The Sci Fi Pulp Diorama - Beginning the Interior

As I mentioned previously I made a few decisions after I finished the cardboard mockup. I redrew the template with a shallower arch and a bit taller. I then grabbed a large piece of 3mm Sintra (foamed PVC, Sintra is a brand name but its kind of like Kleenex, the brand name becomes the generic term) and cut it down to rectangles. From there I taped the block of them together and taped the template to the top. Then I took it to the scroll saw and cut out the basic shape.

After the basic shape was cut I sanded everything down so it was, mostly, even. I taped four of the pieces together and cut out the internal ribs on the scroll saw. I left 3, although I thought I had left 4, pieces solid to serve as the bulkheads. I'll cut the hatches out of those and the bulkheads will define the main "interior" where the action is taking place. I'll still haven't decided on what that width will be. If you have read any of my postings on diorama design you know that I like to keep things as small as possible. This one is a little easier because I'm defining the "base" rather than working with a commercial product of some kind.

The grid that you see on the "floor" is 1 1/8" square and was intended for a different project. Right now its a convenient reference as I play with the size. I just have to remember that those squares are not 1" squares!

Bulkheads and ribs cut out on the scroll saw. I may or may not drill holes in the ribs as well. At the moment I'm liking the solid look better.

Playing with distance. The Alien will be coming through the hatchway. So the rib on the side will actually be a solid bulkhead piece. The same is true with the crew, they will be standing in front of bulkhead with a closed hatch. Also the ribs are out to far. I need to cut the slots in the "floor" to slide them into, so those bits will be about a 1/2" closer to the viewer. The floor is the width I want it, at least at the moment.

Different angle

Moving everyone closer together. I'm leaning towards this one. The ribs will need to be centered and the right side bulkhead moved back. At the moment I'm thinking that only about an 1" of space will be necessary on the opposite sides of the bulkheads. Maybe a bit more on the left because the Alien will be on both sides of the hatch so maybe 1 1/2" on that side. It will make things a bit asymmetric but that should be okay. That would make the visible portion about 7 1/2" long. I could actually use a mirror on the right side. I'll have to think about that.

Cartoon Wednesday

 

The Sci Fi Pulp Diorama - The Mock Up

For this particular diorama I want a curved wall representing the outer hull of the rocket ship. The term rocket ship is deliberate, this is pulp sci fi after all. So out came the cardboard and a flurry of cutting I pieced together this mock up. I can see a couple of issue right of the bat, which is the whole point. 

First thing to keep in mind is that this will be a shadow box. The interior will not depend on room lighting for illumination. The largest white LED will be mounted on the "outside" of the ship, in theory representing the sun. With two windows cut into the hull it should cast some interesting shadows and I might even be able to use them as spot lights.  I'm thinking that the actually section for the fight will have two smaller while LEDs mounted with some kind of shade, again, to help direct the lighting. In the center of the main section I'll mount a small red LED, obviously we are in a condition red situation. I'm not sure where I'll mount the buttons for the LEDS yet. If they are on the front there might be to much interaction with attendees. If they are on the back, they may never get turned on. So I'm thinking along the top at this point.

With that background I think its to long. I'll need to reduce what can be seen on the "stage left" and "stage right" ends. Its to wide, I need to rethink how I want to position the bulkhead hatches. Right now they are to far forward but the curve of the hull is to extreme to move them deeper into the diorama. I need to reduce the curvature of the hull and increase the height. While I want the alien to be massive I also need to have a little room to work with so somewhere between 1/2" and 1" added to the height. I'm thinking of reducing the width by at least an 1".

The number of miniatures feels just about right at this point. The heroine can probably go as is or maybe with a minor arm and/or head adjustment. The dwarf gunner needs some work. One foot is a bit miscast, I'll fix that with putty. His biggest need is for some kind of ammunition feed for the gatling gun he is firing. I'll need to build up his existing backpack and add an ammunition belt.

The toolbots needs a lot of modification but these are plastic so that should be a lot easier than it was modifying the original metal versions. The rats will be sprinkled amongst what ever nooks and crannies end up be created as part of the scene. On the top I want to show some internal girders between "floors" with a rat or two running through that. I have 8 rats to removed from their bases, that should be fun. I'm going to use 4-5 of them.

The Alien needs some work as well. I assembled the "legs" to see what I was working with. I'm hoping a little heat will allow me to bend the tentacles without to much effort and without distorting the casting go much. We will see how that goes.

The beginning. Nothing to see here, move along.

Windows added, one doorway cut. Don't like the Alien's position at this point.

Just not conveying the whole terror vibe yet.

That's a little better. Alien  mostly through the bulkhead and a little support for our Heroine.

Weapon fire definitely seems to be ineffective at this point. Need to remember to add a lot of spent brass casings to the floor. Need to leave a trail as the intrepid crew fall back to the next bulkhead.

Will our plucky toolbot get the hatch open in time?
Tune in next week, same time, same channel.

The Wood Logic Puzzle Project - First up the Soma Cube

To go along with the jigsaw puzzle I made for Christmas I thought I would take a shot at making some wood logic puzzles. I remember my dad having a plastic version of the Soma Cube back when I was a kid. It disappeared sometime between living and Kentucky and moving to Colorado. The basic idea is to take the seven shapes and put them back together as a cube.

I spent the afternoon cutting 1" cubes for this using up some of the oak and walnut that is hanging around in the shop looking for a purpose. This is definitely a prototype and if I enjoy the process then I'll build some jigs that would make building these a lot easier.

All the pieces arranged into a cube

The seven pieces. I'm making mine from oak and walnut

A box full of 1" oak and walnut cubes

A few laid out as the "z" piece.

Cartoon Wednesday