SirCharles77's Han In Carbonite Replica

[SirCharles77]

Yesterday I started working on the bottoms. I was thinking about doing some higher level of detail but then decided that since I am going to be displaying it standing, I won't ever see it and I am ok with that. So I am just doing the standard bread pan cavities. So I don't have a router but a co-worker of mine does. So I borrowed that and bought a bit and cut out the holes where they recess into. Worked great! Messy but good!

Then last night overnight I 3d printed one of the pans from my Maya model. Took 14 hrs to print one!! Printing the other side tonight!

Once I got it down there because of the expansion of the ABS and the lack of precision in my original jig saw cuts I had to use a orbital sander to sand down the edges a bit to make it fit. But once I got it down it works great!

 

[SirCharles77]

I am super excited! I got the chips and resistors I ordered in the mail and tested them out and they are perfect!! Correct size, shape and everything!

Here are some pics!

This is the collection of parts. I bought more than I needed because I figured maybe others would like them now that I have done the research to track them down. I will be selling a package of them at some point in the future.

Here is the initial placement of them in the stripboard.

And here is the final board. Ready to be painted and assembled with the Fettronics Lighting kit.

 

[Halliwax]

How did I miss this!? I’m usually a cheerleader in every HIC build! I haven’t read this thread yet but combed through real quickly, the attention to detail and organization of this thread is incredible! Can’t wait to actually sit down and read through the whole thing, something to do Saturday morning.

Really looking forward to catching up on this!

 

[SirCharles77]

The other thing I have been doing is cleaning up my cast for the front. I got a new cast from the one I originally purchased. This one is a corner to corner cast which was great for me because I was super uncomfortable with using Bondo or PVA glue to make the carbonite pattern. I just didn't feel like I would be able to achieve the correct look. So now I don't have to!

I wanna state again, I decided to buy this cast because it was the best cast I had found. The overall detail in it and quality of it was great. I had to do a little sculpting on it just because I have major OCD, but you could use this cast as is without making any changes and no one would know the difference.

I tried using Bondo for this but that stuff dries WAY too quickly to be able to sculpt it. So instead I am using gray Sculpey...and it works amazingly!! I can sculpt it however I like and I can leave it and come back the next day and tweak and when I think it's perfect I just hit it with a heat gun for a few minutes and it's done!

Here are the before pictures. You can see in this one all of the pot marks in there. I am pretty positive those were not there in the original so I decided to fill them in.

Here are images of the final work after using Sculpey to polish it all up.

I am really happy with how the head turned out. I think I did a pretty good job resculpting a few areas I wanted to change. Again, this mold looks great as is. I just wanted to make some changes because of my OCD! And because I thought it would be a good learning step!

Here are the shots of the Identities prop I was using for reference on these.

 

[SirCharles77]

HELLO AGAIN!!! I'm baaaaccckkk!!! Ok, well it's been just over a month since my last post. Sorry about that. I got soo busy building the dang thing I completely forgot to post updates. So The good news is Han himself is 100% done! I am still working on the base for him atm. And that will hopefully be done soon. So I am going to post a bunch of smaller updates here to get you all up to speed.

After sculpting the mold I started trying to get all of the rest of the parts printed. So I printed the pans that go in the holes in the ends. I wasn't super worried about these being perfect because let's be honest, once this is displayed no one will ever see them!

So I got them all printed, and glued together. A few didn't fit perfectly because I didn't design them to have a good locking mechanism for the middle one coming in parts. But again, its ok. I will make it work.

At this point they are just sitting there to test fit. I will glue them in a lot later.

 

[SirCharles77]

Next step is the part I have been fearing from the beginning...mounting the cast to the board! I have never worked with fiberglass until this project, have never worked with a cast like this. And my fears about breaking it or cracking it or putting it on wrong, etc are killing me. But let's dive in!

First I placed the cast on the box and figured out where it would fit.

I got my ruler out and drew the lines where the smooth metal part of the face of the box ends, which is 75 mm from the outside edge all the way around. Then I place the cast in based on that to see how things fit. There were alot of areas where it was a little too close or overlapping the line so I got out my dremel and cut it down in a few spots.

So there is no way to make a one piece open mold fiberglass cast that is perfectly flat. It's just not possible. So I knew there was going to be some fixing I had to do.

So this can all be fixed quite easily with some directed force and a heat gun!!

So I used a piece of MDF and some clamps and rags to flatten the cast down to the shape I want it in. Then once there, I hit it with a heat gun a couple times. I heated it up pretty hot by moving the gun over it continually for a few minutes never stopping in any one place. This heated it up nicely. Then I hit it with a fan until it cooled. Then I did that again. Once I took it off it held pretty nicely. I will note, that I took the clamps off an hour or so after doing this. And while it mostly held its shape overnight, when I looked at it in the morning it did warp back up slightly. But not enough to be a problem once glued and screwed down.

