Supes Crystal DELUXE DISPLAY - JUST NEED 1 MORE!! [Archive]

dualedge

Aug 25th, 2001, 09:12:39 AM

***UPDATE:****
Lance has been able to reduce the cost of this to $90! In my humble opinion, this is not just a reasonable price, it's a great price! Getting more than one crystal? This can display one, two, or three beautifully!

All we need are 10 firm commitments with a 50% down deposit to get this project off the ground. If you're interested, please post here, email Lance at maniacman7@yahoo.com, myself at dualedge@mindspring.com

Thanks!
Rob

**************

Ok, guys... I apologize if this confuses anyone else...

This idea started when I saw the crystal project that Mike and Shadowe have - see info here pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstit...=1&stop=20 (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicfrm21.showMessageRange?topicID=3242.to pic&start=1&stop=20)

I personally wanted to figure out a way to display some crystals in a more "movie-esque" type of display than what either project offered. Maniacman7 (Lance) who created the alternate 'budget' crystal project contacted me and offered to help make my concept a reality. So, here's the concept:

This is a three tube design standing *possibly* up to 17" tall, capable of holding three crystals. The bottom most tube can have a switch which would activate an underneath light source to light all the tubes. The crystals would "float" in place by having a clear piece of plastic holding them "suspended" at a reasonable height. The base would be resin and sculpted to look like the white crystalline formations in the fortress of solitude.

This is not movie accurate by any means but is in my opinion in keeping with the design of the movie.

http://www.dualedge.com/images/rpf/display2.jpg

Lance tells me that the cost for this "as is" would run $135 (*WE ARE WORKING ON LOWERING THIS... PLEASE READ BELOW*) each plus shipping (and it is big so shipping would be a few extra bucks). This is a doable display at this point and Lance and I want to see it happen. We need to find a way of covering some initial startup costs because I honestly don't want to foot the $250 bill for rubber and resin to create a mold and prototype. If we can get commitments and deposits for less than even a dozen of these, we can do this. We might be able to do it anyway BUT Lance and I agreed we should get a feel for who or how many would be willing to sign on and actually commit to this project.

Will there be crystals included? Unfortunately no. I know that's an added expense... sorry. I'm hoping to get a couple from Mike myself.

If you are interested and are willing to put down a deposit, or have any thoughts, please let us know. I can be contacted at dualedge@mindspring.com

(also, I'll mention, I'm very happy to actually contribute something to the board for once rather than just gape and gawk.)

Thanks,
Rob

dualedge

Aug 25th, 2001, 09:53:14 AM

I'll be off my computer off and on all day so my responses may be slow at times. Such is the fact of having a life away from your computer, eh?

Lance, if you want to chime in with info or clarifications, please feel free to do so.

Rob

cking

Aug 25th, 2001, 10:01:15 AM

Rob,

That looks great. Very true to John Barry's production design for the Fortress of Solitude. I would be all over this if the price wasn't more expensive than the crytal itself, although I realise it is an elaborate design. I think that only one of the tubes should light up though.

Chris.

dualedge

Aug 25th, 2001, 10:17:13 AM

That's a valid point on the price, Chris. I'm just waiting to see if there is enough interest or, if not, if we need to try to scale the concept back to reduce the cost. This can evolve in my opinion and is not set in stone so input is welcome. Glad you like the design though :)

WolverinesX

Aug 25th, 2001, 10:58:14 AM

I think you can lower the cost of the base if:

-You cast the base in resin BUT have it remain hollow. Meaning 3 of the 4 walls are closed. Fit the eletronics and fit a styrene cover on the bottom. Cheap, but effective.

-You can also try and ask Lance to vacform the base. So far his vacuforming talents have been truly successfl in making such fine detail in the basehe makes already. The detas I assume wont be as sharp, but it saves some money.

-Maybe if the electronics arent installed and left up to the buyer to handle? It will save some labor for whoever was going to assemble them. I dont know, I give up :)

For me, after seeing your design and the purpoe f sticking to movie type displays, I have considered working on a crystal like formation piece with the same clear plastic tubes, but I am basing mine on the base seen in Superman II, where the General i firt introduced trying to steal something. The base had a glowing red "S" sign and similar crystal structure. I'll see if I can get a picture for you guys.

