1/72 Hoth Echo Base Hangar diorama

I'm starting to get itchy about starting my PG for this diorama...just waiting on the ESB extra gear boxes. I actually could probably get going on it, but I'd hate to do that and then feel the need to stop till I get them, so I'll just wait, it'll be worth it, besides there's PLENTY of other stuff left to do with this project. Tony has always been awesome with special request, and fast about it. This time, it's taking a bit. But I know the guy is busy with a lot of stuff. I half thought Age of Plastic might do some, they did a nice entry corridor and some other stuff for this, that I did get for it. However, I've collaborated with Tony on a couple things before so I naturally asked him first. it'll be all good :thumbsup

Yeah, Age of Plastic does some impressive work as well. All of my upgrades for my docking bay 94 diorama have come from his Shapeways store. I'll definitely check out his PG Falcon stuff, too. I'll be needing the landing gear boxes as well for my next project.
 
I've been keeping an eye out for new PG Falcon stuff on Shapeways, I check every few days. I may just shoot Age of Plastic an email, drop a hint maybe
Yeah, Age of Plastic does some impressive work as well. All of my upgrades for my docking bay 94 diorama have come from his Shapeways store. I'll definitely check out his PG Falcon stuff, too. I'll be needing the landing gear boxes as well for my next project.
 
I figured as much, Gus at 3D as well. And I didn't in any way knock Tony for taking so much time, you get busy...you're busy. I just threw it out there, you know. Gus had actually seen something I posted on Shapeways forum about figures, and he contacted me about the Leia figure. he's got her done, just needed to fix something about her hand, but heck he even asked if I wanted the pose changed at all but it looked fine to me. Super dude that one.
Anyway, we'll see if we get a reply from AOP. :thumbsup
He's a member on this forum, too... I know he is active in the threads and reads up on all the posts.
 
AOP doesn't plan on it. lots of work involved in it. And he made a good point that since Tony already has similar design for the MPC, he's already way out front on it. So we'll patiently and gratefully await for 308's product. :thumbsup
 
echo ice void1.jpegecho ice void2.jpegecho ice void3.jpegecho ice void4.jpegso I made these "voids" if you will, from a mold of railroad rocks, they should work nicely, though I ruined the original mold, but oh well. gonna go to the hobby shop at lunch and see if I can't find some train tunnel that I can chop up to use for the few that are in the back behind where the falcon is parked. I filled in the forth snow speeder alcove, had too many for the section of the hangar I'm doing. made part of the corridor off the last alcove out of thinner grooved sheet thinking it would do, but it's too flimsy, have to re-do with this thicker acrylic and put the wall "cut lines" on it. not that you'd be able to see it that well upon completion...but. Anyway, it's coming along nicely. Also need to find some white plastic sheet to form the coned wall behind the falcon, shouldn't be too difficult. that's the update solo echo.JPG..."I dunno...I have a bad feeling about this..."
 
echo small1.jpegecho small2.jpegbeen having so trouble with the rear part of this, I'll put something together thinking it's going to work, only to discover it looks shoddy. Made one attempt at the angled curved wall behind the falcon, only to fail miserably. So last night I'm at the table woofing down a microwave Marie Calander's and I'm looking at the box...why not take the current measurements, scale down to cm's, and build a mock up out of the easy to cut cardboard and Scotch tape to finalize what works and looks right...then got to the trouble of cutting and fitting the actual pieces for the diorama. I have to admit, my geometry skills are in the crapper so this seemed like the thing to do. I got a new piece of translucent 1/8 plastic to cut that back wall from. being as it needs to be like a half circle and angled in 11 degrees or so, it's going to be a challenge for me so I don't screw it up. I also got a large piece of non corrugated picture backing from the craft store to make a template from...so I DON'T ruin the final piece with a goofy cutting.

Another funny thing I realized about the mini...it looks like a guy could almost finish it and use it for a 1/350 scale build of the same dio! :lol
 
Hey Ross ,

iI can sympathise with your dilemma regarding getting the maths ( geometric shapes in particular ) just ‘ right ‘ when scratch building .
I kick myself with every failed attempt too ... it’s not so much that an error was made somewhere along the way , but the time/ effort involved and lost whilst making it !:lol

Depending on the scale and subject , I’ve been using anything from plain copy paper to certain thicknesses of household card/board for measuring and ‘ trying out ‘ pieces before re - measuring them ,and then cutting them out of styrene sheet - which can get pretty expensive to replace , pretty quickly for screwups made ! :facepalm

Love catching up with your updates , and looking forward to the ‘ not too distant ‘ !? - finish line !;)

:cheersGed
 
The blueprints of echo base posted on the previous page are not a reflection of the actual set used in The Empire Strikes Back and should not be used if your aim is an authentic representation of the hangar bay seen in the movie.