So the next day, I actually glued this thing down. To do that, I screwed 4 holes in the cast (tapping them first by drilling them out carefully) at specific points where I felt by pushing with a finger that it needed the most pressure to hold its shape. Before screwing it into place, I covered the entire bottom where it's going to touch the board with 2 part epoxy. Making sure to hit a lot on the edges. Once I was able to take the clamps off, I had to go around the entire edge with epoxy again and do another round of clamps to keep it as flat as possible. This is critically important for down the road when I wanna blend this thing into the box surface.

 

[SirCharles77]

Ok, while I was letting that all dry, I got my stickers!! YEAH! Unfortunately there was some miscommunication about the color of the vinyl grid. So as you can see here it was a bit to dark. So working that out. But the rest of them are great!!

You can see how they look placed on the 6 non-Hero panels here! And I should note, at this point all of these 6 panels here are 100% DONE!!! Yeah first major milestone hit!

Here are the stickers applied to the second Hero panel. Also, now that I had my dot pattern sticker for this panel done I was able to assemble the light display for it as well! And as a result this panel is also done!! WOO HOO!! One panel left!

 

[SirCharles77]

Also while working on glueing down the cast I finished up a few small bits for the Hero Panel.

This is the little square side detail that basically has no information on it. I got it painted up and glued together. Ready to be mounted now.

These are the only 100% original parts I was able to find. The Uher Stereo Mix 500 control knobs. They have a little strip on the bottom that you need to cut off.

I had to glue down the wires for the components on the stripboard so that they would stay in place.

Then a quick coat of primer on the parts for the Hero display. Its coming together nicely!!

 

[SirCharles77]

Back to the cast mounting process!! I got it all glued down. Here are a few images of the last bits of that process. I basically worked down from the top once the head was mounted where I wanted it. It was a long process of mounting it, then applying pressure where I needed it to hold it down, hitting it with a heat gun, then adding boat loads of epoxy to hold it into place. Over all if I were doing this again I would have backfilled underneath it with something first. I had tried the expanding foam but it was messy and a problem so I gave up on it. What I really needed to do was to build it support underneath before putting down the next piece. That way I would have something under there to support the material I used to close up the seam. As a result I had some issues with cracking as it settled. I am sure there is a better way to do this but I am pretty ignorant about how to work with Fiberglass so I relied on the maker of the cast. He was AMAZINGLY helpful and without him I was screwed!

The entire body is in place, just holding down the edges while the edge blending epoxy dries here.

The last step was to trim up the edges to make it more smoothly merged with the box. If you look at the first image in this post you will notice how much the squared edges stick up. I needed those to taper down to the body so I hit this with my dremel again and went around the whole thing cutting that edged down and trying to make it a smooth taper.

You can really see here what I mean. Right under the foot there were some issues with warping but its ok to have some variance in the height like this. It isn't a perfect mechanical thing. So it ultimately looks pretty good!

 

[SirCharles77]

Next step!! BONDO!!

I needed to get the edge of the box all ready to look smooth like Carbonite so the next step was to go around it and fill in the seams, screw heads, and flaws with bondo and sand it down smooth as glass. I was really worried about using Bondo but I learned quickly you just have to only use it in areas that are ultimately going to end up smooth, and then work fast not worrying about the junk, realizing that you can sand it off later. Trying to use i ton anything you need to sculpt, like the carbonite around Han...not happening!

So this is how it goes down...

And after some sanding this is how smooth it looks after! Pretty nice!

If I have one tip for my future self if I ever make another one...use more bondo! Cover the entire MDF surface with a thin coating of it and sand it smooth. I only used it where I thought I needed it on this one and once I started painting I realized how porous the MDF is. And the filler primer didn't quite cover it. A layer of bondo would have helped a lot.

 

[SirCharles77]

Next step was to bondo the seam that I made with the dremel. But to do that I had to mask off the "smooth" edges of the box. So I laid down some painters tape precisely on the edges. Before doing this I had to sand down a bunch of epoxy that spread over the line when I was gluing it into place. Shoulda been more careful the first time and I could have avoided that step.

Once the tape was in place...BONDO! I really thought I would hate this stuff. It's hard to work with and dries WAY too fast! But I discovered here that you just have to let it be what it is and for something like this it just kinda worked! So I laid it down using strokes staring on the case and working out towards the edge at an angle. And was able to get a good smooth blend down to the edge of the tape. I intentionally wanted just a thin layer right over the edge of the tape to prevent too much sanding and let the tape do its job once I remove it.

Here it is all done. Completely coated with Bondo.

