Enter: Jabba's Palace by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
C-3PO & R2-D2 return to Tatooine, home of the vile Jabba the Hutt, in an effort to free Han Solo from his Carbonite prison.
Greetings, Exhaulted One by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
The Droids enter Jabba's Throne Room and R2 projects a holographic message in which Luke Skywalker attempts to bargain for Han Solo's life. But Jabba is determined to keep the frozen Han Solo as a decoration in his fortress and rejects Skywalker's offer.
I don't actually own the 3 3/4 inch Hologram Luke figure, so instead I used a smaller Hologram Luke that came as a pack-in with some old Saga Collection figures. I had to hold him up closer to the camera with one hand while I took the picture. This mini figure is sculpted with a lightsaber, so I had to crop that out of the photo. I used some tools in Windows photo gallery to get the dim, blue lighting effect.
Oola's Escape Attempt by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
As Jabba's Max Rebo Band entertains the palace, one of Jabba's slaves struggles to break free from her bonds.
Jabba's Throne is just a peice of styrofoam packing material that I cut to fit into the space. I used a fat, black magic marker to draw on where I wanted to put the grooves between the stones and the ink from the marker actually melted the styrofoam, so it was a happy accident. The reddish brown rug is a thin scrap of cloth that I cut out, painted with acrylic paints and glued down to the throne. The Gargoyle heads were made out of sculpty and the rings in their mouths are twisty-ties that I shaped around a pen. I dry brushed the whole thing with different colored acrylics to bring out the details and then I glued the rug on top.
Oola Falls through the Trapdoor! by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
Jabba wrestles with Oola for a few seconds and in a rage, slams his fist against the release botton for the secret Trapdoor hidden before his dias. Oola falls through to the floor of a dark dungeon below, littered with bones. A massive gate creaks open and Oola's screams of horror echo through the Throne room above. What terrible evil lies in the belly of Jabba's Palace?
The base of this dio is a slab of insulation styrofoam with a sheet of foamcore board on top. I cut out the trapdoor and used masking tape around the inside edges. The trapdoor opening actually has a floor too. I painted a peice of heavy cardstock black on one side and glued it underneath the base. I think it gives the illusion that the character is falling though when they're actually just standing in a falling pose.
I made a few extra pillows because most of the ones that came with my other Jabba were really drab looking. I sculpted mine out of paperclay and used a toothpick to make all the folds and wrinkles. When they were dry I painted them with acrylics and gave them all paintwashes to bring out more of their details. I think all the added colors make the whole throne look a little more lavish.
"Because He's Holding a Thremal Detonator!" by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
Moments later, Blaster fire errupts from the main entryway. A mysterious Bounty Hunter named Boushh has captured the Mighty Chewbacca and has come to collect the bounty on his head. Jabba tries to low-ball the bounty hunter at first but when Boushh threatens to destroy the Palace with a dangerous Thermal Detonator, Jabba quickly comes up with a compromise they can both agree on.
"We have Powerful Friends. You're going to Regret This!" by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
As Jabba and his court denizens sleep that night, Boushh stalks through the Palace under the cover of darkness. Boushh releases Han Solo from the Carbonite and reveals himself to be... Princess Leia! Just as the Princess and Solo begin to sneak out, a curtain behind them is lifted. The cunning Jabba was onto them the entire time. Han tries to strike up a bargain with the Hutt, but is instead wisked away to a containment cell by a pairof guards. The captured Princess Leia swears revenge as she is brought closer to Jabba for inspection.
I made stairs on each side of the throne so I could stagger the figures and made the base of the diorama in this "T" shape so I could pose other figures around the base with out blocking the view of figures towards the back. Also, I can add new figures around the base as they are released instead of having to build a new, bigger diorama to accomodate in the future. The individual figure stands are made out of paperclay with a hole drilled out to fit one of these foot pegs http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogtrilogy/ ... hotostream They have been painted to match the diorama with acrylic paints.
