The Opening Was Just The Beginning

Mere days after the opening of the Star Wars exhibit, we were back in the Museum Of Science early on Saturday morning, October 29th. The "Air Car" ride was malfunctioning. Armed with drills and hammers and implements of destruction, we tore apart the little enclosed track and put it back together with a stronger knee wall around it. The broken plate on the car itself, a swivel thing that allowed steering, was removed so it could be returned to the shop for repair or replacement. A sign was placed at the entrance to the ride: "The Repair Droids are still working on this activity. Please come back later." Six months later, when disassembling and packing the exhibit for its world tour, I happened upon that sign. I still have it.

November, December and January I was often derailed from my Norwood projects for night shift gigs at MOS. Broken things were replaced and newly acquired elements were added that there hadn't been time for before opening. Cabinet doors were added, venting holes and fans were installed, labeling signs were installed on permanent posts, all kinds of little things.

And then we began a systematic measuring of all thirty-some glass cases, complete with drawings of the power inlets and forklifting access panels. Why? Because crates were required for shipping these giant glass boxes. Kevin and I spent several nights taking careful measurements. He wrote down the numbers and drew the locations of whatever needed to be accomodated. We compiled the "bible" of Star Wars crates and then began to assemble sides back at the shop. These were not your usual crates. They were individual sides, with 2X2 around the edges, drilled for bolt assembly. The top was a 1X6, mitred on the ends, that hooked over the top of the case. A huge stack of these sides began piling up in the shop, until Kevin took a bunch to the Museum to begin test-fitting them and modifying whatever slight miscalculations there might have been. For a couple of weeks, I was crate building guru, while Kevin worked nights fitting and tweaking.

May Day! May Day! Monday, May first was the beginning of the strike. I, of course, was put on the strike crew. I hardly did any striking, however. I was put on the finishing up project. There was a long list of trim pieces to add, threaded inserts to install, sign holders to secure for transport, and securing anything loose. Two weeks we spent finishing as many details as possible, packing things up and loading them onto thirteen semi trailers. That's a lot of stuff.

Star Wars has been all over the country and all over the world - Alaska, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and on and on. Shawn Marler and Vinnie Canney have been the point men from Mystic taking turns unloading, unpacking and setting up - and striking, packing and loading. I suppose that, five years later, it's still on tour. I hope it's finally finished by now.