Tuesday, January 12, 2016

PART FIVE: Cantina Diorama Instructions & Guide [conclusion]

[The following is the conclusion of Chapter 13:  "You CAN Build A Cantina Diorama," from the cantina compendium (2nd edition, 2016) by Sampoerna Quatrain]


What are the walls of our Cantina missing? Stripes.  I’m afraid these have to be done by hand, my friend.  Use a pencil and your trusty flexible curve, and work slowly.  Then begin to carefully paint your stripes with some watered-down acrylic paint, in red and blue.  If you screw up, you can paint over it, so don’t worry.
Without a doubt, this was the hardest and most tedious part of this project.  Many were the moments that I doubted my own sanity.

My, those stripes look bright, even though we used paint that had been watered-down.  The way to fix this? More dry-brushing.  Use a brown or tan that’s as close to the wall color as you can get, and begin to apply it over the red and blue paint.  What you are doing is essentially “aging” the model, and making it look old and faded.  It’s the “used universe” that Lucas wanted when he began fleshing out the first film.
That’s better! Now, let’s talk about how to decorate the alcoves.  Above, you can see some beads, which I glued onto the wall with tongs, to simulate the red and blue lights on the wall of some booths.
There are two kinds of light fixtures in the Cantina alcoves.  The first looks like a lantern, and the second is blue and tubular.  For the lantern, I used “found objects,” as well as a handful of clear LEGO bricks that are cylinders.  After super-gluing the parts together, and painting them dull silver, some dry-brushing transformed them into weathered old Cantina lights.  For the more narrow, blue ones, a similar method was used, with blue “Lite-Brite” pegs.  For the molding that some Cantina booths have (particularly visible above Han Solo with Greedo), you can buy doll house molding at the same craft or hobby stores, cut it to fit, spray it dark brown, and glue it in place.
Now, let’s talk about the final step for completing the alcoves—tables that light up.  Your tables certainly don’t have to light up, but the extra work really pays off.  Here’s a good way to accomplish this: 


I found a set of individual, battery-powered “tea lights” at, once again, the same craft store.  They were round, with a clip on the bottom, and turning the base clockwise caused the bulb to light up.  I took them apart, and sanded off the top of the dome, until it was flat (you can see in the photo that the bulb is barely exposed when the light is put back together).  Next, I drilled a small hole in the center of each Cantina table, and glued on a small white cylindrical part that you can buy at any home repair store (they are actually spacers for long bolts or screws).  Finally, I glued the flattened part of the tea light permanently to the inside of each table.  All you have to do to make the table light come on is give the tea light about a half-turn, and you have an illuminated Cantina table.  This also gives you the ability to change the watch battery inside, should you ever need to.  I was so happy; I took some test photos to see what it looked like: 

Let’s talk for a moment about the Cantina Band.  Like other people, the conclusion I arrived at was that the back right corner was the appropriate spot for them.  Of course, you don’t have to do this, but you do have to put them somewhere.
 
Using a leftover piece of my thickest Styrofoam (wall material) I made a platform.  I used a mix of 1995 mail-away and “Jabba 2-pack” Biths, to break up the monotony.  I had to convert one to “sitting mode” by removing a wedge behind his knees, bending, filling in with Sculpey, and then repainting.  I also painted the instruments, and used some of my leftover balsa pieces to make a stuccoed step leading to the stage.

So, after all of this work, here is how things look:
Oh yeah, something’s missing.  The drink dispenser and canopy.  Besides the stripes, this is the other hardest part.  The last thing I wanted, after months of work, was to screw this part up; it would ruin the whole thing.  I did a lot of planning, and a lot of experimenting, and like the rest of this, I hope that my trials and errors are helpful to you.   

Here is what you will need:  a Styrofoam block, a pile of coated wire coathangers, a pair of good wire-cutters, two pairs of pliers, and several IG-88 heads.
Begin by cutting the Styrofoam block into the exact shape of the inside of your drink dispenser island.  It should fit as tightly as possible, without distorting your creation.  Also make sure that it doesn’t raise the height of the island when it is standing.  Cut several of the straight parts (the lower part) of the coathangers off, and discard the rest.  Now you have a pile of wire rods.  The idea is to carefully bend them into a representation of what the actual drink dispenser looks like.  It’s easier to use two pairs of pliers to do this, and after bending a couple, it will get easier.  When you are satisfied with them, they are going to go straight into the island, which is why we installed the Styrofoam block.  Don’t do this quite yet, however.

