a black wash and clear coat. The base it's on is a ziplok food container lid.
Then I was playing around with my star wars guys.
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I like how the gun turned out. I does look better without the gunner chair, to be sure. This is one most excellent Battlefront base for your Imperials. And I like the special effects shot, too!
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Man, nice gun. I don't think you can go wrong with that cannon period. Looks great in your dio.
Off to the front pages.
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I like how the gun turned out. I does look better without the gunner chair, to be sure. This is one most excellent Battlefront base for your Imperials. And I like the special effects shot, too!
Thanks man! That chair looks too comfortable for the Empire, it's got cup holders and everything. I think I'll set it up outside and do some flashing fireworks along with the green lighting for a more dramatic effect.
Man, nice gun. I don't think you can go wrong with that cannon period. Looks great in your dio.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you! Some of these old kenner playsets and things, they just need a paint job to bring out the detail. That chair was distracting from it's greatness.
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Ive made a few acquisitions and additions to my base. I got the Endor Bunker, may or may not repaint it. Made some concrete slabs with 1sq.ft insulation foam, modge podge and white, black and concrete watercolors. Made a few little simple props.
I got some different crates and a tractor beam generator from Hole In The Ground.
The cube crates were painted white then dry brushed with black, then dry brushed silver then brown and white washes. Not sure why I painted them all white but I did. Deal with it. The large crate painted white with a grime wash. The Rebel crate was painted dark red, then dry brushed red, then a pinkish dry brush. The ridged death star crates were just spray painted IJN Grey.
The Tractor beam. I first base coated it black, then IJN Grey, then a quick blast of light and dark greys for variation. Then dry brushed IJN Grey. Not gonna lie the decals were a pain. I must have skipped cutting circles class in elementary school, cuz I sucked and fitting the stickers over the greebles was a disaster. Fitting the three sides together was a little finicky. Once it's glued in place, that's it, theres no going back. So theres a small gap on the back, that's my error. It still looks cool. I like it. I'll use it as a turbolaser generator. So I think I can make some cool scenes with all this stuff.
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Turned out brilliant! This is going to be one really great looking base. Too bad the Rebels are going to have to blow it up ;D
Really, I think the parts you have assembled will be most useful for many scenes. Really nice work!
On another note, I finally got my redwood material packaged. It will go in the mail tomorrow. Sorry about the delay.
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Wow, looks awesome to me. Great additions.
Off to share on the front pages.
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Turned out brilliant! This is going to be one really great looking base. Too bad the Rebels are going to have to blow it up ;D
Really, I think the parts you have assembled will be most useful for many scenes. Really nice work!
On another note, I finally got my redwood material packaged. It will go in the mail tomorrow. Sorry about the delay.
Thank you! I can use a lot of this stuff in my Galgrebaa Spaceport too. I need to open up my RazorCrest and do something like that. In the meantime
Cool I appreciate it! I thought you already shipped it and it got lost in the mail. So that's good. Right now Im working on some Palm trees. I never tried it before, so im just experimenting. Having lived on the Gulf Coast, theres thousands of different palm tree variants, so if I end up with a thousand different looking palm trees it'll be alright.
Wow, looks awesome to me. Great additions.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! I ordered a few more Rebels Crates, some Rhydonium barrels and an imperial Treadwell droid. He actually shipped it today, which is nice. Must have had them already in stock.
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Awesome! All this pieces and boxes are what pump life and realism into the dio, its make all the difference.
I need to catch up with the new hole in the ground products 0/
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Awesome! All this pieces and boxes are what pump life and realism into the dio, its make all the difference.
I need to catch up with the new hole in the ground products 0/
Thank you! You gotta have some crates in an imperial diorama. Especially those cube crates. Its interesting that Lucas would arrange all of these crates to hide wires and set frames, but they also made the station look busy.
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I started making some Palm trees for Scarif scenes. I've been doing research and looking at videos of people making palm trees, so I borrowed ideas from several sources plus my own methods of making other trees.
First I made an aluminum foil core, then wrapped bailing wire around it. At this point it can be bent easily. Then i used Modge Podge and 1/4"-1/2" wide torn strips of brown paper. I dip the strips into the modge podge then wraped them around the tree top to bottom. Then when its almost dry, I squeeze the trunk with my hands. Great thing using brown paper theres no need to paint them. It looks good the way it is to me.
For the leaves they are craft chicken feathers basically. About 3-5" cut in half then shaped with scissors into a leaf shape. Then I spray paint them tan, then green. Then I hot glue them to the tree.
So I'll put it into mass production. I might add the feathers, then spray them, seems it would be easier and I end up having to sray them once glued anyway. If anyone has any ideas or improvements let me know.