Next I sanded it all down starting with 60 grit and working up to 320 grit until I got it where I liked it. I intentionally let the bondo be uneven and porous when I was putting it down. That allowed me to sand down the top layers and still have some holes and gaps in it to give it the carbonite look. Once I was done sanding I removed the tape and it worked so much better than I had imagined!!!

You can kinda see the layers of the bondo here. And you can really see how well the take created a nice mask that really closely matches what you see in the film prop!

I love this picture because it shows how well the taping worked and how well it blended in the cast!

 

[SirCharles77]

Ok next once I had it all locked down, I needed to fix those seams...the really scary part! So to do that I went over them and tried to stuff bondo into them and underneath the cast through the biggest gaps as much as possible. This kinda helped some but again, to my original point I wish I had done that before putting down the next layer so I had a base to support the material.

You can see here why. After doing as much bondo as I could, and then going over it with sculpey to try to sculpt the shape, it just kept cracking and I couldn't seem to get it to stop. And I had already built up the seam so much that it was over the height it needed to be to be seamless. So at this point any support I put on the top was just going to keep making the seam more and more visible. Honestly I should have just used a dremel and cut a channel across it and manually re-sculpted the whole things up from there but I was too lazy to try that.

So I ended up just doing a few thin layers of epoxy over it until it was holding with no more cracking. Then I tried to sculpt a little over that with minimal success. Sanded it all down and called it a day. It's not bad, it just could be better.

 

[SirCharles77]

Next was to finish up those end cap pans so that I can start painting!
I had one really bad middle pan that needed a lot of extra work get it in good enough shape. Had to even break it and glue it together slightly differently to get it flat to fit in the hole. Lots of bondo, epoxy, and time on this annoying piece.

Did a quick couple layers of filler primer with some sanding between them to smooth them out.

Then on to gluing them into place with Epoxy.

After that a layer of bond and a bunch of sanding.

And a shot of what my neighbors get to see when they drive by while the final glue and bondo dries!! HA!

At this point hes ready for some paint!!

 

[SirCharles77]

So next I put on the first layer or primer!! This is the first really big test...once you put on a full coat of primer is where you really see all of the mistakes you have made! And there were alot!!

First off, the paint was having an interaction either with the MDF, or with the dust in the garage, or both and was coming in really grainy like this image. Luckily it was all on top, not recesses so it could be sanded out. But it caused a lot of extra work! This is why I said earlier I would do more bondo around the whole surface to make the MDF less of an issue. I could have used a harder wood also but that would make it a lot heavier!

After sanding down a bit it's starting to look better!

I had to buy a bunch more primer to be able to finish this thing though! One coat was just not doing enough with the porous nature of the MDF.

Here's a shot of his face. Really looking awesome! I am soo happy!!!

And as you can see...MORE CRACKING!!! That damn seam is killing me! More layers of epoxy over the primer coat did the trick this time though.

And here it is all sanded down with I think 2+ coats of primer on it and ready for some real paint!

Also, while I was waiting for paint to dry, I decided I didn't like the original design for the base. So I got into Maya and changed it up a bit. Now it's gonna be a bit more work, but its gonna look alot more like the Bespin Carbon Chamber. Luckily, I have a friend with a CNC machine who is going to cut the top and front boards out for me.

 

[SirCharles77]

Next I got some more of my parts for my Hero panel ready. Including the correct colored grid sticker! So now i can actually start to assemble this thing!

Here is how the grid sticker comes. I then cut out the back from 32% transparent 1/8" white acrylic.

Here is how it goes on.

And in the panel! Works pretty well and is very close to the Identities model!

I also picked up the paint for my displays. I used Humbrol #15 and #221 as the colors. Someone else suggested this in another thread and I think after seeing this they are spot on! I only wish I could have gotten them in spray cans so that they would be smoother. But I guess technically when you look at the original it's clear they were hand painted there so this is more accurate.

And with the Valvo display upgrades and Fettronics displays in place!! Looking pretty good!

I also cut out and added the other 2 acrylic pieces in.

 

[SirCharles77]

Next I did my first coat of Dark Steel paint on Han! So I did my primer coat, and I sanded it down. And in the primer coat I really thought it was sanded smooth enough to get the look I wanted...boy was I wrong! This Dark Steel shows every little mistake and problem and magnifies it and punches you in the gut with it! Oof! Soo many issues. I had kind of a melt down after seeing this.

Talked with a few smart people on my facebook group and they calmed me down and trained me. I think I moved from a Padawan to Knight that day! hehe

So here is what it looked like after just the first coat of Dark Steel. You can see all of those fuzzy looking areas. The recessed areas.

Up close they just look grainy and fuzzy. The original didn't look like this. It's got a much smoother overall look to it.

