Tuesday 5 June 2018

Han Solo in Carbonite

With the recent half term came some precious hobby time and an opportunity to finish off a whimsy that had started with the discovery of a Star Wars related ice cube maker.  The silicone mould of the unfortunate Han Solo, following his entombment in carbonite, proved too much of a lure and was duly ordered.  When it arrived, I started to wonder if there might actually be a modelling opportunity here?
After a quick chat with a colleague regarding the melting temperature of pewter we decided to give it go and whilst the molten metal didn't run straight through the mould, neither did it prove successful in capturing the fine detail.  Unperturbed, I tried some plaster of paris, which proved more suitable and left me with a couple of workable pieces to experiment with.
Once the plaster was dried, I went for a simple black undercoat, but at this stage I decided that it wasn't quite right and needed a little more detail.  After much head scratching, I reached for some styrene strip and cut sufficient pieces to represent the control panels along the side of the carbonite bed.  To these were added styrene tube 'buttons', or least they were when I had finally gathered the pieces that had flown across the room as I cut them!
With just some simply dry brushing and picking out one or two details the job was done and I have to say looks just the part.
I was pleased with how the scale seemed to match well with the Imperial Assault miniatures and couldn't resist setting up a quick scene to depict the moment that Boba Fett returns, triumphant, to Jabba's palace.
Eagled eyed readers might notice some custom made band members, part of the care package from the very generous Mr. Stone, he of 'Wargames Terrain Workshop' and are likely to feature in a forthcoming instalment! 

57 comments:

  1. What a great idea..... presumably you've now washed the mould out and are drinking an iced beverage with bobbing Han Solos whilst typing?

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    1. Thank you and absolutely! They work perfectly in a tall glass filled with Gin. ;)

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  2. Amazing what you can come up with. A great piece of work.

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  3. Nicely done Michael, nicely done :)

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  4. Fantastic work Michael, it turned out really well. Just needs a palace to hang from now ! Just kidding

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    1. Oh don't, I've been thinking of nothing else - look what you have started! :)

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    2. I even went hunting for floor plans yesterday for the throne room, not like I've got anything else to do ! LOL

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    3. I may have done the same! :D

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  5. What a 'cool' idea! (It had to be done...lol). I saw this on The Games Cupboard and wondered how it was made. I'd previously looked at novelty silicone ice cube trays for a similar idea (I think they were yetis), but planned on using resin to get transparent ice monsters. And as it's silicone, it can be used for foodstuffs...Han Solo in encased in dark chocolate anyone? 😉

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    1. *groan* Thank you Jez and I did wonder about resin, that would be a lot more stable than the plaster. Han Solo in chocolate now has to happen!

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  6. That is great, proper use of random stuff

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    1. It is funny where the next idea can come from.

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  7. It's as if the ice-cube tray was designed for just this purpose.

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  8. You knocked that one out of the ballpark Micheal, great stuff :)

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    1. Thank you so much Frank, it was quite a giggle to do.

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  9. Very creative idea and flawlessly executed too!

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  10. I'd have been interested to see how much detail resin would have picked up

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    1. On reflection, resin is probably the way to have gone, certainly worth trying in the summer holidays.

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  11. Terrific posting, Michael. One of my faves, as I love the story behind your experiments. What a corking ‘Care Package’ from “Wargames Terrain Workshop” too, does the generosity of its owner know no bounds - anyone would think he was a “Star Wars” fan too ;-)

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    1. Thank you so much Simon. As for Mr. Stone, I couldn't agree more!

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  12. Creative and effective, looks great!

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  13. Wow - that's pretty wild; the final result fantastic!

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    1. Really pleased with how this one turned out.

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  15. Excellent use for the ice tray with equally excellent results after your paint job!

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  16. What a great idea! I've gt the same ice cube box, but did not came to my mind, to use it for our hobby!
    Fantatstic idea!!!

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    1. Thank you, now using mine for its intended purpose. :)

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  17. Neat..I really like that..though Han is looking a mere shadow of his FORMer self.

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  18. You continue to astound me with the depths you go to. Nicely done!

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    1. Thank you Terry, you have to have fun with your hobby. :)

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  19. I found my ice-Hans melted too swiftly for my liking, so instead tried melting chocolate into the molds. THIS, gave a far more pleasing result! (Especially Dark choc versions)

    Grand idea tho mate. Didn't even consider that the mold would be scale-appropriate as minis terrain!

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    1. Now I have to try the chocolate idea! Thank you.

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  20. Nice modeling. The use of a box to cut and to catch flying plastic pieces will save you eye strain as you search for them. Nobody jettisons more plastic conversion pieces than I, and takes more Tylenol after the fact.

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    1. Now I am definitely going to need to try that idea.

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  21. Your deep frozen Han Solo definitely does look the part! Great work Michael.

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  22. Excellent and well executed brainwave!

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  23. Experimental moulding another talent 😀

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    1. I'm not sure I'd call it a talent, but thank you.

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  24. You really are on a roll lately, he looks well conserved, if he survived the freezing process. Anyway, what made your metal pouring go awry I think is the oxygen: real moulds have very small channels punctured right through the material so the excess air trapped underneath the molten metal is pressed out. You could try using a VERY thin needle to make one or two air holes in the moulds and try again?

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    1. Thank you Sander and you are absolutely right with regards to the vents. My colleague showed me some examples of that his pupils had done, but if I pierce my lovely mould then now more ice cubes in my gin. :(

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  25. What a smart idea and delightfully executed!
    Best Iain

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  26. While not perfect, it certainly looks the part. Nice find and modeling!

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