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06-23-2021, 05:55 AM | #1 |
Yee Ha!
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,273
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Hi all,
Some of you may remember several years ago when I built a 3 x 3 ft desert themed Joe fort for a young nephew that was interested in GI Joe at the time: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...post-joes.html After that experience, I've always had in the back of my mind that I'd want to do some kind of large playset for my son once old enough and if he was interested in GI Joe. Fast forward to 2020, he was now the prime age for Joes, but didn't seem very interested. I'd almost gave up on it ever happening. Then out of the blue, of all things that really sparked his interest was receiving a pack of those little Jada diecast micromachine type Joe vehicles from Wal-Mart. Everything snowballed from there and he was soon asking for 3 3/4" figures and vehicles to play with. After a few months, the subject of headquarters, bases, forts & etc were now being brought up quite often. So I started thinking about it again, eventually deciding on another GI joe base of some type. I'd remembered seeing several folks on HT building their own versions of the USS Flagg, so at first I was leaning toward something like that. My son was heavy into watching the old cartoons and had asked about the GI Joe headquarters several times. He later saw the old commercials for Hasbro's version of it and he wasn't too impressed by the scale since it could only house two vehicles. The project was decided... a large cartoon inspired headquarters it would be! As I began to draw out plans and research a little bit, I found this very inspiring foamboard HQ project on Hisstank from years ago by "The L.O.C." : https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...-me-l-o-c.html It was very similar in scale of what I had wanted to do, but since my project would be played with by an 8 year old, it would no doubt have to be made of wood for durability. The wood will then be clad with something else later for the finishing details. Being a large project and with lumber prices skyrocketing at the time, my plans were to be compromised somewhat by using what I had on hand or what I could find for free. Luckily I still had a few random sheet goods of various thicknesses left over from a few years before the price gouge. I'd also just found a large wooden box made of decent 3/4" plywood for free. I managed to sort out what wood could be used where to have enough to build with while also changing some plans accordingly. Due to what I had on hand to use, material handling & weight involved, the structure was to be built into multiple sections that would eventually fit together as one. Anyway, here are some pics of a few of the beginning plans I started as 2020 was coming to a close. Those plans would be changed along the way as needed and then fullsize posterboard patterns made. Since this HQ is just "inspired by" the cartoon, it's only going to resemble it and not be an exact replica. Some of the odd angles and shapes in certain areas of the cartoon headquarters wasn't going to work too well in maximizing usable play space in this playset version, so some design changes were certainly in order. The two outer wings of the playset would consist of four levels each. To make it a little easier on myself, I decided each wing would be the same basic size and shape instead of the sometimes random shaped features that was on the longer right side of the Sunbow HQ. I could always add on things like that if I decide to later. The center portion of the HQ that had the massive sliding door and cannon would be broken up into a few different levels as well. Once all together, this headquarters will be about 8ft wide by 44" tall. The deepest part (center section) would be about 44" as well. The first cuts were finally made starting with parts for the bottom level outer wings. This particular side would be used as a garage/motor pool. The sides and front were cut from thin, lightweight luan plywood. A large doorway plenty big enough to accommodate most average size Joe vehicles was cut through what would be the inner wall. The floor would be cut from thicker OSB and the ceiling from beadboard plywood. Triangular pieces were cut from the salvaged 3/4" plywood box to use as reinforcements for the angled front piece. Assembly was started by simply gluing and nailing the angled corner braces to the front ends of the side pieces. The sides were then attached to the floor using the same method followed by the front panel. The ceiling panel was added with the beadboard side down. Some other bracing would be added later as needed, but that was basically all it was to it. More to come...
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My BST: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...admos-bst.html My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...og-readmo.html Last edited by Capt OG ReadMo; 06-24-2021 at 03:51 AM.. Reason: rapid mental decline |
06-23-2021, 05:21 PM | #2 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: El Paso, Texas
Posts: 490
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Great!