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Thank you! I can use a lot of this stuff in my Galgrebaa Spaceport too. I need to open up my RazorCrest and do something like that. In the meantime
Cool I appreciate it! I thought you already shipped it and it got lost in the mail. So that's good.
Yeah...sorry about that. We have this rain thing here and I wanted to make sure the material was thoroughly dry before I packaged it. :)
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Your palm strategy is working really well. Those trees look outstanding! And thanks for the WIP pictures.
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Thank you! I can use a lot of this stuff in my Galgrebaa Spaceport too. I need to open up my RazorCrest and do something like that. In the meantime
Cool I appreciate it! I thought you already shipped it and it got lost in the mail. So that's good.
Yeah...sorry about that. We have rain thing here and I wanted to make sure the material was thoroughly dry before I packaged it. :)
Its all good man. I recently sealed something that was damp and molded big time, so that's good thinking. Otherwise id open a box of penicillin.
Your palm strategy is working really well. Those trees look outstanding! And thanks for the WIP pictures.
Thanks man. Yeah it's working out. I'll start mass production tomorrow. So I use about 20 leaves per tree so that's 10 full feathers, I have plenty of foil, wire and paper. Might need to get more Modge Podge, I don't want to switch to Elmers glue, once you get a winning formula you don't change it, it might give it a gloss sheen I don't want. Painting the leaves after glueing them to the tree seems to be working. Fyi you want to paint the lower leaves tan and the upper leaves green, with dark green and tan tips.
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Your trees look great! Thanks for sharing your process.
Off to share on the front pages.
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The wire wrapped around the trunk is surprisingly effective. Interesting idea. Love seeing innovation like this.
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Your trees look great! Thanks for sharing your process.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! It's my first Palm tree, so glad to share my process. I had a few different ideas, but the foil is always my go-to for trunks. Its lightweight, malleable, and cheap.
The wire wrapped around the trunk is surprisingly effective. Interesting idea. Love seeing innovation like this.
Thank you! I was just thinking maybe the wire was too much. But glad you like it. That's why the midway squeeze is crucial, it gets all the air out between the foil and paper.
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For your first palm tree it sure looks like you have made em all the time. Nice!
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For your first palm tree it sure looks like you have made em all the time. Nice!
Well thank you! It's about using techniques you're familiar and comfortable with. One thing I dislike about some YouTube crafters is they claim their way is the one and only way and if you do it differently you're doing it wrong. I get into it with them. Im like man I've been doing it the way you said not to for 10 years and I've never had a problem. Maybe they had bad luck with those techniques, but they aren't wrong. To each their own. Find what you're comfortable with and perfect it. Thats the one thing I just don't like about YouTube, the monetization, sponsorships, product plugs. Forums are better. Just real folks making stuff.
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I like that - "just real folks making stuff" - that would make a great slogan ;D
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Your diorama comes along very nicely! I really like how you turn your collection into a really delicate one, like RC-1136. Those diorama parts and trees are to be admired!
They look spot on and I cannot wait to see the final results. It's like seeing a battlefield for SW LEGION coming together - only in 1/18 scale - or favorite! Thanks for sharing your ideas and progress, Sir!
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I like that - "just real folks making stuff" - that would make a great slogan ;D
Heck yeah! That's why id never want to make money doing my hobby. Then it becomes work.
Your diorama comes along very nicely! I really like how you turn your collection into a really delicate one, like RC-1136. Those diorama parts and trees are to be admired!
They look spot on and I cannot wait to see the final results. It's like seeing a battlefield for SW LEGION coming together - only in 1/18 scale - or favorite! Thanks for sharing your ideas and progress, Sir!
Thank you. I get a lot of inspiration from legion terrains. They're modular, like how I'm doing.
I did make a couple of batches of trees today, to make 10, and I went to the pet store to pick up some tarantula substrate, which is a premix of bark,coconut fiber, sand and peat moss, I might sift out some of the big chunks. Also got some lizard plants to add to what I already have. What's pictured is just a sample. The big hanging plants are made of a lot of small plants that I run a scewer through a few of them to make a bush.
I might make some taller straight trees, something taller than an AT-ST. I probably have enough to make a cool scene, just kind of waiting for the shoretrooper 4pack to come.
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That looks fabulous JDeck! It totally looks like the Empire in the Caribbean. That palm strategy definitely paid off.
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I agree with Starchaser, I'm really digging your take on Scarif! Love all the different artificial plants you found. The palm trees look really vivid because you made the trunks all different.
The feathers are painted nicely, reminds me of the Scarif Diorama that Frank Diorio from Diorama Workshop put up on Star Wars Celebration for the Legion miniatures.
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Wow, your update is awesome! Your Shoretroopers are gonna have one awesome way to deploy.
Off to the front pages.