This is another place where reference photos will help you.  The good news is, if you get a few landmarks right, you can just keep adding until it looks great.  There are several “pipes” that go straight up into the ceiling, some that go back into the island, and some that branch outward, holding the IG-88 heads (two at the front of the island).  Also, there are two vats in the center of the island that I included.  You can buy a small set of paint mixing “jars” with lids at the craft store that work perfectly for this (ignore the fact that I painted the inside of them; it was one of my many experiments).
Keep adding pieces, removing pieces, and just playing around with it until you start to make progress.  Have some pieces go over and through others, and bend a couple of short pieces to go into the vats.  Figure out where your side pieces will be that hold the IG-88 heads (and other things).  Once you plot the main parts, you can fill in the rest.
Now, this photo is terrible, but it’s the only one to show this, so we have to use it.  You will note that the “pipes” in the actual Cantina are differently colored.  Some are copper, and some are silver.  When you determine which will be which, you can tag them with bits of masking tape.  Also, take several photos with your phone, from several angles.  You will have to dismantle the entire thing to paint it, after all.  When this is done, you can carefully remove the pieces, add any attachments, spray-paint each one, and replace them.

Not all of the IG-88 heads are the same color, so make note of that as well.  The other items were made from mechanical pencil parts, and then sprayed.


Congratulations; you have completed one of the hardest things you have ever done!

We are nearing the home stretch.  There is one more major part that has to be done, and after the drink dispenser, it will be a walk in the park.
The canopy is arch-shaped, and is equivalent to the size of the inside space of the bar.  You probably already have a template from way back then, and if so, you can use it again.
Once again, a strip of foamcore board is scored, bent, and hot-glued to a base (which becomes the ceiling of the canopy).  Spackle, paint, and dry-brush this, just as you did the other parts of your Cantina.  Also, as you can see in the film, the inside of the canopy that is visible has ridges, so return to your corrugated cardboard sheets, paint a strip off-white, and glue it inside.  The bad news is…MORE STRIPES, but there is good news this time:  this section will allow you to use striping tape (also in the drafting section), which is shown above.  Lay it on carefully, and you can paint directly in between it; no lines!
With adhesive Velcro, I attached another of the tea lights we looked at, so there would be a light source inside of the canopy.  It doesn’t show, and is still removable.

Also, to solve the problem of how the canopy would stay on, but also still be removable, I attached a metal bookend (the kind that is sold in pairs in office supply stores) to the roof of the canopy, and cut off the excess, leaving an L-shaped bracket that attaches over the back wall of my diorama, but can be easily removed.
If you haven’t done it by this point, finish “boxing in” the top, front, and outside of your left and right alcove segments.  If you do it right, they will be level and equal in height with the canopy.  This is important, because a clear dust cover can be made from the very thin plexiglass that comes in a cheap poster frame, and while it will get dusty, all of your hard work will not!
And now, some photos of the finished diorama…
This looks good, but now, let’s see the dramatic difference of viewing it in the dark, with the interior and table lights on!




After a couple of years of enjoying it, I dismantled my diorama and re-did a handful of things that were bothering me.  First, there were scraps of colored paper in the vats in the drink dispenser, which I had always meant to address, but never got around to it.  I replaced these with clear liquid glue, tinted with acrylic paint, red and blue, like in the film.  I also gave the Cantina floor a good dry-brushing with gray and tan, to dirty it up.  I repaired some customized action figures that needed it, and also used “glue dots” to anchor each figure down.  This is the final tip I can give you: these are tiny, archive-safe, acid-free clear dots that come in various sizes, and they are a life-saver for projects like this!

If you do choose to go down the road of diorama-making, two things:  first, good luck to you, and second, don’t give up.  Keep trying to find different ways to attack a problem, and eventually you will solve it.

PART FOUR: Cantina Diorama Instructions & Guide

[The following is the entirety of Chapter 13:  "You CAN Build A Cantina Diorama," from the cantina compendium (2nd edition, 2016) by Sampoerna Quatrain]


There could easily be another 300-page volume written on the subject of diorama-building alone, but there have never been dedicated instructions to apply those techniques to making a Cantina diorama.  Here are some helpful tips, as well as items to consider carefully, before you jump in headfirst:

Timeline and Budget
Take the amount of time that you think a project of this scope will entail, and double it.  Now, double that number.  Now, take the budget that you estimate for this project, and double that too.  This should give you a good starting place.

