The Machine in The Cave

Here are some photos of the machine in the cave...

I put two sets of fairy lights behind the machine to give the cave more light. I also put one set half inside the machine so that I could use one of the bulbs to light the machine lights. I had to move the bulb from colour to colour when needed.

I put some more yellow sprayed wire wool around the base of The Machine to tie it into the cave and to hide some of the cracks that were leaking light.

The front panel of the machine tones in brilliantly with the orange or the cave...

...and the parts to the machine are nice and atmospheric sitting at the top in the darkness of the roof of the cave.

Painting and Finishing The Machine

I wan't the machine to have an old industrial feel to it. I want it to look old, and odd yet understandable. To do this I have chosen a turquoise colour for the paint job and I will make it look corroded with rust.

I first painted the parts of the inside of the machine that the camera might pick up to unify the inside and made it look like it is all part of the same object.

I then gave the whole of the outside a prime coat in grey again to unify all the different parts and textures. This means that on especially the front panel there will be less difference between the different levels of the built and it will unify the Millput and the foam board.

I then masked off the front panel as I want it to be a different colour from the rest of the body. I tested putting a copper/rust colour where I wanted them to be but I could not control the turquoise spray paint for this to work. However it gave me a good idea of how the final paint finish might look.

I put three coats of the final colour on the machine, sanding it down between each coat. This gave me quite a smooth finish. 

I painted the front a copper colour.

I then painted the silver highlights of the front panel and painted the rusted highlights on the body of the machine. Thankfully I was able to use the imperfections already created by my half rushed effort to make the  machine for the rusted parts

On the side of the machine I stuck on the instruction panel and scuffed it up to make it look old and worn.

I then stuck in and on the remaining details on the front panel and again dry brushed it to make it all look as old as time itself!

To make the outside parts animatable finalised my Lego Technic mechanism and used hot glue to keep it all together.

I then stuck it inside and used more hot glue to keep it all in place.

Here is a video of me testing the mechanism. It is a bit clunky but when I animate it, it should be a bit smoother.

At this point I thought I was finished but felt it needed a little something else to give it that extra edge and machine feel...

Rivets!

I made some hemispheres from Milliput...

...and then painted them metallic grey.

I stuck them onto the machine with contact adhesive and then dry brushed them to tie them in with the rest of the machine.

I put some fairy lights inside the machine and pushed one into the orange light to see how it looked.

 I put one of the cave walls behind the machine to check that it tied in ok with the orange of the cave walls. I am quite pleased with how they tone in together. Now I have one more prop to make and I will be ready to start shooting again.

Building The Machine Part 3

I then painted the moving parts of the machine that come out of the top. I painted them a copper rusty colour to give them an age and hopefully it will tone in nicely with the colour I want for the machine body.

I first painted the parts in a metallic copper colour and then added brown and orange detail so show corrosion and wear.

To give the paint more of a texture I dabbed it with a piece of foam.

I made the final front panel from foam board and made the trim from funky foam.I then smoothed of the joins with more filler, let it dry and sanded it down.

To make a realistic coin slot I sculpted the curved part from Milliput and stuck it onto some foam board.

I then stuck the front of the coin slot onto the the front. I also made another raised area to look like a 'coin tray and made a fake key hole.

Now for the fun part of painting the body of the machine!

Making a Dial

I was originally going to made a digital dial for the credit but I was advised that a Dial like a gas meter would work better and that I could use cotton wool spools for it. So I set a about making a big gas meter.

I ended up having to buy cotton wool spools and empty them as I could not find ones that were already empty.

I cut and sanded off the edges and then cut them in half to make them thinner.

I then made a prototype slot for the dial to test if it would work and to see how big I would need to make the slot.

I stuck the pencil onto the back with hot glue.

It worked! So now I have to plan out the numbers I need for the dial.

 I planned out the numbers on a grid first and then made the strips of numbers on the computer.

 Here is the final dial. I stuck the strips of paper off with Pritt Stick after painting the spools black to hide any cracks.

and here is what it looks like with the infinity symbols lined up. It is now ready to stick onto the machine. I will probably use the pencil as it is a perfect fit for the spools.

Building the Machine Part 1

I started building the machine weeks ago, but animation became priority. I had only made the main walls of The Machine, the same way I made the well.

Now I will finish it off so I can finish my filming.

I stuck a basin to the top, sanded off the sides of the foam and then stuck some rolled up newspaper near the join and put some balsa wood on the top to help give it a smooth finish.

I cut a hole in the side to give me a place where I can work the mechanism.

And cut a hole in the back in case I need to do any maintenance during filming.

I cut a hole in the top for where the parts of the machine will come out of.

Here is the cog that I made from balsa wood.

I will sick the instruction panel to the side of the machine here. I was going to have it light up but I decided that there might be already enough lights on The Machine and I do not want to give it too much attention as I only want it to be seen properly in the end of the film.

The control panel (for want of a better word) will be attached to the front with lights, a coin slot, a dial and a light up label.

I then put Mod-Roc and filler over the whole machine to give it an even finish.

I made the inner mechanism from Lego Technic. I had to re-design it as my previous one kept getting stuck.

It now runs like a dream...

I made the coin slot to fit the coin but not the ring.

I made the coin tray with a left over kids lipstick lid that I will be using for the lights.

To make the lights different colours I put paint into PVA glue and put in on the inside.