But i'm thinking you're going for a mix between various sources, anyway it looks great and can't wait so see more.
 
Thank you much my friend, I appreciate it :thumbsup And yes, absolutely correct you are. I did notice that myself, particularly the size of the snow speeder alcoves. but you're also correct in your observation that I'm doing a mix of the blue print and the screen shots. IE...the best I can LOL. When it's done, it will reflect elements of both, not to mention quite a bit of greeblie type BS not even seen in the film. I want it to look as busy as possible, with lots to look at. Current count on people figures is about 60 but thinking I still need another dozen or so. In the end I think it will represent the spirit of the location well. I'm always open to suggestions as well as critiques, particularly at this stage when much can still be altered and appreciate any input. While I do want to please and impress my fellows here on the RPF, I'm not a 'dead-nuts' accuracy type. As long as it "looks" and is unmistakable as Echo base, I'm happy, besides anyone visiting the house that will actually see it first hand, odds are none will ever notice any inaccuracies :lol
The blueprints of echo base posted on the previous page are not a reflection of the actual set used in The Empire Strikes Back and should not be used if your aim is an authentic representation of the hangar bay seen in the movie.

But i'm thinking you're going for a mix between various sources, anyway it looks great and can't wait so see more.
 
many thanks Ged,

I'm ashamed to admit it to anyone though. it's something I should know at my age. I think I spent 6 bucks on a big sheet of plain white photo backing at the craft store. there should be enough for 3 attempts :lol at least with the mini I'll get endless tries at the correct curvature before I even try the card template, then, ZERO mistakes on the final piece...I hope :wacko
As far as the roughed out "cave" part in the right rear (as you look from the front) I tried a gallon plastic milk carton (jug) thinking I could just attach a lot of irregular crap inside, but it still looked like a milk jug cut in half [:facepalm So, I'll do it in mini till it looks right then build the "cave" from the 1/4 inch white stuff, fit it, and shoot white spatter paint and probably some wall texture repair spray, then poke a scribe tool in it while it's still wet and pull it down in an attempt to replicate ice sickles or semi melted ice. lots of testing to be done for that in and of itself. now if anyone thinks I'm getting too far into the weeds with this, please say so :wacko QUOTE=gedmac66;4478251]Hey Ross ,

iI can sympathise with your dilemma regarding getting the maths ( geometric shapes in particular ) just ‘ right ‘ when scratch building .
I kick myself with every failed attempt too ... it’s not so much that an error was made somewhere along the way , but the time/ effort involved and lost whilst making it !:lol

Depending on the scale and subject , I’ve been using anything from plain copy paper to certain thicknesses of household card/board for measuring and ‘ trying out ‘ pieces before re - measuring them ,and then cutting them out of styrene sheet - which can get pretty expensive to replace , pretty quickly for screwups made ! :facepalm

Love catching up with your updates , and looking forward to the ‘ not too distant ‘ !? - finish line !;)

:cheersGed[/QUOTE]
 
mini echo1.jpegmini echo2.jpegmini echo3.jpegmini echo4.jpegok here's the mini echo base general mock up...looks more like the blue print than a movie still. I'd be filling in the open space on the right rear with the two small tunnels on either side and the large one in the center...OR...make the conical area larger to 3/4 of the rear space area and go more like the movie shots. Opinions porfavor? And yes, those are cocktail straws holding the middle up. On the actual I had intended to have multiple strips of wood going side to side to eliminate the for sure sagging that will occur. Thoughts, suggestions...roll 'em out my friends I'm wide open cause I'm only doing the actual one time. Thanks :thumbsup
 
Hey Ross ,

The interior layout and aesthetics should be done according to your tastes and sensibilities , as you’ve mentioned before this isn’t meant to be completely screen accurate and you’re the person who has to be pleased with the finished product after all . ;)

With regards to the ceiling ‘ sagging ‘ , perhaps consider building an external framework that has the ‘ roof ‘ attached to it from underneath ( like how real house ceilings are supported ) - your wooden strips idea seems to be heading in that direction anyway :thumbsup , and seeings how your diorama has a raised floor for wiring I don’t see it having a hidden roof cavity frame any different .