Got Maul

Aug 25th, 2001, 01:44:51 PM

arrgh...135 ?!? I know I am not in on this Superman thing, but come on people ! That base is WAY too much for that simple display. As wolverineX said, what we are looking at is a simple mold. Cast the base out of resin...and take two or three different diameter acrylic hollowed tubes and cut them with a either an angled miter saw or even table saw. Stick them in the resin base and epoxy. Drill a source for the LED's and connect it to a switch. Viola !

come on though..I am really not trying to knock anyone's work or capabilities, but 135 for this is just too darn hard to pass up as not being a bit too much. I know the materials cost argument along with limited quantities but I think we need to start thinking a bit a more cost effectively...I know there are some pieces in a junkyard that would serve as a beautiful base rather than having to go through the whole sculpting phase.

Jose

Dan Verdi

Aug 25th, 2001, 02:31:00 PM

I'm all for reducing cost, but not at the expense of quality. I am not qualified to say what would and wouldn't be cost effective. I'm posting to say I emailed Dualedge and I'm interested in this alternate base. I, also, plan on buying crystal(s) from Mike. Would I like something (anything) lower than $135.00? Yep. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm looking for value. The more expensive this base is, the more "operational" I'll expect it to be.

-Dan

maniacman7

Aug 25th, 2001, 03:19:24 PM

Great feed back everyone,keep them coming.we could offer the base without electronics if so desired and if vac-forming is preffered ,I can do dat,that would be up to dualedge as it is his endeavor.all these ideas will definitely lower the price.If anyone want to discuss this in length can e-mail me at maniacman7@yahoo.com.U'm alway's open to suggestions.:)

Lance
TR 2640

Got Maul

Aug 25th, 2001, 04:31:37 PM

Upon review, I think my post was a bit harsh. To anyone I may have offended, please accept my apologies. I think you guys got the gist of what I was trying to say. Good luck on this project and Dan pointed out, the more you can get for this project the better ! It usually is the quantity aspect that drives prices up through the roof. Perhaps you can get enough to bring it down to $100

jose

dualedge

Aug 25th, 2001, 04:55:23 PM

Got Maul, I completely understand, no offense taken. I think Lance will have to address the price issue, though. I designed the concept illustration and provided Lance with specs with which he quoted the per item price. I'm honestly not sure of what the cost breakdown is.

I can envision stuff but haven't gotten to the point of being able to build it by myself just yet.

On the resin/vac forming thing... my personal opinion is that I'd much rather have resin so it will have more weight and be a better physical support. Of course what initiated this was my own desire to recreate a more movie-esque type of display and I certainly mean no disrespect to Mike or Lance on their displays... this is just what I'd personally like to see. I'd rather sacrifice the electronics and maybe an acrylic tube and just reduce the overall size of it before switching to vacforming. It would suspend my "disbelief" a little more if it was "solid" but that's just my $.02.

I'm curious to go back and check out the thing WolverinesX mentioned as I don't recall it... If anybody has screencaps I'd like to see it just out of curiousity.

But, this thread is about feedback right now and if anybody is interested, has questions, wants to commit to it, has suggestions, whatever... we want to get this off the ground and it'll be tough to do without help from a few others that might be interested, so any thoughts are welcome. Is it too expensive? Should it take you on a trip through time and space that lasts 15 years? Let us know!

Thanks!
Rob

Razmeister

Aug 26th, 2001, 01:04:21 AM

Wouldn't it be THE $HIT if the base emitted the musical movie sound when the crystal's inserted AND the tube lights up?

;)

Guy

maniacman7

Aug 26th, 2001, 02:01:37 AM

Got maul,
OOOUUCCH (in my best E.t. voice)
No offense taken dude, It's feedback like this that helps sculpt things into perspective,I'm working on a vew Ideas and contacts to see how we can keep the quality and also make this obtainable for those who might show interest.I have to agree with the vac forming end as being a no-no as you will lose detail and the weight thing is also a big issue considering the possible lengths of the tubes,BTW I have a pressure pot in the works So my crystals should come out loking preetty for the same price as originally quoted.I'll keep everyone updated as I work things out.
KEEP POSTING:) :)

Lance
TR 2640

dualedge

Aug 26th, 2001, 09:24:24 AM

Yeah, I thought of that too, Raz. That would be utterly cool. Of course, I've had fun dreaming about the really impossible stuff too. I also suggested having a touch sensor and "elevators" so you could tap a crystal tube with your finger and the crystal would rise from the bottom. And of course a color sensor so it could cause the base to react differently to both the green and white crystals.... ah, the dreaming continues :)

That would be awesome... maybe one day...

et al, Lance seems very budget conscious so if there's a way to reduce the cost, I'm sure he'll find a way. We just need to know how many might be interested. We don't need a hundred people to get this started... There's got to be more than the two or three that's expressed interest out there... Do you guys just want to see it cheaper? C'mon... feedback... please? Bueller... Bueller...

