1/48 Star Wars Stage Echo Base Hangar Diorama

seven

Sr Member
This is going to be my first diorama build. I suspect it to be a slow one, but a fun one. I am going to build the Hangar of Echo Base. However, I thought it would be cool to recreate it as if it was a movie set (I was inspired by this post in Stevestarkillers Millennium Falcon thread). That said, I am starting the diorama by building the Star Wars Sound Stage that was constructed for ESB that housed the Hangar.

I picked 1/48 scale to incorporate the Fine Molds X-Wing models as well as Snowspeeders. Now, I just need someone to build me a 1/48 Millennium Falcon :love. The plan is to build and paint the models to match the full scale set, not the Studio Scale Miniatures.

So, first things first...I bought some cheap, thin board, had Home Depot cut it up for the floor, and four walls.

I printed out a scaled pattern of all four walls to mark my lines, draw them in, and start to lay down the H-Beams.

Once I have the main beams glued down, I'll start on the brick sheets. First wall is the front with the main bay door.
 

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To anyone who has purchased the Star Wars Blueprints book, I could use your help. The Int. Main Hangar Deck (Plans and Elevations) page. 98-99 are the plans I am basing this diorama on. I have an image of this blueprint that I got from a member here before this book was released. I am hoping that the book is a higher resolution that could clear up some questions I have. If someone is willing to go over the plans with me to clarify a few things, I would greatly appreciate your input.
 
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Picked some some 1/48 brick sheets. It is a thin plastic that can be cut with scissors, which makes things easier/quicker.

Each sheet makes three strips. Each strip is then cut and glued down in between each H-beam. I will also have to cut smaller strips to wrap around the beams. This is where things get a little sloppy.
 

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Added 1/48 doors in the side walls that I got from Plastruct, and started lay out more H-beams. Not yet glued down, but cutting each piece to see how it lays all out. To do all four walls it's going to be a lot of "steel".
Not sure how much detail I am going to put into the walls. For instance, electrical outlets, junction boxes, etc. If I get some decent reference I might. Painting is going to come much later down the road.
I ended up cutting the left wall into four different sections so I could use my skill saw to cut out the doors. This seemed like a good idea at first, but I wont be doing this for the other three walls. I have had to glue the four sections back together and brace them to get some strength back in them. I will be cutting out the doors with the Dremel from now on.
 

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I've never even heard of someone doing a project like this. I'm intrigued, and will be following it closely. (I can't wait to see the 1/48 Lucas and Kershner. LOL)
 
Cool idea, and ambitious. The "full size" Falcon was actually undersized, wonder if the MPC kit would fit?
 
shall we place bets on when you start to regret doing the 1/48????;)

I think this is an awesome project. Seriously. I'd love to do a 1/144 version some day for a falcon.
 
Thanks for the comments! The MR Millennium Falcon is a bit too large and the MPC is just too small. Ideally I would like to use the blueprints of the full size Falcon and scratch it in 1/48 (assuming they constructed it per the blueprints), for this reason I think that the Falcon may be the last thing on the list.

...I can't wait to see the 1/48 Lucas and Kershner.
Did Lucas ever come down to the Hangar set? Filling the Hanger with 'life' is what is going to be the slowest part of this build. All the people, set props, droids, lights, etc.

As far as it's size goes, I am glad that I didn't make it any bigger. I was toying with the idea to make it Action-Figure scale, but that would have been too huge. There is actually a lot of things I can obtain in 1/48 scale (or O scale) from model railroad kits and accessories.

I got one corner of the Sound Stage up. Luckily I have a mini-pool table in the basement that my wife doesn't want anymore so it serves as a nice work table for this diorama for now.

Anyone have any suggestions how I can do the sliding bay doors? There is one large one at the front that was used as the entrance to the Hanger, and two smaller ones on the side. I would like to make them "functional" (i.e. slide open and shut), but not required. I would like to at least make the doors look the part. Thoughts?
 

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Picked up the hangars first Fine Molds Snowspeeder, sitting where its bay will be (The paint is my first attempt to match the Full Size (FS) Snowspeeders, not the studio scale miniatures).

Completed the full left side wall. Quick aerial shot to show its size and layout. See how it fits the pool table, almost like it was made for it? I think that I will make all four walls, but the right wall will not be permanent so I can remove it, not only get into the diorama for placing details, but for a better way to view it too.
 

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some quick pics of a ground floor point of view. Looking at it like this makes me realize just the shear size of the original sound stage. I do wonder what became of it. It does not appear to still stand today.
 

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That's a pretty cool idea! I think Alfred Wong (on starshipmodeler.com) did a 1/48 Falcon, but Lucasfilm sent a C&D. It's probably hard, if not impossible to find now. Some were sold, but I wouldn't think anyone is selling.
 
This is such an original idea, seven. Are you planning on any more sound stage diorama's? Seems like a new and interesting take on diorama modelling.
 
I think the the full-scale falcon is actually more like 85.5' long (and both the ANH half falcon and the ESB full falcon were the same length).

in 1/48 scale, that's like 21.36 inches, if I'm not doing that math all wrong? but either way, since you're using the echobase soundstage plans, you've got the right size and location of the falcon all set for your scale.
 
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