# diorama update



## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

I've got the schematics of the table part of the lab tables done. I already know what I'm going to use for hardware...the tables will move from reclining to standing. I'm not sure what I'm going to use for the headrests yet...I only know when they are done they should look like shiny leather (or maybe pleather). I'm going over to a friends this week who may have the scrap leather I need for the straps.

Ben


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

what diorama are you planning on with these tables?.. is it a frankenstein one?..


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

"Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man" actually. I'm doing it in 1/8 scale. I'm trying to re-create the climax of the movie, with a few differences. I can't duplicate all the machines, so there will be some originals of my own. I'm hoping to add some LED lighting. I have a few other surprises in mind for it, too.

Ben


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Septi',

You'll be hard pressed to find leather that will be thin enough for a proper scale appearance. I'd suggest electrical tape or the lead foil off wine bottles as good materials for the straps. You could also use the foil for the buckles.


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Mark McGovern said:


> Septi',
> 
> You'll be hard pressed to find leather that will be thin enough for a proper scale appearance. I'd suggest electrical tape or the lead foil off wine bottles as good materials for the straps. You could also use the foil for the buckles.


I have this old biker watch with three very thin and very narrow straps on it that I believe will work. There are three very small buckles on them, too, that are to scale. That leaves me a buckle short, though, so I will probably use the foil on that one as you've suggested...maybe even make it look like a broken buckle. I'll let you know how the watch straps work. If they seem too thick I will definitely give the electrical tape a try....that sounds good. Thanks, Mark.

Ben


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

You're welcome Septi'. If you're in the neighborhood this Friday or Saturday, Mrs. McG and I are are having a FANTASTIC (says so on the signs, at any rate) garage sale. I'm thinning my stash, among other things. Stop by and we can discuss your diorama. :wave:


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Mark McGovern said:


> You're welcome Septi'. If you're in the neighborhood this Friday or Saturday, Mrs. McG and I are are having a FANTASTIC (says so on the signs, at any rate) garage sale. I'm thinning my stash, among other things. Stop by and we can discuss your diorama. :wave:


Nobody ever had to twist my arm to get me to a garage sale! But a chance to finally meet you and check out your stash make it even better! PM me with the address or just give me a ring.

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Guys, I noticed something in my research I hadn't noticed before...look at the lower right hand corner of this picture. There's some kind of statue of a face, but I don't recognize it. Anyone want to venture a guess as to where this prop came from and what it is? I'm not necessarily committed to adding it to my diorama...just curious about it.

Thanks

Ben


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

septimuspretori said:


> Guys, I noticed something in my research I hadn't noticed before...look at the lower right hand corner of this picture. There's some kind of statue of a face, but I don't recognize it. Anyone want to venture a guess as to where this prop came from and what it is? I'm not necessarily committed to adding it to my diorama...just curious about it.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Ben


It looks like a life cast of Charles Laughton


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

septi',

Looks like it had been an architectural embellishment of Dr. Frankenstein's house. Remember, in _Ghost of Frankenstein_ (1942), it was depicted as being a pretty large establishment. Good catch on your part, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time and energy on it unless you find a need to fill a dead spot in your final composition.


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

wolfman66 said:


> It looks like a life cast of Charles Laughton


LOL...one buddy on another list said it was the "ghost boy" from "Three Men And A Baby"...I like your theory better!

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Mark McGovern said:


> septi',
> 
> Looks like it had been an architectural embellishment of Dr. Frankenstein's house. Remember, in _Ghost of Frankenstein_ (1942), it was depicted as being a pretty large establishment. Good catch on your part, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time and energy on it unless you find a need to fill a dead spot in your final composition.


Thanks Mark...I was sort of wondering if it might have had something to do with the plot at one time but was edited out. It's to my understanding that this movie was heavily edited. 

Ben


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

septimuspretori said:


> ...It's to my understanding that this movie was heavily edited.


Aren't they all? Actually, as _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_ was shot, the Monster spoke. Both he and the Wolf Man were to have been portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. with the aid of a double and trick photography. But it became clear that Chaney's problems with alcohol would have hindered the production, so Bela Lugosi was cast as the Monster.

Mr. Lugosi had turned the role down for the original 1931 film on the grounds that the Monster was mute. But in 1943 his career was in a lull and he needed the work. He could console himself about playing what he considered "a scarecrow" now that it would be a speaking part. And the casting made sense because, at the climax of the previous opus, _Ghost of Frankenstein_ (1942), the brain of Lugosi's character (Ygor) had been placed in the Monster's skull.

At the end of _Ghost_ it had been established that the Monster was blind, the result of his blood type being incompatible with Ygor's brain. There were several references to the Monster's blindness in the _Meets_ script. Hence Lugosi's stiff-armed, groping stride as the Monster - he couldn't see! But cuts were made to the soundtrack, including all references to the Monster's blindness. Unfortunately, what looked good on paper turned out to be funny on screen; for all the sincerity of his performance, Lugosi's speeches were deemed too comic for the picture and all of them were excised from the film.

