The top of the gutter was screwed into the frame of the umbrella and a green spot light was aimed down the ramp. I strategically cut a hole into the umbrella cover and bordered it with painted duct tape to create a open hatch. I did the same thing with the three aliens on the ramp (which is an aluminum gutter). After arranging the aliens in a random grouping, I marked their location, drilled holes through their feet and screwed them onto the base. First, I cut out and painted a wooden base black. I really like the fact that they are small, because it is the correct scale for the ship. Then I was lucky enough to win an eBay auction for a set of 18 figures for $55. It took me six months to track down the first three.
You can sometimes find them on eBay or for $10-$15 each (including shipping). They were manufactured by Street Players Holding Corp, originally released in 1996 and are no longer in production. The little green men featured in the display are 6 inch action figures called The Roswell Aliens. A slight air gap is needed to produce the fog. Be sure to leave a few inches between the nozzle of the fogger and the opening of the tube running up through the ship. Regarding the fog machine, a higher end model with a timer is preferable because it will generate the engine blasts automatically. It's one of my favorite parts of the ship because it's a great looking feature and it didn't cost anything. Each pair is slightly wedged (and are held in place by pressing against each other) along the rim of the bottom eight openings. The engine housing is made up of 16 empty spray painted two liter bottles. In this new display, I added a small fan to push the fog exhaust out of the engines with some extra force behind it. There is also a strobe light shining straight down and a green spot light to illuminate the open hatch. The first photo shows a black flexible tube (an old vacuum hose) which runs to the fog machine positioned on the floor behind the ship. The aluminum framework of the umbrellas makes for an ideal structure to hang the inner workings of the engines. Since it was battery operated, it worked great on the smaller flying saucer, but I will probably use a larger single plug in bulb fixture next time for the mothership's cockpit because the dome was so large and it created a brighter hot spot on the top. The interior of the domes were lit with the aptly named UFO Tent Light which cost $10 each. They arrived in a heavy duty package (which doubles as a case for transport and storage) and were wrapped in protective tape to guard against scratching. So after a total of $138, the real kicker was that it cost an additional $157 to ship, for a grand total of just under $300.
#UFO ALIEN INVASION LINUX PLUS#
The cockpit for the second ship was a 3/16" thick (which I liked much better that the 1/8" thickness on the larger dome) x 20" dia x 10" high plus a 1/2" hole drilled in top center for $47. For the main ship, we decided on a white acrylic dome 1/8" thick x 30" dia x 15" high plus 1/8 flange for $91. I placed the order by phone and they were a pleasure to work with. After a google search, I found a company called EZ Tops World Wide Inc which manufactures plastic domes and replacement skylights. So for the new incarnation, I decided to bite the bullet and order custom acrylic domes (which turned out to be the priciest item used in construction). Although inexpensive and functional, I was disappointed with the final results. In my original display, I used a children's dome umbrella which I painted as the cockpit. I've left the finished ships outside for more than a week exposed to heavy downpours with no problems. The nice thing about making the props out of umbrellas is that they are inherently waterproof. To assemble, I simply guided the top half into the collar and gravity held it in place. The key component to couple/join the two halves together was old piece of shop vac tube cut to size, which turned out to be the perfect diameter, thickness and strength. Be sure to use a back-and-forth motion while painting to simulate a metal look. It took about 20 cans of Rust-olem Aluminum 7515. Cut off the main mast with a jigsaw, then paint the outside material with silver spray paint. Open the umbrella to it's maximum and use a steel pin to keep it in position. In starting the construction, remove and discard the small top fabric vent. He was located an hour away so I didn't have to pay for shipping. I got an awesome deal when I found all four of them (two for each UFO) from one seller on eBay for about $120. The umbrellas that I used were manufactured by Pottery Barn (as seen in the picture from the catalog). I think the one's with eight panels have the best look. The body of the ships are made out of patio umbrellas.
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