The Problem of the Unmade Patrons
Before you even consider the size of your diorama, how accurate do you want it to be?  Think down-field, and get used to it, because this project is going to require psychic foresight of insane proportions.  You have to keep in mind that there are still several pretty conspicuous characters that have never been offered as action figures, and many are in prominent positions around the bar.  Your two choices are:  buy custom figures from someone (which is fine, but can quickly get expensive), or, get into Action Figure Customization for yourself.  Here is a short list of several important unmade patrons:  “Flash Gordon Midget” (Rycar Ryjerd), The Tonnika Sisters, Yerka Mig, Baniss Keeg, and Lirin Car’n, not to mention all of the “Spacemen.”  Also, if you plan to make alcoves, and you want certain aliens (and Band Members) to be in a sitting position, remember that many Cantina figures do not have knee articulation, and will require modifications! Again, there are numerous excellent sites to teach you the basics of customization.  My best tip:  collect all of the reference photos you can find!

Map and Measure
Find a diagram of the layout you want to build, or make one.  Write in where each character and piece of furniture will be, and you will have a blueprint to follow.  Next, you have to calculate your measurements.  This is one of the trickiest parts (unless you are a master draftsman or architect), because scale is crucial to making a diorama look right.  Choose the size for the base of your diorama.  Make sure it is not too big to display in your desired home for it when you are done, and that it will be protected from the many, many things that can go wrong (dust being only one).  When you are satisfied with the size of your base, make paper templates that show the size of the bar or furniture, so that you know how things will be situated.  Trial and error is the best (and sometimes only) way to accomplish this.  You still want to proceed? Read on…


Scarrviper’s Flickr pages include several making-of photos, and I recommend viewing them (links in Bibliography section).  They were helpful enough to get me started, and allowed me to figure certain things out as I went along.  Begin to gather your materials.  You will need a sturdy base (I chose pegboard because I was originally going to run wires, which turned out to be pointless), Styrofoam sheets of varying thickness (for main walls), and an ample supply of foamcore board of varying thickness (for smaller and curved walls).  This is the “visualizing” stage, where you begin to place the walls, and imagine what the finished product will look like. Giddiness is part of this stage.
Besides all of the myriad art supplies you will need, I should point out that you should buy a “flexible curve,” which is like a rubber-coated, jointed ruler that you can bend into different positions.  They are usually located with the drafting tools in an office or craft supply store.  There are so many curves and arches in this project; it will be your friend.  This may be the most valuable tip I have given you so far.

Since the bar is going to be the centerpiece of any Cantina, it makes sense to start there.  I built mine on a separate piece of cardboard where I had already plotted out the dimensions and curves, and hot-glued the bar directly to that.  It’s made of foamcore, and the beauty of making curved pieces is one of the first things that the diorama websites will teach you.  Simply put, you score the foamcore with a hobby knife, in increments (the closeness of the cuts depends on the curve you want to achieve), making sure to only cut through one side of the board.  Since foamcore is exactly what it sounds like (two boards with foam in the middle), this will allow you to smoothly bend the material into a perfect curve or arch.  For the bar, you will need an inner and outer wall (as shown in the first photo).  For the inner wall, have the smooth side facing inward.  For the outer wall, it doesn’t matter, because a veneer will be placed over it anyway.  Make the drink dispenser island in exactly the same way.  This should result in an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, so take a break. Or two!

For the alcove openings, make a paper or cardboard template that you can reuse (again, your flexible curve will be very handy).  Trace the openings onto your walls, and make sure you place them correctly.  Then, take a sharp knife and cut away the openings.
It’s time to make some decisions, if you haven’t already, about furniture.  Cantina tables have been produced by Hasbro: one was included with the “Brainiac” (Pons Limbic) action figure.  I decided to acquire seven of those (three for alcoves; four for the floor), which took some time.  Other people have opted to make their own tables, using materials such as PVC pipe.  Just keep in mind that they need to be hollow, if you plan to install lights later on.  Benches, however, have never been produced, and you will need to make your own.


Don’t worry though; it’s do-able.  I solved the problem by using two craft-store materials: balsa wood and corrugated cardboard sheets.    For the balsa wood, you will need both the wide, thin planks, as well as the small square rods (around ½” square).  You will need to make another pattern for the sides of the bench.  Use an action figure to determine the scale.  After the two sides are carefully cut out and sanded lightly, cut several lengths of the square rods.  These should be as long as you want the seat to be wide.  Between the two bench sides, hot-glue the rods at the top, middle, and bottom.  You will fold the corrugated sheets over this skeleton to make your bench.  These sheets can be found in the scrapbooking section of the store.  They are large squares of thin cardboard, and covered in corrugation.  When spray-painted dark brown, they look exactly like the Cantina benches. Make as many as you need.



