As I posted the various Action Scale Apollo 13 images, I received some requests asking how I made the spacecraft interiors. This page shows some images from behind the scenes. More precisely, the camera has been zoomed out to show the extent of the scenary.
All of the images on this page were generated by the HoloSuite operator, ScottE, using a camcorder and a Snappy III video capture device. You may use the images for non-commercial purposes, provided that credit for the source of the images is included with their use.
To comment on the page e-mail me.
The first thing chosen was a crew. I chose Classic Collection GI Joes. There is a Buzz Aldrin, Shadow Ops 2010, and a Korean Pilot figure in the spacecraft. To outfit them I used two Classic Collection Apollo 11 suits, and one Kenner Apollo 13 suit. The original suit helmets weren't very true to the Apollo "fishbowls", so I chose a pair of 70s vintage Flying Space Adventure helmets and a PowerTeam Astronaut Man helmet.
The next most important task was creation of suitable backdrops and props. The backdrops were made by locating high resolution photos of Apollo control panels on the web, scaling them and color matching them, and then printing them out using an inkjet printer. The resulting panels were cut, bent, and pasted together to form enough surface contours so as to suggest a full three dimensional set. In some cases, obscured panels were approximated by copying, mirroring, and pasting sections of visible panels.
Where necessary, a piece of scale equipment was blended into the backdrop to provide something for the "actors" to work with. Such was the case in the use of an Adventure Team rocket control panel to provide control joysticks for the Aquarius. Visible in the foreground of the picture is the Apollo 11 backpack and section of printed photo that were taped together to construct the LEM air exchange system with the square filter strapped to it.
A support team in Mission Control was also assembled. I chose a General Eisenhower and Blue Angel CC GI Joe, and an Adam from Dragon Models. I used the Eisenhower shirt and tie, and a Soldiers of The World President Grant Shirt and Tie to outfit the engineers.
The external views for the spacecraft were done using miniature models photographed on top of black craft foam. The docked ships are from the Micro Machines National Geographic Moon Explorers set. The reentering capsule was from a three foot tall model of a Saturn V.
A poster of the Earth was used as a backdrop for the reentry scenes. A picture of the real Odyssey on the deck of the Iwo Jima was used in the final Crew recovery scenes.
So there you have the basic ingredients used in putting together the Action Scale Apollo 13 project. The rest is a matter of well chosen camera angles, lighting, and figure positioning. What you see in the images is what was in front of the camera. Only minor adjustments to color, brightness, and contrast were done to clean up the images before posting.