Carrying on from Docking Bay 94- A Star Wars build series

[GRK]

Hi all

 

Tossed the coin over whether this belongs in the SF or diorama section but as I haven't posted in here before SF won. 

 

I made a very small Helms Deep and really enjoyed it, so continuing on the small scale I picked up the 1/350 Bandai Millennium Falcon at Telford and have set about making a suitable base for it! It kind of had to be Docking Bay 94. 

 

Apologies but no progress shots on the kit, it doesn't come with either the ramp of landing gear. I decided to leave the ramp but scratched some simple legs. 

 

Onto the docking bay. The base was made from foam with two layers of cork walls with spacers to allow for the storage bays. 

 

 

Next step was covering the whole thing in wood filler and give it a good sand. Then i've started to add the details before the roof goes on. My plan is to have a cut away section to look in the hanger but have the full circle of the 'roof'. I started adding bits of greebles and plasticard, lead wires old PE etc. and its starting to look like a docking bay! I haven't looked too closely at the film pics for the wall details, I'm more just going with the flow and having some fun. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for now! Just going to be working my way around the walls and storage bays.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by GRK

[Thom216]

Loved your Helm's Deep! And this is off to a great start.

[GRK]

Tonight's progress has been to add the landing lights, not quite the right shape as in the film but they look like lights! The middle panel has been beautified with parts from a Spitfire, Jagdpanther and K-class destroyer!

 

 

 

[voozet]

It seems we source from the same Jawa traders 😆

 

[GRK]

Ha, how much did they charge you?! 

[Pete in Lincs]

Go with the flow build. Like it!            (What a hunk of junk) 🙂

[voozet]

1 hour ago, GRK said:

Ha, how much did they charge 

Slightly stale mudhorn egg was enough 😉

[Hunter Rose]

What a cracking looking scene! Look forward to more

[GRK]

So I've got the last of the inner wall detailing done, that bent bit of ship railing you can see will be straightened and attached to the upper circle once attached. 

 

 

I've started on the upper 'roof' section by cutting out the foamboard and scoring out some panels. My plan is to treat this the same way, with a coat of wood filler and then sanded back down but leaving some residual texture. I'm thinking I'll have to paint these two elements separately and then attach them later as the recess will be inaccessible to the airbrush. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by GRK

[GRK]

So a little more progress to report. I'm happy with the interior for now and have moved on to the outside with more cork and wood filler. I'm not going to add too much detail on the outside but I'm now thinking i need to find a base for it to fit on before i do any more. I'm thinking of a circular plinth and maybe get one with a bit of room to add a building or two attached to the dock, maybe a few market stalls-just something to make it look like its part of a large city. I'm not too sure about the roof, looks a bit too rustic so I'm having a little pause and rethink time (its not attached yet).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GRK]

A little update, its based and the roof is on!

 

I've given the docking bay walls and initial coat of paint so i could get the recesses before i attached the roof. Still plenty of sanding to do but i thought it would be easier to sand once it was attached to the base.

 

I've off set the docking bay on the circular base to make room for a few other buildings which have been thrown together and given yet another obligatory coating of wood filler!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Very good. I like the use of the dome headed nut!

[GRK]

More additions to the surrounding area- a comms tower (i'll probably do some smaller moisture evaporators aswell), a larger building, a pile of scrap and a few what will be market stalls. 

 

 

 

 

[Hunter Rose]

Wow that is looking so great, some lovely details in there

[GRK]

So i think I'm ready to start painting proper! Just finished making a few more details today including a little refuelling droid thingy (I'll attach another section of hose to the falcon once i'm done painting):

 

 

Added tarps and a banner to the scrap merchant and the market stalls

 

 

 

and even a little land speeder from unused spitfire parts:

 

 

Bring on the painting!

 

 

 

 

[Solexman]

Love that. 

[GRK]

So the painting is complete and just putting down some weathering and I'm nearly there! Always get to this stage of a project and I'm already thinking about the next one. Need a bit more patience, and learn not to rush the last stages! 

 

 

Just did some wet blending with acrylics to get a dusty look to the ground. I'll add some pigment at the end.

 

 

Oh and these arrived the other day, next challenge to add 1/350 ponchos and cloaks! Think if I paint a few of the more rigid posed ones metallic they'll look fairly convincing as C-3PO style droids!

 

Thats all for now, almost there!

 

 

[GRK]

What was that about 1/350 scale cloaks?

