So, many of you have seen the photo floating around in the past of the HIC fridge... (obviousy photoshopped)
And i have even seen the licensed "mini fridge" and a couple fan built versions of this concept....but i wanted to turn it up a notch.
It starts with getting the assets, the Han face, body, and toes. then the Volvo panels and greeblies, then the electronics for the hero panel.
ALL of this is floating around the RPF, and easy to dig up. I ended up going with Bigturc's greeblies http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=219761 and Fettronics for the lights- http://www.fettronics.com/Showcase2.Htm
and i couldnt have done this without help from Jedifyfe and his build thread- http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=234214&highlight=hic+lights
and a couple more threads that i refrenced for my build-
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=249249
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=262265&highlight=fettronics
and dont forget the thread that found the Volvo panel-
http://www.therpf.com/f9/hic-side-panel-discovery-99579/
for all of my build pics, they are on this flickr album (im not inserting everything in the post)-https://flic.kr/s/aHskEsc3Hh
and the Tested.com video about my build is here- http://www.tested.com/art/makers/579098-star-wars-han-solo-carbonite-refrigerator/
the Han parts and Volvo panels i got from pals, and remolded them for my needs. but again, do a little search on here, and plenty of people are doing runs.
THANKS A TON to SMOOTH-ON for giving me materials to do this silly project. They are a huge supporter and help on many of my nuttier projects.
I also had help from a bunch of friends, Jedifyfe (obviously) Gordon Tarpley, Nolan Craw, Jon McPhalen, and Nick Bonamy.
....oh, and i paid a few people in beer to help clean out the Han mold.
![28862786586_d31aa1c276.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/KYvjTu"][IMG]https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8683/28862786586_d31aa1c276.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
SO, the build-
We started with gluing down the han parts to a table and bondo-ing the edges so that i could get a good brush-up mold on it.
Then did a moldmax stroke (from smooth-on) mold and a epoxy jacket (with freeform air and some 2x4's to reinforce)
![28818389561_87739aaeae.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/KUzMcx"][IMG]https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8506/28818389561_87739aaeae.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
Also did a box mold on the Volvo panel that i got.
then over a couple days, i added about 1" at a time of Epoxacast 690 into the mold. if i do it all at once, it would over-heat and cause stryations, and shrink too much.
![28276171814_656e91df1e_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/K5ELKG"][IMG]https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7624/28276171814_656e91df1e_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
i used a tiny bit of red urethane pigment to give the epoxy a tint.
![28276166254_e7579f4126_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/K5EK6Q"][IMG]https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8561/28276166254_e7579f4126_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
Before this was all done, my pal Nolan and I wired up the LED's because i wanted to embed them into the epoxy to get better dispersion of the light coming out of them.
![28893388145_1e29ed9988_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/L2daEz"][IMG]https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8850/28893388145_1e29ed9988_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
The LED strips i got from amazon.com. they are the RED waterproof ones.
like this one, or similar- http://amzn.to/2bgnVcI
When we set them into the epoxy, they wanted to curl back up, like when they were on the roll....so that was a bit of a pain in the ass.
The fridge-
If i looked more, or had a better budget for this, I probably could have found a full door refridgerator (without freezer) or maybe one with the freezer in the lower third to split Han in a different spot. but i didnt....so this was the best option for a $400 fridge at a local big-box store.
i determined that i needed to make a riser to get the fridge up to 6'7", and made one out of wood, and put some casters on it. then bolted it to the under side of the fridge.
![28278424473_46a31144bb_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/K5SjoD"][IMG]https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8784/28278424473_46a31144bb_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
Then we had to decide how to do the sides. I know the HIC is a trapezoid and i had to take some liberties with my build. so i opted for 1/4" MDF for the side. I used my Universal Laser (i have one of these- http://www.ulsinc.com/build/manual-platform-overview) to cut a router template.
then Nick Bonamy jumped in and Routed them for me while i was workin on another step.
Oh and we routed a little chanel on the back of them to run the wires for the hero volvo panel.
All of these elements had to be glued on. I wanted something similar to 5 min epoxy, but more time and higher viscosity (so it wouldnt drip all over the place) so i mixed up Freeform Habitat (with no filler added) and thinned it down with epoxamite 102 (all from Smooth-on).
this was my glue for the Han and then MDF side panels.
before i figured out to glue on the side panels, i tried screwing it into the fridge. its just insulation on the sides, right? WRONG. i hit a freon line, and killed that fridge.
![28608913820_cebf3d202e_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/KA5amQ"][IMG]https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8402/28608913820_cebf3d202e_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
I pondered weather or not to try and fix it, but i didnt want to have issues down the line, so i just got another $400 fridge. like an idiot. lesson learned. (i recently was drilling something else and hit a hose again. i clearly haven't learned my lesson yet)
Yah, the only one they had in stock was white, so i had to paint it, and just swapped the doors. after a day wasted, i was back on track.