In some scenes you can actually see Lugosi's mouth moving. In others, Chaney is dubbed in to bridges certain gaps ("Dr. Frankenstein must have left a diary. You know where it is - show me!"). That the electricity has restored the Monster's sight is the reason (albeit unexplained) for the demonic grin he bestows on Dr. Mannering at the climax of the movie.

The footage with the Monster's dialogue is probably long gone, lost somewhere with Bela Lugosi's screen test in an experimental Monster make up for the original_ Frankenstein_. Of course the hunt is still on for these artifacts. But I doubt hearing Lugosi's speaking Monster would be much of an improvement over the Monster he gave us in _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_.


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Working on what I call "The Water Heater" machine from the movie, because that's what it looks like to me. I realize now that I could have probably made this alot easier by just using an empty caulk container....but noooooo...didn't think of THAT in time! What I have done is use plaster to cast the cylindrical part in a plastic container for big fat shop pencils. I put the foot of a dvd player at the top, and the conical part is a super glue lid with a marble on it. After I rough this up quite a bit, I'll be hitting it with some metallic paints and some rust.

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Mark McGovern said:


> But it became clear that Chaney's problems with alcohol would have hindered the production, so Bela Lugosi was cast as the Monster.


Thanks, Mark. Yeah it seems like everything you mentioned is stuff I had heard, too. I do think it ironic that since Chaney's alcoholism would have hindered production, a drug addict (Lugosi) was brought in to lighten his load. I'm not sure how far gone Bela was in 1943, but it was certainly years after the initial injuries that probably got him started on the drugs in the first place. 
Regardless of their frailties, though..I do love them both!

Ben


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

Speaking of seeing things in pictures.... Look above Frankie's left arm. It looks like some kind of giant hairy mouse head or something. I realize it's just an optical delusion (keep your illusions, I prefer my _de_lusions), but....


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Here's another conundrum that I've come across...there is a cluster of maybe eight lights circled in the picture below. They look exactly like the light fixtures that I use for the special lights for my iguana's cage. The trouble is, I need to find something like this in 1/8th scale. This is something I really want to add to the diorama so if anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

Ben


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

septimuspretori said:


> Here's another conundrum that I've come across...there is a cluster of maybe eight lights circled in the picture below. They look exactly like the light fixtures that I use for the special lights for my iguana's cage. The trouble is, I need to find something like this in 1/8th scale. This is something I really want to add to the diorama so if anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate it.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Ben


I can think of something that, painted, would look exactly like these but it'd be cost prohibitive: 

http://bulb-source.com/evw_bulb.htm

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product_image/view/19719?x=323&y=0

They're 1 1/2-2" across the widest part; had I known you needed them I could have saved them at work...we use our overheads a lot and the bulbs don't last that long.

Apart from that, the right kind of plain old plastic suction cup might pass for those lights.

EDIT: certain cheap flashlight reflectors might work, too.


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

frankenstyrene said:


> I can think of something that, painted, would look exactly like these but it'd be cost prohibitive:
> 
> http://bulb-source.com/evw_bulb.htm
> 
> ...



All good ideas...I'll check into these more inexpensive options. Thanks!

Ben


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Thing is - are those lights actually suppose to be something in the lab, or are they an "Accidental" set of studio lights that weren't suppose to be in the shot, but got in there anyway, much like the covered 1930's table lamp with the piece of cardboard stuck to it in the 1930 Universal Studio's Dracula movie?


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Oh, I'm sure they are supposed to be there...they are in several shots from different angles so I have little doubt they are on purpose (but I never solved the mystery of the statue face in the film...LOL)

Ben


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## bigdaddydaveh (Jul 20, 2007)

You could easily vacuum form those. Just a thought. I'd go with the cheap flashlight idea suggested earlier for the master. The lamp base would be round which would look better.


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## rhinooctopus (May 22, 2011)

*Lights*

If you have a really good model train hobby shop near you, maybe you could find something there that would work...in O scale?


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## Tim Casey (Dec 4, 2004)

According to monster lore, the final nail in the coffin for Bela's blind / speaking part came when they filmed a scene in the ice cave where Chaney tells the monster something like "you don't understand - when the moon is full, I turn into a wolf!" To which the monster replies, in Bela's voice, "You're kidding!". I guess too many people in the screening room started giggling at that point.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

septi',

I think your best bet would be to prowl the crafts store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. There are all kinds of geegaws that might turn out to be ready-made for your puropse. There's also also a place here in Toledo called Bayer Wood Products; they have a wide selction of reasonably priced, nifty wood shapes and are online as well. Bayer is a great resource for lots of diorama bits.

If you just can't find manufactured items, you could try stretch-forming your reflectors. First, you'll have to look around the house a little bit for something with a shape you could use to stretch the plastic over. The object could be anything - the end of a pen, a finial of a lamp shade, maybe some little noodniks from the crafts store - whatever is the right size and shape. Then you'd clamp it down securely with visegrips or a hobby vise.

