Harry Potter display base finished!

Well, the Harry Potter display base is done!

Now, Harry and Co are not here yet (and lord knows might NEVER make it... Soapy tried to find them in England but there was no luck... who the hell knows if they will EVER make it here...)

But in the meanwhile, at least the base is done!

So, I took the photos without the front on, because of the glare.  I masked out the parts that needed to be exposed, and then used black spray to spray the box.  I left a hole in the top (masked with tape) outside and above the window so that light could come into the display and light up the moon scene independently... otherwise, you would catch a shadow from the window on the moon, which obviously doesn't make sense!

To the above right you can see a shot of the scene assembled, with the cut-out for the light to light the "outside" scene.  To the the left is a "behind the scenes" shot of the moon scene... you might get a decent look at the finished product in the picture at the top of this entry.

You can also see the fireplace lit up above... the fire was made using this kit.  It was super easy to hook up.  The hardest part was figuring out what to do with the on/off button.  I wanted to attach it to the box itself, but still needed to be able to get the whole scene out in order to change the battery.

The first attempt to cut a hole for the button didn't work so well... using a drill split the box.  However, I DID experiment for a bit with the broken box, and found that simply "drilling" it out with a hobby knife did the trick!  So, drill I did!  To the right you can see a shot of the button itself... to the left, a glimpse at the "backstage" wiring... simple stuff!

Otherwise there is not much new to note... the paintings turned out pretty good... one of Dumbledore, one of The Fat Lady, one of Harry's parents... then a copy of a painting from our dining room that we bought in Italy, and two portraits from the Uffizi that fit the style.  Sorting Hat on the mantle, Marauders Map on the floor, Invisibility Cloak over the chair, Hedwig on the back bookshelf... I would tell you where I got the bookshelves and all except A) the guy at the place I bought them was an ass, and B) I actually don't remember the name of the place.

So!  Harry Potter display base done!  Now if only the damn figures would get here... fingers crossed that SOMEDAY they'll f'ing show up.

Oh, and I just noticed a scratch on the front cover.  Oh well.  I can go pick up another box whenever... they only cost two or three bucks.  Nuts.