Star Wars movie set den build

Okay, here we go. I have built a home office that is a Star Wars movie set. There are no toys in there. It is a room with features out of the movie, primarily the first couple of Star Wars films.

[MISSING IMAGE] - Sorry, at the end of 2015, the RPF server lost many images in the first pages of my thread!

What fun! I will show you the design and build process. For me, the quest to build something cool started with this image. I thought, hey, I can do that. I can build some lighted stairs.

[MISSING IMAGE] - Sorry, at the end of 2015, the RPF server lost many images in the first pages of my thread!

The first image is from the movie. The second image is a raised platform I built. Hey, does anyone know how to post images within a message, rather than an attachment at the end?

That looks very slick :cool

More pics please

With regards to your pic question : click edit your post, right-click the thumbnail & open it in a new tab. Copy the address, and insert it in the pop-up window you get with the insert image tab (the 'yellow postcard of hills' icon).

I suggest you reduce the size a little first though.

Amazing DJ said:

Hey, does anyone know how to post images within a message, rather than an attachment at the end?

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Like this?



I did this the way Alan has explained. Tip, just keep your images to 800 pixels wide.


So you are doing a themed room that is based on a movie set? Original and cool. The freeze chamber set on Bespin was always interesting. I actually like that tunnel Luke goes through. It looks dark and a little scary, then the lights come on and doors open. As Luke exits, the doors slam shut and the light go out behind him. I just always thought that was neat.

Very nice use of space. :thumbsup

I've always wanted a room themed around Vader's meditation chamber. I think the blueprints to it are in the blueprint book but even if I had the carpentry skills to build it, I have no idea where I'd put it. Your project seems a lot more manageable!

Keep us updated with your progress. :cool

It all starts with some stairs!
Looks awesome can't wait to see more of your progress!

Inspiringthumbsup really can't wait for more!

Cornfields of Indiana? OK, I know who this is. Let's see the rest of it, I know there's more done than this!

Kurt

Wow, I didn't know you guys would be so enthusiastic! Thanks for your nice messages. I'll throw in some more pics of the construction.

Holy cow, you guys should see the computer desk I built. But *FIRST* the platform it sits on. Here, I'm just laying some boards out on the floor to see if I like the shape of it.

The evil plan is taking shape. I've added some gray PVC pipe halves to the front edges. These will be reflectors for an RGB light strip.

I've lifted the platform up to add some aluminum "L" pieces to trim out the light faces.

To maximize the light output from the LED light strips, the PVC was reflectorized with metal tape. This stuff is shiny! I like the look of this.

My buddy cut me some matte black vinyl. Aww, this is going to look sweet! The vinyl is applied to pieces of Acrylite translucent white plastic.

The platform is propped up on some paint cans. I popped the lenses in for the first lighting test. With a remote control, these lights can be *any* color. :love

I went to Harbor Freight and got a wet saw. I hacked up a few boxes of black subway-style tiles and stuck them down with flexible adhesive. Oh, what a complicated pattern to do for my first time sawing tiles of any kind. :unsure Had to saw most pieces at angles, slowly and carefully. Normally, you can't apply tile directly to stranded board. But you can if you use flexible roofing cement, the kind made from real stinky petroleum products. This stuff took about 4 days for the petroleum smell to clear, but I didn't care. I grew up in a signpainter's shop and am accustomed to the smell of turpentine and gas and oil-based paint fumes.

Here's why I put down shiny tiles. Reflections double the visual impact.

The yellow things are tile spacers, used temporarily before applying grout. See that little piece of dark carpeting to the right? Those are carpet squares ordered from Georgia. Coincidentally, the name of the carpet pattern was fitting for a Star Wars project: "Night in Tunisia".
Later, I'll post a technical drawing of how the LED light strips are put together inside the reflector housings.

For a first time tile-layer you definitely picked a less than straightforward pattern. Are you available to come tile my shower? Just kidding, of course!

That's awesome already, but will be even moreso when finished.

Love it...especially the progress picks. Nicely done

This would make an awesome stage for a Home Cinema.

jme3 said:

I've always wanted a room themed around Vader's meditation chamber. I think the blueprints to it are in the blueprint book but even if I had the carpentry skills to build it, I have no idea where I'd put it.

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If I had that chamber, I'd be like this guy :cool and get some back on my kids :lol

Stuff like this makes me wish I was a home owner. Being able to build my own man cave would be awesome. But being just out of college and getting on my feet Im relegated to apartments for the time being. Your project looks great, keep up the good work.

This is fantastic work brother! love the build!!!

It's looking sharp! You'll need a fog machine running in there to create that mysterious effect haha!

I love seeing builds like this! Awesome work - can't wait to see more.

This would make an awesome stage for a Home Cinema.

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Gotta agree! This is looking awesome so far. :thumbsup

This is a cutaway of how to build a light reflector housing for an RGB LED strip. A 4" PVC pipe is cut in half lengthways with a plunge cut tool. Use a half-moon blade. Then the PVC "C" shape is screwed in place to any kind of framework, then silvered with metal foil tape. Then a self-adhesive string of "5050" RGB LED strip is stuck in the middle. This drawing shows the basics, but I modified this a lot for the platform edge which has trim (not shown). Ignore the "wood facing". I didn't use it, used a vinyl sticker instead. And I modified the "yellow" wood a little bit with notches so some aluminum channel trim would fit over the face edges.

This is what the light looks like with no lenses in place. It is so frikken bright, but with the RGB remote controller can be set to any brightness or color (or flash). The lower right inset is a just a mock-up of things to come...

This has the lens in place, with a paper protective cover on, and aluminum trim channel applied...

I found that every piece of aluminum channel had to be cut at a slightly different angle. The cuts were made easier with a Harbor Freight plunge cut tool. Get a straight metal-cutting blade for it. And you'll need a big ol' file with a large handle to get all the edges joining together just perfect with no gaps. This was also my first time working with aluminum stock. In a future installment, I'll show you what happens with that big circle in the middle. :love I'm thinking "lighted chair mat"!

Very interesting and cool project idea. Looks great so far.

Definately will be following the build!

Jon

Looking really good.

Looks great! Where in Indiana are you? I'm in Indianapolis.