OH, yah.....we hadnt planned properly about splitting the Han casting....so i had to cut through the LED's and then dremel out to find the wires, and re-connect it all.
![28276139724_8eef99079b_m.jpg](http://[URL="https://flic.kr/p/K5EBdq"][IMG]https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8387/28276139724_8eef99079b_m.jpg)
[/URL]HIC build by Frank Ippolito, on Flickr[/IMG]
i learned a lot on this build, to say the least. but isnt that every build we do?
Riser built, sides and front glued on. Now onto the smear.
Because my fridge wont have the frame around where the smear goes, i masked out what i estimated the frame to be, and i'd end up painting it a different silver to differentiate.
I used Freeform Habitat Flex (from @smooth-on) without any filler. I spread it on to sorta-kinda-mostly-interpretively to match the real smear. and then use a little 99% alcohol and my hands to smooth it out a bit. DONE.
the here and second volvo panel needed to have room for the lights and electronics, so i (questionably) clamped them into my bridgeport mill and hollowed them out. (had to do this because i didnt foot the bill for a proper casting, i only did solid castings.
I wanted the Han part to pulse like he was thawing out, so i called my buddy Jon McPhalen, and we figured out which switch position on Fettronics board was the sequence when he is thawing out, and connected a circuit that he build off an arduino. Jon has to be stated that he hates arduinos and prefers parallax boards like this one- http://amzn.to/2bgv38O .
PAINTING
I wanted to have a metallic paint that would let the light show through...so i went with alclad paints.
most of it was a coat of the chrome (http://amzn.to/2bgwBQ4) 4 oz did all of it, then i airbrushed on some aluminum and magnesium to give break-up and lowlights. http://amzn.to/2aLXfik and (cant find a link to the magnesium, but i got it at burbank house of hobbies)
Then i masked off the Han panel and sprayed the rest with rattle cans.
I painted the bulk of the fridge with Rustoleum satin nickel ( http://amzn.to/2b6F4Vz) and then misted some flat soft iron (http://amzn.to/2aZAO92) on it.
STILL NEEDS WORK.
i havent completed the volvo panel greeblies or paint. they are all just tacked on with superglue. the #1 and #2 panels are held on with magnets so that i can still access (and fiddle with) the electronics. i need to get low profile selector knobs, and some different greeblies. but im close. and i'll work on it one of these days when i have some spare time (googles the definition of spare time, and sees that i dont possess any of it).
SO, yes. Like most things, its a work in progress. i'll do my best to update when and if i fiddle more, and i'll do my best to answer questions on my build. the pics in my flickr album probably hold most of your answers, so check there first. and check those other build threads too. there are a ton of build and part run threads, so search around before asking me something specific. I'll lean on the community to help with the answering too. you guys are all the best!
And i have even seen the licensed "mini fridge" and a couple fan built versions of this concept....but i wanted to turn it up a notch.
It starts with getting the assets, the Han face, body, and toes. then the Volvo panels and greeblies, then the electronics for the hero panel.
ALL of this is floating around the RPF, and easy to dig up. I ended up going with Bigturc's greeblies http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=219761 and Fettronics for the lights- http://www.fettronics.com/Showcase2.Htm
and i couldnt have done this without help from Jedifyfe and his build thread- http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=234214&highlight=hic+lights
and a couple more threads that i refrenced for my build-
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=249249
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=262265&highlight=fettronics
and dont forget the thread that found the Volvo panel-
http://www.therpf.com/f9/hic-side-panel-discovery-99579/
for all of my build pics, they are on this flickr album (im not inserting everything in the post)-https://flic.kr/s/aHskEsc3Hh
and the Tested.com video about my build is here- http://www.tested.com/art/makers/579098-star-wars-han-solo-carbonite-refrigerator/
the Han parts and Volvo panels i got from pals, and remolded them for my needs. but again, do a little search on here, and plenty of people are doing runs.
THANKS A TON to SMOOTH-ON for giving me materials to do this silly project. They are a huge supporter and help on many of my nuttier projects.
I also had help from a bunch of friends, Jedifyfe (obviously) Gordon Tarpley, Nolan Craw, Jon McPhalen, and Nick Bonamy.
....oh, and i paid a few people in beer to help clean out the Han mold.
SO, the build-
We started with gluing down the han parts to a table and bondo-ing the edges so that i could get a good brush-up mold on it.