Slave Leia by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
Early the next day, Luke Skywalker quietly arrives at Jabba the Hutt's Palace and calls for the release of Han Solo and his friends. But Jabba won't see reason and is not susceptible to the Jedi's Powers of the Mind.
The archway behind Jabba was made out of another slab of styrofoam with a sheet of foamcore taped to the back. the carvings around the arch are cut out peices of sticky-back foam sheets. The red circles were made out of paperclay and painted with acrylic paints. For the highlighted lines on the back wall, I cut out a stencil from a peice of cardstock and drybrushed them on with acrylic paints.
"There will be No Bargain, Young Jedi." by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
The situation quickly escalates into violence. Skywalker uses the Power of the Force to relieve one of Jabba's henchmen of his Blaster Pistol.
This Luke figure is from the 30th Anniversary Collection, but the hooded cape came with an Original Trilogy Collection figure. The cape isn't perfect, but it fits the figure pretty well and the hood looks great up and down.
I made some gouges in the foam core in several spots on the base and filled them in with pacperclay. When the clay was dry, I used a dremmel tool to drill out holes for foot pegs just like these http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogtrilogy/ ... hotostream
"Master Luke, You're Standing On..." by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
C-3PO tries to warn Luke about the Trapdoor beneath his feet, but can't quite get it out in time. Just as Skywalker spins around to blast Jabba, the floor falls out from beneath him and he is plunged into the subterranean lair of the dreaded Rancor Monster!
The Jawa figure in back is from the Clone Wars figure line. I drybrushed him with different shades of brown and black acrylic paints. The fan he's holding is custom. I cut the leaf from the same cloth I used for Jabba's rug and painted it with acrylic paints. I globbed on lots of thick green paint and used a fine paintbrush to make striated lines on top. I glued on a thin peice of plastic from a model set for the stalk and gave the whole thing a light brown paintwash.
I also gave Salacious Crumb a dark brown paintwash and when that dried I repainted his beak and his eyes.
The Dangerous Trapdoor by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
If only this Gamorrean Guard or one of his co-workers had filed a report with OSHA concerning this and other dangerous workplace hazards, he might still be alive today.
This working trapdoor is actually very simple. It's just foamcore with a small square of styrofoam glued on the bottom in the center. You can push down gently on either end of the trapdoor and the other end pops up like a teeter totter so it can be removed easily.
The Grate in front of the diorama is a chain-link fence section that originally came with a wrestling playset that I found on clearance. I cut the hole out of the foamcore first, then I turned it over and cut around that with an exacto knife carefully so as not to cut entirely through. Then I cut horizontally along the inside of the opening and removed the foam leaving only the thin cardstock on top. I did this so that I could insert the chain-link fence section from the bottom and it would almost be flush with the rest of the floor of the diorama. I painted the area of exposed styrofoam beneath black and dry brushed the grate with light browns and gold acrylic paint.
"They will all Suffer for this Outrage!" by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
Luke defeats Jabba's pet Rancor and is brought back up the Throne Room along with Han Solo and Chewbacca. Jabba Declares "They will all Suffer for this Outrage!" and sentences them to a slow, painful death in the belly of the Almighty Sarlacc! Luke warns Jabba "That's the Last Mistake You'll Make."
I like both of the Jabba figures that Hasbro has made about the same, but for different reasons. The newer version (not pictured) has a pretty nice paint job and articulated arms, but this older Saga Collection era Jabba has much better paint on his eyes and around his mouth. The new Jabba has a soft, pliable plastic body and you have to fuss with it a lot to get it to look right. This Jabba's tail isn't poseable, but it doesn't really have to be. This version also comes with a removable tongue, a hole in his mouth for his hookah pipe and a little froggy snack for him to eat or store in his bowl.
Jabba's Throne Room Playset by O.G.Trilogy Strikes Back, on Flickr
I like the colouring. 
