Death Star style light up display for Han in Carbonite, astromech, mannequin etc

zenix

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Since people like my HiC box kit so much, I decided to use the same technique to build a display stand that'll light up and glow, in the style of the death star hallway panels.
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I've got a few more pieces of wood to cut, and have to paint it and light it up, so stay tuned and follow along!

Here's my rough draft prototype, first look:
 
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It's about 34"x34"x5" when assembled.
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The pieces all lay flat and are made from 1/2" thick MDF.

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I'm even experimenting with pre-drilled holes!
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The machine that cuts them routes out the shapes and does the holes all in one go.
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I cut the front angled pieces and back piece by hand on the table and miter saw.
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Using the pre-drilled holes, I lined up the parts, starting with the angles ones.
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Once I lined up and clamped a section, I drilled through the predrilled holes into the vertical side pieces. I should have also done the countersink at this point, but I forgot. Use a larger drill bit after you go deep with the small one.
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Line each one up before drilling and screwing it in place.
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Don't forget to countersink if you want the screws heads flush or below the surface.
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For some sections, it was easier to flip it upside down.
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But some were easier right side up
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Some of the pre-drilled holes weren't​ so thought through, so I had to make new ones. I'll update my file so it won't happen next time.
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I have this translucent material from a previous project. Not enough, but good enough to test with. It's cheaper than acrylic, and easy to install if you have a staple gun.
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This stuff does a great job diffusing LED light.
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I realized that you should definitely attach this stuff before building the box, because the staple gun didn't always fit in small corners.
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I used up what I had
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I just tossed the LEAD strip underneath, without event distributing it or anything. Here's a shot in daylight.
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And with low light!
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...crap.


I should have painted before stapling all that plastic.

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It's a lot deeper than I imagined. Good size for an astromech probably, and probably a mannequin too, but maybe too deep for a HiC?

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So good man!

I'm *this* close to starting my own production company... Having my own office space...

And 90% of why I want my own company/office is so I can put an HIC somewhere! hah.
 
Adding some supports to make it stronger. I bet i didn't need MDF screws since I'm doing these. the
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For the front corners, I made an extra cut at 45° to get it to fit.
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I cut that angle on the table saw
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Some support across the back two corners
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And in the center
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Sanding all over and rounding out sharp edges.
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I used some wood filler to patch the holes and seams
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And filler primer to fix the scratches and remaining areas that needed more filling. I created several scratches in the MDF by sliding it around while assembling.
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I cut some acrylic to fit the main part and the sides.
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Once I do the final paint job, I'll put these in place.

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Thanks! I'm thinking of actually affixing the HiC to the stand, so it can easily stand up on it's on, away from a wall, and then sealing the back with a black cloth for a free standing display for cons

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