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Absolutely nailed it! Great work.
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That looks fabulous JDeck! It totally looks like the Empire in the Caribbean. That palm strategy definitely paid off.
Thank you! If I make any more, I'd make the trunks skinnier and a lighter color, maybe use white paper and watercolors? I found out scarif was filmed in the Laamu Atolls, south of India. It looks like mostly coconut palms and some kind of shubbery called Scaevola . There isn't much biodiversity on a small island or archipelago. But I can use most of this for Morak too. Maybe even Salucami, Cato Niemoidia or Kashyyyk? Not sure what the planet is going to be in Andor, I can't imagine it would be Scarif again.
I agree with Starchaser, I'm really digging your take on Scarif! Love all the different artificial plants you found. The palm trees look really vivid because you made the trunks all different.
The feathers are painted nicely, reminds me of the Scarif Diorama that Frank Diorio from Diorama Workshop put up on Star Wars Celebration for the Legion miniatures.
I forgot about Frank. I got off Facebook and he doesn't post here. I looked him up and that Scarif set up is insane. He always did a good job with these celebration displays, but he's gotten to be some kind of wizard. I was watching one of his videos while I was "working" (I'm self employed lol) i might attempt to make the Scarif bunker, at least some small variant.
Absolutely nailed it! Great work.
Thank you! Seeing you're from Florida that's saying something. It's been a while since I've been around palm trees.
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There isn't much biodiversity on a small island or archipelago. But I can use most of this for Morak too. Maybe even Salucami, Cato Niemoidia or Kashyyyk?
Certainly the small plants would work for Kashyyyk and Cato Neimoidia. I'm not so sure about Saleucami - though Darth More has done this brilliantly - I see that as mostly fungi. But it certainly gives you variety for flora-filler:)
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Wow, your update is awesome! Your Shoretroopers are gonna have one awesome way to deploy.
Off to the front pages.
Thank you! I would like to try making that scarif bunker, and have a bunch of troopers running out of it. At least make the facade. The shoretroopers are due out in August, but usually these things come out a couple months early. I guess I have time.
There isn't much biodiversity on a small island or archipelago. But I can use most of this for Morak too. Maybe even Salucami, Cato Niemoidia or Kashyyyk?
Certainly the small plants would work for Kashyyyk and Cato Neimoidia. I'm not so sure about Saleucami - though Darth More has done this brilliantly - I see that as mostly fungi. But it certainly gives you variety for flora-filler:)
Yeah Saleucami I imagined from the battlefront renegade Squadron had some shrubs, but yeah mostly skinny palms and large mushrooms. I could definitely do Morak, with the Slave I, the upcoming morak drivers and shoretroopers. Kashyyyk, I would need to make those big trees, at least the lower part of one.
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I took the moss off the new Endor Bunker. There are holes on top, but looking at it as a background piece, you can't see them. I could putty over them, and repaint the whole thing, but it's not really necessary. This way I can build whater environment I want for my Imperial bases.
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I took the moss off the new Endor Bunker. There are holes on top, but looking at it as a background piece, you can't see them. I could putty over them, and repaint the whole thing, but it's not really necessary. This way I can build whater environment I want for my Imperial bases.
Having issues posting pictures on desktop. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230503/d86448780e0674d8b51e7b1eaa2f0c0f.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230503/a49d2d9a58e6c1660be01c2b432e6846.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230503/039c586437ce4d0c07ba16321f7da41f.jpg)
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Nice! I haven't opened mine yet, but was wondering what it might be like to take the moss off. So...thanks for beating me to it ;D
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Nice! I haven't opened mine yet, but was wondering what it might be like to take the moss off. So...thanks for beating me to it ;D
I was nervous taking it off. I was waiting for someone else to do it first, but I hadn't seen anyone do it. I figured somebody would as soon as they opened it. I wanted to get a second one, to try, but they hadn't gone to clearence yet.
I bought a tv 6 months ago, and I thought the styrofoam would make a cool imperial fortress. I'm still playing around with it.
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Oh yeah, this is gonna be good.
Off to share.
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I like how that looks. The "ribbing" in the foam works really well.
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Oh yeah, this is gonna be good.
Off to share.
Thanks! I like this time of year to build. I can work outside, let stuff dry, longer daylight hours. I can probably make it into something cool in a week.
I like how that looks. The "ribbing" in the foam works really well.
If I tried to replicate this using XPS board, it would cost more than $50 and take more than 2 weeks to build. This costs nothing, all I need to do is fill in the gap around/behind the bunker entrance. Probably just give it a couple coats of Modge Podge, paint it and done.
My second choice would be to build a mountainside, using cardboard, paper, plaster etc. But it wouldn't be modular, it would probably get damaged everytime I break it down and store it. This is the most logical solution.