Rob

LZeitgeist

Aug 26th, 2001, 10:25:12 AM

This is exactly what I thought had been in mind all along as the Superman Crystal base... I was surprised to see the non-movie-esque Superman logo base.

I love it, but even the crystal itself turned out to be out of the price range I'd hoped for. The movie-esque base is beautiful, and it's the only way I'd display mine if I had one. I think $135 is a little stiff, too, so I would probably end up scratchbuilding something along these lines (as I had planned to do what the Superman logo base was shown).

Wish I could get into one of the pressure-potted green crystals and the movie-esque base, but money is too tight for me right now as it is. *sigh*

Got Maul

Aug 26th, 2001, 12:23:31 PM

Yes, I know (shaking head), I was quite brash and feel a bit embarrased about that. At the most, let me try to help you guys brainstorm a bit about what could be done.

Hmmm, I still see this thing as a three part project- resin copied piece, acrylic tubes and some drilling a few momentary switches at the base of the acrylic tubes (that way you will not have to create a whole new hole for another switch...instead simple depress one of the crystals to light the piece up. Why get fancy ? Just put the momentary switch right at the bottom.

What else....Tell you guys what, I will look around here a bit and see what I could find...perhaps I could make a really rough prototype of what I am talking about.

You see, even though I never said a thing about superman in the other posts, the truth is, THIS is my favorite movie of all time. This was the first movie that I could seriously remember and watched at least 5 times a week on Laser Disc when I was really young. Back then, I did not know any different if Supey was real or not, but I did idolize the ideals in his movies. Hence there is a great emotional connection to this movie. When Christopher Reeve was paralyzed, I could barely breathe that day. I was so depressed for him as the child within me took it personally that Supey really was down for the count. I swore that day never to watch Superman again until either 1) Christopher Reeve walked again or 2) Christopher Reeve finally died. Up to this day, I have not watched a single minute of my favorite movie of all time. That is why I could not bring myself to join in the crystal project, even though I really wanted to. In addition, that is why I reacted the way I did. I apologize for that again.

I will try to look around my place and else where to see what I can dig up...I'll keep you all posted.

Jose

Razmeister

Aug 26th, 2001, 02:15:30 PM

Dualedge:

<< Yeah, I thought of that too, Raz. That would be utterly cool. Of course, I've had fun dreaming about the really impossible stuff too. >>

:lol: Is another member's rendition of "The Impossible Dream" still reverberating in your bleeding ears? :lol:

Seriously, though - sound is VERY doable, and I hooked Lance up with the best guy I know for the job. They can talk about other features too - this dude's a wizard!

Talk to Lance and maybe all three of you could get on the same page. It doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive either.

Guy

dualedge

Aug 26th, 2001, 03:08:19 PM

Sweet. Sounds cool to me. I'm definitely game for it. I've got a couple of other ideas to throw at Lance too.

Cool. Thanks for the suggestion!

Rob

dualedge

Aug 28th, 2001, 04:15:25 PM

Guys, if you had any interest in this project now or before, post now or forever hold your peace. If you're interested and you're holding out because of price, PLEASE say so. If there isn't anymore interest in this than the few who have expressed it, we'll let it die gracefully.

I had hoped, in light of the comments I had read that this would be better received but I understand the financial concerns.

I hope this will encourage anyone that *is* interested to let us know immediately...

Thanks,
Rob

Dan Verdi

Aug 28th, 2001, 04:19:14 PM

As if the concerned parties don't already know ;) I'm an "in" for this modified, 3-crystal base.

-Dan

ZackR

Aug 28th, 2001, 04:52:31 PM

I'm interested, but I don't have the 135.00 right now. There are so many projects that I am working out at this point. But if you did produce these regularly, I would be very interested in the future.

Zack

dualedge

Aug 28th, 2001, 05:07:42 PM

Thanks, Zack... the main issue is the price we think but we're honestly trying to gauge if there will even be interest if the price does come down and if so, how much interest will there be even then.

Lance is working on getting the price down but if only 3 or 4 people want one even then, this project is going to be dead on arrival, unfortunately... If that's the case, there won't be any now or in the future I'm afraid. Which is why we're trying to get feedback.

I'm waiting to hear from Lance as to how much it might come down but we just need to know if there is enough interest to even start this at all or continue pursuing it.

Maybe this was just bad timing...

