| The Legion Clubhouse by Jo & Terri-Anne Sanning
Well the Legionnaires need a place to meet, don't they? And since a plastic Clubhouse on-scale with the DC Direct action figures would probably put a dent in even R.J. Brande's wallet, we decided to go ahead and make one ourselves -- out of poster board! (It's not quite as sturdy but is at least environmentally friendly.) It stands about 27" high and is approximately 13.5" in diameter. For anyone who'd like to make themselves a Clubhouse, too, here's how we did ours...
First we bought a large sheet of yellow poster board. This will form the main building. You will also need to get a sheet of red poster board, which will be cut into shapes needed to make the "rocket" fins at the top of the Clubhouse. A sheet of black poster board will be used to make the flooring. (A green sheet for "grass" and a blue sheet for "sky" are optional.) Some study cardboard will also be needed for the base and each floor.
The next step works best if you have an art program on your computer, such as Adobe Photoshop. We created drawings based on the various equipment in the Legion Clubhouse - monitors, computers, signs, etc. - and then printed them out onto sheets of computer printer sticker paper. If you don't have an art program or a printer you can simply use a ruler and draw your own by hand. After cutting out each picture, we placed them onto the "interior" of the building. Remember to have the yellow sheet laid flat, and so the longest dimension is in an up and down position. Above the door, on the "outside", we placed the "Super-Hero Club" sign. You should also cut shallow areas into the bottom edge in order to create small tabs that will be slotted into a support base (see next step below).
Note the red, triangular wedge-shaped floor holders that can be seen at the ceiling of the middle floor. There are four of these spaced out on the walls of each level. We decided to divide the Cluhouse into three levels, which best suit the size of the figures. Onto the first level we placed the cosmos monitor and various other devices as they appeared in the comics. We also cut a square door into the center of the paper, folding it on it's uncut side, and placing sticker paper around it to make it white. On the second floor we put the computer and monitor board. On the top floor we placed the lab. Between each level we glued a number of wedge-shaped supports that will eventually serve to hold up the semi-circular cardboard floors. Black poster board glued overtop of the cardboard used for the base and floors will look classier.
Next, you must prepare a base for the Clubhouse to sit in, and a shaped piece of sturdy cardboard will do fine. Cut several thin slots around the perimeter marked in the base that will conform to the diameter of the curved building. The tabs you cut into the building will fit into these slots. Again, black construction paper glued overtop of the cardboard will make the floor look nicer on the inside. Working with the red construction paper, measure and cut out a shaped strip that will be able to slot into the top of the yellow construction paper when curved. The longest strip must measure the diameter of the top when curved and will help bind the curvature of the main building as well as form the red fins on the sides. A second shorter strip will attach to a slot in the front of the building at the top and is taped or glued to the longer strip like this -| when viewed from the top.
For extra details, you can make a number of small removable stickers that can be fitted in the spaces underneath the monitor board pics of each Legionnaire, telling of their current "whereabouts". With your top and bottom supports done, you are now ready to gently curve the main building and slot it into the base. Inserting the red fins at the top will help hold the shape but you will notice that the middle part will bulge out. To remedy this, and give a nice cylindrical shape to the building, you'll have to cut two thin strips and glue them across the open area, at floor level. These strips will also help support the floors when you place them. The floors are cut from cardboard covered with black poster board. On the edges we glued a thin fold of red poster board that will overhang over the middle support strips. The floors rest on these strips and the support wedges you glued onto the interior earlier. For the main floor and meeting room, we scanned in a few action scenes from the comics that can be hooked onto the Legionnaire's emergency monitor. And even though the charter members aren't articulated to sit, you could make them a briefing table complete with nameplates.
Cosmic Boy: "Please tell me the others aren't visiting Dimension QK-51 again..."
Lightning Lad: "Activate the force-shield, Imra. I don't feel like signing autographs today -- my dupli-writing stylus is worn out."
Saturn Girl: "Well, we need a fourth for bridge, so it's sort of an emergency." Hope you enjoyed the tour of our Do-It-Yourself Cardboard Clubhouse! :) :) |
