HELL(O) (T)HERE neon sign 1/4 and/or 1/6 scale

[DoggieDoc]

Hey everyone I'm looking to move onto a new project after completing my recent umbrella for the Danny Devito 1/4 scale figure.

I thought I'd go for something really different and I have some ideas to try and recreate the iconic, damaged "Hello There" sign from Batman Returns.

Considering NECA is coming out with a 1/4 scale figure my first thought was 1/4 scale, but I suppose I could get a 1/6 scale version produced if there is a desire for it.

Of course the sign would light up! No pricing yet as I am just looking into what I will need to actually get this going. I am considering battery operated as well as plug in. Let me know who's interested!

And as always, you will find links to my past work at the end of the post just to give an idea of what I have done in the past. Thanks, guys!

Interested
1) Jaymig
2) Psycho
3) Duckman
4) smashadams
5) RdKing2
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)


Past projects:
1/6 scale Kryptonite Spear. https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170797

1/4 scale closed umbrella Danny Devito Penguin. https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173041


1/6 scale Batman Returns glider. https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166163


1/4 scale spiral and toy mobile umbrellas Batman Returns. https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165876



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[Jaymig926]

Re: "Hell Here" neon sign 1/4 and/or 1/6 scale

Interested in 1/4 and 1/6.

 

[Psycho]

Re: "Hell Here" neon sign 1/4 and/or 1/6 scale

Interested in 1/4 version

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[DoggieDoc]

Re: "Hell Here" neon sign 1/4 and/or 1/6 scale

Did some preliminary calculations... 1/4 scale sign will be just under 12 inches by about 8 inches... A bit bigger than I realized! I'm trying to decide whether to try and make it a completely free hanging sign (I'm think the letters mounted on a metal frame of sorts) versus mounting the sign to a plane of plexi glass/acrylic.

Weirdly, as I check screenshots, the sign is more or less attached directly to the wall of her apartment. Doesn't make much sense in reality, but it was clearly a setup for the eventual shot of Catwoman in front of the words Hell Here as seen in the screenshot I posted.


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[Psycho]

Re: "Hell Here" neon sign 1/4 and/or 1/6 scale

Did some preliminary calculations... 1/4 scale sign will be just under 12 inches by about 8 inches... A bit bigger than I realized! I'm trying to decide whether to try and make it a completely free hanging sign (I'm think the letters mounted on a metal frame of sorts) versus mounting the sign to a plane of plexi glass/acrylic.

Weirdly, as I check screenshots, the sign is more or less attached directly to the wall of her apartment. Doesn't make much sense in reality, but it was clearly a setup for the eventual shot of Catwoman in front of the words Hell Here as seen in the screenshot I posted.


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yeah that would be cool if it was somehow like on an clear stand of some ort as I wouldn't mind attaching it to my catwoman wooden base when i get it made.

 

[DoggieDoc]

So I've got some stuff on order that will hopefully be here this week. Two options for the signs that I am mulling over...

Option 1) Making it with something called EL wire. EL stands for Electroluminescent. This is a specially made wire that, when an electrical current passes through it, makes it glow. Looks EXACTLY like neon in miniature. HOWEVER, EL wire has a life span, meaning if used too much, it's brightness will dim over time (potentially to the point of no light at all). From what I can tell this still has a lifespan of 4,000-6,000 hours, where it will lose half it's brightness somewhere in that range. That is the equivalent of leaving it on 4 hours per day, every day, for 2-3 years or so. Clearly most people will not keep it on that often or for that long, but knowing the sign could become LESS in any way over time isn't ideal to me.

Option 2) Making it with something called laser wire. Now this stuff is AWESOME. It is essentially a flexible glass tube that works like a fiber optic cable, but instead of only transmitting light from one end to the other, light is emitted from the tube itself down it's entire length. As you can tell from the name the wire is "powered" by a laser beam (technically any light source could power it, but a laser beam would give the brightest glow). This means the light emitting tube has NO life span itself; only the laser does. SO, if the laser ever goes out (a laser has a lifespan in the 10s of thousands of hours, depending on certain factors) all you would have to do is replace that, though the whole point of using a laser powered setup is to avoid having to worry too much about that.

So there you have it... just thought I would showcase what I'm thinking through to get make this a reality!

And one final point... I am trying to research and determine ways to make this look awesome but also keep cost down. The two methods above SHOULD be relatively inexpensive, and I am easily shooting for under $100, but we'll see where my prototyping takes me. EL wire is noticeably cheaper but the ever present lifespan concerns are there. Laser wire is more expensive but lifespan isn't an issue.

A question: is this something you potential sign owners would plan on leaving on for lengthy time frames, i.e. as a light source in a room? Or would you be most likely to only turn it on occasionally, for pictures, etc.? If it's a very intermittent use item then the EL wire might make more sense.

 

[Psycho]

So I've got some stuff on order that will hopefully be here this week. Two options for the signs that I am mulling over...

Option 1) Making it with something called EL wire. EL stands for Electroluminescent. This is a specially made wire that, when an electrical current passes through it, makes it glow. Looks EXACTLY like neon in miniature. HOWEVER, EL wire has a life span, meaning if used too much, it's brightness will dim over time (potentially to the point of no light at all). From what I can tell this still has a lifespan of 4,000-6,000 hours, where it will lose half it's brightness somewhere in that range. That is the equivalent of leaving it on 4 hours per day, every day, for 2-3 years or so. Clearly most people will not keep it on that often or for that long, but knowing the sign could become LESS in any way over time isn't ideal to me.