Thanks,
Rob

LZeitgeist

Aug 28th, 2001, 07:53:29 PM

I would *love* to jump on this, because the design is excellent and just what I had in mind, but my finances are really unsteady right now, so I don't dare sign up for anything else, and I don't have (and can't afford) a green crystal to display in it anyway... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

It's just not the right timing for me to be able to go for it, but I'm having to say that about a lot of things right now. *sigh*

ZackR

Aug 28th, 2001, 09:19:18 PM

Yeah, I think it's the timing too. Not just for me, but a lot of people. School has started back, and a lot of people just got done buying books, paying tuition, or simply can't work as many hours. I'm a victim of all three! :( But one day all of this school will pay off, and I will be able to buy all the toys I want! :)

Still keep me in mind for a future buyer if you do complete this project.

Thanks again,
Zack

hardbalz12

Aug 28th, 2001, 09:43:39 PM

Rob you know where i stand ...im in it to win it.

maniacman7

Aug 29th, 2001, 01:54:42 AM

O.K. gents,
I want to do this myself as it is an awesome concept derived by Dualedge,Here's what can be done.
I Begged a few people to help me out on pricing as If things work out I would be one of their steady customers,So here's what I came up with.
If we get at least TEN commitments I will make it happen for 90.00 +shipping and ins.BUT I need ten commitments with a 50% down factor in order to help cover the costs of what needs to be put into the project.If I do get this going I wouldn't be able to have any ready until after I get my other run out the door.Post here if interested with a simple I'm in and send me your e-mail addy.:) :)
maniacman7@yahoo.com
please put "New Display" in the subject.
Thank you
Lance
TR 2640

dualedge

Aug 29th, 2001, 09:13:57 AM

Hardbalz12, I've still got you down.

Lance, thanks very much for all your help on this. I think $90 is a fantastic price for this.

Here's to hoping we can pick up some more commitments.

Rob

Dan Verdi

Aug 29th, 2001, 09:19:30 AM

Email sent to Lance...again, I'm "in" for this.

-Dan

Got Maul

Aug 29th, 2001, 12:00:31 PM

NOW THAT IS A GOOD PRICE !

Happy watcher position assumed again :)

Jose

maniacman7

Aug 29th, 2001, 01:22:45 PM

G.M. You olde softie:) :) :)

om the other note :
I'm giving everyone until the 15th of SEPT to become interested,That way it gives those of us who were contemplating it the chance to decide and also doesn't put off the others who already expressed interest for too long.:) :)

Lance
TR 2640

hydin

Aug 29th, 2001, 02:03:19 PM

im interested. im not sure if i can pick one up or not <contract renegociations! yay!> but i am interested. it looks like a pretty cool way to get the crystal displayed. not to mention being able to get the clear crystals, and the green ones, and the base all at the same place has this nice "one stop shop" feel to it.

its a good price for what i think is a good looking base.
chris

dualedge

Aug 29th, 2001, 02:42:33 PM

only takes a lowly $45 commitment now... :)

hydin

Aug 29th, 2001, 02:48:07 PM

:lol: thats only about 25 more than i have in the bank <see thread in OT forum>

ill know more probably tommorow. thats when the boss is calling me back, supposedly, and ill be able to go "oh, i now make this much a month, and this much for expenses, wheee!"

i ended up getting boned out of about 400 bucks this paycheck. not a fun experiance.

however, getting back to the topic, i am interested in the base. id like to see a final version of it, but if it looks like the one in the pic, im cool with that.

my question though, the 4<maybe 5> crystals that are handled in the movies <1+2, not any other abomination> , the first few we see are giant, then we see a big green one in superman, and what looks to be a bigger green one, and a REALLY big clear one <in the new directors cut of the first movie>.

i know theres clear versions of what i call "the skinny" one up, but does anyone know where i can get the big one at? i think the display would be set off better with a green one in the middle, and 2 diff sized clear ones on the sides.

chris

dualedge

Aug 29th, 2001, 02:59:44 PM

I understand, Chris - seriously I do :)

We're just hard up for solid commitments. If we can get 10 solid "ins" by sept.15 the project will probably happen. If we don't... it'll be D.O.A. with probably no plans to try again I'd imagine.

On the crystal issue, I think Thermal and Maniac are both using the same molds for both clear and green so you might be able to mix and match to get some variety... I don't think there are any other options besides those...

I imagined having the green one in the top tube too so we're on the same wavelength :)

Grand Milk Carton0

Aug 29th, 2001, 03:30:33 PM

Is the 90.00 base still going to light up?