Of course, some of your figures will be standing (like Muftak).  Others, especially those in the middle of the barroom, will require stools.  To make the stools, I retained a few of Hasbro’s superfluous barstools from the figures that included bar segments, glued a washer to their base, and sprayed the whole thing gray.  But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.  It is now time to make the actual alcoves:

These are also foamcore, and use the same method as before to make them curve.  Hot-glue these to each thick wall piece.  When both alcoves are attached, your wall will stand up on its own, which is a bonus.  (My diorama had two sides, with four alcoves, one being for the Cantina Band.) I should also mention that I did not glue all of my thick wall pieces together.  I wanted a modular Cantina, so both side alcoves are removable.  This was actually a happy accident, and would allow for different display alternatives, as the one drawback to this design is that it can be hard to see inside of the finished alcoves.


You may have noticed, in the last picture, that the flooring was different.  I ended up gluing a sand-colored foamcore sheet over the pegboard, and then putting down a grid pattern, to simulate the tile floor.  These are square sheets that come in different sizes, and are also available at a craft store.  Their real purpose is for some sort of rug-hooking type project, and can be found in that area, or close to the yarn.  Cover your entire empty baseboard with it, and use some spray-glue to make it stick for now.  We will revisit the floor a bit later.


Now, it’s time to do some work to the Cantina walls.  This next step is going to be key in transforming Styrofoam walls into crumbling, stucco-looking Mos Eisley walls.  The secret is spackling paste, like you would fill a dent or hole in your living room wall with (and paint over).  Buy a good-sized tub of the stuff, and apply it with your finger to your Cantina wall, in a side-to-side motion.  The good news is, it’s very difficult to screw this step up, and it looks great.  When it’s dry, touch up spots that need it, and then begin on the inside surfaces, such as the edges and the insides of your alcoves.  You can do this in as many stages as you want.  When dry, the walls will be sprayed tan with a couple of coats of spray-paint.

The next step is to attach your outside walls, which will be done with hot glue.  You will want to determine where the windows will be, and cut them out first.
The doorway behind the bar can also be cut.  The trim for the bar and drink dispenser island is made from electrical cord, and sprayed dark gray.


Between coats of paint, I went back and filled in seams with more spackling paste.  This is a simple step, but contributes greatly to the look of the finished piece.  And speaking of spackling, you aren’t done with it yet, not by a long way.

With your finger, begin to apply spackling to the plastic floor grid, filling each opening.  Don’t completely bury it; you want the grid to show.  It’s slow work, but when you are finished, it will look exactly like square tile.  

When this is completed, it’s time to cover the bar with a veneer.  I used strips of posterboard, with the shiny side carefully spray-painted in several light coats.  This is then attached with spray-glue.



After this is done, it’s time for…more spackling!  With your finger, apply along the bottom edges of the bar, both inside and out, up against the veneer.  This is done to hide any seams, but a bit more can look like sand piled along the edges.
At this point, you should have what is beginning to look very much like a Cantina taking shape, and you should cheer.

And now, you are ready to advance to another grand secret of diorama-making:  dry-brushing.  Dry-brushing is another in the long list of simple steps that achieve great results.  You will need to buy a large set of chalk pastels, which of course are for drawing.  For this project, a set with as many browns, grays, and blacks as possible would be best.  With a sharp hobby knife, whittle against the squared-off edge of the pastel stick, over a paper plate, until a pile of powder accumulates.  (Don’t breathe it!)  With a dry paintbrush, you can dip into this pile, and apply it slowly to your painted “stucco” surfaces.  Take a small area at a time, and work the dust into the crevices.  Do it as many times as you feel is necessary, until the entire surface is covered.  It is then crucial to spray the piece with a clear-coat.  (Note:  you do NOT want to buy “glossy,” Testors makes a wonderful product called “Dull-Cote” that is perfect.)  This can be done more than once, and darkens the areas that have been dry-brushed.  Below is a “before and after” photo of what dry brushing accomplishes:

As you can see, it makes a dramatic difference.  At the top of the next page is our progress so far.  All of the surfaces are done, and have been dry-brushed several times.  At this point, the two back doors were also cut.  I chose a lighter tan for the false doorways to the “back rooms,” and black for the section behind the drink dispenser.  Strips of the corrugated cardboard were glued in the doorways. 
I wish we were done, I really do, but the hardest part is yet to come!

[CONTINUED IN PART FIVE]