Indiana Jones Mine Cart Diorama

Here is a project I put together a number of years ago... it is still not 100% complete... needs a bit of touching up.

When we bought our house approx. six years ago, I was able to convince my wife that I should use half of the basement to create displays and dioramas for my 1/6 scale action figures... little did she know what she was in for.

-

One of my all-time favorite movie scenes is the mine cart chase in Temple of Doom. The first custom item I built in the new house was a mine cart for my custom Indiana Jones... that eventually evolved into a full diorama.

This display sits at one end of the "toy room". Basement ceilings are 9 feet tall. The display is built in to the wall/ceiling, above other built-in displays.

Overall dimensions of the mine cart diorama:
Height: 21 inches
Depth: 12-18 inches (varies)
Length: 14 feet, 8 inches

Construction:
Mine Cart: PVC pipe, styrene sheets, strips, rods and other plastic bits

Mine Cart Wheels: wheels from an old furniture moving device, re-worked

Rocks: sheets of foam insulation, glued together / shaped with various tools / covered in glue and sand, then painted

Track: metal rails liberated from a large-scale toy train set - rails removed from the plastic track that they came with, then bent to shape - wooden track and track supports built to support the bent rails

Lights: lit from underneath by red and white rope lights that slowly change intensity... gives it a cool "flowing lava" feel in person

-

For all of you purists, I know that Indy didn't have his jacket on in this scene in the movie, and so far I don't have a Short Round or Willie Scott to go along for the ride... maybe someday we will see these characters from Sideshow.

great job

Looks pretty sweet.

That's pretty impressive.
14 feet of Indy in a cart!!!

Diorama? I have a desk and chaulkboard-that's a diorama. What you have is a minature for a movie set.. Awsome work man.

:eek just picked my jaw up of the ground, that is without a doubt the best Indy dio I have seen. You are one lucky SOB to have the room to do dio's in this scale.

Ron

Wow. I was not expecting that when I opened this thread.

I'm gonna go wash the urine out of my pants...

That -- is -- frickin' -- INSANE!

In a good way!

Awesome set-up!

You should make it go all the way around the room like one of those trains in FAO Schwarz.

That is freaking sweet!

Thats gold

:eek Amazing , the best Indy dio I have ever seen.

Wow, simply brilliant attention to detail and scale DLS. You and Dunedin should contact each other and trade secrets.

Great Detail, any plans to do more?

Thanks all for the kind words.

Long time (mostly) lurker... finally decided to post some of my own stuff after seeing some of the recent (very cool!) offerings by a number of folks here.

I have many more projects in the works.... most are in-progress.

Thanks again-
Dennis

That is one hell of a set up... I'd also love to see more angles and perhaps just straight photos without the lighting effects so we can see some of the construction of it..

Great dio the lighting really makes it pop.

Um...Wow. Just wow, Dennis. That is a truly impressive work of art dude. The size, detail, lighting...

That looks amazing!!!

I can't wait to see your "zeppelin" dio from "The Last Crusade"...

This is very cool. simply Amazing looking.!