Razmeister

Aug 29th, 2001, 03:51:38 PM

Lance - any progress with my circuit guy? If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. :)

Guy

dualedge

Aug 29th, 2001, 04:13:09 PM

Grand M.C. As far as I know this still has the lights.

I haven't heard from Lance on the sound stuff yet although I'm afraid considering as few commitments as we've garnered, any raise in price at this point might keep this project from happening at all and I really want one of these myself... that might mean putting off the upgrades until it actually takes off.

Rob

maniacman7

Aug 29th, 2001, 09:00:57 PM

hello guy's,
Hydin the best you can do for different crystals would be to buy One of ours and One of therms as they are different from each other ,Ours has more sharp cuts on it as compared to the glass smooth finish on therms and they are different sizes ,So there you have it.AS for lights,BUT of course it will light up.
Raz: no contact from the man yet,but as stated this needs 10 takers at the price set before we can even consider options.Keep your fingers crossed:) :) :)
Dual edge: what's the count up to
I've heard from Dan Verdi and it seems you've made contact with another so I think including yourself that puts the total to 3.
ONLY 7 more.
Come on guy's this is dualedges first AWSOME contribution to the board ,Don't let it DIEEEEE.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Lance
TR 2640

dualedge

Aug 29th, 2001, 09:16:26 PM

I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. "LIVE!! LIVE!!..."

Yeah, my first contribution seems to be going over like a lead balloon... I'll just have to mark it up as bad timing. At least I'm trying I guess. :)

We've got three firm commitments counting myself... Sounds like a couple are wavering under the lower price, which gives me some small ray of hope.

htmagic

Aug 29th, 2001, 09:31:49 PM

I LOVE the crystals and the stand to hold them in. I think I might have an idea for an enhancement to your design. We would suggest that you manufacture the base out of clear plexiglas tubes on a black plexiglas base. Inside the base you could put a miniature color wheel to light up the crystals and clear tubes (holders) from underneath. The tops of the clear tubes would light as the light passed up underneath. The color wheel could make the colors change in the crystals and clear tubes. In addition, you could use some neon wire to accent the top of the base and provide a luminous appearance.

Also, it would be really cool if you could pull a lit crystal from the base and it would still be lit. Of course, one could drill a hole up through the center of the crystal (must be plastic) and insert a small glowstick like they use on fishing lures and the kids use at rave parties. But But after a while, the chemilume stick would die in a few hours and would have to be replaced. We might have a more elegant idea than that. High-Tech Magic (www.high-techmagic.com/) (http://www.high-techmagic.com/)) sells glass neon sticks that can light when placed over their special Glowtron Pad. So you could pull out this glass stick that still glows when near the other crystals. When it is far enough from the base, it will stop glowing. Could be a real cool addition to an already cool item! High-Tech Magic carries the neon sticks and neon wire under Neon and the Glowtron Pads under Magic.

Hope this helps! Keep up the good work! And have a magical night!
MagicBill

Darth Exodus

Aug 29th, 2001, 11:11:29 PM

Man, this is all so exciting. I can't wait for everything to be done for this whole thing! I think I'm gonna make the whole "command center" soon as I can. Now that would be cool!! :)

dualedge

Aug 30th, 2001, 12:09:41 AM

I'm waiting on Mike to make his crystal so that it grows an entire functional fortress of solitude when you chuck it in some snow... :)

dualedge

Aug 30th, 2001, 09:09:11 AM

we picked up one more... yay! That's 4 down and 6 left to go... :)

LZeitgeist

Aug 30th, 2001, 09:59:31 AM

Oh, maaaaaan... $90 is much more like it.

Damn, I wish I could get in on this!

(But I can't afford the green crystal, either... *sigh*)

TheShadowe

Aug 30th, 2001, 10:27:38 AM

Patrick...email me about the green crsytal.....I may be able to work something out with you....

LZeitgeist

Aug 30th, 2001, 10:35:27 AM

Burbank has a coded message for you on the usual frequency, Shadowe...

maniacman7

Aug 30th, 2001, 03:52:19 PM

Patrick,
Keep in mind that these items once made will alway's be available,As for the crystal our green is only 50.00 or our clear only 40.00.With our pressure pot they should turn out AWESOME.I'Ve got a full boat of orders to complete so feel free to e-mail me at a later date.:) :) :)

Lance
TR 2640

dualedge

Aug 30th, 2001, 04:28:38 PM

Lance I'll catch up with you at the con. I want to see your crystal in person too! I'm going to pick up my badge in about an hour when I get off work.

