Building The Death Star - PRODUCTION

So I need someone on the back side to peer through the acrylic and tell me if the dish is situated evenly all the way around the circumference.

I'm not standing inside by the TurboLaser unless you install a railing on that ledge.
 
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Thanks guys!

The challenge (and why I need a spotter; one that is more "into it" than my wife or kids) is that - by design - the dish needs to stick a millimeter or two past the hole in the dome.

So I need someone on the back side to peer through the acrylic and tell me if the dish is situated evenly all the way around the circumference.

Would it be an option to have your wife hold a mirror from the opposite site so you could check the fitting yourself?!

Markus
 
Frosted domes...

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Nice progress. I'm a little concerned about the incandesent lighting. Have you thought about cold cathode lighting? They have the advantage of super long life, they are cheap and they don't get hot. It would be a shame to warp that dome.

Can't wait to see the window process. ;)



Will
 
Nice progress. I'm a little concerned about the incandesent lighting. Have you thought about cold cathode lighting? They have the advantage of super long life, they are cheap and they don't get hot. It would be a shame to warp that dome.

Can't wait to see the window process. ;)



Will

The incandescents are just temporary. Will probably go with CFLs.

The lights will be fun and easy. Tedious and time consuming, but fun and easy.

PAINTING the mother, on the other hand, will be a complete *****!
 
Luckily, the painting once finished will dictate all the lighting which will take time, but be so much fun. :)

Dave
 
Not as much as drilling/scratching out thousands upon thousands of windows. If I lived near ya, I'd offer to help.

I have wondered a few times about the day the ILM guys decided to get around to doing the windows on the real deal... my minds eye drifts towards 3-4 ILM'ers drinking a couple of cases of beer chipping away at the sucker for several hours on a Friday afternoon... Can't you just picture it...:lol

In reality I think I'd print out patterns of windows that I would use low tack to attach then drill along the pattern - it will help keep things nice and straight, and you can pre-layout the patterns perhaps derived straight of the pics of the real deal... and of course a case of beer...

Jedi Dade
 
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I have wondered a few times about the day the ILM guys decided to get around to doing the windows on the real deal... my minds eye drifts towards 3-4 ILM'ers drinking a couple of cases of beer chipping away at the sucker for several hours on a Friday afternoon... Can't you just picture it...:lol

In reality I think I'd print out patterns of windows that I would use low tack to attach then drill along the pattern - it will help keep things nice and straight, and you can pre-layout the patterns perhaps derived straight of the pics of the real deal... and of course a case of beer...

Jedi Dade

Do a real challenge, use fiberoptic for all the windows.:lol
 
Awsome . . . but isn't that picture banned from public viewing by the secret club, secret board or special projects group? :lol
 
In reality I think I'd print out patterns of windows that I would use low tack to attach then drill along the pattern - it will help keep things nice and straight, and you can pre-layout the patterns perhaps derived straight of the pics of the real deal... and of course a case of beer...

Jedi Dade

Thing about the "windows" is it will be mindless work. Especially if using a template like you suggest; would make it even easier. There will be little art or mental gymnastics involved.

However, the more I study this model, the more I realize how crazy-detailed the paint job was. From a distance, it looks basic - light and dark areas. But in reality there are probably upwards of ten different elements to the finish, between the varying paint colors, masking techniques, under-coatings, pencil markings, etcetera.

Good thing I have tons of reference pics of the real deal! But they're mine all mine!!! Bwa ha ha ha ha...!

;)
 
Hey Rob,
Wow, I finally went through everything and My eyeball measurements weren't that far off from yours. Dish was 8.75" but other than that was same as your. I did take my time to cut the dish hole and the left over is what Ill be using for the actual radar dish. I have to take it with me on my next trip. Got to love Hotel room prop projects......the maids hate them! As far as getting you dish to stick out I am going to build a small riser from behind. There is a small gap that is easily bondoed. Ill use a small flat head screw to hold the dish in place.
Christian
 
I really wish we could get under that plexi case in Seattle and just measure the damn thing!

Moe's recollection of his replica dish was closer to 9". Mine's 8". Reality may be somewhere in the middle!
 
May I suggest a Windows Party? Simply get more than a few RPFers over for a night of... well, dunno if you'd want to ply 'em with spirits, but get a few shifts, crews going... get the movies on in the BG, get folks pumped up, have them sitting in shifts... scritch scritch scritch... damn! scritch scritch scritch... whoops... scritch scritch scritch... 'Well, at least it's not my model'... scritch scritch scritch... 'Well, the next one will be better.'

btw, haven't got things quite squared, but expect to be at RAMs in a few weeks, so I'll see what I can do. I have a couple of visits planned for a long interview as well as just to catch up.
 
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