Only thing , if you’re really concerned about ‘ sag ‘ I’d have the frame / support going in both directions ( back to front & side to side ) , and perhaps using another material instead of wood to build it out of , if warping and shrinking/ expanding is a probable factor over time .

As for you going into the ‘ weeds ‘ !? . I for one find your experiences , explanations and ideas for this fascinating , and appreciate you taking the time and effort to share the highs and lows of your build . It’s not only informative , but enjoyable . Thank you .

:cheersGed
 
Again, thank you Ged for the supportive comment and compliment. It helps keep me positive on this project. I keep thinking I'm going to have everything to the 9's except one thing that will drag it down...not anything in particular, just something. I think you're right about the roof, probably will require a shallow cantilever like on a house, but there's room for it in the hole. I think perhaps I'm going to go the route Lord Horus eluded to, more of a mix of print and screen. At present, on the actual, the circular area is 16" diameter (the mini is 16cm) I think perhaps expanding that to 20 or 21 so as to eat up more of the cave area on the right, but not so much as to expand the circle too far forward, or past the rear edge of it's floor. I did add 4 inches in the rear and it'll just have to poke out past the shelf wall 3 inches. it also occurred to me last night, after I settle on the diameter of the circular area, I can run over to the farm supply super store and probably find a bucket with the right size and taper, or close enough to use for working up the template for the actual piece. Also considering a re-do on the speeder side wall and opening up the alcoves a bit bigger. not AS big as the opposing side for the Xwings, but something in between. Sometimes I just gotta slow down and think on things a bit and most often come up with a simple solution to what seemed like a complex problem. that or I get a great idea from one of you guys! I have to say, next to having a "good time" with a gal, this is the most fun I've had, doing these builds and all of my friends here just make it all the more so.
Hey Ross ,

The interior layout and aesthetics should be done according to your tastes and sensibilities , as you’ve mentioned before this isn’t meant to be completely screen accurate and you’re the person who has to be pleased with the finished product after all . ;)

With regards to the ceiling ‘ sagging ‘ , perhaps consider building an external framework that has the ‘ roof ‘ attached to it from underneath ( like how real house ceilings are supported ) - your wooden strips idea seems to be heading in that direction anyway :thumbsup , and seeings how your diorama has a raised floor for wiring I don’t see it having a hidden roof cavity frame any different .

Only thing , if you’re really concerned about ‘ sag ‘ I’d have the frame / support going in both directions ( back to front & side to side ) , and perhaps using another material instead of wood to build it out of , if warping and shrinking/ expanding is a probable factor over time .

As for you going into the ‘ weeds ‘ !? . I for one find your experiences , explanations and ideas for this fascinating , and appreciate you taking the time and effort to share the highs and lows of your build . It’s not only informative , but enjoyable . Thank you .

:cheersGed
 
Well, I think now I'm just going to hit walmart, home depot, and the farm supply and just try to find a pail or bucket (the right size and taper) I can just hack up and use that and make it easy on myself...that is if I can find one. I'm glad the guy at the plastic joint just gave me the piece I was going to use.
 
revised mini echo1.jpegrevised mini echo2.jpegrevised mini echo3.jpegrevised mini echo4.jpegok, so I pushed the circular area out more, right to the edge in the rear and went to the right about an inch or so...I think. Then filled in the cave area with a mock cave of course. This is of course a very rough out of what I hope to replicate in the 1/72 pieces. a lot of work will be needed in the cave area to replicate rough ice and ice sickles. this I think will be the greatest challenge of the echo hangar. I thought perhaps I could finish this out at some point and send it to Korban if he got the notion to do another 1/350 dio! :lol The only trouble is the Xwings and snow speeders...not sure I've seen those in 1/350. Shapeways maybe? :lol
 
Found this at the ranch supply, after I cut the top rim off and the bottom out, it'll be 18" diameter, 15" deep and just about the right taper. since 1/3 of the side is coming off, it'll be easy to adjust. echo base round house.JPG
 
This thread is more than 4 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top