My 3rd (and likely final) Life-size 1:1 Han Solo in Carbonite

[azheat]

I wanted to try my hand at one final HIC, making this version my ideal version and better than the previous two I attempted. I'm going to take a creative liberty with this one, something I wanted to try for some time, and will share more on that later.

I started off with a zenix box, probably the best prop investment you can make. I scratch built my previous two boxes, so this was a joy to work with.

I did this build a little differently, I sandwiched a piece of thin plywood between some 5/8 MDF trim I bought and the trim pieces that came with the box. This will make mounting the Han pieces easier, gave me a little extra depth when I pour the glue, I won't have to mess with finishing the seam in the middle of the trim pieces, and they have an edge that is already slightly rounded.

I wanted to do something with the bottom and top holes, and when I was walking around the store I saw these ice cube bins and thought I would give them a try. With a little trimming, they're a pretty great fit for the center hole. Not bad for $1.98.

Before trimming..........

Then I decided to design some boxes for the left and right holes and 3D printed a set.

They required a tiny bit of sanding on one corner but fit like a glove. I just need to finish the inside with a little sanding. Once that's done I can install these and add a little filler to the gaps. I also trimmed the ice cube tray and test fit it into place.

Moving right along..........

 

[zenix]

Nice lookin box you got there!

Didya see all the new metal greeblies I added to my offers at custom3dstuff.com ?

 

[azheat]

Nice lookin box you got there!

Didya see all the new metal greeblies I added to my offers at custom3dstuff.com ?

Yes sir I did! I'm gonna be placing an order soon for some stuff, just letting my wallet catch its breath................

 

[Got2bfett]

I wanted to try my hand at one final HIC, making this version my ideal version and better than the previous two I attempted. I'm going to take a creative liberty with this one, something I wanted to try for some time, and will share more on that later.

I started off with a zenix box, probably the best prop investment you can make. I scratch built my previous two boxes, so this was a joy to work with.

I did this build a little differently, I sandwiched a piece of thin plywood between some 5/8 MDF trim I bought and the trim pieces that came with the box. This will make mounting the Han pieces easier, gave me a little extra depth when I pour the glue, I won't have to mess with finishing the seam in the middle of the trim pieces, and they have an edge that is already slightly rounded.





I wanted to do something with the bottom and top holes, and when I was walking around the store I saw these ice cube bins and thought I would give them a try. With a little trimming, they're a pretty great fit for the center hole. Not bad for $1.98.

View attachment 193973

Before trimming..........

View attachment 193974

Then I decided to design some boxes for the left and right holes and 3D printed a set.



View attachment 193976

They required a tiny bit of sanding on one corner but fit like a glove. I just need to finish the inside with a little sanding. Once that's done I can install these and add a little filler to the gaps. I also trimmed the ice cube tray and test fit it into place.

View attachment 193977

Moving right along..........

Pretty slick idea with that ice bin, and the already provided details on it make it just about perfect. Looking forward to what you come up with next.

 

[azheat]

Pretty slick idea with that ice bin, and the already provided details on it make it just about perfect. Looking forward to what you come up with next.

Thanks!

Been a little sidetracked with this project, but managed to make some progress. First, I finished printing boxes for the top end. These were just a little smaller than the bottom boxes based on the difference in the width. The center hole is the same size as the bottom so the other ice bin I purchased fits (it's not trimmed yet in the picture below).

So one of the design liberties I am taking with this is something I've had in my head for about 10 years now and really wanted to do for a very long time. I haven't had the opportunity to read every one of the 30,000+ threads here, but I've never seen anything like this done yet on a HIC. If it has been done and I missed it, someone please link them, I'd love to see similar ideas.

I wanted the top and bottom center bins to have the backs cut out with a hinged door. When the door is opened, you can see the inner mechanics of the carbonite. This is originally how I cut out the hole in the bins, but I will be enlarging it so you can better see what's inside.

The "door" will be a piece of styrene hinged on the back of the bin. It will have a magnet attachment to keep it closed and when you push it open, another magnet on the inside (back side of Han and the carbonite) will keep it open. If I were more mechanically / electronically inclined I would make actuators to do this, but that's above my skill level.