Thanks for share your work progress. |
06-23-2021, 05:36 PM | #3 |
Mass Nerderer
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Slitherin' around the tank- It's cool, though, 'cause I'm being "watched"
Posts: 9,099
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I'm already stoked, can't wait to see how this progresses man!
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I NEED TOYS DAMMIT!!! |
06-23-2021, 06:56 PM | #4 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: tampa fl
Posts: 5,106
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Yeah this is looking like it could be epic. Can't wait to see more
Progress |
06-23-2021, 07:11 PM | #5 |
Red Shadow (Lobo) :D
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,020
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WHOA! This is gonna be the ultimate HQ base man, friggin’ cant wait to see the final result!
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06-23-2021, 07:53 PM | #6 |
The Man You Know & Love
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: In The Middle of a Late Night Crew Orgy
Posts: 28,211
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This is gonna be awesome!!!
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06-23-2021, 07:59 PM | #7 |
Epically lazy bastard!
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: My Recliner
Posts: 24,027
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Giggity!
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First porn, then cupcakes.. My Feedback: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-s...-feedback.html Griffs Garage Customs thread: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...e-customs.html |
06-23-2021, 11:43 PM | #8 |
Yee Ha!
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,273
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Thanks guys! I'm in the process of getting more on here very soon.
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My BST: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...admos-bst.html My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...og-readmo.html |
06-24-2021, 12:33 AM | #9 |
Yee Ha!
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,273
|
Sometimes I like to skip around to other aspects to see if something works out, so I moved ahead to lighting. I'm still not 100% certain if this is what I'll do in the end, but this is what I came up with for the time being. I was wanting something not too obtrusive, but was also self contained with an integrated switch. After searching out different options and with cost also being a factor, I decided on these LED light switch type lights(on sale for $2) from Harbor Freight.
After taking one apart, I discovered I could remove the white outer plastic toggle and it would only leave a far less noticeable recessed switch that was still easily accessible . The HF website branding could be removed from the white casing easily and the other markings on the clear lens part covered up with a strip of white electrical tape. These jokers are super bright, but after a few tests it was determined two of the lights in each of the outer levels would best illuminate the interior more evenly. The major up/downside of the lights are the batteries. The upside is the clean, compact look and versatility, but the downside is each light requires 4 AAs which will add up quickly once completed and they eventually all need replacing. Since these lights came with the batteries included, I'll just see how long they last. However, I may eventually come up with another way to power them or do something else entirely. Going back to the 1st level garage/motorpool area. We had a large door opening and no door for it. Years ago I'd bought a ton of tiny brass hinges cheap, but didn't really want to use them everywhere. One problem with using a hinged door is there's a certain amount of floor(and sometimes wall space) that is wasted from just needing to have it clear for a swinging door to open... and this door would take up a whole lot of both. The solution was a sliding pocket door. Going forward, all doorways connecting to the center section of the HQ would have some form of this sliding door. Skipping a little ahead again, I started cutting and assembling parts of the staircase that would eventually go in the center section. Having this built ahead of time would help determine exactly where some higher level doorways would be. Railings will come much later once each separate level or room is being fully detailed. The opposite lower level wing was cut and assembled in a similar fashion. This one would be divided up into a few rooms housing the the HQ's armory, other larger weapon & ammo storage and an indoor practice range. Several smaller size doorways were cut out this time and given the same sliding door treatment for each. As you can see in the above pic, an upper entrance point was added as well. This small upper area will serve a specific purpose later on. A simple ladder with handrails made from square dowels and thick wire will suffice to access the upper part from the inside of the armory. A room divider was needed to separate the armory from the storage area. Built from 3/4" plywood, a few square dowels and some hardware cloth, this would serve well enough and still allow enough light in and be accessible for play. Some type of hinged door for this divider wall will be added later on. A large piece of 3/4" plywood was cut to act as the wall to separate the firing range area. The range doorway will also have a hinged door when finished out. Any interior walls, sliding door pockets, stairways, etc. in this section and most others will only be screwed together and not glued so they can be removed to add other details & features in the future. It will also make painting the interiors a whole lot easier once it's time for it. That's all for tonight. I'll try sometime tomorrow to upload the rest of the past progress from this point on to the present day... Stay tuned!
