S.S. Death Star?

How bout these Kurt......:wacko

lee

domes-frosted20domes.jpg
 
An elusive subject...

Been talked of occasionally - a handful of times in the past. But it has never seen the light of day, so to speak.

Kurt and Bob's project was halted IIRC, and it was DSII. Any more on that is their story to tell.

I know of one person and one person only to actually have tangible proof and progress towards a true studio scale DSI, but I'll be damned if I can remember his name.

It's a project that seems simple enough at the outset, but gets more complicated.



What is needed are two 3' clear acrylic hemispheres with a fairly hardy wall thickness (as I understand, structural intergreity of the sphere is an engineering challenge), and these will cost probably about $300 - $500 once you've found a source, then you have to get them to you (I have a mini-van and a semi-local source; just need the cash!).

The domes will require some creative engineering, not only for structural integrity, but to create the dish, and the equitorial trench. Plus you have to get them to the correct shape (somewhat oblate is current conjecture). And it has to accommodate a light source.

Painting depends on your reference and your skills, and probably a creative method (see Lasse's article).

Then you have to make the holes for the lights. On my 1/4 scale commercial model kit, I drilled 10,000 holes to cover 75% of the surface. So count on probably at least 40,000 - 50,000 holes.

That might be me. I have the base 3 foot spheres with the trench on a metal stand. Yes it is a trick to keep them holding their shape. Another thing is to get the correct egg shape as the Deathstar is elliptical meaning wider at the trench. I almost canned the whole project a month ago but couldnt do it. Now I need accurate measurements for the Super Laser. Then after R2-D2 and a few other projects it will get moved back to the front of the pile.
 
That might be me. I have the base 3 foot spheres with the trench on a metal stand. Yes it is a trick to keep them holding their shape. Another thing is to get the correct egg shape as the Deathstar is elliptical meaning wider at the trench. I almost canned the whole project a month ago but couldnt do it. Now I need accurate measurements for the Super Laser. Then after R2-D2 and a few other projects it will get moved back to the front of the pile.

Well Hello Chris! :cool

It's GREAT to see someone taking on this beastie! Especially you! I know Bob has been chomping at the bit to get on it... we just must finish other projects before beginning such a process. ;)

I didn't know that it was truly eliptical! I had always thought it was an illusion of filming. Interesting indeed! ;)

I would love to see what you have so far Chris! I know you have much in talent and it is always a pleasure to view it sir! :D

BTW.... SWEET Pic of the spheres Lee! :D
 
I think there are three basic ways to light something like this -

Using a transparent dome that has an internal light source and is covered in opaque paint to prevent light leaks you could:

1. Scrape away little windows of lights to reveal the internal lighting.
2. Drill holes all the way through the paint and the dome.
3. Drill holes all the way through and install fiber optics.

Doing this with fiber optics would be insane.

Recall, a nine-inch diameter Death Star took 10,000 holes to cover 75% of the surface (I drilled them ALL!). So count on at least 40,000 to 50,000 lights...

And, yes -- #1. is what ILM did...
 
This is from the website of Gus Lopez the owner of the original Death Star.

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The Deathstar: Here it is in all its glory--the Deathstar, from the original Star Wars. Somehow, Lucasfilm managed to throw this piece away, so it ended up in Missouri! Talk about the ultimate centerpiece to your living room! This is perhaps one of the best Star Wars prop pieces in any private collection.
deathstar2.jpg

The story behind is that Todd Franklin spotted it one day in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. It was actually left outside for a period of time and carted all of the way from California before reaching Missouri. It's still in amazing shape, and once you put a light inside it, it's just like seeing it in the movie. A couple had owned a storage facility in California and moved out to Missouri. The movers had accidentally packed it with items that were supposed to be shipped, so they left it outside their store upon discovery that this model had been packed. Fortunately, it didn't remain outside for very long.
So Todd talked to person at Lucasfilm about the Death Star. Her name was Judy Niles and she had convinced him that the Death Star was not real. She said the original was blown up for the effect, and that the one he had found was probably fan-made. Todd didn't buy the story but none the less it kept him from buying it, and someone else in the area bought the Death Star.