Stretch-forming isn't hard; take a piece of thin (0.10" or 0.15") sheet styrene large enough to hold in your gloved hands or between a couple small clamps. A heat source like an alcohol lamp or a candle will be enough to soften the plastic; since it could catch fire, have a bucket of water handy in which to douse it. You hold the styrene over the heat _moving it constantly_ so as not to simply burn the plastic; the movement will also make the styrene soften evenly.

When the plastic takes on a glossy, rubbery appearance, stretch it over your clamped form. In a few seconds, it will cool enough to become rigid. You may have to do a little coaxing to get it off the form. I like to dunk the plastic in the water bucket to make sure it sets up in the new shape.

In the photo, it looks like you'll need eight or nine reflectors to complete the array. For insurance, I suggest you'd want to stretch-form a dozen reflectors, so there'd be extras in case one or two didn't come out just right, or something went wrong during the assembly process.

Good luck with your project!


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

Because of parallax effect I can't get a good size reference from the picture, but the mini flashlight reflector seems like a decent idea. Pick a dollar store, they have all kinds of disposable flashlights (like keychain size) for a buck or less. Also, what about dollhouse bits you could convert? Dollhouses are 1/12 scale, and my warped imagination has seen a lot of bits in their accessory packs that could be "repurposed" if you will. Yea I know, that's one of those new buzzwords that I despise too, but it kinda works here. I had found some Victorian era white metal lamp posts that my brain turned into some very cool laser cannon barrels, so you never know.


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

An even super-cheaper possibility would be to trim about 1/4-1/2" off of one half of plastic easter eggs. You'd have to scratchbuild some kind of bulb housing for the back of each but from a distance, a trimmed down plastic egg might pass muster, esp. if you then heat the cut edges and press them flat to flare out the edges a bit, as the lamps are in your pic.

Ain't scratchbuilding fun?


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Thank you so much, fellas! I will look into all of these great ideas!


Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

*Updated update*

Well, I'm pretty much finished with what I have dubbed "the water heater machine". It is based directly on a machine that appears in "Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man", however, I did take some liberties as I wanted my version to be more rusty and worn appearance. I've also included a chart to show what everything is made of. I took a few pics of it from different angles and under different lighting conditions. Sorry for the cell phone pix...it's all I have right now.

Ben


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

Cool weathering, I love it!


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## beeblebrox (Jul 30, 2003)

Very creative scavanging! As for the light fixtures, I think carving or turning one in wood and then heat stretching some styrene over it might be the best and cheapest meathod. :thumbsup:


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## Frankie Boy (Feb 28, 2002)

What's really cool, besides the finished product itself, is how you label everything — what it (originally) is and/or where it came from.

Very nice and much appreciated!


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

frankenstyrene said:


> Cool weathering, I love it!


Thanks!

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Frankie Boy said:


> What's really cool, besides the finished product itself, is how you label everything — what it (originally) is and/or where it came from.
> 
> Very nice and much appreciated!


Thanks, Frankie Boy...I know that there are artists and painters and builders who like to keep there techniques a secret...and then the technique dies with them, doing no one any good at all. My skills are so rudimentary that I feel like if I share them, someone might tell me an easier or cheaper or better way to do it next time. 

Ben


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

septimuspretori said:


> Well, I'm pretty much finished with what I have dubbed "the water heater machine". It is based directly on a machine that appears in "Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man", however, I did take some liberties as I wanted my version to be more rusty and worn appearance. I've also included a chart to show what everything is made of. I took a few pics of it from different angles and under different lighting conditions. Sorry for the cell phone pix...it's all I have right now.
> 
> Ben


Definitely looks like your standard "Monster Movie Lab Scene requisite Tesla coil" Good job!:thumbsup:


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Disco58 said:


> Definitely looks like your standard "Monster Movie Lab Scene requisite Tesla coil" Good job!:thumbsup:


Thanks!!

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Notwithstanding the awesome ideas I have received here concerning the afore mentioned light, I thought I'd share a few things I found this week-
I found these little cap things in the plumbing department...not exactly what I was looking for, but close enough for me to play around with...Heck, I'll use 'em on something sooner or later-Quarter is to show size










Then I found these push nuts..almost exactly what I wanted...If I can get the metal thingy out of them and drill a small hole in the back to run an LED light through, this is probably what I will use.










I'll let you know how everything works out.

Ben


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

Okay....I found something even BETTER to use for the dome lights. These are caps for certain types of lamps. They are the perfect size, and even have a nice little hole where I can easily run a 5mm LED light in it. The only thing I have to do with these is maybe line the inside with foil, and spray paint them silver.











Ben


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

Perfect! Scroungin' is half the fun, ain't it?


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## septimuspretori (Jan 26, 2011)

frankenstyrene said:


> Perfect! Scroungin' is half the fun, ain't it?


Scrounging is pretty fun...especially when you find something that's exactly what you're lookin' for. 

Ben


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