Echo Base


	Dave's Lego Site \| Creations \| Echo Base

Echo Base

After completing my version of a Lego AT-AT, I wanted to complete the Hoth battle scene as best I could. I decided that a great way to do this might be to build the hangar bay from Empire Strikes Back to serve as the backdrop to the AT-AT. If you'd like to see the complete scene, check out my pictures from this event.

The base itself is made up of 9 sections, weighing in at 157 pounds and an estimated 24,000 bricks. The sections shown below measure about 5'0" x 4'7" (1.5m x 1.4m). In order to build it, I used the soundstage design plans for the hangar in The Art of The Empire Strickes Back. Without enough bricks to build the entire hangar, I built approximately the formost third of it, and also the trench and snow-mountain outside of it.

I wanted to add as much detail to the base as possible, but unfortunately there's not much to add with just great heaping mounds of snow. I added what details I could, but most details were to be added later with scenery, rebel equipment, figures, and ships. Trying to add detail to the snow itself, I wanted to add light grey or tan plates here and there to give the impression of "dirty" snow where the rebels had constant foot-traffic. However, this ended up looking a little too dirty. So in order to break up the flat snow fields, I added several sets of footprints through the snow close to the base.

The details inside (and outside) were some of the most important parts. The actual 'canon' details are the black radar-dish turret, tauntauns, a truss (positioned over the X-wing), and a small personel transport (which, after building, I found out I did incorrectly). In addition to various other greebly-bits, I must admit I stole an idea for a small repair droid from someone on Brickshelf, though I forget who... (If you're reading and see your robot, email me and get credited here!)

So what's it look like under all that white? Anything but. For support in the mountain, and under the snow, I used lots of multi-colored bricks, and whatever I could to build up space inside and remain sturdy.

Although it didn't quite fit into the layout, I also constructed a Power Generator. And unfortunately (as you can see) I had to use some of the ugly UFO hulls for lack of enough "prettier" hulls from the Millenium Falcon set.