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I agree. I think it totally works and can be dismantled. I just noticed the aquarium floor panels behing the bunker at "fencing." That's actually a great idea. Though I could also see filling in the gap with other foam or something. If you're going to ModPodge over it that could help erase joint lines. I'll be curious to see what you decide to do.
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I agree. I think it totally works and can be dismantled. I just noticed the aquarium floor panels behing the bunker at "fencing." That's actually a great idea. Though I could also see filling in the gap with other foam or something. If you're going to ModPodge over it that could help erase joint lines. I'll be curious to see what you decide to do.
I had some more pieces that came with the tv and with a few cuts it fits almost perfectly. Perfectly enough if that makes sense.
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Yep! I like the look of that. The angle cut above the bunker looks great.
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Very nice, it looks great without the moss on top. If I can find it used for cheap somehow, I'll try the same.
I also like the modifications that Toys are the way applied to his bunker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWZdFpOXcWc).
Maybe I'll try to build my own. Cool stuff here. I just love the shipyards because of y'all guys!
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Very nice, it looks great without the moss on top. If I can find it used for cheap somehow, I'll try the same.
I also like the modifications that Toys are the way applied to his bunker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWZdFpOXcWc).
Maybe I'll try to build my own. Cool stuff here. I just love the shipyards because of y'all guys!
Yeah I watch him, he's good. He made a pretty screen accurate bunker, but he might as well have taken the moss off.
Im going for a more genaric all purpose bunker. I probably will repaint, and when I do I'll fill the gaps with greenstuff. To me the moss is more unsightly than the holes, but without the moss it's missing something.
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Update on the fortress. I glued the styrofoam pieces together using clear fabric glue. Then mixed spackle, modgepodge and black paint. Then added a few coats to the foam. I did a light sand and then gave it several washes of white and concrete watercolor. I think I might need some more pavement tiles. Im waiting for some 3d printed items to arrive. I got a mapuzo laser checkpoint from hole in the ground and a laser turret and a barrier made in the likeness of the bunker from an ebay seller.
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That's brilliant! The foam walls look outstanding. This is one amazing diorama and will look even better with the new elements added in. This would totally work as a background for a movie.
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Man that styrofoam looks just like crete. Freaking awesome.
About the only thing this needs is an AT-ST or three standing out front.
Off to share.
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That's brilliant! The foam walls look outstanding. This is one amazing diorama and will look even better with the new elements added in. This would totally work as a background for a movie.
Thanks bud! Those redwood fronds you sent me, I'm thinking they might make good palm leaves. I'll have to try it out because I want to make this base on a tropical planet, since I have Shoretroopers.
Man that styrofoam looks just like crete. Freaking awesome.
About the only thing this needs is an AT-ST or three standing out front.
Off to share.
Thank you! I put up an atst to see if the wall is tall enough, and it is, but my atst is looking sad. Either need to get the new one hoping the legs are significantly better or take my worst atst and glue the legs in a standing position.
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That looks great!!!!
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That looks great!!!!
Thank you!
Since I decided to make my fortress in a tropical environment, I added some vines and overgrowth. Maybe I went a little heavy handed or just right. It needed something. Especially being in a jungle. The idea is the fortress is very old, but the Empire commandeered the fortress and modified it for military use. I added loose debris and moss to the bunker that can be removed. I really need to repaint the bunker. Maybe when my checkpoint and laser cannon comes, I'll paint them all at once.
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I like that. Where are the vines from? They look great!
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I like that. Where are the vines from? They look great!
Thanks! I used pieces of natural miniature shrubs for dioramas. Cayway Miniature Shrubs Model Bushes Long Shrub Vegetation Groups Static Grass Tuft for DIY Model Train Landscape Railroad Scenery, Green https://a.co/d/dtjYuzE
I just pulled the individual branches and glued them using fabric glue.
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Not too much at all. I like it better! Yeah, gonna have to get a better AT-ST. I might know someone who has a few. ::)
Off to share the update.
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Not too much at all. I like it better! Yeah, gonna have to get a better AT-ST. I might know someone who has a few. ::)
Off to share the update.
Thank you! I didn't want to cover up my concrete weathering lol. It does look better, no going back now.
I have an AT-ST that stands a little better. I just can't bring myself to buy the new TVC one. I can repaint the ones I have. I've been spending too much lately. I was drinking tequila last week and bought all the death star droid variants I was missing from potf2 to droid depot color changing one. No mas tequila.
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Thanks! I used pieces of natural miniature shrubs for dioramas. Cayway Miniature Shrubs Model Bushes Long Shrub Vegetation Groups Static Grass Tuft for DIY Model Train Landscape Railroad Scenery, Green https://a.co/d/dtjYuzE
I just pulled the individual branches and glued them using fabric glue.
