Author Topic: Death Star custom project  (Read 8356 times)

Offline Darth Delicious

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Death Star custom project
« on: January 19, 2006, 01:14 AM »
A friend of mine is getting rid of all his Star Wars toys, and he was kind enough to hook me up with two boxes full of Death Star Parts. I went through them at home and came up with two basically complete Death Stars.





Ignore the kitty in the background.   :P

I also had three trash compactors, and these parts left over.



Now, once I clean these up, and maybe hit them with a coating of aircraft grey, I want to start customizing a modular Death Star playset...so I thought to myself, what better tact to take than to open up the floor to suggestions from my fellow customizers?

So what do you guys think? What would be the best direction to go with these sets? What should be added? What should be taken away? Should I make the Death Star from ROTJ as opposed to ANH? Should I make it a different playset altogether?

I look forward to hearing what you guys (and gals...can't forget Ripley and Findswoman) would do to these.


-DD
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Offline kliqfan4life

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2006, 01:29 AM »
hey dd,

how many would it take to make a complete deathstar?
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2006, 01:34 AM »
Well...  Hmmm

Are you looking to expand it left, right, the center, etc.?  That'll sort of effect my opinion.

I'd look up a plastics distributor in your area.  GE POlymer Shapes is mine, a division of GE of course, and they sell giant sheets (if you have a truck, it's something you're gonna need) for cheap.  Enough you could do several floors up for it...  Really nice.

For detail work you can hit up the local hobby shop that has a full evergreen display or plasti-struct display.  Mine, unfortunately, is being persnickity and not putting a good display up, so I gotta drive a little ways.  That's the detail work though.

The big sheets are what you need.  Not too thin, but not too thick either or it'll be too thick to just score and snap off pieces you want.  I have some here that I need to use a jigsaw to cut.  Cool for projects where "thick armor" is a neat look, but a pain to work with compared to T-squares and Box cutter blades, ya know?

I'd say, I could see you doing a single stright rectangular "box" pieces that attaches to one END of the playset you have set up in that picture.  If you could get a 3rd playset (mostly complete) and finish the guntowers at the top, you would really have a cool gunnery tower actually (there were I believe 3 in a row visible).  The sorta rounded end would be cool looking I think, and then you'd have the other side (say the right side for arguments sake) as a complete, large "box" that makes up a structure on the Death Star's surface...

On the interior of the sets you have, I'd elmiminate at least one of the "chasm swing" levels by making it a solid floor, or opening it up as a chasm with no bridge...  Wish I could draw this stuff for you DD, I have some cool mental images on it actually.

For the trash compactor I'd scrap much of what the set has and see if you can't actually build soemthing around the Screen Scene playset actually.  The base is fantastic, you'd have to build the walls though.

Sounds like a lot of work what I'm suggesting, and I'm sure it would be, but it's just some thoughts I had.  Not sure what kind of size you're wanting to go for with that beast.
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2006, 09:33 AM »
That would be a sight to behold. Ten Death Star playsets put next to each other making a complete circle.
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Offline speedermike

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2006, 04:34 PM »
I've always wanted to repaint a vintage DS.  If I were you, I'd paint it gray like you  mentioned. You could also paint the long oval light shapes that are on the elevator column.  If you have photoshop,or access to someone who does, create some new card walls that are more accurate and up to date. Actually, thin styrene would slide into those groves very easily. It might also be cool to create some stickers for the floor grating.  My goal would be to make it look like a great now toy that Hasbro could release, and not a diorama.

Also, jump on ebay and see if you can locate a turret gun.  Paint that baby black, and you're in business!

Oh yeah, paint the compactors brown! 
« Last Edit: January 19, 2006, 06:56 PM by speedermike »
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Offline Clone Commander

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2006, 05:25 PM »
Maybe you could have a few gun racks and maybe an imperial armory?
I dunno.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2006, 05:33 PM »
Wow, just the two of them together without any additions to them looks fantastic. 

DD, once I have some time to think about this some more I'll give my input.  This looks like a very interesting project.

 :P

Offline blaster_e11

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2006, 05:24 AM »
wow

that's a great project, i agree with the armory idea it could be nice

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Offline DARKLORD

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2006, 07:12 AM »
I think that with some CUSTOMIZING updates, the vintage Death Star Space Station would go beautifully with the current modern figures!!

I currently own TWO boxed DSSS’s and I’m about to pick up a third.  Here are the customizing updates that I have planned for all three:

1) On the Top Floor, the Laser Cannon, the control chair, and the “explode” lever will all be airbrushed in a realistic “gun-metal” grey with metallic silver weathering highlights.  That cannon was a PERFECT sculpt of the cannon seen in the film (kudos to Kenner!).  Just imagine the seat cushions on the chair painted in semi-gloss black to simulate real vinyl !!!  Yeeaahh!!!!  I will add power hoses around the base of the gun. And I will add custom stickers (depicting the red energy discharges seen through the cannon's circular power chamber)

2) On the First Floor, the Trash Compactor will get a face-lift.  It will be re-painted (inside and out) in a less garish color (probably dingy grey with dirt and rust streak “weathering”).  I’ll get rid of the multi-colored FOAM “garbage” and green Dianoga monster.  They’ll be replaced with the movie-accurate sculpted “garbage” and Dianoga from the SAGA Trash Compactor Movie Scene two-packs.

3) The stickers for this playset need updating too.  The computer terminal panel stickers (for the second floor) and the “Tractor Beam” terminal stickers (for the top elevator shaft) will be made more screen accurate.

4) The 3rd floor “Light-Bridge” that Luke and Leia swing across will be updated a bit.  I plan on using the (screen accurate) bridge platform sections that were included with the POTJ 25th Anniversary “Swing to Freedom” set.  I’ve got several of those just laying around.

5)  Those “slide-in” cardboard backdrops will be spruced up a bit too.  The glossy outer sides look fine to me, so I’ll leave those alone.  But the dull inner sides need some help.  I think they should be more movie accurate,  photo-realistic,  and not so “illustrated”.  For example, on the second floor, the cardboard backdrop depicts a large battle viewscreen that displays an X-Wing versus Tie Fighter scene.  I think that I will replace that scene with a PHOTO of an actual Hasbro X-Wing and Tie Fighter engaged in combat!!!  I just whipped this up using Adobe Photoshop, but the final version will be a lot sexier (more shadowy "outer space" lighting on the fighters, motion blur on the stars, no “droop” on the s-foils of the X-wing, etc) !!:



Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2006, 01:36 PM »
DD, I'm not sure but you might want to chat with Owen D a bit for some ideas, maybe using a little styrene for some additions could really put this over the top.  Plus, this might help inspire you a bit too, at least for a paint scheme idea.  And DARKLORD's ideas sound awesome.



 :P

Offline darth_ripley

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2006, 02:31 PM »
wow! how cool to have not 1 but 2 spacestation playsets! i never got one when i was a kid  :'(

there really are no limits when it comes to what you could do with these 2 bad boys -- the only limits being space, time to work on it & cash to get it all decked out  ;)

darklord has some great ideas there...i will be interested to see what you do with them DD.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Death Star custom project
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2006, 06:21 AM »
So what's the conclusions you've come to DD?  Any ideas you're planning to run with?
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