Rob

htmagic

Aug 30th, 2001, 04:41:08 PM

Dear Lance,

Sounds really cool. I do not know much about pressure pots and this kind of molding. I would like to learn more about it.

Could you take an object and embed it inside the mold for the crystal? I can have a neon bender blow some 7 mm glass tubes, about 6 inches long. Could you embed this glass tube inside your clear or green crystal? If so, that would be VERY cool as we have a wireless power supply that could make the neon tube glow inside the crystal. Would the inclusion of the glass tube add microbubbles to the crystal? Please tell me more about this and we might be able to ship you a tube and see if you could do it. This would be a very cool project.

Thanks for you time and have a magical day!

MagicBill
High-Tech Magic
www.high-techmagic.com (http://www.high-techmagic.com)

dualedge

Aug 30th, 2001, 11:33:50 PM

A self contained glowing green crystal would be very cool...

hydin

Aug 30th, 2001, 11:53:16 PM

yea, that would be cool.

is the pressure pot helping get rid of the microbubbles?

thats almost the same idea i had when i redid a darth vader figure, but i got a tiny lil drill bit thing <think wire thin>, drilled a small hole out, put in 3 threads of fiber optics, and light up the saber.

it was pretty cool looking. its in storage now, pending my move, but glowing stuff always rocks.

chris

htmagic

Aug 31st, 2001, 09:19:13 AM

Basically, with the light sticks, one could get any color. Yes, I know the green crystal is the one that lit up, but you could also have red, blue, white, and other colors in the holder. I think that would be really cool.

The only problem I could see if the glass tube was embedded in the plastic for the crystal, there may be a chance for microbubbles. I don't know if the pressure pot would cure this problem. I wonder how the glass/plastic interface would act? The colored light sticks like green, purple, etc. use a phosphor coating inside the tube which looks white when not energized. So you might see a white tube inside the green or clear crystal, about the size of a cocktail stirrer but made of glass. That might detract from the appearance. One could use clear glass but the only colors you would get is red from neon gas or a pale blue from argon gas when energized. The pale blue color from argon is actually ultraviolet (UV) light, like blacklight. It is not good to directly look at as UV light can cause cataracts. But in the plastic crystal, this might be safer as the plastic would attenuate the UV light. And some plastics glow under blacklight. Now that would be totally cool!

Has anyone seen if these crystals glow under a blacklight? Optical brighteners and other powders could be mixed in the batch, then poured or injected into the molds. Then the crystal could glow under blacklight. Could be a really neat effect at not much additional cost... Plus it's kinda fun to play with blacklights anyway!

We hope this helps! Have a magical day!

MagicBill
High-Tech Magic
www.high-techmagic.com/

dualedge

Aug 31st, 2001, 12:37:15 PM

I'm afraid I don't know much about the production process. Lance is out of town (actually he's here in Atlanta at D*C) and would have to address any issues about micro-bubbles or how fitting a tube into a crystal...

Now, who wants a lovely display base? :)

Dan Verdi

Aug 31st, 2001, 07:22:29 PM

Just to wet some perspective buyer's appetites, Superman The Movie is on tonight on Turner Classic Movies at 8 p.m.

-Dan

htmagic

Aug 31st, 2001, 08:32:54 PM

Cool, Dan, thanks for the tip! I'll just have to watch it again!

:)

Grand Milk Carton0

Aug 31st, 2001, 08:59:44 PM

dualedge, well as long as it will still light.. you can add me to the list as well.

saberlight

Aug 31st, 2001, 11:03:11 PM

Dualedge, Did you check out the SUPERMAN MOVIE on TCM? The crystal that maniacman is selling is exactly like in the movie, really. So cool, and with this base it will really make an authentic display. I had sent him and order for his crystal and base because it has great elements that are hard to pass up. The lit acrylic tube, the accurate " S " symbol from Superman's costume and that awesome crystal! It looks like he plucked it right out of kal-el's hand. I'm very interested in this base as well as three additional maniacman crystals. Will this be offered as a set or will I have to order the base from you and the additional crystals from maniacman? If you will be selling it as a set, will there be a slight discount for buying it and all 3 crystals?? I can't commit to this unfortunitely right now due to my latest purchase( need to rebuild the kitty). But I can't see why they all can't be lit like his first base. If you can assure me that they will, I make an endeavour to work some O.T. and aquire this item. I will keep close watch on this project and for your reply. Thankx

htmagic

Aug 31st, 2001, 11:51:32 PM

Folks,

I watched Superman on TCM tonight and looked at the crystal. I agree with Saberlight that the crystal is an accurate reproduction. But I was especially interested the way it glowed in Superman's hand before he threw it into the snow to build the Fortress of Solitude. The crystal glowed from the bottom up, sort of like a lightsaber! Now I suspect the movie makers had a light in Christopher Reeve's hands, but one could mimic this effect with an argon stick inside the crystal. And if you look close, there appeared to be something inside the crystal. I think the prop makers simply bored up through the crystal as a clear crystal will not diffuse light like the one in the movie. With one of these tubes embedded in the crystal, I could make the light crawl up and down inside the crystal. Now THAT would be very cool! :)