Thanks! They look great - I might have to pick some up.
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LOL. No more Star Wars tequila orders!
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I got my Mapuzo Checkpoint from HITGP it's great! It's well engineered how the walls fit into the columns. I need to sand, fill and paint still.
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Looks fantastic. Off to share.
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Looks fantastic. Off to share.
Thanks! I think imma wait till... i got these items coming from a seller in Sri lanka, who knows how long that could take. He makes cool stuff but I wanted to do a test run, to see if I actually get the stuff and how long it takes. If it gets here sooner than expected and it's good quality I'll order more. But I'm going to paint everything at once to try and achieve a consistent color and weathering pattern for all the items.
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Looks great! Curious about what you ordered from Sri Lanka? Hope that works out for you. International shipping is weird, sometimes really quick, sometimes forever slow. Keep us posted. ;D
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That's awesome work. ()rr Feels like something straight out of Endor or Yavin.
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No surprise this topic is on fire. What a cool project this is! Nice to see all the different greebles come together nicely after so many years of collecting 'em. I'm curious as well. Sri Lanka might have some nice sculptures to offer. Special wood would be too nice to paint.
Your setup makes me curious what's inside this massive bunker. Is it Palpy's vault? Or a tequila factory?
So many questions about Area cincuenta y uno!
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Looks great! Curious about what you ordered from Sri Lanka? Hope that works out for you. International shipping is weird, sometimes really quick, sometimes forever slow. Keep us posted. ;D
Thanks! The guy in Sri Lanka is a 3d printer, who has some interesting files that I don't see from anyone else. I did order a cannon turret, you know the rectangular ones on the trench run. I could have gotten that more locally, but his looked better and I wanted to add it to make the order worth it. I really wanted this barrier that has a similar design to the bunker that I can put an eweb or troops behind. If all goes well I hope to order some more stuff. Of course there's more hole in the ground items I want too.
That's awesome work. ()rr Feels like something straight out of Endor or Yavin.
Thank you! I thought what if the empire took over an old castle or something and retrofitted their modular equipment and structures to it.
No surprise this topic is on fire. What a cool project this is! Nice to see all the different greebles come together nicely after so many years of collecting 'em. I'm curious as well. Sri Lanka might have some nice sculptures to offer. Special wood would be too nice to paint.
Your setup makes me curious what's inside this massive bunker. Is it Palpy's vault? Or a tequila factory?
So many questions about Area cincuenta y uno!
Lol hell yeah an Imperial Tequila distillery. El Palpatino Imperiale Est.19BBY.
I'm doing my fan fiction world of Galgrebaa, which is a logistical hub for various military campaigns in the region like nearby Kashyyyk, Mimban, Kijimi and Mandalore. They take all kinds of materials and redistribute them where they need to go. Logistics is the backbone of any military. And of course Galgrebaa is also a hive of pirates looking to raid imperial supply lines.
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That looks really good. Hope it works out - it would go brilliantly with your Imperial installation.
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Absolutely love the bunker dio JD, everything about is awesome.
Ron
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Absolutely love the bunker dio JD, everything about is awesome.
Ron
Thanks bud! I'm surprised how well the trash styrofoam building came out. Just needed a coat to eliminate the styro ball texture.
I ordered some 2" xps foam for outer walls. That would be the equivalent of a 3 foot thick wall. I can connect them to the checkpoint.
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I got the two pieces from Sri Lanka, a lot sooner than I was expecting. I knew the 3d printing wouldn't be perfect but in hand it's gonna be a whole lotta work getting rid of the print lines, especially on the barrier. The turret, I was able to sand it well enough for a background piece. I think I'll get some primer, sand it prime it until it's smooth. If I painted the barrier as is it's going to look like doodoo especially when I weather it.
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Cool that you got them quickly, bummer that they're so much work. Hopefully you will get them to a satisfactory condition. I wonder if there are stl files out there for the barrier. If so, I wonder if a better printer would help solve the problem.
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If you have a dremel, you might find some useful tools for this task here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RnQr-7u084). Especially those sanding drums at minute 3:07.
This is how I work on rough surfaces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDEsW0uVO-8) before polishing. If I was there to help you out, I'd skip to the last step and sand these with three different grids, depending on how fine the print lines are. Please, be sure to wear a mask in any case. Who else has a few dozen of them left from the Pandemic?
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Cool that you got them quickly, bummer that they're so much work. Hopefully you will get them to a satisfactory condition. I wonder if there are stl files out there for the barrier. If so, I wonder if a better printer would help solve the problem.
I don't know where he gets his files, I've never seen them before. I read in one description they're from a patrion or something, where he bought the rights. I dunno. He has cool stuff, just needs to make better prints, or better yet print a master and make resin duplicates. Ill see what I can do.