deathstar3.jpg

A few years later Todd met Marc Thorpe who at the time was working for ILM as a model maker. He told him of the story and described how the Death Star was built and he thought that it was the real thing. He didn't work on Star Wars, but he did work on Empire and Jedi. Marc thought Judy Niles might have been incorrect (she had left Lucasfilm a few years later).
deathstar4.jpg

Unfortunately, Todd had missed out on the Death Star, since it was purchased by a local store owner. Years later, Tim Williams noticed that the store had gone out of business and that perhaps there was a second chance to purchase the Death Star. So, Todd, his brother, Pat, and friend Tim Willams decided to pool their funds and buy the piece.
deathstar5.jpg

When a light is placed inside the model, the entire model lights up with the full glory of detail that everyone remembers from A New Hope. The careful observer can match up every single point of light with the images on screen (we did!).
deathstar6.jpg

There are all sorts of patterns on the surface lights. In fact, even some of the artifacts of the internal skeleton for the Death Star and some of the surface detail is visible from movie images. For instance, there are several grey round screws that go around the perimeter of the model which can be seen by carefully examining movie images.
deathstar7.jpg

The original main dish is missing. It was thrown away by mentally handicapped janitors when it was in the lobby of a music show before Todd, Tim, and Pat bought it. Really! The dish you see is just a cardboard replacement dish that was made to make it look good in the photos.

Description: Todd Franklin, Tim Williams, and Gus Lopez
Photo: Tim Williams
From the collection of Tim Williams, Patrick Franklin, and Todd Franklin
 
Wow! That is beautiful Moe! :cool Absolutely top notch work!

Thanks for posting the pics and story of Gus's beastie Rolando! :D

Bob... I am beginning to feel the need again for these beasties. ;)
 
Kurt? Oh Kurt...? Shall I pick you up on the way north!? ;)


LOLOLOLOL.. you kill me Rob! :D

We should absolutely go to this place someday soon my friend. I am sorry to say that I have yet to go.

I am a bit disturbed that photgraphy is not allowed there. I understand his choice of rule, but do not agree with it.

Now you've got my blood stirring to go see this place Rob! ;) LOLOLOLOL
 
If I could make the drive in one day, I'd hit it over a long weekend. But from SoCal, I'd probably have to fly...
 
Another thing is to get the correct egg shape as the Deathstar is elliptical meaning wider at the trench.

A thought for what its worth -- I'm not entirely convinced it is truly oblate, or of larger diameter at the equator.

This is by no means in contest with Lear60man, and I myself acknowledged in my initial post the common conjecture that it is eliptical.

But I have seen public displays featuring clear acrylic spheres of very large diamter. Many of these feature hemispheres that appear to be slightly more than a true HEMIsphere; appear to be slightly more than a half of a sphere. This creates an illusion that there is an actual pinch at the equator, opposed to a bulge (or a wider diameter). Man I wish I had pics of what I'm talking about!

So I wonder if the hemispheres for the original Death Star were simply cut at a true hemisphere, or even slightly LESS than a hemisphere. And I wonder if the equator design and engineering further enhances an illusion of a wider equator...

Any one who has seen the Death Star in person care to comment...?
 
OK, I'm trying to remember who told me this - I think they said that the large hemispheres that they got actually had a flange around the edge - the kind you'd get if you put a flat piece of stock into a holder and vac-formed it. Smaller hemispheres usually have a nub at the top because they are injection molded, but the larger ones are blow molded and have a flange. That could be it.

Gene
 
Sure looks like it's wider to me - and though the photo may be distorting the dimensions, it "looks" like the Death Star did in the film, to me. I know camera angles can lie, but when you put a perfect circle over the photo, you get this:

dssphere.jpg
 
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