Currently these pages are in the process of updating and adding photos of work done over the last few months.
Star Wars Box Project
This was my most complex project for which I achieved Distinction in 2024 during my Art Department UAL Level 4 course starting with a simple pine box.
This was at Creative Media Skills in Pinewood Studios and Buckingham College Group during the course prop making module.
https://www.cmsinstitute.co.uk/further-education-art-department
The prop is now in 3 main parts:
- Mobile Tower Control System
(Up to the original project hand in, then the post course and project substantial problem solving, upgrading and reinforcing)
- Transport Crate
- Animation for the Display Screen created in After Effects
I will be including the entire in depth detailing of the design project for all these stages (Currently working on this)
Skills involved included:
- Sketching
- Prototyping
- Researching
- Substantial Problem Solving and Engineering Fixing to Problems and Flaws.
- Wood Work Foam and Plastics
- Petty Cash Buying
- Kitbashing
- Silicon Moulding Parts
- Resin Casting
- Various Spray-Painting Techniques
- Various Distressing Techniques
- A variety of gluing and Riveting
- Trips to Prop Houses
- Basic Electronics
- After Effects Animation
- Simple Mechanisms
- Use of Photoshop
Imperial Base Attack Screen Animation
I originally used a screen saver animation for the display screen on the prop. This was a compartment for my phone with a magnetic hatch.
I then did an After Effects course and used my end of course project for a new animation I did myself.
The plot was a hacking scene where the rebels who have infiltrated a planet housing a secret imperial base are over looking the base. They then use a commanders authentication code to hack in and turn the base’s own defensive turbo laser turret towers against the base, its tie fighter hanger and visiting transport cruiser. The animation is what the rebels would be seeing on the display screen.
The music is track is Run Program
Giorgio Moroder And Raney Shockne – Tron Run/r (Original Soundtrack)
Project Brief
Below is the Pine box we were issued with to start the project:

Then to design, develop and construct this into a prop worthy of being in a scene in a movie or High-End TV franchise for one of the following:
· Star Wars
· Lord of the Rings
· Harry Potter
At the start of the project and for weeks into it, we had NOT been told that the definition of a prop was:
A portable hand-held item a character interacts with.
This project was restarted several times over several weeks dropping me behind as :
· A miniature model of a spacecraft
· A miniature model of a speeder bike
· Utility droid based on B3EMO from Andor Star Wars Show.
· A stealth rebel imperial ambush limpet mine attack droid using flash cotton or other pyrotechnics.
Running out of time I was steered to a simpler kit bashed control box project based on the he Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit from the Star Wars TV show Andor (Right).
I decided on creating a portable control system that could be used for various roles such as a hacking tool, weapon system, communications and more. At the time there was no specific task it would be designed for to allow flexibility.
Aesthetic Style
(Imperial to Outer Rim Rebels)
Whilst I did start with the aestehtic of a new looking , industrial produced, clean grey Imperial prop, this soon moved to firstly a ice planet Hoth look to enable dirtying and distressing then # to something one would expect from outer rim rebels, that had been more jury rigged, locally made on a desert planet, and rough to allow for more texture painting and to cover up errors.
The system build went through various designs & forms from:
- A simple solid control box like above.
- Progressing to opting for a dual / book opening.
- Having this open to a T-shaped unit based around a central power core.
Since finishing the project to get as close to the original deadline as possible just after Christmas 2023 it was clear large amounts of upgrades were needed.
Work has thus been carried out on the prop over Summer 2024 and then Winter 2025.
These have included creating my own animation sequence and designing and building a transport crate.
Project Stages Below Include:
Pre - Construction
- Starting Point with the Pine Box.
- Research.
- Potential Projects.
- Sketch Ideation and Development.
- Prototyping.
Basic Construction
- Basic Box Construction.
- Control Panel Cutting Guides.
Technology
- Electronics and Lighting.
- Animation.
Kit Bashing
- Kit bashing Intro and Sourcing.
- Part Duplication.
- Chopping up Kit Bash Components.
- Preparing the Dyson Motors and Cyclone Generators.
- Transmitter Tower Development and Kit Bash Construction.
- Faction Colour Pallet and Kitbash Assembly on Box Body.
Upgrades and Reinforcement
- Replacement & Reinforcement of Communication Towers.
- Dampening Hinges to Slow Opening to Prevent Damage.
- Repairing and Reinforcing the Wing Boxes.
- Adding Kitbashing in Plain Zones.
- Stabilising the Base.
- Replacing the Screen Animation with Own After Effects.
- Creating a Transport Crate to Keep the Prop Safe and Assist as it's Heavy, Big and Fragile.
- Customising the Crate to a Star Wars Style with Electronics, that is easy to Move over Various Terrain and Fit in a Car.
- Additional Distressing.
Star Wars Box Project Development Journal
This was a complex project that was started a few times
You can download my project journal that covers the development in depth here prior to hand in, as well as this website. Note thats this is just for the project till hand in time not the upgrades.
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I've broken the development into steps.
There was also the main stage of the project hand in that I got a Distinction for Jan 2024, then the more recent major upgrade after the course in August 2024 which solved many of the issues & enhanced the detail.
Star Wars Box Project - Starting Point
This was a very complex project and you can download my project journal that covers the development in depth here.
This is the box we were given to start with 28 x 19 x 6cm and 5mm thick walls. The base was 5.5 cm deep and the lid 2.5cm deep.