I eventually plan on making a HIC desk, so when that time comes this work will pay off. As for how he'll initially be hung on the wall, I have a plan to make these details visible. More on that later.

I started off at Lowe's and spent about an hour in the electrical aisle, looking for things that fit my vision. I have at least 5 or 6 versions of this in my head. The bottom will be slightly different from the top. I spent about $80 which is enough to do both ends, this is the pile I ended up with.

I started off with a vent grate and some mending plates.

Next I took these junction boxes and epoxied a bolt inside the bottom end.

Then I took metal junction boxes and greeblified the hell out of them with different fitting and connectors. Everything I used was 1/2".

Next I took some insulator couplings and painted them copper. Then I glued some metal caps to the bottom and then glued an axle nut to the center of the cap.

I didn't bother sanding off the markings since it would be very hard to read anyway.

Then I took some 1/2” metal conduit and cut it into three lengths. These aren't expensive, I think they were around $2 for a 50 inch piece. I didn't buy the 10 foot piece because these were easier to handle. I bought two and rather than spend more money on copper tubing, just painted two of the lengths copper and left one unpainted. Then I mounted everything to the board.

Then I bought a clear tube; these are used to protect linear tube lights. I cut it down to about 6" or so, lined it with some wax paper, wired it with two red LEDs on either end, glued the LEDs into the junction boxes, and bolted them to the board. I also added one flashing yellow LED to the left junction box, which you'll see later. This panel will be activated with a hidden switch on one of the side panels.

After looking at this I wasn't totally satisfied with the venting grate I used in the middle, so I decided to try out another one of my ideas. I bought a section of stucco wire ($1.67) and cut it to length. Then I bought a package of Scotch-Brite pads (3 pack), glued them together, cut to length, and painted them metallic silver. I put the pads behind the mesh wire and then put them both under the pipes. I like this much better.

Here's some additional shots of how it looks......

The only thing left to do with this panel is I'm going to add something to the tops of the junction boxes where the red LED tube is, this will cover those markings. Once I do that, I can mount this. This gives you a quick idea of how it will be placed (it won't be crooked once installed ).........

I'll be starting on the top panel tomorrow. It will be similar to the bottom, but I have another idea for the center section!

 

[ShortFuse]

Ingenuity at it’s best.

 

[603Fett]

This awesome to see come together-will be following eagerly

 

[azheat]

Ingenuity at it’s best.

This awesome to see come together-will be following eagerly

Thanks!

Quick update...........worked on the top panel. Almost identical to the bottom panel but I used a different grate for the center piece and decided to backlight it with some red LEDs. And instead of the clear tube on the bottom, I painted a scrap piece of pipe red.

I cut out a small area of the panel, cut a piece of white acrylic that I had leftover from another project, and mounted the acrylic to the panel.

I painted the grate because it came in a brown color, mounted it, then added the mending plates.

I made a small box out of foam board, lined it with tin foil, added some red LEDs, and mounted it to the back of the panel.

(Sorry for the distorted pictures, not sure why some of these are coming out skewed.)

Here it is with the panel on (it looks much better in low light).

And here is a quick test fit.........

It's coming along..........

 

[azheat]

I hate when real life gets in the way of my fantasy life.............got busy so not much was done, but I found some time to work on this. I want to get these center boxes done so I can mount Han and start on the carbonite.

I trimmed these ice bins so the inside mechanics would be a little more visible.

I cut a piece of a For Sale sign for the back side and mounted it to the bins with some hinges. I also attached some magnets to the back side of the ice bin and the back side of the sign, this way it stays secure when in the closed position.

I mounted another magnet to the underside of the cabinet which will hold the flap in the open position.

Here's two videos of a test fit. Keep in mind nothing is permanently in yet. I sill need to mount the ice bins, bondo the edges, and mount the interior mechanics board.

Also, this is what I did for my HIC from many years ago. I think I might add these details on the doors as well.

 

[azheat]

Quick update.........took a plastic "For Sale" sign, this is the thick corrugated type, and cut some strips so I could mount them to the cover. I like that this adds a little extra detail. Did a quick coat of primer before mounting it, then epoxied it into place. I like it.