A cheaper method to diffuse the light inside the crstal would be to embed clear fishing lines inside the crystal. The lines would run the long way of the crstal and arranged in a tublar pattern when viewed from the small round end. The lines wouldn't even need to go to the top of the crystal, in fact in the movie, they appear to stop about an inch or so away from the end. The other ends of the fishing line would need to reach the base of the crystal. When illuminated from the bottom, the lines would glow from the light, giving the appearance of lighting the crystal from within. I have also seen green blacklight string, about the diameter of weedeater line. You could embed a few of these strands in the center and they would glow when hit with a blacklight. Might be something to play with...

Maniacman7, keep up the good work! You've got a cool replica here. And just in time for the TCM run of Superman! Cool! :cool:

MagicBill

dualedge

Sep 1st, 2001, 12:48:15 AM

Grand M.C.0, excellent! Thanks for signing up... that puts us halfway toward our goal of ten! :)

Saberlight, I missed the TCM showing. I've been at DragonCon all evening. I tried to catch up with Lance to meet him in person but it's like finding a needle in a haystack unless you can catch 'em in their rooms...

I did look at some fortress of solitude scenes on my old laserdisc (yeah, the big foot wide cd looking thing) and I think, technically speaking, this design isn't accurate in a manner of speaking. In the movie, there are huge clusters of tubes and you never really see the clusters embedded directly in the white crystalline formations as I recall. But personally, I think the base needs that fortress of solitude feel to just make it more visually reminiscent of the movie.

On ordering the stuff, I'd suggest emailing Lance and maybe he can just apply part of the money you've already sent toward this display if that's what you want to do.

On this project, I'm kind of coordinating it since it was my idea but Lance is really the builder. Actually, I'll be paying Lance for one myself but I would *assume* (and I could be wrong) it would just be easier to send payments directly to him rather than me...

I'm sure you could get Lance to send you extra crystals and the base and you could probably save on shipping that way too. As far as a discount, that's something Lance will have to answer. It may be a few days before he gets back and checks in since he's here in Atlanta at DragonCon this weekend.

Oh, and on the lighting thing... as Lance has described it to me, the bottom crystal will hit the switch and activate a lightsource underneath to light all three tubes.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to build a prototype yet because we honestly want to see if we can get enough interest to merit the $250 expense for materials first... if there's no interest, I don't want to be out the cost of materials as I'm sure you can understand. As you can see there hasn't been a huge turnout primarily due to the timing of it - there's a lot going on elsewhere and people's finances are tight.

So, we're working on getting 10 commitments by Sept. 15. If we can do that, this project can get airborn. Once the molds and all are done, others will be able to get them later when they can afford it. If we don't get 10 commitments by Sept. 15, we're probably going to drop it and I probably won't ever pursue it again after that.

Whew... did I answer all your questions? I didn't mean to be so long-winded.

saberlight

Sep 1st, 2001, 09:51:43 AM

Thanks for the response Dualedge, I have now seen what Lance can accomplish and I feel that he will make this beautiful. I'm very happy about the lights, its sounds very doable. As I said I love lance's base that is why I ordered it, But this will also be a great trophy for my collection, you know my superman collection, I'm a fanatic I guess. I will now try to squeeze the O.T. out of the boss just for this, but right now I don't want to give false promises. I'll do my best. Great design though. Thanks again

Dan Verdi

Sep 2nd, 2001, 10:48:41 AM

Any more takers?

-Dan

dualedge

Sep 2nd, 2001, 03:57:26 PM

Lance informed me that we have one more so that would put us at 6...

Dan Verdi

Sep 2nd, 2001, 04:28:03 PM

Well, we have 'till the 15th, so there's hope...

-Dan

dualedge

Sep 3rd, 2001, 11:19:18 AM

I didn't get a chance to spend much time with Lance at D*C but I did get a glimpse of one of his crystals and supes logo bases on display at some guy's table. Looked very nice!

