JediDefender.com Forums

Collecting => Customs => Star Wars Dioramas and Displays => Topic started by: darthmac on June 2, 2006, 02:01 PM

Title: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: darthmac on June 2, 2006, 02:01 PM
Here is my latest creation, a corridor from the Tantive IV.   This is my first display completed using my new standardized display sizing (multiples of 8", this one is 8" x 16" x 8").  Hope you all enjoy.

The construction process was more or less the same as what I did for my large rotating display (Rebel Scum Forum (http://threads.rebelscum.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1668259&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=186&fpart=1#1668259)).  I am also using minimagstands for my display stands.  With the metal floors the figures really stay in place, even when I move them around.

You can also see more pictures of this diorama and my others on my diorama website http://starwars.creativedigitalnw.com/ (http://starwars.creativedigitalnw.com/)

 (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-1.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-2.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-3.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-4.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-5.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-7.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-12.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-14.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-17.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-21.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-23.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-24.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-25.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-26.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-30.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-31.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-34.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-35.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-36.jpg)

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/darthmac/Tantive%20IV/TantiveIV-37.jpg)
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: CHEWIE on June 2, 2006, 02:25 PM
That is very, very good.  I liked your website too.

Great job putting this whole thing together, I don't think I'd have the patience for something like this.  What did you use for the wall panel/boxes? 

Fantastic work, thank you for sharing this with us!

 :)
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: Smartypants1635 on June 2, 2006, 02:40 PM
Did you make it out of wood, the frame I mean, and the little boxes/panels.
It looks like the movie, heck for a second i thought it was a screen cap you used for making it.
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: BrentS on June 2, 2006, 03:00 PM
Wow looks great!  Count me in as interested in a step by step how to :)

I love the way you can capture screen moments using this displays!

My only minor complaint are the chunky magnets on the feet.  I understand their purpose but I had a thought.  Could you take a thin refridgerator magnet and cut it to fit the base of a foot and glue in in place?  I don't know if that would get you enough "grip" or not.

Anyway, the magnets certainly serve their purpose.  Awesome dispay.
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: Ruprecht on June 2, 2006, 03:14 PM
Wow.  Did you use a vacuum forming machine to duplicate the pieces? 
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: darthmac on June 2, 2006, 04:21 PM
It is all wood except for the floor panels (sheet metal).  The wall panels were cut from scrap pieces of 2x4's - I first cut out the width and height, the sliced off as many panels as I needed, thinner for the black panels.

The floor is a single piece of 1/4" sheetboard with sheetmetal floor panels glued (liquid nails) to it.

The taper piece at the base of the floor was a made from some molding I found down at the hardware store.  The taller 'beams' were cut out on my band saw.

The walls are a sandwitch of 1/4" sheetboard, this allows a 1/8" door to smoothly slide between.  The details were cut into the door with my table saw on a VERY shallow setting.  The doors operate manually.

Let me know if you want a really detailed process for creating these.  I already have another almost completed (Hoth Invasion) using the exact same form factor and plan on making the rest of my dioramas using multiples of 8" (ie 8x8x8, 8x16x8, etc...).  I have considered building these 'frames' to sell, but when I posed in another forum there was not too much interest.

Yea, the black stands do visually impact the scene.  If you view my older rotating display, they are not as noticeable on a black floor.  Some of the pics were taken before I got some light grey minimagstands which are less visible than the black ones (Leia has to free stand due to her tiny feet).  I really don't have the patience to carefully position each figure without knocking them all over and having to start over, and these stands are much smaller and allow the figures to be placed much closer together than with the larger real stands.

Thanks for all the comments.
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: glorbes on June 2, 2006, 06:58 PM
Phenomenal!!!

That really looks fantastic...great job getting such an accurate and polished looking diorama at this scale.  The fact that the floor has a semi-reflective surface warms the cockles of my heart ;D
Title: Re: DarthMac Tantive IV
Post by: Fritzkrieg on June 11, 2006, 02:35 PM
Very Nice Job!
I wish I had the Tallent to make such Great Diorama Displays.

I can't wait to see more from you.