If you have a dremel, you might find some useful tools for this task here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RnQr-7u084). Especially those sanding drums at minute 3:07.
This is how I work on rough surfaces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDEsW0uVO-8) before polishing. If I was there to help you out, I'd skip to the last step and sand these with three different grids, depending on how fine the print lines are. Please, be sure to wear a mask in any case. Who else has a few dozen of them left from the Pandemic?
Thanks for the tip, a rotary tool would be great in getting in those small spaces. The problem with a dremel is the heat, same with sandpaper to a degree. This plastic doesn't like heat and it'll melt and have burrs and end up feathery. It's a softer plastic than the turret. The turret sands okay.
I think I'll either use multiple primer coats or actually use modge podge. To basically fill the grooves instead of taking the material away. It doesn't need to be a glass finish, just not like a washboard.
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Yeah, I hate those print lines you see from the older printers.
Still, they look great as part of your dio.
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I decided to use modge podge for the 3d printed items. I had the idea to give it texture, I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not. I think next time I'll go multiple thinned layers of modge podge. Still better than the 3d lines. Also painted the Bunker and checkpoint.
Next I will start painting the outer walls.
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The mod podge is a great idea to address the print lines. The texture almost looks a little like corrosion and/or the dirt and dust build up that occurs on metal left outdoors and not carefully maintained. I think it looks pretty good. You're right though, thinner layers might achieve a more uniform look. This is a really phenomenal diorama.
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The mod podge is a great idea to address the print lines. The texture almost looks a little like corrosion and/or the dirt and dust build up that occurs on metal left outdoors and not carefully maintained. I think it looks pretty good. You're right though, thinner layers might achieve a more uniform look. This is a really phenomenal diorama.
Thanks! I was watching ROTJ, and was looking at Jabba's palace door, and thought it was a good idea. That door was probably plywood, but they made it look metal. All said and done, I'd buy from him again. Shipping was pretty fast, quality is okay, considering you have to resurface it. A few coats of Primer, or thinned modge podge is all it takes. stuff_sl is the seller.
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Looks spot on authentic to me.
Off to share on the front pages.
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Just stack some palm trees and sand and you've got the look for Scarif down perfectly.
These Imperial emplacements look awesome!
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Looks spot on authentic to me.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you Tamer! I'm kind of making it up as I go, I see something cool I can use.
Just stack some palm trees and sand and you've got the look for Scarif down perfectly.
These Imperial emplacements look awesome!
Thank you! I need to make some more palm trees. Maybe a different method. My fan fic world of Galgrebaa is similar to scarif. With more of a Mediterranean with caribbean and gulf of Mexico accents. Soon I'll do a pirate hideout terrain, which will be pretty fun.
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Started mocking up a city ruin modular set up, just out of scrap styrofoam.
Also tried to make a palm tree from redwood tree branches Starchaser sent like a year ago. Worked pretty well. A contrast to the others I've made.
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I really like how those redwood palms look (I may be biased however ;D). Great idea to use scrap Styrofoam for a ruined complex. This will be cool to watch develop.
PS - there's always more redwood scrap. The tree is three stories tall.
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Aquarium plants for reptiles are a great substitute for "island" backdrops. Not very expensive either.
Awesome work tho making do with what you can!
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awesome job
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I really like how those redwood palms look (I may be biased however ;D). Great idea to use scrap Styrofoam for a ruined complex. This will be cool to watch develop.
PS - there's always more redwood scrap. The tree is three stories tall.
Thank you! I still have a lot, you gave me a great big box. The bark is really useful for ground cover.
Fish aquarium plants for reptiles are a great substitute for "island" backdrops. Not very expensive either.
Yes, Excellent idea! With the trees and so forth I have, a simple backdrop would make the jungle forest seem deeper.
awesome job
Thanks bud!
I painted the white EPS styrofoam pieces. Since I can't carve or do much with that type, I just broke the edges and made holes, make it look like ancient ruins. I sealed it with a mixture of spackle, modge podge and water. It's wierd, it curdled like cottage cheese, but it spread pretty smooth. It dried like spackle, but a harder non sandable finish. The woodland scenics earth colors still took to it like a spackle only finish. I used, concrete, yellow oacher and burnt umber.
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Wow this is nice. Catching up on my posts and see this is awesome.
Off to share.
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The strategy of just breaking off the packing foam actually works well for simulating irregular wear...especially on a "mud brick" building. I like it! Nice paint mix combo, too.
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Wow this is nice. Catching up on my posts and see this is awesome.
Off to share.
Thanks Bro! I've had this idea brewing of doing the ending of Full metal jacket with stormtroopers. It's funny because they sing the Mickey Mouse march.
