Arc Reactor

After seeing Iron Man in the theater I knew I had to recreate Tony Starks Arc Reactor. Specifically I wanted the RT1 that Pepper Potts had displayed in the glass case for Tony. The "Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart" Arc Reactor. Below is a comparison of the Arc seen in the movie and the one I built.

The first step was to draw up blueprints of the proposed Arc. The blueprints would need to show every piece that would be used to create the Arc. I spent weeks going over screen caps from the movie, using various angles to determine the dimensions of each part. I also used several images of the actual Arc that had been displayed at Comic-Con. All my blueprints were created in Illustrator.

After I had the blueprints completed I began creating the individual parts that would make up the Arc. For this project, I primarily be laser-engraved and cut most of the parts out of varying thickness of plexiglass. In addition, I cast the central ring in clear urethane with a "Coke-bottle" green tint added. The base was cut on a CNC out of MDF.

One of the hardest parts to recreate was the cage for the Arc. The only reference I had at the time were reflections of the back seen on the display case. The cage ended up being built from 29 laser-cut plexi-glass pieces. The cage was also very important, because it would hold all of the LED lighting.

At this point, all the major sub-assemblies were complete and I began fitting them together. The first real indication of what the finished Arc would look like.

Next up was the creation of a light system for the Arc. I chose an LED under-counter light that would fit the cage. I separated the LED lights from the power supply. The LED's would go in the cage, while the power supply would go in the display base.

Testing the LED's for the Arc to make sure they have the right look.

All that was left to do was final paint and assembly. I used various metallic paints and weathering techniques to give the Arc the proper "used" look.

The last thing I had to do was create the display case. I used laser-cut .2" acrylic and then rounded the edges. Although it took quite an effort, I think the results were very worthwhile.

Thanks for Looking.

-GG