So I tried a little acetone on a paper towel. That didn't work the way I had hoped. Someone at Home Depot suggested this Laquer house primer which I didn't even try. Just returned it. Instead what worked was just a lot of elbow grease mixed with 320 grit sandpaper and #1 and #0000 steel wool! I went over the whole things sanding out the grainy bits and leaving a little of it where it seemed to make sense using the 320 and working down to #0000. And it was HUMID AS HELL while I did this. Made for a pretty miserable day. I will not be doing that again any time soon! Funny note...when you show people at Home Depot pictures like the one above asking these types of questions, you get some funny looks! HAHAHA

But once done, you can see it looks ALOT better! It's not perfectly smooth, but another coat of paint will help that a bit more and it should look pretty good!

Next step was to tackle the smooth sides and edges of the face. You can see in this pic very clearly the scuffing that just didn't get covered with the filler primer and sanding in that phase. And unfortunately a lot of the problems when viewed up close are little recessed pockets, not raised bumps. So you cant just easily sand them off.

So I masked off the cast because I was very happy with where I got it and didn't want to mess it up. Then I did 2 more coats of filler primer over top of what was already there. Then a coat of primer sealer which is supposed to help the overcoat from seeping through the primer. Then another coat of filler primer and SAND!!! And I did A LOT OF SANDING! I basically in some places had to sand off most of the coats I just put on to get it smooth enough to get rid of the pockets and holes.

But after it was all done, it was totally worth it!! This thing is super smooth and looks really good!

As you can see in this pic, its not perfect, but the scuffs and scratches left just kinda look like normal wear.

So I then pulled off the tape to reveal the final product!! And DAMN does he look nice!!!

I am super happy with the look. Dark Steel is the perfect paint for this Carbonite look too! It reacts with the light in the space your in the same way as it did in the movies. Soo cool!

He is ready to be finished!! Weathering here we come!!

 

[SirCharles77]

I also have now acquired all of the parts I need to make the final Hero panel. The last thing I needed was to figure out a way to create a light box on the back of the grid for the green light. And a way to mount the turn knobs into place. I designed some parts in Maya to help with that and 3d printed them. I LOVE that I can have a problem, go into the computer, design something and an hour later be physically holding it in my hand!! 3d printing is SOO AWESOME!

So I glued on some parts. Here is where I put the rectangular side detail piece.

I then glued on the T-Levers, hollow cylinders, and grid and display panels. Also drilled holes and put in the leds on the bottom white acrylic piece.

Here is a shot of the back side in case you are curious.

So to mount the turn knobs, I needed a way to mount the hex nut that comes with them. So I designed this little washer. The hex fits perfectly into the back side. You then glue it down to the back of the panel with the hex down. Since they are both ABS 3d printed I used Acetone for this. that made it like a permanent bond and worked really well.

I also designed and printed this little light box for the back of the grid. I gave it a taper at the top and painted the inside with the most reflective paint I could find.

Here you can see I wired all of the LEDs into place and you can see the glued down hex nut washers over there.

The turn knobs just rotate into place on these and tighten.

I needed a place to mount the arduino board so I found a leftover failed print that worked fairly well. Glued it to the side and screwed the board to it through one of the holes on the corners.

Then I glued my U-Handles onto it and put the knobs on the turn switches and voila!!! It's done!!

 

[SirCharles77]

OK Whew!! This is a lot of posts!! Wish I had done this while working on it! hehe

Next step was to do the wash. I purchased a single 200ml bottle of Vallejo Black Game Wash. I thought I would need more, but they only had one bottle available at the time so I just started with that and I am glad I did. I barely used 1/3rd of it! But it worked great!

Here he is before doing any wash.

I didn't want my Han to look too dirty. Some people like to add a lot of grime but I wanted to just keep it looking subtle. And when looking at the Identities model I didn't see that much either. So here is Han all dirtied up!

I put on the wash sorta medium thickness over an entire area. Then let it sit for like 30 seconds. Then started wiping it off starting on the outside carbonite surfaces first and finishing on Han. That allowed it to dry on Han a little more and he got a smidge dirtier.

Here he is after finishing the wash. As you can see, subtle, but just enough to bring out the details!

Here is the final product! He is ready to be hung on the wall!

 

[SirCharles77]

Oh almost forgot to do one more thing before taking him up to the man cave. I wanted to cut out the backing on the Hero and second Hero panels so that I don't leave all that dust in my man cave.

Drew out the shape with a template.

Cut it out with a large bit and a reciprocating saw.

NOW hes ready to go up to the man cave!!!

 

[SirCharles77]

And here he is! In the man cave! All that's left to do at this point is to put on the panels, build the stand, and put him against the wall!

So that's what I did!! Here is the first panel applied.

And now all 4 panels on the Hero side are done and working!

Then the next night I added the 4 to the other side.

And hes DONE!! Now just waiting for a stand so I can put him in his final resting place!