The strategy of just breaking off the packing foam actually works well for simulating irregular wear...especially on a "mud brick" building. I like it! Nice paint mix combo, too.
Thanks man! With enough plaster and whatnot, you can't really tell it's styrofoam. I made it a little redder than I wanted but, no bigs. I wanted it to have a similar color as the shoretroopers, without them getting lost. As if it's actual camouflage . I could see all white on a ship like the Tantive iv, but in a forest, SMH.
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Yeah, I remember that scene.
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Did my patrol shot. Used cat litter for a basic ground cover. Made a ton of smoke with the microfogger and a cigarette. Pretty much filled the whole room. Lol.
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Nice, hope your room cleared out. :D
Off to share.
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Nice, hope your room cleared out. :D
Off to share.
It did clear, eventually. Microfoggers will set off the smoke alarm. I need to construct a condenser. Get some surgical tubing, coil it in a container of ice water, then drill holes and plug the end. That way the smoke will be heavier than air and linger instead of going straight up.
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Love that image! It looks really cool, the cat litter actually worked really well. Glad your room cleared :D I'll be interested to see how you fix this. You should post a picture of your condenser when you build it (eventually).
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Love that image! It looks really cool, the cat litter actually worked really well. Glad your room cleared :D I'll be interested to see how you fix this. You should post a picture of your condenser when you build it (eventually).
Thanks bud! I think ice water would be overkill, don't want to liquify the smoke. I'll figure it out. Fortunately Vosentech makes all the parrs and connections except for the condenser.
I bought some Joytoy Mecha depot diorama buildings. Maintenance Area and Testing Area, and I ordered a second Testing Area from ebay, to make something symmetrical. I've watched several videos on these things and one take away was do it right the first time, because it's almost impossible to take apart.
My plan is to build the Maintenance Area straight, then mash it with the Testing areas on both sides. These things are 90 percent the same parts, each kit might have one unique part, but the rest are the same as all the others. Which makes them super modular and customizable. Ultimately my plan is to build an AT-ST maintenance hangar to go on the bottom shelf of my imperial army display. I can always buy more kits and make a motorpool.
One issue with these kits are missing parts. I ended up with 5 extra beams and short one connector. I reckon i can live without one connector. The extra beams will be nice to have in the future. According to my estimation the maintenance area should be big enough for the AT-ST while still fitting in the shelf.
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It took about an hour to build the Maintenance Area. Its just under 18 inches, so it will clear the shelf, and it's about 15 inches wide. Kind of waiting for the second Testing Area to ship much less arrive. I want to incorporate some star wars diorama parts, lights and what have ya. These are cool kits. GTP should have done modular kits like this.
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That looks great! I like wrestling column in there, its a good addition. Sorry about the odd parts, though it doesn't sound like it's too big an issue. Good heads up though. I've thinking about getting a set or two from this line, but I'm still not sure what for, so I haven't pulled the trigger.
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That looks great! I like wrestling column in there, its a good addition. Sorry about the odd parts, though it doesn't sound like it's too big an issue. Good heads up though. I've thinking about getting a set or two from this line, but I'm still not sure what for, so I haven't pulled the trigger.
Thanks! I use the wrestling tower as a reference for now. The hight fits exactly on the bottom shelf ill be using. They are great kits. Due to their modularity, you can make whatever you want. I sed the Testing Area to make a speeder bike garage, and AT-ST driver staging area on top. When I get the second Testing Area, ill make it a two door garage, with an extended AT-ST driver staging area.
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Wow, I just lost some time this morning. Just great stuff JDeck.
I see they even have Mecha Depot Mainteance folks and such. I could easily see a ton of this stuff being repurposed into the Star Wars Verse.
So off to share this.
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Wow, I just lost some time this morning. Just great stuff JDeck.
I see they even have Mecha Depot Mainteance folks and such. I could easily see a ton of this stuff being repurposed into the Star Wars Verse.
So off to share this.
Thank you! I got the watching Area and the Weapon Area, to make an armory/ patrol trooper staging area and ITT loading area to round out the rest of the shelf. These kits come with peg boards to attach weapons to, by the trigger guard. The pegs are a little too large so the trigger guards have to stretch. These are just extra weapons I had. I just started building the walls first, to make it easier.
Im still waiting for the other Testing Area from ebay to ship, so I can make a second Speeder bike garage. I've been getting them on Amazon. HiPlay JoyToy Science-Fiction Theme Scene Base for 1/18 Scale Action Figures- 1/18 Mecha Depot:Observation Tower https://a.co/d/56JpS07 (https://amzn.to/3PKFpjF) Hiplay sells almost all of the different kits.