 

 

Think i'm done now so will be sticking the finished result in the RFI. Thanks for looking in!

 

[Ralph]

On 16/02/2023 at 19:27, GRK said:

Tonight's progress has been to add the landing lights, not quite the right shape as in the film but they look like lights! The middle panel has been beautified with parts from a Spitfire, Jagdpanther and K-class destroyer!

 

 

 

This is most excellent...a man after my own heart! I've just posted my Tattoine x-wing diorama over at the diorama section- we've used v.similar concepts  in the construction! Ralph

Edited April 18, 2023 by Ralph

[GRK]

So striking while the iron is hot, i'm going to carry on this thread into a multiple star wars WIP for several projects (I hope this is ok with mods...). So following on from Docking Bay 94, I ordered 3 of the 1:110 revel x-wings which were on sale. I'd originally intended to recreate the hidden guerrilla base Saw Gerrera used in Andor (knowing the location well from my years living in Swanage, Dorset) with all 3 of the x-wings but quickly realised they were too big to be put together in one scene, so decided to 3 individual scenes.

 

This will be the 1st and going for Yoda lifting it out of the Dagobah swamp. I've already made some decent progress but didn't take too many pics as wasn't initially intending on making this a WiP. I'm going to base it in a frame with the scene set into a box behind the frame. I went this way as i didn't want the viewer to be able to see all the way round with would mean you'd lose the depth of the forest. By limiting the view to the front only, I'll hopefully be able to bring in the gloom and murk! 

 

So the first few steps were to cut out the foam base and remove the bottom of the frame. I sealed the foam with some clay and grout as i'll be using epoxy resin for the water later on. The trees were made from ktichen foil with twine wrapped on to bulk it out and mimic the twists in the trunk. The trees were then covered in paper tissue soaked in PVA and wood filler, before being sprayed with pva and dusted with grout to add more texture.

 

 

Next step was to add more vines and general tangle. Again i soaked thinner twine in a pva, grout and paint mixture and draped over the trees. I've also glues rubberised horsehair in various places to get the finer vines.

 

 

The frame and the right tree aren't fixed yet so can get some painting done without the frame in the way but i'll have to reattach it before the resin pour. I've made Yoda's hut from clay, which i've poked through holes in the clay which go all the way through so i can light up the hut later (yes I'm going to give lighting a go for the first time!) 

 

 

 

 

I don't have a 3d printer so was going to try and sculpt a 1:110 scale luke and yoda figure (got r2d2 from the kit) but if anyone has a printer i'd be willing to pay!!!!

 

And here it is with the x-wing. It's actually a bit tight now that i've bulked out the trees so it will look a little cramped when its in its final levitating position but it still fits-just!!!

 

 

Next steps will be to paint the trees and ground and build the box walls for the frame. My plan is to paint these with oils and blend streaks of light over a dark base to simulate light rays poking through the mist. Anyway thanks for stopping by (again!)

[GRK]

Well a bit more progress to report on. I've added more vegetation and vines and painted the trees. I've also cut the box walls and painted them with the diffuse light stripes. Having tested them in the scene i think i need more vegetation where the walls meet the base to smooth the transition. Once that's done I'll be adding the lighting to the roof (with more vegetation that hangs down slightly) and Yoda's hut and then it will be ready for the resin (make or break....)

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by GRK

[Ralph]

Superb! What are your plans for the other 2 x-wing dioramas?

[GRK]

16 hours ago, Ralph said:

Superb! What are your plans for the other 2 x-wing dioramas?

Mmm good question. I think I will have a go at the Andor Saw Gerrera base but with just one x-wing. The other is up for debate, happy to hear anyone's suggestions!

[GRK]

Getting there, slowly but surely!

 

I've got the box constructed and installed the lighting. The light in yoda's hut works really well but the remaining 3 LEDs providing the downlighting aren't quite strong enough. I've added a strip of tin foil to the roof board to reflect as much light as possible back down, but it's still a little gloomier than I'd intended. 

 

Got the x-wing in position on its acrylic rod, although i'm now a little concerned that the heat from the resin cure might distort this. I'll have to keep an eye on it and pull it out if necessary, although it will be difficult to get a drill in to make a hole after the resin has cured, so i'm hoping to won't come to this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[psdavidson]

That first shot looks really atmospheric 

Are you installing a dry-ice machine for some mist? 

 

/P