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My BST: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...admos-bst.html My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...og-readmo.html Last edited by Capt OG ReadMo; 06-24-2021 at 12:38 AM.. |
06-25-2021, 11:50 PM | #10 |
Yee Ha!
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,273
|
Moving on to the final part of the bottom level... the center section AKA the place where the giant door goes! Not so fast though, all of the side parts, floor and ceiling were all cut first.
The height of this section is equal to two of the outer wing levels. All doorways entering this center section were transferred and cut from the same locations of the door openings of the outer wings, so everything will line up correctly when all the sections are as one. The parts surrounding the giant front doorway would be 3/4" plywood this time around and the 3/4" triangular bracing would be doubled up. Now for the fun part... figuring out the large front door. In the cartoon the door slides upward in what seems to be one large piece. I wasn't going to have room inside for a solid piece to slide up into the door frame, so it would be built more like a garage door. Door tracks for each side wall were made from scraps and attached with spacers as needed. The last few pics below this show the door tracks attached to the side walls that are in turn attached to the floor. The staircase was just propped up at the moment for the pics. Before moving on to the door itself, the front frame top and the back needed some finishing to square everything up. Naturally the big door was up next. I didn't have anything solid that was super stable to use for this. I had plenty of luan scraps though, so those were ripped down to strips, doubled up and glued together to form interlocking slats for the door. A piece of canvas material was glued to the back of the slats to connect them all together and act as hinge. This tambour type door would function similar to a rolltop desk or bread box door. One of the second level wings would have the medical bay/operating room/lab area. Dragging a stretcher up a couple of flights of stairs didn't seem like a fun scenario, so an elevator to at least the medical area level would be needed. I didn't really want to do an enclosed elevator that would take up a lot of space , so I devised this open platform elevator sized to fit Doc's stretcher or a PTE gurney. The working mechanism of the elevator was made from pieces of a Harbor Freight bar clamp, a metal nail plate and plywood. It was a simple cheap solution that worked well and kept the elevator platform close to the wall to conserve floor space. Just lift the platform to any height and it would stay in place and press the release to lower. Safety railing and other details for the platform will be added later so no joe figure accidents occur. Now to link up one 2nd level wing to the other with a catwalk. I was to the part of the salvaged 3/4" plywood box that had the word "BOUND" routed into it. Apparently, this box I'd been cutting up to use for this project was originally some kind of exercise tool for jumping up on. Since this will be covered up with something later, I went ahead and used it for the catwalk. Another set of stairs leading up through the ceiling would be created to allow entry to the entire third level. Temporary lights were quickly put up to take some pics of the lower level center section. Like everything else so far, the basics were done and will be revisited later on with lots of details once the entire structure is framed out. As I mentioned earlier, one wing of the second level would designated a medical area. The opposite wing would be reserved as space for a prison with probably another separate area or two. Building these second level wings went pretty fast as they were the smallest levels height wise along with having the most simple cuts. Sorry, I had only taken a few pics of the medical side that turned out pretty blurry. I must've forgotten to take any of the prison wing by itself, but it's basically a mirror opposite with squared off supports instead of the rounded supports in the medical wing. Well, that's where I'm at so far as of late June. Here's a few more pics of the levels built so far all fit together as one. It's been a slow and sometimes sporadic process at times. My son loves to help and I have to constantly clear random figures, vehicles and diorama parts from whatever level I'm not working on at the time, lol. It's been a really fun project and I hope you've enjoyed the progress shown so far as well. Stay tuned for more updates as the HQ continues to expand upward to the next levels before circling back to finish out & detail everything.
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My BST: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-j...admos-bst.html My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...og-readmo.html Last edited by Capt OG ReadMo; 06-26-2021 at 12:04 AM.. |
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