Amazon is wierd. I live near Ashland, they ship it to Ashland, then all the way up to Fredericksburg to be put on a delivery truck to be delivered back to Ashland. I guess they know what they're doing, but I sure don't.
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That looks great! I have found some of these sets at smalljoes.com in addition to Amazon.
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I agree those look really cool!
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Freaking sweet JDeck. Thanks for sharing your links.
So off to share this.
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I got the second Testing area, to make the two door speederbike garage. I used USB powered Lego lights. 3 Packs X LED Down Lights (USB Powered Brick White LED), Compatible with Lego Bricks or Major Brand Bowerful https://a.co/d/6mTRRsS (https://amzn.to/3OkkUcp) They're alright, prewired several different modes. But being USB, If you're using several strings, it gets complicated. I have 3 strings of six for the whole diorama, I want to use this power bank, but the USB ports are so close together, I can only use 2 at a time. So I'll just use a power strip with 3 USB chargers.
I want to get some computer consoles from hole in the wall for the second floor.
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That looks really good. I like the way the lights look, too bad you can't find a system that is a little easier to work with.
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That looks really good. I like the way the lights look, too bad you can't find a system that is a little easier to work with.
Thanks man. I guess it's really not bad. In all 3 sets of 6 light fixtures with 3 bulbs in each fixture is 54 LEDs. I think if I were to wire 54 leds in series they would end up being too dim, or not work at all. They kind of need to be split into 3 power sources now that I think about it. So it's not bad, just sucks the 4 port USB power bank I have wont fit 3 of these.
I wired up the other 2 buildings. Just need to tuck in the wires. I can dim them. I want to add under counter lights, for the ceiling, I have some, but I don't think they will work. They're remote controlled, and they interfere with these remote LEDs. Tap lights will work.
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That's a pretty awesome set up. It really looks cool with the lights.
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That's a pretty awesome set up. It really looks cool with the lights.
Thank You Starman! It is a ton of lights. I think I can balance it out with some tap lights, so you can see the vehicles. It's a work in progress. I think it'll be one of those year long projects, adding details and playing with the lighting. I might paint all the scaffolding. Ultimately I want to add some walls on three sides. Make it a little more Star Warsy.
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That's a pretty awesome set up. It really looks cool with the lights.
Thank You Starman! It is a ton of lights. I think I can balance it out with some tap lights, so you can see the vehicles. It's a work in progress. I think it'll be one of those year long projects, adding details and playing with the lighting. I might paint all the scaffolding. Ultimately I want to add some walls on three sides. Make it a little more Star Warsy.
I like the idea of walls. If you use "space walls" of some kind, I think it will increase the Star Wars look. Of course a few aliens and droids would help too ;D
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Daggone that is impressive. Love the lights too. Thanks for the link.
I am just getting back into the swing of things coming off some sort of stomach ailment, but wowzers this is going on the front page.
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That's a pretty awesome set up. It really looks cool with the lights.
Thank You Starman! It is a ton of lights. I think I can balance it out with some tap lights, so you can see the vehicles. It's a work in progress. I think it'll be one of those year long projects, adding details and playing with the lighting. I might paint all the scaffolding. Ultimately I want to add some walls on three sides. Make it a little more Star Warsy.
I like the idea of walls. If you use "space walls" of some kind, I think it will increase the Star Wars look. Of course a few aliens and droids would help too ;D
I'd like to buy up a ton of 3d printed space walls and just wall up the whole shelf but that would bankrupt me. I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm thinking concrete walls on this bottom shelf, then the higher it goes incorporate more space walls and stuff like that. My shelf goes... vehicle depot, armored/reconnaissance companies, stormtrooper/shoretrooper infantry company, then Navy/high command then the top shelf is where I put my diorama pieces. I don't know. Just spitballing but maybe I can fashion a crude hangar style out of foamboard. Replicate it on all 4 shelves not including the top.
Daggone that is impressive. Love the lights too. Thanks for the link.
I am just getting back into the swing of things coming off some sort of stomach ailment, but wowzers this is going on the front page.
Thanks Tamer. Glad you're on the mend. I used to get awful flareups 2-3 times a year, get real high fever bad stomach pains, for several years. Then either 2019 or 2020 it just stopped. Of course being self employed I had to work through it. Having fever in the summer is the worst.
I ordered some computer consoles from hole in the ground, add some more star wars elements to it.
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Yeah, covering all your shelves with printed space walls would be really expensive. Some concrete walls would work. Maybe trying to design some more simple walls using foamcore rather than the pre-printed walls would work?
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Oh yeah, some computer stations would be awesome.
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Awesome setup JD
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I'd recognize those Joytoy diorama sets anywhere...
The lighting here is superb. This for sure looks like some kind of Imperial vehicle depot. It looks and feels how it should for the era.
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Love these have a few of them like more