Option 2) Making it with something called laser wire. Now this stuff is AWESOME. It is essentially a flexible glass tube that works like a fiber optic cable, but instead of only transmitting light from one end to the other, light is emitted from the tube itself down it's entire length. As you can tell from the name the wire is "powered" by a laser beam (technically any light source could power it, but a laser beam would give the brightest glow). This means the light emitting tube has NO life span itself; only the laser does. SO, if the laser ever goes out (a laser has a lifespan in the 10s of thousands of hours, depending on certain factors) all you would have to do is replace that, though the whole point of using a laser powered setup is to avoid having to worry too much about that.

So there you have it... just thought I would showcase what I'm thinking through to get make this a reality!

And one final point... I am trying to research and determine ways to make this look awesome but also keep cost down. The two methods above SHOULD be relatively inexpensive, and I am easily shooting for under $100, but we'll see where my prototyping takes me. EL wire is noticeably cheaper but the ever present lifespan concerns are there. Laser wire is more expensive but lifespan isn't an issue.

A question: is this something you potential sign owners would plan on leaving on for lengthy time frames, i.e. as a light source in a room? Or would you be most likely to only turn it on occasionally, for pictures, etc.? If it's a very intermittent use item then the EL wire might make more sense.

I wouldn't leave it on for long periods of time... But maybe some ppl would so If I were you i would I would go with the second option also will it like be on a say an stand so it could say be like elbow hight or head height of catwoman when displayed?

 

[DoggieDoc]

I wouldn't leave it on for long periods of time... But maybe some ppl would so If I were you i would I would go with the second option also will it like be on a say an stand so it could say be like elbow hight or head height of catwoman when displayed?

It being on a stand was not my original intention. I was considering making it something that is more hung into place. However I could certainly look into that.

And I agree on option two being more ideal. I just received notice that my laser wire is coming in Thursday! So I will start playing around with that soon!

 

[Psycho]

It being on a stand was not my original intention. I was considering making it something that is more hung into place. However I could certainly look into that.

And I agree on option two being more ideal. I just received notice that my laser wire is coming in Thursday! So I will start playing around with that soon!

well as long as it can be put on like an styrofoam wall ect as thats my plan anyways for an mini dio/base....

 

[DoggieDoc]

Surprised to find out my laser wire was delivered today! I will be messing around with it, maybe even have a picture or two up, we'll see!

 

[DoggieDoc]

Exciting stuff! Got the laser wire in tonight and... IT. IS. AMAZING. The best part is it works extremely. well even with LED lights, so lasers specifically are not a requirement. This should drastically increase the lifespan and eliminate many concerns I originally had.

The laser wire still has some limitations... namely it can only be bent to a maximum of a 5 degree angle, which makes for some challenges for forming the letters. However I think I can easily work around that with some ingenuity. For the time being I have attached pictures (as best I could take in the dark) of the laser wire in action. I also linked to a video of the laser wire in real time. Can't wait to get some pink color in there!

[video=youtube_share;aRZryY3TeDo]https://youtu.be/aRZryY3TeDo[/video]

 

[DoggieDoc]

Couple more pictures after I tried out the whole word "HELLO". Looks amazing, and this is using a crude lighting setup powered by my phone's LED. Can't wait to try out colored lights and eliminating all light leak so the wire is even brighter.

 

[Psycho]

Couple more pictures after I tried out the whole word "HELLO". Looks amazing, and this is using a crude lighting setup powered by my phone's LED. Can't wait to try out colored lights and eliminating all light leak so the wire is even brighter.

Looks great so far.. Looking forward to more pics... So is it gonna light up Hell Here or Hello There?

 

[DoggieDoc]

Looks great so far.. Looking forward to more pics... So is it gonna light up Hell Here or Hello There?

My original idea was just to light up "HELL HERE" with the O and T present but unlit. However a few people have asked about making those two letters light up independently but we'll see. I just did HELLO as proof of concept add I was messing around, and it turned out even better than I expected!

I'll be trying out singe new things this weekend. Gotta figure out how to mount the letters. Right now I just mounted them to a piece if foam board. In the dark looks great but not sure how I feel about a big, white background for daytime displays.

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[Psycho]

My original idea was just to light up "HELL HERE" with the O and T present but unlit. However a few people have asked about making those two letters light up independently but we'll see. I just did HELLO as proof of concept add I was messing around, and it turned out even better than I expected!

I'll be trying out singe new things this weekend. Gotta figure out how to mount the letters. Right now I just mounted them to a piece if foam board. In the dark looks great but not sure how I feel about a big, white background for daytime displays.

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I'm sure you will figure out which way and background works best....

 

[DoggieDoc]

I'm sure you will figure out which way and background works best....

I am weighing two options...mount the letters on acrylic, or mount the letters on a wire frame. Both ways would end up with a hangable sign that could be placed into any display.

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[duckman]

interested

 

[RDKing2]

Interested

 

[SmashAdams]

Interested!

 

[Jaymig926]

Awesome !!