Will do the other side, bondo the gaps, sand, then add the left and right boxes.

 

[azheat]

Today I wanted to finish up a few more details so I can get to mounting Han and the carbonite this week. I bought some insulation couplers (used these on my last HIC), metal end caps, and axle nuts.

I bent 4 of the prongs inward and glued an axle nut to the center.

Then mounted those s to the inside of the insulation coupler.

Added two of these to each box, hit them with some primer, and mounted the boxes. I'm letting the glue dry then I'll bondo the gaps and sand the edges.

 

[azheat]

Slowly making progress..........filled the gaps around all the boxes, got them nicely sanded and smoothed, and then mounted the HIC body. I'm going to start on the carbonite here soon and then finish some minor touch-ups while the first layer dries.

 

[azheat]

First layer of glue / plaster mix is down. Will knock this down a bit and add layer two shortly.

 

[azheat]

I decided to deviate slightly from the original glue technique I started over a decade ago. I decided to try a mixture of plaster and glue, thinned with a little water. Before I applied this layer, I put down a thin layer of glue as a base.

After a light sand of the first layer I applied the second layer of this new mixture. After that dried, I put on two thin layers of glue, which helps seal the plaster / glue mixture and hardens the top layer

So far I like the results.........

 

[Unfated]

I wish mine looked half as good.

 

[azheat]

I wish mine looked half as good.

Thank you!

A little more progress today, getting closer to paint. I made some quick panels for the back to enclose the inner mechanics boards I made. The top one isn't screwed in yet, will do that after painting the inside.

I managed to get the bottom one painted and did a test fit of the panel. I also tested how the lights look once fully enclosed (these lights will be wired to switches on one of the panels).

I also tested another color I was thinking about using for the cabinet. For my first two HICs I built I used a Dark Gloss Grey, but I am testing this Rustoleum color called Metallic Soft Iron.

I'm kinda liking this color, but might test one more. I didn't like the Metallic Steel, it was a little too light and I didn't think there was enough contrast from the Satin Nickel Metallic I'll be using for the carbonite.

Here's a couple pics of the inner mechanics board installed.

I did notice this area is darker now that it's painted and the back panel is on, so I decided to add one white LED to the side and test it. This LED will be on a separate switch from the red and yellow LEDs. It's hard to tell in the picture with so much daylight, but this will light it up enough to really see the inside mechanics.

Here you can see the light hitting the opposite end.

Still need to touch-up a few spots with bondo on the outside, then I can start with the primer base. Here's a quick little video.

This looks much better in person.

 

[Unfated]

How are you displaying this so that you'll see all the extra work you are putting into it? The wall I'm putting
mine is low and will not show top or bottom, so I'm just leaving the openings empty.

 

[azheat]

How are you displaying this so that you'll see all the extra work you are putting into it? The wall I'm putting
mine is low and will not show top or bottom, so I'm just leaving the openings empty.

I’m going to eventually turn this into a table, that’s when you’ll see those bottom / top details pay off. But for now when this is done, I’m going to mount a mirror to the base I’m going to build. I have an idea that I think will work pretty nicely.

 

[azheat]

More progress today.........bondo, sand, prime, repeat. I've done more sanding on this project than any other, but I'm real pleased with the transitions between the cabinet and bottom and top boxes. Other than some tiny imperfections, it looks great.

Once I was happy with that, two more coats of primer and then final sanding, ending on 800 grit.

Then on to my favorite part..........paint. I am trying something a little different with this one. I am using the Metallic Silver as a base, then hitting it with Rustoleum Hammered Silver, tones it down a little. Once this dries I'll go in with the watered down black acyclic paint to give the texture some depth. The lighting wasn't the greatest today when I was finishing up, but more photos to come.

 

[azheat]

Looking forward to pulling off this tape, I went with a slightly darker color with the Flat Soft Iron but I'm diggin' it. I always struggle with the cabinet color. It's not as dark as the photo suggests but this is in my garage. If you zoom in on the bottom, that gives you a better idea of color since the top looks dark in the photo. I think it will contrast nicely with the carbonite.