Then did a moldmax stroke (from smooth-on) mold and a epoxy jacket (with freeform air and some 2x4's to reinforce)
Also did a box mold on the Volvo panel that i got.
then over a couple days, i added about 1" at a time of Epoxacast 690 into the mold. if i do it all at once, it would over-heat and cause stryations, and shrink too much.
i used a tiny bit of red urethane pigment to give the epoxy a tint.
Before this was all done, my pal Nolan and I wired up the LED's because i wanted to embed them into the epoxy to get better dispersion of the light coming out of them.
The LED strips i got from amazon.com. they are the RED waterproof ones.
like this one, or similar- http://amzn.to/2bgnVcI
When we set them into the epoxy, they wanted to curl back up, like when they were on the roll....so that was a bit of a pain in the ass.
The fridge-
If i looked more, or had a better budget for this, I probably could have found a full door refridgerator (without freezer) or maybe one with the freezer in the lower third to split Han in a different spot. but i didnt....so this was the best option for a $400 fridge at a local big-box store.
i determined that i needed to make a riser to get the fridge up to 6'7", and made one out of wood, and put some casters on it. then bolted it to the under side of the fridge.
Then we had to decide how to do the sides. I know the HIC is a trapezoid and i had to take some liberties with my build. so i opted for 1/4" MDF for the side. I used my Universal Laser (i have one of these- http://www.ulsinc.com/build/manual-platform-overview) to cut a router template.
then Nick Bonamy jumped in and Routed them for me while i was workin on another step.
Oh and we routed a little chanel on the back of them to run the wires for the hero volvo panel.
All of these elements had to be glued on. I wanted something similar to 5 min epoxy, but more time and higher viscosity (so it wouldnt drip all over the place) so i mixed up Freeform Habitat (with no filler added) and thinned it down with epoxamite 102 (all from Smooth-on).
this was my glue for the Han and then MDF side panels.
before i figured out to glue on the side panels, i tried screwing it into the fridge. its just insulation on the sides, right? WRONG. i hit a freon line, and killed that fridge.
I pondered weather or not to try and fix it, but i didnt want to have issues down the line, so i just got another $400 fridge. like an idiot. lesson learned. (i recently was drilling something else and hit a hose again. i clearly haven't learned my lesson yet)
Yah, the only one they had in stock was white, so i had to paint it, and just swapped the doors. after a day wasted, i was back on track.
OH, yah.....we hadnt planned properly about splitting the Han casting....so i had to cut through the LED's and then dremel out to find the wires, and re-connect it all.
i learned a lot on this build, to say the least. but isnt that every build we do?
Riser built, sides and front glued on. Now onto the smear.
Because my fridge wont have the frame around where the smear goes, i masked out what i estimated the frame to be, and i'd end up painting it a different silver to differentiate.
I used Freeform Habitat Flex (from @smooth-on) without any filler. I spread it on to sorta-kinda-mostly-interpretively to match the real smear. and then use a little 99% alcohol and my hands to smooth it out a bit. DONE.
the here and second volvo panel needed to have room for the lights and electronics, so i (questionably) clamped them into my bridgeport mill and hollowed them out. (had to do this because i didnt foot the bill for a proper casting, i only did solid castings.
I wanted the Han part to pulse like he was thawing out, so i called my buddy Jon McPhalen, and we figured out which switch position on Fettronics board was the sequence when he is thawing out, and connected a circuit that he build off an arduino. Jon has to be stated that he hates arduinos and prefers parallax boards like this one- http://amzn.to/2bgv38O .
PAINTING
I wanted to have a metallic paint that would let the light show through...so i went with alclad paints.
most of it was a coat of the chrome (http://amzn.to/2bgwBQ4) 4 oz did all of it, then i airbrushed on some aluminum and magnesium to give break-up and lowlights. http://amzn.to/2aLXfik and (cant find a link to the magnesium, but i got it at burbank house of hobbies)
Then i masked off the Han panel and sprayed the rest with rattle cans.
I painted the bulk of the fridge with Rustoleum satin nickel ( http://amzn.to/2b6F4Vz) and then misted some flat soft iron (http://amzn.to/2aZAO92) on it.
STILL NEEDS WORK.
i havent completed the volvo panel greeblies or paint. they are all just tacked on with superglue. the #1 and #2 panels are held on with magnets so that i can still access (and fiddle with) the electronics. i need to get low profile selector knobs, and some different greeblies. but im close. and i'll work on it one of these days when i have some spare time (googles the definition of spare time, and sees that i dont possess any of it).
SO, yes. Like most things, its a work in progress. i'll do my best to update when and if i fiddle more, and i'll do my best to answer questions on my build. the pics in my flickr album probably hold most of your answers, so check there first. and check those other build threads too. there are a ton of build and part run threads, so search around before asking me something specific. I'll lean on the community to help with the answering too. you guys are all the best!
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