Can't wait to see what they can do with this deluxe display concept... just need 4 four now from what Lance tells me. :)

pdkru

Sep 3rd, 2001, 11:53:15 AM

dualedge:

I believe I am #6 that Lance mentioned to you. Any other takers yet?? (Thanks Guy for letting me know!!)

pdkru :cool:

My first post on here..woo hoo!!

dualedge

Sep 3rd, 2001, 12:58:21 PM

Hi, pdkru! Welcome aboard... at this rate, maybe this project will happen after all! :)

dualedge

Sep 5th, 2001, 09:27:04 AM

Bump... any more folks interested?... we're only looking for 4 more!

Rob

blufive

Sep 5th, 2001, 10:21:56 AM

i'm in.

dualedge

Sep 5th, 2001, 10:41:27 AM

Awesome, glad to have you blufive - and good to meet you at D*C as well!

This should leave us with 3 spots and counting!

outlander

Sep 5th, 2001, 11:57:38 AM

You do have me down, right?

JAS

dualedge

Sep 5th, 2001, 12:07:07 PM

Yeah, i got you. :)

dualedge

Sep 6th, 2001, 10:57:04 AM

sorry to keep bumping this - we just need three more... bueller... bueller... anyone... anyone...? ... we have until Sept 15 to reach the 10 commitments Lance required or it's off to the slaughterhouse for this little project....

hydin

Sep 8th, 2001, 05:18:48 PM

ok, im in if i can pay after the 15th. i mean like, the monday right after. i get paid friday or saturday, and after that i get to send out a lot of money, but i can spare 45 on this now and just wait and get the crystals/base all at the same time.

if its cool with saying IM IN! and paying a day or so after the 15th <paypal?> then set me up.

for the record, i dont need sound, but lights would be cool. i have an idea for mine, but itll have to wait a tiny bit as im still working it out in my head.

thanks
chris

Dan Verdi

Sep 8th, 2001, 05:27:26 PM

That sounds like were up to #8 to me! Here's hoping...

-Dan

micdavis

Sep 8th, 2001, 07:14:00 PM

I would definitely be interested in one of these.

Let me know if you need the deposit.

dualedge

Sep 8th, 2001, 07:27:58 PM

wow, that's awesome. I don't think there would be any problem with you paying after the 15th, hydin. Lance had mentioned the 15th as the cutoff date and if we can surpass 10 commitments by then it'll probably give us some breathing room.

I think Lance may be on vacation but hopefully he'll check in soon... This sounds like it puts us at a total of 9 now. I just ordered a green crystal from Thermal so I'm gonna need something to display it in! :)

Rob

dualedge

Sep 10th, 2001, 12:10:30 PM

Guys, we still need for at least one more sign on and then we'll need to start sending Lance the deposits. It would be great if we could pick up a couple of extra commitments in addition to the 10 minimum... that would give us some breathing room.

Also I wanted to mention that I'll be on a short vacation starting Wednesday and won't be able to check this thread again until Monday (Sept 17). Lance will be available for information but we just need to get at least one more definite by the 15th - hopefully a couple more just to be on the safe side...

thanks,
Rob

LZeitgeist

Sep 10th, 2001, 12:56:31 PM

I wish I could, but my prop budget is non-existant for a while now... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

maniacman7

Sep 10th, 2001, 02:25:19 PM

Hello All,
I'm back.
i got detoured to disney Hey four kids So close to Atlanta ,what could i do.
Well in any case,Since i'm presently out of work these supes projects will be moving quick.:) :)
thank you all for the response and feel free to drop any questions,Dualedge I'm glad you had the chance to see the base with crystal.
Lance
TR 2640

blufive

Sep 10th, 2001, 11:01:25 PM

oops! double post!

<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

blufive

Sep 10th, 2001, 11:01:43 PM

ack! i kept hoping lance would have the crystal in his armor at dragoncon! i ran into him several times but never got the opportunity to view the crystal.

;)

dualedge

Sep 12th, 2001, 12:34:06 AM

Guys, I'm going on vacation tomorrow morning through the rest of the week so I need to post this tonight - so I don't mean to trivialize the heavy news of the day in the least, just gotta do this before I hit the sack tonight! I wasn't even sure if I was still going after today's news but the wife wants to give it a shot...

I've given Lance the list of the 9 of us that have committed to this with contact info. We do still need one more... if you have any questions, please direct them to Lance (obviously).

Will check back first thing Monday.

Thanks, guys!

Rob